Priuli, Father to Belvidera, a Senator,
Antonio, a fine Speaker in the Senate,
Bedamar, the Spanish Ambassador,
Mr. D. Williams
Mr. Bowman.
Mr. Leigh.
Mr. Gillow.
Mr. Betterton.
Mr. Smith.
Mr. Wiltshire.
Mr. Percival.
Two Women, Attendants on Belvidera,
Two Women, Servants to Aquilina.
The Council of Ten.
Officer, Guard, Friar, Executioner and Rabble.
Enter PRIULI and JAFF EI R.
PRIULI.
O more! I'll hear no more;
JAFFEIR.
Not hear me ! by my Sufferings but you fhall!
My Lord, my Lord! I'm not that abject Wretch You think me: Patience! where's the Distance throws Me back fo far, but I may boldly speak
In right, though proud Oppreffion will not hear me!
Have you not wrong'd me?
JAFFEIR.
Could my Nature e'er
Have brook'd Injustice, or the doing Wrongs,
I need not now thus low have bent myself,
To gain a Hearing from a cruel Father!
Wrong'd you?
doufe me, in the nicest Point;
The Honour of my Houfe; you've done me wrong;
You may femember, (for I now will fpeak,
And urge its Baseness :) When you first came home
From Travel, with fuch Hopes, as made you
By all Mens Eyes, a Youth of Expectation;
Pleas'd with your growing Virtue, I receiv'd you;
Courted, and fought t to raise
you to your Merits:
My House, my Table, nay, my Fortune too,
My very felf, was yours; you might have us'd me
To your best Service; like an open Friend,
I treated, trufted you, and thought you mine;
When in requital of my best Endeavours,
You treacherously practis'd to undo me.
Seduc'd the Weaknefs of my Age's Darling,
My only Child, and ftole her from my Bofom:
'Tis to me you owe her,
Childless you had been else, and in the Grave
Your Name extinct, no more Priuli heard of,
You may remember, scarce five Years are past,
Since in your Brigantine you fail'd to fee
The Adriatick wedded by our Duke,
And I was with
you: Your unskilful Pilot
Dafh'd us upon a Rock; when to your
You made for fafety; enter'd firft yourself:
Th' affrighted Belvidera following next,
As fhe flood trembling on the Veffel's fide,
Was by a Wave wafh'd off into the Deep;
When instantly I plung'd into the Sea,
And buffeting the Billows to her Rescue,
Kedeem'd her Life with half the Lofs of mine.
Like a rich Conqueft in one Hand I bore her,
And with the other dash'd the faucy Waves,
That throng'd and prefs'd to rob me Prize:
I brought her, gave her to your despairing Arms:
Indeed you thank'd me; but a nobler Gratitude.
Rofe in her Soul: For from that Hour fhe lov'd me,
'Till for her Life the paid me with herself.
You ftole her from me; like a Thief you ftole her
At dead of Night; that curfed Hour you chofe
To rifle me of all my Heart held dear.
May all your Joys in her prove falfe like mine;
A fteril Fortune, and a barren Bed,
Attend you both; continual Difcord make
Your Days and Nights bitter and grievous: Still
May the hard Hand of a vexatious Need
Opprefs, and grind you; 'till at last you find
The Curfe of Difobedience all your Portion.
Half of your Curse, you have bestow'd in vain: Heav'n has already crown'd our faithful Loves With a young Boy, fweet as his Mother's Beauty: May he live to prove more gentle than his Grandfire, And happier than his Father!
To bait thee for his Bread, and din your Ears.
With hungry Cries: Whilft his unhappy Mother
Sits down and weeps in bitterness of Want.
You talk as if 'twould please you.
Once she was dear indeed; the Drops that fell
From my fad Heart, when she forgot her Duty,
The Fountain of my Life was not so precious:
But he is gone, and if I am a Man
JAFFEIR.
Would I were in my Grave;
For living here, you're but my curs'd Remembrancers I once was happy.
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 have ever known Satiety;
Were I that Thief, the Doer of fuch Wrongs
As you upbraid me with, what hinders me
But I might fend her back to you with Contumely,
And court my Fortune where she would be kinder!
PRIULI
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 witness,
I've treated Belvidera like your Daughter,
The Daughter of a Senator of Venice;
Diftinction, Place, Attendance and Obfervance,
Due to her Birth, he always has commanded;
Out of my little Fortune I've done this;
Because (tho' hopeless e'er to win your Nature)
The World might fee, I lov'd her for herself,
Not as the Heiress of the great Priuli,-
Yes! all, and then adieu for ever. There's not a Wretch that lives on common Charity But's happier than me: For I have known The luscious Sweets of Plenty; every Night
Have flept with foft Content about my
And never wak'd but to a joyful Morning;
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