And conquer all example, in thy one.
Nor let thy thought find any vacant time
To hate an old, but still a fresher crime
Drowne the remembrance : let not mischiefe cease,
But, while it is in punishing, encrease.
Conscience, and care die in thee; and be free
Not heau'n it selfe from thy impietie:
Let night grow blacker with thy plots; and day,
At shewing but thy head forth, start away
From this halfe-spheare and leaue Romes blinded walls
T'embrace lusts, hatreds, slaughters, funeralls,
And not recouer sight, till their owne flames
Doe light them to their ruines. All the names
Of thy confederates, too, be no lesse great
In hell, then here: that, when we would repeat
Our strengths in muster, we may name you all,
And Furies, vpon you, for Furies call.
Whilst, what you doe, may strike them into feares,
Or make them grieue, and wish your mischiefe theirs.
is decree'd. Nor shall thy Fate, Ô Rome,
Resist my vow. Though hills were set on hills,
And seas met seas, to guard thee; I would through :
I, plough vp rocks, steepe as the Alpes, in dust;
And laue the Tyrrhene waters, into clouds;
But I would reach thy head, thy head, proud citie.
The ills, that I haue done, cannot be safe
But by attempting greater; and I feele
A spirit, within me, chides my sluggish hands,
And sayes, they haue beene innocent too long.
71 may] doth Q1, Q2. LINE rises, and comes forward. I'd 1716, W.
Was I a man, bred great, as Rome her selfe ?
One, form'd for all her honors, all her glories?
85 Equall to all her titles? that could stand
Close vp, with ATLAS; and sustaine her name
As strong, as he doth heau'n? And, was I
Of all her brood, mark'd out for the repulse
By her no voice, when I stood Candidate,
90 To be commander in the Pontick warre ?
I will, hereafter, call her step-dame, euer.
If shee can loose her nature, I can loose
My pietie; and in her stony entrailes
Dig me a seate: where, I will liue, againe,
95 The labour of her wombe, and be a burden,
Weightier then all the prodigies, and monsters,
That shee hath teem'd with, since shee first knew MARS.
7 Ho's there? AVR. 'Tis I. CAT. AVRELIA? AVR. Yes. CAT. Appeare,
And breake, like day, my beautie, to this circle:
Vpbraid thy Phoebus, that he is so long
In mounting to that point, which should giue thee
Thy proper splendor. Wherefore frownes my sweet?
(He kisseth Haue I too long beene absent from these lips, them.) This cheeke, these eyes? What is my trespasse ? speake. AVR. It seemes, you know, that can accuse your
CAT. I will redeeme it. AVR. Still, you say so.
When?
CAT. When ORESTILLA, by her bearing well
These my retirements, and stolne times for thought,
Shall giue their effects leaue to call her Queene
Enter AURELIA ORESTILLA. S. D.-G. 97 That] What Q2. 98 Appeare] QI wrongly assigns this speech to AVR. 104 [Kisses them.] inserted by G. after eyes?
Of all the world, in place of humbled Rome.
You court me, now. CAT. As I would
alwayes, Loue,
By this ambrosiack kisse, and this of nectar,
Wouldst thou but heare as gladly, as I speake.
Could my AVRELIA thinke, I meant her lesse ;
When, wooing her, I first remou'd a wife,
And then a sonne, to make my bed, and house
Spatious, and fit t'embrace her? These were deeds
Not t'haue begun with, but to end with more,
And greater: "He that, building, stayes at one
"Floore, or the second, hath erected none.
'Twas how to raise thee, I was meditating;
To make some act of mine answere thy loue:
That loue, that, when my state was now quite sunke,
Came with thy wealth, and weigh'd it vp againe,
And made my 'emergent-fortune once more looke
Aboue the maine; which, now, shall hit the starres,
And stick my ORESTILLA, there, amongst 'hem,
If any tempest can but make the billow,
And any billow can but lift her greatnesse.
But, I must pray my loue, shee will put on
Like habites with my selfe. I haue to doe
With many men, and many natures. Some,
That must be blowne, and sooth'd; as LENTVLVS,
Whom I haue heau'd, with magnifying his bloud,
And a vaine dreame, out of the SYBILL'S bookes,
That a third man, of that great family,
Whereof he is descended, the CORNELII,
Should be a king in Rome: which I haue hir'd
The flatt'ring AVGVRES to interpret him,
CINNA, and SYLLA dead. Then, bold CETHEGVS, 140 Whose valour I haue turn'd into his poyson,
And prais'd so into daring, as he would
Goe on vpon the gods, kisse lightning, wrest The engine from the CYCLOP'S, and giue fire 145 At face of a full cloud, and stand his ire:
When I would bid him moue. Others there are,
Whom enuy to the state drawes, and puts on,
For contumelies receiu'd, (and such are sure ones)
As CVRIVS, and the fore-nam'd LENTVLVS,
150 Both which haue beene degraded, in the Senate,
[687] And must haue their disgraces, still, new rub'd,
To make 'hem smart, and labour of reuenge.
Others, whom meere ambition fires, and dole
Of prouinces abroad, which they haue fain'd
155 To their crude hopes, and I as amply promis'd:
These, LECCA, VARGVNTEIVS, BESTIA, AVTRO-
NIVS.
Some, whom their wants oppresse, as th' idle Captaynes
Of SYLLA'S troops: and diuers Roman Knights
(The profuse wasters of their patrimonies)
160 So threatned with their debts as they will, now,
Runne any desperate fortune, for a change.
These, for a time, we must relieue, AVRELIA,
And make our house the safe-guard: like, for those,
That feare the law, or stand within her gripe,
165 For any act past, or to come. Such will
From their owne crimes, be factious, as from ours.
Some more there be, slight ayrelings, will be wonne,
With dogs, and horses; or, perhaps, a whore;
Which must be had: and, if they venter liues,
170 For vs, AVRELIA, we must hazard honors
A little. Get thee store, and change of women,
As I haue boyes; and giue 'hem time, and place,
And all conniuence: be thy selfe, too, courtly;
163 the] their Q1. safe-guard] saue-gard QI.
And entertayne, and feast, sit vp, and reuell;
Call all the great, the faire, and spirited Dames
Of Rome about thee; and beginne a fashion
Of freedome, and community. Some will thanke thee,
Though the sowre Senate frowne, whose heads must ake
In feare, and feeling too. We must not spare
Like one of IVNO'S or of IOVE'S disguises,
In either thee, or mee: and will as soone,
When things succeed, be throwne by, or let fall,
As is a vaile put off, a visor chang'd,
Or the scene shifted, in our theatres
Who's that? It is the voyce of LENTVLVS.
AVR. Or of CETHEGVS. CAT. In, my faire
And thinke vpon these arts. They must not see,
How farre you are trusted with these priuacies;
Though, on their shoulders, necks, and heads you rise. 190
T is, me thinks, a morning, full of fate!
It riseth slowly, as her sollen carre
Had all the weights of sleepe, and death hung at it!
She is not rosy-finger'd, but swolne black!
Her face is like a water, turn'd to bloud,
And her sick head is bound about with clouds,
As if shee threatned night, ere noone of day!
It does not looke, as it would haue a haile,
Or health, wish'd in it, as on other mornes.
CET. Why, all the fitter, LENTVLVS: our comming
185 [Noise within. S. N.-G. Q1, Q2 om. direction.
are] you're-G.
190 [exit Aurelia. S. N.-G.
Enter LENTULUS, in discourse with CETHEGUS.
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