University of Virginia Library

SCENA II.

Tullus, The old Horatius, Valerius, Horatius, The Companie of the Guards.
Old Horat.
Oh Sir, this is too great an honour for me,
I should not see my King in this poor place.
Suffer me on my knees—

Tull.
No, Father, rise;
I do but what a good Prince ought to do:
so rare a service, and of such importance,
requires the rar'st and most illustrious honour:
you had for pawn thereof his word already,
I could no longer have deferred it.
I know by his report (which I ne'r doubted)
how brave and like your self you bear the death
of your two sons, and that your soul already
being resolv'd, my consolation
would be superfluous: but I come to know
what strange misfortune hath follow'd the vertue
of your victorious Son, and how it comes,
that his too much love for the publick cause
hath tane an onely daughter from his father
by his own hands: I know what such a stroak
can do upon the strongest spirit, and doubt
how you may bear this death.

Old Horat.
Sir, with displeasure,
but yet with patience,

Tull.
'Tis plain, this is
the vertuous effect of your experience:
Many have taught by a long file of years,
as well as you, that miseries succeed
the sweetest happinesse; few know like you
t'apply this remedie, and all their Vertue
yeelds to their Interest. If my compassion
can ease your sorrow, know that 'tis extreme,
as is your evill, and that Tullus laments you
as much as he doth love you.

Val.
Sir, since Heaven
doth put its justice in the hands of Kings,
and the force of the lawes; and since the State
asketh rewards for vertues, and strict punishments
for crimes, of lawfull Princes; suffer that
a just occasion make you to remember,
that you lament too much what you should punish:
Suffer—

Old Horat.
What! that we send a Conqueror
to punishment?

Tull.
Allow him leave to finish,
and I'll do justice; I am bound to render it
to all, at all hours, and in every place:
it is by it that a King makes himself
a demi-God: and hence is't that I pitie you,
that after such a service, against him
they should demand me justice.

Val.
Suffer then,
O great King, and the justest of all Kings,
that all good men speak to you by my mouth:
not that our hearts, as jealous of his honours,
urge us to this; if he receiveth much,
his high deeds do deserve it; add unto it,
rather then lessen it; we are also ready
to contribute unto it: but since he
hath shew'd himself guilty of such a crime,
let him triumph as Conquerour, and perish
as malefactor: stop his fury, and
save from his hands, if you desire to reigne,
the remnant of the Romans: hereupon
depends the losse or safety of the rest;
seeing the blood shed by this fatall Warr,
and so many fair knots of marriage
wherewith our happy destinies have so often
united such neer nighbours, few of us
have enjoy'd such a happinesse, as not
T'have lost a Cosen, or a brother in law,
an uncle, or a son in law in Alba,
whereby to have occasion to shed tears
for their own losses in the publick joy:
If it be an offence to Rome, and that
the fortune of his arms alloweth him
to punish this crime of our tears, what blood
will this fierce Conqu'ror spare, that would not pardon
that of his Sister, nor excuse the grief
which the death of a Lover doth infuse
into a Mistresse heart, when ready to be
lighted by the fair nuptiall Torch, she sees
her hope i'th' grave with him? Making Rome thus
to triumph, he enslaves it: by this means
he hath a right of life and death upon us,
and our offending dayes shall last no longer
then it shall please his clemency to suffer them.
I could add, for the interests of Rome,
that such a stroak's unworthy of a man:
I could demand, to be brought here before you
that rare exploit of a victorious arme;
you should see then a fair blood (to accuse
his rage) retort into his cruel face:
you should behold horrours which cannot be
conceiv'd; her age and beauty (sure) would move you,
but I hate those means that show artifice.
You have deferr'd the sacrifice till to morrow;
Think you that the just Gods (stil'd the revengers
of Innocents) will receive incense from
a parricide hand? This sacriledg would draw
their punishment upon you. Look upon him
but as an object of their hate, believe
(with us) that the good destinie of Rome
in all these three fights did more then his arm,
since these same Gods (the Authors of his Victory)
permitted that he suddenly should sully
the glory of it; and that such a courage,
after so brave an Act, should in one day
be worthy of a Triumph, and of Death.
It rests (Sir) that your Sentence decide this:
Rome never saw a parricide till now.
Fear what may follow, and Heaven's anger; save us
from his unnaturall hand, and fear the Gods.

Tull.
Defend your self, Horatius.

Horat.
To what purpose
shall I defend me? Sir, you know the action,
as being told it now: what you think of it
must be a law to me. One ill defends
himself against th'opinion of a King:
and th'innocentest soul that e'r was born
is guiltie, if he judg him to be so:
It is a crime t'excuse himself unto him.
Our blood's his goods, he can dispose thereof;
and we must think, that when he doth do so,
he deprives not himself without just cause.
Then (Sir) pronounce, I'm ready to obey.
Others love life, and I am bound to hate it.
I reproach not Valerius heat, which makes him,
loving the Sister, to accuse the Brother:
my wishes at this time conspire with his:
he asks my death, 'tis that which I desire:
We differ onely in this point, that I
seek to conserve my honour in't, and he
to perish it. Sir, seldome is a subject
offer'd to shew the vertue of a great
and noble heart complete: according to
occasion, it acts or more or lesse,
and appears strong or weak unto the eyes
of those that are her witnesses: The people,
that onely looks upon the outside, judgeth
its force by its effects, and dares to think,
by an ill maxime, that who doth a miracle,
must do it still: After a complete action,
high and illustrious, what glitters lesse
ill answereth their expectation:
they would have us to be all times alike,
and in all places: they examine not
if one could better do then, nor that, if
they see not still a wonder, the occasion
is lesse, and Vertue equall: Their injustice
destroyes great names; the honour of the first
attchievements is forgotten by the second:
and when renown is pass'd beyond the mean,
if we'll not fall thence, we must act no more.
I will not boast th'exploits (Sir) of my arm,
your Majestie hath seen my three encounters;
hardly again shall I meet any such,
nor e'r the like occasion will be
to shew my courage, and crown the successe;
so that to leave here an illustrious memory,
death onely now can keep alive my glory,
and I must have it too as soon as I
have conquer'd; for I have outliv'd my honour:
Such one as I beholds his glory perish'd,
when he falls into any ignominie:
and my hand would have freed me on't already,
if my bloud durst come forth without your leave:
as it belongs to you, you must dispose on't;
to shed it otherwise, is to rob you of it.
Rome wants not store of generous warriours;
enough besides me will sustaine your Laurels;
henceforward let your Majestie dispense
with me herein. And if what I have done
deserves a recompence, permit, great King,
that with this conquering arm I sacrifice
me to my Glory, not my Sisters cryes.