in The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla — Lodge, Thomas
Metadata
Play
The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla
Author
Lodge, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1594
First performance
1588
Decade
1590s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Admiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)
Fauor: | Fauorinus: | Fauorinu • : | Lucius:
Words
309
Characters
1725
Typicality
0.24 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06184
BritDrama no.
802
Cluster
Cluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
If he have slain thy father and thy friends, The greater honour shall betide the deed: For to revenge on righteous estimate, Beseems the honour of a French men name. Why what delays are these, why gaze you thus? Ah my Pausanius I have often herd, That yonder Marius in his infancy Was born to greater Fortune's than we deem: For being scarce from out his cradle crept, And sporting prettily with his compears, On sudden seven young Eagles soared amain, And kindly perched upon his tender lap. His parents wondering at this strange event, Took counsel of the Souters in this, Who told them that these seuenfolded Eagles flight, Before figured his seven times Consulship: And we our selves (except bewitched with pride) Have seen him six times in the Capitol Accompanied with rods and axes too. And some divine instinct so presseth me, That soar I tremble till I set him free. Fortune vouchsafe thy many cares to end. Exe. Oh Marius, thou thy self, thy son, thy friends, Are banished and exiles out of Room, Proclaimed for traitors, rest of your estates, Adiudgde to death with certain warrantise. should then so small a town my Lord as this, Hazard their Fortune's to supply your wants? Great is the hire and little is the pain, Make therefore quick dispatch, and look for gain. See where he lies in drawing on his death, Whose ies by gentle slumber sealed up, Present no dreadful visions to his heart. Far be it Marius from our thoughts or hands To wrong the man protected by the Gods: Live happy (Marius) so thou leave our town. How gladly would we succour you my Lord, But that we fear. Why my Pausanius, what imports these words? A barbarous act to wrong the men that trust, Yet all successions will us disco mend. Exeunt.
Plot summary
Plot — The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla
King Mithridates has defied Roman power in Asia Minor, and the consul Sulla has been selected by lot to take reprisals. But Sulla lingers with the army in Capua, and the Senate votes to transfer the command to Marius, a more experienced soldier. Sulla invades the Senate with his troops and threatens to uphold his rights with violence. The senators take sides, and a civil war follows. Sulla is victorious; Marius takes refuge at Minturnum. Sulla proscribes Marius and his allies as traitors, and leads the army to Asia Minor. Marius is warned that his hosts plot his murder, but accepts his fate and goes to sleep. The assassin, Pedro, is unable to go through with the killing, so the magistrates simply ask Marius to leave town. He flees to Africa, and lives in the mountains on a diet of roots. Marius’ son comes to recall him to Rome: the new consul, Cinna, is sympathetic to him. But Sulla returns victorious from the east, and attempts to prevent his rival from entering Italy. Nevertheless Marius reaches Rome, and begins to settle old scores with violence. Cinna deposes and murders his fellow consul Octavius, Marius’ enemy, and Marius is appointed to fill the vacancy. Sulla is proscribed and his property confiscated, and Marius sends his son to engage Sulla’s army in battle. Sulla’s wife and daughter are arrested as they attempt to leave Rome; Marius threatens them with death, but then sends them honourably back to Sulla. Marius dies in office. After a bloody battle, Sulla enters Rome victorious and compiles an extensive death-list of his enemies. Young Marius holes up in Praeneste, the last stronghold of resistance, but after a siege he concedes the inevitable and commits suicide; Sulla’s forces conquer the city and put the inhabitants to the sword. Sulla is proclaimed dictator, and insists that the appointment be made perpetual; but he soon finds that supreme power brings with it a troubled mind, and resigns the office. He plans to retire to the country, but a spirit appears with a prophecy of his death. He takes his leave of his family, and is buried with great pomp.