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Full speech
Madame you see your page does undertake, A costly piece of service for your sake, For well that service costly may be called, The end whereof of force must cost my life, For when the Assyrian king shall understand My forged habit, and dissembling sex, And in these female weeds shall find Libanio, And Alexandra freely escaped his hands, What hope but certain death remains for me, And that with torments rare and exquisite. Yet madame for the reverence to my Lord, And duty that does bind me to your self, I will be Alexandra for this once, and die to save your honour and your life. Oh sovereign Lord stand gracious to this dame, That never trespast in offence to you. What honour in a silly virgins death? That never had power or will to harm your grace. Admit Gobrias might be reclaimed, Unto his first allegiance to my Lord, Would you remit the offence of his revolt, And take him to your former grace again? Then prince before you wreak revenge on me, Grand passport and safe conduit to my page, That he may go and signify to him, The desperate state wherein his daughter stands, When once my father shall perceive my plighted, And that my life must pay for his revolt, I know that instant hour he will return, And yield himself to mercy of my Lord. As pleases their dieties Libanio. You know my Lord I am too young to love, How fit so ere my years be and my looks I Alexandra am unfit to love. Is not my father with the Persian king, And I Alexendra as captive in his stead, And give me leave to wail my hard estate. and make a river with my flowing tears, That mingled with the stream of Euphrates, May swiftly run unto my father's seat, And make him hast to great Antiochus. Oh I could pity Dinon being alive, But that I fear my father will not come, and then shall Alexandra suffer death. and being dead Dinon may pity me. No place is secret to Antiochus, Dost thou not know that kings hath reaching hands? If I should yield your honour might suppose, That dignity and wealth should conquer me, Therefore I blush to say I love my Lord. My honour being preserved, my grant is given. Then shall my song be of my Dinons praise, Sleep Dinon, then Libanio draw thy sword, And manly thrust it in his slumbering heart. There is no way to save thy life but this. And therefore fear not, shall I slaughter him That entertained me with such amorous words, Such bounteous gifts and golden promises When he shall know I am Libanio, And go I cannot but I shall be taine, Unless I slay him in his hapless sleep, For he will quickly wake and follow me, Now Dinon die, alas I cannot strike, This habit makes me over pitiful. Remember that thou art Libanio. She kills him. No woman but a bondman, strike and fly. My Lord, the gods and fate reserves your page, To do you further service ere he die. And hath my Lord forgotten his servant then? Oh say not so my Lord, for oft ere this I have been seen and thoroughly known to you, And you I know to be my gracious Lord. Gobrias that renowmde Assyrian. What hath my Lord forgotten Libanio? Great and surpassing is the kingly grace. Yea far beyond the compass of my hope, Gods grant me life and fortune to deserve, This partly of bounty at your royal hands. Madame, the blessing of my strange escape I attribute alone unto the gods, If passed so far the reach of humane sense. This mean I found and please my Lord & king, upon suppose of Alexandra self, I was committed to a noble man. Hight Dinon, to be guarded in his tent. The glory of my counterfeit attire, And manners framed according thereunto, Did so inflame Dinon that with my love, That waking sleeping, or what ever else, He felt a restless combat in his thoughts, In fine, more safely to commence his love, He led me quite beyond the Assyrian camp, And brought me to the banks of Euphrates, There sat we down and he with amorous plea, Not only filled, but cloyed my weary ears, so far that what with long continued talk, And heat of sun reflecting on the banks, Or haply with the rattling harmony, which Euphrates his gliding streams did keep, Which seeing I imagined that the gods Had offered this occasion to my hands, For sweet recovery of my freedom. Short tale to make, withdreadfull hand I drew, The sword that hanged lose dangling by his side. And with the full of my extended force, I sheathd it home amid the owners ribs, He wounded fetched and inward groan or two, Then turning on his face breathes forth his life, The deed dispatched I hied me thence a main, And escaping clean without impeach or stay. Now stand before the Persian king this day. Madame, no danger can be so great, That I'll refuse for Alexandras sake, Thanks Lady, And for your further meed, Suffices me the honour of the deed. Me thinks I see the Assyrian stout at hand, Now madame carry a courageous heart, And trust your page for Alexandras partly.
Plot summary
Plot — The Wars of Cyrus, King of Persia
Cyrus has conquered the rulers of Lydia, Arabia, and Assyria, and now he divides the spoils with his men, accepting none for himself. Unwilling to serve the new King of Assyria, who murdered his son, Gobryas defects to Cyrus and is given a command in his army. Panthea is taken captive: the Persians propose to present her to Cyrus, but she is faithful to her husband, Abradatas, and Cyrus refuses the temptation to love her. Appointed Panthea’s keeper, Araspas falls in love with her. When she rejects him, he resorts to magic; but the charm fails, and she reports him to Cyrus. Antiochus, the new King of Assyria, seeks revenge on Cyrus for his father’s death, and sends Ctesiphon as a feigned defector to the Persian camp. He also has vengeful designs on Gobryas’ daughter, Alexandra, but she swaps clothes with her page Libanio, who persuades Antiochus to hold ‘her’ hostage while ‘her page’ goes to persuade Gobryas to return. However, these plans go awry: Ctesiphon is so impressed with Cyrus that he renounces Antiochus’ sovereignty, confesses his former King’s plot, and offers to kill him; and when Dinon attempts to seduce the false Alexandra, ‘she’ sings him to sleep, kills him, and absconds to the Persian camp. Gobryas randomly selects a Persian husband for his daughter using the custom of blindfold turf-throwing; the clod lands on Hystaspas. Cyrus sends Ctesiphon back to Antiochus with a letter purportedly offering peace terms; in fact, it tells the Assyrian king of Ctesiphon’s treachery, and the would-be murderer is executed. Though Araspas is pardoned when he confesses the impropriety of his amorous behaviour, Cyrus persuades him to pretend to desert in fear of his wrath, and sends him to Babylon to spy on the Assyrians. Panthea persuades Cyrus to send for her husband Abradatas, who defects to the Persians because Antiochus attempted to seduce her. Araspas returns with news of Antiochus’ preparations for battle, and the Persians draw lots for the honour of leading the vanguard. Abradatas wins, and goes into battle. Panthea prays to Bellona for his safety, but he is killed. The grieving Panthea kills herself, leaving Cyrus to promise them both a worthy funeral.