Knows any thing, which he's ashamed to tell me; Or didst thou e'er conceal thy thoughts from Polydore ? Cast. Oh, much too oft! But let me here conjure thee, By all the kind affection of a brother, (For I'm ashamed to call myself thy friend) Forgive me Pol. Well, go on. Cast. Our destiny contrived To plague us both with one unhappy love. And made a contract I ne'er meant to keep. Cust. Still new ways I studied to abuse thee, And kept thee as a stranger to my passion, 'Till yesterday I wedded with Monimia. Pol. Ah, Castalio, was that well done! Pol. A fault! when thou hast heard Pol. First for thy friendship, traitor, Cast. What will my fate do with me? I've lost all happiness, and know not why. What means this, brother? Pol. Perjured, treacherous wretch, Farewell! Cast. I'll be thy slave, and thou shalt usc me Just as thou wilt, do but forgive me. Pol. Never. Gast. Oh! think a little what thy heart is doing: VOL. I. How from our infancy, we, hand in hand, Pol. Blind wretch! thou husband! there's a whisper What thou proclaim'st, he were the worst of liars: My friend may be mistaken. Pol. Damn the evasion! Thou mean'st the worst; and he's a base-born villain, That said I lied. Cast. Do draw thy sword, and thrust it through my heart; There is no joy in life, if thou art lost.— Pol. Yes; thou never cam'st Cast. Ah!-ah-that stings home-Coward! Pol. Ay, base-born coward! villain! Cast. This to thy heart, then, though my mother bore thee. [Fight; POLYDORE drops his sword, and runs on CASTALIO'S. Pol. Now, my Castalio is again my friend. Cust. What have I done? my sword is in thy breast! Pol. So I would have it be, thou best of men, Thou kindest brother, and thou truest friend. Cast. Ye gods, we're taught, that all your works are justice, 2 E You're painted merciful, and friends to innocence: If so, then why these plagues upon my head? Pol. Blame not the heavens; here lies thy fate, Castalio; They're not the gods, 'tis Polydore has wronged thee; I've stained thy bed; thy spotless marriage joys Have been polluted by thy brother's lust. Cast. By thee! Pol. By me, last night, the horrid deed Nay, at each word, that my distraction uttered, Mon. Now, my Castalio, the most dear of men, Has weighed thee down into destruction with Was done, when all things slept but rage and Why then, thus kind to me? incest. Cast. Now, where's Monimia? Oh! Enter MONIMIA. Mon. I'm here, who calls me? Methought I heard a voice, Sweet as the shepherd's pipe upon the mountains, When all his little flock's at feed before him. But what means this? Here's blood. Cast. Ay, brother's blood. Art thou prepared for everlasting pains? Pol. Oh, let me charge thee, by the eternal justice, Hurt not her tender life! Cast. Not kill her? Rack me, Ye powers above, with all your choicest torments, And wreak revenge some way yet never known. Mon. That task myself have finished; I shall die Before we part; I have drank a healing draught For all my cares, and never more shall wrong thee. Pol. O she's innocent! Cast. Tell me that story, And thou wilt make a wretch of me indeed. Pol. Hadst thou, Castalio, used me like a friend, This ne'er had happened; hadst thou let me know Thy marriage, we had all now met in joy; Hearing the appointment made, enraged to think Cast. And all this is the work of my own fortune; None but myself could e'er have been so cursed! Thou fairest, goodliest frame the gods e'er made, Mon. When I'm laid low i' th' grave, and quite forgotten, May'st thou be happy in a fairer bride; But none can ever love thee like Monimia. When I am dead, as presently I shall be, (For the grim tyrant grasps my heart already) Speak well of me; and, if thou find ill tongues Too busy with my fame, don't hear me wronged; "Twill be a noble justice to the memory Of a poor wretch, once honoured with thy love. How my head swims! 'tis very dark. Goodnight. [Dies. Cast. If I survive thee-what a thought was that? Thank heaven, I go prepared against that curse. Enter CHAMONT, disarmed and seized by ACASTO and Servants. Chu. Gape hell, and swallow me to quick damnation, If I forgive your house! if I not live My sister, my Monimia breathless!—Now, Acast. My Polydore! Acast. How com'st thou wounded? Cast. Stand off, thou hot-brained, boisterous, noisy ruffian, And leave me to my sorrows! Cha. By the love I bore her living, I will ne'er forsake her; [Draws a dagger. Cha. Thou canst not kill me ; That would be kindness, and against thy nature. Acast. What means Castalio? Sure thou wilt not pull More sorrows on thy aged father's head. Tell me, I beg you, tell me the sad cause Why wouldst thou study ways to damn me far- Of all this ruin. ther, And force the sin of parricide upon me? Pol. 'Twas my own fault, and thou art inno cent: Forgive the barbarous trespass of my tongue; 'Twas a hard violence: I could have died With love of thee, even when I used thee worst: Pol. That must be my task: Cast. Thou, unkind Chamont, Unjustly hast pursued me with thy hate, And sought the life of him, that never wronged thee; Now, if thou wilt embrace a nobler vengeance, Come, join with me, and curse Cha. What? Cast. First, thyself, As I do, and the hour that gave thee birth: Cast. Patience! preach it to the winds, I'll bear it all; but cursed to the degree Pol. Castalio! oh! [ACAS. faints into the arms of a servant. For I perceive they fall with weight upon him. And, for Monimia's sake, whom thou wilt find I never wronged, be kind to poor Serina. Now, all I beg, is, lay me in one grave Thus with my love. Farewell. I now am-nothing. [Dies. Cha. Take care of good Acasto, whilst I go To search the means, by which the fates have plagued us. 'Tis thus that heaven its empire does maintain; It may afflict, but man must not complain. [Exeunt omnes. EPILOGUE. YOU'VE seen one Orphan ruin'd here, and I Or shall I (as I guess the poet may VENICE PRESERVED; OR, A PLOT DISCOVERED. BY OTWAY. PROLOGUE. IN these distracted times, when each man dreads Till witnesses begin to die o'th' rot, Grown four days stiff, the better to prepare, In spite of age, (thanks t'heaven) is hang'd at last. SCENE I.-A Street in Venice. ACT I. Enter PRIULI and JAFFIER. Pri. No more! I'll hear no more! Begone and leave me. Jaf. Not hear me! By my suffering but you shall! My lord, my lord, I'm not that abject wretch You think me. Patience! where's the distance throws Me back so far, but I may boldly speak Have brooked injustice, or the doing wrongs, Pri. Yes, wronged me! In the nicest point, ed on, By all men's eyes, a youth of expectation, Jaf. 'Tis to me you owe her! Pri. You stole her from me; like a thief you stole her, At dead of night! that cursed hour you chose, To bait thee for his bread, and din your ears Once she was dear indeed; the drops that fell Jaf. Would I were in my grave! For, living here, you're but my cursed remem brancers, I once was happy. Jaf. You use me thus, because you know my soul Is fond of Belvidera. You perceive My life feeds on her, therefore thus you treat me. Oh! could my soul ever have known satiety, Were I that thief, the doer of such wrongs As you upbraid me with, what hinders me But I might send her back to you with contumely, And court my fortune, where she would be kinder? Pri. You dare not do it, Juf. Indeed, my lord, I dare not. My heart, that awes me, is too much my master: Three years are past, since first our vows were plighted, During which time, the world must bear me wit ness, I've treated Belvidera like your daughter, The world might see I loved her for herself; Jaf. Yes, all, and then adieu for ever. There's not a wretch, that lives on common cha |