Classic Poem

ACT. III.

Philostratus. Arius.

How deepely Arius am I bound to thee,
That fau'dft from death this wretched life of mine :
Obtaining Caesars gentle grace for mee,
When I of all helpes else despaird but thine ?
Although I see in such a wofull state,
Life is not that which should be much desir'd :
Sith all our glories come to end their date,
Our Countries honour and our own expir'd,
Now that the hand of wrath hath ouer-gone vs
Liuing (as 'twere) in th'armes of our dead mother,
With blood vnder our feete, ruine vpon vs,
And in a Land most wretched of all other,
When yet we reckon life our dearest good.
And so we liue, we care not how we liue :
So deepe we feele impressed in our blood,
That touch which nature without breath did giue
And yet what blasts of words hath Learning found,
To blow against the feare of death and dying ?
What comforts vnsicke eloquence can sound,
And yet all faile vs in the point of trying.
For whilst we reason with the breath of safety,
Without the compasse of destruction liuing :
What precepts shew we then, what courage lofty
In taxing others feares in councell giuing ?
When all this ayre of sweet-contriued words
Proues but weake armour to defend the heart.
For when this life, pale Feare and Terrour boords,
Where are our precepts then, where is our art ?
O who is he that from himselfe can turne,
That beare about the body of a man ?
VVho doth not toyle and labour to adiorne
The day of death, by any meanes he can ?
All this I speake to th'end my selfe t'excuse,
For my base begging of a seruile breath,
VVherein I grant my selfe much to abuse,
So shamefully to seeke t'auoide my death.
Arius. Philostratus , that selfe same care to liue,
Possesseth all alike, and grieue not then
Nature doth vs no more then others giue :
Though we speake more then men, we are but men :
And yet (in truth) these miseries to see,
Wherein we stand in most extreame distresse ;
Might to our selues sufficient motiues be
To loath this life, and weigh our death the lesse :
For neuer any age hath better taught,
What feeble footing pride and greatnesse hath
How'improuident prosperitie is caught,
And cleane confounded in the day of wrath
See how dismaid Confusion keepes those streetes,
That nought but mirth & musique late resounded,
How nothing with our eye but horror meetes,
Our state, our wealth, our pride, and al confounded.
Yet what weake sight did not discerne from farre
This blacke-arising tempest, all confounding ?
Who did not see we should be what we are,
When pride and ryot grew to such abounding.
When dissolute impietie posseft
Th'vnrespectiue mindes of Prince, and People :
When insolent Securitie found rest
In wanton thoughts, with lust and ease made feeble.
Then when vnwary peace with fat-fed pleasure,
New-fresh inuented ryots still detected,
Purchas'd with all the Ptolomies rich treasure,
Our Lawes, our Gods, our mysteries neglected
Who saw not how this confluence of vice,
This inundation of disorders, must
At length, of force pay backe the bloody price
Of sad destruction, (a reward for lust.)
O thou and I haue heard, and read, and knowne
Of like proude states, as wofully incombred,
And fram'd by them, examples for our owne :
Which now among examples must be numbered.
For this decree a law from high is giuen,
An ancient Canon, of eternall date,
In Consistory of the starres of heauen,
Entred the Booke of vnauoyded Fate ;
That no state can in height of happinesse,
In th'exaltation of their glory stand :
But thither once arriu'd, declining lesse,
Ruine themselues, or fall by others hand.
Thus doth the euer-changing course of things
Runne a perpetuall circle, euer turning :
And that same day that hiest glory brings,
Brings vs vnto the point of backe-returning.
For sencelesse sensuality, doth euer
Accompany felicity and greatnesse.
A fatall vvitch, whose charmes do leaue vs neuer,
Till vve leaue all in sorrow for our sweetnesse ;
When yet our selues must be the cause we fall,
Although the same be first decreed on hie :
Our errors still must beare the blame of all,
This must it be; earth, aske not heauen why.
Yet mighty men vvith wary iealous hand,
Striue to cut off all obstacles of feare :
All whatsoeuer seemes but to withstand
Their least conceit of quiet, held so deare ;
And so intrench themselues with blood, with crimes,
With all iniustice as their feares dispose :
Yet for all this we see, how oftentiems
The meanes they worke to keepe, are meanes to lose.
And sure I cannot see, how this can stand
With great Augustus safety and his honor,
To cut off all succession from our land,
For her offence that pull'd the warres vpon her.
Phi . Why must her issue pay the price of that ?
Ari . The price is life that they are rated at.
Phi. Caesario too, issued of Caesars blood ?
Ari . Plurality of Caesars are not good.
Phi . Alas, what hurt procures his feeble arme ?
Ari . Not for it doth, but that it may do harme.
Phi . Then when it offers hurt, represse the same.
Ari . Tis best to quench a sparke before it flame.
Phi . Tis inhumane, an innocent to kill.
Ari . Such innocents seldome remaine so still.
And sure his death may best procure our peace;
Competitors the subiect deerely buies :
And so that our affliction may surceasse,
Let great men be the peoples sacrifice.
But see where Caesar comes himselfe, to try
And worke the mind of our distressed Queene,
To apprehend some falsed hope, whereby
She might be drawne to haue her fortune seene.
But yet I thinke, Rome will not see that face
(That queld her champions) blush in base disgrace.

SCENA. II.

Caesar. Cleopatra. Seleucus. Dolabella.

VVhat Cleopatra , doest thou doubt so much
Of Caesars mercy, that thou hid'st thy face ?
Or doest thou thinke, thy offences can be such,
That they surmount the measure of our grace ?
Cle . O Caesar , not for that I flie thy sight
My soule this sad retire of sorrow chose :
But that m'oppressed thoughts abhorring light
Like best in darkenes, my disgrace t'inclose.
And here to these close limites of despaire,
This solitary horror where I bide :
Cae , I thought no Roman should repaire,
More after him, who here oppressed dyde.
Yet now, here at thy conquering feete I lie,
Poore captiue soule, that neuer thought to bow :
Whose happy soote of rule and Maiesty
Stood late on the same ground thou standest now.
Caelig;s . Rife Queene, none but thy selfe is cause of all;
And yet, would all vvere but thyne owne alone ;
That others ruine had not vvith thy fall,
Brought Rome her sorrowes, to my triumphs mone.
For breaking off the league of loue and blood,
Thou mak'st my winning ioy a gaine vnpleasing :
Sith th'eye of griese must looke into our good,
Thorow the horror of our owne bloodshedding :
And all, we must attribute vnto thee.
Cle . To me ? Caesar , vvhat should a woman doe
Opprest with greatnes ? vvhat, was it for me
To contradict my Lord, being bent thereto ?
I vvas by loue, by feare, by weakenesse, made
An instrument to such disseignes as these.
For vvhen the Lord of all the Orient bade,
Who but obey'd ? vvho was not glad to please ?
And how could I vvithdraw my succouring hand
From him that had my heart, and vvhat vvas mine ?
The int'rest of my faith in streightest band,
My loue to his most firmely did combine.
Caelig;s . Loue ? alas no, it vvas th'innated hatred
That thou and thine hast euer borne our people :
That made thee seek all meanes to haue vs scattred,
To disunite our strength, and make vs feeble.
And therefore did that breast nurse our dissention,
With hope t'exalt thy selfe, t'augment thy state :
To pray vpon the vvracke of our contention,
And (with the rest our foes,) to ioy thereat.
Cleo . O Caesar , see how easie tis t'accuse
Whom Fortune hath made faulty by their fall ;
The wretched conquered may not refuse
The titles of reproch he's charg'd vvithall
The conquering cause hath right, wherein thou art,
The vanquisht still is iudged the worser part.
Which part is mine, because I lost my part.
No lesser then the portion of a Crowne.
Enough for me alas vvhat needed Art
To gaine by others, but to keepe mine owne ?
But here let vveaker powers note vvhat it is,
To neighbour great Competitors too neere;
If vve take part, vve oft do perish thus,
If neutrall bide, both parties we must feare.
Alas, vvhat shall the forst partakers do,
When following none, yet must they perish too ?
But Caelig;sar , sith thy right and cause is such,
Be not a heauy vveight vpon calamity :
Depresse not the afflicted ouer-much,
The chiefest glory is the Victors lenity.
Th'inheritance of mercy from him take,
Of vvhom thou hast thy fortune and thy name :
Great Caelig;sar , me a Queene at first did make,
And let not Caelig;sar now confound the same.
Reade here these lines which still I keepe with me,
The witnes of his loue and fauours euer :
And God forbid this should be sayd of thee,
That Caelig;sar vvrong'd the fauoured of Caelig;car .
For looke vvhat I haue beene to Antony ,
Thinke thou the same I might haue beene to thee.
And here I do present thee vvith the note
Of all the treasure, all the iewels rare
That Egypt hath in many ages got;
And looke what Cleopatra hath, is there.
Seleu . Nay there's not all set downe within that roule,
I know some things she hath reseru'd apart.
Cle . What, vile vngratefull wretch, dar'st thou controule
Thy Queene and soueraigne, caitife as thou art ?
Caelig;s . Hold, hold; a poore reuenge can worke so feeble hands.
Cle . Ah Caelig;sar , vvhat a great indignity
Is this, that here my vassall subiect stands
T'accuse me to my Lord of trechery ?
If I resuru'd some certaine vvomens toyes,
Alas it vvas not for my selfe (God knowes),
Poore miserable soule, that little ioyes
In trifling ornaments, in outward showes.
But what I kept, I kept to make my vvay
Vnto thy Liuia and Octauias grace,
That thereby in compassion mooued, they
Might mediate thy fauour in my case.
Caes . Well Cleopatra , feare not ; thou shalt finde
What fauour thou desir'st, or canst expect :
For Caesar neuer yet was found but kinde
To such as yeeld, and can themselues subiect.
And therefore giue thou comfort to thy mind,
Relieue thy soule thus ouercharg'd with care ;
How well I vvill intreate thee thou shalt finde
So soone as some affaires dispatched are.
Till then farewell.
Cle . Thanks thrise renowned Caesar ,
Poore Cleopatra rests thine owne for euer.
Dol . No maruell Caesar though our greatest sp'rits
Haue to the powre of such a charming beauty
Been brought to yeeld the honor of their merits :
Forgetting all respect of other duty.
Then vvhilst the glory of her youth remain'd
The wondring obiect to each wanton eye :
Before her full of sweet (with sorrow vvain'd,)
Came to the period of this misery.
If still, euen in the midst of death and horror
Such beauty shines, thorow clouds of age and sorrow,
If euen those sweet decayes seeme to pleade for her,
Which from affliction mouing graces borrow :
If in calamity she could thus moue,
What could she do adorn'd vvith youth and loue?
What could she do then, whenas spreading wide
The pompe of beauty, in her glory dight?
When arm'd with wonder, she could vse beside,
Th'ingines of her loue, Hope, and Delight?
Beauty, daughter of Meruaile, O see how
Thou canst disgracing sorrowes sweetly grace.
What power thou shew'st in a distressed brow,
That mak'st affliction faire, giu'st teares their grace
What can vntressed lockes, can torne rent haire,
A weeping eye, a wailing face be faire?
I see then, artlesse feature can content,
And that true beauty needes no ornament.
Caes. What in a passion Dolabella ? what? take heed:
Let others fresh examples be thy warning;
VVhat mischiefes these, so idle humors breed,
VVhilst error keepes vs from a true discerning.
Indeed I saw she labour'd to impart
Her sweetest graces in her saddest cheere:
Prefuming on the face that knew the arte
To moue, with vvhat aspect so eu'r it were.
But all in vaine; she takes her ayme amisse,
The ground and marke, her leuell much deceiues;
Time now hath altred all, for neither is
She as she was, nor we as she conceiues.
And therefore now, twere best she left such badnes;
Folly in youth is sinne, in age, tis madnes.
And for my part, I seeke but t'entertaine
In her some feeding hope to draw her forth ;
The greatest Trophey that my trauailes gaine,
Is, to bring home a prizall of such worth.
And now, sith that she seemes so well content
To be disposd by vs, without more stay
She with her children shall to Rome be sent,
VVhilst I by Syria thither take my way.

CHORVS.

O Fearefull-frowning Nemesis,
Daughter of Iustice, most seuere ;
That art the worlds great Arbitresse
And Queene of causes raigning here :
Whose swift-sure hand is euer neere
Eternall iustice, righting wrong :
Who neuer yet deferrest long
The prouds decay, the weakes redresse :
But through thy power every where,
Dost raze the great, and raise the lesse
The lesse made great, dost ruine too,
To shew the earth what heauen can do.

Thou from darke-clos'd eternity,
From thy blacke cloudy hidden seate,
The worlds disorders dost descry :
Which when thy swell so proudly great,

Reuersing th'order nature set,
Thou giu'st thy all confounding doome,
Which none can know before it come :
Th'ineuitable destiny,
Which neither wit nor strength can let,
Fast chain'd vnto necessity,
In mortall things doth order so,
Th'alternate course of weale or woe.

O how the powers of heauen doe play
With trauailed mortality :
And doth their weakenesse still betray,
In their best prosperity?
When being lifted up so hie,
They looke beyond themselues so farre,
That to themselves they take no care ;
Whilst swift confusion downe doth lay,
Their late proud mounting vanity :
Bringing their glory to decay,
And with the ruine of their fall,
Extinguish people, state and all.

But is it Iustice that all we
The innocent poore multitude,
For great mens faults should punisht be,
And to destruction thus pursude?
O why should th'heauens vs include,
Within the compasse of their fall,
Who of themselues procured all?
Or do the gods (in close) decree,
Occasion take how to extrude
Man from the earth with cruelty?
Ah no, the gods are euer iust,
Our faults excuse their rigor must.
This is the period Fate set downe,
To Egypts fat prosperity :
Which now vnto her greatest growne,
Must perish thus, by course must die,
And some must be the causers why
This reuolution must be wrought :
As borne to bring their state to nought :
To change the people and the crowne,
And purge the worlds iniquity :
Which vice so farre hath ouer growne.
As we, so they that treate vs thus,
Must one day perish like to vs.