 | The Tragedie of Cleopatra |  |
Seleucus.
Rodon.
Rod.
And neuer friend Seleucus found'st thou one,
That better could beare such a part with thee,
Who by his owne knowes others care (to mone,
And can in like accord of griefe agree.
And therefore tell th'oppression of thy heart,
Tell to an eare prepar'd and tun'd to care,
And I will likewise vnto thee impart
As sad a tale as what thou shalt declare.
So shall we both our mournefull plaints combine
I will lament thy state, thou pitty mine.
Sel.
Well then thou know'st how I haue liu'd in grace
With Cleopatra, and esteem'd in Court
As one of Councell, and of worthy place,
And euer held my credit in that sort,
Till now, in this late shifting of our state,
Whe thinking to haue vs'd a meane to clime,
And fled the wretched, flowne vnto the great,
Following the fortune of the present time;
I come to be disgrac'd and ruin'd cleane.
For hauing all the secrets of the Queene
Reueal'd to Cæsar, to haue fauour wonne
My treachery hath purchas'st due disgrace,
My falshood's loath'd, and not without great reason,
For Princes though they get, yet in this case,
They hate the traytor, though they loue treason.
For how could he imagine I could be
Entire to him, beeing false vnto mine owne?
And false to such a worthy Queene as shee
As had me rais'd, by whome my state was growne.
He saw t'was not for zeale to him I bare,
But for base feare, and mine estate to settle,
Weaknes is false, and faith in cowards rare,
Feare finds out shifts, timiditie is subtle.
And therefore skorn'd of him, skorn'd of mine owne,
Hatefull to all that looke into my state:
Despis'd Seleucus now is onely growne
The marke of infamie, that's pointed at.
Rod.
Sel.
But how hath Cesar since rewarded thee?
Rod.
As he hath thee; and I expect the same
As Theodorus had to fall to me.
And with as great extremitie of shame,
For Theodorus when he had betraid
The yong Antillus sonne of Antony,
And at his death from off his necke, conuey'd
A iewell: which being askt, he did deny:
Cæsar occasion tooke to hang him streight.
Such instruments with Princes liue not long:
Though they must vse those actors of deceit,
Yet still their sight, seemes to obraid their wrong:
And therefore they must needs this danger run,
And in the net of their owne guile be caught,
They may not liue to brag what they haue done,
For what is done is not the Princes fault.
But here comes Cleopatra wofull Queene,
And our shame will not that we should be seene.
Exeunt.
Rodon.
Friend
Rodon? neuer in a better hower
Could I haue met a friend then now I doe,
Hauing affliction in the greatest power
Vpon my soule, and none to tell it to.
For tis some ease our sorrowes to reueale,
If they to whom we shall impart our woes,
Seeme but to feele a part of what we feele,
And meete vs with a sigh but at a close.
Could I haue met a friend then now I doe,
Hauing affliction in the greatest power
Vpon my soule, and none to tell it to.
For tis some ease our sorrowes to reueale,
If they to whom we shall impart our woes,
Seeme but to feele a part of what we feele,
And meete vs with a sigh but at a close.
Rod.
And neuer friend Seleucus found'st thou one,
That better could beare such a part with thee,
Who by his owne knowes others care (to mone,
And can in like accord of griefe agree.
And therefore tell th'oppression of thy heart,
Tell to an eare prepar'd and tun'd to care,
And I will likewise vnto thee impart
As sad a tale as what thou shalt declare.
So shall we both our mournefull plaints combine
I will lament thy state, thou pitty mine.
Well then thou know'st how I haue liu'd in grace
With Cleopatra, and esteem'd in Court
As one of Councell, and of worthy place,
And euer held my credit in that sort,
Till now, in this late shifting of our state,
Whe thinking to haue vs'd a meane to clime,
And fled the wretched, flowne vnto the great,
Following the fortune of the present time;
I come to be disgrac'd and ruin'd cleane.
For hauing all the secrets of the Queene
Reueal'd to Cæsar, to haue fauour wonne
My treachery hath purchas'st due disgrace,
My falshood's loath'd, and not without great reason,
For Princes though they get, yet in this case,
They hate the traytor, though they loue treason.
For how could he imagine I could be
Entire to him, beeing false vnto mine owne?
And false to such a worthy Queene as shee
As had me rais'd, by whome my state was growne.
He saw t'was not for zeale to him I bare,
But for base feare, and mine estate to settle,
Weaknes is false, and faith in cowards rare,
Feare finds out shifts, timiditie is subtle.
And therefore skorn'd of him, skorn'd of mine owne,
Hatefull to all that looke into my state:
Despis'd Seleucus now is onely growne
The marke of infamie, that's pointed at.
Rod.
Tis much thou saist, and too too much to feele,
And I doe pittie and lament thy fall:
But yet all this which thou do'st here reueale,
Compar'd with mine, will make thine seem but smal,
Although my fault be in the selfe-same kind,
Yet in degree far greater, far more hatefull.
Mine sprung of mischiefe, thine from feeble minde,
Mine stain'd with blood, thou onely but vngratefull.
And I doe pittie and lament thy fall:
But yet all this which thou do'st here reueale,
Compar'd with mine, will make thine seem but smal,
Although my fault be in the selfe-same kind,
Yet in degree far greater, far more hatefull.
Mine sprung of mischiefe, thine from feeble minde,
Mine stain'd with blood, thou onely but vngratefull.
For Cleopatra did commit to me
The best and dearest treasure of her blood,
Her sonne Cesario, with a hope to free
Him, from the danger wherein Egypt stood:
And chard'd my faith, that I should safely guide,
And close to India should conuey him hence:
Which faith, I most vnkindly falsifi'd,
And with my faith and conscience did dispence.
For skarce were we arriu'd vnto the shore,
But Cæsar hauing knowledge of our way,
Had sent an agent thither sent before,
To labour me Cesaria to betray,
Who with rewards and promises so large,
Assail'd me then, that I grew soone content,
And backe againe did reconuey my charge,
Pretending that Octauius for him sent.
To make him king of Egypt presently,
And in their hands haue left him now to die.
The best and dearest treasure of her blood,
Her sonne Cesario, with a hope to free
Him, from the danger wherein Egypt stood:
And chard'd my faith, that I should safely guide,
And close to India should conuey him hence:
Which faith, I most vnkindly falsifi'd,
And with my faith and conscience did dispence.
For skarce were we arriu'd vnto the shore,
But Cæsar hauing knowledge of our way,
Had sent an agent thither sent before,
To labour me Cesaria to betray,
Who with rewards and promises so large,
Assail'd me then, that I grew soone content,
And backe againe did reconuey my charge,
Pretending that Octauius for him sent.
To make him king of Egypt presently,
And in their hands haue left him now to die.
Sel.
But how hath Cesar since rewarded thee?
Rod.
As he hath thee; and I expect the same
As Theodorus had to fall to me.
And with as great extremitie of shame,
For Theodorus when he had betraid
The yong Antillus sonne of Antony,
And at his death from off his necke, conuey'd
A iewell: which being askt, he did deny:
Cæsar occasion tooke to hang him streight.
Such instruments with Princes liue not long:
Though they must vse those actors of deceit,
Yet still their sight, seemes to obraid their wrong:
And therefore they must needs this danger run,
And in the net of their owne guile be caught,
They may not liue to brag what they haue done,
For what is done is not the Princes fault.
But here comes Cleopatra wofull Queene,
Exeunt.
| The Tragedie of Cleopatra | |