University of Virginia Library

Actvs. IIII.

Scena. I.

Zanger
alone.
Nourisht in Courts, where no thoughts peace is nourisht,
Vs'd to behold the Tragedie of ruine,
Ruine, from whome all Monarchies haue florisht,
Brought vp with feares, with fellow Princes fortune;
Yet am I like him that hath lost his knowledge,
Or neuer heard one storie, but of misfortune.
My heart doth fall away, fearefull vpon me.
Tame Rumor, that hath bin mine old acquaintance,
Is to me now like Monsters, fear'd and wondred,
My loue begins to plague me with suspition,
My first delights beare likenes of displeasure.
My mothers promises of my aduancement,
Her doubtfull speeches, her vnquiet motions,
Make me grow iealous of my owne aduancement.
The name of Mustapha so often murmured,
With whose name euer I haue been reioyced;
Now makes my heart misgiue, my spirit languish;
Man then is Augur of his owne misfortune,
When his ioy yeeldes him arguments of anguish.

Scena II.

Acmat. Zanger.
Acm.
O Kings, why swell you so against your maker?
Is rais'd equality so soone growne wilde?
Dare you depriue your people of succession,
Which kinges and kingdomes on their heades did build?
Is fortune of forgetfulnes with child?
Haue feare or loue, in greatnes no impression,
Since people, who did raise you to the crowne,
Are ladders, standing still to let you downe?
O wretched state of man, in Tyrants fauour,
Like men throwne vpon sands in ebbing water:
Dead if they trust, and stay drown'd if they venture.

Zan.
Acmat, what strange euents breed these strange passions?

Acm.
Nature is ruin'd, humanity fallen asunder,
Our Alchoran prophan'd, Empire defac'd,
Hell's broken loose, truth dead, hope banished,
Darke feare and sorrow, doe both strike and threaten:
My heart is full my voice doth faint and tremble.

Zang.
Yet tell the worst, for cowards death vnarmeth,
When need resolues vs to endure all terror:
And sorrowes vttered are like wines, which vented
Both purge themselues, and doe not breake the vessell;
By counsell and comparison things lessen.

Acm.
No counsell or comparison can lessen
The losse of Mustapha, so vildly murthered.

Zan.
How? dead? what chance or malice hath preuented
Mankinds good fortune?

Acm.
Fathers vnkindly malice.

Zan.
Tell how.

Acm.
When Solyman by Rostens cunning spight
And Rossaes witchcraft, from his heart had banisht
Iustice of Kings, and louingnes of fathers,
To wage and lodge such campes of heauy passions,
As cunning stepdames iealousie could gather;
Enuy tooke hold of worth, doubt did misconster,
Renowne was made a lie, and yet a terrour;
Nothing could rage remoue, or moue compassion;
Mustapha must die; to which end fetcht he was,
Loden with hopes and promises of fauour:
But Mustapha neither hoped nor feared,
Perchance, foresaw the stormes of danger comming;
Yet comes, and comes accompanied with power;
But neither power that warranted his hast,
Nor selfe-defence, that makes offences lawfull,
Could hold him from obedience to his father.
So foolish to the world is honest Wisedome.

Zang.
Alas, could neither truth appease his fury,
Nor his vnlook't humility of comming,
Nor any secret witnessing remorses?
Can Nature from her selfe worke such diuorces?
Tell on, that all the world may rue and wonder.

Acm.
There is a place enuironed with trees,
Vpon whose shadowed center, there is pitched
A large imbrodered sumptuous Pauilion,
The stately throne of tyrany and murder;
Where mighty men (whome fearefull murder feares)
With cruelty are slaine, before they know
That they to other then to honor goe;
Mustapha vnto the Campe no sooner came,
But thether he is sent for, and conducted
By sixe slow Eunuches, either taught to colour
Mischiefe with reuenge, or taught by nature
To reuerence euen vertue in misfortune.
But Mustapha, whose heart was now resolued,
Not fearing death, which he might haue preuented,
If he to disobedience had consented:
Nor crauing life, which he might well haue gotten,
If he would other duties haue forgotten;
But glad to speake his last thought to his father,
He will'd the Eunuches to entreate it for him;
They did, they wept, and kneel'd vnto his father:
But bloudy rage, that glories to be cruell,
And iealousie, that feares she is not fearefull,
Made Solyman refuse to heare or pitty.
He bids them hast their charge; and bloudy ey'd,
Beheld his sonne while he obeying died.

Zang.
How did that dying heart endure to suffer,
Tell on:
Quicken my spirits, hard and dull to good,
That yet ------ heare tell of brothers blood.

Acm.
While these sixe Eunuches to this charge appointed,
Whose hearts had neuer vs'd their hands to pitty,
Whose hands were onely now afraid of murder,
With reuerence and feare stood still amazed,
Loath to cut off such worth, afraid to saue it:
Mustapha with thought resolued and vnited,
Assures their feare, and comforteth their sorrow:
Bids them refuse their charge, and looke no further;
Their hearts afraid to bid their hands be doing,
Shaking and trembling, do refuse to offer
The cord, the hatefull instrument of murder:
They lifting vp, let fall, and falling, lift it;
Each sought to helpe, and helping, hindred other,
Till Mustapha in haste to be an Angell,
Guided their hands, to his death directed:
Sweetely forgaue their charge, and thankt their loue,
Which he saw in them, did compassion moue;
With heauenly smiles, and quiet words, foreshewing
The ioy and peace of those where he was going.
His last words were: O father now forgiue mee
Those thinges, which thou thy selfe doest thinke offences:
O Mahomet my other sinnes forgiue me,
Forgiue them too, that worke my ouerthrow:
Let my graue neuer minister offences,
For since my father ioyeth in my death,
Behold, with ioy I offer him my breath.
The Eunuches crie, Solyman, he is glutted:
His thoughts diuine of vengeance for his murder:
Rumor flies vp and downe, the people murmur;
Sorrow giues lawes, before men know her story,
Feare prophesies in men, and makes them sorry.

Zang.
Remisse and languish are mens coward spirits,
Where Gods forbid reuenge and patience too;
Yet to the dead, Nature ordaineth rites,
Which idle loue I feele hath power to doe.
I will goe hence, and shew to them that liue,
The Gods cannot offences all forgiue.

Scena III.

Acm. Rossa. Rosten.
Acm.
What euer craft of base false-hearted wit,
Long working on the worst of Princes thoughts,
May bring to passe, yonder to vs is brought,
------ without shame the state corrupt with it.

Rossa.
Acmat, thy sorrow, whether vniust or iust,
Bootes not: duty and faith loues still them that liue,
Noble example bring forth danger must,
The forces of Natolia do giue
Tokens of mutinie vnto the state,
Shewing no reuerence but vnto thee:
Wherefore the great Lord wils you to repaire
To him, for by you they must gouern'd be.

Acm.
I goe, and care not, so I go from thee.

Rossa.
Let them that cannot heare desires trauaile,
Who dare not vndertake for feare of danger;
Let them take children, fearing spirits,
Runne and beare witnes them, still their owne amazement,
While they flie from themselues, and blame their fortune,
For fortune on thy wisedome complaine,
But they in thee neither hope nor raigne,
Rosten, where vertue ends, and reason failes,
When dangers threaten, feare makes sharpest warre.
When fame with all her infamies assailes,
Then fortunes fauours shew'd most liuely are:
She neuer helpes, till helpe be ouerthrowne,
For heauenly Powers by myracles are knowne.
Now Mustapha is dead, rage flesht, and pittie broken,
Rosten, there rests no more to interrupt vs
But Acmat, in whome Solyman yet trusteth;
The thanks and sacrifices our God requires
For graces past, are not those idle praiers,
Which done to ------ on the staires.
Good lucke, the god of highly plac'd desires,
No other duty, but noble deeds requires.
Let Acmat die. Fortune loues them that venture.

Rost.
Acmat is wise, and Solyman beloued,
Euen Tyrants couet to vphold their fame,
Not fearing euill deeds, but euill name.
For Princes skill, is, to make Greatnes shew
Rich in the good, whereof it hath least part,
And to conceale that which within they know:
So that at once he will not shed the blood
Of Acmat, though he meane his ouerthrow:
Least men should thinke their fauour but a net,
Where easie in, but hardly out they get.

Rossa.
Rosten, let Mustapha be thy example,
That Tragedies, are Gods and Princes plaies.
Kings know new hopes, blot out the shame of bookes,
Desires eye on ------ hope onely lookes.
While childrens blood the fathers forehead staine,
What priuiledge for Councellors remaine?
He that hath intent to ruine houses,
Plucks not the timber all at once away,
Least ruines ruine on himselfe he lay.
Fury will haue a time to breathe, from killing,
Fury is a wheele, with ease kept going,
Where it with many hands at first was moued.
Feares shield of proofe is trampt in others blood,
Good fortune seldome comes by doing good.

Rost.
Fortune is often by presumption tempted
To turne the backe.

Rossa.
Nay fortune harlot-sicke,
Who thinkes good maner to be want of spirit,
Is dearest vnto those, that vse her rudely,
Onely with humble bashfulnesse is tempted.

Rost.
What argument against him?

Rossa.
Vse of killing.
Suspition, the fauourite of Princes,
Delight of change, fauours past, and feare of greatnesse,
Sharpned by Acmats harsh and open dealing,
With noble Princes libertie would draw
Into the narrow scope of common awe.
Power of mischance yeelds honour to aduenture.
Mustapha is dead.

Rost.
Not dead, while Acmat liueth,
Small sparkes from fire quencht to danger growes;
From him that feares to strike, feare neuer parteth,
Let Acmat die, and danger is departed.
For Zanger I his brothers charge haue gotten;
Yet least his death, not lookt for, might amase him,
(For youth, and kindnesse, oft doe thinke it glory
At things, done for their profit, to repine)
I will make haste, and giue him from his father
Mustaphaes estate, his fortune and succession.
When reason failes, one passion rules another,
Hope and good fortune doe forget a brother.

Rossa.
Come Rosten, let vs doe, and then consider.

CHORVS.
When will this life this sparke put in our spright,
To giue light to this lumpe of flesh and blood:
Leaue to denie strong destinie her right,
Which it feeles daily, cannot be withstood.
Man looke not downe, looke vp into the skie.
There liue thou must, and mai'st be glad to die.