Classic Poem

ACT . III. S CEN . II.

To him Charistus.

— — And here Charistus comes.
Souls once possess'd, as his, are most impatient,
They meet what they should stay for. Cha .
Dear Olyndus ,
Pardon that I expect not, but make hast
To intercept my Doom. Others perhaps
May wait the punctuall Minute, and observe
The just and even Period: but Charistus
Doth love too slow, when time, and Sun can bind him
Unto a regular Motion. Olyn .
Would you had
Been there your self! would you had drunk in all
The Looks, Words, Graces, and Divinities
That I have done! I'm like the Priest that's full
Of his inspiring God, and am possess'd
With so much rapture, that methinks I could
Bear up my self without a Wing, or Chariot,
And hover o'r the Earth, still dropping something
That should take root in Kingdoms, and come up
The Good of people. Cha .
Let me ask thee then
As we do those that do come fresh from Visions,
What saw'st thou there? Olyn .
That which I see still, that
Which will not out; I saw a Face that did
Seem to participate of Flames, and Flowers;
Eyes in which Light combin'd with Jet to make
Whiteness be thought the Blot, and Black hereafter
Purchase the Name of Innocence, and Lustre.
The whole was but one solid Light, and had I
Not seen our Goddess rising from the Flouds
Pourtray'd less fair, less Goddess, I had thought
The thing I saw, and talk'd with, must have been
The Tutelar Deity of this our Island. Cha .
That I should let thee go! that I should be
So impious to my self, as not to break
Her great Commands, and so become a Martyr
By daring to be happy 'gainst her will —
But on Olyndus . Olyn .
You may think this
The Height, the Achme, and the All of her:
But when I tell you, that She hath a Mind
That hides all this, and makes it not appear,
Disparaging as 'twere, what ever may
Be seen without her, then you'l thus exclame;
Nature, thou wert o'rseen to put so mean
A Frontispeece to such a Building. Cha .
Give me,
O quickly give me the whole Miracle,
Or presently I am not. Olyn .
Think, Charistus ,
Think out the rest, as 'tis, I cannot speak it. Cha .
Alas! what should I think? Olyn .
Conceive a Fire
Simple and thin; to which that Light we see,
And see by, is so far impure, that 'tis
Only the stain, and blemish of the World;
And if it could be plac'd with it in one
And the same Tablet, would but only serve
As bound and shadow to it: Then conceive
A Substance that the Gods have set apart,
And when they would put generous Motions
Into a Mortall Breast, do take the Soul
And couch it there, so that what e'r we call
Vertue in us, is only but a Turning
And Inclination toward her from whom
This Pow'r was first deriv'd. Cha .
What present God
Lent thee his Eyes, and stood blind by, whiles thou
Did'st gaze, and surfet on these Glories? Olyn .
Others
Do Love the shape, the Gesture, and the Man,
But She the Vertue. Mark Charistus . She
Saies She could Court you ring'd about with Dangers,
Dote on you smear'd, and stiff with hostile Bloud,
Count and exact your wounds, as a due sum
You are to pay to Valour; All which when
I told her was in Love, she said I did
Present a Spark, when She desir'd a full
And glorious Constellation — to be short,
She saies you must go back, do honourably,
Get you a Name upon the Cyprian Forces;
And bids you when y'have done all this, consider
It is her Father, and her Subjects, and
Her Kingdom that you Conquer — — Cha .
And her self
That I shall lose by doing so. If I
Return, and Crete be Conquer'd, then She will
Count me Spoyl, and Luggage; and my Love
Only a Slave's Affection. If I Conquer,
And Cyprus follow my Triumphant Chariot,
My Love will then be Tyranny, and She,
How can She light an Hymeneal Torch
From her lov'd Countries Flame? I am rejected,
Charistus is a Name of scorn. Olyn .
What Fates
Dare throw that Name upon my Friend? To shew
That She rejects you not, because there is
That Trust, that Faith, and that Confusion of
Charistus and Olyndus 'twixt us, in the mean
Whiles he is absent, tell him, saith She, that
I'l love Olyndus in his stead. Cha .
How! Man
Th' hast dealt dishonourably. This the Light?
And this that Fire that makes that Light a stain? Olyn .
This I foretold my self: my good Charistus
Let not your Anger carry you beyond
The bent of Reason; can I give account
Of others Passions? did I first conceive
The words my self, then speak 'em? Cha .
O ye Gods!
Where is the Faith? where the Olyndus now?
Th' hast been a Factor for thy self: I'd thought
I'd sent a Friend, but he's return'd a Merchant,
And will divide the Wealth. Olyn .
Far be that Brand
From your Olyndus ! far from your Lucasia !
She hath a Face hath so much Heaven in it,
And this Olyndus so much Worship of it,
That he must first put on another Shape,
And become Monster, e'r he dare but look
Upon her with a thought that's Masculine. Cha .
Peace Treachery! I am too cold; my anger
Is dull and lazie yet. I'l search that Breast,
And dig out falshood from the secret'st Corner
In all thy Heart, here in the very place
That thou hast wrong'd me. Olyn .
There is nothing here
That my Charistus knows not. Pray you open,
And search, and judge; and when you find all true,
Say you destroy'd a Friend. Cha .
It is your Art
I see to wooe, but I will make you speak
Something that is not Flattery. Olyn .
Olyndus
Ne'r lov'd the Man as friend yet, whom he did
Fear as an Enemy. 'Tis one part of Valour
That I durst now receive, conceal, and help you,
Here in the Bosome of that State, which hath
Cast out a spear into the Cretan Field,
And bid you War. Cha .
Thou hast already here
Betray'd my Love; thy falshood will proceed
Unto my Person next. I'd thought I'd been
Clasp'd in Embraces, but I find I am
Entangled in a Net. Olyn .
Y'are safe as in
The Bosome of your Father, take this Veyl
Of Passion from your Eyes, and you'l behold
The same Olyndus still. Cha .
The same Deceiver,
The same false perjur'd Man. Draw, or by Heaven,
That now should Thunder and revenge my wrongs,
Thou shalt dye sluggishly. Olyn .
Recall your self,
And do but hear — — Cha .
What words a Coward will
Fawn on me with, to keep an abject life,
Not worth the saving. Olyn .
Witness all ye Gods
That govern Friendship, how unwillingly
I do untye the Knot. Cha .
Draw quickly, lest
It may be known I am the Cretan Prince,
And so my juster Fury be not suffer'd
To scourge a timorous and perfidious Man. Oly .
Though thou stand'st here an Enemy, and we have
The Pledge of all the Cretan State, yet know
Though all our Island's People did look on,
And thou proclam'st thy self to be the Man,
They should not dare to know the Prince, untill
I'd done this Sacrifice to Honour. Cha .
So! Oly .

I have not long to stay 'mongst Mortals now,
And then you may search all those Corners that
You talk'd of in my Heart. But if you find
Ought that is falshood towards you, or more
Than Reverence to Lucasia , may I want
The Honour of a Grave — — Hear O ye Gods,
(Ye Gods whom (but a while) and I am with)
Lucasia is as spotless, as the Seat
That you prepare for Virgin Lovers! Cha .
I
Have wrong'd thee, my Olyndus , wrong'd thee much,
But do not chide me; there's not life enough
Left in me to make use of Admonition. Olyn .
If you survive, love your Lucasia ; 'twill
Make your Olyndus happy; for the good
Of the surviving Friend, some holy Men
Say doth pertain unto the Friend Departed. Cha .
Vertuous Lucasia ! and hadst thou Olyndus
Not been so too, my Gods had fought for me;
But I must dye — — Olyndus . Olyn .
Heavens forbid
That my Charistus perish! I have only
Strength left to wish: If I can creep yet to thee
I'l help thee all I can. Cha .

And I will meet thee;

Let us embrace each other yet. The Fates
Preserve our Friendship, and would have us equall,
Equall ev'n in our Angers: we shall go
Down equall to the Shades both, two waies equall,
As Dead, as Friends. And when Lucasia shall
Come down unto us (which the Heavens forbid
Should be as yet) I'l not be Jealous there.