 | Abra-Mule : Or, Love and Empire |  |
1
ACT I.
SCENE I.
Enter Mursa and Abra-Mulè.Mur.
This Day, fair Abra, should by you be priz'd
As the most fortunate of all your Life,
In which you shall be rais'd from low Obscurity,
To the sublimest Height of Earthly Greatness:
Brought as the richest Present to the Sultan,
To crown his Pleasures, and adorn his Court;
To entertain with Joy his softest Hours,
And charm the World's great Master with your Beauty.
Abr.
Rather, as often as this Day returns
Within the Round of the revolving Year,
Let me be clad in melancholy Sables;
Exhaust the springing Fountains of my Eyes,
Indulge my Grief, and waste my self in Mourning.
Be rais'd to Grandeur? No—I shall be thrown
Lower than first my vulgar Fortune plac'd me.
O think not, Sir, to sooth me with the Name
Of fancy'd Glory; for when Virtue's gone,
And Infamy takes place, tho' you advance me
Above the greatest Monarch, you debase
My humble Birth, and sink me into Greatness.
Mur.
Ungrateful Maid!—Are then my Benefits
2
That to this saving Arm thou ow'st thy Being?
Abr.
I do, and bless you for that gen'rous Action.
Mur.
Had I not interpos'd 'twixt Death and thee,
When I with Thousands of my Country-men
Made an Incursion into Muscovy,
Thou hadst not now stood thus erect before me
To contradict my Will—Methinks I now
See the relentless Ruffian, with his Sword
Uplifted, just prepar'd to give the Stroak,
And thy bare Bosom heaving at the Point.
Thy tender Innocence, and unripe Beauty,
Which then ev'n in a Child appear'd most lovely,
Mov'd me to soft Compassion. Strait I seiz'd
His threatning Arm, and stop'd the coming Blow.
Scarce then had Sev'n full Winters snow'd upon thee;
And those Twelve Years in which thou hast been mine,
Say, have I not still lov'd and cherish'd thee,
With all th'indulgent Kindness of a Father?
Abr.
Hear me with Patience, Sir.—
Mur.
'Tis true, since I resolv'd upon this Voyage,
She always has been froward, and appear'd
Averse to my Design; but now of late
Much more than ever.—Ha!—I have a Thought;—
It must be so—I'll put her to the Trial.—
[Aside.
An ill Return you've made me for my Kindness,
[To her.
Forgetful Abra; but since no Persuasions
Can bend you to my Will, I will comply
With a fond Woman's Humour, be content
To lose my Journey, and return again.
And now I hope thou'rt fully satisfy'd.
Ha! What, not move? What fresh Commotion's this?
What means that humble Posture, and those Tears?
Abr.
Kneeling.]
Alas! why will you break my tender Heart?
Mur.
Thy Words amaze me. Didst thou not desire
To fly the loath'd Embraces of the Sultan,
And to return again?
Abr.
I did indeed
Desire to fly th'Embraces of the Sultan;
And yet upon my bended Knees would beg you
Not to return again.—
3
'Tis so for certain
[Aside.
I understand you not, explain your Meaning.
[To her.
Abr.
Since then you urge me to the brink of Fate,
Tho' nothing but the Fear of Separation
From the most brave of Men, and best of Lovers
Could force me to disclose the mighty Secret;
I will unlock my Breast, and lay before you
The inmost Thoughts and Counsels of my Soul.
Know then (but e'er my Story reach your Ears
Learn to forgive, and Arm your self with Patience)
That since the time that mine and your Deliv'rer,
The gen'rous Visier, the thrice Noble Pyrrhus
Rescu'd us in our Journey to this City,
From the rough Insolence of stern Polonians,
I have in secret lov'd that wond'rous Man,
And he with equal Fire receiv'd my Passion.
And during those Four Months, in which I lay
Hinder'd from Travelling by tedious Sickness,
We have, by mutual Intercourse, exchang'd
Each other's Souls—Ev'n now, while my dear Lord
Is absent at the Wars, and leading on
His succ'ring Troops to raise the Siege of Buda,
He has not been unmindful of his Love,
But has by Letters—
Mur.
Yes, I understand you—
You are of late, it seems, grown intimate
With the Chief Minister of State—For him
You would reserve your self, for him you'd stay,
For him you would avoid th'Imperial Bed.
But hear me, Maid—Nay, do not kneel and weep,
Nor think to mollifie me with thy Pray'rs:
For know thy Sentence is already pass'd,
Nor is it in my Power to reverse it.
Already I've contracted for thy Beauty,
And all things are prepar'd for thy Reception.
Therefore, no more—Attend me in this Hour
To be presented to the World's great Lord;
Farewel, and think of nothing but Obedience.
[Exit.
Abr.
O harsh Command! Cruel, Hard-hearted Mursa,
Inexorable, obstinate Old Man!
Obedience! What Obedience? And to whom?—
4
As if I were my own, and all my Actions
At liberty? Superior Violence
O'er-rules my Will; I must of force obey,
Because I have no Power to resist,
And am too impotent to be Rebellious.
Enter Zaida and Pyrrhus.
Zaid.
In Tears?—But see, I bring you Comfort, Madam.
Abr.
My Lord, my Life return'd? Then all my Woes
Shall be forgot, at least I will a while
Suspend my Griefs, and be all Joy and Pleasure,
To welcome, with the most transporting Raptures,
All that my Soul holds dear.
Pyr.
Thou loveliest Creature,
I too, at Sight of thee, have lost the Sense
Of past Misfortunes—Just at my Arrival
Last Night, by favour of the friendly Darkness,
Hither I came private and unattended,
Directed, by thy Letters, to the Place
Of thy Abode; and ever since have waited
For a convenient Opportunity
To gain Admission here, which Mursa's Absence,
And Zaida's Help at last have giv'n.—And now,
At the reviving Prospect of thy Beauties,
Grief leaves my Breast, and healing Joy succeeds.
Thou smil'st—Let Fortune frown then, I'll despise her,
I'll not regard the Sultan's cold Reception,
Since I am welcome to these Arms.—
Abr.
Yes, my dear Lord, I may without a Blush
Receive these chaste Embraces; and to you,
Who love with Honour, I with Innocence
May give these Tokens of my vow'd Fidelity.
But I, alas! am doom'd to guilty Joys,
To the detested Arms of Mahomet.
I must, in spight of me, resign my Honour,
And rob you of your Right.—Injurious Mursa
Despising Tears, and deaf to all Intreaties,
Has sworn this Hour to yield me to the Sultan;
And I by honest Shifts, and commendable Cheats,
No longer can deceive him.—
Pyr.
O the Villain!
5
Are then the Joys of this bless'd Meeting dash'd
So soon? So soon will Fortune snatch thee from me,
And mock my vain Embraces?—Thus like one
Who in a Dream, with mighty Toil and Labour,
Strives to embrace some visionary Form;
Just as he seems to clasp the lovely Object,
It slides away, and vanishes to Air:
So I, who thro' opposing Difficulties
Have cut my tedious Way to thy lov'd Arms,
At length am disappointed, and but see thee
To take my last Farewel.—O slipp'ry State
Of Human Pleasures, fleet and volatile!—
Giv'n us, and snatch'd again in one short Moment
To mortifie our Hopes, and edge our Suff'rings!
Abr.
When you, in a Physician's Garb disguis'd,
Came without Molestation to my Lodgings,
I unsuspected could dissemble Sickness.
But when the Clamours of your suff'ring Country
Tore you from me, and sent you to the Wars:
Then, lest my harmless Fraud at length should be
Detected by a true Physician's Skill;
I was oblig'd to quit my feign'd Distemper,
And own my self Recov'ring.
Pyr.
'Twas, indeed,
Impossible for thee to counterfeit
A false Disease, unless thou cou'dst with Art
Extinguish all thy Charms; for surely none
Could so far be impos'd on, as to think
That the grim Form of pale and meagre Sickness
Could e'er be seated in a Face so lovely.
Abr.
With many a vain Excuse, and false Pretence
Did I, 'till now, defer the fatal Hour:
But the insatiate Avarice of Mursa,
No longer patient of my slight Evasions,
Resolv'd at last, and fix'd upon this Day
To Sacrifice me to the Sultan's Pleasure.
Pyr.
Can nothing then content that greedy Tartar,
But Trading with the Purchase of thy Virtue?
Damn'd Avarice! Cursed, destructive Avarice!
Thou everlasting Foe to Love and Honour!—
6
If Chastity it self be saleable,
And Innocence and Virtue cannot 'scape him?
But I'll not talk away these precious Moments:—
But fly with all the Wings that Love can lend,
To find this sordid, mercenary Churl,
And gorge his rav'nous Appetite with Gold;
I'll buy thee off, redeem thee from Disgrace,
And once Defraud my Master.—
[Going.
Abr.
Stay, my Lord,
And let not your Concern for my Deliv'rance
Hurry you on to things impracticable.
You know you often have propos'd these Means
To me before; and I as often told you
The Royal Funds will scarce suffice to slake
His raging Thirst of Gold: Then he's Perverse,
Wilful and Froward, Positive and Proud;
Has long with Pleasure hugg'd this great Design,
Fed with vast Hopes of Grandeur; and conceiv'd
Such strange Opinions of my fatal Beauty,
That half the World he thinks too little Recompence
For such a Present. This I oft have told you,
And you have thought it Reason.
Pyr.
True, I have;
But then I had not that high Eminence
Of Pow'r and Greatness which I now possess;
Nor Wealth enough perhaps to raise a Bribe
Sufficient; but he will not sure refuse
So vast Treasure as I now can give:
Besides, my Honour and Authority
Will awe him to Compliance.
Abr.
Were that true,
Yet 'tis too late: He cannot now comply—
His Word is gone too far to be recall'd:
The fatal Contract for my Virgin Honour
Already is agreed on, and e'er this
The Purchase paid; and should you urge him now,
Perhaps incens'd by your Sollicitations,
He may inform the Sultan of your Love;
And then your Life, my Lord, will be in Danger.
Pyr.
And what can Life afford desirable,
7
Abr.
But perhaps
Some more secure Expedient may be found
To rescue me from Shame, and save my Honour,
Without the hazard of your precious Life.
Pyr.
Oh no!—I am not now what once I was—
For, since I parted from thee, Fate has tarnish'd
My Glories, and o'erwhelm'd me with Misfortunes.
When leading first my Troops to succour Buda,
I enter'd on that fatal Expedition;
I thought to give such Tokens of my Valour
And Conduct, that I might with Confidence
Dare beg thee of my Royal Master's Bounty,
As a Reward for my past Services.
But Fortune has defeated those Designs.—
Yet still some Hopes I have—The Kisler Aga,
Who governs all in the Seraglio,
To whom you are presented, is my Friend.
Perhaps his prudent Management may yet
Recover all.—Mean while, farewel, my Love:
I must to Court, to justifie my Conduct,
And clear me to the Sultan.
Abr.
Part so soon!
Perhaps to meet no more—Indeed 'tis hard.—
Pyr.
Thou weep'st; O stop that Show'r of falling Sorrows,
Which melts me to the Softness of a Woman,
And shakes my best Resolves.—'Tis hard indeed—
So hard, that I have need of all my Courage
And manly Reason, to support the Thought.—
Short have our Meetings been, by Stealth enjoy'd,
By interrupted, broken Intervals,
And murder'd by the Pangs of often Parting.
Such as sad Spirits prove, who nightly wander
To visit the lov'd Objects they admire;
Permitted for a while to hover round 'em,
But quickly warn'd away:—Yet ev'n They go
With less Regret than I, when at the Dawn
They lag behind, and fain would longer stay;
'Till summon'd by the Morn's unwelcom Ray,
By force they yield to Fate, and ling'ring leave the Day.
[Exeunt severally.
8
Mah.
Our Prophet seems unmindful of his Charge,
And leaves our Empire to be steer'd at random
By blind Contingency; for did not he
Sit at his Ease, and slumber unconcern'd;
He would not tamely have resign'd my Honour,
Nor suffer'd, spight of all my best Endeavours,
My darling Buda to be ravish'd from me.
Cupr.
The Prophet, Royal Sir, has done his Part
By substituting you to govern for him;
And having to your Care entrusted all,
He thinks he safely may a while withdraw
His Tutelary Pow'r, and leave the World
To you, his great Vice-gerent: And had you
Been equally successful in your Choice
Of all those Ministers who move beneath you,
Buda had still been ours.
Sol.
I always thought
The Visier's Conduct would prove fatal to us.
Hal.
This strange Miscarriage has indeed abated
The high Esteem which I long entertain'd
For that great Man; and if free Liberty
Be granted to disclose our real Sentiments,
It seems to me—
Mah.
Be silent—I perceive
You are all agreed with Fortune, to depress
The rising Glories of the Noble Pyrrhus;
And nought more easie, than with formal Rhet'rick
To cast the Odium of a Battle lost
On him that manag'd it: But you forget
That dire Misfortune, and the Chance of War,
Often defeat the best Contrivances.
And since in many dangerous Campaigns
He has giv'n such Proof of his undaunted Valour,
Those Laurels which his conqu'ring Sword has won
Should shadow this Miscarriage.
9
Jan.
Mighty Monarch,
Th'unfortunate Grand-Visier is arriv'd,
And humbly craves Admittance.
Mah.
Bid him enter.
[Exit Janiz.
Now all prepare from his own Mouth to hear
The Vindication of his injur'd Honour.
Enter Pyrrhus.
Is this the Man so much renown'd in War
For Cities storm'd, and Battles bravely fought?
Does it become the celebrated Pyrrhus
To enter like a private Sentinel
Constantinople's Gates?
Then unattended to appear at Court,
And send in his Petition for Admittance?
Not so he look'd, when throng'd with Multitudes
Of the applauding Soldiers, he arriv'd,
When waving Colours did adorn his Triumph,
And Trumpets sprightly Sound proclaim'd his Entry.
Pyr.
With such Magnificence, and Martial Pomp,
'Till now, were my Arrivals always honour'd;
The thund'ring Ordnance loudly welcom'd me,
And what was more, the Sov'raign of the World
With gracious Looks, and open Arms receiv'd me.
But now (O dire Reverse of fickle Chance!)
I come inglorious, like a Criminal,
To clear my Honour, and excuse my Conduct.
Mah.
Begin then, and as bravely as you fought
Redeem your Reputation.
Pyr.
As I fought?
Have I then liv'd to be arraign'd of Cowardise?
Ask brave Loraine, that Thunderbolt of War,
If ever I in Fight declin'd his Arms,
Or e'er was startled at the Face of Danger.
But 'twas not in my Pow'r t'inspire my Troops
With Souls as large, and fearless as my own.
All my Designs and Methods still were cross'd
By some unlucky, thwarting Accident,
As if the unseen Hand of Providence
Had interpos'd, on purpose to defeat
My close Contrivances, and break my Measures.
10
He little thinks whose Providence it was
That foil'd his Policy.
[Aside to Cupr.
Pyr.
Whate'er Designs,
Tho' manag'd with the greatest Secresie,
I had resolv'd upon, the Enemy,
As if fore-knowing what I had decreed,
Still mov'd against them, and prevented me.
So that I much suspect I was betray'd
By hidden Treach'ry, and some envious Bassa
To whom in Council I reveal'd my Thoughts,
Kept secret Correspondence with the Foe,
And gave Intelligence.
Sol.
A lucky Guesser.
[Aside to Haly.
Pyr.
But if your Highness for full Satisfaction
Demand a more particular Account,
This Paper will inform you, sign'd by most
Of th'eminent Commanders in the Army,
In which at large they justifie my Conduct,
And wipe off all Aspersions.—
[Presents a Writing.
Mah.
You have indeed giv'n ample Satisfaction,
And tho' o'ercome you acquit your self with Honour;
My Pyrrhus still deserves my best Esteem
And claims the highest place in my Affections.
[Comes from the Throne, and embraces him.
Therefore let these Embraces witness for me,
That I impute this Loss to no Defect
In you; nor blame your Conduct, or your Valour.
Continue still t'enjoy your Dignity;
And be the second Person in that Empire,
Which with your Sword so bravely you defend.
What tho' our Glory be a while obscur'd?
The clearest Day is not without some Cloud.
Our next Attempt will give, what this has lost,
And while th'Heroick Pyrrhus shines in Arms
Our wide Dominions shall the World o'er-run,
And my pale Crescent brighten to a Sun.
[Exeunt.
| Abra-Mule : Or, Love and Empire | |