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Show annick Love, Of, S C ^ l i u ^ y l a f t Duty to you'lct m e pa5 , C * * f e * ^ ! Wl y doft thou then defer my pundhment? I ftoin thofe Gods thou vainly doft Adore : Contemn thy Empire, but thy^Dcd ab on If thou would'ft yet a bloodier Tyrant be, T «,;il Jnftnict thv Rase, begin with me. 1 "Max I T b a n k W ^ t t U doft my Anger move: It is a Tempeft that ^ f ^ f ^ Z u art [ Claps his Hand to his Breaft, I'll null thee hence, clofe hidden as tnou art L / And (hind with m y drawn Sword before m y Heart. Yes you fhall be obey'd, though I am loth, Go and while I can bid you, bind em both. Go', bind 'em,e're m y fit of Love return : Fire fhall quench Fire, and Anger Love fhall burn . Thus I prevent thofe Follies I fhould do , And 'tis the Nobler Fever of the two. _ Fel Torn piece by piece, alas, what horrid Pains! S Cath. Heav'n is all Mercy, who that Death ordairtS, And that which Heav'n thinks beft is furely io: But bare and naked, fhame to undergo, 'Tis fomewhat more than Death 1 Expos'd to lawlefs Eyes I dare not be, M y Modefty is Sacred, Heav'n, to thee. Let not m y Body be the Tyrant's Spoil, Nor Hands, nor Eies thy Purity defile. ; • -; • ^ , ( ; • \ Amariel defends fmftly with a faming Sword, and Jtnftes at thc ] Wheel, which breaks in pieces , then he afcends again. Max. Is this th' effect of all your boafted Skill ? Thefe brittle Toys to execute m y Will, A Puppet-mow of Death I only find, Where I a ftrong and Sinew pain defign'd, By what weak Infant was this Engine wrought? Vol. From Bilbilis the temper'd Steel was brought: Metal more tough the Anvil ne'er did beat, Nor from the Forge did hiffing Waters heat. Placid. I faw a'Youth defeend all Heav'nly Fair, W h o in his Hand a fllaming Sword did bear, And Whirl-wind like, around him drove the Air. At his rais'd Arm the rigid Iron fhook, And, bending backwards, fled before the ftroke. Max. W;hat! Miracles, the tricks of Heav'n tome! I'll try if fhe be wholly Iron-free. If not by Sword, then fhe fhall dye by Fire, And, one by one, her Miracles I'll tire. If proof againft all kind of Deaths fhe be, M y Lov's Immortal, and fhe's fit for me. & Cath. No, Heav'n has fhewn its Pow'r, and now thinks fit, Thee to thy former Fury to remit. Had Providence m y longer Life decreed, Thou from thy Paffion hadft not yet been freed. But Heav'n, which fuffer'd that, m y Faith to prove. N o w to it felf does vindicate m y Love. A Pow'r controuls thee which thou doft not fee. And that's a Miracle it works in thee. Max. The Truth of this new Miracle we'll tn To prove it, you muft take the pains to Die. Brirtg me their Heads Fel. That Mercy, Tyrant, thou deny'ft to me, At thy laft Breath may Heav'n refufe to Thee. M y Fears are going, and I Death can view : i li-e, 1 fee him there thy fteps purfue, ^nt\ Tbe Royal Martyr. 272 And wii h a lifted Ann, and filent Pace, Stalk after thee, juft aiming in his Chace. S. Cath. N o more, dear Mother, ill in Death it (hows Your Peace of Mind by Rage to difcompofe: N o ftreak of Blood ( the Reliqucs of the Earth ) Shall ftain m y Soul in her Immortal Birth- But She fhall mount all Pure, a White, and Virgin Mind- And full of all that Peace which there the °oes&to find. ' • $ £ x ! ^ S ^ a n n e WFeTida, with Valerius a*U Qiiafds. I The S CMN E fnts. Max. She's gone, and pull'd m y Heart-frrings as fhe went. Were Penitence no Shame, I cou'd Repent. Yet 'tis of bad Example fhe fhould live- For I might get th'ill Habit to forgive. Thou foft Seducer of m y Heart, away . W h o lingring, would about its Confines ftay, To watch when fome Rebellion would begin; And ready at each figh to enter in. In vain , for thou Doft on the outfide of the Body play, And, when drawn neareft, fhalt be whirl'd away. W h a t ails me, that I cannot lofe thy Thought! Command the Emprefs hither to be brought; [ Tc Placidius. I in her Death fhall fome Diverfion find, And rid m y Thoughts at once of Woman-kind. Placid, afide. ] 'Tis well he thinks not of Porphyrius yet. [ Exit. Max. H o w hard it is this Beauty to forget! M y ftormy Rage has only fhook m y Will: She crept down lower, but fhe fticks there ftill. Fool that I a m to ftruggle thus with Love! W h y fhould 1 that which pleafes me, remove ? True, She fhould Die, were fhe concern'd alone , But I love, not for her fake, but m y own. Our Gods are Gods, 'caufe they have Pow'r and Will, W h o can do all things, can do nothing 111 , 111 is Rebellion 'gainft fome higher Pow'r, The World may fin, but not its Emperour. M y Emprefs then fhall Die, m y Princefs Live, If this be Sin, I do m y felf forgive. [ Tc him Valerius. Val. Your Will's obey'd, for, mighty Emperor, The Princefs and her Mother are no more. filax. She is not dead? Val. Great Sir, your Will was fo, Max. That was m y Will of half an Hour ago, Jkit now 'tis alter'd, I have chang'd her Fate, She fhall not Die. Val. -Your Pity comes too late. Betwixt her Guards fhe feem'd by Bride-men led, Her Cheeks with cheerful Blufhes were o're-fpread, W h e n , fmiling, to the A x She bow'd her Head. Juft at the ftroke iEtherial Mufick did her Death prepare. Like joyful Sounds of Spoufals in the Air. A radiant Light did her Crown'd Temples gild, And all the place with fragrant Scents was fill'd. The Balmy Mift came thick'nlng to the ground, And Sacred Silence cover'd all around. But when (its work perform'd') th6 Cloud withdrew And Day reftor'd us to each others view, I fought her Head to bring it on m y Spear, In vain I fought it for it was not there. N o part remain d , but from afar our fight Difcover'd in the Air long tracts of Light; Of charming Notes w e heard the laft rebouno '} And Mufick dying in remoter found? Max. |