The Works of Aphra Behn Volume Ii Part 25

_Phil_. Vaunt on, thou monstrous Instrument of h.e.l.l!

For I'm so pleas'd to have thee in my Power, That I can hear thee number up thy Sins, And yet be calm, whilst thou art near d.a.m.nation.

_Abd_. Thou ly'st, thou canst not keep thy Temper in; For hadst thou so much Bravery of Mind, Thou'dst fight me singly; which thou dar'st not do.

_Phil_. Not dare!

By Heaven, if thou wert twenty Villains more, And I had all thy Weight of Sins about me, I durst thus venture on;--forbear, _Alonzo_.

_Alon_. I will not, Sir.

_Phil_. I was indeed too rash; 'tis such a Villain, As shou'd receive his Death from nought but Slaves.

_Abd_. Thou'st Reason, Prince! nor can they wound my Body More than I've done thy Fame; for my first step To my Revenge, I whor'd the Queen thy Mother.

_Phil_. Death! though this I knew before, yet the hard Word Runs harshly thro my Heart;-- If thou hadst murder'd fifty Royal _Ferdinands_, And with inglorious Chains as many Years Had loaded all my Limbs, 't had been more pardonable Than this eternal Stain upon my Name: --Oh, thou hast breath'd thy worst of Venom now.

_Abd_. My next advance was poisoning of thy Father.

_Phil_. My Father poison'd! and by thee, thou Dog!

Oh, that thou hadst a thousand Lives to lose, Or that the World depended on thy single one, That I might make a Victim Worthy to offer up to his wrong'd Ghost.-- But stay, there's something of thy Count of Sins untold, That I must know; not that I doubt, by Heaven, That I am _Philip's_ Son--

_Abd_. Not for thy Ease, but to declare my Malice, Know, Prince, I made thy amorous Mother Proclaim thee b.a.s.t.a.r.d, when I miss'd of killing rhee.

_Phil_. G.o.ds! let me contain my Rage!

_Abd_. I made her too betray the credulous Cardinal, And having then no farther use of her, Satiated with her l.u.s.t, I set _Roderigo_ on to murder her.

Thy Death had next succeeded; and thy Crown I wou'd have laid at _Leonora's_ Feet.

_Alon_. How! durst you love the Princess?

_Abd_. Fool, durst! had I been born a Slave, I durst with this same Soul do any thing: Yes, and the last Sense that will remain about me, Will be my Pa.s.sion for that charming Maid, Whom I'd enjoy'd e'er now, but for thy Treachery.

[_To_ Osmin.

_Phil_. Deflour'd my Sister! Heaven punish me eternally, If thou out-liv'st the Minute thou'st declar'd it.

_Abd_. I will, in spite of all that thou canst do.

--Stand off, fool-hardy Youth, if thou'dst be safe, And do not draw thy certain Ruin on, Or think that e'er this Hand was arm'd in vain.

_Phil_. Poor angry Slave, how I contemn thee now!

_Abd_. As humble Huntsmen do the generous Lion; Now thou darst see me lash my Sides, and roar, And bite my Snare in vain; who with one Look (Had I been free) hadst shrunk into the Earth, For shelter from my Rage: And like that n.o.ble Beast, though thus betray'd, I've yet an awful Fierceness in my Looks, Which makes thee fear t'approach; and 'tis at distance That thou dar'st kill me; for come but in my reach, And with one Grasp I wou'd confound thy Hopes.

_Phil_. I'll let thee see how vain thy Boastings are, And una.s.sisted, by one single Rage, Thus--make an easy Pa.s.sage to thy Heart.

[_Runs on him, all the rest do the like in the same Minute_.

Abd. _aims at the_ Prince, _and kills_ Osmin, _and falls dead himself_.

--Die with thy Sins unpardon'd, and forgotten--

[_Shout within_.

_Alon_. Great Sir, your Throne and Kingdom want you now; Your People rude with Joy, do fill each Street, And long to see their King--whom Heaven preserve.

_All_. Long live _Philip_, King of _Spain_--

_Phil_. I thank ye all;--and now, my dear _Alonzo_, Receive the Recompence of all thy Sufferings, Whilst I create thee Duke of _Salamancha_.

_Alon_. Thus low I take the Bounty from your Hands.

[_Kneels_.

_Leon_. Rise, Sir, my Brother now has made us equal.

_Card_. And shall this joyful Day, that has restor'd you To all the Glories of your Birth and Merits, That has restor'd all _Spain_ the greatest Treasure That ever happy Monarchy possess'd, Leave only me unhappy, when, Sir, my Crime Was only too much Faith?--Thus low I fall, [_Kneels_.

And from that Store of Mercy Heaven has given you, Implore you wou'd dispense a little here.

_Phil_. Rise, (though with much ado) I will forgive you.

_Leon_. Come, my dear Brother, to that glorious business, Our Birth and Fortunes call us, let us haste, For here methinks we are in danger still.

_Phil_. So after Storms, the joyful Mariner Beholds the distant wish'd-for Sh.o.r.e afar, And longs to bring the rich-fraight Vessel in, Fearing to trust the faithless Seas again.

EPILOGUE.

Spoken by little Mrs. _Ariell_.

_With late Success being blest, I'm come agen; You see what Kindness can do, Gentlemen, Which when once shewn, our s.e.x cannot refrain.

Yet spite of such a Censure I'll proceed, And for our Poetess will intercede: Before, a Poet's wheedling Words prevail'd, Whose melting Speech my tender Heart a.s.sail'd, And I the flatt'ring Scribler's Cause maintain'd; So by my means the Fop Applauses gain'd.

'Twas wisely done to chuse m' his Advocate, Since I have prov'd to be his better Fate; For what I lik'd, I thought you could not hate.

Respect for you, Gallants, made me comply, Though I confess he did my Pa.s.sion try, And I am too good-natur'd to deny.

But now not Pity, but my s.e.x's Cause, Whose Beauty does, like Monarchs, give you Laws, Should now command, being join'd with Wit, Applause.

Yet since our Beauty's Power's not absolute, She'll not the Privilege of your s.e.x dispute, But does by me submit.--Yet since you've been For my sake kind, repeat it once agen.

Your Kindness, Gallants, I shall soon repay, If you'll but favour my Design to Day: Your last Applauses, like refres.h.i.+ng Showers, Made me spring up and bud like early Flow'rs; Since then I'm grown at least an Inch in height, And shall e'er long be full-blown for Delight_.

Written by a Friend.

THE YOUNG KING; OR, THE MISTAKE.

ARGUMENT.

Orsames, heir to the Dacian throne, has been kept in a castle from His infancy, never having seen any human being save his old tutor, Geron, owing to an Oracle which foretold great cruelties and mischiefs If he should be allowed to wear the crown. The Queen of Dacia designs Her daughter Cleomena as her successor, and with this intent gives her An Amazonian education. The Dacians and Scythians are at war, but Thersander, The Scythian prince, has joined the Dacians under the name Of Clemanthis, inasmuch as he loves the princess, who in her turn Becomes enamoured of him. He is recognized but not betrayed by Urania, a Scythian lady who, her lover Amintas having been previously captured, allows herself to be taken prisoner and presented to Cleomena. Amintas is confined in the old castle where Urania, visiting him, is accidently seen by Orsames. He is, however, persuaded by Geron that it is an apparition. Amintas is freed by Urania, who has gained Cleomena's friends.h.i.+p. Honorius, the Dacian general, offers Thersander his daughter Olympia, and the young Scythian is obliged to feign acceptance. Cleomena hears Honorius telling the Queen his design and goes off enraged, only to see Thersander seemingly courting Olympia. She raves and threatens to kill him, but eventually parts with disdain, bidding him quit the place.