| OCR Text |
Show ' "7\ranmc{ Love, Or, , , i • c*«nafh is wantins to his Mind, And Bankrupt-like, fay, Trufting him toft »"• ^, P«r. Upbfaided thus what gen rous M a n would live. But Fortune will revenge what you forgive. W h e n I refufe (as in few Hours I muft) This offer'd Grace, your Father will be Juft. Val Be Juft! fay rather he will cruel prove, To kill that only Perfon I can love. Yet fo it is!- . '. Your Int'reft in the Army is fo high, That he muft make you his or you muft Die! afcrapa„fe. It is Refolv'd ! whoe're m y Rival be l^J J r J I'll fhow that I deferve him more than fhe. And if at laft he does ungrateful prove, > f ^ M y Conftancy it felf rewards m y Love. L Por. She's gone, and gazing round about, I fee Nothing but Death, or Glorious Mifery, Here Empire ftands, if I could Love difplace, There, hopelefs Love, with more Imperial Grace, Thus as a finking Heroe compafs'd round, Beckons his braveft Foe for his laft wound, And him into his part of Fame does call, , . I'll turn m y Face to Love, and there I'll fall. [ To him Berenice, Erotion. Ber. I come, Porphyrias to congratulate This happy change of your exalted Fate: You to the Empire are, I hear, defign'd, And fair Valeria muft th'AHiance bind. Por. Would Heav'n had m y Succeffion Co decreed, That I in all might Maximin fucceed ! He offers me th'Imperial Crown, it's true : I would fucceed him, but it is in you. Ber. In m e ! I never did accept your Love, But you, I fee, would handfomely remove. And I can give you leave without a frown : I always thought you merited a Crown. Por. I never fought that Crown, but on your Brow , But you with fuch Indiff'rence would allow M y Change, that you have kill'd me with that Breath : I feel your Scorn cold as the hand of Death. Ber. You'll come to Life in your Valeria's Arms : 'Tis true, I cannot boaft of equal Charms, Or if I could, I never did admit Your Love to me, but only fuffer'd it. I am a Wife, and can make no return, And 'twere but vain, in hopelefs Fires to burn. Por. Unkind! Cart yrou, w h o m only I Ado. Set open to your Slave the Prifon Door ? You ufe my Heart juft as you would afford A fatal Freedom to fome harmlefs Bird, W h o m , Breeding, you ne'r taught to feek its Food, And now let flie to perifh in the Wood. Ber. Then, if you will love on, and difobey, And lofe an Empire for m y fake, you may. L/Jt' Rojal Martyr. W'ill a kind Look from me pay all this fcoie > For you well know you muft expect no more. Por. All I Deferve it will, not all I Wifh : But I will brave the Tyrant's Rage for this. If I refufe, m y Death muft needs enfue , But you fhall fee that I dare Die for you. Ber. W7ould you for <me, • A Beauty and an Empire too deny ? I love you now fo well that you fhall D, Die mine, 'tis all lean with Honour give: Nor fhould you Die, if after, I would Live. But when your Marriage and your Death I view, That makes you falfe, but this will keep you True. Por. Unbind thy Brows, and look abroad lofea O mighty Love, thy mightieft Victory ! Ber. And yet is there no ether way to try 'Tis hard to fay I Love, and let you Die. Por. Yes, there remains fome help, which you mi^ht^ive If you, as I would Die for Love, would Live, Ber. If Death for Love be fweet, fure Life is more : Teach m e the means your fafety to reftore. Por. Your Tyrant the JEgyptian Princefs low And to that height his fwelling Paffion moves, That, fearing in your Death the Soldiers Force, He from your Bed does ftudy a Divorce. Ber. Th' Mgyption Princefs I Deputing heard, And as a Miracle her Mind regard. But yet I with that this Divorce be true. Por. 'Tis, Madam, but it muft be fought by you. By this he will all Mutinies prevent; And this, as well, fecuresyour o w n Content. Ber. I hate this Tyrant, and this Bed I loath ; But, once fubmitting, I am ty'd to both: Ty'd to that Honour, which all W o m e n owe, Though not their Husband's Perfon, yet their Y< Something fo Sacred in that Bond there is, That none ihould think there could be ought amiis: And if there be, we fhould in filence hicTe Thofe Faults, which blame our Choice when tkey are fpy'd. Por. But, fince to all the World his Crimes are known, And, by himfelf the Civil War's begun, Would you th'advantage of the Fight delay, If, ftrikingfirft, you were to win thc Day? Ber. I would, like Jews, upon their Sabbath fall: And, rather than ftrike firft, not ftrike at all. Por. Againft your felf yrou fadly Prophefie: You either this Divorce muft feek,'or Die. Ber. Then Death from all m y Griefs fhall fet m e free. Por. And would you rather chufe your Death, than mc ? Ber. M y Earthy part Which is m y Tyrants Right, Death will remove, I'll c6me all Soul and Spirit to your Love. With filent Steps I'll follow you all day. Or elfe before you in the Sun-Beams play. I'll lead you thence to melancholly Groves. And there repeat the Scenes of our paft Loves. At night, I will within your Curtains peep, W7ith empty Arms embrace you while you Sleep. In gentle Dreams I often will be b y, And fweep along before your clofing Eye. All dangers from your Bed I will remove. But guard it moft from any future Love. And when at laft in pity you will Dye, I'll watch your Birth of Immortality: |
