 | Arminius |  |
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ACT V.
SCENE I.
The German Camp.Chelderic, Trebantes; Both of them Gauls.
Trebantes.
Chelderic, these Germans made a bold assault,
But Roman discipline repell'd the fury
Of wild barbarians.
Chelderic.
For this night they've conquer'd;
But in broad day-light what must be their fate?
Their little army cannot meet the numbers
With which Arminius covers all the plain.
As well the level shore may stand the fury
Of the rough northern sea, when lash'd by winds
It rolls its mountain billows on the land.
Trebantes.
And yet, if our proposal has been heard;
If from the Roman Dumnorix has met
With due applause, a cheap, an easy victory
Will end the war.
Chelderic.
And lo! our hero comes.
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SCENE II.
To them Dumnorix.Chelderic.
Dumnorix you're welcome.
Dumnorix.
To avoid
All prying eyes, I've walk'd a weary round
Through woods, and fens.
Chelderic.
And does the Roman chief
Approve our plot?
Dumnorix.
Is thus Cæcina known?
Govern'd by scruples, by fantastic rules
Of pride, of honour, and dry musty maxims,
He talk'd, I know not what of ancient Rome,
And scorns our proferr'd aid.
Chelderic.
Short-sighted man!
His low contracted spirit will not see,
That victory obtain'd by fraud, or valour,
Ensures success; and cover'd stratagem
Alike with laurels decks the hero's brow.
Dumnorix.
Cæcina is no general: I talk'd
With the brave leaders of th'allies from Gaul:
All with one voice applaud our enterprize.
They promise bright rewards: no more at present,
I hear the sound of steps this way advancing.
We will confer in private—
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SCENE III.
To them Gothmund.Gothmund.
Our whole army
Is under arms; all at their proper posts.
What keeps you from your station?
Dumnorix.
Has Arminius
Enter'd the camp?
Gothmund.
Not yet; do you go forth,
And join your standards: loiter here no more.
[Exeunt Dumnorix, Chelderic, Trebantes.
What mean those Gauls? What brings them thus together?
They meditate some dark design; perhaps
To be deserters to the Roman camp.
SCENE IV.
Inguiomer, Gothmund.Gothmund.
What of Arminius?
Inguiomer.
Frequent messengers
With eager speed come posting to the camp.
Arminius is at hand; to me he sends
His orders; all must rest upon their arms
Ready for action, when occasion calls.
Gothmund.
His warlike spirit never knows a pause.
No danger can deter him, nought can check
His active genius, till he tow'rs above
Whate'er oppos'd his course.
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To-morrow's dawn
We'll see him, with determin'd vigour
Rush to the field, and thunder through the war.
SCENE V.
To them Egbert.Egbert.
Marcus, the Roman officer, has gain'd
A passport to the camp. He says he brings
A message of high import from Cæcina.
Inguiomer.
Conduct him hither.
[Exit Egbert.
On his narrow isthmus.
Besieg'd, and sore beset, perhaps the Roman
Means to capitulate.
SCENE VI.
Enter Marcus.Marcus.
Cæcina sends me
To claim an audience of Arminius.
Inguiomer.
He soon will join us here. What is your errand?
Marcus.
Our Gen'ral send this letter to your Chief;
A letter fraught with matters of high moment.
Inguiomer.
Say, do you come to offer terms of peace?
Marcus.
Soon as Arminius sees the generous spirit,
That sways, directs, and guides Cæcina's heart,
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And with the sympathy of noble minds,
Unite in ties of friendship.
Inguiomer.
This to me
Is a dark mystery: unfold your purpose.
Marcus.
Here in your very camp a plot is form'd
Against Arminius's life: no more has reach'd
My ear; that letter will disclose the whole.
[Gives the letter.
Here ends my embassy; the time demands
That I return with speed to join our friends.
Inguiomer.
Egbert, be it yours to guard him hence.
Give him safe conduct to the Roman camp.
[Exeunt Marcus and Egbert.
SCENE VII.
Inguiomer, Gothmund.Gothmund.
A dark conspiracy against the life
Of our brave Chief, here in our very camp!
Inguiomer.
You hear it gods! and does your thunder sleep?
Will you not send your forked lightning down,
Wing'd with red vengeance on the traitor's head?
Gothmund.
Soon as Arminius—
[Sound of trumpets.
Inguiomer.
In good time he comes.
That trumpet's clangour speaks the Chief's arriv'd.
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SCENE VIII.
Enter Arminius, attended by guards.Arminius.
Inguiomer, these checks but serve to animate
The martial spirit of a warlike race.
Inguiomer.
Protected by the friendly gloom of night
Cæcina and his army stood at bay:
Around their camp no glim'ring ray of light
Shew'd us their works: mean time our lamps and torches
Made us a mark for all their missive weapons.
Our lights extinguish'd, courage then was useless;
Disorder and confusion follow'd. None could see
Where to assault: I sounded a retreat.
Arminius.
Wisely you judg'd: to-morrow's orient sun
Shall see his legions overwhelm'd in ruin.
Inguiomer.
Since then an officer has brought this letter:
It is address'd to you.
Arminius.
To me a letter!
Give it; let me see it.
[Reads.
“The sense of honour that governs the mind of a
“Roman general, will be seen in this letter. I write to
“caution you against a foul conspiracy. A Gaul this day
“deserted from your army. The villain has set a price
“upon your life, and for that reward is ready to end your
“days by poison. I need not tell you that I rejected his
“offer with indignation. An enemy in the field, I scorn
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“clandestine enemies. Farewell.”
If this be true, I can almost allow
A Roman still may have a sense of honour.
If any Gauls are lurking in our army—
Gothmund.
Their number is not great; but I have watch'd them
With an observant eye.
Arminius.
They are a traiterous race.
Had they made head against the Roman arms
Like men, who knew the value of their liberty,
Th'imperial Eagles soon had wing'd their flight
To their Italian realms; and slavery
Repass'd their Alpine hills, to dwell at Rome
And with their senate kneel at Cæsar's feet.
Inguiomer.
They fought in parties, and the whole was conquer'd.
Arminius.
All civil union was to them unknown;
Strangers to liberty, and now subdued
To crouch in bondage; the ambitious slaves
Would raise the tree of tyranny, and overturn
In every state, in all the nations round them,
The laws that hold society in peace.
Inguiomer.
We must be wary; Gothmund, we must look
With circumspective eyes; watch ev'ry motion,
All secret meetings, and by due attention
Mar this detested project.
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For his conduct
Cæcina claims both gratitude and praise.
But has he sent that false perfidious Gaul
Back to our camp?
Gothmund.
The traitor still is there.
Arminius.
Let a well chosen officer be sent
To tell Cæcina that his gen'rous action
Reflects a lustre on his name: but still
To crown the deed with glory, the assassin
Must be deliver'd up to justice; tell him
'Tis my request.
Inguiomer.
Soon as the slave arrives
A strict enquiry will afford a clue,
To guide us through the maze of their designs,
And trace the Gauls, who tamper'd in the treason.
Arminius.
Gothmund, do you select some trusty officer
To bear our message: let him strait depart.
[Exit Gothmund.
Inguiomer.
Cæcina will comply.
Arminius.
And if he does,
I in my turn will act a gen'rous part.
His little army shall have leave to march
Free, unmolested to the distant Rhine.
I'll sheath the sword, and for such splendid merit
Spare the effusion e'en of Roman blood.
How wears the night?
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'Tis now the second watch.
Arminius.
Are the troops all arrang'd, as I directed?
Inguiomer.
They're under arms, and at their sev'ral posts
All watchful stand, impatient to renew
The charge, and though repuls'd, with joy they find
They have sustain'd no loss.
Arminius.
They have sustain'd
A loss we all must feel, and long must mourn.
That brave, heroic youth, the gallant Segimund,
Whose early virtues were by all admir'd;
Who won each soldier's love; whose spring of life
Promis'd an harvest of immortal glory;
He is no more.
Inguiomer.
No hostile hand subdued him.
Arminius.
Alas! I know the whole disast'rous story.
I've seen Veleda; she has told me all.
I left her paying the last funeral rites
To her lov'd brother: to her father too
She grants sepulchral honours, though his crimes
Drew vengeance on his head. Veleda's virtue
Is ever lovely, and adorns her name.
She mourns a father lost, and while to him
She pours the heartfelt tribute of her tears,
Her filial piety demands our praise.
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SCENE IX.
To them Gothmund.Gothmund.
Your orders are obey'd. I have dispatch'd
A deputation to the adverse camp.
Arminius.
The time now calls for action: Inguiomer,
We will go forth to visit ev'ry post,
And with true ardour fire the soldier's breast.
[Exeunt Arminius and Inguiomer.
Gothmund.
Would that this treach'rous Gaul were in our pow'r.
Upon the rack the slave shall die in torment,
And his accomplices shall share his fate.
SCENE X.
To him Veleda.Veleda.
Oh! 'tis too much—this agony of mind,
It is too much;—it pierces to the quick;
It rends each tremb'ling nerve about the heart.
Gothmund.
Veleda, why this violence of sorrow?
Veleda.
Oh! Gothmund, the adventures of this night—
Gothmund.
Do they afflict you? The dun shades of night
Shelter'd the foe; we sounded a retreat,
But at the dawn Arminius will revenge it.
His plan is form'd already.
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Well I know
Arminius has resources in his vast,
His warlike genius. But with all his valour
Can he assuage my sorrows? I have lost
More than the treasury of words can tell;
More than imagination can conceive.
My brother Segimund! He's lost for ever.
Gothmund.
For him our men are overwhelm'd with sorrow.
We all lament his fate.
Veleda.
I know all must;
But bitter anguish is for me alone.
I found him in the moment of his victory,
Gash'd, mangled, bleeding, gasping on the ground,
Like a fair flow'r, in all its blushing honours,
Shorn by the scythe, and with'ring in its bloom.
Gothmund.
It was his own rash act: he knew no guilt.
Veleda.
It was his father's crime: his father fell
In arms against his country. Segimund,
Unconscious, struck the blow for justice.
But the affections of a heart like his
Pierc'd to his soul, and drove him to despair.
Dear youth, he's lost: and with him ev'ry virtue,
Heroic ardour, honour, truth, and love,
And ev'ry grace that could adorn his youth,
To full perfection rising: all is vanish'd;
All, all is lost, for ever, ever lost.
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Arminius still remains; his tender care
Will minister relief, and heal your woes.
Veleda.
Arminius is the idol I adore;
But busy memory will know no rest.
A much lov'd brother will be ever present;
His lovely image still will glide before me,
But these sad eyes must never more behold him.
I've wash'd his wounds, and bath'd him with my tears;
Over his clay cold corse I've thrown my mantle;
Close to his side I've laid his warlike javelin;
And, as he order'd, stretch'd his father by him.
In his cold grave he rests: but worth like his
Will ever live, and with his fame enrich
The annals of his country.
[A deep Groan is heard from a distance.
Hark! that sudden groan—
Gothmund.
Be not alarm'd: you soon shall know the cause.
[Exit.
Veleda.
Almighty Gods! if from your stores of wrath
Your awful will prepares some new affliction,
Suspend your purpose; spare a wretch like me.
Gothmund, you look aghast.
Enter Gothmund.
Gothmund.
I scarce can speak;
My blood recoils; my tongue denies its office.
Veleda.
Ha! what disaster? speak, relieve my fears.
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On his tribunal as Arminius stood,
In act to animate the list'ning soldiers,
While torches cast their vivid blaze around him,
A barbed arrow from some ambush'd villain
Flew to its destin'd mark, and pierc'd his heart.
Veleda.
Let me this moment fly to his relief.
[Exit Veleda.
Gothmund.
Relief I fear is vain: speak, Egbert, say,
How fares Arminius?
Enter Egbert.
Egbert.
All who boast their skill
In medicinal lore, exert their art
To draw the arrow from his bleeding wound.
Enter Veleda.
Veleda.
Oh! what a spectacle of woe and horror!
This way they lead him; what a sight is there?
Pale, pale, and wan! ye gods protect his life.
SCENE THE LAST.
Arminius is led forward; Inguiomer, Officers, Women, and Soldiers round him.Arminius.
Assist me; lend your aid; conduct me forward;
A little onward;—here,—here set me down.
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Arminius, speak; 'tis your Veleda calls.
How fare you now?
Arminius.
Oh! I am sick at heart;
My strength decays; fair day-light closes o'er me;
Approach; draw near; let me once more behold you.
Veleda.
My feeble frame gives way; my flutt'ring heart
Throbs wild with agony; it sinks within me.
Gods! is there no relief?—Compose your spirits;
Rest may restore you.
Arminius.
Oh! no rest for me;
The barbed arrow pierc'd too deep,—too deep.
They wrench'd it out; they made a breach in nature;
They tore my frame asunder.
Veleda.
To these wounds
The healing art may minister relief.
Arminius.
Nought can avail; the swift, the subtle poison—
Veleda.
Poison!
Arminius.
It burns,—it rankles in my veins.
Veleda.
Oh! let me with these lips draw forth the venom;
The deadly aconite let me imbibe,
That I may save all that my heart adores.
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You are too good;—the poison is diffus'd
Through all my frame;—it burns; an inward fire
Consumes my veins; those pangs must end me soon.
Enter Egbert.
Egbert.
[In a low tone.
Inguiomer, our Herald is return'd.
The treach'rous Gaul he finds is in our camp.
His name is Dumnorix—
Gothmund.
That slave is seiz'd,
With his accomplices; they all shall suffer,
Whate'er the keenest torture can inflict.
Arminius.
Let not a thought of me, let no resentment
Inspire revenge and cruelty: proceed
As justice warrants, and the laws direct.
Egbert.
The Romans in despair have fled their camp;
Already they have cross'd the narrow isthmus,
And urge by rapid marches tow'rd the Rhine.
Arminius.
Assist me; raise me up: All gracious pow'rs!
Ye guardian gods of Germany! to you
I lift my hands; to you in gratitude
I bow thus lowly down; to you I offer
My humble adoration!—I have liv'd
To see my country free; once more to see
The Roman Eagles and their boasted legions
In terror wing their flight across the Rhine.
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They've vanish'd from the land:—I die content.
[Falls back in his chair.
Veleda.
Is there no help to save so dear a life?
Bring ev'ry aid:—a pale, a livid hue
Spreads o'er his features;—see,—his eyes are fix'd.
Arminius.
Raise me once again: Now, mark my words;
Should the ambition of aspiring Rome
Muster her legions; should her arms prevail,
And leave no spot, where freedom can reside;
Bear to my Saxon friends my last advice.
Let them embark for Britain; there they'll find
A brave, a hardy race, who by their valour
Made Cæsar from their coast unfurl his sails,
And save his legions by inglorious flight.
Inguiomer.
Your orders shall be faithfully perform'd.
Arminius.
Yet more;—when landed on that happy shore,
Let my friends join in union with the natives.
Britons and Saxons there may form one people;
And from the woods of Germany import
A form of government, a plan of laws
Wise, just, and equitable; laws of force
To guard the gen'ral weal, and on the base
Of public liberty, of social order,
And equal justice, raise the noblest fabric
Of civil union, like their own proud cliffs
'Midst wild commotions still to stand unshaken,
And be in time the envy of the world.
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My spirits sink; I faint; support me—
[Leans on a Woman's arm.
Inguiomer.
Ev'n now,
When flutt'ring life is on the wing to leave him,
The safety of his friends claims all his care.
Arminius.
[Raising himself.
Another word; it is my warning voice.
Let Britons guard their coast against the Gauls,
And never,—never let that treach'rous race,
Nor their descendants to the latest time,
Obtain a footing on their sea-girt isle.
Let Britons seize the trident of the main,
And plunge th'invaders in the roaring surge;
A band of slaves, who would reduce mankind
To their own level, and enslave the world:
An hoard of savages, freebooters, murderers,
Who trample on all laws; who own no gods;
Whom in a mass their country disembogues,
By depredations to lay waste their neighbours,
And spread rebellion, anarchy, and ruin.
Veleda.
Alas! these strong exertions are too much;
They waste his vital spirit:—See—behold him;
He faints; he dies; and oh! must I survive him?
Arminius.
I burn; I burn; that pang; 'tis past; and yet,
Thus ling'ring on the margin of both worlds,
A ray of light perhaps breaks in upon me.
—A time may come, when Germany shall send
A royal race, allied to Britain's kings,
To reign in glory o'er a willing people.
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The great event, when in a distant age
A monarch sprung from that illustrious line
Shall guide the state, give energy to laws,
And guard the rights of man; his throne encircl'd,
Adorn'd, illumin'd by a train of virtues,
That win all hearts, and arm each honest hand
In the great cause of freedom, and the laws,
For which their ancestors in ev'ry age
Toil'd, fought, and bravely conquer'd; then bequeath'd
Seal'd with their blood a glorious legacy,
A sacred trust to all succeeding times.
[Sinks back in his chair.
Veleda.
Alas! he dies; is there no art to soften
These mortal pangs? Support him, Inguiomer;
Assuage his sorrows, lull him to repose.
Arminius.
Farewell, my friends;—farewell;—I can no more;
Life ebbs apace; my weary nature sinks;
Yet ere I die,—Veleda,—once again.
Veleda.
My feeble frame;—conduct me; lead me to him—
Arminius.
My eyes are dim—where are you? reach your hand.
[Offers his hand, falls back, and dies.
Inguiomer.
There fled the best, the purest, noblest spirit
That e'er inform'd the patriot breast.
Veleda.
To me
What now is life?—I will not linger here
In this bad world, a miserable wretch,
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Give me this dagger; (snatches it)
now, Arminius, now,
I come;—I follow thee—
[Going to strike.
Inguiomer.
Restrain this rage, this frantic, wild despair.
[Holds her arm.
Veleda.
Off;—set me free;—you shall not chain me down
In agony of mind, in restless misery.
Oh! let me follow him;—Arminius, no,
No, nothing shall divorce us.
[Raising her arm.
A Female Attendant.
Horror! forbear; I must arrest your arm;
The blow that ends you, murders innocence.
A mother still should hear the voice of nature.
Veleda.
Why hold me thus?—and yet, those tender accents—
Female Attendant.
Think of the infant whom you still support;
The precious babe that waits to see the light.
Veleda.
My precious babe!
[Looking tenderly at her.
Female Attendant.
'Tis yours to rear and cherish it.
Veleda.
My unborn babe, that waits to see the light.
[Melts into tears, and her dagger falls.
Inguiomer.
This is thy triumph, pow'rful nature; this
Thy gen'rous instinct; thou prime source of virtue!
Veleda.
Oh! what a precipice of guilt and horror
Have I escap'd! My child destroy'd by me,
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You choak all utt'rance; the bare image strikes,
It cleaves my very heart—Arminius, now
Farewell awhile; you point me back to life;
You bid me here endure the load of grief,
To rear the tender charge you have bequeath'd me.
That duty done, perhaps the gods may send
A son, to emulate your great example.
Grant me that pray'r, and then with joy, with transport,
From this sad dreary world I'll wing my flight,
To trace your path in yon empyreal skies.
[Lies by the body.
Inguiomer.
There died the friend of liberty and man,
The champion of his country!—O'er his relicks
A grand, a splendid monument shall rise,
Deck'd with the spoils of many a well-fought field,
With Roman Eagles, and Imperial banners,
The trophies of his wars. The hallow'd mould
The sons of Germany with pilgrim feet
Shall oft revisit; with their tears embalm
His clay-cold ashes, and then sighing say
At length Arminius rests from toil and danger,
With all his country's blessings on his head.
FINIS.
| Arminius | |