 | The tragedy of Mvstapha |  |
Scena II.
Acmat. Zanger.Acm.
O Kings, why swell you so against your maker?
Is rais'd equality so soone growne wilde?
Dare you depriue your people of succession,
Which kinges and kingdomes on their heades did build?
Is fortune of forgetfulnes with child?
Haue feare or loue, in greatnes no impression,
Since people, who did raise you to the crowne,
Are ladders, standing still to let you downe?
O wretched state of man, in Tyrants fauour,
Like men throwne vpon sands in ebbing water:
Dead if they trust, and stay drown'd if they venture.
Zan.
Acmat, what strange euents breed these strange passions?
Acm.
Nature is ruin'd, humanity fallen asunder,
Our Alchoran prophan'd, Empire defac'd,
Hell's broken loose, truth dead, hope banished,
Darke feare and sorrow, doe both strike and threaten:
My heart is full my voice doth faint and tremble.
Zang.
Yet tell the worst, for cowards death vnarmeth,
When need resolues vs to endure all terror:
And sorrowes vttered are like wines, which vented
Both purge themselues, and doe not breake the vessell;
By counsell and comparison things lessen.
Acm.
No counsell or comparison can lessen
The losse of Mustapha, so vildly murthered.
Zan.
How? dead? what chance or malice hath preuented
Mankinds good fortune?
Acm.
Fathers vnkindly malice.
Zan.
Tell how.
When Solyman by Rostens cunning spight
And Rossaes witchcraft, from his heart had banisht
Iustice of Kings, and louingnes of fathers,
To wage and lodge such campes of heauy passions,
As cunning stepdames iealousie could gather;
Enuy tooke hold of worth, doubt did misconster,
Renowne was made a lie, and yet a terrour;
Nothing could rage remoue, or moue compassion;
Mustapha must die; to which end fetcht he was,
Loden with hopes and promises of fauour:
But Mustapha neither hoped nor feared,
Perchance, foresaw the stormes of danger comming;
Yet comes, and comes accompanied with power;
But neither power that warranted his hast,
Nor selfe-defence, that makes offences lawfull,
Could hold him from obedience to his father.
So foolish to the world is honest Wisedome.
Zang.
Alas, could neither truth appease his fury,
Nor his vnlook't humility of comming,
Nor any secret witnessing remorses?
Can Nature from her selfe worke such diuorces?
Tell on, that all the world may rue and wonder.
Acm.
There is a place enuironed with trees,
Vpon whose shadowed center, there is pitched
A large imbrodered sumptuous Pauilion,
The stately throne of tyrany and murder;
Where mighty men (whome fearefull murder feares)
With cruelty are slaine, before they know
That they to other then to honor goe;
Mustapha vnto the Campe no sooner came,
But thether he is sent for, and conducted
By sixe slow Eunuches, either taught to colour
Mischiefe with reuenge, or taught by nature
To reuerence euen vertue in misfortune.
But Mustapha, whose heart was now resolued,
Not fearing death, which he might haue preuented,
If he to disobedience had consented:
Nor crauing life, which he might well haue gotten,
But glad to speake his last thought to his father,
He will'd the Eunuches to entreate it for him;
They did, they wept, and kneel'd vnto his father:
But bloudy rage, that glories to be cruell,
And iealousie, that feares she is not fearefull,
Made Solyman refuse to heare or pitty.
He bids them hast their charge; and bloudy ey'd,
Beheld his sonne while he obeying died.
Zang.
How did that dying heart endure to suffer,
Tell on:
Quicken my spirits, hard and dull to good,
That yet ------ heare tell of brothers blood.
Acm.
While these sixe Eunuches to this charge appointed,
Whose hearts had neuer vs'd their hands to pitty,
Whose hands were onely now afraid of murder,
With reuerence and feare stood still amazed,
Loath to cut off such worth, afraid to saue it:
Mustapha with thought resolued and vnited,
Assures their feare, and comforteth their sorrow:
Bids them refuse their charge, and looke no further;
Their hearts afraid to bid their hands be doing,
Shaking and trembling, do refuse to offer
The cord, the hatefull instrument of murder:
They lifting vp, let fall, and falling, lift it;
Each sought to helpe, and helping, hindred other,
Till Mustapha in haste to be an Angell,
Guided their hands, to his death directed:
Sweetely forgaue their charge, and thankt their loue,
Which he saw in them, did compassion moue;
With heauenly smiles, and quiet words, foreshewing
The ioy and peace of those where he was going.
His last words were: O father now forgiue mee
Those thinges, which thou thy selfe doest thinke offences:
O Mahomet my other sinnes forgiue me,
Forgiue them too, that worke my ouerthrow:
Let my graue neuer minister offences,
For since my father ioyeth in my death,
The Eunuches crie, Solyman, he is glutted:
His thoughts diuine of vengeance for his murder:
Rumor flies vp and downe, the people murmur;
Sorrow giues lawes, before men know her story,
Feare prophesies in men, and makes them sorry.
Zang.
Remisse and languish are mens coward spirits,
Where Gods forbid reuenge and patience too;
Yet to the dead, Nature ordaineth rites,
Which idle loue I feele hath power to doe.
I will goe hence, and shew to them that liue,
The Gods cannot offences all forgiue.
| The tragedy of Mvstapha | |