 | Polyeuctes, or the Martyr |  |
SCENA prima.
Polyeuctes, Nearchus.Nearchus.
And what! you stick upon a Womans Dreams?
Can such weak Subjects 'trouble this great Soul?
And this heart so approv'd in War, can it
Receive Alarum from an idle Fantasie?
Pol.
I know what a Dream is, and what beleif
We ought to give to its extravagance,
That a confus'd mass of Nocturnall Vapours
Formeth vain Objects, which at waking vanish;
But you know not, Sir, what a woman is,
Nor the just power she takes upon a Soul,
When having long time found the art to charm us,
Bright Hymens Torches flame about our Beds.
Paulina without reason plung'd in grief,
2
Fears and believs already that she sees
My death, which she hath dream'd; she doth oppose
Her tears to my design, and laboureth
To hinder me from going forth the pallace;
I sleight her fears, but yield unto her tears;
And my heart tender, but not terrifi'd.
Dares not displease the eys have conquer'd it:
Nearchus, is th'occasion so pressing
That it may not a little be deferr'd
Upon a Lovers sighs? let us a while
Wave this designe which burthens her with grief,
To morrow we can do't a swel's to day.
Nearc:
Yes, if you were assur'd to live so long,
And to persever in your faith; that God
Which houlds our soul, and numbereth our days,
Hath not ingag'd himself that you shall see
The morning break; he is all just and good,
But his effectuall grace descends not always
With the same efficacy; after certain moments
Which we lose by delays, she quits those darts
Which penetrate our souls, the arm that freely
Dispensed her unto us, stops his bounty;
As being offended, our dull heart is hardened;
That holy heat which carrieth us to good,
Fals on a Rock, and operates no more.
That zeal which pressed you to have recourse
To sacred baptism, languishing already,
Ceases to be the same; and for some sighs
Which you have heard, its flame doth dissipate
It self; and is upon the point to vanish.
Pol.
You know me ill, the self same heat still burns me,
And the desire increaseth when th'effect
Recoyls; those tears which with a Husbands Eye
I look upon, leave me as good a Christian
In heart as you; but to receave the seal
And sacred character thereof, which washes
Our sins in saving water, and in opening
Our Eyes with a divine Ray, doth restore us
Unto the first right which we had to Heaven,
Though I prefer it before all the greatness
Of Empires as the supream good, and that
Which I alone aspire to, I believe
3
Defer this sacred baptism for a day.
Nearc:
Thus the malicious enemy of man
Abuseth you, what he can't do by force,
He doth attempt by policy, still jealous
Of good designs, which he endeavoureth
To shake; when he can't break them, he puts on
With all the power he can to stop their course.
With obstacle upon obstacle he is comming
To trouble yours, to day by tears, to morrow
By something else; this dream so full of horrour
Is but the flourish of his first illusions,
Pol.
He sets all things a work, both prayer and threatning,
He assaults always, and is never weary,
He thinks to do at last what yet he cannot,
And what we do defer, concludes half broken.
Destroy his first stroaks, let Paulina weep:
God would not have a heart that the world rules;
Who looks upon him when his voice doth call him
At distance, and as doubtfull in his choice,
Hearkens unto another voice then his,
Pol.
To give our selvs to him, must we love no body?
Nearc:
We may love all, he suffers, he ordains it;
But this great King of Kings, this Lord of Lords
Will have the first love and the chiefest honours.
As nothing's equall to his supreame Greatnes,
So nothing must be lov'd but after him,
And in him; we to please him must neglect
Wife and wealth, friends and fortunes; for his glory
We must not stick t'expose our selves to dangers,
Yea, even to death, to pour our bloud forth for him;
But how far are you from this perfect love
Which I could wish you as so necessary
To your salvation, and eternal good?
I cannot speak unto you, Polyeuctes,
But with tears in mine eyes; now that we are
Hated in every place, that all believe
They serve the State well when they persecute us,
Now that a Christian is expos'd a butt
Unto the sharpest torments, how can you
Or'ecome the griefe on't, if you can't resist
A Womans tears?
4
You do'nt astonish me;
The Pitty that doth wound me doth proceed
From a great courage rather then from weakness;
Nearchus, on my equals a faire eye
Hath had much force, he feareth to offend it,
That dreads not death; and if we must affront
The cruel'st punishments, to find delights
And pleasures there, your God whom I dare not
Yet to call mine, in making me a Christian,
Will give me strength enough to undergo them.
Nearc.
Haste then to be one.
Pol.
Yes, I fly, Nearchus,
I long to bear the glorious mark of it,
But my Paulina doth afflict her self,
And can't consent, so much this dream doth trouble her,
To leave me to go forth.
Nearc.
Your safe return
Will be more pleasing to her; in an hour,
Or little more you shall wipe off her tears,
The happiness will seem again to see you
More sweet, by how much more she hath lamented
So dear a Husband. Come, we are expected.
Pol.
Appease her fear, and calm her sorrow then,
She comes again.
Nearc.
Fly, fly.
Pol.
Alas! I cannot.
Nearc.
You must, Sir, to be safe; Oh fly an Enemy
That knows your weakness, that doth finde it easily,
That woundeth with the eys, whose stroke doth kill
And please, because receav'd not 'gainst your will.
| Polyeuctes, or the Martyr | |