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MARIAMNE.

A

TRAGEDY.

BY

ELIJAH FENTON.

PROLOGUE.

WHEN breathing statues mould'ring waste away,
And tombs, unfaithful to their trust, decay,
The muse recalls the suffering good to fame,
Or wakes the prosp'rous villain into shame:
To the stern tyrant gives fictitious pow'r,
To reign the restless monarch of an hour.

Obedient to her call, this night appears
Great Herod rising from a length of years;
A name enlarg'd with titles not his own,
Servile to mount, and savage on the throne:
Whose bold ambition trembling Jewry view'd,
In blood of half her royal race imbru'd.
But now reviving in the British scene,
He looks majestic with a milder mien:
His features soften'd with the deep distress

| Of love, made greatly wretched by excess! From lust of pow'r to jealous fury tost, We shew the tyrant in the lover lost.

If no compassion, when his crimes are weigh'd,
To his ill-fated fondness must be paid,
Yet see, ye fair! and see with pitying eyes,
The bright afflicted Mariamne rise.

No fancied tale our op'ning scenes disclose,
Historic truth, and swell with real woes.
Awful in virtuous grief the queen appears,
And strong the eloquence of royal tears.
Then let her fate your kind attention raise,
Whose perfect charms were but her second praise:
Beauty and virtue your protection claim;
Give tears to beauty, and to virtue fame.

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PHERORAS, the King's Brother.

SOHEMUS, first Minister.

NARBAL, a Lord of the Queen's Party.

HAZEROTH, a young Lord related to the Queen. High-Priest.

MARIAMNE.

SALOME, the King's Sister.

ARSINOE, chief Attendant on the Queen.

Guards, Messengers, Attendants.

SCENE, A Room of State in Herod's Palace at Jerusalem.

SCENE I.

ACT I.

Enter PHERORAS, NARBAL, and SOHEMUS. Pher. The morning in her richest purple rob'd, Smiles with auspicious lustre on the day, Which brings my royal brother back from Rhodes, Confirm'd in empire by the general voice Of Cæsar, and the senate.

Nar. This blest day

In latest annals shall distinguish'd shine,
Sacred to majesty, and dear to love:
The same which saw the royal lovers march
In nuptial pomp, revolving, now restores
Herod to Mariamne, and his crown.

Soh. Fortune at length to merit grows a friend,
Or fate ordain'd the happiest stars to shed
Their influence on his birth: or sure, since Rome,
With civil discord rent, so oft hath chang'd
Her own great lords, (as bleeding conquest rais'd,
Or sunk the doubtful balance,) we had shar'd
The same vicissitudes of restless pow'r.

Nar. Herod avow'd the dear respect he bore To Antony, and dropp'd a generous tear To grace his ruins.

Pher. Yes, and Cæsar sat

Pensive and silent; in his anxious breast
Perhaps revolving, that of all his train,
Who proudly wanton in his mounted rays,
Gay flutt'ring insects of a summer noon,
How few would bear the wintry storms of fate!
At length he smiling rose, receiv'd the crown
From Herod's hand, and plac'd it on his brow;
Crying, shine there! for Cæsar cannot find
A worthier head to wear thee.

Soh. From the grace

Of such a victor to receive a crown,
With such peculiar attributes of fame,
Confers more glory than a chronicle
Of scepter'd ancestors.

Pher. Narbal, your care

Will see due honours to the day discharg❜d.
Let the shrill trumpet's cheerful note enjoin
A general feast, and joy with loud acclaim
Through all the streets of Solyma resound :
Let steams of grateful incense cloud the sky,
'Till the rich fragrance reach the utmost bounds
Of Herod's empire: let each smiling brow
Wear peaceful olive, whilst the virgin choirs
Warbling his praise, his paths with flow'rs per-
fume,

Who guards Judæa with the shield of Rome.

SCENE II.

PHERORAS and SOHEMUS.

[Exit NAR.

With Narbal's talents; none is better form'd
To gild the pageant of a gaudy day:
He's nobly born, and popularly vain,
Rare tinsel-stuff' t'adorn a room of state!
But in the council, where the public care-

Pher. In that high sphere you, Sohemus, alone
Must ever shine: and may your wisdom raise
Your master's fortune, to divide the globe
With this new Cæsar; and no longer sway
A short precarious sceptre, which must shake
With each tempestuous gust that blows from
Rome.

Soh. With blushes I must hear you call me

wise,

When one impassion'd woman can destroy
My surest plans, and with a sigh blow down
The firmest fabric of deliberate thought.
Heav'ns! that a king consummate for a throne,
So wise in council, and so great in arms,
Should, after nine long years, remain a slave,
Because his wife is fair! What art thou, beauty,
Whose charm makes sense and valour grow as

tame

As a blind turtle?

Pher. Is thy wisdom proof

Against the blandishments of warm desire?
It ill defends thee from Arsinoe's charms!
The sullen sweetness of a down-cast eye,
A feign'd unkindness, or a just reproach,
Breath'd in a sigh, and soften'd with a tear,
Would make thy rigid marble melt like snow
On the warm bosom of the youthful spring.
Soh. In thoughtless youth, gay nature gives the
rein

To love, and bids him urge the full career:
But Herod should restrain his head-strong course,
Now reason is mature.

Pher. He never can;

For Mariamne with superior charms
Triumphs o'er reason; in her look she bears
A paradise of ever-blooming sweets:
Fair as the first idea beauty prints

On the young lover's soul: a winning grace
Guides every gesture, and obsequious love
Attends on all her steps; for, majesty
Streams from her eye to each beholder's heart,
And checks the transport which her charms in-
spire:

Who would not live her slave !-Nor is her mind
Form'd with inferior elegance!—By her,
So absolute in every grace, we guess
What essence angels have.

Soh. Who can admire

The brightest angel, when his hand unsheaths
The vengeful sword, or with dire pestilence
Unpeoples nations? If death sits enthron'd
In the soft dimple of a damask cheek,

Sch. My lord, the province you've assign'd He thence can aim his silent dart as sure,

agrees

VOL. II.

As from the wrinkle of a tyrant's frown : D

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Crush the crown'd basilisk, or else she kills Whate'er her eye commands.-You need, my lord,

No clearer light than this, by which to read
The purpose of my soul.

Pher. Though 'tis obscure,

It strikes like lightning that with fear confounds
The pale night-wanderer, whilst it shews the path.
You, Sohemus, have cause to think the queen
Charges the taking off her uncle's head
To your advice; and gladly would atone
Her kindred blood with yours: revenge still glows,
Though hid in treacherous embers; and you'll
feel

The dire effect, whene'er occasion breathes
A gale to waken and foment the flame.
But I, unpractis'd in th' intrigues of courts,
And disciplin'd in camps, will not supply
Increase of fuel to these home-bred jars:
I hope the king will see them soon supprest;
Or care succeeding care will ever tread
The circle of his crown.

Soh. If to pursue

The safest measure to secure his throne,
Shall irritate the queen to make me fall
A victim to her rage, the conscious pride
Of having acted what the king ordained,

Enter Messenger with a Letter to PHERORAS.
Will yet support me. 'Tis not worth my care,
Whether the trembling hand of age must shake
From the frail glass my last remaining sand;
Ör fortune break the phial, ere the sum
Of half my life is told.

Pher. "Tis from the king:

A most unpleasing message for the queen.
Soh. May I, my lord, partake?
Phar. The infant prince

Must live an hostage of the league at Rome;
Cæsar hath sent a minister of trust

With guards to wait him. This perhaps the king
Hath kept concealed, that his return might calm
The afflicted queen, and soften the surprise.
Soh. Names he, my lord, the general to whose

care

The prince must be consigned?

Pher. Rome could not chuse For that high charge a nobler delegate, Than my Flaminius; for a bolder hand Ne'er flew her conquering eagles at their prey. We in the Parthian wars together learned The rudiments of arms; the summer sun Hath seen our marches measured by his own; In battle so intrepid, that he shewed An appetite of danger; oft I've heard The weary veterans, resting on their spears, Swear by the gods and majesty of Rome, They blushed with indignation to behold

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Sal. That vain boy

Believes his near relation to the queen
Exempts his haughty youth from all restraint.
He's Mariamne's echo, and repeats
But half her menaces.

Soh. What time more fit

To put her threats in act, than when the king
Flies with redoubled ardour to her arms?
Passion improves with absence; and his heart
So soft and passive to the power of love,
Will then be vacant only to his queen.—
Fortune of late a glorious scene disclos'd,
But soon snatch'd back the visionary joy!
The blissful hour is past-Curst, doubly curst
Be this boy-emperor! who tamely spar'd
The warmest friend that Antony could boast.
Had Herod perish'd by his vengeful sword,
I soon had sent (for so he left in charge)
His queen, the worshipp'd idol of his soul,
To attend him to the shades.-Clouds of despair
Now terminate our view!

Sal. Can you discern

No glimmering hope? Though dim, the distan ray

May serve to steer our course.
Soh. The king will send

His son for hostage, to reside in Rome.

Sal. Were triple thunder vollied at the queen, It could not rend her bleeding bosom more Than such a message.

Soh. At this little spark,

Discord may light her ever-burning torch:
The imperious queen perhaps will edge her tongue,
With keen resentments for her ruined race.
For 'tis the infirmity of noblest minds,
When ruffled with an unexpected woe,
To speak what settled prudence would conceal :
As the vexed ocean, working in a storm,
Oft brings to light the wrecks, which long lay
calm

In the dark bosom of the secret deep.
From such reproach, his promised joy may change
To coldness and distrust, perhaps to hate;
And their high souls, that now, like friendly stars,
Mingling their beams, in mutual ardour shine,
In fiercest opposition then will thwart
Each other's influence, and divide the court:
Then, mischief, to thy work!-

Sal. In me you'll find

A sure assistant. Shall Pheroras join?

Soh. I'd fly him at the quarry, but I fear
He'd check, if other game should cross the flight:
He scorns dissimulation, nor perceives
That nature never meant simplicity

A grace to charm in courts: he serves the crown
With such a blind disinterested zeal,
He's even proud to obey.

Sal. Let him enjoy

His cold-complexioned principles, and fall
A traitor to himself.

Soh. O princess! born

To bless the world with a long progeny
Of future heroes; and renew the strain
Of valour, which the softness of your sex
Unspirited at first! So great a soul
Deserves, and sure is destined to a throne!
But hark!-

Sal. The queen's approaching: she repairs To sacrifice.

Soh. 'Tis best we both retire.

SCENE IV.

MARIAMNE and ARSINOE.

[Exeunt.

Mar. The princess and her friend were unprepared

To pay the decencies the day requires:
The most unpractis'd in the courtier's art,
And they who hate us most, might sure vouchsafe
A smooth unmeaning compliment at least.
But night-born treason is too tender-ey'd,
To bear the blaze of dazzling majesty,
And seeks the guilty shade.

Arsi. They're both deprived

Of your propitious smile; so dire a loss
Would cloud the most serene.

Mar. That sullen gloom

Proceeds not from a conscience of their crimes
Which sues by penitence for royal grace;
But argues high contempt; their brows display
A banner of defiance, and avow

Their trait'rous combination: but I'll quell
The towering crest of their presumptuous hate,
Or perish in the attempt. Henceforth forbear
All commerce with the princess, and her train,
For fear the infection of example taint

Your sound allegiance.

Arsi. If a single thought

Were tinctured with disloyalty, this hand
Should pierce my heart to drive the rebel out.
Your strict command with pleasure I obey;
For at the sight of Salome, my breast
Shivers with chilling horror, and revolves
The destiny which a Chaldæan seer
Of late foretold. The pious sage had pass'd
Full sixty winters in a private cell:
His locks were silvered o'er with reverend white;
And on his cheeks appeared the pale effect
Of studious abstinence: his custom was
In his small hermitage to outwatch the moon,
To marshal in his schemes the host of heaven;
And from their ruling influence at the birth,
Formed his predictions. As the princess pass'd,
I asked him if his foresight could discern
The colour of her fate: he answered, black!
'Tis black chequered with blood! deep in her
breast

I see the dagger, doomed by heaven's decree
To cut her half-spun thread.

Mar. What powerful cause

Urged you to hear a vain diviner tell

His waking dreams? Perhaps you went to know
What happy star presided o'er the love,
Which Sohemus, I hear, addressed to you:
If so, I'll be your oracle; forbear

To enquire the doubtful omehs of the sky,
And fix your faith on this unerring truth:
If your ill-judging choice mislead your heart,
To meet his passion with an equal flame,
Henceforth forever banished from my sight,
In exile you shall end an odious life;
Attended only in that friendless state
By black remorse, which step by step pursues
The ungrateful and the false.

Arsi. I long have felt

The afflicting hand of heaven, without the guilt
Of murmur or complaint: but to be thought
False and ungrateful, is too much to bear.
Chase that suspicion from your royal mind;
Nor cast my blameless innocence a prey
To those who envy your distinguished grace,
With which I've long been honoured.
Mar. To receive

Private addresses from my deadliest foe;
A wretch, whose dark infernal arts have wrought
The ruin of my race, but ill repays

My condescending favour, which vouchsafed
To lose the style of subject and of queen,
In friendship's softer name.

Arsi. While thus I kneel,

Imploring heaven to attest my spotless faith,
May I be fixed a dreadful monument
Of perjured guilt, if e'er my bosom gave
Reception to his suit. Were he possessed
Of all the sun surveys, and formed to please
With every grace that captivates the soul;
And your command, concurrent with his love,
Should urge me to comply; that hard command,
And that alone I dare to disobey.-
No, my dear Roman! nothing can deface
Thy image from thy virgin-widow's breast;

The inviolable band of strong desire Shall ever join our souls.

Mar. Dismiss your fears,

And let them with my vanish'd doubt expire:
But, whence this transport of reviving woe?
Recite the series of your fate at large.

Arsi. When Anto y and Cæsar found the globe
Too narrow, to suffice the boundless views
Of two such mighty spirits, my virgin-vow
Was plighted to a brave patrician youth,
The friend of Cæsar. Antony proscribed
The chiefs who sided with his potent foe;
And foremost in the tablet
my lov'd lord
Was doom'd to slaughter; whilst with nuptial
joy

His palace rung, crowded with friends who came
To attend the bride's arrival, through the gates
A troop of cut-throats rushing in, surpris'd
And dragged him to his fate!

Mar. In that distress

What could you do, and whither did you fly? Arsi. At Alexandria then the fatal cause

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ACT II.

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Would soon interpret love; but softly sighed,
And slipt it in his bosom. Strait her cheeks
Glowed with an angry blush, which faded soon,
And left them lily pale. Breathless and faint
She then reclined her head, and from his breast
Snatch'd what she fear'd might lie too near his
heart:

With amorous reluctance while he strove
To gain the ravish'd prize, she let it fall
(More by design than chance) into the Nile:
He springing up to catch it, half-o'er-set
The gilded barge; and with a sterner brow,
And haughtier tone, than e'er she knew before,
He cried, your river is too well repaid,
For all the wealth you owed.-

[A messenger enters to NAR. Mess. Pheroras, sir,

Desires to see the Roman general.
Nar. Sir, I'll conduct you.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Enter SOHEMUS and the High-Priest. Soh. But the human mind,

When 'tis divorced from matter, cannot pierce The distant cloud of dark futurity.

You sleep not sound, my lord! Old age depress'd

With melancholy damps, oft dwindles down
To second infancy, and then renews
Its cradle dreams; which superstitious fear
Makes sacred with the venerable names
Of vision, or of prophecy; devis'd
To cheat the vulgar, and too oft employed
To cover disaffection to the state.

High-Pr. I have, my lord, no craving appetites

To glut with gain or titles; I've attained

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