MASINISSA

You powers of joy: Gods of a happy bed Show you are pleased, sister and wife of Jove High fronted Juno and thou Carthage Patron Smooth chind Apollo, both give modest heat And temperate graces. Jove made us not to fear, resolve, speak out The highest misery of man is doubt: Speak Carthalo. He is nor blessed nor honest that can fear. To doubt of what shall be is wretchedness Desire, Fear, and Hope, receive no bound By whom, we in our selves are never but beyond. On. You Carthage Lords: know Massinissa knows Not only terms of honour: but his actions Nor must I now enlarge how much my cause Hath dangerd Carthage but how I may show My self most pressed to satisfaction The loathsome stain of Kings Ingratitude From me Oh much be far, and since this torrent Wars rage admits no Anchor: since the billow Is risen so high we may not hull but yield This ample state to stroke of speedy swords What you with sober hast hath well decreed Weel put to sudden arms: no not this night These dainties this first fruits of nuptials That well might give excuse for feeble lingerings Shall hinder Massivissa. Appetite Kisses, loves, dalliance and what softer joys The Venus of the pleasingst ease can minister I quit you all: Virtue perforce is Vice But he that may, yet holds, is manly wise Lo then you Lords of Carthage, to your trust I leave all Massinissas treasure by the oath Of right good men stand to my fortune joust. Most hard it is for great hearts to mistrust. No do not swear. I was not born so small to doubt or fear. Peace my ears are steel I must not hear thy much enticing voice. By light, my hearts not pale: Oh my loved father, We bleed for Carthage Balsum to my wounds, We bleed for Carthage: shals restore the fight? My squadron of Massulians yet stands firm. Thy continued ̄ forts good Forbear, how art thou called? Nephew continued ̄ manned Massinissa begins to drane. Our troops of horse make indisgracde retreat, Trot easy off: not poor: Jugurth give charge, My soldiers stand in square battalions, Exit Jugurth. Entirely of themselves: Gisco th'art old, 'Tis time to leave off murder, thy faint breath. Scarce heaves thy ribs, thy gummy blood-shut eyes, Are sunk a great way in thee, thy lank skin, Slides from thy fleshlesh veins: be good to men, Judge him ye Gods, I had not life to kill So base a Creature, hold Gisco () live, The Godlike partly of Kings is to forgive, Jugurth pluck Pluck, so, good cuz. Let not the virtue of the world suspect Sad Massinissas faith: nor once continued ̄ demne Our just revolt: Carthage first gave me life, His ground gave food, his air first lent me breath The Earth was made for men, not men for Earth. Scipio I do not thank the Gods for life, Much less vile men, or earth: know best of Lords, It is a happy being breath well famed, For which Jove sees these thus; Men be not fooled With piety to place: traditions fear, A joust men country Jove makes every where. Oh Gel. For thee full eyes Oh Scipio my grief for him may be expressd by tears But for the rest silence & secret anguish Shall wast: shall wast:— Scipio he that can weep, Grieves not Like me private deep inward drops Of blood: my heart—for Gods rights give me leave To be a short time Man. I cease; Forgive if I forget thy presence: Scipio Thy face makes Massinissa more then man, And here before your steady power a vow As firm as fate I make: when I desist To be commanded by thy virtue, ( Scipio ) Or fallen from friend of Rome's, revenging Gods Afflict me worth your torture: I have given Of passion and of faith my heart. With mine? no Scipio, Libea hath poison, asps, knives, & to much earth To make one graven, with mine? not, she can die, Scipio, with mine? Jove say it thou dost lie. But she is my wife. And yet she's more I do not praise Gods goodness but adore. Gods cannot fallen, and for their constant goodness (Which is necessited) they have a crown Of never ending pleasures: but faint man (Framed to have his weakness made the heavens glow ry If he with steady virtue holds all seidge That power, that speech, that pleasure, that full sweets A world of greatness can assail him with, Having no pay but self wept misery, And beggars treasure heaped, that man I'll praise Above the Gods. By that by which all is, Proportion, I speak with thought. Forgive my admiration You touched a string to which my sense was quick, Can you but think? do, do; my grief! my grief Would make a Saint blaspheme: give some relief, As thou art Scipio forgive that I forget, I am a Soldier; such woes Jove's ribs would burst, Few speak less ill that feel so much of worst. My ear attends Scipio, let Massinissa clip thy knees; May once these eyes view Syphax? shall this arm Once make him feel his sinue? Oh ye Gods My cause, my cause! Justice is so huge odds That he who with it fears, Heaven must renounce In his creatio ̄ . Ye powers I challenge conquest to just arms. With a full flourish of Cornettes they depart. Give the word stand. give way Scipio by thy great name, but greater virtue, By our eternal love give me the chance Of this days battle: Let not thy envied fame Vouchsafe appose the Roman legious Against one weakened Prince of Lybea This quarrels mine: mine be the stroke of fight Let us and Syphax hurl our well forced darts Each unto others breast, Oh (what should I say) Thou beyond epithet thou whom proud Lords of fortune May even envy: (alas my joys so vast Makes me seem lost let us thunder and lightning Strike from our brave arms, look, look, seize that hill. Hark he comes near: From thence discern us strike Fire worth Jove, mount up, and not repute Me very proud though wondrous resolute. My cause: my cause, is my bold heartening ods, That seeuen fold shield, just arms should fright the Gods Syphax. Be betwixt us too Let single fight try all. Well granted Of you my stars as I am worthy you I implore aid, and Oh if angels wait Upon good hearts my Genius be as strong As I am joust. Give day Gods, life and death To him that only fears blaspheming breath For Sophonisba. Lives Sophonisba yet unstained, speak joust Yet ours unforced? Rise, rise, cease strife. Hear a most deep revenge, from us take life. Cornets sounded a march Scipio & Lelius Enter, Scipio passes to his thron Massinissa prese ̄ ts Syphax to Scipios feet Cornets sounding a flo rish. To you all power of strength: and next to thee Thou spirit of triumph born for victory. I heave these hands: March we to Cirta straight, My Sophonisba with swift hast to win In honour & in love all mean is sin Ex. Ma. & Jug. March to the Palace. So What ere man thou art Of Libea, thy fair arms speak: give heart, To amazed weakness, hear her, that for long time, Hath seen no wished light. Sophonisba, A name for misery much known, 'tis she, Intreats of thy graced sword, this only boon, Let me not kneel to Room, for though no cause, Of mine deserves their hate, though Massinissa, Be ours to heart, yet Roman Generals Make proud their triumphs, with what ever captives Oh 'tis a Nation which from soul I fear, As one well knowing the much grounded hate, They bear to Asdrubal and Carthage blood, Therefore with tears that wash thy feet, with hands Unused to beg I clasp thy manly knees, Oh save me from their fetters and contempt, Their proud insults, and more then insolence, Or if it rest not in thy grace of breath, To grant such freedom, give me long wished death, For 'tis not much loathde life, that now we crave, Only and unshamed death, and silent graven We will now dame to bend for. Rarity Mass. disarms his head. By thee and this right hand thou shalt live free. Stay the sword. Let slaughter cease, Sounds soft as Leda's breast, Soft Music. Slide through all ears, this night be loves high feast, She is overcome with joy. Peace, A silent thinking makes full joys increase. Lelius. Stand off Sophonisba? Sophonisba? She killed not Scipios father nor his uncle, Great Cneius. 'Tis cross to honour. Lelius. We now are in Rome's power, Lelius, View Massinissa do, a loathed act, Most sinking from that state his heart did keep, Look Lelius look, see Mass inissa weep, Know I have made a vow more deer to me, Then my souls endless being: she shall rest, Free from Rome's bondage. Lelius enough: Salute the Roman, tell him we will act What shall amaze him. She shall arrive there straight. and Scipio: Have I lived Oh Heavens, To be inforcedly perfidious? Would, the cause? Let's see, wreathe back thine arms, bend down thy neck Practice base Prayers, make fit thy self for bondage, Bondage, Roman bondage. How then have I vowed well to Scipio? Right which way Run mad impossible distraction, Wilt thou be slaved, How then keep I my faith? Thou darest not die, some wine, thou darest not die. Speak sweet. Covetous Fame greedy Lady, could no scope of glory, No reasonable proportion of goodness Fill thy great breast, but thou must prove immense Incomprehence in virtue, what wouldst thou, Not only be admire, but even adore? Oh glory ripe for heaven? Sirs help, help, help, Let us to Scipio with what speed you can. For piety make haste, while yet we are man. General. Do not, do notilet not the fright of Nations Know so vile terms. She rests at thy dispose Starve thy lean Hope's, and Roman now behold A sighed would sad the Gods? make Phaebus cold. Orgaine and Recorders play to a single voice: Enter in the mean time the mournful solemnity of Massinissas presenting Sophon. body: Look Scipio, see what hard shift we make To keep our vows; here, take I yield her thee, And Sophonisba I keep vow thou art still free. Thou whom Like sparkling steel the strokes of Chance Made hard and firm; and Like wild fire turned The more cold fate, more bright thy virtue burned, And in whole seas of Misery's didst flame. On theelou'd creature of a deathless fame Massinissa adorns Sophonisba Rest all my honour: Oh thou for whom I drink So deep of grief, that he must only think, Not dare to speak) that would express my woe, Small rivers murmur, deep gulfs silent flow, My grief is here, not here, heave gently then, Women's right wonder, and joust shame of men. Lo I unloose thy waste She that is joust in love is Godlike chaste: Old Lord spare thy hay S What dost thou think baldness will cure thy grief What decree the Senate? Wondrous creature, even fit for Gods not men Nature made all the rest of thy fair sex As weak essays, to make thee a pattern Of what can be in woman. Long Farewell. He's sure unconquered in whom thou dost dwell Carthage Palladium. See that glorious lamp Whose lifefull presence gives sudden flight To fancies, togs, fears, sleep, and slothful night Spreads day upon the world: march swift amain Fame God with lose of breath is godlike gain. Mount us again, give us another horse Oh Jugurth I cannot bleed too fast. too much For that so great, so joust so royal Carthage My wound smarts not, bloods lose makes me not faint For that lou'de City, Oh Nephew let me tell thee, How good that Carthage is: it nourishde me, And when full time gave me fit strength for love, The most adored creature of the city. To us before great Syphax did they yield, Fair, noble, modest, and above all, my, My Sophonisba, Oh Jugurth my strength doubles I know not how to turn a coward, drop In feeble baseness, I cannot: give me horse, Know I am Carthage very creature, and I am graced, That I may bleed for them: give me fresh horse. Oh Jugurth, fie you must not say so, Jugurth, Some common weals may let a noble heart, Too forward bleeds abroad and bleed bemond, But not revenged at home, but Carthage, fie It cannot be ungrate, faithless through fear, It cannot Jugurth: Sophonisba's there, Beatrice a fresh charge. Um, Gisco, would, touch not mine arm, most only man, to Gelasso. Sirrah, sirrah, art poor? No return. Haste unto Carthage: quit thy abject fears, Massinissa knows no use of murderers. Speak, speak, let terror strike slaves mute. Much danger makes great hearts most resolute, Not Jugurth no, now all my flesh is steel. Why wast thou born at Carthage, Oh my fate Divinest Sophonisba! I am full Of much complaint, and many passion, The least of which expresd would sad the Gods And strike compassion in most ruthless hell Up unmaimed heart spend all thy grief and rage Upon thy foe: the fields a soldiers stage On which his Actium shows: If you are joust And hate those that contemn you, Oh you Gods Revenge worthy your anger, your anger, Oh, Down man, up heart, stoup Jove and bend thy chin To thy large breast, give sign th'art pleased, and joust Swear, good men's for heads must not print the dust Which we do scorn to fear, to Scipio state Worthy his heart. Now let the forced brass Found on. Cornets found a march Scipio leads his train up to the mount. Jugurth clasp sure our cask Arm us with care, and Jugurth if I fallen Through this days malice, or our father's sins If it in thy sword lie, break up my breast And save my heart that never fell nor's adue To ought but Jove and Sophonisba. Found Stern hartners unto wounds and blood, found loud For we have nam Sophonisba. So. Hark hark, he comes, stand blood, now multiply Force more then fury, found high, found high, we strike For Sophonisba. to her whats Carthage? Scipio, Liu's there no mercy for one soul of Carthage But must see baseness? draws a white ribbon forth of the bed as from the waste of Sopho. Carthage thou straight shalt know Thy favours have been done unto a king. Thank me ye Gods, with much beholdings For mark, I do not curse you: