Magnificent in royal pride, appears.
I must obey, and guard her son from danger.
[Exit Phanix.

Enter ANDROMACHE and CEPHISA.
Ceph. Madam, once more you look and move
a queen!

Your sorrows are dispersed, your charms revive,
And every faded beauty blooms anew.

Andr. Yet all is not as I could wish, Cephisa.
Ceph. You see the king is watchful o'er your

son;

Decks him with princely robes, with guards surrounds him.

Astaynax begins to reign already.

Andr. Pyrrhus is nobly minded: and I fain
Would live to thank him for Astyanax:
'Tis a vain thought-However, since my child
Has such a friend, I ought not to repine.

Ceph. These dark unfoldings of your soul per-
plex me.

What meant those floods of tears, those warm embraces,

As if you bid your son adieu for ever?

For Heaven's sake, madam, let me know your griefs!

If you mistrust my faith

Andr. That were to wrong thee.
Oh, my Cephisa! this gay, borrowed air,
This blaze of jewels, and this bridal dress,
Are but mock trappings to conceal my woe:
My heart still mourns; I still am Hector's widow.
Ceph. Will you then break the promise given
to Pyrrhus,

Blow up his rage afresh, and blast your hopes?
Andr. I thought, Cephisa, thou hadst known

thy mistress.

Couldst thou believe I would be false to Hector?
Fall off from such a husband! break his rest,
And call him to this hated light again,
To see Andromache in Pyrrhus' arms?
Would Hector, were he living, and I dead,
Forget Andromache, and wed her foe!

Ceph. I cannot guess what drift your thoughts
pursue;

But, oh, I fear there's something dreadful in it!
Must then Astyanax be doomed to die;
And you to linger out a life in bondage?

Relate the dreadful vision, which I saw,
When first I landed captive in Epirus.
That every night, as in a dream I lay,
A ghastly figure, full of gaping wounds,
His eyes aglare, his hair all stiff with blood,
Full in my sight thrice shook his head, and
groaned.

I soon discerned my slaughtered Hector's shade;
But, oh, how changed! Ye, gods, how much un-
like

The living Hector! Loud he bid me fly!
Fly from Achilles' son! then sternly frowned,
And disappeared. Struck with the dreadful

This fell despair ill suits your present fortunes.
Andr. No other stratagem can serve my pur-
pose:

This is the sole expedient to be just
To Hector, to Astyanax, to Pyrrhus.

I shall soon visit Hector, and the shades
Of my great ancestors: Cephisa, thou
Wilt lend a hand to close thy mistress' eyes?
Ceph. Oh, never think that I will stay behind
you!

Andr. No, my Cephisa; I must have thee live.
Remember, thou didst promise to obey,
And to be secret: wilt thou now betray me?
After thy long, thy faithful service, wilt thou
Refuse my last commands, my dying wish?

Andr. Nor this, nor that, Cephisa, will I Once more I do conjure thee, live for me.

What brought me to this place? What keeps me Of all mankind; and fears to stain his honour.

My eyes want force to raise a lover's arin,
Against a tyrant that has dared to wrong me !
Cleo. Madam, like Helen, trust your cause to
Greece.

Her. No; I'll avenge myself! I'll to the temple!
I'll overturn the altar, stab the priest !
I'll hurl destruction, like a whirlwind, round me!
They must not wed! they must not live! they
shall not!

Let me be gone! I have no time to lose!
Stand off! hold me not! I am all distraction!
Oh, Pyrrhus! Tyrant! Traitor! Thou shalt bleed!
Enter ORESTES.

What had he done? What could provoke thy
madness,

To assassinate so great, so brave a man?
Who set thee on?

Orest, Oh, grant me patience, Heaven!
With your own lips did you not curse the tyrant,
Pronounce his death, and urge me to destroy him?
Her. What if, transported by my boundless
passion,

I could not bear to see him wed another,
Were you to obey a jealous woman's frenzy?
You should have dived into my inmost thoughts:
My heart, though full of rage, was free from ma-
lice;

Orest. Madam, 'tis done; your orders are obey- And all my anger was excess of love.

ed:

The tyrant lies expiring at the altar,

Her. Is Pyrrhus slain?

Orest. Even now he gasps in death:
Our Greeks, all undistinguished in the crowd,
Flocked to the temple, and dispersed themselves
On every side the altar. I was there;
Pyrrhus observed me with a haughty eye,
And, proud to triumph over Greece in me,
From his own brows he took the diadem,
And bound it on the temples of his captive;
Receive, said he, my crown; receive my faith;
Mine and my people's sovereign reign for ever,
From this blest hour, a father to your son,
I'll scourge his foes: henceforward be he styled
The Trojan king; I swear it at the altar,
And call the gods to ratify my vows.
His subjects, with loud acclamations, shook
The spacious dome. Our Greeks, enraged, cried
out,

Revenge! revenge! broke through the thronging

press,

And rushed, tumultuous, on the unguarded king;
Their eager fury left no work for me.
Pyrrhus awhile opposed their clashing swords,
And dealt his fatal blows, on every side,
With manly firmness; till, opprest by numbers,
Streaming with blood, all over gashed with wounds,
He reeled, he groaned, and at the altar fell.
-Haste, madam; let us fly! Haste to our ships!
They lie unmoored: our friends attend us there.
Her. What have they done!

Orest. Madam, forgive their rage.

I own your vengeance had been more complete,
Had Pyrrhus fallen by me, and had he known
Hermione chastised him by my arm.

Her. Peace, monster! peace! Go tell thy hor-
rid tale

To savages, and howl it in the desert.
Wouldst thou impute to me thy barbarous guilt?
Me wouldst thou make the accomplice of thy
crimes?

Hence to thy Greeks, and boast thy foul ex-
ploits!

My soul abhors them! I disclaim the deed! Begone! I know thee not! Thou fell barbarian!

VOL. I.

Why did you take me at my word! You saw
The struggles of my soul; you heard me rave;
You should have questioned me a thousand times,
Yet still have doubted, and still questioned on,
Before you ventured on a life so precious.

Orest, Hear me but speak: Heaven knows,
against my will-

Her. Why did you not return? Why not con

sult me

A second time? And, undetermined still,
Again return, and still find new delays?
What had your rash officious Greeks, dire blood-
hounds!

To do with my revenge? What drew you hither?
To bring on me the vengeful woes that haunt
you?

Are these the fruits of your detested love?
Your fatal embassy, your hateful presence,
Drove Pyrrhus to my rival; and destroys
Both him and me. He might have loved me still,
Had you ne'er interposed-Avaunt! Begone!
And leave me in Epirus. I renounce
My friends, my country, Greece, and all man-
kind:

But chiefly I renounce thee! monster, thee!

[Exit. Orest. Am I awake? Where am I? Soft my, soul;

Be not too rash.

-Was that Hermione?
Why should her anger thunder against me?
Was not this blood shed all by her command
I am, indeed, a most outrageous monster!
A ruffian, murderer, a base assassin !
And all to please a false, ungrateful woman.
Henceforward let the laws of nations cease;
And let the pale, that severs right and wrong,
Things sacred and profane, be broken down;
Gods in their temples, kings upon their thrones,
Are not in safety, while Orestes lives!
Oh! never more shall my torn mind be healed,
Nor taste the gentle comfort of
repose!
A dreadful band of gloomy cares surround me,
And lay strong siege to my distracted soul!

Enter PYLADES, attended by Greeks.
Pyl. Haste, prince; let us be gone: 'tis death
to stay.

Tt

When you shall dearly pay your bloody deeds! What envious hand has closed thy wounds? How should the Trojans hope for mercy from