University of Virginia Library

Actus quartus.

Enter Antiochus, Araspas, and Nobles.
Ant.
Aaspas though thy birth and parentage,
Seeme deadly to the Assyrian eares,
Being discended of our chiefest foes,
who purchaste gentrie by our ouerthrow,
And in their insignes beare the Assyrian armes,
Yet seeing thou commest as confederate,
In token that I loue and honour thee,
Receiue this sworde, and fight couragiously.

Ara.
Antiochus Ile weare it for thy sake,
And for the wrong that Cyrus offered me,
Vnlesse my destnie preuent my drift,
Ile quicklie hansell it with Cyrus blood.

Nob.
Wherein hath Cyrus wrongd thee Persian say.

Ara.
In barring me of her whom I esteeme,
Aboue the value of his Diademe.
Panthea my Lord.

Ant.
What Panthea, Abradates wife?

Ara.
I louely Panthea Abradates wife,

Ant.
Speake not of Panthea if thou louest me,
For her remembrance wounds my heart afresh,

Nob.
His grace is alwayes passionate and sad,
If she be mentioned, therefore name her not.

Ara,
Not that alone, but manie iniuries,
Insenst me to attempt his ouerthrow,
For in the field wherein your father fell,
I got rich armour, golde, and sumptuous tents,
all which he tooke vnto his proper vse,
and gaue vnto his speciall fauourites,
Nor had I where withall at Cyrus hands,
To heale those wounds which I receiued in fight.

Ant.
Then see thou make as deepe wounds in his flesh,
And so crie quittance with the couetous king,
I giue thee to this sword, armour and horse,
a horse as fierce as proude Bucephalus,
armour of trustier proofe then Thetis found,
Therefore Araspas fight couragiouslie.

Ara.
Albeit I haue not Alexanders skill,
To manage him, nor yet Achilles armes,
to charge as brauely, yet as good a heart,
as Alexander or Achilles euer had.
And when I shrinke for feare out of the field,
Let me be torne in peeces with that horse,
Or hewed to death with this bright cortelaux,

Ant.
Thy wordes Araspas tise me to the field,
and makes me thinke I shall be conquerour,
Come let vs march from wealthie Babylon,
and then towards Cyrus with our royall campe.

Exeunt.
Enter Panthea, and Cyrus.
Pan.
My husband mightie Lord, from Bactria,
Where he lay legar for th'Assyrian king,
Is come to serue vnder your highnesse flagges,
and in your aide hath brought two thousand horse,
Backt by his friends Assyrian Gentlemen.
all which will die at conquering Cyrus feete.

Cy.
Is Abradates come from Bactria,
Then will I leaue to mone Araspas losse,
and thinke conquest and sweete victorie?
Gobrias go with louely Panthea,
and bring him presently vnto our tent,
With those braue horsemen of Assyria,
You warlike and victorious men,
Marshall your seuerall bands in equipage,
That Abradates king of Susia,
May wonder at the hugenesse of our campe,
and be the willinger to league with vs.
Enter Abrdates with other.
Here he comes, and if by his aspect,
I may coniecture of his qualities,
He is valiant, wise, trustie and liberall,

Ab.
I need not aske which is the Persian king,
The vertues shining in his glorious lookes,
Say this is Cyrus, and in signe of loue,
will Abradates thus salute his grace.

Cy.
Sweete Abradates thou imbrasing me,
Hath stolne my heart, I loue and honour thee,

Ab.
Faire Lord was neuer captiue gentler vsde,
Then Panthea of this gracious conquerour.
For Panthea, Cyrus land this my traine,
Of which the meanest Soulder may take charge,
and be commander of a campe of men,
So able, wise and venterous they are,
Doth rest for euer at your highnesse becke,
Our horses which are grasing on the plaine,
In winter gallops, and in Isie seas,
and in the sommer swimmes the deepest streames,
Swifter are they in pace then lightfoot Hart,
Surer they are then Cammels dlodding on the wayes,
Fiercer then Tygres, and as
Olephants with Castles on their backes,
And if they were compast with arming pikes,
They knew which way to make their passage forth,
And when their sides is painted eke with blood,
they pull their reines, and lookes downe to the ground
As if they vaunted of their seruice done,
The rider being dismounted they stand still,
And kneele vpon the ground to take him vp,
But if he chaunce to die, they pine to death.
These are Cyrus and the riders too,
Souldiers as good as euer sunne behelde,

Cyr.
These horses thou speakest of makes me glorie more,
Then Lydian Cressus in his heapes of gold,
And of them all doth Cyrus make account,
As of the strengthes and sinewes of the warre,
We haue intelligence the Assyrian king
Is come from Babylon to meete vs straight,
Therefore if Abradates fauour vs,
Mount and away for we'le assaile them first.

Abra.
For that comes Abradates, lets away.

Pan.
But Abradates I will arme thee first,
Seest thou these pouldrons they are golde,
These vanbraces and currets massie golde,
The gorget and thy helmet beaten golde,
The belt imbrodered golde, yet all to base,
For Abradate louelier then the golde,
May neuer speare be broken on this breast,
But that the point thereof may soone returne,
And strike him dead that durst to giue that charge,
This helmet shunne thee from the sling sand darts,
This kisse make thee turne with victorie,
As for this garland made of loftie palme,
Panthea reserues it for her conquering Lord,
Vpon whose head will Panthea fasten it,
And hanging on his necke like Hectors wife,
Inquire the maner of the battell past.

Abr.
Faire be my fortune for my Panthea,

Hist.
My Lord Araspas in th'Assyrian armes,
Doth craue successe vnto your Maiestie.

Cy.
Araspas, let him come, he is our friend.
And brings vs tidings from our enimies.

Enter Araspas.
Ara.
Health vnto the person of my gracious lord.

Cyr.
Welcome Araspas, brings thou chearful newes?
Is Antiochus resolued to fight?

Ara.
This day he meanes to encounter with your host.

Cy.
What is the number of his fighting men?

Ara.
In all two hundred thousand at the least,
And thus in order lies his noble campe.
The forefront is ten chariots,
Of purpose to disranke the approching fo.
Next them are fiftie thousand horsmen placde,
To breake in where the chariots breake the way,
Next them fiue thousand slaues being lightly
laden with speares, helmet, naked swordes,
To go along to serue the horsmens vse.
Then twentie thousand Scythians runagates,
with venomde darts, whose heades are tipt with steele,
And last the battell of th'Assyrians,
Being hedgde with launces, as a wood with Briers.
On whose heades the crosse bowes and the slings,
will shoote and throw bullets of massie yron,
Whose verie fall would strike Aclipos downe,
In middest where of Antiochus will march,
Before whom doe a thousand bondmen draw
A brazen wall built vpon turning wheles,
To gard him sure and his concubine,
All these vpon my honour I aduer.

Cy.
If euery souldier had a wall of brasse,
It could not daunt vs, we are resolute,
And vowed and sworne vnto our swordes,
which teacheth vs to scorne a brazen wall.

Abr.
Renowmed Cyrus, honour me thus farre,
To haue the leading of your vauntgard forth.

Hist.
Nay it belongs vnto a Persian.

Ara.
If to a Persian, it belongs to me.

Hist.
I serued Astiages your highnesse sire.
But if a stranger may deserue the place,
I hope my seruing merits it my lord.

Pan.
My husband is a king, Cyrus I hope
will therefore grant it, if not for desert.

Cy.
Had I foure to encounter with,
you all should lead the vauntgard of the field,
But onely one must haue the charge,
Though all deserue it, therefore draw you all.

All.
Content.

Cy.
Crysantas make the lots.

Hist.
pardon me Cyrus though I do repine,
why should we draw lots for our proper right?

Cy.
Ile haue it so, Histaspis be content.

Cry.
The lots are readie.

Cy.
Histaspis I commaund thee to begin,
Now Abradates and the rest.

Abr.
Fortune hath fauoured me, the lot is mine.

Cy.
Then thou shalt lead the forefront, let vs march,

Ara.
The enemie is neare, make haste my Lord.

Cy.
Here Abradates, Cyrus placeth thee,
Leade warily, and fight couragiouslie.

Abr.
As mine owne life so tender I these men,
Now to the battell, Panthea Farewell.

Exeunt.
Enter Panthea and Nicasia.
Pan.
Farewell, and my good angell follow thee,
And euerie starre that raignd when I was borne,
Whose influence hath kept me yet from harme,
Vnfortunate be to make thee blest.

Ni.
And miserie cease on Nicasia,
So Abradates be kept from harme.

Pan.
Ye Persian Deities for Cyrus sake,
Assyrian Gods for Abradates sake,
Giue victorie vnto the Persians,
That I may see my husband weare this wreath.

Ni.
Madam, Bellonas shrine is heare at hand,
O let vs go to offer sacrifice,
To make her more propitious to his grace,
For now he is amongst th'Assyrian troupes.

Pan.
Ile offer all my iewels on the shrine,
And make sweet fumes of Ambergreece and Myrrhe,
Of Indian Cassia, Muske and Frankinsense,
That Abradates may be conquerour,
First at her aulter let vs ioyntly sing,
For Musicke is a sacrifice to her.