TIMOLEON

Such honours To one ambitious of rule or titles; Whose heaven on earth, is placed in his command, And absolute power on others; would with joy, And veins swollen high with pride, be entertained. They take not me: for I have ever loved And equal freedom: and proclaimed all such As would usurp on others liberties, Rebels to nature, to whose bounteous blessings All men lay claim as true legitimate sons. But such as have made forfeit of themselves By vicious courses, and their birthright lost; 'Tis not injustice they are marked for slaves To serve the virtuous; for my self, I know Honours and great employments are great burdens, And must require and Atlas to support them. He that would govern others, first should be The Master of himself, richly endued With depth of understanding, height of courage, And those remarkable graces which I dare not Ascribe unto my self. 'Tis confessed. And since you'll have it so, such as I am For you and for the liberty of Greece I am most ready to lay down my life: But yet consider men of Syracyse, Before that you deliver up the power Which yet is yours to me, to whom 'tis given To and impartial man, with whom nor threats, Not prayers shall prevail, for I must steer And even course. Timophanes my brother, for whose death I am tainted in the world, and foully tainted, In whose remembrance I have ever worn In peace and war, this livery of sorrow Can witness for me, how much I detest Tyrannous Usurpation: with grief I must remember it, for when no persuasion Could win him to desist from his bade practice, To change the Aristocracy of Corinth Into and absolute Monarchy; I chosen rather To prove a pious and obedient son To my Country my best mother, then to lend Assistance to Timophanes, though my brother That Like a Tyrant strove to set his foot Upon the Cities freedom. As I then proceed, To all posterity may that act be crowned With a deserved applause, or branded with The mark of infamy; Stay yet, ere I take This seat of Justice, or engage my self To fight for you abroad, or to reform Your State at home, swear all upon my sword, And call the gods of Sicily to witness The oath you take; that whatsoever I shall propound for safety of your Commonwealth, Not Circumscribed or bound in, shall by you Be willingly obeyed. Do not repent it. Takes the State. First then a word or two, but without bitterness, (And yet mistake me not, I am no flatterer) Concerning your ill government of the State, In which the greatest, noblest, and most rich, Stand in the first file guilty. You have not, as good Patriots should do, studied The public good, but your particular ends. Factious among your selves, preferring such To Offices, and honours, as never read The Elements, of saving policy, But deeply skilled in all the principles, That usher to destruction. Your Senate house, which used not to admit A man (how ever popular) to stand At the Helm of government; whose youth was not Made glorious by Actium, whose experience Crowned with grey hairs, gave warrant to her counsels Herd, and received with reverence, is now filled With green heads that determine of the State Over their Cups: or when their sated lustest Afford them leisure, or supplied by those Who rising from base arts, and sordid thrift Are eminent for their wealth, not for their wisdom. Which is the reason, that to hold a place In counsel, which was once esteemed and honour, And a reward for virtue, hath quite lost Lustre, and Reputation, and is made A mercenary purchase. From whence it proceeds, That the treasure of the City is ingros'd By a few private men: the public Coffers Hollow with want; and they that will not spare One Talon for the common good, to feed The pride and bravery of their Wives, consume In Plate, in Jewels, and superfluous slaves, What would maintain and Army. Old festered sores Must be lanced to the quick and cauterized, Which born with patience, after i'll apply Soft Unguents: For the maintenance of the war It is decreed all moneys in the hand, Of private men, shall instantly be brought To the public Treasury. Brave masculine spirit! She's inspired, Or in her speaks the Genius of your Country To fire your blood in her defence. I am raped With the imagination! Noble maid, Timoleon is your Soldier, and will sweat Drops of his best blood, but he will bring home Triumphant conquest to you. Let me wear Your colours, Lady, and though youthful heats That look no further then your outward form, Are long since buried in me, while I live, I am a constant lover of your mind, That does transcend all presidents. Have your desires: You would be burdens to us, no way aids. Led, fairest, to the Temple, first we'll pay A Sacrifice to the Gods for good success. For, all great actions the wished course do run, That are, with their allowance, well begun. Exeunt all but the Slaves. Thus far we are returned victorious, crowned With Wreathes triumphant, (famine, blood, and dearth, Banished your peaceful confines,) and bring home Security, and peace. It's therefore fit That such as boldly stood the shock of war, And with the deer expense of sweat and blood Have purchased Honour, should with pleasure reap The harvest of their toil; and we stand bound Out of the first file of the best deservers, (Though all must be considered to their merits) To think of you Leosthenes, that stand, And worthily, most deer in our esteem, For your heroic valour. This is above wonder. Hold: you wear men's shapes And if Like men you have reason, show a cause That leads you to this desperate course, which must end In your destruction? What are your demands? He that wins the top first, Shall wear a mural wreathe. Exeunt. They are wild beasts, And to be tamed by policy; each man take A tough whip in his hand: such as you used To punish them with, as Master's; in your looks carry severity, and awe; it'll fright them More then your weapons; savage Lyons fly from The sighed of fire; and these that have forgotten That duty, your never taught them with your swords, When unexpected, they behold those terrors Advanced aloft, that they were made to shake at, It'll force them to remember what they are, And stoop to endue obedience. Enter with them, But yet forbear to kill them; still remember They are partly of your wealth, and being disarmed, There is no danger. 'Tis wondrous strange! nor can it fallen within The reach of my belief, a slave should be The owner of a temperance, which this age Can hardly parallel in freeborn Lords, Or Kings proud of their purple. I'll rather doubt The Oracles of the gods, then question, what Your innocence delivers: and as far As justice with mine honour can give way, He shall have favour. Bring him in, unbound: Exeunt Officers. And though Leosthenes may challenge from me, For his late worthy service, credit to All things he can allege in his own cause, Marullo (so I think you call his name) Shall find, I do reserve one ear for him, To let in mercy. Fit and take your places; Enter Cleon, Asotus, Diphilus, Olimpiam, Corisca. The right of this fair virgin first determined, Your Bondmen shall be censured. It's nobly spoken, Nor be thou daunted (howsoever the fortune Has marked thee out a slave) to speak thy merits; For virtue though in rags may challenge more, Then vice set off with all the trim of greatness. I observe it. Place the fair Lady in the amid, that both Looking with covetous eyes upon the prize They are to plead for, may from the fair object, Teach Hermes eloquence. Strange Meanders ! Bring them in, And though you have given me power, I do entreat Such as have undergone their insolence, It may not be offensive though I study Pity more then revenge. What canst thou say to hinder The course of justice? Twice? how meanest thou! At the Gallows first, and after in a Ballad Sung to some villainous tune. There are ten-grot-Rimers About the Town grown fat on these occasions. Let but a Chapel fallen, or a street be fired, A foolish lover hang himself for pure love, Or any such Like accident, and before They are cold in their graves, some damned Dittie's made Which makes their ghosts walk. Let the State take order For the redress of this abuse, recording 'Twas done by my advice, and for my partly I'll cut as clean a caper from the Ladder, As ever merry Greek did. Yet I think You would show more activity to delight Your Master for a pardon. And ever be Obedient and humble? Rise then, you have it. Cease these clamours. And now the war being ended to our wishes, And such as went the pilgrimage of love, Happy in full fruition of their Hope's, It's lawful thanks paid to the powers divine, To drown our cares in honest mirth, and Wine. Exeunt. Yet in this plenty, And fat of peace, your young men never were trained In Martial discipline, and your ships vnrig'd, Rot in the harbour, no defence prepared, But thought unuseful, as if that the gods Indulgent to your sloth, had granted you A perpetuity of pride and pleasure, No change feared, or expected. Now you find That Carthage looking on your stupid sleeps, And dull security, was invited to Invade your Territories. Oh blind men! If you refuse the first means that is offered To give you health, no hope's left to recover Your desperate sickness. Do you prize your muck Above your liberties? and rather choose To be made Bondmen, then to partly with that To which already you are slaves? or can it Be probable in your flattering apprehensions, You can capitulate with the Conqueror And keep that yours, which they come to possess, And while you kneel in vain, will ravish from you? But take your own ways, brood upon your gold, Sacrifice to your Idol, and preserve The prey entire, and merit the report Of careful Steward, yield a joust account To your proud Master's, who with whips of Iron Will force you to give up what you conceal, Or tear it from your throats, Adorn your walls With Persian Hangings wrought of Gold and Pearl; Cover the floors on which they are to tread With costly Median silks; perfume the rooms With Cassia, and Amber: where they are To feast and revel, while Like servile Grooms You wait upon their trenchers; feed their eyes With massy Plate until your Cupboards crack With the weight that they sustain; set forth your Wives And Daughters in as many varied shapes As there are Nations, to provoke their lustest, And let them be embraced before your eyes, The object may content you; and to perfect Their entertainment, offer up your Sons, And able men for Slaves; while you, that are Unfit for labour, are spurned out to starve Unpitied in some Desert, no friend by, Whose sorrow may spare one compassionate tear, In the remembrance of what once you were. 'Tis a happy Omen. Rise blessed one, and speak boldly: on my virtue I am thy warrant; from so clear a Spring Sweet Rivers ever flow. We have money, And men must now be thought on. Most gladly, I could not wish my thoughts a better organ, Then your tongue, to express them. By my Hope's, There's fire and spirit enough in this to make Thersites valiant. We wrong our selves, and we are justly punished, To deal with Bondmen, as if we encountered And equal enemy. Your hand Leosthenes : I cannot doubt You that have been victorious in the war, should in a combat fought with words come off, But with assured triumph. Speak boldly.