University of Virginia Library

ACT II.

SCENE I.

The Scene continues.
Enter Justinian and Belisarius.
Jus.
To thee the Soldier's Merit best is known,
To thee I give full Pow'r of Recompence.
The Treasury shall answer thy Demand,
Ample and Royal be the Donative.
Bravely they fought and freely we reward.

Bel.
And Vitiges—

Jus.
And Vitiges shall be
Declar'd Patrician. Say, is there ought else?

Bel.
Cæsar, too bounteous, leaves no room to ask.
My Fellow Soldiers' Service recompens'd,
My Promise giv'n to Vitiges perform'd,
Compleat my Wishes and o'erpay my Toyls.

Jus.
Thy bounteous Mind for others seeks Reward,
Unmindful of thy self; but we not so.
To be a Debtors suits not our high Place.
Raise thy Desires, swell thy aspiring Thoughts,
And take a Gift which Kings have sought in vain.

Bel.
Too well I apprehend the fatal Gift.
[Apart.
Already I am rais'd beyond Desert,
I seek no more, secure of Cæsar's Love.

Jus.
Long have I griev'd, and with paternal Care
Beheld my People vex'd and hurt by Laws
Incertain and confus'd. I meditate
To rectify that Ill; superfluous Laws
Rescind, the dark explain, the good affirm,
To have the whole digested and compil'd.
Laborious Task! Ages to come shall reap
The Benefit, and by these Pandects taught,
Justice shall be distributed, and Men
Shall bless the Work; the Cares of Government,
The Providence of War divert those Thoughts.
Take thou those Cares; repell the barb'rous Foe,
Retrieve Rome's Glory, and enlarge her Bounds.

Bel.
With Envy Men behold the Rank I bear;
Encrease of Pow'r will sharpen more their Tongues.

Jus.
Despise their pointless Darts, themselves they sting.
To strengthen yet thy Title to such Pow'r,
To bring thee nearer to my self, and fix
Thee ever there, Valeria shall be thine,
My belov'd Sister; fair too she is held,
Taught to obey, instruct her thou to love.

Bel.
Oh far am I beneath the Royal Dame!
Oh let not Cæsar thus debase his Blood!

Jus.

Bel.
My Services deserve not such Reward.
I must oppose, Valeria will oppose
A State for me too high.—Almira oh!
[Aside.
Besides—

Jus.
No more—I will not hear thee speak
In Derogation of the Man I love.
Valeria knows my Will; and as she ought
Approves the Choice.—By my Appointment, see
Enter Valeria.
She comes, prepar'd to ratify my Will.
Valeria! worthy Object of my Care!
Ever observant of my Will! receive
This grateful Gift. Be in each other bless'd!
I have disclos'd the Secret of thy Heart,
Shewn where that beats, to save a Virgin's Blush;
Love oft dilates the Heart, but flies the Tongue,
And hates to be beheld by foreign Eyes.
My Presence may incense the froward Boy,
Disturb your Thoughts, and check your mutual Joy.
[Exit Justinian.

Val.
Brother and Emperor has a double Right
To claim Compliance and dispose of me.
Nor is my Sex, nor is my Birth Excuse
For Disobedience to his high Commands.

Bel.
Be he for ever scorn'd, ever accurs'd,
Who seeks to gratify his Love by Force,
Or wou'd by Pow'r compell the Fair to yield.
The Force of Arms to Empire may give Right,
But Love is ever unconstrain'd and free.

Val.
Weak sordid Minds are dazl'd by the Glare
Of Wealth and Power; unnecessary Aids,
When Merit such as yours puts in her Claim.

Bel.
All I have done, all I aspire to do,
Are more than paid, when you vouchsafe to praise.

Val.
Who can oppose Virtue so manifest?
Envy abash'd retires to her dark Cell,
Her Snakes are folded and forget to hiss.

Bel.
Such unexampled Goodness I behold
With Wonder, and at awful Distance bless.

Val.
[Aside.

Bel.
[Aside.

Val.
[Aside.

Bel.
'Twere highest Insolence to mention more.

Val.
[Aside.

Bel.
Oh Grief of Mind! oh my distracted Soul!
Oh royal Virgin! oh divinely Fair!
Let not so mean an Object move your Wrath,
Look with Compassion down on my hard Fate!
Neglect this Heart!—Cou'd I with loss of Life—

Val.
Talk not of Life, too well I understand.
Have I debas'd my Birth, disgrac'd my Sex,
And meanly su'd to have my Heart receiv'd?
Thankless to me! preverse to Cæsar's Will!
I vainly thought my Birth this Distance caus'd.
And what is Pride believ'd Humility.
Artless, I thought the Gift wou'd be more priz'd,
The Value more encreas'd, granted unfought:
And so it wou'd, in noble gen'rous Minds.
Insolent Man flies when we meanly sue,
And with Contempt rewards our proffer'd Love.

Bel.
'Tis not my Will, 'tis my unhappy Fate—

Val.
'Tis Fate or Fortune causes all our Woes.
Proud, partial Man ne'er owns himself in Fault,
But Heav'n arraigns for Punishment deserv'd.
Sure I have sinn'd beyond the common Course,
Subjected to Indignity like this.
And yet in this I merit not Reproach:
I pay Obedience to the Sov'reign Power.

Bel.
Your dread Displeasure is my deepest Grief,
And makes me curse the Triumphs of this Day.

Val.
Triumphs you curse attended with a Gift
So mean, as scorn'd Valeria—down my Heart!
Nor was the Triumph of the Day compleat,
'Till she was number'd in the Captive Train,
The Wages of the War.—But ere the Day
Be yet consum'd, Valeria may find Means
To shew a just Resentment of such Pride,
Scorn in her turn and be implor'd in vain.

Bel.
I fear to speak, lest I shou'd more offend—
Wou'd you vouchsafe to hear—Oh Love assist.

[Aside.
Val.
[Exit Bel. bowing.

Her.
Valeria weeping! unexpected sight!
Forgive me, Madam, if your Slave presumes
To ask the Cause, and wonder at your Grief.

Val.
[Aside.

Her.
Can such a Blessing be reserv'd for me,
To aid divine Valeria in Distress?

Val.
Not me alone, the Emperor is serv'd,
Justinian righted in redressing me.
In me the Majesty of Rome is mock'd;
My Sex, my Birth, all joyn to claim Revenge.
Revenge on him, whose Blood, devoid of Heat,
Beats low, and freezes when I own my Love.—
Oh my unbridled Tongue! But who so wise
To say enough and not too much? I aim'd
To shew my Anger, and I slide to Love.
What need I more? my Thoughts stand all expos'd;
If thou art wise, if brave, advise, redress.

Her.
Honour'd with Cæsar's Confidence, I guess
Your Grief. I stand astonish'd and amaz'd,
That Belisarius from such Beauty flies,
And to Almira blindly yields his Heart.

Val.

Her.
He stands a tow'ring Height, his Basis firm—
And yet he might be taught—if you approve.

Val.
Oh! doubt not me, be sure I shall assent.

Her.
True he's my Friend, my Benefactor he.

Val.
And what the Emperor, and what am I?

Her.
From me the Method may seem strange and harsh.

Val.
Not harsh, not too severe.

Her.
So it may seem.
Yet that I am his friend, his faithful Friend,
Will best appear shou'd you pursue my Scheme.
So weak the Mind of Man, nor Good nor Ill
When in Extreams is born with Fortitude.
Thro' long Prosperity he has forgot
Or Chance or Fate, both servilely obey.
He must be taught that he is mortal.

Val.
How!

Her.
Subject at least to Change. That Wealth and Pow'r
By Fortune are dispos'd, not the Reward
Of Merit ever. Soon the Gain is lost
Of long, laborious, ignominous Years.
He merits all that Cæsar can bestow,
Yet Some Affliction teaches to be wise;
So shall he learn Obedience to your Will,
And own your Beauty, as your Pow'r, supreme

Val.
You Politicians love to speak in Terms
Obscure, perplex'd.—Declare at what you aim.

Her.
Suppose him now, on this triumphant Day,
His Lawrels green, elated with Success,
Suppose him suddenly displac'd, disgrac'd.

Val.
Displac'd! disgrac'd!

Her.
His Mass of Treasure seiz'd,
Reduc'd to Want, and mark'd with Infamy.
No common Punishment or Grief will move
His haughty Mind.—Judge how I prize your Peace,
When thus I sacrifice the Man I love,
My Friend, my dearest Friend, to give you Ease.

Val.
I know not how to give Consent.

Her.
Your Pow'r
Is absolute o'er Cæsar's Will! 'Tis kind
To cheek his Pride, and stop some wild Designs.

Val.
The World will tax us with Ingratitude.

Her.
The World! alas! the World can ne'er judge right,
Compos'd of Knaves and Fools. Who wou'd restrain
Their Appetites for popular Applause?
Or bear a Moment's Pain, to gratify
The wild, the thoughtless, the ignoble Herd?
Mark Belisarius, by the giddy Crowd
Ador'd, pursu'd with deafning Peals of Joy;
His Praises yet suspended in the Air,
The Sound of grateful Tribute to his Worth
Not yet extinct: Divest him but of Pow'r,
Of Cæsar's Love, that clam'rous Rout with Joy
Wou'd shout his Fall, and hiss him to the Grave,

Val.
Love he with-holds with Cæsar's Favour grac'd;
For Injuries, tho' short, will he not hate?

Her.
His Fall divulg'd, to me he has Recourse,
His Bosom-Friend. I shew his Pride, Neglect,
His Insolence, Ingratitude—(forbear
To frown, a Friend must always be sincere.)
Point out the happy Way to be redress'd,
And ere 'tis Night, I throw me at your Feet,
And humbly sue to have his Love receiv'd.

Val.
True, the Temptation's strong; and yet I fear—

Her.
This Method cannot fail, 'tis easy, plain.

Val.
Well if I can prevail—

Her.
Of that no Doubt.

Val.
I go—You must impart Justinian's Will.

Her.
Obedient ever.—

[She going, and returning.
Val.
And in gentlest Terms—

Her.
I wound my self when I displease my Friend.

Val.
In private speak, it may afflict too much
To publish his Disgrace.

Her.
Confide in me.

Val.
Distasteful is my Task, perplex'd my Fate!
To win his Love, I counterfeit my Hate.
I dread the Means which to my Aid I call,
And with reluctant Joy behold his Fall.
[Exit Valeria.

Her.

[Exit.