University of Virginia Library

Scena Sexta.

Severus, Fabian.
Severus.
Fabian , What feel I? what new clap of Thunder
Falls on my fortune, and reduceth it
To dust? the more I do esteem it near
The farther 'tis, I find all lost, when I
Think all is gain'd, and envious Destiny
Resolv'd to hurt me still, cuts off my hope
As soon as it is born. Before I offer
My fair devotions, I receive refusals,
Sad alwaies and asham'd to see that basely
It durst spring up again, that yet more basely
It durst appear, and lastly that a Woman
In an afflicted state should give me lessons
Of generosity. Your fair soul, Paulina,
Is as high as it is unfortunate,
But tis as cruel too as generous,
And your griefs tyrannize with too much rigour
Upon a Lovers heart that's wholely yours.
Tis not enough to lose you then, unless
I give you, I must serve a Rivall when
He doth abandon you, and by a cruell
And generous triall, to give you unto him,
Must snatch him from his death.

Fab.
Leave this ingratefull family to their fate,
Let it accord the father with the Daughter,
The Husband with the Wife, and Polyeuctes,
With Felix; What reward hope you to have
For such a cruel triall?

Sev.
Only Fabian,
The glory to shew to this beauteous soul,
Severus equals her, and doth deserve her,
That she was due unto me, and that Heaven,
In taking her from me was too injurious.

Fab.
Without accusing Heaven, or Destiny
Think on the danger you draw on upon you
By such an Act, you hazard very much;
Consider well, you enterprise to save
A Christian, you cannot be ignorant
What is, and always was the hate of Decius
Unto that impious Sect; tis unto him
A crime so great, so capitall, that even
To you his only Favourite may be fatall.

Sev.
This were good counsel for some common soul,
Though he hold in his hand my life and fortune,
I am Severus still, and all this great
And mighty power can nothing on my glory,
Nothing upon my duty; honour here
Obligeth me and I will satisfie it;
Let fortune afterward shew her self kind
Or cruel, as her nature's still inconstant,
Dying in glory I shall dye content:
I'le tell thee more, but with some confidence,
The Christian Sect is not the same we take it,
We hate them, and the reason for't I know not,
And I can see Decius unjust in nothing
But in this point; for curiosity
I fain would know them; they are held for Sorcerers,
Whose Master Hell is, and on this belief
The secret mysteries, which we are not able
To understand, are punished with death:
But Ceres, Eleusina, and the goddess
Bonna at Rome, and in Greece have their secrets
Like them; we suffer likewise in all places
All kind of gods, their God only excepted:
All the Ægyptian Monsters haue their Temple
In Rome; our predecessors, as they lik'd,
Made a god of a man, and their blood with us
Retaining still their errors, we fill Heaven
With all our Emperors; but to speak truly
Of so much Apothæsis, the effect
Is very doubtfull of these Metamorphoses:
The Christians have but one God, absolute Master
Of all, whose only will doth execute
What he resolves, but if I durst to speake
Between us what I think, ours very often,
Me thinks, agree together very ill,
And should their anger crush me 'fore thine eyes,
I must speak this, we have too many of them
To be true gods. Perhaps these publick faiths
Are but inventions of wise Polyticks,
To keep the People under, and to awe them,
And to establish their power on their weakness.
Lastly the manners of the Christians
Are innocent, vertues do flourish with them,
Vices appear not; never an Adulterer,
A Traytor, Drunkard, Murtherer, or Thief
Is seen amongst them, there is nothing else
But love and charity, they live together
Like Brothers, they pray for us that do persecute them;
And have we ever since the time we first
Tormented them, seen them in mutiny?
Have we seen them rebellious! have our Princes
Had Souldiers more faithfull; fierce in war
They suffer our tormentors patiently;
Lions in fight, they dy as meek as Lambs.
I've too much pitty for them not to help them:
Come, let us find out Felix presently,
And so by one sole action satisfie
Paulina, my compassion, and my glory.