University of Virginia Library

ACT III.

SCENE I.

A remote part of the Island betwixt the city and the sea-shore, with cypress trees and monuments of the ancient kings of Lemnos.
Learchus with two pirates.
Lear.
Our hopes, my valiant friends, have prov'd abortive;
Fortune opposes oft the best designs:
Go, and let each be ready to depart.
[the pirates going.
But ha! what do I see!—behold where Thoas
Comes unattended to this lonely place.
Now for the last expedient fate can offer—
Return, my friends.

[pirates return.

SCENE II.

Enter Thoas.
Tho.
[entering.]
I was directed still
To abide in Jason's camp; but anxious thoughts
Forbade me there to rest.

Lear.
Observe my purpose:
Away.

[pirates go out.
Tho.
[to himself.]
My bosom throbs with hopes and fears:
I find no peace, but every moment dread
Some stroke of fate: by this untrodden path,
I'll seek the regal palace.

[going.
Lear.
Now, Learchus,
Let artifice befriend thee. [aside.]
—See, my lord,
The guiltiest of your subjects at your feet:
Permit him thus—

[to Thoas, kneeling.
Tho.
Ye powers!—art thou alive!
Art thou Learchus!

Lear.
I'm indeed Learchus.

Tho.
What wouldst thou have from Thoas?—

Lear.
Death, or pardon.

Tho.
Hence, traitor, dare no more approach my sight.

Lear.
Hear me, and then reject me at your will.

Tho.
Perfidious! know'st thou not what punishment
Awaits thee here?

Lear.
Death I deserv'd, my lord,
When I presum'd to attempt with ruffian force
The fair Hypsipyle: but if a fault
Of youth can find no pity from my king,
A fault which love inspir'd, which keen remorse
Has since severely punish'd; here at least,
Here let me perish in my native land.
Five tedious years, an outcast from my country,
Wandering in foreign climes, the sport of fate,
I've liv'd an object loath'd by earth and Heaven;
And, ah! what wounds me more, my prince abhors me.
I'm weary grown of long protracted woe:
Life is the greatest evil I endure;
And he, who drives this spirit from her dwelling,
Is bounteous while he kills me.

Tho.
[aside.]
Such despair
Pleads in his cause, and mitigates his crimes.

Lear.
Why linger thus my friends?

[aside, looking out.
Tho.
From thy misfortunes,
Learchus, learn in future to respect
The majesty of kings—Be comforted;
And live—I pardon thee.

[going.
Lear.
Alas! my lord,
Still am I left uncertain; grant me then
Some surer pledge of mercy.

Tho.
After pardon,
What can I grant thee more?

Lear.
Your royal hand.

Tho.
Receive it, and depart.

[giving his hand.
Lear.
O gracious prince,
Whose goodness imitates the pitying Gods:
This moment has effac'd my past misfortunes—
Not yet return'd! [aside.]
—Still trembling, doubtfull still,
Behold me at your feet, and prostrate thus—

Tho.
What men surround me?

[pirates enter armed, and surround Thoas.
Lear.
So—the stroke is given.
[rising.
Yield me thy sword.

Tho.
Whom speak'st thou to?

Lear.
To thee.

Tho.
To me! Almighty powers! but how—

Lear.
No more:
Thou art my prisoner.

Tho.
What unheard-of treason!

Lear.
At length thou art fallen into my snare: thy life
Is at my will. Endure thy lot with patience:
'Tis thus the world for ever shifts the scene,
And adverse fortune still succeeds to good:
'Tis thine in turn to plead for mercy.

Tho.
Villain!

Lear.
Hold, Thoas, change this language: my example
Might teach thee prudence: 'twas but now I bent
With humble prayers, a suppliant at thy feet.
To suit our tempers, as the various turns
Of life demand, is sure a needful virtue.
The force thou see'st is all at my command:
I can at will—

Tho.
What canst thou further do?
Take from this ebbing life its poor remains,
Already irksome from the double weight
Of years and sorrow?

Lear.
Thus Learchus said,
But while he spoke, his tongue belied his thoughts.

Tho.
Great is the difference 'twixt my heart and thine.

Lear.
Vain boasting all! each animal that lives,
Desires to hold his being: constancy,
Which heroes vaunt in fate's extremest trials,
Is but an art to cheat the unthinking vulgar:
I read thy secret breast, and know thou tremblest.

Tho.
Yes, I might tremble, if the soul of Thoas
Were form'd like thine: a thousand horrid crimes
Would then for ever haunt my guilty sight:
Still should I seem to hear the bolts of Jove
For ever hissing round me; Jove the avenger,
Who punishes the guilt of human-kind.

Lear.
To me the wrath of Heaven is not so dreadful.

Tho.
Vain boasting all! Thou canst not harbour peace:
For still congenial with our nature, grows
The love of virtue; if it prove too weak
To guard from crimes, at least it will suffice
To be their punishment: it is a gift
From Heaven, decreed to be a scourge to those
Who dare abuse it; and the greatest curse
The wicked find, is that they still retain,
Even in their own despite, the seeds of honour,
And feel a conscious sense of sovereign goodness:
I read thy secret breast, and know thou tremblest.

Lear.
My friends, take hence this sage philosopher,
Whose knowledge can explore the human mind.
Conduct him prisoner to the ships; and thou,
Lay by that useless sword.

Tho.
There—take it, traitor!

[throws away his sword.
Lear.
Now must thou bid adieu to kingly pride;
Since Thoas is the vanquish'd, I the victor.

Tho.
First, impious wretch! these features view,
Then judge impartial of the two,
Where lies the victory.
Though free, thy looks are pale with fear,
While I these chains undaunted wear,
And pity feel for thee.

[he is led off by the pirates.

SCENE III.

Enter Rhodope.
Lear.
[to himself.]
Yet that majestic mien, those sentiments
That speak the kingly soul—but hold, my thoughts:
Let me reflect on nothing but the gain
Of all my heart aspires to.

Rho.
[entering.]
O Learchus!

Lear.
Say, Rhodope, whence springs thy sudden fear?

Rho.
Not far remote a ghastly troop of strangers
Bear royal Thoas prisoner to the sea.
O! if within thy breast one spark remain
Of bravery or virtue, seize this moment
To give it proof: now may'st thou cancel all
Thy guilty deeds, and make thy name immortal.

Lear.
Indeed!—Say, how?

Rho.
Give liberty to Thoas:
Go—risk thy life to save thy king from danger;
Perish or conquer; with one generous action
Efface the memory of thy former crimes,
Nor let me longer blush to own I've lov'd thee.

Lear.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.

Enter Hypsipyle.
Rho.
[to herself.]
Can crimes like these debase the mind of man?
O wretched daughter! most unhappy princess!
What wilt thou feel when thou shalt hear the tidings!

Hyp.
My friend! our sufferings all are past; and Heaven
At length is tir'd of heaping woes upon us.
My faithful consort, and his valiant friends,
Have quell'd the fierce inhabitants of Lemnos:
My innocence is clear'd, my father safe:
We are victors, discord stills her horrid voice,
All, all is love, and peace, and happiness!

Rho.
And yet is Thoas—

Hyp.
Thoas now awaits
Jason's return to the Thessalian camp.

Rho.
O were it so!

Hyp.
What mean'st thou! Speak, my friend—

Rho.
Thoas is now a prisoner.

Hyp.
Ha! to whom?

Rho.
A prisoner to Learchus.

Hyp.
To Learchus!
How know'st thou this?

Rho.
But now I met him bound,
Encircled by the followers of that traitor.

Hyp.
Who are his followers?

Rho.
Wretches like himself.

Hyp.
O heavenly powers! to what untried misfortunes
Will you reserve me yet!—O fatal day!

SCENE V.

Enter Jason with the Argonauts.
Jas.
Hypsipyle, my life! what new affliction
Obscures those lovely eyes?

Hyp.
My dearest lord,
Thou com'st in happy time; for O! 'tis thou,
And thou alone, canst ease me—Haste—defend him—
Have pity on me—

Jas.
Speak, my love, what would'st thou?
As yet I know not what thy speech intends.

Hyp.
O! Thoas!—O—my father!—curst Learchus—
I cannot speak—

Rho.
The traitor, false Learchus,
Bears off in fetters Thoas to the sea.

Jas.
Perhaps the same—

Hyp.
Yes, 'tis the same Learchus,
Who sought to kill thee while oppress'd with sleep,
But failing in the dire design, endeavour'd
With base suspicions to disturb our peace.

Jas.
Infamous villain!

Hyp.
Generous prince, behold
An enterprise that's worthy of thy courage:
Thou may'st preserve my dearest father's life:
O save him, or Hypsipyle is lost!
The fatal hour that sees the death of Thoas,
Cuts short my thread of being.

Jas.

[Exit with Argonauts.

SCENE VI.

Rhodope, Hypsipyle.
Rho.
O princess! do not yield to black despair;
Think not that fortune will for ever frown;
Rely on Jason's valour still, and hope.

Hyp.

[Exit.

SCENE VII.

Enter Eurynome.
Rho.
My thoughts are all perplex'd amid this maze
Of dreadful misery.

Eury.
O Rhodope!
Where is my son?

Rho.
Think on thyself, inhuman!
Consult thy safety, if thou prizest life,
And hide thee from the angry victors' sight.

Eury.
I prize not life, unless I find Learchus.

Rho.
Forget a name that's hateful to the world;
At once thy shame and mine.

Eury.
What means this anger?
Didst thou not save him?

Rho.
Yes—with shame I own it.

Eury.
I hope thou dost but feign this indignation;
Since when thy lips once call'd for vengeance on him,
He was thy heart's delight.

Rho.

[Exit.

SCENE VIII.

Eurynome
alone.

[Exit.

SCENE IX.

A view of the sea shore, with the ships belonging to Learchus; a plank laid from one of them to the shore. On one side appear the ruins of the temple of Venus; on the other the remains of an ancient port of Lemnos.
Jason, Hypsipyle, Rhodope, Argonauts. Learchus and Thoas appear on the deck of one of the ships, Thoas in chains, and Learchus with a dagger in his hand.
Jas.
Compose thyself, Hypsipyle; at length
We have reach'd the traitor: follow me, my friends,
To yonder ships: now rouze your souls to fury;
Be pity banish'd: let consuming flames
Devour the sails, and ocean's whelming waves
Engulph the vessels: spread the horrid slaughter,
That sated vengeance may behold the tide
Red with perfidious blood.

Lear.
Then be it so;
But first let Thoas bleed.

Hyp.
O hold!—

Rho.
Inhuman!

Jas.
What rage transports thee thus?

Hyp.
My father! husband!
O! hear, Learchus, hear me—pitying Heaven!—
I can no more—

Lear.
Why, why, Hypsipyle,
This unavailing grief? On thee depends
His life, or death: ascend this ship, consent
To be Learchus' wife; and if the daughter
Reward my faithful love, the father lives.

Hyp.
What do I hear! O Jason!

Jas.
Dar'st thou, wretch,
Pronounce the horrid compact? 'tis in vain
I strive to curb my righteous fury longer.

Hyp.
Have pity, Jason! if thou should'st assail him,
He lifts his impious hand against my father.

Jas.
Ten thousand furies struggle in my breast!

Lear.
See, Thoas, see—behold thy pious daughter;
With what a zeal she hastes to save thy life.
Thy blood shall answer her relentless scorn;
I have endur'd enough.

[about to stab Thoas.
Hyp.
O hold!—I come.

[goes towards the ship.
Tho.
What would'st thou do, my daughter! Canst thou thus
Forget what's owing to thyself and me?
I little thought that e'er Hypsipyle
Would prove her father's shame! Have I not bred thee
In virtues worthy of a prince's nuptials,
Not to partake an impious pirate's bed?
And would'st thou now become the wretched mother
Or robbers, not of heroes!

Hyp.
Teach me then
Some better means to save thee.

Tho.
Save me thus.
Assert the honour of my blood; reflect not
It cost thy father's life; or if the thought
Will rise, let it but strengthen thy resolve
To guard my fame unsullied: live, Hypsipyle,
Live with thy faithful lord, and reign for me,
And if the days I lose to thine are added,
I've liv'd, I've reign'd enough.

Rho.
O fortitude!

Jas.
O generous sentiments!

Hyp.
Does not such virtue
Soften thee yet Learchus!

Lear.
No: it rather
Incites my fury.

Hyp.
Must I then—

Lear.
No more;
Yield, or he dies.

Hyp.
O! let these tears prevail:
Thou art enough reveng'd for all my scorn:
Let this suffice, Learchus: will not this
Appease thy dreadful rage? Must thou behold me,
A wretched object kneeling at thy feet?
Then see me prostrate thus—

[kneels.
Lear.
My soul is fix'd;
Come, or thy father dies.

Hyp.
Barbarian! traitor!
[rises in a rage.
Yes, I will come; and Hell with me shall bring
Her blackest horrors: on the rites abhorr'd
Megæra shall attend, with dire Alecto:
But I will prove a fury worse than all.
Yes, I will come; but it shall be to tear
That treacherous heart from thy detested bosom:
Monster of cruelty, I come!

Lear.
Then haste,
Or now he falls beneath my vengeful hand.

[about to stab him.
Hyp.

[Hypsipyle weeping, walks slowly towards the ship, looking back tenderly on Jason.
Jas.
Wilt thou forsake me thus, Hypsipyle?
And would'st thou, impious savage!—I'm distracted!
Where shall I turn for counsel!—Barbarous Gods!

SCENE LAST.

Enter Eurynome.
Eury.
And have I found thee then at length, my son!

Lear.
Fly mother, save thyself.

Jas.
Inhuman woman!
'Tis not in vain that fate has sent thee hither.
[stopping her.
Stay thee, Hypsipyle:—look here, thou traitor!
Let Thoas free, or lo! this hand cuts short
Thy mother's life.

[draws a dagger, Hypsipyle. [stops short as she is about to enter the ship.
Lear.
Say'st thou!

Eury.
What can this mean!

Rho.
O unexpected change!

Lear.
Forbear in her
To punish my misdeeds. 'Tis I alone
Am Jason's foe.

Jas.
My rage permits not now
A calm reflection: all are Jason's foes
That hate not thee: a thousand cruelties
Pollute her soul: but were she innocent,
I should not blush to make her now the victim:
'Tis guilt enough to be Learchus' mother.

Rho.
He seems confounded.

Hyp.
Mighty Gods! assist us.

Jas.
Wretch, art thou yet resolv'd.

Lear.
I am resolv'd.
Her life is yours: but let Hypsipyle
Come and fulfill the contract we have made.

Rho.
Inhuman monster!

Hyp.
Most unnatural savage!

Jas.
Then thus to you, infernal deities,
I here devote this horrid sacrifice.

Lear.
Why do I tremble thus!

[aside.
Jas.
It rests on you,
Upon the son to avenge the mother's death;
Die, hapless wretch!

[about to stab her.
Lear.
O hold! forbear to strike,
The victory is thine.

Rho.
Nature at length
Has touch'd his harden'd breast.

Eury.
My dear Learchus,
To thee I owe my life.

Lear.
Eurynome,
Thou little know'st thy son—call not this pity
My virtue, 'tis my shame. I would have seen
Thy death unmov'd, but resolution fails me:
Spite of myself I tremble, shrink with terror,
And feel my blood congeal within my veins.
Why was I not by nature fix'd in goodness,
Or more confirm'd a villain? Coward heart!
'Tis thou, and thou alone that hast undone me;
Then thus with thee begin my just revenge.

[stabs himself.
Eury.
O hold!—What hast thou done?—

Lear.
I neither hope,
Nor will accept their pardon; as he liv'd,
So shall Learchus die.

[leaps into the sea.
Eury.
I faint!—O Heaven!

[swoons, and is carried off.
Rho.
This is your work, ye righteous powers!

Jas.
My friends!
Haste and unbind the king.

[the Argonauts go to the ship.
Hyp.
My dearest lord!
I scarcely yet can still my beating heart.

Rho.
What strange events this day has seen!

Tho.
Ah prince!
[coming from the ship.
My daughter!

Hyp.
Dearest father!

Jas.
O my lord!

Hyp.
And is it given me once again to kiss
That honour'd hand?

Tho.
And do I once again
Thus clasp thee to my breast?

Rho.
Now, faithful lovers,
Propitious Hymen soon shall recompense
Your sorrows past.

Tho.
First let us to the temple
To thank the gracious powers: for, O my children!
How vain is every human enterprise,
If not begun with duty to the Gods!

Chorus.