PISANDER

Sir the General Timoleon by his Trumpets hath given warning For a remove. I shall Sir. Exit Pisander. Stay Cymbrio, and Gracculo. Meet me to morrow night, near to the Grove Neighbouring the East partly of the City. And bring the rest of our Condition with you, I have something to impart, may break our fetters, If you dare second me. Think on't, and prosper. Exeunt. Most sprightfully. It'll take, I warrant thee. No more. Enter Cimbrio, Gracculo, and Slaves. More wine, pray thee drink hard, friend, And when we are hight, what ever I propound, Second with vehemency: men of your words, all welcome, Slaves use no ceremony, fit down, here's a health, The better, Strong, lusty wine: drink deep, this juice will make us As free as our Lords. Drinks. Pish, for that We'll talk anon: another rouse, we lose time, Drinks. When our low blood's wound up a little higher, I'll offer my design; nay, we are cold yet, These Glasses contain nothing; do me right, Takes the Bottle. As ever you hope for liberty. It's done bravely, How do you feel your selves now? And age, Boys, And yet defy the Whip, if you are men, Or dare believe, you have souls. Our Lords are no Gods? But subject to Cold, hunger, and diseases. Equal nature fashioned us All in one mould: The Bear serves not the Bear, Nor the Wolf, the Wolf; 'twas ods of strength in tyrants, That plucked the first link from the Golden chain With which that thing of things bound in the world. Why then, since we are taught, by their examples, To love our Liberty, if not Command, Should the strong serve the weak, the fair deformed ones? Or such as know the cause of things, pay tribute To ignorant fools? All's but the outward gloss And politic form, that does distinguish us. Cymbrio, thou art a strong man; if in place Of carrying burdens, thou hadst been trained up In Martial discipline, thou mightest have proved A General, fit to led and fight for Sicily, As fortunate as Timolcon. Thou, Gracculo, Hast fluency of Language, quick conceit, And I think, covered with a Senators robe, Formally set on the Bench, thou wouldst appear As brave a Senator. It's spoke nobly, And Like a Gown-man, none of these, I think too, But would prove good Burghers. Is it not pity then, Men of such eminent virtues, should be Slaves? 'Tis your folly, daring men Command, and make their fates. Say, at this instant, I marked you out a way to Liberty; Possessed you of those blessings, our proud Lords So long have surfeited in; and what is sweetest, Arm you with power, by strong hand to revenge Your stripes, your unregarded toil, the pride, The insolency, of such as tread upon Your patient sufferings; fill your famished mouths, With the fat and plenty of the Land; redeem you From the dark vale of Servitude, and seat you Upon a hill of happiness; what would you do To purchase this and more? Be resolute men, You shall run no such hazard, nor groan under The burden of such crying sins. Thus then, our proud Master's; And all the able Freemen of the City Are gone unto the wars, Their Arsenal, their Treasure's in our power, If we have hearts to seize they, if our Lords fallen In the present Actium, the whole country's ours; Say they return victorious, we have means To keep the Town against them: at the worst To make our own conditions: now if you dare fallen on their Daughters, and their wives, break up Their Iron Chests, banquet on their rich Beds, And carve your selves of all delights and pleasures You have been barred from, with one voice cry with me, Liberty, Liberty. Go then, and take possession; use all freedom, But shed no blood: so this is well begun, But not to be commended, til't be done. Exeunt omnes. Why, think you, that I plot against my self? Fear nothing, you are safe, these thick-skinned slaves, (I use as instruments to serve my ends) Pierce not my deep designs: nor shall they dare To lift and arm against you. 'Tis true, In what is rashly undertook. Long since I have considered seriously their nature's Proceeded with mature advise, and know I hold their will, and faculties in more awe Then I can do my own. Now for their Licence, And riot in the City, I can make A joust defence, and use: it may appear too A politic prevention of such ills As might with greater violence, and danger hereafter be attempted; though some smart for't, It matters not: how ever, I am resolved; And sleep you with security. Holds Cleora Constant to her rash vow? Guide her hither, And make her understand the slaves revolt. And with your utmost eloquence enlarge Their insolence, and Rapes done in the City, Forget not to, I am their chief, and tell her You strongly think my extreme dotage on her, As I am Marullo, caused this sudden uproar, To make way to enjoy her. I share in The pleasure, though I am absent. This is some Revenge for my disgrace. I will among they, But must not long be absent. He that advances Enter Pisander speaking at the door. A foot beyond this, comes upon my sword You have had your ways, disturb not mine. Now love inspire me! Still shall this Canopy of envious night Obscure my Suns of comfort? and those dainties Of purest white and read, which I take in at My greedy eyes, denied my famished senses? The Organs of your hearing yet are open; And you infringe no vow, though you vouchsafe, To give them warrant, to convey unto Your understanding parts the story of A tortured and despairing Lover, whom Cleora shakes. Not Fortune but affection marks your slave. Shake not, best Lady; for (belee it) you are As far from danger as I am from force. All violence I'll offer, tends no farther Then to relate my sufferings, which I dare not Presume to do, till by some gracious sign You show, you are pleased to hear me. He removed, By occasion of the war (my fires increasing By being closed, and stopped up) frantic affection prompted me to do something in his absence, That might deliver you into my power, Which you see is effected, and even now, When my rebellious passion chide my dulness, And tell me how much I abuse my Fortune's; Now it's in my power to bear you hence, Cleora starts. Or take my wishes here, (nay, fear not Madam True love's a servant, brutish lust a Tyrant) I dare not touch those viands, that never taste well, But when they are freely offered: only thus much, Be pleased I may speak in my own deer cause, And think it worthy your consideration. I have loved truly, (cannot say deserved, Since duty must not take the name of merit) That I so far prize your content, before All blessings, that my Hope's can fashion to me, That willingly I entertain despair, And for your sake embrace it. For I know, This opportunity lost, by no endeavour The Like can be recovered. To conclude, Forget not, that I loose my self, to save you. For what can I expect, but death and torture The war being ended? and, what is a task Would trouble Hercules to undertake, I do deny you to my self, to give you A pure unspotted present to my rival. I have said, if it distaste not, best of Virgins, Reward my temperance with some lawful favour, Though you contemn my person. Cleora kneels, then puls off her Glove, and offers her hand to Pisander. I am paid for all my sufferings. Now when you please, pass to your private Chamber: My love, and duty, faithful guards, shall keep you From all disturbance; and when you are sated With thinking of Leosthenes, as a fee Endue to my service, spare one sighs for me. What a true mirror Were this sad spectacle for secure greatness! Here they that never see themselves, but in The Glass of servile flattery, might behold The weak foundation upon which they built, That trust in humane frailty. Happy are those, That knowing in their births, they are subject to Uncertain change, are still prepared, and armed For either fortune: A rare principle, And with much labour, learned in wisdoms school! For as these Bondmen by their actions show, That their prosperity, Like too too large a Sail For their small bark of judgement; Sinks them with A foreright gale of liberty, ever they reach The Port they long to touch at: So these wretches Swollen with the false opinion of their worth, And proud of blessings left them, not acquired, That did believe they could with Gyant-armes Fathom the earth, and were above their fates. Those borrowed helps that did support them, vanished: Fallen of themselves, and by unmanly suffering, Betray their proper weakness, and make known Their boasted greatness was lent, not their own. Art thou mad too? No more, as you respect me. Quarrel among your selves? Send off these, And then I'll tell you. Zanthia beating Corisca. Leave her off, And take heed Madam minx, the Wheel may turn. Go to your meat, and rest, and from this hour Remember, he that is a Lord to day, Exeunt Cleon, Asotus, Zan thia, Olympiam, Corisca. May be a Slave to morrow. What must invite you To stand upon your guard, and leave your feasting, Or but imagine, what it is to be Most miserable, and rest assured you are so. Our Master's are victorious: Within A days march of the City, fleshed with spoil, And proud of conquest, the Armado sunk, The Carthaginian Admiral hand to hand, Slain by Leosthenes. Can you flatter Your selves with such false Hope's? or dare you think That you imperious Lords, that never failed To punish with severity petty slips, In your neglect of labour, may be won To pardon those licentious outrages, Which noble enemies forbear to practice Upon the conquered? What have you omitted, That may call on their joust revenge with horror, And studied cruelty? We have gone too far To think now of retiring; in our courage, And during, lies our safety; if you are not Slaves in your abject minds, as in your Fortune's Since to die is the worst, better expose Our naked breasts to their keen Swords, and fell Our lives with the most advantage, then to trust In a forestalled remission, or yield up Our bodies to the furnace of their fury, Thrice heated with revenge. Hear then, and obey me, And I will either save you, or fallen with you; Man the Walls strongly, and make good the Ports Boldly deny their entrance, and rip up Your grievances, and what compelled you to This desperate course: if they disdain to hear Of composition, we have in our powers Their aged Father's, Children, and their Wives, Who to preserve themselves, must willingly Make intercession for us. It's not time now To talk, but do. A glorious end or freedom Is now proposed us; stand resolved for either, And Like good fellows, live, or die together. She has her health then: To my wish: Have you acquainted her with the defeature Of the Carthaginians, and with what honours Leosthenes comes Crowned home with? And how does she receive it? Does it work compunction? Pities she my misfortune? Now, Poliphron, the news: Exit Timandra. Enter Poliphron. How brook the slaves the object? I'll instantly among them: If we prove constant to our selves, good fortune Will not, I hope, forsake us. Briefly thus then, Since I must speak for all; your tyranny Drew us from our obedience. Happy those times, When Lords were styled father's of Families, And not imperious Master's; when they numbered Their servants almost equal with their Sons, Or one degree beneath them; when their labours Were cherished, and rewarded, and a perjod Set to their sufferings; when they did not press Their duties, or their wills beyond the power And strength of their performance; all things ordered With such decorum, as wise Lawmakers, From each well-governed private house derived The perfect model of a Commonwealth; Humanity then lodged in the hearts of men, And thankful Master's carefully provided For Creatures wanting reason. The noble horse That in his fiery youth from his wide nostrils, Neighed courage to his Rider, and brake through Groves of opposed Pikes, bearing his Lord Safe to triumphant victory, old or wounded, Was set at liberty, and freed from service. The Athenian Mules, that from the Quarry drew Marble, hewed for the Temples of the gods, The great work ended, were dismissed, and fed At the public cost; nay, faithful dogs have found Their Sepulchres; but man to man, more cruel, Appoints no end to the sufferings of his slave; Since pride stepped in and riot, and overturned This goodly frame of Concord, teaching Master's To glory in the abuse of such, as are Brought under their continued ̄ manned; who grown unuseful, Are less esteemed than beasts; this you have practised, Practised on us with rigor; this hath forced us, To shake our heavy yokes off; and if redress Of these joust grievances be not granted us, We'll right our selves, and by strong hand defend, What we are now possessed of. A general pardon, first, for all offences Committed in your absence. Liberty, To all such, as desire to make return Into their countries; and to those that stay, A competence of land freely allotted To each men proper use; no Lord acknowledged. Lastly, with your consent, to choose them wives Out of your Families. Flourish, & alarms. Each to his place. Or death or victory; charge them home, & fear not. I know, I am pursued, nor would I fly, Although the Ports were open, and a Convoy Ready to bring me off: the baseness of These villains, from the pride of all my Hope's, Have thrown me to the bottomless Abyss Of horror, and despair; had they stood firm, I could have bought Cleoras free consent, With the safety of her Father's life, and Brother's: And forced Leosthenes to quit his claim, And kneel a Suitor for me. All my poor Fortune's Are at the stake, and I must run the hazard. Unseen, convey me to Cleora's Chamber, For in her sighed, if it were possible, I would be apprehended: do not inquire The reason why, but help me. He's more a slave, then Fortune, Or Misery can make me, that insults Upon unweaponed Innocence. Curs snap at Lyons in the toil, whose looks Frighted them being free. Oh Divine Cleora ! Yes, and love her: And may say, have deserved her. My better Angel Assumes this shape to comfort me, and wisely; Since from the choice of all celestial figures, He could not take a visible form so full Of glorious sweetness. Kneels. Can it be? That charity should persuade you to descend So far from your own height, as to vouchsafe To look upon my sufferings? How I bless My fetters now, and stand engaged to Fortune For my captivity, no, my freedom rather! For who dares think that place a Prison, which You sanctify with your presence? or believe, Sorrow has power to use her sting on him, That is in your compassion armed, and made Impregnable? though tyranny raise at once All engines to assault him. Do you weep for me? Oh save that precious balm for nobler uses, I am unworthy of the smallest drop, Which in your prodigality of pity You throw away on me. Ten of these pearls Were a large ransom to redeem a kingdom From a consuming plague, or stop heavens vengeance Called down by crying sins, though at that instant In dreadful flashes falling on the roofs Of bold blasphemers. I am justly punished For my intent of violence to such pureness; And all the torments flesh is sensible of A soft and gentle penance. Could I expire now, These white and innocent hands closing my eyes thus, 'Twere not to die, but in a heavenly dream To be transported, without the help of Charon To the Elysian shades. You make me bold: And but to wish such happiness, I fear, May give offence. I had rather fallen under so joust a judge, Then be acquitted by a man corrupt And partial in his censure. It's your authority gives me a tongue, I should be dumb else; and I am secure, I cannot cloth my thoughts, and joust defence In such and abject phrase, but it'll appear Equal, if not above my low condition. I needs no bombast language, stolen from such, As make Nobility from prodigious terms The hearers understand not; I bring with me No wealth to boast of, neither can I number Uncertain Fortune's favours, with my merits; I dare not force affection, or presume To censure her discretion, that looks on me As a weak man, and not her fancies Idol. How I have loved, and how much I have suffered, And with what pleasure undergone the burden Of my ambitious Hope's (in aiming at The glad possession of a happiness, The abstract of all goodness in mankind Can at no partly deserve) with my confession Of mine own wants, is all that can plead for me. But if that pure desires, not blended with Foul thoughts, that Like a River keeps his course, Retaining still the clearness of the spring, From whence it took beginning, may be thought Worthy acceptance; then I dare rise up And tell this gay man to his teeth, I never Durst doubt her constancy, that Like a rock Beats off temptations, as that mocks the fury Of the proud waves; nor from my jealous fears Question that goodness, to which as and Altar Of all perfection, he that truly loved, Should rather bring a sacrifice of service, Then raze it with the engines of suspicion; Of which when he can wash and AEthiope white, Leosthenes may hope to free himself; But till then never. Oh the gods! My ribs, though made of Brass can not contain My heart swollen big with rage. The lie! Whip? Plucks off his disguise. Let fury then disperse these clouds, in which I long have masked disguised; that when they know, Whom they have injured, they may faint with horror Of my revenge, which wretched men expect, As sure as fate to suffer. Now as my self, Thy equal, at thy best, Leosthenes. For you, Timagoras ; praise heaven, you were born Cleora's brother, it's your safest armour. But I lose time. The base lie cast upon me, I thus return: thou art a perjured man, False and perfidious: And hast made a tender Of love, and service to this Lady; when Thy soul (if thou hast any) can bear witness, That thou Wertenberg not thine own. For proof of this, Look better on this virgin, and consider This Persian shape laid by, and she appearing In a Greekish dress, such as when first you saw her, If she resemble not Pisanders sister, One, called Statilia ? This is she To whom thou Wertenberg contracted: this the Lady, That when thou Wertenberg my prisoner fairly taken In the Spartan war, that begged thy liberty, And with it gave her self to thee ungrateful. The wrong done her, Drew me from Thebes with a full intent to kill thee: But this fair object, met me in my fury And quite disarmed more, being denied to have her By you my Lord Archidamus, and not able To live far from her, love (the Mistress of All quaint devices, prompted me to treat With a friend of mine, who as a Pirate sold me For a slave to you my Lord, and gave my Sister As a present to Cleora. You will find me And easy judge, when I have yielded reasons Of your Bond-mens falling off from their obedience, And after, as you please, determine of me. I found their nature's apt to mutiny From your too cruel usage; and made trial How far they might be wrought on; to instruct you To look with more prevention, and care To what they may hereafter undertake Upon the Like occasions. The hurt's little They have committed, nor was ever cuer But with some pain effected. I confess In hope to force a grant of fair Cleora I urged them to defend the Town against you; Nor had the terror of your whips, but that I was preparing of defence elsewhere So soon God entrance; in this I am guilty, Now as you please, your censure. Take heed, I have news will cool this heat, & make you Remember, what you were. I will go farther, and make good upon him In the pride of all his honours, birth, and Fortune's, He's more unworthy, then my self. There how I bore my self needs no relation. But if so far descending from the height Of my then flourishing Fortune's, to the lowest Condition of a man, to have means only To feed my eye, with the sighed of what I honoured, The dangers to I underwent; the sufferings; The clearness of my interest may deserve A noble recompense in your lawful favour. Now it's apparent that Leosthenes Can claim no interest in you, you may please To think upon my service. So, it's done, and I With my glad lips seal humbly on your foot, My souls thanks for the favour: I forbear To tell you who I am, what wealth, what honours I made exchange of to become your servant: And though I knew, worthy Leosthenes (For sure he must be worthy, for whose love You have endured so much) to be my rival, When rage, and jealousy counsail'd me to kill him, (Which then I could have done with much more ease, Then now, in fear to grieve you, I dare speak it) Love seconded with duty boldly told me, The man I hated, fair Cleora favoured, And that was his protection. Cleora bows. Old men, and such as can make no resistance, Are only left at home. It's enough: wait carefully, And upon all watched occasions, continue Speech, and discourse of me: it's time, must work her.