University of Virginia Library

Act II.

Scene I.

Enter MEDEA, and her NURSE.
MEDEA.
Oh! I am slain; the Hymeneal's Sound
Hath pierc'd my Ears, and giv'n my Heart a Wound.
The Ill I suffer, I scarce yet believe.
And thus could Jason cause Medea grieve?
When from my Father, Countrey, Crown, and State
H' had brought me, thus, to leave me desolate
In a strange Land; could he our Merits slight?
Cruel, and thankless Wretch! whose pow'rful Might
Seas Rage, he saw, and Force of Flames out-went?
Thinks he then all our stock of Mischief spent?
Perplex'd and wav'ring, my unquiet Mind
Labours, which way she may her Vengeance find.
Would Heav'ns he had a Brother! Stay; a Wife
He has; let's then attempt against her Life,
Full Compensation for all Injuries.
If Greek, or Barbarous Towns, (in Villanies
Skilled) have known a Mischief, such as thou
Medea, yet nee'r knew'st, or practic'dst, now,
Now attempt the like. Let thy Resolves find
Counsel from thy own Ills; call to thy mind
The signal Glory of the Colchian Crown
Made prize; thy Brother's Limbs dissected, thrown
About the Seas; sad Funeral to his Sire!
Think on old Pelias boiling o'er the Fire.
How oft have we spilt guiltless Blood? yet ne'er
Did we act Ills in Rage; Love's Rage we bear.
'Las what could Jason do, at the dispose
Of a Superiour Power?—His Breast oppose
T'a Murthering Sword.—Ah! better Words afford
My passionate Griefs; rather, so Fates accord,
May he live still my Jason as before.
If not, yet may he live; mindful of poor
Medea, to whose Love his Life's a Debt.
The Fault was wholly Creons: by whose great
O'er-ruling Power, our Marriage-bands he brake;
He did the Mother from her Children take,
He cancell'd our strict-plighted Faith; He, he,
The Butt of our deserved Vengeance be.
Ill bury his proud Palace in a high
Heap of Ashes, whilst the black Clouds that flie
Of Flame-driv'n Smoak, Malea shall amaze
Which storm-beat Vessels puts to long delays.

Nu.
For love of Heav'n be silent, and restrain
Passion to recluse Sorrow; “who sustain
“Wrongs that oppress 'em, with a quiet Mind
“And unmov'd Thoughts, know best the way to find
“How to repay 'em. Anger kills, conceal'd;
“Hates miss of their Revenge, when once reveal'd.

Me.
“That Grief's but small which Counsel can oe'r-sway;
I'll meet all Opposites.

Nu.
Thy Fury stay
Dear Daughter; scarce a still Retiredness
Secure thee can, open Attemps much less,

Me.
“Fortune the Valiant fears; but tramples on
“The coward Soul.

Nu.
“Then Resolution
“Is good, when the Attempt is possible.

Me.
“What
“To Courage, and a Mind resolv'd, is not?

Nu.
“No Hope a Remedy t'a lost Affair
“Do's shew.

Me.
“Who nought can hope, should nought despair.

Nu.
The Colchians hate thee, in thy Spouse no Faith
There is; of all thy vast store, Fortune hath
Not left thee ought.

Me.
Yes, here's Medea still,
Here Seas, Earth, Fire, Gods, Thunder, what can kill
As well as Steel, behold.

Nu.
Th'incensed Ire
O'th' King yet's to be fear'd

Me.
What was our Sire?

Nu.
Fear'st thou not force of Arms?

Me.
Not tho from Earth
They sprung, and took from thence their hostile Birth.

Nu.
Thou'lt suffer Death.

Me.
'Tis that we wish.

Nu.
Be led
At my Request to flie.

Me.
That I e'er fled
I grieve; Medea flie!

Nu.
Think what thou art
A Mother.

Me.
Yes, by whom, you see.

Nu.
To part
Hence doubt'st thou?

Me.
No; we'll go, but first revenge.

Nu.
Th'Avenger will pursue

Me.
It will be strange
If we not find him obstacles.

Nu.
Suppress
These Menaces, rash Woman, and redress
Thy Pertinacious Thoughts; comply with Fate.

Me.
Fortune may ravish from me my Estate,
My mind she never can. But heark! I hear
The Palace Doors to creek; who is't draws near?
'Tis Creon, the proud Tyrant, Creon, high
Elated with Pelasgian Royalty.

Scene II.

Enter CREON.
Yet does Æeta's noxious Issue stay
Within our Confines? not yet gone away?
Something she machinates; whom all do brand
For Noted Fraud, and a Nefarious Hand;
Whom spares she? whom, suffers secure to rest?
T'extirpate by the Sword this worst of Pest
We once resolv'd; th'Intreaties of our Son-
In-law prevail'd; and our Concession
Got, that she might live; on terms she quit
Our Realms from future Fears: with Looks that threat,
And truculent Aspect. She 'gins to bend
This way her steps, as tho she did intend
Some speech with us; Our Guard there! Hence, Away
With her, nor suffer her to speak; t'obey
A King's Command, once let her learn; with speed
Dispatch, and send the Monster gone.

Me.
What Deed?
What Crime of ours mulct you by flight?

Cre.
A Cause
The Innocent Soul demands!

Me.
“If by the Laws
“You govern, 'fore you judge, first understand.
“If by your Will alone you rule, command.

Cre.
Dispute not; 'tis our Pleasure, right or wrong.
And thou shalt suffer't.

Me.
“Unjust Scepters, long
“Continue not.

Cre.
Away; to Colchos, hie
To your own home again.

Me.
Most willingly,
So he that brought me thence, return with me.

Cre.
Your Wishes come too late to our Decree.

Me.
“Who ought Decrees, one side unheard; tho he
“What's equal judg, acts without Equity.

Cre.
Old Pelias ru'd for lending thee an Ear,
But speak; and your Egregious Cause let's hear.

Me.
How ill appeased is the Wrath of Kings,
And what a Pride in Royal Fancy springs,
Their first-fix'd Resolutions to pursue,
From our own Princely Thoughts w' have learn'd too true.
For tho with sad Calamity opprest,
Scorn'd, suppliant, out-cast, ev'ry way distrest
W' are now, we once, in Royal State did shine,
And from bright Sol drew our Illustrious Line
What Phasis in his winding Arms do's close,
What e'er behind the Scythian Pontus shows,
Where the Salt Waves grow fresh with floud-mixt Streams,
All that extent of Land, whose Borders hems
The silver Thermodon; in trampled Fields,
Where widow'd Troops display their luned Shields,
My Father with Imperial Sceptre sways.
In Joys of Royalty, and happy Days.
There flourish'd we; Our Marriage-bed those sought
Whom now, we seek: But Fortune, light as Thought,
From us those Sceptred Glories having rent,
Hath now expos'd us to sad Banishment.
“In Crowns, confide! whose Wealth Chance do's transfer
“At Pleasure; But this yet, what no day e'er
“Can take from them, Kings, great, and glorious have,
“To help th'Afflicted, and the Suppliant save.
This only from our Colchian Realms, away
We brought, that by our Favour, we can say
The Flower of Greece, and Princely Ornament,
Achaia's chiefest Strength, the high Descent
Of Gods, were sav'd from Death. Orpheus whose Song
Charms stony Rocks, and draws the Woods along,
Is our free Gift; that Leda's Twins survive
Our double Bounty is; by us do live
The Sons of Boreas, Lynceus, he whose Sight
Extends cross Pontus its emitted Light,
And all the Minyæ, by our Favour, were
Preserv'd from Ruin: not to mention here
The Chief of all those Chiefs; whose Safety we
Reckon no Debt, to none imputed be.
To you the rest, to us, this one we brought
Away: Inveigh your worst then, count each Fault
Of ours, of all this only can you blame,
Argòs return: yet if our Virgin Shame,
And Love of Father, had not stoop'd to Love
Of Jason, (whom 'fore these we did approve)
The Chief of Greece had perish'd, and your Son
To ruin, on Bulls flaming Breaths had run.
Fortune our Cause m' oppress, (tho undeserv'd)
Yet shall we ne'er repent to have preserv'd
The Off-spring of so many Kings: With you,
Of all our Crime is the Reward, and Due.
Condemn us so you please; but first the Crime
Declare: W' are guilty; true: So were, what time
Creon thy Knees we touch'd, and did implore
The Faith of thy protecting Hand. No more
Ask we at present, but some place obscure,
Where we our selves and Sorrows may immure:
If from this City banish'd by your Doom,
Within your Realms, afford us yet a Room.

Cre.

Me.
To be gone
Compel y'us? or Ship, or a Companion
Afford; why us alone, command you hence?
Alone we came not; or if your pretence
Be Fear of War, expel us both; 'twixt two
Equally guilty, why distinguish you?
To him, not us fell Pelias; add our Flight,
Our Kingdom's Prize, our Sire deserted quite,
Our Brother piece-meal torn, or if beside
A Crime there be he teach to his new Bride
'Tis his, not ours: and tho so often prest
To ill, 'twas ne'er for our own Interest.

Cre.
'Tis fit th'wert gone; why spin'st thou out Delays
In Talk?

Me.
Vouchsafe thy parting Suppliant prays,
This last Request; Let not the Mother's Fault
Be as a Guilt upon her Children brought.

Cre.
Go, go, we'll guard these with a Father's Care.

Me.
By these more happy Nuptials; by thy fair
Future Hopes, and by this thy Regal State,
Which Chance with various Change doth agitate,
We pray; afford some small time e'er we go,
Upon our dearest Children to bestow
Our last, and perhaps dying Kisses.

Cre.
Time,
Only for Fraud thou ask'st.

Me.
What Fraud or Crime
Can in so short a space be fear'd?

Cre.
“None can
“For Mischief be too short.

Me.
Deny'st thou then
So small a Moment to a Wretches Tears?

Cre.
Tho thy Intreaties by our ominous Fears
Opposed are, one Day thou shalt obtain.

Me.
Thy Grant's too great; revoke some part again;
And hence we speed.

Cre.
If 'fore to morrows Sun
Advance the chearful Day, thou art not gone,
Thou surely dy'st. But us the Time now calls
To Pray'rs, and Rites of Hymen's Festivals.

[Exeunt.
CHORUS.