University of Virginia Library

Actvs. V.

Chorvs.
Græcian and Persian.
Persian.
VVell , then I see there is small difference
Betwixt your state and ours, you ciuill Greeks,
You great contriuers of free gouernments,
Whose skill the world from out all countries seeks,
Those whom you call your Kings, are but the same
As are our Souereigne tyrants of the East;
I see they only differ but in name,
The effects they shew, agree, or neere at least.
Your great men here, as our great Satrapaes,
I see layd prostrate are with basest shame,
Vpon the least suspect or iealousies
Your Kings conceiue, or others enuies frame;
Only herein they differ, That your Prince
Proceeds by forme of law t'effect his end;
Our Persian Monarch makes his frowne conuince
The strongest truth: his sword the processe ends
With present death, and makes no more ado:
He neuer stands to giue a glosse vnto
His violence, to make it to appeare
In other hew than that it ought to beare,
Wherein plaine dealing best his course commends:
For more h'offends who by the law offends.
What need hath Alexander so to striue
By all these shewes of forme, to find this man
Guilty of treason, when he doth contriue
To haue him so adiudg'd? Do what he can,
He must not be acquit, though he be cleere,
Th'offender, not th'offence, is punisht heere.
And what auailes the fore-condemn'd to speake?
How euer strong his cause, his state is weake.

Græ.
Ah, but it satisfies the world, and we
Thinke that well done which done by law we see.

Per.
And yet your law serues but your priuate ends,
And to the compasse of your pow'r extends:
But is it for the maiesty of Kings,
To sit in iudgement thus themselues, with you?

Græ.
To do men iustice, is the thing that brings
The greatest maiesty on earth to Kings.

Per.
That, by their subalternate ministers
May be perform'd as well, and with more grace:
For, to command it to be done, infers
More glory, than to do. It doth imbase
Th'opinion of a pow'r t'invulgar so
That sacred presence, which should neuer go,
Neuer be seene, but euen as gods, below,
Like to our Persian King in glorious show;
And who, as starres affixed to their spheare,
May not descend to be from what they are.

Græ.
Where Kings are so like gods, there subiects are not men.

Per.
Your king begins this course, and what will you be then?

Græ.
Indeed since prosperous fortune gaue the raine
To head strong pow'r and lust, I must confesse,
We Græcians haue lost deeply by our gaine,
And this our greatnesse makes vs much the lesse:
For by th'accession of these mighty States,
Which Alexander wonderously hath got,
He hath forgot himselfe and vs, and rates
His state aboue mankind, and ours at nought.
This hath thy pompe (O feeble Asia) wrought,
Thy base adorings hath transform'd the King
Into that shape of pride, as he is brought
Out of his wits, out of acknowledging
From whence the glory of his greatnesse springs,
And that it was our swords that wrought these things,
How well were we within the narrow bounds
Of our sufficient yeelding Macedon,
Before our Kings inlarg'd them with our wounds,
And made these sallies of ambition!
Before they came to giue the regall law
To those free States which kept their crownes in aw!
They by these large dominions are made more,
But we be come far weaker than before.
What get we now by winning, but wide minds
And weary bodies, with th'expence of blood?
What should ill do, since happy fortune findes
But misery, and is not good though good?
Action begets still action, and retaines
Our hopes beyond our wishes, drawing on
A neuer ending circle of orr paines,
That makes vs not haue done, when we haue done.
What can giue bounds to Alexanders ends,
Who counts the world but small, that call's him great;
And his desires beyond his pray distends,
Like beasts, that murder more than they can eat?
When shall we looke his trauels will be done,
That tends beyond the Ocean and the Sunne?
What discontentments will there still arise
In such a Campe of Kings, to inter-shocke
Each others greatnesse, and what mutinies
Will put him from his comforts, and will mocke
His hopes, and neuer suffer him to haue
That which he hath of all which Fortune gaue?
And from Philotas blood (O worthy man)
Whose body now rent on the torture lies,
Will flow that vaine of fresh conspiracies,
As ouerflow him will, do what he can:
For cruelty doth not imbetter men,
But them more wary makes than they haue been.

Per.
Are not your great men free from tortures then,
Must they be likewise rackt as other men?

Græ.
Treason offoords a priuiledge to none,
Who like offends hath punishment all one.

Snena II.

Polidamas, Sostratus.
Polidamas.
Friend Sostratus, come, haue you euer know'n
Such a distracted face of Court, as now;
Such a distrustfull eye, as men are grow'n
To feare themselues and all; and do not know
Where is the side that shakes not; who lookes best
In this foule day, th'oppressor or th'opprest?
What posting, what dispatches, what aduice!
What search, what running, what discoueries!
What rumors, what suggestions, what deuice
To cleere the King, please people, hold the wise,
Retaine the rude, crush the suspected sort
At vnawares, ere they discerne th'are hurt!
So much the fall of such a weighty Peere
Doth shake the State, and with him tumble downe
All whom his beames of fauours did vpbeare,
All who to rest vpon his base were knowne:
And none, that did but touch vpon his loue,
Are free from feare to perish with his loue.
My self (whom all the world haue know'n t'imbrace
Parmenio in th'intirenesse of my heart,
And euer in all battels, euery chace
Of danger, fought still next him on that part)
Was seazed on this last night, late in my bed,
And brought vnto the presence of the King,
To pay (I thought) the tribute of my head:
But O 'twas for a more abhorred thing!
I must redeeme my danger with the blood
Of this deare friend, this deare Parmenio's blood;
His life must pay for mine, these hands must gore
That worthy heart from whom they fought before.

Sost.
What, hath the King commanded such a deed,
To make the hearts of all his subiects bleed?
Must that old worthy man Parmenio die?

Pol.
O Sostratus, he hath his doome to die,
And we must yeeld vnto necessity.
For comming to the King, and there receiu'd
With vnexpected grace, he thus began:
Polidamas, we both haue beene deceiu'd,
In holding friendship with that faithlesse man
Parmenio, who, for all his glozing mine,
Thou seest hath sought to cut my throat and thine;
And thou must worke reuenge for thee and me:
And therefore hast to Media speedily,
Take these two letters here, the one from me
Vnto my sure and trusty seruants there,
The other signed with Philotas seale,
As if the same t'his father written were:
Carry them both, effect what I haue sayd,
The one will giue th'accesse, the other ayd.
I tooke the letters, vow'd t'effect the same:
And here I go the instrument of shame.

Sost.
But will you charge your honor with this shame?

Pol.
I must, or be vndone, with all my name:
For I haue left all th'adamantiue ties
Of blood and nature, that can hold a heart
Chain'd to the word, my brethren and allies,
The hostages to caution for my part:
And for their liues must I dishonour mine;
Els should the King rather haue turn'd this sword
Vpon my heart, than forst it impiously,
(Hauing done all faire seruice to his Lord,
Now to be imploy'd in this foule villany.)
Thus must we do who are inthrall'd to Kings,
Whether they will iust or vnlawfull things.
But now Parmenio; O, me thinkes I see
Thee walking in th'artificiall groue
Of pleasant Susis, when I come to thee,
And thou remembring all our ancient loue,
Hastes to imbrace me, saying, O my friend,
My deare Polidamas, welcome my friend,
Well art thou come, that we may sit and chat
Of all the old aduentures we haue run.
Tis long Polidamas since we two met,
How doth my souereigne Lord, how doth my son?
When I vile wretch, whil'st m'answere he attends,
With this hand giue the letter, this hand ends
His speaking ioy, and stabb's him to the heart.
And thus Parmenio thou rewarded art
For all thy seruice: thou that didst agree
For Alexander to kill Attalus,
For Alexander I must now kill thee.
Such are the iudgements of the heauenly pow'rs
We others ruines worke, and others ours.

Cho. P.
Why this is right, now Alexander takes
The course of pow'r; this is a Persian tricke.
This is our way, here publike triall makes
No doubtfull noise, but buries clamor quicke.

Græ.
Indeed now Persia hath no cause to rue,
For you haue vs vndone, who vndid you.