 | The Triumphs of Love and Honour |  |
SCENE II.
Philander.Dion, see thy Friend,
Like the firm Cedar that defys the Rage
Of Wind and Rains, but by the Fires of Heav'n
Is forc'd to yield his noble Trunc to Ruin:
Behold, and pity, me.
Dion.
Yet, cherish Hope.
Philander.
Alas! that Comfort is deny'd to me:
A restless Exile to the Plains I'll go,
And wait the Day that shall conclude my Sorrows.
Go, Dion, shine beneath the royal Smile,
And leave thy Friend abandon'd to his Griefs,
Who to the neighb'ring Hills shall make his Moan,
And now and then admit a Glimps of Joy
To steal upon his Soul, when he reflects
On the fair Fortune that attends thy Worth.
19
To heighten ev'ry Joy. Haste, shun an Exile;
This Brawler shall not interrupt their Peace;
He will not, Dion, heap the King's Displeasure
On thee for a Neglect of Duty; no,
My Soul now sickens; and I feel the Hand
Of dire Affliction on me, that divests
My Breast of all my Strength, and tells my Heart
His fairest Guest is fled, is lost, for ever.
Dion.
When I forsake thee, may the good Man's Blessing,
His greatest Comfort in the Day of Sadness,
The Consciousness of having pass'd his Time
Blameless in Reason's Eye, forsake me quite.
In War, or Exile, I am still your Friend;
Nor will I leave you for the Smiles of Courts.
Alas! Philander, thou can'st not conceive
What Pains I suffer when I see the Man,
My other self, whose noble Spirit press'd him
Foremost to front the boldest Sons of War,
Drooping beneath a disappointed Love.
Philander.
True, thou hast seen me in the Hours of Blood,
Unshock'd amidst the various Forms of Death;
Yet, I must own, this unexpected Blow
Has quite subdu'd me. Lo! Thalia comes;
I will not stay to wreck her tender Soul
With the Recital of her Brother's Woes:
O! tell her, Dion, that I bear my Pains
As a Man shou'd: say what thou canst to ease her.
Now I obey thee, King: O! Court, farewel,
Thou base Seducer of ambitious Youth:
Welcome, Ritirement sweet, where ev'ry Hill
Shall witness to my unsuccessful Love,
While thou, my Friend, the Inmate of my Heart,
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[After going some few Steps he returns.
This I'd forgot: charge her to tell Urania,
That, while she fills my happyer Rival's Arms,
I'd have her cast into Oblivion all
Our Vows of mutual Love, lest the Rememb'rance
Shou'd prove destructive to her rising Joys.
Dion.
But few the Moments which divide me from thee.
[Philander goes.
| The Triumphs of Love and Honour | |