 | The Second Part of The Cid |  |
SCENE II.
Don Sancho.[CIM.]
Who's this Don Sancho? what may his businesse be?
SAN.
The best of news unto the best of women.
CIM.
What news? Is Cid return'd?
SAN.
Not yet sweet Madam,
He's still expected, but a greater joy
Attends you, which will soon dispell these clouds,
How glorious is your fortune like to be?
CIM.
What? has he overcome his enemies?
Is he come home laden with Palmes and Lawrels?
SAN.
I heare his valor has assur'd our state,
But that is not the cause of this my visit.
CIM.
What's then my happinesse, pray let me know it.
SAN.
Madam advise but with your own perfections
Aske counsell of your eyes; and they will tell you
Gainst whom their quick & burning darts are thrown
They'l tell you that a King sprightly and young
Chooses to be a slave before himself:
And that he findes his chains so sweet and pleasant
He seems to have no will to reigne without you,
And I am sent to aske what he implores,
Be not then rigorous to your self and him,
But think what baits a Scepter carries in it,
And that 'twill ill become you to be cruell
When a Crown, and title of a Queen is offerd.
CIM.
Ime sure it lesse becomes thee to afflict me
With a discourse so hatefull, perjur'd man
Hast thou so little shame, and courage in thee
To speake this and not blush; hast thou forgot
The glory of thy bonds; and that my self
Permitted thee to weare em, whilst my pitty
Made my looks gracious to thee, couldst thou then
Having been once a Lover, proud to be so,
Speak for another now, and that I should
For thy sake take his love into my heart.
Thou shewst by this thy basenesse, how unworthy
Was Roderigoes rivall, since thou canst not
Preserve the honour which thou hadst, for once
To have been his Competitor.
SAN.
Did I think
That you bore any thoughts of love to me,
Or that th'impression of my former flame
Were not quite worn out of your heart, I should not
Speak for the King a word, but for my self,
And you should see by my great constancie,
How much Ide cherish such a hope.
What traitour
Should I love thee? canst thou imagine it?
Or tempt thy self with such a vanity;
I never yet receiv'd a flame so hatefull
And if I thought my heart could entertain it,
Ide pull it out my self: but canst thou have
The confidence, Don Sancho to pretend
To what thou wert not able to defend;
Hast thou forgot the Duell where thou wert
Forc'd to bring me the sword thou vainly hadst
Imploy'd against the Cid, is it for that
Thou lay'st thy clayme to my affection?
For that must I preferre thee to the man
Whom the Moores feare, and Spaine does reverence?
Come let me heare thy action; were our enemies
Defeated by thy valour? Did the Moores
Yield themselves at the hearing of thy name?
Does thy arme hold our tottering Kingdome up?
Art thou the glory of it? prove it true
And I will run into thy deare embraces.
SAN.
Madam, I have not so much arrogance
To challenge to my self such mighty deeds.
My actions bound themselves more narrowly:
I never did defeat the Moores, my arme
Could nere do any thing worth your acceptance,
And yet it reaks not with your fathers bloud.
CIM.
Knows thy fierce rage no bounds, tak'st thou delight
To persecute me still, art thou not weary
To see my teares run? thou mightst easier draw
My bloud, and kill me with lesse cruelty.
Come make it perfect, and revenge thy shame
Upon my lives losse; yet let thy rage forbeare
To wrong that goodnesse, which has spar'd thy life.
In telling truth I offer no man wrong,
Nor did my rage suggest my words unto me
Your Designe's fair indeed, but your hope vain;
You care not how y'affront a Monarchs will;
Nor can you think that your Cid will be faithlesse,
You are the only she in all the Court
To whom his love's unknown, you have not heard
That Cordubas Infanta is his Mistris;
But he himself avows it in his letters,
Which he has done so to the life, that all
Believe he's lesse their enemy, then her lover.
CIM.
Well let th'Infanta come, let her instead
Of being captive be a conqueresse,
Let Cid that should be victor, be her slave,
It matters not, so I may have thy absence:
Ile wait th'effects of his inconstancie
With more assurance, and farre lesse disquiet,
Pray leave me, I demand it as a favour
And finde some better office when you next
Addresse your selfe to any; 'tis no shame
Not to have well discharg'd such an employment
As being done must needs betray thy honour.
SAN.
'Long as I serve my King, I feare no blame
But here's an end of this; I leave you Madam,
Till time shall make you to digest my counsaile.
In the mean while I'me silent, and obay.
Exit.
| The Second Part of The Cid | |