University of Virginia Library

ACT I.

SCENE, The Moon setting behind a Hill, and the Dawn of Morning.
Enter CUBLA.
CUBLA.
The waining moon has set behind the hill,
And the faint twilight of the morning seems
To wander o'er the East.—The storms that long
Have shook the desart, now are pass'd away,
And Altay's stream retards the war no more;
Here Zingis forms the Nirons of the west;
And royal Aunac on the farther shore
Marshals the Naimans, and demands his throne.

Enter NEVIAN.
NEVIAN.
The emperor of Tartary commands
Thy presence, Cubla.—

CUBLA.
Zingis should have cloath'd
His haughty message in less odious terms.
Does he presume to hope that I will join
His rebel sword against his antient lord?
Tho' near ally'd to Zingis—tho' I own
His parts unequal'd—his desert in arms—
Nevian, my soul approves not of the means
By which he seiz'd the scepter of the East;
And drove great Aunac from the Tartar throne.

NEVIAN.
'Tis less a vassal's duty to approve
Than to obey his sovereign's high commands.

CUBLA.
A vassal! By that honor which descends
From a long line of ancestors to Cubla,
My soul rejects the thought.—What tho' my tribe
In Aunac's wide dominions form'd a state,
And my brave fathers listen'd to the voice
That issu'd from the throne, and rose in arms
When war was in the field;—shall I become
The property of treason—be transferr'd
The mean appendage of a crown usurp'd?

NEVIAN.
Beware of treason—Cubla, can thy tribe,
Bold as thou art, and confident in war,
Contend with him who rules the Eastern world?
Zingis is king—and now that homage claims
Which thou didst pay to the imperial throne.—

CUBLA.
Presumptuous man!—does he prescribe to Cubla,
Or talk of homage!—he who broke all ties
That bind the faith of subjects to their kings!
Whence is his right deriv'd?

NEVIAN.
He has been wrong'd—

CUBLA.
Wrong'd didst thou say?—what wrongs can justify
His usurpation.—Should the world permit
Private ambition thus to seize on crowns,
Each daring villain that dispises life
Would be the king or tyrant of mankind.

NEVIAN.
Rashly thou dost condemn.—Does Cubla know
The Cause and progress of this bloody war?

CUBLA.
From the chill bosom of the stormy north,
From Corea's distant clime, where I have long
Employ'd my sword against my country's foes;
Last night arriv'd amidst domestic broils,
I know not aught but that my king's dethron'd.

NEVIAN.
The prince of Soigara—the bold Zemouca,
Was the first mover of this civil war.
He, jealous of the fame and deeds of Zingis,
And that high confidence his rival held
With Aunac—to the royal ear convey'd
Malicious falshoods, and intended treason.
At length the monarch list'ning to his voice,
Divested Zingis of his high command.
The chief retired, and darkly pass'd along
To his own native tribe—the hardy Nirons—
They thought him wrong'd—they started to their arms,
Determin'd to defend him from his foes.—
Zemouca came—his host was roll'd away.
The king advanc'd; in Tangut's bloody field,
The valiant Zingis triumph'd o'er his lord.
Amidst his ruin'd armies in the fight
The son of Aunac, graceful Zangon, fell;
Whilst o'er his mangl'd corse his father fled,
And left his capital and throne to Zingis.

CUBLA.
Zemouca was to blame.—'Twas dangerous
To drive a hero to the last extreme.
The very coward, when bereft of hope,
Turns on the lifted sword that threatens death.
But now let Zingis grant his sovereign peace,
And give the nations back to Aunac's sway;
Fame will applaud the deed. He hopes in vain
The aid of Cubla to support his crimes:
But since my sister was his favourite spouse,
And gave to him a son—the princely Timur;
For Timur's sake I will not join his foes.

NEVIAN.
'Tis not enough. Inflexible—severe,
Tenacious of his power, and, like a god,
Decisive in his councils—he declares
Himself the foe of temporizing friends.
Consult thy safety.—Know, the Naiman prince
Betrays his sovereign, and sollicits peace.

CUBLA.
Betrays the king to Zingis!—Tell your lord,
Should he imbrue his hand in Aunac's blood,
Cubla must be his foe.—My safety rests
Upon my sword.—This day I would confer
With Zingis—quickly I will join his camp.
Haste, and convey this answer to your chief.

NEVIAN.
It grieves me to behold my former friend
Thus rushing headlong into certain ruin.
Cubla, let me conjure thee—guard thy words,
And talk not thus of Zingis.—He is stern.—
I'll bear a milder answer to the king.
[Exit Nev.

Enter ZENA.
ZENA.
Hail, prince of Eluth!

CUBLA.
Noble Zena, whence?

ZENA.
Straight from the tents of Zingis—

CUBLA.
Zingis knows
Already Cubla's mind.—Has Zena's sword,
With fortune, turn'd against his antient king?

ZENA.
Blame not thy friend, tho' the event of war
Hath made me vassal to successful Zingis;
My soul is faithful to unhappy Aunac.
I mean to serve him.

CUBLA.
Darken'd is his fate—

ZENA.
Tho' few his friends since fortune left his side,
Tho' scarce his strength his armour can sustain,
Still unsubdu'd in soul, to Altay's banks
He leads the poor remains of former fields,
And strives to raise his hoary head above
The cloud of his misfortunes. On thy aid
He rests his latter hopes.

CUBLA.
The faithless Naiman
Betrays his king.—

ZENA.
That Cubla may prevent—

CUBLA.
Explain thy words.—

ZENA.
Zemouca will protect
His aged king—Nay more, will raise him high,—
Again restore him to the Tartar throne.
He plans a daring purpose in his soul.
He near this place is striding thro' the night,
Like the dark genius of devoted Zingis.
'Tis thine to point his thunder to the mark,
And rouse dishonour'd Timur.—

CUBLA.
Ha! dishonour'd—
Were Timur's backward steps beheld in war?
Did Timur fly?

ZENA.
Untarnish'd is his fame.

CUBLA.
Whence, then, is this unmeritted disgrace,
That hangs so darkly on my sister's son?

ZENA.
When with his ruin'd armies Aunac fled
From Tangut's bloody field, young Timur press'd
Upon the rear and seiz'd the hapless king,
As faint and wounded by a brook he lay,
His grey head leaning on his daughter's breast,
His only child, the beautiful Ovisa.
The hero saw—he pitied, and he lov'd—
Brought the fair captive to the Niron camp,
But gave her father's freedom to her tears;
She in return bestow'd on him her heart.
For this, fierce Zingis from his presence drove
His generous son.—The exil'd Aunac heard
Of his fair daughter's love—her choice approv'd,
And, by an embassy, propos'd to yield
The bright Ovisa to young Timur's arms;
To name him heir of Tartary should Zingis
Consent to end, with peace, this civil war.

CUBLA.
Yet still the tyrant keeps his sword unsheath'd.—

ZENA.
He does—nay more—to-morrow Octar comes,
His favorite son, tho' by a second bed,
To wed the weeping captive—to derive
From her a title to the Tartar throne.
But e'er to-morrow should'st thou join thy sword
To bold Zemouca—Aunac still might reign,
And name young Timur heir to all his realms.

CUBLA.
But what intends Zemouca?

ZENA.
With the king
To cross the Altay when the night returns,
With terrible assault to rush on Zingis
Amidst his armies.—By a great exploit
To win the East, or lose his noble life.
He sent me hither—bade me to entreat
His sister's husband—his own former friend—
If yet the memory of what Aunac was—
If pity for a failing line of kings,
Who rul'd mankind with justice, touch thy breast—

CUBLA.
Go—bid the chief approach.—This great design
Becomes the spirit of the bold Zemouca.
[Exit Zen.
Th'injustice done to Timur—the disgrace
Thrown on my line—the partial favor shown
To Octar, sit not easy on my mind.
The voice of Aunac too—the dying voice
Of ruin'd Majesty is ecchoing here.—
I will support him.
Enter MILA.
Partner of my life!
What anxious cares send Mila from her tent,
At this dull hour of darkness, when the world
Sleeps in the skirts of the retiring night?

MILA.
Why didst thou leave me, Cubla? Is there aught
Unfriendly from the Niron?

CUBLA.
No,—retire.—

MILA.
To meditate alone, bespeaks a mind
Not well at ease, let Mila share the grief
That labours in thy bosom.

CUBLA.
By our loves,
I know no cause of grief. Determined minds
Brood not upon misfortunes; they forget
The accidents of life. When this base world
Shall throw disgrace upon them, forth they rush,
Swift as the lightning's flash that wings the storm,
And right themselves.

MILA.
Has Zena then inform'd—

CUBLA.
Yes, Mila, all; I know how Cubla stands
With that presumptuous man. He has disgrac'd
Me, in my nephew Timur, yet expects
My aid in battle.

MILA.
He commands it, Cubla,
Nay threatens disobedience with those frowns,
That lords assume to vassals, when they fail
In duty to the throne. This hour, Ovisa,
By private message, to my ears conveyed
His gloomy purpose.

CUBLA.
What can he intend?

MILA.
To treat thee as a foe, shouldst thou delay
to pass beneath his standard with the morn.
This tedious march from Corea's distant realms,
He construes into treason; but the cause
I ies in his policy, thou art the lord
Of Eluth's warlike tribe. A chief of pow'r,
And dang'rous in the state. The king himself,
The all-subduing Zingis, mark'd the path
Which leads to empire, and he fears that Cubla
May do with him, what he has done to Aunac.

CUBLA.
I am beset with perils,—yet this state
Suits well the active tenor of my soul,
Which loves to dwell in storms. I have resolv'd
To stretch my hand to Aunac, and support
That ruin of a king. (Noise within.)
But hark! what noise
Swells in the camp of Zingis?—Go, my love—
Regain the tent—I must explore the cause
From whence this tumult rose.—By dawn of day
I'll meet thy brother to concert the plan
Of deeds more daring, than were e'er atchiev'd.

[Exit.
MILA.
'Tis done,—but still my fears—

Enter ZEMOUCA.
ZEMOUCA.
My sister's voice!—

MILA.
My lord Zemouca, welcome to my soul!
O chief of the Soigara!—from what a world
Of troubles art thou come!—

ZEMOUCA.
Yes—I have strove
With some disasters, Mila, since the Niron
Led his rebellious tribe to Tangut's field,
And triumph'd o'er his lord. Had loyalty
Been less my choice—Had ease been more my care,
Than self-approving honor, and that pride
Which lov'd to stand alone, when Tartary
Fell in the stream of conquest to a chief,
I once scarce own'd my equal, I might use
The day to visit Mila, and have thrown
This cloud, I borrow, from the night, away.

MILA.
How fares it with the king?

ZEMOUCA.
Not such his state,
As when in Ordu-bâla's splendid halls
He rul'd the nations—On the farther side
of Altay's foaming course, my tribe surrounds
The king of Tartars—narrow is the camp
Of him, who covered Asia with his hosts!
But still this sun which moves behind a storm,
May issue forth, and shew his evening beams,
Before he sets in night.

MILA.
Should Naima's prince
Prevail in battle—

ZEMOUCA.
May heaven's lightning blast
His armies and himself. Perfidious man!
He treats with Zingis.

MILA.
Tartary is lost—
The house of Aunac trembles to its base,
And in its ruins will involve Zemouca.
Why dost thou stand, against a world in arms,
With unavailing valor?

ZEMOUCA.
Hear me, Mila;
Ere next the night shall from these fields retire,
Aunac shall reign o'er Asia. I have form'd
A plot with Zena, in the Niron camp.
Cubla will join us with his warlike tribe.
At the dead midnight hour, we mean to rush
On Zingis in his tent.

MILA.
To rush on Zingis!
The deed is desperate.

ZEMOUCA.
We claim thine aid
To forward our design. To thee is known
The love of Timur, and his late disgrace
For the escape of Aunac. Thro' their tribes
The Nirons murmur for their gallant prince
Who led them often to the fields of fame.
Go to Ovisa: let her arm the son
Of haughty Zingis in her father's cause.
Thus shall she wrest from tyranny the world,
And rule the nations with the man she loves.

MILA.
And does my brother then resign Ovisa?

ZEMOUCA.
No—Mila, no.—She beams upon me still,
Thro' all this tempest which involves my soul.
The Queen of Asia!—But I must be calm,
The softer passions suit not with a state
So desperate as mine. Zemouca first
Must stretch his hand to Zingis, the event
May lead thy brother to his soul's desire.
Why, Mila, why in tears?

MILA.
I'll bear, my lord,
Thy message to Ovisa. But my mind
Forbodes, I never shall behold thee more.

ZEMOUCA.
That heaven alone can tell—my sister stay!—
Perhaps thou'lt ne'er behold me,—and thy lord
Treads too a dangerous path. Let not our foes
In thee extend their triumph to our dust,
Take this—
[giving a dagger.
It is thy thy brother's gift.—Our house
Was ne'er dishonour'd.

MILA.
Son of daring Tangor!
Our house was ne'er dishonoured, nor shall Mila
Stain the unclouded glories of her line.
I know the purpose of this present—Here
[putting it in her bosom.
This friend shall rest. I'll call it to my aid
When thou canst not defend me from my foes.

[Exit.
CUBLA entering with CAREDI.
CUBLA.
Caredi, hasten. Call the chiefs to arms,
Rouse my brave Eluths—I will join them straight.
I like not this confusion, this uproar,
That Zingis raises round him in his camp,
He may perhaps intend—My lord Zemouca,
[embraces him.
How fares it with my brother and my friend;
I fear our zeal for aged Aunac's cause
Shall not avail.

ZEMOUCA.
Has Cubla learn'd from whence
This tumult rose?

CUBLA.
All night the high divan
Sat in the tent of Zingis, and gave ear
To proffered terms, from Naima's perjur'd prince.
'Tis said they were axcepted. But the voice
Of war resounds thro' all the Niron camp.
The nations start, with ardor, to their arms;
Some daring enterprize is formed by Zingis,
Against deserted Aunac.

ZEMOUCA.
Fear not that—
Tho' Zingis loves to move thro' bloody fields,
He tries not force, where policy avails.
If Naima promis'd, with her sovereign's blood,
To end this contest, Zingis will delay
To cross the Altay.—When the night descends,
I will remove the king,—at once prevent
The Naiman's treachery, and rid the world
Of the usurper.

CUBLA.
But that eagle sits
Too watchful on his rock,—we must not trust
Much to the foes neglect, for Zingis owes
To fortune less his greatness, than to skill
In war's extensive art.—We are too few
To reach him, thro' his armies; we must raise
Some other swords to penetrate those lines
The Niron draws around him.

ZEMOUCA.
Our success
Depends not on our numbers. We command
A hardy race, the Tartars of the north,
Whose souls partake the nature of the storms,
That rush across their climate. They delight
In the abrupt decision of the sword,
And love a deed of danger. Nor on them
Rest all our hopes: the fair Ovisa arms
Dishonour'd Timur in her father's cause.
His late disgrace, ambition, love, revenge,
Shall urge him on; and should the chief prefer
A tame submission to the will of Zingis,
To Aunac's daughter, and the Tartar throne,
Our glory must be greater, and our fame
Arise proportion'd to the perils round us.

CUBLA.
Friend of the hapless Aunac!—In thy voice
Speaks forth the hero, and thy noble fire
Falls on my soul, and kindles it to flame.
Ere next the light which now bursts from the East,
Shall gleam on Altay's streams, the Tartar tribes
Shall own another lord. Myself will rouse
The lion Timur; if that spirit dwells
In him, which animates th'Eluthian line,
Dishonour sits not lightly on his mind.
But where, Zemouca, shall my tribe receive
The king to night?

ZEMOUCA.
Upon that narrow point,
Thou seest a lonely oak.—The morning star
Looks thro' its wav'ring branches,—there the rock
Stretching into the Altay, breaks the stream,
And forms a peaceful eddy. In that place
Shall Aunac land, when the wan moon descends
Behind the western hills.

CUBLA.
I will attend
To-day the court of Zingis, and disguise
For once, a soul that scorns to hide its hate.
I will exhibit every mark of zeal,
To blot suspicion from his jealous mind,
And turn the keeness of his eye from Cubla.
But leave this camp, the dawn already gleams
Along the field. Go,—in that show'r retire,
That darkly rushes o'er the Altay's course.

[Exit.
ZEMOUCA.
Whilst this blunt warrior, void of all design,
Can thus encounter perils unconcern'd,
Shall I, whose eye is fix'd upon a crown,
And on the brightest star that ever rose
Upon the eastern world,—the fair Ovisa—
Shall I shrink back?—Shall I encourage doubt
To shake my resolution?—Hence—away—
All further fear of death; already he
Hath stalk'd around me in each hideous form.—
But yet this stubborness of heart—this pride,
Which bore me up against this prosperous man,
Hath quite fatigued my soul.—I'll stray no more
Thro' Asia,—every foe I raise to Zingis,
He adds unto his vassals.—On this plot
I rest my latter hopes, and should I fail,
I'll wrap me in my courage and retire
From this base world amidst the storms I raise.

[Exit.