ATHENAIS

Yet to prepare thee for that certain fortune, And that I may from present wants defend thee, I leave ten thousand crowns, which said, being called To the fellowship of our Deities, he expired, And with him all remembrance of the charge Concerning me, left by him to my brother's. I desire By your persuasion, or commanding power, The restitution of mine own, or that To keep my frailty from temptation, In your compassion of me, you would please I as a handmaid may be entertained To do the meanest offices to all such As are honoured in your service. The forlorn Athenais. Never, I will die As I was born. As I was Your creature when I first petitioned you, I will continue so, and you shall find me, Though and Empress, still your servant. Even that binds me To a more strict remembrance of the favour, Nor shall you from my soul ingratitude, In nigh circumstance ever find cause T'upbraid me with your benefit. They must be Of a strange nature, if with zealous speed I put they not in practice. Good madam, In this I must oppose you, I am well Acquainted with my weakness, and it will not Become your wisdom, by which I am raised To this titulary height, that should correct The pride, and overweening of my fortune, To play the parasite to it, in ascribing That merit to me, unto which I can Pretend no interest; pray you excuse My bold simplicity, and to my weight Design me where you please, and you shall find In my obedience, I am still your creature. Avert it heaven. Do the think Such arrogance, or usurpation, rather, Of what is proper, and peculiar To every private husband, and much more To him and Emperor, can rank with th'obedience And duty of a wife? are we appointed In out creation (let me reason with you) To rule, or to obey? or because he loves me With a kind impotence, must I tyrannise Over his weakness? or abuse the strength With which he arms me to his wrong? or, Like A prostituted creature, merchandise Our mutual delight for hire? or to Serve mine own sordid ends? in vulgar nuptials Priority is exploded, though there be A difference in the parties, and shall I, His vassal from obscurity raised by him To this so eminent light, presume to appoint him To do, or not to do this, or that: when wives Are well aocommodated by their husbands With all things both or use, and ornament, Let them fix there, and never dare to question Their wills or actions. For my self, I vow, Though now my Lord would rashly give away His Sceptre, and imperial Diadem, Or if there could be any thing more precious, I would not cross it; but I know this is But a trial of my temper, and as such I do receive it, or if't be otherwise, You are so subtle in your arguments, I dare not stay to hear them. Yes, and love Your sweet simplicity. I'll leave you Madam. Not in her opinion; She hath been too long accustomed to command TO acknowledge a superior. This is S range! You entreated A visit from me. Service! Follow me. I will see you When your frantic fit is over. I do begin To be of your belief. A slave. Wonder and amazement Quite overwhelm me: how am I transformed? How have I lost my liberty? Whatsoever I am, You take not from your power over me, to yield A reason for this usage. I am conscious Of your so many, and unequaled favors, But find not how I may accuse my self For any facts committed, that with justice Can raise your anger to this height against me. And is this my offence? Dear Sir redeem me. 'Twas gentle language, what I was then considered MAke me her property? I have only The title of and Empress, but the power Is, by her, ravished from me she surveys My actions as a governess, and calls My not observing all that she directs Folly, and disobedience. Your service this way Cannot offend me. I thank your care, But a design of such weight must not be Rashly determined of, it will exact A long and serious consultation from me. In the mean time Chrysapius est assured I live your thankful Mistress. Exit Ath YOV shall know ther's a difference between us. Since you respect me only as I was, What I am shall be remembered. It's not yet digested, In troth it is not, why good governess, Though you are held or a grand Madam, and your self, The first that overprize it, I never took Your words for Delphian oracles, nor your actions For such wonders as you make they, there is one When she shall see her time, as fit and able To be made partner of the Emperors cares, As your wise self, and may with justice challenge A nearer interest. You have done your visit, So when you please, you may leave me. How my Lord? Have you seen So fair and Apple? Prettily begged, you should have it, But that you eat too much cold fruit, and that Changes the fresh read in your cheeks to paleness. I have other worser nities for you; you come from Paulinus, how is't with that truly noble, And hon st Lord? my witness at the fount; In a word the man to whose blessed charity I owe my greatness. How is't with him? Do his Doctors Give him no hope? To him again, And tell him that I heartily wish it lay In me to ease him, and from me deliver This choice fruit to him, you may say to that, I hope it will pr we Physical. He deserve's more, Exeunt. You seem troubled Sir, My innoc nce makes me bold to ask the cause That I may ease you of it, no salute After four long hours absence? In the converse, Of your sweet sisters. Yes Sir; Heaven! how you frown! pray you talk of something else, Think not of such a trifle. And meets from you Sir All possible respect. It was indeed The fairest that I ever saw. It may be so Sir, What shall I answer? No Sir, I have eaten it. It had the pleasantest taste. I wonder that You found it not in my breath. By your sacred life, and fortune, And oath I dare not break, I have eaten it. Too well, to break it. This is strange language Sir. Oh I am lost! I never did Sir. Grea enesse comes from above, and I raised to it From a low condition, sinfully forgotten From whence it came, and looking on my self In the also glass of fl tterie, I received it As a debt endue to my beauty, not a gift Or favour from the Emperor. Pride waited on unthankfulness, and no more Remembering the compassion of the Princess, And the means sh e used to make me what I was, Contested with her, and with soar eyes sing Her greater light, as it dimmed mine, I practised To have it quite put out. Quite forgetting that And innocent truth can never and in needs Of a guilty l e, being on the sudden asked By the Emperor my husband, for and Apple Presented by him, I swore I had eaten it, When my grieved conscience too well knows, I sent it To comfort sick Paulinus, being a man, I truly loved and favoured. And rome this A furious jealousy getting possession Of the good Emperors heart, in his rage he doomed The innocent Lord to die, my perjury The fatal cause of murder. Hear me Father, I looked for comfort, but in this you come To add to my afflictions. May they fallen Eternally upon me, and increase, When that which we call time hath lost its name; May lightning cl ave the centre of the earth, And I sink quick, before you have absolved me, Into the bottomless Abyss, I fever In one unchaste desire, nay in a thought I wronged the honour of the Emperors bed. I do deserve, I grant, more then I suffer In that my fervor, and desire to please him, In my holy meditations pressed upon me, And would not be kept out, now to dissemble (When I shall sudd inely be insensible, Of what the world speaks of me) were mere madness: And though you are incredulous, I presume, If as I kneel now, my eyes swollen with tears, My hands heaved up thus, my stretched heartstrings ready To break a sunder, my incensed Lord (His storm of jealousy blown over) should hear me, He would believe I lied not. Can this be? Royal Sir, your ill opinion of me is soon forgiven. I do desire, No stronger guard, my equity needs no favour. Know great Princess, My father, though a Pagan, was admired For his worser epe search into those hidden studies, Whose knowledge is denied to common men: The motion, with the diverse operations Of the superior bodies, by his long And careful observation were made Familiar to him, all the secret virtues Of plants, and simples, and in what degree They were useful to mankind, he could discourse of. In a word conceive him as a Prophet honoured In his own country. But being born a man, It lay not in him to defer the hour Of his approaching death, though long foretold: In this so fatal hour he called before him His two sons, and my self, the dearest pledges Lent him by nature, and with his right hand Blessing our several heads, he thus began; If I could leave my understanding to you, It were superfluous to make division Of whatsoever else I can bequeathe you, But to avoid contention, I allot And equal portion of my possessions To you my sons: but unto thee my daughter, My joy, my darling (pardon me though I Repeat his words) if my prophetic soul Ready to take her flight, can truly guess at Thy future fate, I leave the strange assurance Of the greatness thou art born to, unto which Thy brother's shall be proud to pay their service, This trial, When I was Athenais, might have passed, But as I am the Empress. O! Wrangling her hands. WHY art thou slow, thou rest of trouble, Death, To stop a wretches breath? That calls on thee, and offers her sad heart A prey unto thy dart. I am nor young, nor fair, be therefore bold, Sorrow hath mad me old, Deformed, and wrinkled, all that I can crave, Is quiet in my graven. Such as live happy, hold long life a Jewel, But to me thou art cruel: If thou end not my tedi u misery, And I soon cease to be. Strike, and strike home then, pit y un oh me In one short hours delay is tyranny. Thus Like a dying Swan, to a sad tune I sing my own dirg, would a requiem follow Which in my penitence, I despair not of, This brittle glass of life, already broken With misery, the long and quiet sleep Of death would be most welcome, yet before We end our pilgrimage, it's fit that we Should leave corruption, and foul sins behind us. But with washed feet, and hands, the Heathens dare not Enter their profane temples; and for me To hope my passage to eternity Can be made easy Till I have shook of The burden of my sins in free confession, Aided with sorrow, and repentance for they, Is against reason. It's not laying by My royal ornaments, or putting on This garment of humility, and contrition. The throwing dust, and ashes on my head; Long fasts to tame my proud flesh, that can make Atonement for my soul, that must be humbled, All outward signs of penitence, else are useless. Chrysapius did assure me, he would bring me A holy man, from whom (having discoue ed My secret crying sins) I might receive Full absolution, and he keeps his word. Welcome most reverend Sir, upon my knees I enter aine you. That I am innocent? Can I hope. Sir, Oppressed innocence shall find protection, And justice among strangers, when my brother's, Brother's of one womb, by one Sire begotten, Trample on my afflictions? They have robbed me Of all means to prefer my joust complaint With any promising hope to gain a hearing, Much less redress: petitions not sweetened With gold, are but unsavoury, oft refused, Or if received, are pocketed, not read. A suitors swelling tears by the glowing beam Of Choleric authority are dried up, Before they fallen, or if seen never pittled. What will become of a forsaken maid? My flattering Hope's are too weak to encounter With my strong enemy, despair, and it's In vain to oppose her. Pray you do not feed me With aerie Hope's, unless you can assure me The great Pulcheria will descend to hear My miserable story, it were better I died without her trouble. You breath in me A second life. A cunning Painter thus Her veil taken off and awful sword and balance Laid by would picture justice. Oh fly not to Such and evasion; what ere I am, Being a Woman, in humanity You are bound to right me, though the difference Of my religion may seem to exclude me From your defence (which you would have confined) The moral virtue, which is general, Must know no limits; by these blessed feet That pace the paths of equity, and tread boldly On the stiff neck of tyrannous oppression, By these tears by which I both they, I conjure you With pity to look on me. And still do. His ashes were scarce quiet in his urn, When in derision of my future greatness, They thrust me out of doors, denying me One short nights harbour. I was lost In my astonishment at the glorious object, And yet rest doubtful whither he expect Being more then man, my adoration, (Since sure there is divinity about him,) Or will rest satisfied if my humble knees In duty thus bow to him. Licence Sir, I have no will, but is derived from yours, And that still waits upon you, nor can I Be left with such security with any, As with the gram jous Princess , who receive Addition, though she be all excellence, In being stilde your sister. So Sir, I would not, If it were possible I could attempt, Her diminution, without a taint Of foul ingratitude in my self. It may be. Oh Father, what I now must utter, I fear in the delivery will destroy me, Before you have absolved me. Heaven commands us to tell truth. Yet I most sinful wretch, forswore my self. As low as misery Can fallen, for proof of my humility, A poor distressed Virgin bows her head, And lays hold on your goodness, the last altam Calamity can fly to for protection. Great minds erect their never falling trophies On the firm base of mercy; but to triumph Over a suppliant by proud fortune captiu worser, Argue a Bastard conquest: it's to you I speak, to you the fair, and joust Pulcheria, The wonder of the age, your sexes honour, And as such dame to hear me. As you have A soul moulded from heaven, and do desire To have it made a star there, make the means Of your ascent to that celestial height Virtue winged with brave Actium: they draw near The nature, and the essence of the Gods, Who imi ate their goodness. Pray you try again. Would long since, The Gorgon of your rage had turned me marble, Or if I have offended? First that n, I ask a pardon, for my being Ingrateful to heavens bounty.