 | The tragedy of Mvstapha |  |
[Actvs I.]
[Scena I.]
Solyman. Rossa.Soly.
Rossa , the Eternall Wisedome doth not couet
Of man his strength, or reason, but his Loue:
And not in vayne; for loue of all the powers,
Is it which gouernes all things which are ours.
I speake by Mustapha, for as a father,
How often thought I those light iudging praises
Of multitudes, (whom my loue taught to flatter)
Trueths oracles, and Mustaphaes true stories,
So deare are Ecchoes of our owne thoughts voices;
So dearely nature bids her owne beloued,
So ill a Iudge is Loue of her beloued.
But let vs see, if loue should not be blind,
Forgetting selfe-respects to foster kind:
The praised Phœnix (neuer more then one)
Burneth; t'is true, that she her like may breed,
But neuer till she feele all life is gone,
Except the life that life hath in her seed;
Then death, which kindnesse is by estimation,
In her is but delight of Procreation.
But be it loue, man hath another guide,
The Orbe of his affection Reason is,
But his loue Center's in his priuate brest,
And louing his, himselfe still loueth best.
Since Mustapha will therefore die or kill;
I gaue him life, and giue him death I will.
Rossa.
Solyman my Lo: knowledge who was father
To Mustapha, made me poore silly woman
Thinke Nature could not her owne nest defile:
The gold of Natures ------ betray
And pardon Lo: if you were out of danger,
And all these stormes blowne vp, to blow me ouer,
Feare first should fall, threates strike, life perish,
Fortune about her wheele, should turne my fortune,
Ere I would doubt the child, and know the father.
But you Sir, now that you are brought in question,
You, vpon whome the worlds wel-being resteth,
Much better were it, I were in the Center,
A Ghost among the dead, Aire neuer bodied,
Then my selfe-pitty womanish compassion,
My loue vnto the children, for the father
Should giue the children leaue to kill their father;
His fame vntimely borne, strength strangely gathered,
Honour wonne with honouring, Greatnesse with humblenesse
Fault-lessnesse with bearing faults, and want rewarding,
Liberty seeking Loue, and danger praise,
A Monarkes Heire in courses popular,
Make me diuine some strange aspiring mind,
Yet doubtfull, for it may be Art or kind:
But iudge him with himselfe, and that by fact;
Persia our old imbrued enemy,
Treates mariage with the sonne without the father;
A course in all Estates to Princes doubtfull;
But here much more; where he that Monarke is,
Must (like the Sunne) haue no light shine but his,
The dowry what? kingdomes, and hope of kingdomes.
What sudaine knot hath bound vp these designes?
Made them that onely fear'd our greater growing,
Study deuises for our greater growing.
A giddy thought may change a priuate heart,
But States whose loues and hearts by counsell grow,
Whose wisedomes are, Occasion, Time and Seate,
Haue other ends then chance in all they treat:
Yet be it all the world will vs obey,
And vnder ours all Empires Empire lay;
All great Estates surfet more oft then pine,
And parted power makes danger infinite.
No, no, vpon the pitch of high Attempt
I see him stand, playing with wrong and feare,
For Loue and Duty they be captiues there:
His hopes, the hopes of all, for all aspire:
And as Kings ruling, must vse payne and law,
So those that rise, must make the people see
With present bondage, future libertie.
Loue therefore stand aside, and farewell Pitty:
Mustapha be cleare of fault, for Kingdoms wrong
Turnes all the powers of Nature into fury,
Mercy ioyes to be cruell, Truth is a tyrant,
Loue hates, Hate in reuenge doth glory,
The fall of Angels made not Heauen sorie.
Solyman, feare is broke loose within my spirits;
What will or may be, seemes already happens:
His power thus great, well fixt, occasion ready,
Shadowes of ruyne to my heart deliuer.
Confused noise within my eares doth thunder,
Of multitudes, that with obeying threaten.
Solyman, feare of thee makes me wish for death,
And feare againe to leaue thee, feareth death.
Solym.
Rossa, I scorne there should be cause of feare
In one mans rage: for hard then were our State,
That reynes of all the worlds desire beare:
But thy disquiet shall increase my hate;
Thy wishes, vaine to thee yet neuer were,
Exempt thou art from lawes of my Estate,
For Loue and Empyre both alike haue pleasure,
Part of themselues vpon desires to measure.
And but that all my ioyes beare sorrowes Image,
My hopes resemble feare, my wit confusion,
Nature me thinks her-selfe, becomes a Monster,
And that euen Mustapha makes all this Chaos.
I could say I tooke pride in thy affection,
For Power may be feared, Empire obeyed,
Good fortune wooed, and followed for ambition:
Honor, whose throane is vnder Princes scepter,
May make aspiring thoughts delight in danger,
But Loue is onely that which Princes couet,
And for they haue it least, they most doe loue it.
Care therefore for thy selfe, I hold thee deare;
And as for me,
Though Fortune be of glasse and easily broken,
Yet, doubt not, my Armor is, against their spite:
And such all-daring spirits are sildome borne,
That vpon Princes graues dare sow their corne.
Rossa.
Sir, few in number are Times present children,
Where man ends, there ends discontentments empire,
Nouelty hath alwayes had a fleshly dwelling.
Then tell me Lord, what man would choose his roome,
That must expect in wickednes a meane,
Or else be sure to find a fatall doome?
Can that stay in the midst, whose center's lowest?
Old age is natures pouerty, and scorne:
Desires riches liues in Princes children,
Their youths are Comets, within whose corruption,
Men prophecy new hope of better fortune.
Batazeth showes no man turnes from a Kingdome,
For humblenes to aske his fathers blessing:
Nature corrupted is; and wit preferreth
The wisedome that for selfe-aduantage erreth.
Solym.
Wisedome is not vnto her selfe indebted,
That leaueth nothing but a God aboue her.
Rossa.
Sir, wickednes is forc'd that modest is,
He flatters that allowes her not be cruell.
Solym.
Is there returne from death vnto the liuing?
Rossa.
No Sir, but much may hap before his death;
Who thinking nothing worse, and nothing after
Knowes, thought of wrong is death, if Princes liue,
Where dead, all heires their owne guilt doe forgiue.
Solym.
I sent, he com's, and come is in my power.
Rossa.
Before he comes, who knowes your fatall houre,
The wicked wrastle both with power and slight,
When they are dead, mens loues goe with their feares;
Slaine by the way, least grudge most safely were.
Solym.
Wrong is not princely, and much lesse is feare.
Ross.
Those glorious hazards tempt and hasten fate,
They well become a man but not a State.
Solym.
This feare in women showes a kindnes too,
And is for men to thanke, but not to doe.
Rossa.
We call them great hearts, which God hartens so
That feare shall not fore-see their ouerthrow.
Solym.
Those are weake hearts, that while their feares they see
Would ruine all men, lest they ruinde be,
I do suspect, yet there is nothing done,
I loose my fame, if so I kill my sonne.
Rossa.
The Gods when they leaue men to beasts a pray,
His reason with his pride they do betray.
Solym.
Gods medle not where power and will agree,
But when at once, men good and euill be,
Though I yet know not he hath done amisse,
I doubt; and heauy Princes doubting is,
Though I resolue, I will not kill him there,
It mortall is, when Kings do say they feare.
Scena II.
Belyarby, Nuntius, Solyman, Rossa.Beliar.
Fond man distraught with diuers thoughts on foot,
That rack'st thy selfe, and Natures peace do'st breake,
Iudge not the Gods aboue; It doth not boote,
Nor do thou see, that which thou dar'st not speake.
Power hath great scope; not in the priuate waies
Of truth she walkes; vertues of common men
Are not the same which shine in Kings aboue,
And do make feare bring forth the fruites of loue.
Admit that Mustapha not guilty be;
Who by his Prince will rise, his Prince must please,
And they that please, iudge with humility.
Who loues good name, is free to follow it,
Who seekes Kings loues, he must their humors fit,
When owners doe resolue to ouerthrow,
The stately oke for gaine, or clearer sight,
Who loues the shadow, with the fall seekes wo;
When others gather wood, and go vpright;
Like wheeles of wood, or rather like dead loggs.
With other sinnowes drawne, and lead about,
Admit Kings be; yet all men see not all;
Who rockes with chaines will moue, from whence they sit,
Must spend their force to draw themselues to it.
Yonder they are, whose charge must be discharged
In Rossaes face; me thinkes desire speaketh,
He keepes the lawes, that all lawes forme breaketh.
Solym.
Rossa, you now shall know feare is a coward,
Sworne to mistrust her selfe, to worship power;
Tyrant to man that should rule, and obeyeth,
And tyrant-like betrayed, or betrayeth.
Is Mustapha in health and comming?
Belyar.
My Lord already come: for what can stay,
Where loue and duty both teach to obey.
Solym.
Go rest, hereafter you shall know our pleasure.
Rossa; our Patriarke saw the heauens open,
And in their throne this wisedome there appear'd,
A virgin, by Eternities hand sitting,
In beauties of the earth and heauen clothed,
Containing in her shape, all shapes and fauours;
And in her life, the life of liuing creatures,
Still one, and neuer one, mortall and yet immortall:
A Chaos both of Reason, Sence and Passion,
Working in plants onely to grow and fade,
To pleasure others both with fruit and shade;
In beasts both life and sence created she,
And but desire, to no law bound they be;
When man she made, and this same sparke diuine,
Reason infus'd in him, that onely he
In time might diuers from the Angels be.
Should of the world take pride, and so forget
That vnto vs it but in lease is let:
She doth within the body where it liues
Place life and senses, drawn from beasts and plants,
To warre with Reason, and shew what it wants.
And if beliefe, the life of true Religion,
Could not giue credite to this Reuelation,
Euen feeling, which giues life to good beliefe,
Within my selfe, makes my selfe an example.
Mustapha is come, and by his comming
Hath glutted my desire, and of his comming
Hath made me doubt, my doubts suspect my malice;
Nature against my ielousie ariseth:
Feare of ill doing, threatens feare of suffering:
Worth assures greatnes, greatnes brings worth in question;
Truth is (me thinkes) both with him and against him,
And as for Reason, that should rule these passions,
I finde her so effeminate a power,
As she bids kill, to saue, bids saue, and doubt not;
Keeping my loue and feare in equall ballance,
That I with Reason, may thinke Reason is
A glasse to shew, not helpe what Reason is.
Thus like the corne vpon the weake stalke growing
I bow my head, with euery breath of wether:
And Mustapha, that now I would haue slaine,
I now resolue to giue him life againe.
Rossa.
Sir, nature doth not disclaime her right in monsters,
Which are but errors in her expectation,
Nature with loue doth steale the hearts of fathers;
Her end is to make all her makings perfect:
But Steele hath rust, Time change, and Nature error.
No maruel then, though Mustapha in Nature
Be sound as well as Lucifer in Heauen.
Let not these childrens sticks gilt to the show,
Make you forget that wormes in them may grow.
Remember, what true grounds of his Ambition,
Made you resolue, his greatnes was your danger:
Conceit must not be guide of Loue or Anger;
For mischiefe while her head shewes in the clouds,
In Plutoes Kingdome she her body shrowds:
Lay hands on him, your feare may worke your woe,
From wrong there is no other way to goe.
Solym.
How should I thinke my Sonne doth seek my blood?
Rossa.
By being safe, doubt onely is withstood.
Soly.
Can Kings be safe from wrongs, that wrongs shal doe?
And wrong it is, in things not knowne, or done,
For any Father to destroy his Sonne.
Kings loose their Crownes that oft doe loue or feare,
More then the Crownes, that they themselues doe weare.
What Kings doe thinke, another man may doe,
An other man may thinke, and doe it too.
Solym.
Power headlong is, Kings wrath like thunder blasts
Doth feare the world, and that it hits, it wasts;
It cannot touch but it must ouerthrow.
Where Kings doe let their power rule their wit,
Better vnmade, then doe amisse with it.
Rossa.
But he that with his wit can rule his wit,
Doth iudge and measure where his power shall light.
Thunder, because it ruin's if it hit,
The Gods themselues haue power ouer it.
Solym.
So, for that Kings haue power of all below,
Their wrath must not before their knowledge goe.
Rossa.
Heauen may be slow where all at once is knowne,
In Man, where, till they fall, Faults may be found,
While doubt is curious, Helpe is ouerthrowne.
Solym.
They doe against themselues, that doubt and doe.
Rossa.
Who doubt against themselues, doe danger wooe.
Solym.
Arguments of doubt, accused him to mee;
And Arguments of loue doe set him free.
Ross.
My Lord, your doubt from arguments did rise
Of wanton Greatnesse, Ambitious-seeking loue:
Good Nature is not natured to be wise,
If doubt with cause, without cause it remoue.
Solym.
Suspition is but onely tryals ground,
Rossa.
Where it is death to thinke or to conspire,
There Kings may kill before they doe enquire.
Where Kings but onely for themselues doe feare,
Both strength and honor is it to forbeare;
I am no more, vntill more I doe heare.
Chorus Sacerdotum.
O wearisome condition of humanity,
Borne vnder one law, to an other bound,
Vainely begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sicke, commanded to be sound:
What meaneth Nature by these diuers lawes?
Passion and Reason, selfe-diuision cause:
It is the marke, or maiesty of Power,
To make offences that it may forgiue:
Nature her selfe, doth her owne selfe deflower,
To hate those errors she her-selfe doth giue.
For how should man thinke, that he may not doe,
If Nature did not faile and punish too?
Tyrant to others, to her selfe vniust,
Onely commands things difficult and hard,
Forbids vs all things, which it knowes is lust,
Makes easie paines, vnpossible reward.
If Nature did not take delight in blood,
She would haue made more easie waies to good.
We that are bound by vowes, and by promotion,
With pompe of holy Sacrifice and rights,
To teach beleefe in good and still deuotion,
To preach of Heauens wonders and delights:
Yet, when each of vs, in his owne heart lookes,
He finds the God there, farre vnlike his bookes.
| The tragedy of Mvstapha | |