 | Themistocles |  |
SCENE I.
An apartment where Themistocles is confined.Themistocles
alone.
O! Athens! O! my country! sacred name
To me so fatal. Sweet till now it seem'd
For thee to bend my cares, for thee to shed
My dearest blood. With patience I endur'd
Thy harsh decrees: amidst my woes resign'd,
I rov'd from shore to shore; but to preserve
My faith to thee, I find myself compell'd
To appear ingrate; and to a king so generous,
Who, powerful and incens'd, forgets the claims
Of past resentment; clasps me to his breast;
Heaps honours on me; and to me intrusts
His dignity and empire. Pardon, Athens,
This is too much. Thou still shalt be the God
Of all my thoughts, as thou hast ever been;
But now I feel, and first begin to feel
How dear my duty costs me.
| Themistocles | |