 | Mariamne |  |
SCENE V.
MARIAMNE, SOHEMUS, ELISA.SOHEMUS.
I come obsequious to thy high behests,
To which I bend as to the laws of heaven;
Say shall this hand the sword of vengeance wield
Against thy foes? Command, and I obey;
Speak, and I rush to action.
MARIAMNE.
To thy care,
O prince, my utmost gratitude is due.
Nor do I think in this distressful state
My grief will seem too urgent, or the voice
Which begs thy succour will be heard in vain;
Brave as thou art, protector of th'unhappy.
While Herod doubted which might be his lot
A throne, or slavery; I solicited
The Roman votes; in vain his cruelty
My own despair, my interest join'd in vain
T'oppose my course; I trod the hallow'd path
Of conscious virtue, and pursued my duty.
He was my husband, and I strove to serve him;
Nor, should th'occasion offer, will again
Withold my utmost efforts. But thy aid
Now for myself I seek; necessity
Requires me from barbaric laws to snatch,
The last remains of the unsullied line
Of sacred royalty, my hapless sons.
I ought long since, far from these guilty scenes
Removed, to have demanded an asylum
From the just senate, where insulted honour
Might have reposed in peace; but while the storms
Which civil discord raised wide shook the earth,
Mid war, and terror, and destructive rage,
I could not seek an hospitable post
On that dread shore from whence the tempest sprung.
O prince, my utmost gratitude is due.
Nor do I think in this distressful state
My grief will seem too urgent, or the voice
Which begs thy succour will be heard in vain;
Brave as thou art, protector of th'unhappy.
While Herod doubted which might be his lot
A throne, or slavery; I solicited
The Roman votes; in vain his cruelty
My own despair, my interest join'd in vain
T'oppose my course; I trod the hallow'd path
Of conscious virtue, and pursued my duty.
He was my husband, and I strove to serve him;
Nor, should th'occasion offer, will again
Withold my utmost efforts. But thy aid
Now for myself I seek; necessity
Requires me from barbaric laws to snatch,
The last remains of the unsullied line
Of sacred royalty, my hapless sons.
I ought long since, far from these guilty scenes
Removed, to have demanded an asylum
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Might have reposed in peace; but while the storms
Which civil discord raised wide shook the earth,
Mid war, and terror, and destructive rage,
I could not seek an hospitable post
On that dread shore from whence the tempest sprung.
Now to th'afflicted world Augustus gives
An Halcyon calm, and o'er all nature spreads
Profuse, his blessings; after the long toils
Of a detested war, resolved to make
Each vanquish'd nation happy. Placed aloft
In the majestic capital he sits
Judging their kings, curbs their oppressive might,
Nor suffers innocence to plead in vain.
Who can more justly claim his generous care
Than my poor children, weak, and destitute
Of all defence? whom from the farthest east
Their weeping mother brings, t'implore his aid?
An Halcyon calm, and o'er all nature spreads
Profuse, his blessings; after the long toils
Of a detested war, resolved to make
Each vanquish'd nation happy. Placed aloft
In the majestic capital he sits
Judging their kings, curbs their oppressive might,
Nor suffers innocence to plead in vain.
Who can more justly claim his generous care
Than my poor children, weak, and destitute
Of all defence? whom from the farthest east
Their weeping mother brings, t'implore his aid?
Their lives to save, this anxious heart compose,
And end my miseries, hope looks up to thee:
Thee only I invoke, and that pure soul
With noblest ardour ever prompt to guard
Plain unsuspecting virtue. Thee alone,
To whom is due that even now I breathe
This vital air. Oh, give me to escape
Far from this fatal land; to thee, my mother,
My sons, all, all I trust. The murderer's steel
Is raised to strike at innocence, Oh, shield it
From the dire blow.—No answer! Say what means
That clouded aspect? Wherefore silent still?
Ah! I perceive th'intreating voice of woe
Must suffer a repulse.
And end my miseries, hope looks up to thee:
Thee only I invoke, and that pure soul
With noblest ardour ever prompt to guard
Plain unsuspecting virtue. Thee alone,
To whom is due that even now I breathe
This vital air. Oh, give me to escape
Far from this fatal land; to thee, my mother,
My sons, all, all I trust. The murderer's steel
Is raised to strike at innocence, Oh, shield it
From the dire blow.—No answer! Say what means
That clouded aspect? Wherefore silent still?
Ah! I perceive th'intreating voice of woe
Must suffer a repulse.
SOHEMUS.
No—I revere
Thy orders, and implicitly obey.
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To distant Italy; dispose of them,
Of me dispose, my heart, my life is thine.
Fly the vindictive monarch; break at once
These inauspicious ties; his punishment
Will equal all his crimes, shouldst thou forsake him,
Banish'd by his injustice, ne'er again
Shall he that form survey, and well I feel
No anguish like to this can rack the soul.
Forgive me, from my lips th'expression fell
Involuntary; the sharp pang of grief
At losing thee, hath forced the secret from me.
It is disclosed, nor can it be recall'd.
But spite of all my weakness, know respect
With the soft impulse intimately blended,
Inspires my bosom, every wish love breathes,
Is to protect thee, to adore thy virtues,
Avenge thy cause, and die.
MARIAMNE.
I thought, alas!
Nor hesitated in the firm belief,
That not my interest only, but my glory
Was to Sohemus dear; when to preserve
My threaten'd life he watch'd these haunts of danger,
I thought compassion was the noble motive;
Little did I suspect a guilty flame
Would add new horrors to the weight of those
Which press me to the earth; or in the midst.
Of numerous perils, that I e'er should blush
At thy benignant care, and dread thy bounty.
Yet tho' thy words have struck me to the soul
My thanks, my gratitude are thine. All hope
Is lost; for ever will I shun thy presence.
I will forget thy passion, not thy virtue.
Nor will reflect on thee but as a hero,
Whose magnanimity till now deserved
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This may be altered, I shall therefore leave thee
That I may hold it in my mind unshaken.
SOHEMUS.
Stay, Mariamne, know I still deserve it.
Thy glory speaks, I hear no other sound;
For it, for thee, I offer up myself
A willing sacrifice, fired by thy virtue
I too can imitate the bright example,
Thee only have I fled, and will again
Fly from thy sight. I bid farewel for ever
To this abhorred court. Or here remain
If needful, to convince thee of my truth,
Redouble my respect, but ne'er incur
Those censures more, which coming from thy lips
O'erwhelm'd my soul with shame. Indifferent
To every object but what thee concerns,
I'll hazard all, and dare th'extreme of fate.
My faithful troops shall guide thee wheresoe'er
Thy will directs; within these walls some power
I yet retain; the jealous tyrant's vengeance
Affrights not me; but should his sword prevail,
In thy defence 'twere glorious to expire;
To think in my last hour I bled for thee,
And to my life preferr'd thy dearer fame.
MARIAMNE.
Enough; I harbour not the least suspicion.
The generosity which prompts thy deeds
Will never to unworthy passions stoop
Soiling their purity. Yes, I will owe
Still more to thee, and make the sum complete.
But for my sake thou hurriest on to death,
Exposed by me; in thy illustrious steps
How can I tread? How can I tarry here?
My soul confesses and admires thy virtue.
SOHEMUS.
Nay, rather by thy mother's tears be guided,
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By thy own danger, not what threatens me.
This is no time to trifle with the tyrant,
All must be hazarded; that he is king
I know it well, but Cæsar is his judge.
Surrounded here by perils, Rome alone
Is thy asylum.—Yet, Oh! bear in mind,
The more Sohemus feels thy beauty's power,
The greater is his victory o'er himself;
That by the kindred ties of royal blood
We are united; and that heaven hath form'd
My heart deserving thine.
MARIAMNE.
I doubt it not.
And in the depth of my despair consult
The Power Supreme, my honour and my duty.
SOHEMUS.
To them do I appeal, their guidance follow;
They from the murderer's hands will rescue thee.
| Mariamne | |