"The youth, the very author of my crimes, With seeming grief, and aggravating pity, And his glad heart with artful sighs shall heave; "How he'll expose you to the public scorn, "And loathing crowds shall murmur out their horror? "Then the fierce Scythian-now methinks I see "His fiery eyes with sullen pleasures glow, "Survey your tortures, and insult your pangs; "I see him, smiling on the pleas'd Ismena, "Point out with scorn the once-proud tyrant Phædra." Phaed. Curst be his name! may infamy attend him! May swift destruction fall upon his head, Hul'd by the hand of those he most adores. Lyc. By heav'n, prophetic truth inspires your tongue: "He shall endure the shame he means to give;" For all the torments which he heaps on you, With just revenge, shall Theseus turn on him. Phaed. Is't possible? O Lycon! O my refuge! A good old man! thou oracle of wisdom! Lyc. Accuse him first. Phaed. O heav'n's! accuse the guiltless? Lyc. Then be accurs'd; let Theseus know your crime; Let lasting infamy o'erwhelm your glory; Let your foe triumph, and your infant fall"Shake off this idle lethargy of pity; "With ready war prevent th' invading foe, "Preserve your glory, and secure your vengeance; "Be yours the fruit, security, and ease; "The guilt, the danger, and the labour mine." Phaed. Heav'n's! Theseus comes. Lyc. Declare your last resolves, Phaed. Do you resolve, for Phædra can do nothing. [Exit Phædra. Lyc. Now, Lycon, heighten his impatient love, Now raise his pity, now enflame his rage, Quicken his hopes, then quash 'em with despair; Work his tumultuous passions into phrenzy; Unite them all, then turn them on the foe. THESEUS enters. Thes. Was that my queen, my wife, my idol Phædra? Does she still shun me? O injurious heav'n ! Why did you give me back again to life? To let me fall by her more fatal hatred ? Lyc. Her hatred! no; she loves you with such fondness As none but that of Theseus e'er could equal: "Yet so the gods have doom'd, so heav'n will have it, "She ne'er must view her much-lov'd Theseus more. "Thes. Not see her! by my suff'rings but I will, "Though troops embattled should oppose my passage, "And ready death shall guard the fatal way. "Not see her! oh! I'll clasp her in these arms, "Break through the idle bands that yet have held me, "And seize the joys my honest love may claim. "Lyc. Is this a time for joy, when Phædra's grief— "Thes. Is this a time for grief? is this my welcome "To air, to life, to liberty, and Crete? "Not this I hop'd, when urg'd by ardent love, "I wing'd my eager way to Phædra's arms; "Then, to my thoughts, relenting Phædra flew, "With open arms to welcome my return; "With kind endearing blame condemn'd my rashness, "And made me swear to venture out no more. "Oh! my warm soul, my boiling fancy glow'd "With charming hopes of yet-untasted joys; "New pleasures fill'd my mind, all dangers, pains, "Wars, wounds, defeats, in that dear hope were lost. "And does she now avoid my eager love? "Pursue me still with unrelenting hatred ? "Invent new pains? detest, loath, shun my sight? "Fly my return, and sorrow for my safety? "Lyc. Oh, think not so! for, by th' unerring gods," When first I told her of your wish'd return, When the lov'd sound of Theseus reach'd her ears, At that dear name she rear'd her drooping head, "Her feeble hands, and wat'ry eyes to heav'n, "To bless the bounteous gods: at that dear name "The raging tempest of her grief was calm'd;" Her sighs were hush'd, and tears forgot to flow. Thes. Did my return bring comfort to her sorrow? Then haste, conduct me to the lovely mourner. Oh, I will kiss the pearly drops away; "Suck from her rosy lips the fragrant sighs; "With other sighs her, panting breast shall heave, "With other dews her swimming eyes shall melt," With other pangs her throbbing heart shall beat, And all her sorrows shall be lost in love. Lyc. Does Theseus burn with such unheard of sion ? pas And shall not she with out-stretch'd arms receive him; "And with an equal ardor meet his vows? "The vows of one so dear!" O righteous gods! Why must the bleeding heart of Theseus bear Such tort'ring pangs? while Phædra, dead to love, Now with accusing eyes on angry heav'n Stedfastly gazes, and upbraids the gods; "Now with dumb piercing grief and humble shame, "Fixes her gloomy watry orbs to earth; "Now burst with swelling anguish, rends the skies" With loud complaints of her outrageous wrongs. Thes. Wrongs! is she wrong'd? and lives he yet who wrong'd her? Lyc. He lives, so great, so happy, so belov'd, Now fail? now first, when Phædra's injur'd, fail ? F "Speak, Lycon, haste, declare the secret villain, "The wretch so meanly base to injure Phædra, So rashly brave to dare the sword of Theseus. "Lyc. I dare not speak; hut sure her wrongs are mighty. The pale cold hue that deadens all her charms, "Her sighs, her hollow groans, her flowing tears Make me suspect her monstrous grief will end her. "Thes. End her! end Theseus first, and all mankind; "But most that villain, that detested slave, That brutal coward, that dark lurking wretch. "Lyc. Oh, noble heat of unexampled love! "This Phædra hop'd, when, in the midst of grief, "In the wild torrent of o'erwhelming sorrows, She groaning still invok'd, still call'd on Theseus. Thes. Did she then name me? did the weeping charmer "Invoke my name, and call for aid on Theseus ? "Why then this stay?" I come, I fly, O Phædra! "Lyc. Oh! I beg you stay. "Thes. What, stay when Phædra calls " Lyc. "Oh! on my lance, "By all the gods, my lord, I beg you stay;" Ob! I conjure you stay, As you respect your peace, your life, your glory; “As Phædra's days are precious to your soul" By all your love, by Phædra's sorrows stay, |