University of Virginia Library

ACT II.

SCENE I.

Euanthe.
Their tedious council now is at an end,
And surely he will hasten to Euanthe.
What means this clamour?

[Shout of the People behind the Scenes.
Ha! he comes, he comes!
Loud acclamations and the voice of joy
Proclaim the hero.

Enter Lysander.
Lysander.
O my life! my love!
To meet thee here is happiness compleat.
The Gods have blest me to my utmost wish,
And brought me full of glory to Euanthe.

Euanthe.
Thanks to the Gods who have preserv'd Lysander.
Athenian Pallas sure has heard my prayers.

Lysander.
And mine; for mutual is the lover's prayer.
Another deity I now invoke,
Whose rites the god of war has long delay'd,
With peace well-pleas'd shall golden Hymen come,
And crown at last our long eventful love.

Euanthe.
Speak not of Hymen now: his torch for me
He shall not light, whilst cruel Discord waves
Her horrid brand, and whilst unburied lies
Thy friend and mine, the generous Polydorus.

Lysander.
Tho' love and glory both my breast inspire,
And fortune smiles on both, yet sorrow finds
A place to sit in: but 'tis temper'd sorrow;
For never Grecian hero greater died.

Euanthe.
He fell the victim of his love to thee;
He follow'd thee when thou forsook'st Euanthe,
Left me the day I touch'd the Spartan shore,
Tho' royal Agis begg'd thee to remain.

Lysander.
Unjust Euanthe, thus to blame Lysander
Who sought the field, the soldier of his love
As of his sacred country: fought to gain,
With liberty, a rank and place of honour,
Such as becomes the husband of Euanthe;
That tender name, and names that wait upon it,
Awake emotions as implacable
To tyranny, as generous and great,
As ever self-renouncing hero own'd.
When the chief aim is right, all passions else
Of noble kind impell the self-same way.
The lover and the husband rouse and fire
The Spartan and the man.
Of common clay, and in one common mould
Mankind are made; but the celestial fire
That gives them life and soul, is liberty.
And I, Prometheus like, to gain that fire
For Sparta's sons, would brave the bolt of Jove.

Euanthe.
To me you need not vaunt your daring mind.
Alas! Lysander! I am still afraid
Of perils lurking in this troubled state.
O leave me not again to grief and fear,
And to Amphares.

Lysander.
Leave thee to Amphares!

Euanthe.
Yes, in thy absence he did talk of love,
Boasted his wealth, his clients, and his power;
Mention'd the ruin of thy father's fortunes,
And spoke contemptuous of thy rash designs.

Lysander.
Immortal gods! Did I not hate this man
Enough?
Enter a Helot.
Whence, Helot?

Helot.
Lord, from Celimene.

(Delivers a Letter.)
Lysander.
(reads)
Let Agis stand upon his guard to day,
This to Lysander from a faithful friend.—
Helot, return, and tell the noble dame
That the remembrance of her generous mind
Shall live for ever in my grateful breast.

Euanthe.
Who is this faithful friend?

Lysander.
A Spartan dame,
A gentle one, tho' wedded to a foe
Of royal Agis. In her virgin state
She was the constant and the lov'd companion
Of fair Deidamia, Agis' short-liv'd queen.
Thro' all our various strife, the generous dame
Preserves the friendships of her early days.
This scroll the king must see. Farewel, Euanthe.

Euanthe.
Its threatning strain awakes my former fears.
Would you had been, like me, content with love,
And never left Illyssus' flowery banks!
A fairer garland there you might have won,
Than ever war bestow'd, th'immortal wreath
Of Pallas, queen of arts as well as arms.
But you forsook the vale, and left the shade
To climb ambition's bare and rocky height,
To stand the storms and tempests of the world.

Lysander.
Your words, like melancholy music, take
My list'ning ear, and cause delusive sadness;
For vain the malice of our baffled foes,
And impotent will prove their last endeavours;
Past are the storms and tempests of our fortune;
Let not Euanthe heed the rack of clouds,
Nor dread the murmurs of the falling main.

Euanthe.
Elate with victory, you scorn your foes.
I wish that Rhesus would return again
Before you go to Agis.

Lysander.
Where is Rhesus?

Euanthe.
I saw some warriors clad in horrid arms
Near yonder temple stand. Strait Rhesus knew
The garb and arms of his own native Thrace,
And, wond'ring at the sight, went forth to learn
Who and from whence they were.

Lysander.
That should be known.
In yonder temple sit the Ephori,
Those factious magistrates who love not Agis.
If Rhesus come to you, detain him not;
Our resolutions may on him depend.

Euanthe.
Lysander, stay; you go again to Agis,
Perhaps to plan new perils to thy life;
If so, by all that's sacred I conjure thee
To let me know your purpose. Speak with me
Before you execute what you resolve.
The image of the stern Amphares haunts me;
Need I entreat thee to defend me from him.

Lysander.
No! by the Gods! O urge me not, Euanthe!
Nor rouse those thoughts a lover cannot bear.
Defend thee from Amphares! O my fair!
When thou art wrong'd, Lysander lives no more!
But see the king.

Euanthe.
Let caution shew your love.
Lysander goes off towards that side of the stage where Agis appears.
Manet Euanthe.
If nature teaches me aright to read
The mind of man, this is a powerful spell
To charm the daring spirit of Lysander,
And make him think of me as well as Sparta.
[Exit Euanthe.

Enter Agis.
Lysander.
Regard, O king, the warnings of a friend
Instructed in the counsels of thy foes.
Behold the stedfast faith of Celimene.

[Gives the letter.
Agis.
I cannot think so basely of the people.
For them I have unplum'd the regal power,
And deck'd their freedom with the spoils of kings.
If they betray me; of all creatures, man
Is most ungrateful to his benefactor.
The generous courser and the faithful dog
With true affection love their gentle master;
Nay even the heavy ox, the stubborn mule,
Dullest of beasts, they know the hand that feeds them.

Lysander.
Humanity lives in thy breast, O king!
And dictates confidence unlimited;
Virtue approves the generous extreme,
And magnanimity this error loves.
Let private men indulge the glorious fault,
And set their lives and fortunes on the faith
And gratitude of those they have oblig'd;
But let severer prudence guard the heart
Of him whose brows are circled with a crown.

Enter an Officer.
Officer.
O King! the captain of Amycla's gate
Informs you that he has this hour descried
A band of men who halted near his post;
A thousand Thracians, they report themselves,
Hir'd by Amphares for Seleucus' service.

Agis.
A thousand Thracians!

Officer.
On their march to Sardis.

Lysander.
By whose permission do they march this way?

Officer.
Before the troops arriv'd, a herald came
Who to the Ephori a message bore.

Agis.
Your diligence in duty I commend.

[Exit Officer.
Lysander.
The veil's withdrawn, and treason stands reveal'd.
Ne'er shall Amphares need again forgiveness.
With what a double tongue the traitor spoke!
All-seeing Gods! how little do we know
The greatness of those blessings you confer.
Had we not fought to day, had we not conquer'd,
Agis and Sparta had been lost for ever.

Agis.
This victory came like the bolt of Jove,
And levell'd their designs.

Lysander.
Yet if they dare
The worst of crimes, their treason may succeed.
Your troops, your conquering troops, are not arriv'd;
Th'assembly meets; unguarded there you stand;
What keeps the traitors from your noble life?

Agis.
My life! Lysander. No, I fear not that.
The ancient annals of this land record,
That barbarous foes revere the race divine,
And turn in battle from a Spartan king.

Lysander.
The multitude may still revere their lord
Who from the blood of great Alcides springs;
And yet some impious hand may strike the prince,
Altho' of virtue as of race divine.

Agis.
I'll change the guards, and place at ev'ry gate
Some men of trust.

Lysander.
Mount your Thessalian steed,
And meet the troops that hasten to your aid.
With eager steps the royal band advance,
And wish for nothing but their king to lead them.
Then if the furies in their wrath provoke
Your foes to rise in arms, let arms decide.
Ne'er were the good and bad winnow'd so well,
And sever'd from each other. Such the hosts,
And such will be their fate, as when the rage
Of earth-born giants dar'd the sons of heaven.

Agis.
Thou reason'st like an anxious friend, Lysander.
Thy fears are all for me, mine for my people.
Enter Rhesus.
Hail, gallant Rhesus! know'st thou ought of those
Thy countrymen, who thus unlook'd-for come,
And in a doubtful hour perplex our councils.

Rhesus.
The Thracians are a thousand men compleat.
From snowy Hemus and the northern hills
Of wild Odrysus the fierce warriors come.
Rhinalces leads them, of illustrious birth;
But, stern, imperious, and grown old in arms,
He knows no umpire but the sword, no law
Except obedience to the prince he serves.

Agis.
Such oft are those that quit a needy home
To serve as hirelings in a tyrant's host.

Rhesus.
Next in command, my brother Euxus stands,
A Youth to Mars devoted; for he loves
Danger itself, not danger's rich reward.

Lysander.
Hast thou yet seen him?

Rhesus.
No.

Lysander.
Has he yet heard
That thou are here in Sparta?

Rhesus.
He believes
That I am still in Athens, From the herald
I kept my name and quality conceal'd;
For I suspected that these Thracian troops,
Though hir'd for Asia, were for Sparta meant.
If it prove so, I may be useful here:
My valiant brother bears a generous mind,
And, tho' of arms enamour'd, justice loves.

Agis.
Haste to your valiant brother, and explain,
With an impartial tongue, the state of Sparta.
Shew him where justice, and where honour stand.
If these are sacred, as thou say'st they are,
To gallant Euxus he may prove a friend.

Lysander.
Exert the strong persuasion of a brother;
And tell him, Rhesus, if he loves bright arms,
And that immortal glory valour gains,
No more to wield a mercenary sword,
But plant himself with thee in Sparta's soil,
Where Agis will his noble nature cherish,
And rear his courage to such lofty deeds,
As antient story tells of Sparta's chiefs.

[Exit Rhesus.
Agis.
I hope that Rhesus will divide the Thracians:
This favours well the biass of my mind,
Averse to leave the city on suspicion,
And drive the wavering faction to extremes.

Lysander.
O generous prince! whom I admire and blame.
The greatest foe, the foe Lysander dreads
Is the unequall'd gentleness of Agis.
Review the story of the Grecian states,
And mark how freedom fell in every land.
The brave asserters of the public cause
Have ever been too mild in evil times;
Have, like indulgent parents, spar'd the rod,
And let the vices of their children live
To kill the virtues. Hence, let Agis learn
The only lesson that his nature needs.

Agis.
Uncertain is the peril if I stay,
But certain is the evil if I fly.
I will remain; but to assure my safety,
You must, Lysander, to the troops return.

Lysander.
And leave my prince alone amidst his foes!—
Revoke the hard command. If you're resolv'd
To brave the peril, then my place I claim
Next to your person; by your side I stand;
Perhaps some noble service I may render,
Receive the mortal wound aim'd at my prince,
And with my life redeem the life of Agis.

Agis.
Your great imagination's up in arms;
But hear me, and let calmer reason judge.
I am determin'd not to quit the city,
The guilt of civil war shall not be mine.
Lysander's presence here without the troops
Would but embolden and excite my foes,
Who may be tempted by this fair occasion,
This mighty vantage, to surprize us both.
Without delay, once more, Lysander, arm,
And ostentatiously pass thro' the gate.
This victory, and the approaching host,
Will hush the threatned storm.

Lysander.
So may it prove.
But there is something in my heart rebels
Against this counsel! Oh! I cannot leave you—
Nor ought I now to stay. Let never man
Say in the morning that the day's his own:
Things past belong to memory alone;
Things future are the property of hope.
The narrow line, the isthmus of these seas,
The instant scarce divisible, is all
That mortals have to stand on. O my prince!
Lysander leaves you with a heavy heart.

Agis.
Farewel, thou Spartan of the antient mould,
Dear as the brother of his blood to Agis!
[They embrace and part.
Lysander!

Lysander.
Ha! may heaven your purpose change!

Agis.
My will is fix'd. But though my judgment too
Confirms the secret counsel of my heart,
Yet I may be deceiv'd; perhaps, my friend,
We part this moment ne'er to meet again.

Lysander.
Let us not part at all. 'Tis inspiration,
The guardian God, the Demon of the mind,
Thus often presses on the human breast.

Agis.
Mistake me not, I feel no new impression,
Nor if I did, should I by that be alter'd;
For such presages, be they sad or joyful,
I deem them but the meteors of the mind,
Bred by the inward elemental strife,
When great events perplex and shake the soul.
My thoughts regard the state. If I should fall,
To thee, Lysander, I commit my son,
The only pledge of my Deidamia's love.
Train up the boy to walk in the same path
Which we have trod together, the streight path
Of virtue and true glory. If he proves
Of noble nature, and I hope no less,
He will not shun the lofty path of honour,
Tho' fate should mark it with his father's blood.

Lysander.
Hear this, immortal Gods! who rule the world,
And guard a prince the image of yourselves!
O never, never may his royal race
Lysander's aid require.
[Exit Lysander.

Agis
alone.
Affection choaks his words,
His generous heart bursts at this solemn parting.
In times like these of a declining state,
Baseness infects the general race of men;
But yet these trying times rear up a few
More excellent, refin'd, and conscious spirits,
More principled, and fit for all events,
Than any in the good, but equal, mass
Of a far better age. Such is Lysander.
The hour draws near.

Enter Senators.
Senators.
Assembled Sparta waits.

Agis.
I come, my friends! I will address the people,
Proclaim aloud mine actions which upbraid,
And soon shall silence, my despiteful foes.
My heart shall speak. This sceptre of my fathers,
By long descent hereditary mine,
I would disdain to hold, did I not hope,
That by its sway I might recall those days
When Lacedæmon was the pride of Greece,
The gaze and terror of the wondring world:
For there, as in a chosen temple, dwele
Valour and virtue, whilst attending fame
And glory on the land of heroes shone.

First Senator.
O Gods above! How happy were our fires,
In those bright days of antient glory born.

Agis.
Those days shall yet return, Olympian Jove!
Or low in dust shall Spartan Agis lie.

[Sound of musical instruments.
First Senator.
What means this musick?

Agis.
To the Gods of Greece
And Sparta's guardian deities it sounds.
Let us begone, nor stop the holy train.

[Exeunt.
Enter a Procession.
Agesistrata, Euanthe, Priests of Jupiter and Hercules.
Chorus of Matrons and Virgins.
Woes approach, till now unknown;
Discord shakes the Spartan throne.
Heav'n avert the ills we fear!
Jove, from high Olympus, hear!

Priests of Jupiter.
This day our foes embattled came,
And vow'd to end the Spartan name:
Embattled near our gates they fought;
But Jove for us deliverance wrought.
He smote Achaia's host with fear,
He thunder'd in their trembling rear;
Jove's lightning flam'd from Sparta's spear.

Chorus of Matrons and Virgins.
Ever may his mighty arm
Save the Spartan state from harm!
Ne'er may proud Invader boast
Glory from our glory lost.
Light, O Jove, that sacred fire
Which did Sparta's sons inspire,
When the prince and people strove,
Burning with their country's love.
Xerxes, lord of great alarms,
Xerxes rous'd the world to arms.

Priests of Jupiter.
The earth was troubled at his host,
The springs were dried, the rivers lost;
But Spartan valour check'd his pride,
A slender band his host defy'd:
Thermopylæ (immortal name!)
Beheld the Persian tyrant's shame.

Chorus of all.
There the brave three hundred dy'd,
Faithful, by their prince's side:
There they conquer'd, tho' they dy'd.

Priests of Hercules.
On earth below, in Heav'n above,
Rever'd, victorious, son of Jove!
Hear, Alcides, hear our prayer,
Thy godlike offspring claims thy care.

Chorus of all.
Bend thy bow, Tyrinthius, bend,
Lightly on the earth descend.
Fix an arrow on the string,
Stand beside the Spartan king,
Agis of thy race divine,
Tried in labours like to thine.
Undaunted, like thee, with monsters he strives;
The fiercest of Hydras in faction revives.
If he falls a sacrifice,
Never more shall Sparta rise!

[Exeunt.] As the procession goes off.
Enter Amphares.
Thus may my pious foes for ever strive.
Be theirs the airy aid of fabled Jove.
In nearer and more certain force I trust:
Of human race, I fight with mortal arms.
Yet prais'd be Fortune, goddess of my vows,
'Tis she whose happy hand leads forth these dames;
Ne'er to the palace shall their steps return.
The net I've spread now covers all my foes,
Except Lysander. O had he been here!
Then I had stood, like mighty Atlas, firm;
Fate but reserves him to another day.
The time is almost come; my Thracians now
Have reach'd their posts; and many a daring eye
Looks for the signal. Here it is—my sword.
When I appear thus arm'd, the furies rise;
This is the comet, the fierce blazing star,
On which commotion, change, and death attend.
[Exit Amphares.