University of Virginia Library

ACT III.

The Scene opens, Herod appears asleep under a Magnificent Pavilion.
Hircanus and Aristobulus's Ghosts enter, attended by several other Ghosts, in white, having great stains of blood over all their Garments. They dance Antick Dances, with black Javelins in their hands. The Dances ended they fall all in into one Rank, and march up to Herod, brandishing the Points of their Weapons towards him. Herod wakes of a sudden, starts up, and draws his Sword, at which all the Ghosts vanish. He stares about him a while, and then sayes:
Her.
Vanisht!—Well have they manag'd their Escapes,
They owe their Safeties to their airy shapes:
Their flesh did with such fear their Souls subdue,
That after Death, their Ghosts turn'd Cowards too.
Poor senseless Devils! that could themselves perswade
To frighten him, by whom they Ghosts were made.
I blush that I the honour did afford,
Of scaring them, by drawing of my Sword.
[Herod puts up his Sword.
Who waits without?

[A Gentleman comes in.
Gent.
Your Brother, Sir, has been
Above an hour attending.

Her.
Call him in.
[The Gentleman goes out.
That Brother is my Brother but in name,
He does by Honesty aspire at Fame.
By Virtues Charms, to Glory he pretends,
And scruples by bold Crimes to reach great ends.

[Pheroras comes in.
Pher.
Sir, by those Spies which are employ'd by me
To watch the Jews, I find they all agree:
And to your Palace Gates great numbers crowd,
And without fear, their Anger tell aloud.

Her.
Those who by talk do give their anger vent,
To great and bold Revenges are not bent;
I'd more suspect them if they did not so.

Pher.
Yet winds will murmure ere the storm does blow.
In Policy when you strict Justice do
Seem to lament, at what they force you to.
This may the Jews from their despair withhold.

Her.
A King who fears does make his Subjects bold.
Monarchs by solid Rules should Vassals steer,
Dissembling is too near ally'd to fear.
Who to please Subjects some degrees shall fall,
Does give them hopes he may descend from all.
Do not a talking Conquer'd People fear,
They cannot raise such Storms as I feel here.

[Putting his hand on his Breast.
Pher.
I cannot guess from whence this Storm should rise,
Since you have vanquish'd all your Enemies.
Winning Agrippa, you Octavius win.

Her.
The worst of Storms are those which are within.
O Heavens,
If to wear Crowns to which I was not born
Is Sin—Why do you thus my Head adorn?
But if in that I did your will pursue,
Why do you punish what you made me do?

Pher.
How should I see till you unseal my Eyes,
Whence this Internal Tempest, Sir, does rise.

Her.
My Sister in her Rage such things exprest,
As ever since have stole away my rest:
The fatal words through my Ears pierc'd my Heart,
And are above the Cure of Time or Art.

Pher.
'Tis strange her talk takes such deep root in you.

Her.
I dare not think her words are false or true.

Pher.
Can you but in suspence such Torments find.

Her.
Suspence, 'tis the worst torture of the Mind.
Our Reason and our Valour it controuls,
'Tis in one word, the Chaos of our Souls.
From one Resolve I to another run,
I know not what to meet, or what to shun.

Pher.
Then, Sir, to my suspence pray give an end,
Trust with your Griefs, your Brother, and your Friend.

Her.
Solome in her truth, or by her Art,
Would make me think—Another has her Heart.

Pher.
What Her d'you mean?

Her.
What Her else can it be,
But my Proud Queen which could so torture me?
If to my Love another she prefers,
I'll tear out both her Lovers Heart and Hers.
Then I'll in Flames reduce them both to Dust,
Flames, which shall be as burning as their Lust:
And when those Thrones of Love to Ashes turn,
I'll mix their guilty Ashes in one Urn:
There we shall see what Charming Fires are bred
In Hearts united, when those Hearts are dead.
This Brother's an Experiment may be,
Worthy an Injur'd King's Philosophy.

Pher.
Give not your Anger, Sir, such guilty vent,
A Sin you Fancy, then a Punishment.
Is this the weight which made your Soul to bow.

Her.
You talk as if a heavier I could know.

Pher.
If Vertue did not the Queens Actions guide,
Her Honour would be guarded by her Pride.

Her.
Honour o'r Love, rarely the Field does win,
When Pride does keep the Gate, Love will get in.

Pher.
But Love an Entrance always is deny'd
Where Womans Vertue heighten'd is to Pride.

Her.
To such extreams it is unsafe to trust,
Where Vertue turns to Pride, Love may to Lust.
Sin will from Sin but too ill guarded be,
Nor durst my Sister trifle thus with me.

Pher.
Believe me, Sir, Our Sister has mistook,
She has not prov'd it on the Queen, but look
Falshood and Lust which so deform'd appear,
Durst not approach, much less reside in Her.
In her, where Virtue to such height does rise,
It shines both in her Actions and her Eyes.

[Solome comes into them.
Her.

Solo.

Her.
Brother, leave Solome with me alone.

Pher.
Since you Command me, Sir, I must be gone.

[Pher. goes out.
Solo.
Before the fatal Secret I declare,
Which will with Horror bristle ev'ry Hair;
And make you summon all your Fortitude,
To help you to support a shock so rude.
Tell me without Reserve—Have you not seen,
Since your Return, a Coldness in the Queen,
Greater by much than you observ'd before?

Her.
May be I have—Proceed—but ask no more.

Solo.
What did you think in her this Change had wrought?

Her.
Tell what you know, and ask not what I thought.

Solo.
Then know—yet stay—for I begin to fear
Truths against Her would but offend your Ear.

Her.
Play not thus with my Anger—'tis not good,
The Storm you rais'd, must be supprest by Blood.
It wounds my Soul as long as it endures,
'Tis the Queens Death shall end it—or else—Yours.

Solo.
Alas, I would not live one moment more,
If, Sir, my Death your Honour could restore.

Her.
My Honour—Speak—I'm rackt by this delay.

Solome.
'Twill rack you worse to hear what I can say.

Her.
Rack me then higher yet, if it can be,
That I may others Rack as you do me.
Tell me, oh tell me, of that Man the Name,
Who durst presume to rob me of my Fame.
He might all other Crimes have safer done,
Than only to have wish'd for but this One.

Solo.
Sohemus is the Person who I dread
Has more than offer'd to have wrong'd your Bed:
For when alas we of your Death did hear,
(The thought of which makes me yet shake with fear)
And that I prest him those Commands t'Obey,
Which you on him for the Queens Death did lay.
He said, forbid it Heaven that I the Sin should do,
Which words he spoke blushing and trembling too:
By which it was too evidently seen,
He had a guilty Passion for the Queen;
For whom so warmly he did then appear,
That he told me you an Usurper were.

Her.
At this I feel such Rage as Man ne'er knew,
Which seems to tell me, what you speak is true.

Solo.
Your Orders which to him intrusted were
For the Queens Death, he did to her declare.

Her.
I thought my Uncle's Death enough had been
To fright all else from acting of his Sin.
—Have you a proof of this, the Charge is high?

Solo.
Ask him your Self, if he the truth deny,
It shall be prov'd by those you cannot doubt.

Her.
'Tis only Love could rack that secret out.

Solo.
Admire not if those Charms which Conquer'd you,
Had the like Power to Conquer others too.

Her.
My fury in untrodden Paths shall walk,
But why do I mispend my time in talk.
If he confess, or faintly but deny,
By my own hand, the Queen and He shall dy,

Solo.
Ah for the Queen, Sir, give me leave to sue.

Her.
Of all the World 'tis most unfit in you.

Solo.
Perhaps she did not of his Love admit.

Her.
She is too guilty in Concealing it.
To me immediately Sohemus send,
And at my Chamber let some Guards attend.

Solo.
From this design I would your wrath disswade.

Her.
My anger cannot be by talk allay'd.

[Herod goes out.
Solo.
My fierce Revenge has now begun her flight,
To hurl my Rival into endless night;
And her proud Servant to his Cost shall prove,
There's no Revenge like that of slighted Love.

[Solome goes out.
The Scene is the Obscure Grotta.
Enter Antipater and Hazael.
Ant.
Yes, I met Tamar there.

Haz.
And did you find
Her Friendship firm in all you have design'd.

Ant.
Yes, yes, this night I to the Queen shall go,
And there, whate'er my Fate is, I shall know.

Haz.
I hope you have her leave to wait on her.

Ant.
She must not know of it till I am there:
Since to such Rules of Honour she is ty'd,
That to ask leave were but to be deny'd.

[To them Phaltiel and Samias.
Sam.
Oh, Sir, from whence we came such grief we saw,
As far transcends the skill of Art to draw.
Observing as we past along the street,
At Abner's Palace Gate much People meet:
We through it at length did make our way,
Where on a Herse his Headless Father lay.
About it stood his Friends and Kindred all,
Whose griefs did more than fill the spacious Hall;
And seem'd to put a Voice into the Stones,
By making them to Echo back their Groans.

Phal.

Sam.
At last to Heaven he such a look did throw,
As threatned more than all his words could do.

Phal.
A look, which Herod, if he had been there,
Could not have seen but must have shook with fear.

Sam.
Your Father who for Abner then did send,
To this great Scene of Sorrow gave an end.
He at the Message cheerfully did rise,
And such Contentment sparkl'd in his Eyes;
As if by it he to the World would say,
I go to meet the Fate of Barzillai.

Ant.
I almost envy Abner, I confess,
Who did his grief so generously express.

Phalt.
Not knowing why Herod for Abner sent,
And thinking you would long for the event;
Pollio, who we in a disguise met there,
We sent to learn it, and then meet us here.

Ant.
I for the News impatient am, and wait,
[Pollio comes in.
But he is come already—Pray relate
What 'tis my Father hath with Abner done.

Poll.

Ant.
This Action his past Fame for ever wounds,
He in it for his Father's Blood compounds.
All the great things which by him have been done,
Cannot wash off the meanness of this One.

Poll.
But, Sir, as through the Palace Court I past,
I saw the Guards run to their Arms in hast;
And though I ask'd the Cause I could not know,
Something Important Herod means to do.
For Courtiers run about from place to place,
And much of Fear is seen in every Face.

Ant.
What do you think the Cause of this may be?

Phalt.
We are as Ignorant of that as he.

Sam.
But such Alarms from nothing cannot grow,
'Tis therefore fit we to the Court should go,
And learn from whence this trouble does begin.

Ant.
Till your Return, I'll stay for you within.

[They go out several ways.
The Scene the Queens Lodgings.
Enter the Queen and Mariana.
Mar.
'Tis from Pheroras I attend you now,
Who has commanded me to let you know,
That you over your self should watchful be,
For Solome who is your Enemy,
Does your Dishonour with much art pursue,
And fills the King with Jealousies of you.

Queen.
I am indebted to Pheroras Care,
Did he name nothing in particular.

Mar.
No; for when he but spoke in your Defence,
Herod in Anger did command him thence.
What is it, Madam, that provokes her thus?

Queen.
Her nature makes her still malicious.
Besides, her Brother's Will she aims to sway,
And thinks that I sometimes obstruct her way.
Another Cause may have her hate begot,
Yet since 'tis but my thought, I name it not.

[Tamar comes in hastily.
Tam.
to Mar.
My hast has made me almost out of breath,
Herod, I fear, designs your Brother's Death;
And all the Guards are running to their Arms,
As they are us'd to do in fierce Alarms.
While Herod in Impatience till he comes,
Walks stern and silent in his private Rooms.

Mar.
Pardon those fears which in my Face you see,
That Brother is more than the World to me.
Pardon me too if I go seek him now,
And, Madam, if I humbly beg of you,
That you Pheroras warmly will engage,
To use his Power to lessen Herod's rage.
My Brother's guiltless, Madam, but you know,
The King thinks no one, who he hates, is so.

Queen.
May Heaven direct you in the Happiest way,
While, I, what you desire of me, obey.

[They go out several ways.
The Scene Herod's Apartment.
Herod with Asdrubal, and some of the Guards, comes from within the Scene on the Theatre, at the same time Sohemus, by another of the Theatre Doors, enters on it.
Sohe.
The Princess, Sir, bad me here wait on you.

Her.
Now Guards perform that which I bad you do.

[The Guards immediately seize on Sohemus, and disarm him.
Her.
Thy guilt, without my telling, lets thee know,
For what Crime 'tis, that I have us'd thee so.

Sohe.
Though I must judge your usage, Sir, severe,
Yet I with Joy would this Oppression bear,
Were I the only guiltless you pursue.

Her.
That name of all belongs the least to you.
To thee, whose Lust has to my Queen confest,
That Secret I intrusted to thy Breast:
Which She of all the World should not have known,
Traytor; in vain thou wilt thy Guilt disown.
My Sister who reveal'd will prove thy Sin.
Heaven's! How I fear'd that it had been the Queen.

[Sohe. aside lifting up his Hands and Eyes.
Her.
His lifting up to Heaven his Hands and Eyes,
Does Evidence his Crime, by his Surprize.
This Storm which thou hast rais'd, dost thou not dread?
Look on me—Look—Have I not star'd thee dead?

Sohe.
Looks cannot make one of my Courage fall.

Her.
What my Looks cannot do, my Dagger shall.

[Herod stabs Sohemus thrice, who falls.
Sohe.

[Sohemus dies.
Her.

[They all go out, the Guards bearing off Sohemus's Body.