Forgive those captives, whom thy fatal anger
Adjudged to death, nor let ill-timed resentment
Fall on the prince your son-'twas I-my tears-
My piercing lamentations won his heart
To arrest their doom-
Phar. For traitors to my crown
Does Ariana plead ?
Zen. For mild humanity
My suppliant voice is raised-I point the means
To add new glory to your fame in arms.
In nought so near can men approach the gods,
As the dear act of giving life to others.
In feats of war the glory is divided,
To all imparted, to each common man,
And fortune too shall vindicate her share.
But, of sweet mercy, the vast, vast renown
Is all your own; nor officer, nor soldier
Can claim a part--the praise, the honoured praise,
Adorns the victor; nor is the echo lost
'Midst shouts of armies, and the trumpet's sound.
He conquers even victory itself,
Than hero more---a blessing to the world!
Phar. Thy eloquence disarms my stubborn
soul.
But wherefore urgent thus? Amidst the band,
Is there who claims thy soft solicitude?
Zen. A hoary sage--alas! a more than fi ther
The best of men--preserver of my being-
A blameless shepherd! void of fraud and guilt,
Innoxious through his life-Oh! mighty king,
Spare an old man, a venerable sire!
Nought has your fortune greater than the power
To serve humanity!-shew that your heart
Has the sweet grace, the generous virtue too!
Phar. My soul relents, and yields to thy en-
Thy violence of prayer-release him straight— My brightest honours wait him; honours fit For him who gave thee birth; for him whose virtue
Thy generous soul deems worthy its esteem. Zen. Our humble station seeks nor pomp nor splendour;
We only ask, unenvied and obscure,
To live in blameless innocence; to seek
Our calm retreat, embraced in depth of woods,
And dwell with peace and humble virtue there.
Phar. That cold disdain, which shuns admiring
Attracts the more, exalting every charm.
No more of humble birth; thy matchless beauty,
Like gems, that in the mine conceal their lustre,
Was formed to dignify the eastern throne.
My sceptre, that strikes terror to each heart,
Graced by thy decent hand, shall make each sub-
ject
Adore thy softer sway. The glorious æra
Of Pharasmanes' love, his date of empire
With Ariana shared, henceforth begins,
And leads the laughing hours; but, first, the storm
Of war and wild commotion must be hushed-
That mighty care now calls me to my throne,
To give the Roman audience; audience fit
To strike a citizen of Rome with awe,
When he beholds the majesty of kings. [Going
Enter TERIBAZUS.
Ter. Dread sir, the Roman embassy approach
From yonder rampart, that invests your camp, I heard their horses hoofs, with eager speed, Beat the resounding soil.
Phar. Let them approach
And thou, whose arrogance-but I forbear—
When Ariana pardons, my resentment
Yields to her smiles, and looks away its rage.
As when the crimes of men Jove's wrath de
mand,
And the red thunder quivers in his hand;
The queen of love his vengeance can disarm
With the soft eloquence of every charm;
Is oft the live-long day my favourite theme.
But oh! for me, for wretched Ariana,
The god of love long since hath quenched his
torch,
And every source of joy lies dead within me.
Ter. That cold averted look! but I am used To bear your scorn; your scorn that wounds the deeper,
Masked as it is with pity and esteem.
Yet love incurable, relentless love,
Burns here a constant flame, that rises still,
And will to madness kindle, should I see
That hoard of sweets, that treasury of charms,
Yield to another, to a barbarous rival,
Who persecutes a son to his undoing.
Zen. If Ariana's happiness would wound thee,
Thou wilt ne'er have cause to murmur or repine.
Nought can divorce me from the black despair
To which I have long been wedded.
I grant you, well becomes the tyrant fair
Whom Pharasmanes destines for his throne.
But oh! in pity to this breaking heart,
Give me, in mercy, give some other rival,
Whom I may stab-without remorse may stab,
'Midst his delight, in all his heaven of bliss,
And spurn him from the joys, that, scorpion-like,
Shoot anguish here-here, through my very soul.
Zen. Alas! too generous prince, the gods long
since,
Between us both, fixed their eternal bar.
Ter. What say'st thou, Ariana? ha! beware, Nor urge me to distraction-love like mine, Fierce, generous, wild-with disappointment wild,
By Heaven, whoe'er he be, despair and phrenzy
May strike the blow, and dash him from your
A sacrifice to violated love.
Zen. Why thus distract yourself with vain sus
You have no rival, whom your rage can mur-
der-
None in the power of fate-Oh! Teribazus,
The wretched Ariana-long, long since-
My heart swells o'er-I cannot speak—a duty,
A rigorous duty bids me ne'er accept
Thy proffered love; a duty, which, if known,
Would in eternal silence seal thy vows,
Turn all thy rage to tears, and, Oh! my prince!
Bid thee respect calamities like mine. [Exit Ter.
Ter. Yet, Ariana, stay-turn, turn and hear
She's gone, the cruel, unrelenting fair!
And leaves me thus to misery of soul.
Zop. Flamminius from the Romans is arrived, And bears the olive branch; the king, your father,
Assembles all his nobles
Ter. Say, Zopiron,
Does Rome yield up Armenia?
Zop. Rome is still
The Scourge of lawless power-a people's rights
The conscript fathers have resolved to shield,
And to the lineal heir assert the crown.
Ter. May the stern god of battles aid their
And fight with the deliverers of mankind!
Unnatural father! that would seize my sceptre,
Mine, as my brother's heir, and ravish, with it,
The idol of my soul-but now, no more
His tyranny prevails-to empire raised,
'Twill be the pride of my exulting heart
To lay my crown at Ariana's feet. [Exit Ter.
Zop. Unhappy prince! should Pharasmanes
know
His ardent passion for the captive maid,
Alas! his fatal rage-propitious powers!
May these events-may Rome's ambassador-
Oh! may he come with concord in his train,
And far avert the ills my heart forebodes!
But lo! Flamminius.-
Enter RHADAMISTUS.
Welcome to these tents,
The harbinger of peace!
Rhad. Does your king know
scorn-Flamminius waits his leisure?
Zop. He prepares
To hear you, Roman!
May rouse my desperate rage to do a deed
Will make all nature shudder. Love despised,
Not always can respect the ties of nature!
Driven to extremes, the tenderest passion
ed,
May hate at length the object it adores,
And stung to madness-no! inhuman fair,
You still must be-in all vicissitudes,
In all the scenes misfortune has in store,
You still must be the sovereign of my soul.
But for the favoured, for the happy rival,
Rhad. As I tread his camp,
There is, I know not what, of horror shoots
Through all my frame, and disconcerted reason
Suspends her function-a black train of crimes,
Murders and lust, and rapine, cities sacked,
Nations laid waste by the destructive sword,
A thousand ruthless deeds all rise to view,
And shake my inmost soul, as I approach
The author of calamity and ruin.
Zop. Then, from a Roman, from a son of freedom,
Let the fell tyrant hear the voice of truth,
The strong resistless strain, which liberty
Breathes in her capitol, till his proud heart
Shudder with inward horror at itself.
Rhad. In Pharasmanes' camp that honest
style!
Thy visage bears the characters of virtue.
Wilt thou impart thy name and quality?
Zop. In me you see Zopiron! deem me not
A vile abettor of the tyrant's guilt.
To me Armenia trusts her sacred rights;
Hither her chosen delegate she sends me,
At the tribunal of Iberia's king,
To plead her cause; an injured people's cause!
Oh! never, never shall my native land
Yield to a vile usurper.
Thus let me raise thee from the earth-
Rhad. Alas!-[Rising.]-
Despair weighs heavy on me.
Zop. Still I must
Controul this sudden phrenzy—
Rhad. Oh! Zopiron,
Here, here it lies-
Zop. Unburden all, and ease
Your loaded heart-it cannot be-thou never
Rhad. Yes! the horror of the world! A murderous wretch! the fatal Rhadamistus! 'Twas I-these felon hands! with treache
I clasped her in this cursed embrace-I bore be In these detested arms, and gave that beauty, That tender form, to the devouring waves.
Rhad. Still he survives; from death and peril Plunge me, ye furies, in your lakes of fire! Saved by a miracle! and now for him
Rome claims Armenia.
Zop. Claims Armenia for him!
For Rhadamistus claims! and will ye, gods!
Still will ye give him to a nation's prayers?
Rhad. Alas! he lives; heart-broken, desolate,
In sorrow plunged; abandoned to despair!
Zop. The righteous gods will vindicate his
Here fix, fix all your vultures in my heart! And lo! they rush upon me. [Starts up.] See! see there!
With racks and wheels they come; they tear piece-meal
'Tis just, Zenobia! I deserve it all
[Falls upon Zopiren. Zop. Assist him, guardian powers! your o high will
Guides these events-revive, my prince, revive! Rhad. Why thus recal me to despair and nu
To bid me hate the light, detest myself,
Traitor to nature, traitor to my love!
And yet, Zopiron, yet I am not plunged
So far in guilt, but thou may'st pity me!
Heaven, I attest, yes, you can witness, gods!
I meant to perish with her-but the fates
Denied that comfort-from her circling arms
The torrent bore me far-expiring, senseless,
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Gasping in death, the overflowing tide
Impetuous drove me on the unwished-for shore.
There, soon deserted by the merciless stream,
A band of Romans, as from Syria's frontier
They ranged the country round, descried me,
stretched,
Pale and inanimate; with barbarous pity,
They lent their aid, and chained me to the rack
Of inauspicious life!
Zop. For wond'rous ends
Mysterious Providence has still reserved you,
To circulate the happiness of millions,
A patriot prince-
Rhad. Would they had let me perish! What has a wretch, like me, to do in life, When my Zenobia's lost? 'tis true, my friend, She begged to die-but that pathetic look,
Her tears, embraces, and those streaming eyes, Still beauteous in distress! each winning grace, Her every charm should have forbid the deed, And pleaded for her life!
Zop. And yet, my prince, When self-acquitting conscience
Rhad. Self-condemned,
My soul is racked, is tortured-not her child,
Her unborn infant, the first fruit of love,
Not even her babe could, with the voice of na
Plead for itself, or for its wretched mother.. They perished both; she and her little one, And I survive to tell it.
O'erwhelm your reason thus-What! when your
father,
Your cruel father, reeking from the blood
Of Mithridates-
Rhad. Nought but death was left;
Yet even that last, sad refuge was debarred me!
E'er since, I've lived in misery; my days
Were coloured all with anguish and despair!
Long from the Romans I concealed my name,
At length revealed me to a chosen friend;
Journeyed with him to Rome; and, in full se-
nate,
Told all the dismal story of my woes.
The conscript fathers heard, and dropt a tear=Then, to quick vengeance fired, dispatched their legions
To wage the war; Paulinus leads them on,
And now to me commits this embassy,
With fully delegated powers from Rome.
Zop. With one united voice Armenia calls For Mithridates' heir; convinced by rumour That thou art lost, the general cry demands
Your brother Teribazus
Rhad. He, Zophiron,
Is to these eyes a stranger.
Zop. Hapless prince!
A cloud of woes lies brooding o'er his head.
A fair, a lovely captive rules his heart;
Her name is Ariana; and, indeed,
No wonder she attracts his soft regard,
And kindles all the vehemence of love.
The tyrant eyes her, too, with fierce desire,
And ruin nods o'er Teribazus' head.
Rhad. By Heaven it shall not be! Alas! I know
The
pang of losing whom the heart adores.
I'll yield him up Armenia-what are crowns
But toys of vain ambition, when the loved,
The dear partaker of my throne is lost?
Enter TIGRANES.
Zop. What would Tigranes?
Tig. Pharasmanes calls
Flamminius to his presence-
Rhad. I attend him;
So tell your king-
Tig. Instant he waits thee, Roman. [Exit Tig. Rhad. How my heart trembles at the awful meeting!
Zop. Then summon all your strength-the lapse of time
From early youth, when Pharasmanes saw you,
Affliction's inward stroke, that Roman garb,
All will protect, and cloak you from detection.
Rhad. Zopiron, yes; in this important crisis,
When violated laws, and injured men,
When my own wrongs are labouring in my heart,
The great occasion calls for firmest vigour.
Yes, in this interview I will maintain
A Roman's part; in Pharasmanes' soul
I'll wake the furies of detested guilt,
And pour the rapid energy of truth,
Till even to himself his crimes are known,
And the usurper tremble on his throne.
SCENE I.-PHARASMANES on his throne; TIGRANES, ZOPIRON, Officers, &c.
Phar. Now, Flamminius, say,
Phar. WHERE is this bold republican from What motive brings you to Araxes' banks,
This enemy of kings? Tigranes, thou
Bid the plebeian enter-
Vouchsafes him audience.
To wage this slow, this philosophic war?
Rhad. By me, unworthy of the important
By me, unequal to the arduous theme,
The conscript fathers here explain their conduct, | Wave high in air, and shadow all the land. And justify the ways of Rome to kings.
Phar. Roman, thou may'st declaim with all thy pomp
Of idle eloquence.
Rhad. No power of words,
No graceful periods of harmonious speech
Dwell on my lip-the only art I boast
Is honest truth, unpolished, unadorned:
Truth, that informs you, to usurp a crown,
For dire ambition to unpeople realms,
Are violations of each sacred law,
And bid the Roman eagle, winged with vengeance,
To the Araxes' margin bend her flight,
To tell destruction it shall rage no more.
Phar. And dares Paulinus' soldier, darest
thou, slave,
Thus offer vile indignity, and mouth
The language of your forum to a king?
Rhad. Rome knows, and owns you as Iberia's
king,
But not Armenia's.
Phar. Ha!
Rhad. The assembled senate
Acknowledges your vast renown in arms,
And honours the unshaken fortitude
Even of a foe-but, sir, the fortitude,
Whose brutal rage lays nations desolate,
It is the glory of imperial Rome
To humble and subdue-it is the glory
Call your embattled legions—or does Rome,
All-conquering Rome, that mistress of the world,
Does she at length, by her ambassadors,
Negotiate thus the war?
Rhad. Rome, sir, commands
The subject world, for she adores the gods,
And their all-powerful aid.
Phar. Would'st thou dispute
My lawful claim,-arm thee with sword and fire,
Not with vain subtleties and idle maxims.
Armenia's crown is mine,-derived to me,
Heir to a brother, and a son deceased.
Rhad. And can a murderer, can the midnight
ruffian
Prove himself heir-by the assassin's stab?
Phar. Thou base reviler!
Who dar'st to wound the ear of sacred kings
With a black crime, that's horrible to nature!
Rhad. Yes, horrible to nature !-yet the world
Has heard it all—thou art the man of blood!
A brother's blood yet smokes upon thy hand-
Not his white age, his venerable looks,
Not even his godlike virtues could withhold thee!
Of Rome, that spares the vanquished, 'tis her Gashed o'er with wounds, he falls,-he bleeds, pride
To set the nations free; to fix the bounds
Of the fell tyrant's power; to trace the circle
From which he must not move. These are the
arts,
The bright prerogative of Rome-of Rome,
The mistress of the world, whose conquering
O'er Asia's realms so oft have waved in triumph,
And made even kings her subjects-
Phar. Ha! vain boaster!
Rhad. Made oriental kings, short by the knee
Accept their crown, with tears of joy accept it,
And be the viceroys of a Roman senate.
Phar. And this to Pharasinanes? has not yet
A train of conquests taught you to revere
This good right arm in war? This arm the Par-
thians
Have felt with fatal overthrow-no spoil,
No trophies won from me have graced their tri-
umphs;
No friends of mine were harnessed to their cha-
riots;
No captive chief, like your own mangled Crassus,
There roams a sullen ghost, and calls for ven-
geance,
For vengeance still unpaid, and calls in vain
For the sad funeral rites. Would Rome pre-
To wrest Armenia from me-lo! my banners,
From frosty Caucasus to Phasis' banks,
Without a groan he dies!-that is thy work;
Thine, murderer! thine!
Phar. No more-the hand of heaven
Shook from the blasted tree the withered fruit.
Rhad. Forbear the impious strain—it is the
Ambition speaks, when for a crown it stabs,
Then dares, with execrable mockery, dares
Traduce the governing, all-righteous mind.
Phar. He harrows up my soul!-and dost
thou think
A madman's ravings—
Rhad. Since that hour accursed
Hast thou not plunged thee deeper still in gult'
Your son---your blameless son-
Phar. His crimes provoked
A father's wrath-his and Zenobia's crimes!
Rhad. She too-untimely lost-unbidden tears Forbear to stream, nor quite unman me thus!
Phar. In tears!-by Heaven, thou worst
Those coward symptoms have some latent spring That lies concealed within that treacherous heart.
Rhad. They are the tears humanity lets fail,
When soft-eyed beauty dies, untimely slain.
But to avenge her death, arrayed in terror,
The Roman legions-
Phar. Lead them to the charge.
Thou, quit my camp: when yon sun descendi
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