University of Virginia Library

SCENE I.

Augustus appears seated in his Closet, a Stool placed on one Side of his Chair.
Enter Cinna.
Aug.
Cinna , sit down—be nearer yet—and now
With fix'd Attention mark my whole Discourse.
Presume not with one Word, nor Exclamation,
To interrupt my Speech; when I have done,
Thou shalt at leisure amply make Reply.

Cin.
I shall obey.

Aug.
And I'll perform my Promise—
Cinna, thou art alive; tho' they who gave
To Thee thy Being, well thou art inform'd,
Were Enemies to Julius, and to Me,
That, in their height of Wrath thou wer't conceiv'd,
Ev'n born, and educated in their Camps,
And when their Death had left thee in my Pow'r,
Their Hatred deeply rooted in thy Heart,
Made thee essay thy youthful Arms on Me,
Nor has thy Inclination e'er bely'd
The Blood, that prompted thee to side against me.
The sole Revenge I took, was to protect thee:
I made thee Captive; but to make thee Great,
My Court thy Prison, and my Gifts thy Fetters,
Thy own Inheritance I first restor'd thee,
Then, with the Spoils of Antony enrich'd thee,
And to the Children of those Men prefer'd thee,
Who, in the tug, and danger of the War,
Among my Troops, then held the highest Rank,
To those who with their Blood bought me My Empire,
Preserv'd to Me the Life which now I breath:
In such a Manner I have liv'd with Thee,
As of the vanquish'd made the Victors jealous.
When, after so much Favour, Heav'n to shew
Some sparks of Anger, took Mecænas from me,
In that Distress, his Place I gave to Thee,
And made thee, after Him, my Bosom Friend,
Nay ev'n this Day, when my dejected Soul
Press'd hard to be reliev'd of Sov'reign Pow'r,
I only Maximus and Thee consulted,
Unmov'd by His Advice, I follow'd thine;
Nay more, this Day I gave to Thee Emilia,
The worthy, gen'ral Object of Rome's Vows,
Whom my Paternal Care so high has rais'd,
That crowning thee a King, had giv'n thee less;
All this thou dost remember, so much Fortune,
And so much Glory Cinna can't so soon
Forget; yet, Cinna, what is still more strange
All this thou dost remember, yet wou'dst kill me.

Cin.
Wou'd I kill Cæsar!—

Aug.
Hold, you break your Promise;
Sit down, this is not all I have to say;
Thou, if thou canst, shalt justifie thy self,
When I have done, in the mean Time observe,
And now contain thy self. To-Morrow, Cinna,
Thou at the Capitol must give me Death,
Thy Hand, instead of Incense, must direct
Thy fatal Ponyard deep into my Bosom,
One half of thy Associates must possess
The Door, while Me the other Part surrounds,
Is this a true Account, or false Suspicion?
But shall I name thy Fellow-Murtherers,
Virginianus, Glabrio, Marcellus,
Pomponius, Lenas, Plautus, Proculus,
Icilius, Albinus—Maximus—
Whom, Cinna, after Thee, I lov'd the most.
The rest, not worthy to be nam'd, a heap
Of impious Men o'erwhelm'd with Debts, and Crimes,
By the fair Methods of my Laws pursu'd,
And who, despairing still to shun their Justice,
Unless the State be ruin'd can't subsist.
Cinna, thou now art Silent, be so still
More from Confusion, than from thy Obedience.
What was thy End? and what cou'dst thou propose,
When at thy Feet thy Hand had laid me dead?
If thy last Sentiments I understood,
Rome's Safety on a Sov'raign must depend;
If for her Liberty thou sought'st my Life,
Why then didst thou oppose me, when my Heart,
And Maximus, both press'd me to restore it?
Why didst thou not her Freedom then receive?
Why now desire by Treason to regain it?
What was thy Aim? To govern in my Stead?
A miserable Fate must Rome attend;
If to resist thy mounting on the Throne,
She cou'd no Obstacle oppose but Me;
If after Me, thou prove the greatest Man,
And this vast Burthen of her mighty Empire,
Cannot then fall to better Hands than thine.
Learn who thou art, descend into thy self,
Men honour thee in Rome, they court and love thee;
Yet they who envy now wou'd pity thee,
If to thy little Merit I shou'd leave thee.
Canst thou deny it? speak thy mighty Worth,
Tell me thy Virtues, count thy great Exploits,
And thy rare Qualities I ought to value,
That justifie my lavish Bounty to thee,
Count all that raises thee above the Vulgar,
My Favour is thy Glory, thence thy Pow'r,
That only rais'd thee, and alone sustains thee,
'Tis that alone in Thee the World adores,
Thou, Cinna, hast no Rank, no Credit Thou;
Except, what my indulgent Favour gives thee,
And for thy Fall, I only need this Day
Restrain my Smiles, which are thy sole Support;
Yet I had rather to thy Envy yield.
Reign, if thou canst, tho' at my cost of Life;
But dar'st thou think the Salvedieni, Cossi,
The Fabii, the Paulini, the Metelli,
Beside so many more, whose lofty Courage
Denotes 'em for the living Images,
Of the great Heroes of their glorious Lines,
Will quit the noble Pride, such gen'rous Blood
Inspires, to condescend that thou shou'dst reign—
Speak, it is time.

Cin.
Struck, and amaz'd I stand,
Not that your Anger, or that Death affrights me;
But that a Roman cou'd this Cause betray.
I, Cæsar, am a Roman, Pompey's Kinsman;
The Murther of the Father, and two Sons,
Your Father's Death has not enough reveng'd;
Hence is the secret Cause, hence is the sole
Illustrious Motive of a great Design,
And tho' my Crime expose me to your Rigour,
Expect not, Sir, from Me a mean Repentance,
Useless Regrets, nor Tears, nor shameful Sighs.
Chance has to You been kind, to Me averse.
I know what I have done, what you must do,
Cæsar, I know my Death confirms your Safety.

Aug.
You brave me, Sir, and are Magnanimous,
Far from excusing, triumph in your Crime.
Take heed your Constancy be thorough Proof.
Thou know'st what Thou hast done, what I must do—
Thou know'st thy Death confirms my Life—thou hast
Thy self pronounc'd thy Sentence—chuse thy Death.