OCR Text |
Show %% OEDIPUS. But lent by Heaven , upon hard Ufury; And while fove holds us out tke Bowl of Joy , E're it can reach our Lips, 'tis dafli'd with Gall By fome left handed God. O mournful Triumph! O Conqueft gain'd abroad, and loft at home I O zArgos , now rcjoyce , for Thebes lies low ; Thy flaughter'd Sons now Smile , and think chey won , (theirs. W h e n they can count more Theban Gholls than tAdrafi. N o ; iAr%os mourns with Thebes you temper'd fo Your Courage while you fought, that Mercy feem'd The Manlier Venue , and much more prevails, While sArgos is a People, dunk your Thebes Can never want for Subjects : Every Nation Will crowd to icrve, where Oedipus commands, Creon to Hcem.] H o w mean ltfhews, to fawn upon the Victor 1 Hccm. Had you beheld him fight you had faid otherwife: C o m e , 'tis brave bearing in him, not to envy Superiour Virtue. Ocd. This indeed , is Conqueft , T o gain a Friend like you. W h y were we Foes) cAdrafi. 'Caufe w e were Kings , and each dif-dain'd an Equal. I fought to have it in m y power to do W h a t thou haft donej and fo to ufe m y Conciuefl:, T o fliew thee, Honour was m y only Motive. K n o w this, thar were m y Army at thy Gates, And Thtbes thus wafte, I would not take the Gift, Which , like a Toy drop'd from the Hands of Fortune , Lay for the next Chance-comer. Ocd [Embracing.] N o more Captive , But Brother of the W a r : 'Tis much more pleafam, And fafcr, trufl m c , thus to meet thy Love , Than OEDIPUS. 23 Than when hard Gantlets dench'd our Warlike Hands , And kept 'cm from Cofc uCc. cAdrajt. M y Conqueror 1 (alive Oed. M y Friend 1 Thar other N a m e keeps Enmity But longer to detain thee, were a Crime: To Love , and to Eurydice , go free : Such Welcome as a ruin'd T o w n can <*ivc, Expect from m e ; the reft let her fupply. tAdraft. I go without a Blufli , rhough con-quer'd twice ,- By you , and by m y Princefs. [Exit Adraftus. Creon. ^Afide. Then I a m conquer'd thrice ; by Oedipus , And her , and even by him , the Slave of both. Gods ! I a m beholding to you for making mc your Image : Would I could make you mine. [Exit Crcon. Enter the People with Branches in their Hands, holding them up , and Reeling : two Priefls before them. Oed. Alas , m y People ! What means this fpechJefs Sorrow, down-caft Eyes, And lifted Hands ? If there be one among you , W h o m Grief has left a Tongue, fpeak for the reft. 1. Pr. O Father of thy Country ! To thee thefe Knees arc bent, thefe Eyes are lifted, As to a vifible Divinity. A Prince, on w h o m Heav'n fafcly might repofe The bus'nefs of Mankind : for Providence Might on thy Bofom flcep fecure , And leave her Task to thee. But where's the Glory of thy former Ads ? Ev'n that's deftroy'd when none fhall live to fpeakit. Millions of Subjects fhalt thou have , but mute. A People of the Dead ; a crowded Defart: A r•l idnight-filencc at the N o o n of Day B O ^, |