 | The Captives |  |
SCENE V.
HEGIO, ARISTOPHONTES, and Slaves.HEGIO.
This instant manacle that rascal there.
[to his Slaves.
Tynd.
Ah! why is this? in what have I offended?
Heg.
What, do you ask? you that have been the sower,
The weeder, and the reaper of these villainies.—
306
Why, first of all, did you not call me harrower?
Husbandmen always harrow first the ground,
Before they weed it.—
Heg.
See, with what assurance
He stands before me!
Tynd.
It becomes a slave,
That's innocent, unconscious of a crime,
To bear him with such confidence, especially
Before his master.—
Heg.
See you bind his hands,
And hard too.
Tynd.
I am yours, my hands are yours;—
If 'tis your pleasure, bid them be cut off.—
But what's the matter?—why thus angry with me?
Heg.
Because that by your knavish lying schemes
You have destroy'd, as far as in your power,
Me and my hopes, distracted my affairs,
And by your tricks have chous'd me of Philocrates.
I thought he was a slave, and you a free man,
For so you said you were, and for that purpose
You chang'd your names.
Tynd.
I own that I have acted
E'en as you say,—that he has found the means
For his escaping, and through my assistance.—
Is it for this then you are angry with me?
307
What you have done, you'll find will cost you dear.
Tynd.
Death I esteem a trifle, when not merited
By evil actions.—If I perish here,
And he return not, as he gave his word,
This act will be remembred to my honour,
After I'm dead;—that I contriv'd to free
My master,when a captive, from his state
Of slavery and oppression with the foe;
Restor'd him to his country and his father,
Preferring rather to expose my life
To danger for him, than that he should suffer.
Heg.
Enjoy that fame then in the other world.
Tynd.
He dies to live, who dies in Virtue's cause.
Heg.
When I have put you to severest torture,
And for your tricks have ta'en away your life,
Let them extol you, that you are no more,
Let them extol you, that you've lost your life,
Nay, let them say, that you are still alive,
It matters not to me, so you but die.
Tynd.
Do,—put your threats in force,—you'll suffer for it,
If he return here, as I trust he will.
Arist.
(Aside)
O ye immortal gods!—I know it now,
I understand it all.—My friend Philocrates
Enjoys his liberty, is with his father
At large in his own country.—That is well.—
There's not a man, whom I wish better to.—
But O! it grieves me, I have done for Him
So ill an office, who alas! is chain'd
On my account for what I hap'd to say.
308
Did I not charge you not to tell me false?
Tynd.
You did.
Heg.
Then wherefore have you dar'd to do it?
Tynd.
Truth would have done him hurt I wish'd to serve:
Falsehood has done him good.
Heg.
But hurt to you.
Tynd.
'Tis best.—I've serv'd my master, and I joy in't:—
My good old master gave him to my care.—
And do you think this wrongly done in me?
Heg.
Most wrongly.
Tynd.
I, who can't but differ from you,
Say rightly.—Only think,—if any slave
Of your's had done the same thing for your son,
How, how would you have thank'd him!—would you not
Have giv'n him freedom? would you not have held him
In your esteem high above all his fellows?—
I prithee answer me.
Heg.
I think I should.
Tynd.
Why are you angry then with me?
Heg.
Because
You were to him more faithful than to me.
309
What! could you have expected, that a man,
Newly a captive, and just made your slave,
Should in one night and day be taught by you
More to consult your interest than the good
Of one, whom he had liv'd with from a boy?
Heg.
Seek your reward then of that one.—
(To the Slaves.)
Go bear him,
Where he may put on large and ponderous chains.—
To the stone-quarries after shalt thou go:
There, in the time that others dig out eight,
If ev'ry day thou dost not dig twelve stones,
Thou shalt be dubb'd with stripes Sexcentoplagus.
Arist.
By Gods and men I do conjure you, Hegio,
O let him not be lost.
Heg.
I'll look to that.
310
And in the day shall labour in the quarries.
I'll keep him in continual exercise,
Nor shall he know the respite of one day.
Arist.
Is that your resolution?
Heg.
Sure as death.—
Bear him directly to Hippolytus
The smith, and bid him clap upon his legs
Huge massy irons; then without the gate
Go, carry him to Cordalus my freed-man,
That he may make him labour in the quarries;
And tell him, 'tis my pleasure he be used
No better than the vilest slave I have.
Tynd.
Against your will why should I wish to live?
My loss of life will be a loss to you.
There is no evil I need dread in death,
When death is over. Were I to survive
311
To bear the hardships, which you threat me with,
Would yet be short.—Then fare you well,—be happy,—
Though you deserve another language from me.
And you, Aristophontes, take from me
As good a farewell, as you've merited:
For you have been the cause of this.
Heg.
Hence with him.
Tynd.
One thing I yet request,—that, if Philocrates
Come back again, I may have leave to see him.
Heg.
Bear him this instant from my sight, ye slaves,
Or you yourselves shall suffer.
(The Slaves lay hold on Tyndarus, and push him along.
Tynd.
This indeed
Is downright violence,—to be drag'd and driven.
[He is born off by the Slaves.
| The Captives | |