SABINUS

There before, well met. No, SILIUS, we are no good in giners; We want the fine arts, & their thriving use, Should make us graced, or favoured of the times: We have no shift of faces, no cleft tongues, No soft, and glutinous bodies, that can stick, Like snails, on painted walls; or, on our breasts, Creep up, to fallen, from that proud height, to which We did by slavery, not by service, climb. We are no guilty men, and then no great; We have nor place in court, office in state, That we can say, we owe unto our crimes: We burn with no black secrets, which can make Us deer to the pale authors; or live feared Of their still waking jealousies, to raise Our selves a fortune, by subverting theirs. We stand not in the lines, that do advance To that so courted point. Alas! these things Deserve no note, conferred with other vile, And filthier flatteries, that corrupt the times: When, not alone our gentries chief are feign To make their safety from such sordide acts, But all our Consuls , and no little partly Of such as have been Praetors , yea, the most Of Senators (that else not use their voices) Fedarij. Start up in public Senate , and there strive Who shall propound most abject things, and base, So much, as oft Tiberius hath been herd, Leaving the court, to cry O raze of men, Prepared for servitude! which showed, that, he Who least the public liberty could Like, As loathly brooked their flat servility. "Tyrants arts "Are to give flatterers, grace; accusers, power; "That those may seem to kill whom they devour. Now good CREMUTIUS CORDUS. But these our times Are not the same, ARRUNTIUS. Stand by, lord DRUSUS. That fault his age Will, as it grows, correct. Me thinks, he bears Himself, each day, more nobly then other: And wins no less on men's affections, Then does his father loose. Believe me, I love him; And chiefly for opposing to SEIANUS. I know not, for his death, how you might wrest it: But, for his life, it did as much disdain Comparison, with that voluptuous, rash, Giddy, and drunken Macedon's , as mine Does with my bondmans. All the good, in him, (His valour, and his fortune) he made his; But he had other touches of late Romans , That more did speak him: POMPEI'S dignity, The innocence of CATO, CAESAR'S spirit, Wise BRUTUS temperance, and every virtue, Which, parted unto others, gave them name, Flowed mixed in him. He was the soul of goodness: And all our praises of him are Like streams Drawn from a spring, that still rise full, and leave The partly remaining greatest. When men grow fast Honoured, and loved, there is a trick in state (Which jealous princes never fail to use) How to decline that growth, with fair pretext, And honourable colours of employment, Either by embassy, the war, or such, To shift them forth into another air, Where they may purge, and lessen; so was he: And had his secon'ds there, sent by Tiberius, And his more subtle dam, to discontent him; To breed, and cherish mutinies; detract His greatest actions; give audacious check To his commands; and work to put him out In open act of treason. All which snares When his wise cares prevented, a fine poison Was thought on, to mature their practices. And, now, the second face of the whole world. The partner of the empire, hath his image Reared equal with Tiberius, born in ensigns, Command's, disposes every dignity, Centurions, Tribunes, Heads of provinces, Praetors , and Consuls , all that heretofore Rome's general suffrage gave, is now his sale. The gain, or rather spoil, of all the earth, One, and his house, receives. Where, now, he builds, what kind of fort's he please, Is hard to court the soldier, by his name, Wooes, feasts the chiefest men of Actium, Whose wants, not loves, compel them to be his. And, though he never were liberal by kind, Yet, to his own dark ends, he's most profuse, Lavish, and letting fly, he cares not what To his ambition. I do not know The heart of his designs; but, sure, their face Looks farther then the present. You are observed, ARRUNTIUS. Forbear. "When power, that may command, so much descends, "Their bondage, whom it stoops to, it intends. Stay, ARRUNTIUS, We must abide our opportunity: And practice what is fit, as what is needful. "It is not safe enforce a sovereign's ear: "Princes hear well, if they at all will hear. Peace. Contemn the slaves, Their present lives will be their future graves. DRUSUS being dead, Caesar will not be here. Observe, They take their places. SILIUS accused? sure he will answer nobly. WE stand amazed, Father's , to behold This general dejection. Wherefo e fit Rome's Consuls thus dissolved, as they had lost All the remembrance both of style, and place? It not becomes. No woes are of fit weight, To make the honour of the empire stoop: Though I, in my peculiar self, may meet Just reprehension, that so suddenly, And, in so fresh a grief, would greet the Senate , When private tongues, of kinsmen, and allies, (Inspired with comforts) loathly are endured, The face of men not seen, and scarce the day, To thousands, that communicate our lose. Nor can I argue these of weakness; since They take but natural ways: yet I must seek For stronger aides, and those fair helps draw out From warm embraces of the commonwealth. Our mother, great AUGUSTA, 'is struck with time, Our self impressed with aged characters, DRUSUS is gone, his children young, and babes, Our aims must now reflect on those, that may Give timely succour to these present ills, And are our only glad-surviving Hope's, The noble issue of GERMANICUS, NERO, and DRUSUS: might it please the Consul Honour them in, (they both attend without.) I would present them to the Senates care, And raise those suns of joy, that should drink up These floods of sorrow, in your drowned eyes. The princes come. Approach you noble NERO, noble DRUSUS, These princes, Father's , when their parent died, I gave unto their uncle, with this prayer, That, though he had proper issue of his own, He would no less bring up, and foster these, Then that self-blood; and by that act confirm Their worths to him, and to posterity. Worser USUS taken hence, I turn my prayers to you, And, before our country, and our gods, beseech You take, and rule AUGUSTUS nephews sons, Sprung of the noblest ancestors; and so Accomplish both my duty, and your own. NERO, and DRUSUS, (these shall be to you In place of parents, these your father's, these, And not unfitly: For you are so born, As all your good, or ill's the commonwealths. Receive them, you strong guardians; and blessed go`ds Make all their actions answer to their bloods: Let their great titles find increase by them, Not they by titles. Set them, as in place, So in example, above all the Romans: And may they know no rivals, but themselves. Let fortune give them nothing; but attend Upon their virtue: and that still come forth Greater then hope, and better then their fame. Relieve me, Father's, with your general voice. Why, this does render all the rest suspected! It takes away my faith to any thing He shall hereafter speak. He does answer stoutly. 'Twas nobly struck, and home. And bending to the better—Stay, who's this? CREMUTIUS CORDUS? what? is he brought in? With good temper, I Like him, that he is not moved with passion. It's true when (contrary) the punishment Of wit, does make the authority increase. Nor do they ought, that use this cruelty Of interdiction, and this rage of burning; But purchase to themselves rebuke, and shame, And to the writers and eternal name. They must be patient, so must we. Nay, when our table, yea our bed assaults Our peace, and safety? when our writings are, By any envious instruments (that dare Apply them to the guilty) made to speak What they will have, to fit their tyrannous wreak? When ignorance is scarcely innocence: And knowledge made a capital offence? When not so much, but the bore empty shade Of liberty, is reft us? and we made, The prey to greedy Vultures , and vile spies, That first transfix us with their murdering eyes? 'Twere better stay, In lasting darkness, and despair of day. No ill should force the subject undertake Against the sovereign; more then hell should make The gods do wrong. A good man should, and must Fit rather down with lose, then rise unjust. Though, when the Romans first did yield themselves To one men power, they did not mean their lives, Their Fortune's, and their liberties, should be His absolute spoil, as purchased by the sword. Now you touch A point indeed, wherein he shows his art, As well as power. Yes, those are things removed: I nearer look't, Into his later practice, where he stands Declared a master in his mystery. First, ere Tiberius went, he wrought his fear, To think that AGRIPPINA sought his death. Then put those doubts in her; sent her oft word, Under the show of friendship, to beware Of Caesar, for he laid to poison her: Drove them to frowns, to mutual jealousy's, Which, now, in visible hatred are burst out. Since, he hath had his hired instruments To work on NERO, and to heave him up; To tell him CAESAR'S old; That all the people, Yea, all the army have their eyes on him; That both do long to have him undertake Something of worth, to give the world a hope; Bids him to court their grace; the easy youth, Perhaps, gives ear, which straight he writes to Caesar; And with this comment: See yoned dangerous boy, Note but the practice of the mother, there, She's tying him, for purposes at hand, With men of sword. Here's Caesar put in fright against son, and mother. Yet, he leaves not thus. The second brother DRUSUS (a fierce nature, And fitter for his snares, because ambitious, And full of envy) him he clasp's, and hugs, Poisons with praise, tells him what hearts he wears, How bright he stands in popular expectance; That Room does suffer with him, in the wrong His mother does him, by preferring NERO: Thus sets he them asunder, each against other, Projects the course, that serves him to condemn, Keeps in opinion of a friend to all, And all drives on to ruin. Would he might ever sleep, Bogged in his filthy lustest. Am I then catched? Spies of this head! so white! so full of years! Well, my most reverend monsters, you may live To see your selves thus snared. You do well, My most officious instruments of state; Men of all uses: Drag me hence, away. The year is well begun, and I fallen fit, To be and offering to SEIANUS. Go. It shall not needs. Forbear your rude assault, The fault's not shameful villainy makes a fault.