 | Timoleon |  |
SCENE THE SECOND.
Demariste, Timophanes.Tim.
Timoleon avoids me?
Dem.
Oh my son! ...
Tim.
Has he so much disturbed thee? Hast thou not
Subdued him yet?
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Oh heaven! his words were death
To my sad heart ... Tremble; one day alone,
This only day, remains to thee ...
Tim.
I tremble?
'Tis now too late; now that my enterprize
I have accomplished.
Dem.
How art thou mistaken! ...
Perchance, without thy brother, thou hadst not
Been living yet ...
Tim.
Dost thou so much despise me,
That thou expectest to obtain by terror
That which to prayers I will not yield? I speak
More openly than he does: no light proof
Be it to thee of this that nought I fear.—
All their contrivances I know; I know,
That, coward foes, they now betake themselves
To arts in vain. They also have their traitors;
Assistance from Mycæne they expect
In vain; in vain have they corrupted some
Of my arm'd followers: all is known to me;
Their steps, their thoughts, their plans, I know all fully.
I do not think that I shall yield to them;
But, should that happen, I will ne'er recede;
No, never. Had they openly opposed me,
I should have blamed them less; but they have had
Recourse to fraud. That fraud shall be their ruin.
Dem.
Alas! ... art thou so much unnaturalized
That e'en thy brother ...
Tim.
He asperses me
With tyranny; but yet, much more than he,
Am I a son and brother. I would give
My life, at any time, to rescue his:
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Thou thence may'st judge. Echilus and himself,
From the universal slaughter now decreed,
Alone shall be exempt ...
Dem.
Dost thou yet speak,
Oh heaven! of further slaughter? What's thy purpose?
Pause, I command thee. To thy detriment
Too long have I been silent! My connivance,
My silent condescension makes me guilty;
Timoleon's indignation towards his mother,
Alas! it is too just ...
Tim.
My destiny
Is irreversibly decreed: the throne
Or death.—In vain thou art incensed; in vain
Thou supplicatest, weepest, menacest.
I have already issued the command
Of death, and for my brother fear alone;
For military rage is ill controul'd.
Be it thy task, thou mother of us both,
To make him fly from all assemblies: ah!
Exert thyself to the utmost to persuade him
Beneath our roof to shelter. From his mouth
I never learn'd his stratagems: to him
Tell mine, as far as may be requisite
For his protection. I am apprehensive
Lest he should still persist to seek the place
Agreed on with Echilus: here alone
He will be fully safe ...
Dem.
And should I yet
Avail to entice him hither, wretched me!
When of the slaughter he shall hear ... perhance ...
Oh terrible day! ... he then will breathe revenge ...
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When he shall see that I would spare his life,
Perhaps he may change: but also he may slay me:
And let him do it; he alone may do it:
This life he may resume, since once he saved it:—
But to retake from me this throne which I
Gain'd for myself? not heaven itself could do it,
Except it first reduce this frame to ashes.
| Timoleon | |