 | The Tragedy of Orestes |  |
Scen. V.
Enter Clyt. Tynd. Strophius, Electra.
What, is my Queene come here, to heare the cause,?
Wee'll then ascend, and iudge them instantly
Ascends the throne
Wee'll then ascend, and iudge them instantly
Or.
O crack my eye-strings, let these balls drop out
Or the quick sights like darts sly to their souls,
And pierce their entralls; he King, my mother Queen!
The Briseis and Achilles, that in my dreame,
We come to be condemnd amongst our friends,
I will to speake to them, Electra's there,
And Strophius your old father, Pylades.
Pyl.
Shew thy selfe valerous, o'recome thy selfe,
If we be known, we surely are condemn'd.
Ægyst.
Father, Lord Strophius sit and heare the cause.
Clyt.
Why, my Lord, what is't makes the busines thus?
Ægyst.
My queene shall strait way know, bring them away,
Although it is not fallen out of our minde,
Of a free act or pardon of all faults,
Committed in the date of such a time,
Our hand of mercy must not be so soft,
To couer or'e with gentle lenity,
Such vlcerous sores as these; there is no place
For mercy left; murder must not find grace:
Therefore our doome is past, one needs must die,
Blood still for blood vnto the gods will cry.
Orest.
Then, if thy doome be spent, great King here stands;
The man that did it, shewing his guilty hands.
Pylad.
O hold thy doome a while, it was not he,
His serious studies in the learned Arts,
'twixt life and death, and of a future state
Would faine haste to it; but the man was I,
Beleeue not him, 'twas his desire to die.
Orest.
No King, 'tis he which in his desperate thoughts,
Would loose the bands betwixt his soule and him,
Ones selfe against ones selfe is witnes store,
My selfe confesses, what wouldst thou haue more.
kneels.
Pyl.
Beleeue him not, vpon my knees I vow,
These hands are only branded with the guilt,
And for ones blood, let not two liues be spilt.
Orest.
And on my knees I the like oath doe take,
I gaue the stab, my dagger's bloody yet.
Pylad.
That was my dagger King, he took't from me,
Or.
He do's me wrong, by heauen 'twas euer mine.
Ægyst.
This doth amaze vs, I ne're yet saw two
Turns Rhetoricians so to plead for death.
Would not the pardon of this odious fact,
Like a foule stench, or an vnwholesome ayre,
Send an infectious vapour through the land,
And choake vp Iustice; this fidelity
Should for this one time set two murderers free.
Cly.
Now good my loue, me thinkes I pitty them,
And prethee for my sake, I know them not,
Abate thy edge of Iustice for this once.
Orest.
O what she spoke, to dambe, it had been better.
Ægyst.
My loue, thou knowst I neuer looke too sterne,
Vpon a fault that could aske lenity.
But this is so transcendant, and so great,
It must not be slipt without impunity,
To doe a haynous murder, and i'th court,
I'th place of Iustice, where the King might heare,
Vpon a chiefe attendant of the Kings,
Murder it selfe is past all expiation,
The greatest crime that Nature doth abhorre,
Not being, is abominable to her,
And when we be, make others not to be,
'Tis worse then bestiall, and we did not so,
When onely we by natures ayd did liue,
A Heterogenious kinde, as semibeasts,
But now doth manhood and ciuility
Stand at the bar of iustice, and there plead,
How much the'r wronged, and how much defac't
When man doth die his hands in blood of man,
Iudgement it selfe would scarce a law enact
Against the murderer, thinking it a fact,
That man 'gainst man would neuer dare commit,
Since the worst things of nature doe not it.
Orest.
O how his words now raile against a sinne,
Which beat vpon his conscious thoughts within.
His tongue speakes faire, his inparts, looke on them,
And they like Iury-men himselfe condemne:
Pyl.
But O great King, if iustice must haue right,
Let me stand only guilty in thy sight.
Orest.
No 'tis not King, 'twas I that did the deed,
And for my action, let no other bleed.
Ægyst.
In troth this make my doome it cannot fall:
Will none of your confesse?
Strophius weeps.
Orest.
Yes, I confesse.
Pylad.
No King, 'tis I confesse.
Ægyst.
How now Lord Strophius, what affect you so,
That makes your teares be wrayers of some passion.
Stroph.
My gracious soueraigns, this strange spectacle
Renues the memory of my once great losse,
And my deare Queens, we once were blest with two,
Which so had link'd themselues in bands of Loue,
As these men now doe seeme to me they haue.
One streame of loue did in two hearts so glide,
One with the other liu'd, with other dide.
And would my Queene be my competitor,
For our sons sake my suits should ioyne with her,
Since Iustice craues but one, and both will goe,
Euen saue them both, and right wrong iustice so.
Clytem.
I, good my loue, let iustice come and looke,
If she can finde in all her statute booke,
Two men for the same crime should rightly die;
She will not say so, iustice cannot lie.
And since they both will die, let ones loue saue
The others life, and so both life shall haue.
Agam.
In troth my Queen, and my old Lord haue mou'd
And friendship like an old acquaintance sends
To her friend, Iustice, that she should be milde,
And looks with eyes of mercy, on your fault,
Considering our immunity proclaim'd,
And such petitioners as you both haue got,
Death in our sentence now shall haue no part,
Whilst who should haue done worst confession striues,
Too much confession thus saues two mens liues:
But now we must demand what you made here,
What busines or condition you professe.
Pylad.
Great King, our duty owes to thee our liues,
And were we men that striu'd to set a cloud
Before these gifts, Art hath instructed vs:
Or we haue purchac't at a most deare rate,
Of cost and labour, yet thy clemency
Commands vs to lay open all to thee,
Yet for my selfe I rather count my state,
Blest that I lighted on this happy man,
Whose accurate and watchfull indagation,
Hath taught him for to heale the wounds of Nature,
By his exceeding skill in wholesome hearbs,
One that when I did thinke my thred of life
Had beene quite cut, did tie it vp againe,
And make it last: recald my youthfull dayes,
And made me Æson-like becom thus yong,
For which great practises I did owe my life,
And thence proceeded our late pious strife.
Æg.
Nay then I'me glad our mercy did extend
On men whom such rare vertues doe commend;
Or loue shall then grow greater, and our court
Shall entertaine you, and't may chance we will,
My queene and I make triall of your skill.
Orest.
My gracious soueraigne, words must not haue wings,
To passe and out-flye the bounds of truth,
Onely to win the Elixar of opinion;
But for my friend doth here professe so much,
And for my life doe stand so deeply bound,
That all my Art can ne're make recompence,
Please but your graces selfe and your deare queen,
To let me shew my selfe to none but you;
Though Nature dried vp with too much time,
Deny to spring in fruite from forth your loynes,
Or any other strange impediment,
Or Art preserues from sicknesse ruining.
And 'twill be blest to shew it to a King.
Ægyst.
Ha, prethee let me speake with thee apart.
Thou strik'st on tunes now, make me glad to heare,
We will commit our secresie to thee,
Can'st water barren wombs with such a dew,
Shall make 'em florish and wax green with fruit?
Although we cannot altogether blame,
That Nature hath been too vnkind to vs,
Yet we would plant each corner of our Realme,
With springing branches of our royall selfe,
To compasse in our selues, and we stand in the midst:
Kings in their children doe great blessing finde,
And great men loue to propagate their kind.
Orest.
Great Soueraigne, boasting words shall ne're outweigh
The things I will performe, I speake not fame,
But what I first haue said, I'll doe the same.
Ægyst.
We like thy temper well, and we will trust,
Therefore this night we will appoint it so,
Thou shalt be guided to our secretst roome,
And there shalt vse thy skill; which if it take,
Or loue shall honour thee for Physicks sake.
Exeunt Aegyst. Clyt. Tind.
Orest.
Good heauens I thanke you, your effectuall power
Hath shewed your iustice in this blessed houre,
They take Str. and Elect. back.
Now is occasion put, thus murder layes
The trap wherein it selfe, it selfe betrayes.
Pyl.
Old Lord a word with you,
Orest.
and with you Lady.
Pyl.
Had not you once a Son lou'd the young Prince?
Stop.
Yes Sir, but Fates enuied my happines,
And holds both Prince and Son away too long.
Orest.
And had not you a brother Lady once?
When heard you of him last? he went trauell.
Elect.
In truth I had, but I can heare no news.
They discouer themselues.
Stro.
O see my son, welcome my dearest boy.
Our brother, our Orestes is come home.
Stroph.
'Tis they indeed, O how my blood reuiues,
Let me embrace them, O ye'r welcome home,
Now is the Autumne of our sorrow done.
Elect.
What silent place hath smothered you so long!
Of what great power haue you counsaile ta'ne,
Concerning the great plot you had in hand.
Orest.
Vncle, and sister, we must not stand now
Embracing much, and bidding welcome home,
You see before I come, how things doe stand;
My busines hastens, and my friend, and I,
Haue yet a greater proiect to performe
Onely Electra we must haue your ayde,
To helpe with their child, for now's the time,
When blest occasion striues to helpe reuenge.
Elect.
Why brother, is the child in any fault,
That was vnborne when that our Father dide?
And 'tis a lusty boy: O hurt not that.
Orest.
Tush, I must haue it, it shall haue no hurt,
Worse then my Father:
Elect.
Shal't not, indeed.
Orest.
Beleeue me, no worse hurt; but let's be gone.
I'll be tripode Paracelsian.
Exeunt.
| The Tragedy of Orestes | |