Mar. sen. But did he,

Did he, Sextilius, bid thee say all this?
Was he too proud to come and see his master,
That rais'd him out of nothing? was he not
My menial servant once, and wip'd these shoes?
Ran by my chariot-wheels, my pleasures watch'd,
And fed upon the voidings of my table?
Durst he affront me with a sordid alms,
And send a saucy message by a slave?

Hence with thy scraps: back to thy teeth I dash them.
Begone whilst thou art safe. Hold, stay a little.

Serv. What answer would thou have me carry back? Mar. sen. Go to Sextilius, tell him thou hast seen Poor Caius Marius banish'd from his country*, Sitting in sorrow on the naked earth,

Amidst an ample fortune once his own,

Where now he cannot claim a turf to sleep on. [Ex. Ser. How am I fallen! music?-sure the gods [Soft Music. Are mad, or have design'd to make me so.

Enter MARTHA.

Well, what art thou?

Marth. Am I a stranger to thee?

Martha's my name, the Syrian prophetess,
That us'd to wait upon thee with good fortune;
Till banish'd out of Rome for serving thee.

I've ever since inhabited these woods,

And search'd the deepest arts of wise foreknowledge. Mar. sen. I know thee now most well.

wert gone,

When thou

All my good fortune left me. My lov'd vultures,
That us'd to hover o'er my happy head,

And promise honour in the day of battle,
Have since been seen no more. Ev'n birds of prey

* When Marius landed at Carthage, Sextilius, the Roman Governor, sent to desire him to leave the province; when the former returned this sublime reply: "Go, tell thy master, that thou hast seen the banished Marius sitting on the ruins of Carthage."

Forsake unhappy Marius: men of prey

Pursue him still. Hast thou no hopes in store?
Marth. A hundred spirits wait upon my will,
To bring me tidings from th' earth's farthest corners,
Of all that happens out in states and councils:
I tell thee therefore, Rome is once more thine.
The consuls have had blows, and Cinna's beaten;
Who with his army comes to find thee out,
To lead him back with terror to that city.
Mar. sen. Speak on.

Marth. Nay, ere thou think'st it, he'll be with thee. But let thy sons and these fair nymphs retire, Whilst I relieve thy wearied eyes with sleep, And cheer thee in a dream with promis'd fate. Mar. jun. Come, my Lavinia; Granius, we'll withdraw To some cool shade, and wonder at our fortune.

[Ex.

[Martha waves her Wand-A Dance. Mar.sen. Orest, thou stranger to my senses, welcome!

Enter Servant and a Ruffian.

Serv. Ten attic talents shall be thy reward, Sextilius gives 'em thee. Despatch him safely. Ruff. Fear not, he never wakes again.

Mar. sen. No more.

I'll hear no more.

Metellus live? No, no:

He dies, he dies. So, bear him to the Tyber,

And plunge him to the bottom. Hah, Antonius!
Where are my guards? despatch that talking knave,
That, when he should be doing public service,
Consumes his time in speeches to the rabble,

And sows sedition in a city. Down,

Down with Pompeius too, that call'd me traitor.

Hah! art thou there? welcome once more, old Marius, To Rome's tribunal.

Ruff. Now's the time.

Mar. sen. Stand off,

Secure that Gaul-dar'st thou kill Caius Marius*? [Wakes. Hah! speak; what art thou?

* This alludes to the circumstance of the magistrates of Min

Ruff. By Sextilius hir'd,

I hither came to take your life. Spare mine,
And I'll for ever serve you at your feet.

Mar. sen. What barb'rous slaves are these that envy

me

The open air; set prices on my head,

As they would do on wolves that slay their flock!

Enter SULPitius.

[Trumpets.

Trumpets! Sulpitius, where hast thou been wand'ring
Since the late storm that drove us from each other?
Sulp. Why, doing mischief up and down the city,
Picking up discontented fools, belying

The senators and government, destroying
Faith amongst honest men, and praising knaves.
Mar. sen. Oh, but where's Cinna?

Sulp. Ready to salute you.

Enter CINNA, attended with Lictors and Guards.

Cin. Romans, once more behold your consul; see, Is that a fortune fit for Caius Marius ?

Advance

your axes and your rods before him, And give him all the customs of his honour.

Mar. sen. Away: such pomp becomes not wretched
Marius!

Here let me pay obedience to my consul..

Lead me, great Cinna, where thy foes have wrong'd thee, And see how thy old soldier will obey.

Cin. O Marius, be our hearts united ever,

turnæ, sending a Cimbrian to assassinate Marius, which was pre vented by some supernatural appearance.

-primo qui cædis in ictu

Diriguit, ferumque manu torpente remisit;
Viderat immensam tenebroso in carcere lumen,
Terribilesque Deos scelerum, Mariumque futurum:
Audieratque pavens: Fas hæc contingere non est
Colla tibi.

Lucan. Pharsal, lib. 2.

Το

carry desolation into Rome,

And waste that den of monsters to the earth.

Mar. sen. Shall we?

Cin. We'll do't. That godly soothsaying fool,
That sacrificing dolt, that sot, Octavius,
When we were choseu consuls in the Forum,
Disown'd me for his colleague; said, the gods
Had told him I design'd tyrannic pow'r;
Provok'd the citizens, who took up arms,
And drove me forth the gates.

Mar. sen. Excellent mischief!

What's to be done?

Cin. No sooner was I gone,

But a large part of that great city follow'd me.
There's not an honest spirit left in Rome,

That does not own my cause, and wish for Marius. Mar. sen. Bring me my horse, my armour, and the laurel

With which, when I had o'ercome three barb'rous nations,
I enter'd crown'd with triumph into Rome.
I go to free her now from greater mischiefs.

Enter MARIUS Junior and GRANIUS.

O my young warrior!

Mar. jun. Curst be the light,

And ever curst be all these regions round us.
Lavinia's lost, borne back with force to Rome,
By ruffians, headed by her father's kinsmen;
And like a coward too, I live, yet saw it.

[Exit.

Mar. sen. Oh Marius! Marius! let not plaints come

from thee,

Nor cloud the joy that's breaking on thy father.
If she be back in Rome, Lavinia's thine;
To-morrow's dawn restores her to thy arms.
For that fair mistress, fortune, which has cost
So dear, for which such hardships I have past,
Is coy no more, but crowns my hopes at last.

I long t'embrace her; nay, 'tis death to stay.
I'm mad as promis'd bridegrooms, borne away
With thoughts of nothing but the joyful day. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Metellus's House.

Enter METELLUS, LAVINIA, and Priest of Hymen.

Lav. Nay, you have catch'd me; you may kill me

too:

But with my cries I'll rend the echoing heav'ns,
Till all the gods are witness how you use me.

Met. What! like a vagrant fly thy father's house,
And follow fulsomely an exil'd slave,

Disdain'd by all the world, but abject thou?
Resolve to go, or bound be sent to Sylla,

With as much scorn as thou hast done me shame.
Lav. Do bind me, kill me, rack these limbs: I'll
bear't.

But, sir, consider, still I am your daughter;

And one hour's converse with this holy man
May teach me to repent, and shew obedience.
Met. Think not t'evade me by protracting time:
For if thou dost not, may the gods forsake me,
As I will thee, if thou escape my fury-

[Exit.

Lav. *Oh! bid me leap (rather than go to Sylla)
From off the battlements of any tow'r,
Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk
Where serpents are: chain me with roaring bears,
Or hide me nightly in a charnel-house

O'er-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky shanks, and yellow chapless skulls:
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,

And hide me with a dead man in his shroud;

Things that to hear but told, have made me tremble; And I'll go thro' it without fear or doubting,

To keep my vows unspotted to my love.

* "Romeo and Juliet," act 4. sc. 1.