 | The Fair Captive |  |
ACT V.
Enter Alponso, Ozmia, Achmat.Ozm.
Now Christian, thou art free: And take thy Choice,
Either to go with us against the Visier,
Or taking the Advantage of the Night,
Endeavour to regain thy Isabella.
Alp.
If my poor Service cou'd avail you ought,
I most unwillingly shou'd take my Leave,
But you have Numbers to assist your Purpose;
While Isabella, friendless and forlorn,
Must be exposed to savage brutish Rage,
And call in vain on Heaven or me for Aid.
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This Eunuch then, by whose kind Care we live,
To disappoint the bloody Visier's Purpose,
Can easily conduct thee to that fair one.
He knows each Avenue of the Seraglio,
And may pass unsuspected by the Officers.
Now Achmat let us hast, your Janizaries
Will rejoice to see their Aga.
Ach.
And more,
In an Occasion to revenge their Wrongs.
Securely sleep, O Mustapha! this Night,
For 'tis thy last; the Morn comes wing'd with Fate.
Alp.
Success wait on your Hopes.
Ach.
And thine, brave Christian!
(exeunt different.
SCENE changes. Isabella, Haly.
Isa.
Alphonso doom'd, and I denied to see him!
O' tell me Haly, whence proceeds this Change?
What has he done to forfeit his Reprieve?
Or how have I transgress'd, to be refus'd
That only Boon, I beg to suffer with him?
Haly.
Alas, fair Maid, 'tis not for me to pry
Into the secret Purpose of the Visier:
I am not to advise, but to obey.
Nor was I less amaz'd than you, when late,
He order'd me to see Alphonso strangled.
And have some Hours deferr'd the dread Command,
In Hopes your Intercession might prevail,
When you shou'd know, to save him from Destruction.
Isa.
O Heaven! what can I do?
Haly.
Entreat the Visier.
Thy Charms may soften him again to Mercy.
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Where is he to be found?
Haly.
In his Apartment.
Isa.
Ha! a dread Horror over-spreads my Soul.
Alphonso charg'd me to avoid his Presence,
What meant he by that Fear? or what means this
Which trembles here? as tho' to warn me of him!
I dare not venture—
Haly.
Why, then Alphonso's lost.
Unhappy Christian! I lament thy Fate;
And more, thy Love for an ungrateful Maid
Who acts as Accessary to thy Murder,
Nor stirs, nor reaches out an Arm to save thee,
from the wide Jaws of ready gaping Death.
Isa.
O Torture! O Confusion to my Soul!
Must then Alphonso die, and I neglect
All Means, all Opportunities to save him?
Or to preserve him, must I hazard Vertue?
Hazard! What Hazard? the Visier has been still
Most good, most gracious to my Supplications,
But ne'er attempted to seduce my Honour—
Away then with Delays—I fly to seek him.
—Yet stay—where art thou going Isabella?
Into the very Chamber of the Man,
Thy only Friend commands thee to avoid;
Perhaps he had Reasons, tho' unknown to me:
Men are deceitful, cunning and designing,
I want the Art to trace beyond their Words,
Their Meanings may be vile, tho' seeming fair.
Haly.
Wake, Madam, wake, from this fantastic Dream!
Your weak Irresolution will undo you.
I dare not, must not disobey my Orders,
And if you here remain one Moment longer,
Alphonso's Corps, all ghastly pale and cold,
Will meet your Eyes, a dismal Spectacle!
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Isa.
Haly, no more, my very Soul dissolves
In Floods of Tenderness. I have been too guilty
In this Delay: O bring me to the Visier,
And may all gracious Heaven look down and aid
My Pleadings! Let the Breath of Angels
Dwell in my Voice to move his Soul to Mercy.
To Mercy for Alphonso.
Haly.
Thy own will serve the Turn.
(Exeunt.
Enter Alphonso, Eunuch.
Alp.
It cannot be, 'tis most impossible!
Forsook her Chamber at the dead of Night
Gone out with Haly! didst thou say, with Haly?
Eun.
Christian, I did.
Alp.
I prithee do not say it.
Or while thou speak'st, stab, stab me to the Heart.
I have indeed regain'd my Liberty
But lost in Leiu my Sences—I shall die mad
Oh Isabella? Cou'd I have thought this of thee?
Curse on the Thought! 'twill haunt my very Ghost!
I've read, the Habits which our Souls Contract
On Earth, affect us in another State
If so, what Benefit will Death afford!
If I remember, I once lov'd a Woman,
Woman, did I say? or Devil—a very Woman!
Frail wicked Woman! false inconstant Woman!
A Creature more deceitful than the Devil
In brightest softest Angels Form—But hold
Sure 'tis a Dream—where am I—do I live!
She must be true—Oh! No, she's base and false,
She has been false, and Damn'd her self and me.
Eun.
Please you, I'll guide you to the Visier's Chamber,
But dare attempt no farther than the Entrance.
The Lords Escape by this may be discover'd
And I be lost before they can relieve me.
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For me thou shalt not, lead me but to the Place.
I've nothing now to fear, or hope but Vengeance.
(Exeunt.
The Visier's
Chamber, he sleeping on a Couch, rises and comes forward.
What vain Chimeraes mimick Fancy forms
To mock and fright the superstitious Soul,
Methought I had my Isabella here!
Half yeilding, trembling between Fear and Transport;
But as I rush'd to seize the utmost Joy,
Her Limbs grew cold, her Lips were turn'd to Ice!
Starting, I look'd, and found instead of her,
Daraxa's breathless Corps had fill'd my Arms.
I do not like these Dreams—I'll sleep no more,
But wait for waking Joys—and see, they're near.
Enter Hally and Isabella.
Hal.
Most noble Visier! this fair Christian Maid
Intreats you'd lend an Ear to her Petition.
Mus.
When Beauty pleads, Brutes only can be deaf.
Isa.
Thus with my Body bent in humble Awe,
Thus, with uplifted Hands, and streaming Eyes,
Wou'd I implore Compassion, mighty Visier,
For my Alphonso's Life, severely doom'd.
Mus.
Are the Rooms clear?
(aside to Hally
Hal.
They are my Lord, not even a Mute,
Or Eunuch within hearing, I have dispos'd
'Em all at Distance waiting.
Mus.
'Tis well, retire.
(Exit Hally.
Alphonso's Fate, fair Maid, lyes in thy Breast.
Isa.
Heavens! how I tremble—in mine, my gracious Lord?
Mus.
You only can preserve him.
Isa.
If my Life
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If that you mean, behold I stand prepar'd;
Tell, tell me quick, and strike me dead at once.
Mus.
Oh, charming Maid! 'tis thou canst save his Life,
Not only his, but mine; thy Smiles or Frowns,
Thy lovely Eyes must fix my Fate and his.
Fairest Resemblance of the brightest Angel!
Why wilt thou dart such angry Glances,
From those soft Orbs of Light, whose streaming Sweetness
Even now, all unrelenting, as thou seem'st,
O'ercomes my Soul, and steals thro' all my Senses.
Isa.
How just and true, Alphonso, were thy Fears!
(aside.
O cease, my Lord, this vain Discourse to me,
What Pride, alas! to mock a wretched Woman?
Mus.
Blaspheme not thus the Heaven of thy Perfections,
Who can, untouch'd by Love, behold thy Charms?
But mine is sure, a more than common Passion.
I burn, I burn, I languish, faint and die.
Long have I born the sweet enchanting Ferment,
Long struggled to depress the rising Flame,
Till grown too mighty for my throbbing Breast,
It blazes out, and here must find Relief.
(lays hold of her.
Isa.
Forbear my Lord, I must not hear you talk thus.
Mus.
Yes, thou must hear and regard me too,
Form'd in a Mould so exquisitely fine,
Array'd in all that heavenly Pomp of Beauty,
To give and take ten thousand thousand Joys,
Not to be tasted in another's Arms.
Scorn the nice Affectation of thy Sex,
Nor let their Folly be a Rule to thee,
Why would'st thou vainly strive to hide from me
The Sparks of Love now glowing in thy Breast,
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Which prompts thee to be kind, and bless my Wishes,
But in my Arms reserve shall be extinguished.
Isa.
Defend me Heaven!
Mus.
Come, come! no more Resistance.
I see the Woman melting in your Eyes,
Luxuriant melting in the Folds of Love,
Fainting with Pleasure, let my fluttering Soul
Catch the soft Murmurs of thy yeilding Lips
And mingle with thy Breath.
Isa.
Kill, kill me first!
Mus.
I will not hear one Word which sounds like Death,
Yeild to my Strength.
Isa.
Help Heaven! O help.
(As he is bearing her off, Irene rushed out in Mens Cloaths)
Irene,
It sends thee Help in me.
Mus.
A Traytor hid within my private Chamber,
(stabs her.
Dye Villain, Slave!
Irene,
Perdition on thy Hand!
Isa.
Thanks Heaven! O where shall I fly
(exit
Mus.
Horror and Death!
What have I done! my Wife! O holy Prophet,
Still, still I sleep, and this is all a Dream.
Irene,
Thou wak'st too sure, worst Monster of thy Kind.
Suspecting thy Deceit, I feign'd a Journey,
But soon return'd, disguis'd, to watch thy Purpose,
This fatal Consequence I meet unshaken:
The Sultan will revenge me—some horrid Death
Will be thy Portion, Endless pains hereafter
Reward thy Perjuries—thy countless Falshoods.
Mus.
Confounded! lost, I know not what to say.
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Irene,
In vain thou call'st, 'tis not in Art to save me.
The fatal Weapon's Point has reach'd too far,
And Death already seizes on my Heart,
Just Heaven directed thy mistaking Hand,
To break the Prop thy wild Ambition lean'd on.
The Blow thou hast given restores me to my Lord,
And in thy Ruin is his Death revenged.
Mus.
Distraction!
Irene,
Oh! Support me Mustapha!
In Streams of Blood, the Blaze of Rage is quench'd,
Disdain and Jealousy are now no more.
If in the other World we chance to meet,
I may, perhaps, forgive thee
(dies.
Mus.
Curst Accident!
(Noise without.
Ha! what Alarm! has Fate more Ills in Store?
Enter Hally.
Hal.
Pardon, great Sir, this hasty Interruption,
The Janizaries are in Arms, the Wretch
Whom I intrusted with the Charge o'th Prisoners,
For Bribes, or secret Hate to you, has set 'em free,
And at the Head of that rebellious Band,
Come arm'd with Rage, and fully bent on Vengeance.
Mus.
All things conspire my Ruin. Hally look there
Hal.
Oh, Mahomet! the Princess;
Mus.
Kill'd by this Hand;
But the sad Tale's too long to tell thee now.
Where are my Guards? whatever is my Lot,
I'll scourge the Insults of these haughty Traytors,
And if at last I fall, I'll fall reveng'd.
(Exeunt.
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Alp.
Silence in solemn Solitude reigns here,
While all without is Tumult and Confusion.
Where does this fair Seducer hide her Shame?
Or hopes she to conceal her self from Heaven,
And that all-seeing Power she has renounc'd.
Enter Isabella in Disorder.
Isa.
Ha! is it possible? Oh Fate! 'tis he!
Fly, fly Alphonso, this accursed Place!
Oh hide me! save me! save thy Isabella!
Gods, 'tis his Ghost! the Ghost of my Alphonso!
What e'er thou art, O speak, speak! I conjure thee.
Alp.
Fury and Hell! thou rav'st, thy glowing Cheeks,
Those flaming, sparkling, Eyes denote thy Frenzy,
Thy tainted Breath pollutes the purer Air.
The very Plague it self is less infectious!
Isa.
Alas! for Pity's Sake, Alphonso hear me.
Alp.
Did not I charge thee to avoid the Visier,
And comest thou not this Moment from the Tyrant
With all the flagrant Marks of Guilt upon thee.
Isa.
Hear me, but speak—
Alp.
Away, and touch me not.
How cou'dst thou—dar'st thou enter this Apartment
Isa.
I was betray'd—Hally! that hellish Monster
I rav'd, I tore, did all that Woman cou'd,
Implored both Heaven and Earth to help and save me.
Alp.
Thy Disobedience and Self-conceit,
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Has ruin'd thee, I knew thee better than
Thou knew'st thy self! I knew thee very Woman.
Thy Sex's Chastity, that boasted Vertue
Is most in Danger when 'tis most secure.
The tottering Fort without Foundation stands
Fenceless and open, by the Invader oft
O'erthrown and plunder'd at the first Assault.
Isa.
These cruel Words, these angry keen Reproaches
With horrid Anguish peirce my bleeding Heart,
And wound it deeper than thy Sword could do.
Alp.
Had I not given thee Caution, timely Warning,
Heaven knows I shou'd incline to pity thee,
But now—
Isa.
O righteous Heaven! if I have done amiss,
If I this Day in Word or Thought have swerv'd
From the chast Rules of Virgin Modesty,
Pour out thy wrathful Indignation on me,
Let me be blasted with avengeful Flames
Blackned all o'er from Head to Foot, and stand
A Monument of Guilt to future Ages.
Alp.
I'll hear no more.
Isa.
My Soul escap'd the Snare,
Even on the Brink of Ruin was I sav'd.
Alp.
'Tis false, it cannot be; there's nought cou'd save thee.
Isa.
Some generous Man rush'd in and rescu'd me.
Alp.
Say, who?
Isa.
Indeed I knew him not.
Alp.
I believe thee.
Equivocating Fair, who taught thee this
Infernal Sophistry? thou'rt much improv'd,
Grown wondrous learned since I saw thee last.
—Immortal Powers! how unconcern'd you are!
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Proclaim'd this cursed Deed? bright and serene,
The conscious Moon moves in her glittering Race.
I should have thought, all Nature must have chang'd,
The fire had chang'd to Ice, the Sea to Flames,
In Tears of Blood, the weeping Heavens lamented.
Old Chaos had resum'd his shapeless Throne,
And all Mankind again being damn'd for one.
Isa.
Nay then 'tis time to dye!
(draws a Dagger.
Alp.
What meanst thou?
(snatching it from her.
Wouldst thou add Murder to thy Perjuries?
Isa.
Unjust and cruel! barbarous Alphonso!
Woulst thou deny me Death, the last Relief
For Woes like mine?
Alp.
Oh! could I think thee innocent?
Isa.
By all my Hopes of Happiness hereafter,
And your Forgiveness here, I swear I am.
Alp,
Oh! I am rack'd, riven with fierce convulsions!
Why have I bore all the Fatigues of War,
Fac'd Death so often in the glorious Field,
In desperate Sieges, Battles, and Encounters,
And scap'd all Dangers there, to know this Hour?
Isa.
Oh, calm this horrid Tempest in thy Soul:
(an Alarm.
But ha! what means this Noise? Oh, let us fly.
The Tyrant will return and find us here,
Then thou art slain, and I indeed ravish'd.
(sound a Retreat.
Alp.
A Retreat! one Party is successful:
Archmat triumphant! Heaven than at last is just
And Villany defeated.
Enter Achmat, Ozmin, Visier wounded.
Ach.
Brave Christian I rejoice to see thee Safe,
Behold thy cruel Foe expires before thee.
Soon a cold Lump of lifeless Clay will be
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Mus.
Insult me not my latest Pangs are on me,
A Moment hence, and I despise your Malice.
But I regret my Disappointment there,
More than these wounds: Had I possess'd that Maid,
I had ransackt all the Joys that Life could give,
And would have smil'd at Death. O Isabella
Pity me, and from that rigid Vertue which thou bear'st
Recede a little and Vouchsafe thy Hand
Not that—nay then, I'm lost indeed farewel.
(dies.
Alp.
How vain is Pomp! and how uncertain Fate,
Unhappy Man! a mean untimely Death.
Has closed thy Scene of Life: But say, ye just Avengers!
What Doom must Haly bear, that faithless Slave?
Ozm.
He is impal'd before the Palace Gates
His Bones all crush'd, and starting thro' his Skin.
The Traytor now twines on the bloody Stake:
But Christian, 'tis convenient for thy Safety,
That thou depart before the Sultan comes.
The Guards shall be your Convoy to your Vessel.
Alp.
Thanks noble Ozmin! Now my Isabella,
Thy Vertue clear'd, shines with a double Radiance
Love and Ambition, are Passions suited
To the Brave alone, and find no Entrance
In a narrow Mind, yet when let loose to Rage
And unrestrain'd by Honour's nicer Bounds
Degenerate into Crimes, and kill our Fame.
So while a River in due Limits flows,
Innumerable Blessings it bestows.
The cooling Stream yields Comfort and Delight,
Quenches the Thirst, and gratifies the Sight:
But swell'd with rushing Floods and Storms of Rain,
Scorns its weak Banks, and foams along the Plain,
And where the rapid Torrent forms its Course,
O'erwhelms the Country with resistless Force.
FINIS.
| The Fair Captive | |