 | Aglaura |  |
Actus III.
Scena I.
Enter Prince: Conspiratours:Ther.
Couldst thou not finde out Ziriff?
1. Court.
Not speake with him my Lord;
yet I sent in by severall men.
Ors.
I wonder Iolas meets us not here too.
Ther.
'Tis strange, but let's on now how ere,
when Fortunes, honour, life, and all's in doubt
bravely to dare, is bravely to get out.
Excursions: The Guard upon them.
Ther.
Betrai'd! betrai'd!
Ors.
Shift for your selfe Sir, and let us alone,
wee will secure your way, and make our owne.
Exeunt.
Enter the King, and Lords.
King.
Follow Lords, and see quick execution done,
leave not a man alive.
Who treads on fire, and does not put it out,
Disperses feare in many sparks of doubt.
Exeunt.
Enter Conspirators, and the Guard upon them.
Ors.
Stand friends, an equall partie— (Fight.)
Three of the Conspirators fall, and three of the Kings side: Orsames and Philan kill the rest.
Phi.
Brave Orsames, 'tis pleasure to dye neere thee.
Ors.
Talke not of dying Philan, we will live,
and serve the noble Prince agen; we are alone,
off then with thy disguise, and throw it in the bushes;
They throw off their disguises.
17
wee shall be streight good Subjects, and I despaire not
of reward for this nights service: so.—
wee two now kill'd our friends! 'tis hard,
but 'tmust be so.
Enter Ariaspes, Jolas, two Courtiers, part of the Guard.
Ari.
Follow! Follow!
Ors.
Yes; so you may now, y'are not likely to overtake.
Jol.
Orsames, and Philan, how came you hither?
Ors.
The neerest way it seemes, you follow'd (thank you)
as if 'thad beene through quicksets:
Jol.
's Death have they all escap'd?
Ors.
Not all, two of them wee made sure;
but they cost deare, looke here else.
Ari.
Is the Prince there?
Phi.
They are both Princes I thinke,
they fought like Princes I am sure.
Jolas puls off the vizors.
Jol.
Stephines, and Odîris—we trifle.
Which way tooke the rest?
Ors.
Two of them are certainly here abouts.
Ari.
Upon my life they swam the river;
some streight to horse, and follow ore the bridge;
you, and I my Lord, will search this place a little better.
Ors.
Your Highnesse will I hope remember, who were
the men were in—
Ari.
Oh! feare not, your Mistresse shall know y'are valiant.
Ors.
Philan! if thou lov'st mee, let's kill them upon the place.
Phi.
Fie: thou now art wild indeed;
thou taught'st mee to be wise first,
and I will now keepe thee so.—Follow, follow.
Exeunt.
Enter Aglaura with a Lute.
The Prince comes and knocks within.
Ther.
Madam!
Agl.
What wretch is this that thus usurps
upon the priviledge of Ghosts, and walks
at mid-night?
Ther.
Aglaura.
Agl.
Betray mee not
my willing sense too soone, yet if that voyce
be false.—
Ther.
Open faire Saint, and let mee in.
Agl.
It is the Prince—
as willingly as those
that cannot sleepe doe light; welcome (Sir,)
(Opens.)
welcome above.—
Spies his sword drawne.
Blesse mee, what meanes this unsheath'd minister of death?
if, Sir, on mee quick Justice be to passe,
why this? absence alas, or such strange lookes
as you now bring with you would kill as soone:
Ther.
Softly! for I, like a hard hunted Deere,
have only hearded here; and though the crie
reach not our eares, yet am I follow'd close:
ô my heart! since I saw thee,
Time has beene strangely Active, and begot
a Monstrous issue of unheard of Storie:
Sit; thou shalt have it all! nay, sigh not.
18
Do'st thou remember, how wee parted last?
Agl.
Can I forget it Sir?
Ther.
That word of parting was ill plac'd, I sweare,
it may be ominous; but do'st thou know
into whose hands I gave thee?
Agl.
Yes into Ziriffs Sir.
Ther.
That Ziriff was thy brother, brave Zorannes
preserv'd by miracle in that sad day
thy father fell, and since thus in disguise,
waiting his just revenge.
Agl.
You doe amaze me, Sir.
Ther.
And must doe more, when I tell all the Storie.
The King, the jealous King, knew of the marriage,
and when thou thought'st thy selfe by my direction,
thou wert his Prisoner;
unlesse I would renounce all right,
and cease to love thee, (ô strange, and fond request!)
immur'd thou must have beene in some sad place,
and lockt for ever, from Thersames sight.
For ever—and that unable to indure
this night, I did attempt his life.
Agl.
Was it well done Sir?
Ther.
O no! extremely Ill!
for to attempt and not to act was poore:
here the dead-doing Law, (like ill-paid Souldiers)
leaves the side 'twas on, to joyne with power.
Royall villany now will looke so like to Justice,
that the times to come and curious posteritie,
will finde no difference: weep'st thou Aglaura?
come, to bed my Love!
and wee will there mock Tyrannie, and Fate,
those softer houres of pleasure, and delight,
that like so many single pearles, should have
adorn'd our thread of life, wee will at once,
by Loves mysterious power, and this nights help
contract to one, and make but one rich draught
of all.
Agl.
What meane you Sir?
Ther.
To make my selfe incapable of miserie,
by taking strong preservative of happinesse:
I would this night injoy thee:
Agl.
Doe: Sir, doe what you will with mee,
for I am too much yours, to deny the right
how ever claim'd—but—
Ther.
But what Aglaura?
Agl.
Gather not roses in a wet and frowing houre,
they'll lose their sweets then, trust mee they will Sir.
What pleasure can Love take to play his game out,
when death must keepe the Stakes— A noise without.
harke Sir—grave bringers, and last minutes are at hand,
hide, hide your selfe, for Loves sake hide your selfe.
Ther.
As soone the Sunne may hide himselfe, as I.
The Prince of Persia hide himselfe?—
Agl.
O talke not Sir; the Sunne does hide himselfe
when night and blacknesse comes—
19
Never sweet Ignorance, he shines in th'other world then;
and so shall I, if I set here in glorie:
Enter
Opens the doore, enter Ziriff.
yee hastie seekers of life.
Sorannez.—
Agl.
My brother!
If all the joy within mee come not out,
to give a welcome to so deare an object,
excuse it Sir; sorrow locks up all doores.
Zir.
If there be such a Toy about you, Sister,
keep't for your selfe, or lend it to the Prince;
there is a dearth of that Commoditie,
and you have made it Sir. Now?
what is the next mad thing you meane to doe?
will you stay here? when all the Court's beset
like to a wood at a great hunt, and busie mischiefe hastes
to be in view, and have you in her power—
Ther.
To mee all this—
for great griefe's deafe as well as it is dumbe,
and drives no trade at all with Counsell: (Sir)
why doe you not Tutor one that has the Plague,
and see if hee will feare an after ague fit;
such is all mischiefe now to mee; there is none left
is worth a thought, death is the worst, I know,
and that compar'd to shame, does looke more lovely now
than a chaste Mistresse, set by common woman—
and I must court it Sir?
Zir.
No wonder if that heav'n forsake us, when wee leave our selves:
what is there done should feed such high despaire?
were you but safe—
Agl.
Deare (Sir) be rul'd,
if love, be love, and magick too,
(as sure it is where it is true;)
wee then shall meet in absence, and in spight
of all divorce, freely enjoy together,
what niggard Fate thus peevishly denies.
Ther.
Yea: but if pleasures be themselves but dreames,
what then are the dreames of these to men?
that monster, Expectation, will devoure
all that is within our hope or power,
and ere wee once can come to shew, how rich
wee are, wee shall be poore,
shall wee not Sorannez?
Zir.
I understand not this,
in times of envious penurie (such as these are)
to keepe but love alive is faire, wee should not thinke
of feasting him: come (Sir)
here in these lodgings is a little doore,
that leads unto another; that againe,
unto a vault, that has his passage under
the little river, opening into the wood;
from thence 'tis but some few minutes easie businesse
unto a Servants house of mine (who for his faith
and honestie, hereafter must
looke big in Storie) there you are safe however;
and when this Storme has met a little calme,
20
you may enjoy, and at the worst may steale:
Ther.
What shall become of thee Aglaura then?
shall I leave thee their rages sacrifice?
and like dull Sea-men threatned with a storme,
throw all away, I have, to save my selfe.
Agl.
Can I be safe when you are not? my Lord!
knowes love in us divided happinesse?
am I the safer for your being here?
can you give that you have not for your selfe?
my innocence is my best guard, and that your stay
betraying it unto suspition, takes away.
If you did love mee?—
Ther.
Growes that in question? then 'tis time to part:— Kisses her.
when wee shall meet againe Heav'n onely knowes,
and when wee shall I know we shall be old:
Love does not calculate the common way,
Minutes are houres there, and the houres are dayes,
each day's a yeare, and everie yeare an age;
what will this come to thinke you?
Zir.
Would this were all the ill,
for these are prettie little harmlesse nothings;
Times horse runs full as fast, hard borne and curb'd,
as in his full carreere, loose-rain'd and spurr'd:
come, come, let's away.
Ther.
Happinesse, such as men lost in miserie
would wrong in naming, 'tis so much above them.
All that I want of it, all you deserve,
Heav'n send you in my absence.
Agl.
And miserie, such as wittie malice would
lay out in curses, on the thing it hates,
Heav'n send mee in the stead, if when y'are gone
I welcome it, but for your sake alone.— Exeunt.
Zir.
Stir not from hence, Sir, till you heare from me
Leads him out, and enters up out of the vault.
so goodnight deere Prince.
Ther.
Goodnight deere friend.
Zir.
When wee meet next all this will but advance—
Joy never feasts so high,
as when the first course is of miserie.
Exeunt.
| Aglaura | |