University of Virginia Library

ACT I.

SCENE I.

A court and hall, common to the palaces of the kings of Sparta.
Enter Sandane attended.
Hasten, Orontes, to the senate house,
And learn if rumor's voice has spoke the truth.
[Exit Attendant.
The adverse fortune of an exil'd king
Pursues my lord. Achaia's generous aid
Sustains his cause in vain. Why risk a battle,
When the continuance of defensive war
Secur'd success and victory in Sparta?
Would I had never left thy splendid court,
Delightful Sardis! to be Sparta's queen.
Enter Amphares.
Welcome, Amphares! Have the armies met?

Amphares.
They have. This morning, at the break of day,
The Spartan army charged Achaia's host.
This and no more is known. Suspense and fear
Possess the people; to the gates they run,
Then to their houses: the still whisper spreads
Thro' justling multitudes the dread alarm.

Sandane.
Alas! revenge and empire now depend
On the wild issue of unruly war.
What if the arms of Agis should prevail?

Amphares.
Although he should, the toils of fate surround him.
Dauntless and firm our brave associates stand,
And with impatience wait the destin'd hour
To rush on Agis. This unlook'd-for battle
Is but a solemn prelude to the act,
Which bold conspiracy will soon perform.
This day shall terminate the reign of Agis,
And make, O Queen! all power in Sparta thine.

Sandane.
I see that danger only whets the brave.
But yet, Amphares, if my lord is vanquish'd,
Will not the conquering army awe the city?

Amphares.
Agis shall be the surety of our cause,
And hostage for our safety, till we wrest
The sword from proud Lysander, if he conquers;
But that I fear not much. New to command
From idle Athens the mock hero comes,
Starts up a soldier, and a statesman too;
Each palm he claims: All honours must adorn
The chosen friend of visionary Agis.

Sandane.
May Mars direct him so to guide the war,
As Agis rules the state: And mutiny
Prove there as fatal as sedition here.

Amphares.
This factious state must change its feeble form,
Waver no more beneath a double reign
Of limited, contending, useless kings.
Henceforth our monarch shall in Sparta rule,
As Jove alone in high Olympus reigns.

Sandane.
So reign the mighty monarchs of the East;
And such imperial power, I thought, belong'd
To Sparta's king, else I had ne'er been queen.
Young, and deceiv'd, I left my father's court
For Lacedæmon's miserable sceptre.
I did endeavour to extend its sway,
And to ambition rous'd my Spartan lord.
But the vain pupil of the Grecian schools,
Unprincely Agis, marr'd the brave design.
Chief of the multitude, idol and slave
Of the base populace, he led the herd,
He urged their brutal fury on the king.

Amphares.
And now their fury on himself recoils.
Like the unruly elephant, they turn,
And trample down the ranks in which they fought.

Sandane.
That is their Liberty.

Amphares.
Let us employ,
And then suppress, such formidable licence.
My magistracy now is near expir'd;
A king's resentment and a rival's hate
Have long hung over my devoted head:
Farewel to place, to dignity, and power,
Whilst haughty Agis fills the Spartan throne.
I will not live obscure in Lacedæmon,
Nor roam thro' Grecian states a banish'd man.
If I must set, to rise and shine no more,
A fiery track shall mark my setting sun.
But Agis comes.

Sandane.
And Agesistrata.
Farewel! Success attend thee, brave Amphares!
I will not stay. My soul disdains to hide
Its hatred or its scorn.
[Exit Sandane.

Amphares.
Yet they who mean
To gratify these passions, must conceal them.
This day decides my fate. So let it be,
Such brief conclusion have I ever lov'd.
Assist me, Hermes, God of stratagem,
With artful words, to sooth the mind of Agis,
And turn him from the track my purpose holds.

Enter Agis and Agesistrata.
Agesistrata.
Alas, my son! that bold bad man I dread!

Agis.
He seems to wait us. At this hour, Amphares,
I think that thou of all men shou'dst have shunn'd me.

Amphares.
My motive in attending here your presence
Merits a less injurious salutation.

Agis.
I know thy merits, and I will reward them.
Art thou not author of the woes of Sparta,
Prime mover and inflamer of sedition?
Hast thou not bent the power of thy high office
To the subversion of the state thou serv'st?
At thee this day my indignation burns.
I am dishonour'd—

Amphares.
What has dishonour'd thee?

Agis.
Thou and thy practices, they have compell'd me
To leave the noblest station of a prince.
In time of war where should a king be found
But at his army's head? There Agis stood,
When you and your presumptuous Ephori
Required my presence here. Ungrateful Spartans!
Had you allow'd me but one other day,
Then had I fought this battle for my country,
And died or conquer'd with her bravest sons.

Agesistrata.
Peril, my son! dwells not in camps alone:
In cities, palaces, and courts of justice,
With treachery and treason she inhabits.
Peril attended thus thou must encounter,
More hideous sure than in the ranks of war.

Amphares.
I know my actions have incens'd the king.
But I imagin'd not that such suspicions
Found entertainment in your royal breasts?

Agis.
Hast thou not join'd the enemies of Agis?
Thou who wast once his friend, inconstant man.

Amphares.
I have oppos'd the counsel of a foe,
Whose arts depriv'd me of my prince's favour.

Agis.
Thou hast oppos'd Lycurgus and the laws,
Which rais'd the name of Sparta to the skies.
The Delphic God inspir'd the deep design:
For more than human was that power of thought
Which join'd the public to the private good,
With such perfection, that each selfish passion
Flow'd in the channel of the common welfare,
And, like one family of sons and sires,
And dearest brothers, a great people liv'd.
In peace they liv'd without or strife or scorn,
In war they fought to conquer, or to die.
Equal and free, our happy fathers knew
No interest but the interest of the state;
No gain but Sparta's glory; proud they bore
That palm aloft, and shar'd the high respect,
The admiration, which consenting Greece
Paid to th'imperial virtue of their country.

Amphares.
Revolving time that system overthrew,
And chang'd the manners and the laws of Sparta.

Agis.
The laws have been neglected, not annull'd,
And corrupt rulers have corrupted manners.
Authority will soon revive the laws,
And great example yet restore the manners,
In spite of those who have oppress'd their country,
Depriv'd the people of their antient rights,
And while the nation sunk beneath their sway,
Still strove for power in a declining kingdom,
Still sought for wealth in an impoverish'd land.
Even at this hour rapacious they persist,
And, like some wretches in a stranded vessel,
Plunder and riot in the midst of ruin.

Amphares.
Mov'd by the present perils of the state,
This signal hour I chose, unknown as yet
The fortune of the field, to change my conduct,
And make an offer of my aid to Agis.

Agis.
If I should judge the future by the past,
Thou must forgive me, tho' I doubt thy faith.

Agesistrata.
Yet hear him, Agis: in an hour like this
He who assistance offers is a friend.

Agis.
This hour may yet deceive their country's foes.
I know the base foundation of that hope
Which makes my baffled enemies presume.
Lysander's army in its ranks contains
The best and bravest of Laconia's sons;
The faction wish and hope defeat to them,
That Sparta's generous youth may ne'er return
To guard that freedom which has made them brave.

Amphares.
The boldness of their hopes their deeds will prove
In the assembly, if Achaia conquer.

Agesistrata.
Amphares, say, what is their utmost aim?

Amphares.
The old dependants of the exil'd king,
And all the venal members of the state,
Won by Sandane's arts and foreign gold,
Aim to restore Leonidas, who comes
With hostile armies to enslave his country:
Therefore Sandane's proffers I rejected,
Have warn'd the king, and would have serv'd him too;
But since resentment and distrust prevent me,
Neutral I stand, and will not seek that welcome
Which his more artful enemies would give.

Agis.
Thou speak'st more boldly than becomes Amphares.
Add that to the offences I forgive.
It is the sacred maxim of my reign,
That in a prince's consecrated breast
Revenge and anger should not long remain.
These passions in a king afflict the state,
By driving rash offenders to despair.
This day decides your character with me.
Now let your actions prove your words sincere.

Amphares.
No other terms I ask, and sure I am
Ne'er shall Amphares need again forgiveness.
[Exit Amphares.

Manent Agis and Agesistrata.
Agis.
Well has he judg'd the season of submission.
He will assist us if Lysander conquers.

Agesistrata.
May Jove avert the evils which I fear!
I dread the ruin of the Spartan state,
And fear the downfal of our antient house.
The blackest fury of the Stygian realm,
The most destructive, is infernal Discord.
Bath'd in the blood of kings she walks this world,
And tumbles states and empires to the ground.

Agis.
Nations oft perish by their princes crime;
But now if Sparta's antient state must fall,
Gods and good men shall witness for its king,
That he with fate contended for his people,
And on the ruins of their virtue fell.

Agesistrata.
Think not I mean to blame your high design,
Age has not chang'd the tenor of my mind,
Nor pall'd my admiration of true glory.
Sprung, like thy father, from Alcides' blood,
I feel the spirit of the Spartan line.
Only let me adjure thee to beware,
And walk with caution thro' surrounding perils.
Tho' thou despisest every form of danger,
Think what a helpless train attends on thee,
An aged mother, and an infant son.

Agis.
Divine Alcides will protect his race.

Agesistrata.
I will invoke the God; in times like these
Prayers are the arms of our defenceless sex.
A spotless choir of matrons and of virgins,
Who o'er their country mourn, myself will lead
To the high temple of the son of Jove.
He yet may hear the voice of supplication,
And stretch his arm to save the Spartan state.
[Exit Agesistrata.

Agis
alone.
Without, the enemy; within, the faction.
What shou'd I think? I have a thousand thoughts
That rise and fall like waves upon the shore.
I need thee now, Lysander! O my friend!
I lean on thee, and thou perhaps art fall'n.
Ye ever-living gods, who know my heart,
I trust in you, for righteous are my thoughts,
All bent on raising up long-prostrate Sparta.
With Sparta too, I would be proud to rise,
And gain such glory as my fathers gain'd,
When Persia's tyrant trembled at their arms.
If in this just ambition I should perish,
My name shall go to nations yet unborn.
But I must change my strain; Euanthe comes.
Alas, Lysander, led by love and thee,
She left her Athens for this land of broils.

Enter Euanthe.
Euanthe.
No tidings from the camp?

Agis.
None, fair Euanthe.
If we had lost the field, the flying rout
Ere this had reach'd our gates.

Euanthe.
Oh! many a dame,
Matron and virgin, tremble at this hour;
But who has cause like mine? The most forlorn
And desolate of women is Euanthe!
If—

Agis.
Small the chance of what Euanthe fears:
In the long wars of still-contending Greece
Leaders of armies have but rarely fallen.

Euanthe.
One thing I know, and with prophetic tongue
I speak it, Prince! if Sparta triumph not,
Ne'er shall your eyes again behold Lysander.
Disdain in him is fatal as despair.

Agis.
When he returns victorious from the field,
Then shall he hear who best has spoke his praise.
But I must leave you now: The senate waits me.
Hereafter we shall speak of this, and smile
Like mariners who on the peaceful shore
Sit, and with pleasure talk of tempests past.
[Exit Agis.

Euanthe
alone.
This stedfast ease is all assum'd, I see;
He staggers at the imminent event.
How dreadful is this interval to me,
Who am bereft and destitute of all
Those aids that stay affliction; and must bear
The weight of woe that's heavier every hour.
The queen, and generous Agis too, discharge
The dues of kindred with unfeigned love.
But our acquaintance is not old enough
To yield a ripen'd sympathy, whose taste
Alone can comfort such a mind as mine.
Yet I repent me not in this extreme,
That I forsook my country and my friends.
They would have forc'd me to a loathed bed,
And torn me from the noblest of mankind.
If he should fall! my love! my only love!
Shall I survive thee; and return to Athens,
Be humbled there before my haughty kindred,
And hear them blame the ashes of Lysander?
Forbid it, fearless love! forbid it, shame!
Forbid it, honour, and my nature's pride;
Death shall forbid it, for I dare to die.

Enter Rhesus.
Euanthe.
Rhesus, Great Gods! Oh say, how fares Lysander?

Rhesus.
As well as glorious victory can make him.

Euanthe.
Forgive my rash despair, my thanks accept,
Ye gracious powers who guard his daring breast.
Where is he now?

Rhesus.
With Agis in the senate.

Euanthe.
Already here; blest be the Gods of Greece!

Rhesus.
Soon as the trumpet from pursuit recall'd
Our conquering Spartans, in the field arriv'd
A weary messenger, by Agis sent;
Lysander strait bespoke the royal band:
“With all the speed of men to Sparta haste,
“Chastise bold treason, and defend your king,”
He said; and call'd to me. With a few horse
I follow'd him: And when he sought the king,
By his command to you I brought these tidings.

Euanthe.
Most welcome Rhesus. But has Sparta lost
None of her noble youth?

Rhesus.
No man of note
Fell in the field but one, whose loss you'll mourn,
Lysander's friend, Athenian Polydorus.

Euanthe.
Alas! alas! my joy is mix'd with woe.
Unhappy youth! on my ill-omen'd head
The blame of thy untimely death will fall.
Conducting me, thou cam'st to distant Sparta.
Fatal the honours Sparta's king bestow'd
Upon the generous guardian of Euanthe.

Rhesus.
Lady, the people of my native land,
The warlike Thracians, hold it vain to mourn
For men who fall in battle; such they deem
The favourites of Mars, our country's God.
Those they bewail who die by dire disease,
Of youth and vigor full. But most of all
Lament old men, who drink the bitter dregs
Of life and woe, and in decrepit age
(Extremity of dotage) wish to live.

Euanthe.
Who are those men who near the temple stand?
Uncouth to me their garb, and strange their arms.

Rhesus.
They are Thracians, lady.

Euanthe.
What seek they here?

Rhesus.
I will accost the herald,
And learn his business.

Euanthe.
To the palace, Rhesus,
I go the willing messenger of joy.
This victory will free the anxious Queen
From many fears. I pray thee do not tarry,
But come and tell me what yon herald bears,
And what affairs still occupy the senate.

Rhesus.
Depend on the unwearied zeal of Rhesus.
[Exit Rhesus.

Manet Euanthe.
Agis and Sparta, and the public cares,
Detain Lysander from my longing eyes.
I see the happy change of my condition,
And share the triumphs of the man I love.
But yet the slightest circumstance creates
New fears to me. Why lingers thus Lysander!
My mind is not at rest; the winds are hush'd,
But still my bosom quivers from the storm.
[Exit Euanthe.