 | Abra-Mule : Or, Love and Empire |  |
ACT V.
SCENE I.
Enter Solyman and Haly.Sol.
Chuse to be tortur'd, rather than discover
His mortal Foe? What Frenzy has possess'd thee?
Hal.
My Lord, I cannot wonder
That such amazing Generosity
Exceeds Belief; but that you are conceal'd
From Mahomet by the Visier, is as true
As that I have your Promise to succeed him.
Sol.
O matchless Instance of Heroick Virtue!
But if the Greatness of his Soul be tinctur'd
With the least Mixture of Humanity,
I shall be yet impeach'd—He's more than Heroe,
If having felt the Torments of the Rack,
He still persist t'endure those ling'ring Pains
To Death it self; and all to save the Life
Of his most cruel and invet'rate Foe:
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And Ruin yet attends me.
Hal.
To prevent it,
You must with all imaginable Speed
Disarm your Brother of the Pow'r to hurt you.
This very Moment the Divan is sitting
In secret Consultation, to dethrone
The Sultan; and in less than half an Hour
The black deposing Fetfa will be sign'd.
Enter Cuproli.
But Cuproli appears; his Haste and Looks
Speak it already done.
Cupr.
Hail, mighty Solyman!
Great Monarch, hail—I come with full Commission
To greet thee by that Title—Kneel, my Friend.
[Both kneel.
Thus we salute you Emperor, and thus
Present the Homage of the whole Divan.
Sol.
Rise, worthy Friends; and, with my charming Empress,
Still share my Heart—But say, how fares the Visier?
E'er this he has impeach'd me—Is't not so?
Cupr.
O fear not him—No Human Force can shake him
When he has once resolv'd.—
Sol.
Not all the lying Legends of Antiquity
Can shew a Heroe that e'er suffer'd more
For his dear Country, or his dearer Friend,
Than he has for his greatest Enemy.
To him I owe my Life, my Love, and Empire;
To him, whose Life and Honour I betray'd.
This unexampled Brav'ry so affects me,
That I could weep for his untimely Fall;
And curse my self, the Author of his Ruin.
But is he dead?
Cupr.
'Tis sure he cannot live;
But whether he has yet expir'd I know not.
Sol.
If there remain a Possibility
Of saving him, I'll instantly give Orders
To have his Life preserv'd, and all Means us'd
To heal his Wounds; and wish 'twere in my Pow'r
To make such Worth Immortal.—
[Exit Solyman.
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Your Commands
Will come too late; spight of your Care he dies:
And by his Fall I rise to all those Honours
To which my restless Soul has long aspir'd.
At length, my Friend, I've reach'd the glorious Goal;
And now methinks the Charms of Greatness seem
More amiable than ever: The bright Object,
Drawn nearer to me, ravishes my Sight,
And I'm transported with Excess of Pleasure.
Hal.
Suspend your Raptures 'till you've gain'd the Prize.
Cupr.
O! I'm secure; as fully satisfy'd
As if I had receiv'd the great Commission.
Hal.
Then you are sure t'obtain the Grant of it
From Solyman.
Cupr.
Most certain.
Hal.
Has he promis'd?
Cupr.
No; but you know we two divide his Heart,
He can deny us nothing.
Hal.
Perhaps he can.
Cupr.
Why?
Hal.
Because it is not in his Pow'r to give
The same Degree of Honour to us both.
Cupr.
But he has store of Honours to dispose of.
Hal.
But not of equal Value.
Cupr.
Ha! What mean'st thou?
Hal.
Only to let you see that 'tis yet possible
You may be disappointed.
Cupr.
Why? Your Reason?
Hal.
Because the new made Sultan, to my Knowledge,
Has giv'n his Royal Promise to another.
Cupr.
Thou hast not plaid me false?
Hal.
No, I'm not false to you; I've only been
True to my self—that's all.
Cupr.
Thou hast not gain'd
The Visier's Office, sure.
Hal.
I have.
Cupr.
Amazement!
Art thou a Friend?
Hal.
A true one to my self.
Cupr.
Infamous Villain!—But thou triflest with me;
No Man, I'm certain, has a greater share
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Hal.
I grant it—Not a greater, but as great:
We two are equal Sharers of his Heart;
And I, by speaking first, have gain'd my Point.
Tho' that be but a small Advantage o'er thee,
Yet when both Sides are at an even Poise
A Grain will turn the Ballance.
Cupr.
Treach'rous Miscreant!
False, undermining Traitor!—Hast thou then
Deceiv'd my honest, unsuspecting Heart?
Why didst thou not discover thy Pretensions
Before?
Hal.
Because I then had lost my Aim.
Such a Discov'ry had dissolv'd the Tie
Of our Cabal, and made a Breach between us.
But now by soothing thee with flatt'ring Hopes,
And seeming well contented with that Honour
Which you allotted for me, I improv'd
All your Endeavours to my own Advantage;
And gain'd that Dignity by your Assistance,
Which you expected to have gain'd by mine.
Cupr.
Hast thou the Front to glory in thy Falshood?
The worst of Falshood, to supplant thy Friend.
Hal.
A Friend!—Why, Fool, should such notorious Villains
As thou and I usurp that sacred Title?
Friendship is still accompany'd with Virtue,
And always lodg'd in great and gen'rous Minds;
But 'tis a Stranger to such Breasts as ours.
True, we can join in Factions and Cabals,
And form Conspiracies; but still the Bond
Which holds our mercenary Souls together
Is our own Int'rest.—How couldst thou expect
Friendship in me? when thou long since hast known
That I'm as very a Villain as thy self.
Cupr.
Thou need'st not by provoking Words enflame
My Fury higher; that's superfluous Folly:
Th'unsufferable Injury thou hast done me
Calls loudly for Revenge.—I'll pay it home;
[Draws.
Once more I'll make the Visier's Office vacant,
And through thy Heart—
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Be not too confident;
[Draws.
You'll find that Solyman has not conferr'd
That Office on a Person who wants Pow'r
And Courage to defend it.
[Fight.
Cupr.
Thou hast conquer'd—
I have my Death.
Hal.
Both conquer'd, and both Conqu'rors.
Thou hast return'd the fatal Wound I gave thee;
And, loaded with the weight of all my Crimes,
I sink with thee never to rise again.
Cupr.
How dismal does approaching Death appear
To Souls oppress'd with Guilt? E'er this I fear
The Visier's dead—
And no Forgiveness can be hop'd from him.
Yet 'twould abate the Hell within my Breast,
To have my Pardon seal'd by that brave Man,
And that Fair Innocence whom we have wrong'd.
But see—She comes—Let us, with our last Breath,
Confess our Villanies, and die before her,
Mourning our Crimes, and gasping for her Pardon.
Enter Abra with Guards, and Zaida.
Abr.
Death's busie ev'ry where—Thro' all the Court
I meet with nought but Hurry and Confusion—
This way I heard the Noise of clashing Swords;
And now my Fancy is so full of Death,
That all its Horrors are familiar to me.
Perhaps my Lord has taken his Advantage
Of this Disorder; and some lucky Accident
Giv'n him an Opportunity t'escape
By Force of Arms—Ha! What dire Object's this?—
What are you?—Speak—If you have Breath to tell me.
Cupr.
O Empress!—O thou injur'd Innocence,
In us behold the Authors of your Woes
Dying, and with their latest Breath confessing
Their unexampled Villanies.—
Abr.
What mean you?—
Hal.
By our Contrivance you were first discover'd
To Mahomet; and from that fatal Source
Flow'd all your Mis'ries.—
Cupr.
By our Instigation
The am'rous Solyman depos'd his Brother,
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Abr.
Then he is dead—O execrable Villains!—
Cupr.
All that we now Petition is your Pardon—
Slight not our Sorrows, and repentant Tears.
Abr.
If my Forgiveness will allay your Pains,
You have it—For my Vengeance reaches not
Beyond the Grave—
Hal.
The Joys above—
[Dies.
Cupr.
For ever Crown you.
[Dies.
Abr.
Remove 'em from my sight—These faithful Soldiers,
Whom Love and Rev'rence for their murder'd Gen'ral
Have thus inspir'd to serve me for his sake,
And free me from Confinement, contrary
To Mahomet's Command, who strictly charg'd them
To guard me safe on Forfeit of their Lives;
These very faithful Soldiers may perhaps
Be further instrumental to the Justice
Which I have vow'd—For can I think with Patience,
Can I reflect upon the barb'rous Usage,
The cruel Torments which have been inflicted
Upon the best of Men? Can I reflect
Upon his cracking Joints, and broken Limbs;
And all that sad Variety of Pains,
Which I have vow'd—For can I think with Patience,
Can I reflect upon the barb'rous Usage,
The cruel Torments which have been inflicted
Upon the best of Men? Can I reflect
Upon his cracking Joints, and broken Limbs;
And all that sad Variety of Pains,
Which he distended on the cursed Engine,
O'er all his mangled Body groaning felt?—
O! can I think on this, and be content
With Tears, and vain Complainings?—Those indeed
Serve to relax less Miseries—But now
Nothing but just Revenge can ease my Soul.
Enter Solyman with Janizaries.
Sol.
Forgive me, Madam, that I again Presume
Unsent for, to intrude into your presence—
Trembling and doubtful I with Dread approach you;
Fearing your Frowns, yet hoping that the Zeal
Which I have shewn to serve you will, at least,
Procure my Pardon—Furious Mahomet,
Who threaten'd you with Rape and horrid Torture,
Is for your sake thrown from the Regal Seat;
I have rescu'd you from his Tyrannick Cruelty,
And now am come with humblest Adoration,
To lay a kinder Monarch at your Feet.
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Fate has in part prevented my Revenge;
But I must further it—
[Aside.
My Lord, I freely own your gen'rous Love
Merits the best Return that I can make;
Nor shall I prove ungrateful—True, I own
I lov'd the Visier with excess of Passion:
But since a cruel Tyrant's lawless Doom
Has snatch'd him from my Arms, why should I waste
My youthful Bloom, and pine my self away
In fruitless Grief? Why rather should I not
Receive a gen'rous Prince to my Embraces,
Whose Kingly Qualities so well deserve
More Charms than I can give?—
Sol.
O Extasie of Joy!—Transporting Sounds!
Abr.
But yet, my Lord, I cannot disengage
My self from that dear Man, 'till I have seen
His Death reveng'd, and ample Justice done
On all his Foes; that Debt I must discharge,
Before I can transfer my Love to you.
Sol.
Why I've already taken ample Vengeance
On Mahomet—Is not the loss of Empire
Sufficient Punishment?
Enter Marama.
Mar.
O fly, my Lord,
Or stand upon your Guard—Fierce Mahomet,
Inform'd of what has pass'd in the Divan,
By the loud Triumphs of the shouting Soldiers;
With Fury in his Eyes is posting hither
With a strong Guard to seize the beauteous Empress.
But when he finds you here, you must expect
A sharp Encounter—His Despair and Rage
Will prompt him to prodigious Acts of Valour.
Sol.
I dread him not; the Courage of my Soldiers
Forbids my Fear.
Omn.
We'll die for Solyman.
Enter Mahomet with Janizaries.
Mah.
Astonishment! Am I again prevented?
Can I not from the universal Wreck
Of all my Fortunes save one precious Jewel?
Was't not enough—Ha! Villain, is it thou?
Th'unnatural Usurper of my Throne?
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The partial Fates have shelter'd from my Vengeance?
But think not yet t'escape—Thou hast not here
The Rebel Multitude to aid thy Treason;
But with this handful of yet Loyal Subjects,
I'll on this Spot chastise thy Insolence.
Behold me, Traitor, see this injur'd Face,
And tremble at my Justice.
Sol.
Sure thou think'st,
Vain, desp'rate Prince, t'unking me with thy Threats,
And puff me from my Throne with blust'ring Words.
But thou wilt find I am too firmly seated—
And you, who dare oppose your lawful Sov'reign
By publick Voice Elected, and acknowledg'd
By all the Army, and the whole Divan;
Urge not your Fates, by clinging round the Ruins
Of that abandon'd Monarch; but in time
Forsake him, and implore the Royal Mercy,
Or I will use you as the worst of Traitors.
Mah.
Resign that single Beauty to my Arms,
And thou shalt undisturb'd enjoy the Empire.
Sol.
Resign her?—No—I sooner would forego
My Crown—For know, 'twas Love, and not Ambition
That rais'd me to Imperial Dignity;
And had I never rivall'd thee in Love,
I never had in Empire.
Mah.
Then no more
Of Parly—Come, fall on my Loyal Soldiers,
And if we conquer you shall share the World.
Prepare to Fight; Mahomet's Janizaries revolt.
Deserted? left by all?—No—This is mine,
My faithful Subject still—My Sword is yet
No Traitor, but proves Loyal to the last.
[Kills two of the Janizaries, and continues fighting.
Sol.
I charge you hurt him not—On your Allegiance
Take him alive—So—Guard him safe to Prison—
Away with him—
[Mah. is disarm'd and taken.
Mah.
Yes, lead me to my Prison:
Kind Fate e'er long will give me my Release.
For thee, thou Traitor, did not Rage and Hate
Inspire me more to curse, than pity thee;
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For oh! thou'rt enter'd on a World of Mis'ry;
And soon with me wilt find, by dire Experience,
No Government can e'er be safe, that's founded
On Lust, on Murder, and Despotick Pow'r.
'Tis not in lawless Strength to turn and manage
This cumb'rous and unwieldy Bulk of Empire:
Which, like the restless Sea, still works and tosses
Vex'd with continual Change and Revolution.
How few of my unhappy Successors
Will 'scape my Fate!—Ev'n while we keep the Throne,
We fear those Subjects Threats, on whom we frown;
Infringe their Liberty, and lose our own:
And hourly prove, by Arbitrary Sway,
That he's the greatest Slave, whom none but Slaves obey.
[Exit guarded.
Sol.
How am I hurry'd on, and plunge in Guilt!—
Distracting Horror!—But I'll think no more on't.—
Away, ye gloomy Thoughts, and leave my Soul
To Bliss and Raptures inconceivable.
O come, my Love; delay my Joys no longer,
Or I shall die with ardent Expectation.
Abr.
No—my vow'd Vengeance is not yet compleated;
One of the Visier's Foes remains unpunish'd.
For well I know that thou, injurious Prince,
Hast been the curst Contriver of his Death.
And think not that thy boundless Pow'r and Greatness
Shall disappoint my Justice.—By one Stroke
From all thy Wrongs my Virtue thus I free,
And kill my self to be reveng'd on thee.
[Stabs her self; Sol. wrenches the Dagger from her.
Sol.
Death and Despair! Is this the Consummation
Of all my Hopes? These my expected Raptures?—
O 'twas too truly aim'd—The cursed Steel
Has made its way through the soft snowy Breast,
And the warm Life-blood bubbles from the Wound.
Abr.
No—You've prevented me—I've only raz'd
The Surface of the Skin—But 'tis in vain;
Still Death is in my Pow'r, and shall yet free me
From Violence and Oppression.
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Now by Honour,
By all that's just and good, you wrong my Virtue;
I am no Ravisher, no Mahomet;
Not your chast Soul can start with more Abhorrence
At such inhuman Crimes—Some dreadful Curse,
If possible, more dreadful than your Hate,
Light on me, if I ever use my Pow'r
To seize by Force what you deny to Love.
Abr.
And may that Curse be trebled on this Head,
If ever I comply with the Desires
Of any second Lord. And think not, sir,
That I with base Ingratitude requite
The noble, gen'rous Promise you have made me;
This Vow which I repeat has long been on me,
And, if I would, I cannot now be yours.
Enter Pyrrhus with an Officer.
Offic.
Your Orders, Royal Sir, came not too late,
The Visier lives;—
And see he comes to thank you.
Pyr.
Graditude
Must yield to Love—My Soul!—
[Embracing.
Abr.
My dearest Lord,
Is't possible, and can I think it true
That you're again restor'd to my Embraces?
'Tis so—He lives—
Pyr.
O unexpected Blessing!—
Sol.
Villains, Traitors,
How gain'd he Entrance?
Offic.
By your own Command.—
Sol/
'Tis false—Thou ly'st—True, I dispatch'd my Orders
To save his Life, but not to bring him hither.
Offic.
Forgive the Error of your Slave; I knew not
His Presence would offend you.—
Sol.
Offend me? Can there be a greater Plague
Than Rival Love— [Guards offer to part 'em.
—Away, ye impious Ruffians,
Touch 'em not for your Lives; you now obey
A virtuous Lover, not a lustful Tyrant
Yet hear, ye fond ones;—'Tis not, 'tis not prudent
To tempt me—These Embraces may be fatal—
[They separate.
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My Lord, my Emperor—
Sol.
E'er thou proceed,
Say by what Miracle thou hast recover'd
The Torments of the Rack? For thou appear'st
Unhurt, as if no Violence had been offer'd.
Offic.
My Lord, none had been offer'd; this great Man
Has ever had the Soldiers Hearts, and that
Has now preserv'd him: For those Officers
Whom Mahomet entrusted with his Fate,
Hearing the joyful Multitude with Shouts
Resound your Name, and seeing all things tend
To this great Revolution, gladly took
The Opportunity; and for his sake
Defer'd the Execution of their Orders:
Hoping this sudden Change of Government
Would prove a Means to save him. The Success
Has crown'd their Hopes. Just at that happy Juncture
Your welcom Orders came to have him sav'd.
Abr.
Is then his Safety owing to your Goodness?
[To Solyman.
And did you hold me in Suspense so long,
Only to make your Bounty more surprizing?
I understand it now—O, sacred Sir,
May Blessings ever crown your Princely Head.
I know you still design'd we should be happy
In mutual Love—Alas! your Looks are chang'd
To Terror, and you sternly menace Death—
Ah! do not, do not fright me, Sir, again;
I tremble at your Frowns—Still you are angry,
And some deep Thought is rolling in your Breast,
Fatal, I fear, to us.—Yet, O my Lord,
If we must die—
Sol.
No; you shall live, and share
My Favours; he my Friend, and you my Empress.
Pyr.
To those who love like us, 'tis certain Death
To part; and if you separate, you kill.
O do not, by this after-Act of Cruelty
Resume your gen'rous Grant; but as you're virtuous,
Compleat the Justice which you have begun,
And yield her to my Arms.
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Yet, yet beware, and urge me not too far—
'Tis dang'rous tamp'ring with a Prince's Fury;—
Forego her? Quit her? Yield her to my Rival?
What? Have I suffer'd so much racking Pain,
Involv'd my self in so much Guilt and Horror,
And made my self so curst—to make thee happy?
Must I have no Reward for all my Toil?
And thou enjoy—
Unheard of Insolence!—
Abr.
Then we are lost again, and must endure
The Torments of a second Separation.
Pyr.
Why, 'tis th'ingenious Malice of our Fate
Thus to refine, and vary on our Woes;
To raise us from Despair, and give us Hopes,
Only to plunge us in the Gulf again,
And make us doubly wretched—Yet while Life
Remains, I cannot totally despair.
O Sir, if Passion has not quite unman'd you,
With Patience hear a Suit which all just Kings
Will grant, and none but Tyrants can deny.
And you, my Friends, if I have any here,
Kneel with me all; that with united Pray'rs
We may o'erpow'r him, and his Resolution,
Oppress'd with Multitudes, be forc'd to yield.
[All kneel.
Sol.
Treason, Conspiracy—Rise, Traitors, rise;
He dies that kneels—'Tis Treason to Petition.
[All rise.
What? My Marama too?—Art thou confed'rate
Against thy Sov'raign? Am I thus abandon'd?
Not one to own my Cause?—Go, call my Friends,
Haly and Cuproli, to my Assistance—
They will not sure desert me.—
Offic.
Royal Sir,
'Till now we fear'd to tell you that your Friends
Are by each other slain, in single Combat,
Contending for the Visier's Office.
Sol.
Ha!
Say'st thou? What slain? And by each others Hands?
More Horror still—But let me pause a little—
My Friends were Villains—And this dreadful Instance
Of Justice strikes into my lab'ring Soul
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To drown its Cries, Reason will now be heard.
Pyr.
See, he relents, his Resolution staggers—
Now, now my Love—
Abr.
What is it, Sir that troubles
Your Royal Breast?—
May nothing discompose it; and however
You shall dispose of my poor Lord and me,
Let all be easie there.—
Sol.
For this last Goodness,
If possible, I love thee more than ever;
How then can I resign thee?
Abr.
If your Love
Be virtuous and sincere, you will resign me.
Sol.
Impossible! Thou talk'st of Contradictions—
Or thus, if to forego thee be a Proof
Of true Affection—let my Rival shew it.
Pyr.
I would, by all my Hopes, if you were Pyrrhus,
Or were I Solyman.
Sol.
Why, what's the Diff'rence?
Abr.
Did I not swear? Did I not tell you, Sir,
That if I would, I cannot now be yours?
Sol.
Thou didst—Oh! Curst Remembrance!—
Abr.
And have I not your Royal Oath and Promise,
That you will never force me to your Bed?
Sol.
O name it not—My honest Soul abhors
The very mention of so damn'd a Villany.
Pyr.
And will you then defraud us of each other,
Without the least Advantage to your self,
Only to make us wretched?—
Sol.
No—Since she never can be mine, 'twill prove
Some Satisfaction to my tortur'd Soul
To think she's not another's.
Pyr.
Those Expressions
Perhaps might well befit a Tyrant's Mouth;
But sure a just and virtuous Prince can take
No Pleasure in th'unmerited Afflictions
Of those who never wrong'd him—
Sol.
'Tis not to be withstood—The strength of Reason
Presses upon me with resistless force—
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And that my Nature shrinks at—Shall I then
Barb'rously ruin the most perfect Couple
That ever Nature fram'd; to whom I owe
My Life, and whom far more than Life I love?
Shall I with Brutal Rage destroy such Excellence,
Without the least faint Prospect of Advantage,
Unless it be to brand my Name with Infamy,
And write my self upon Immortal Record
A Villain and a Tyrant?—No; I'll perish first.
Abr.
How Indignation flashes from his Eyes!
Unless he speedily pronounce our Doom,
Fear will dispatch me, and prevent his Sentence.
Sol.
But how to part with her?—There, there's the Difficulty—
It cannot be—Cannot?—O false Delusion—
O Fallacy of Thought!—True, it exceeds
My Pow'r, to cease to Love—But tho'a Wretch,
Scroch'd in a Feaver, cannot cease to thirst,
Yet may he throw the baneful Draught away;
Or beg some Friend to bind his desp'rate Arms:
May chuse the present Mis'ry, to avoid
A greater in Reversion; and endure
The Cravings of unsatisfy'd Desire.
I can resign her then—Tho' with strong Tortures,
Reluctant Strugglings, and convulsive Pangs—
Take, take her—hold—if you regard your Lives,
[They offer to Embrace.
Or dread my just Revenge, forbear your Fondness—
Nor plague me with your Thanks—For if she speaks
[They offer to Kneel.
I may relapse again—And Oh! be cautious,
Rash, inconsid'rate Pair, be sure t'avoid
My Presence; never let me see you more—
For if you do—You may bewail your Folly;
Be yet divided from each other's Arms,
Be curst, and rage, and burn in vain, as I do.
[Exit.
Pyr.
He gone—The great Debate at last is ended—
And now we safely may indulge our Love:
O my Heart's Joy, who can express my Happiness,
Or stretch Imagination to conceive
The Raptures of my Soul?—
69
None, none but I
Who share the mighty Transport, can conceive it;
Nor can ev'n I express it.
Pyr.
Speak thou, Zaida;
Allay this vast Excess of boundless Pleasure,
And bring us back to common Sense again.
Zaid.
I fear indeed I shall allay your Pleasure—
Your Friend, my Lord—
Pyr.
Were that good Man in Danger,
Ev'n now I could not be compleatly happy:
But he is safe—My Int'rest in the Soldiers,
Which sav'd me from the Rack, preserv'd his Life.
Zaid.
Then you are bless'd indeed, and I with Joy
Equal to yours congratulate your Happiness.
Enter the Kisler Aga.
Kisl.
Hearing the welcom News of your Success,
I come, my Lord, to share your Satisfaction.
Pyr.
The Bus'ness of my Life shall be to thank thee.
'Tis fit at present we consult our Safety,
Dispatch with all imaginable speed,
And leave the Court this Night.
Kisl.
'Tis true, you cannot
Be too secure—Tho' now there is no Danger—
For Solyman already is involv'd
In State Affairs, on ev'ry side surrounded
With thronging Counsellors and busie Crouds:
And now the care of a distracted Empire,
Just at his first Accession to the Throne,
Will take up all his Soul, and cure perhaps
The Torments of his Love.—
Pyr.
I would not have him wretched;—
O my Friend,—
Behold th'impartial Hand of Justice!—Mahomet
(Tho' I were most ungrateful not to mourn
His Fall) has suffer'd, by the Loss of Empire,
The Punishment due to injurious Tyrants.
Haly and Cuproli by Death have met
The Villain's just Reward—Ev'n Solyman,
Tho' good and gen'rous in his Temper, feels
The dire Effects of deviating from Virtue.
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Have stood th'Assaults of Fortune, now are happy.
For tho' the worst of Men by high Permission
A while may flourish, and the best endure
The sharpest Trials of exploring Mis'ry;
Yet let Mandkind from these Examples learn,
That pow'rful Villany at last shall mourn;
And injur'd Virtue Triumph in its Turn.
[Exeunt Omnes.
| Abra-Mule : Or, Love and Empire | |