THE BROTHERS-ACT II.

SCENE I.— Without the Palace.

Enter PERSEUS, L.

Pers. Why loiters my ambassador to Dymas?
His greatness will not sure presume to scorn
A friendship offered from an heir of empire.
But Pericles returns.

Enter PERICLES, L.

Is Dymas ours?

Peri. He's cautious, sir; he's subtle; he's a courtier;
Dymas is now for you, now for your brother;
The scales once fix'd, he 'll settle on the winner,
And swear his prayers drew down the victory
But what success had you, sir, with your brother?
Pers. All, all my hopes are at the point of death.
The boy triumphant keeps his hold in love:
He's ever warbling nonsense in her ear,
With all the intoxication of success.
Darkness incloses me; nor see I light

From any quarter dawn, but from his death.

Peri. Why start at his death, who resolves on yours?
Pers. Resolves on mine!

Peri.

Have you not marked the princess?

You have with what a beam of majesty

:

Her eye strikes sacred awe! It speaks her mind
Exalted, as it is. Whom loves she, then?

Demetrius? no; Rome's darling, who, no doubt,

Dares court her with your empire. And shall Perseus

Survive that loss?

Thus he resolves your death.

Pers. Most true. What crime, then, to strike first? But how? Or when, or where? O Pericles! assist me.

Peri. 'Tis dangerous.

The fitter then for me.

Pers.
Peri. Wait an occasion that befriends your wishes.
Pers. Go, fool, and teach a cataract to creep!
Can thirst of empire, vengeance, beauty, wait?
Peri. In the meantime, accept a stratagem
That must secure your empire, or your love.
Your brother's Roman friendships gall no less
The king than you: he dreads their consequence.
Dymas hates Rome; and Dymas has a daughter.
How can the king so powerfully fix
Demetrius' faith, as by his marriage there?
For Dymas thus (Rome's sworn, eternal foe)
Becomes a spy upon his private life,
And surety for his conduct.

Pers.

Our art defeats itself. My brother gains

The favorite, and so strengthens in his treason.

Peri. Think you he 'll wed her? No; the princess' eye Makes no such short-lived conquest. He'll refuse,

And thus effect what I have strove in vain :

Yes, he'll refuse; and Dymas, in his wrath,
Will list for us and vengeance

Then the king

Will, doubtless, much resent his son's refusal;

And thus we kindle the whole court against him.
Pers. My precious friend, I thank thee. I take wing

On ardent hope: I think it cannot fail.

Go, make thy court to Dymas, with this scheme:
Be gone. [Exit PERICLES] Erixene!

I'll feed her pride

Once more; but not expend my breath in vain.
This meeting stamps unalterable fate;

I will wed her, or vengeance.

Enter ERIXENE, R.

[Looking out R.

O Erixene!

O princess, colder than your Thracian snows!
See Perseus, who ne'er stoop'd but to the gods,
Prostrate before you. Fame and empire sue.
Obdurate maid, or turn, or I expire.

Erix. If love, my lord, is choice, who loves in vain
Should blame himself, alone; and if 't is fate,
"Tis fate in all: why then your blame on me!
My crown's precarious, through the chance of war;
But sure my heart's my own. Each villager
Is queen of her affections, and can vent
Her arbitrary sighs where-e'er she pleases.
Shall, then, the daughter of a race of kings

Pers. Madam, you justly blame the chance of war:
The gods have been unkind: I am not so.
No; Perseus comes to counterbalance fate;
Thrace ne'er was conquered if you smile on me.-
Silent obdurate still- as cold as death!

Though love has hurt my mind, I still can judge

What springs the passions of the great control.
Ambition is first minister of state ;

Love's but a second in the cabinet;

Nor can he feather there his unfledg'd shaft

But from ambition's wing. But you conceive

More sanguine hopes from him whom Rome supports

Than me.

You view Demetrius on my throne,

And thence he shines indeed. His charms from thence
Transpierce your soul enamor'd of dominion.

Erix. Why now you show me your profound esteem!
Demetrius' guilt alone has charms for me;
"Tis not the prince, but traitor, wins my love.
Such insults are not brook'd by royal minds,
Howe'er their fortunes ebb; and, though I mourn
An orphan and a captive, gods there are
Fear, then, an orphan's and a captive's wrong.
Pers. Your cruel treatment of my passion

But I'll not talk.

This, madam, only this

Think not the cause -the cursed cause of all

Shall laugh secure, and triumph in my pangs :
No; by the torments of a heart on fire,

She gluts my vengeance, who defrauds my love!

Erix. What have I done? In what a whirlwind, rage
Has snatch'd him hence on ill! I frown on Perseus,
And kill Demetrius.

Enter DEMETRIUS R.

Ah, prince! the tempest, which so long has lower'd,
Is now full ripe and bursting o'er your head.
This moment, Perseus' malice flam'd before me ;
Victorious rage broke through his wonted guard,
And menaced loud your ruin. Fly! O fly

This instant.

Dem.

Erix.

To what refuge?

Rome extends

Her longing arms to clasp you for her own.
Dem. Madam, 't is prudent; I confess it is:

But is it loving as true lovers ought?

Death at your feet, before the world without you!
Erix. In danger thus extreme-

Dem.

Oh! most beloved!

Loved you like me, like me you would discern,
That I but execute my brother's purpose
By such a flight. At that, his clamour, rage,
And menace aim, to chase a rival hence,
And keep the field alone. Oh! shall I leave him
To gaze whole days; to learn to read your eye;
From half a glance to prophesy your will,
And do it, ere well form'd in your own mind?
Gods! gods! while worlds divide me from my princess,
That, should she call, Demetrius might grow old,
Ere he could reach her feet.

Erix.

If Perseus' love

Pains you, it pains me more. Is your heart grieved?
Mine is tormented. But since Philip's self

C. L.

C. L. Exit L.

C. L.

Is love's great advocate, a flat refusal

But blows their rage, and hastens your destruction.
Had I not that to fear
were you secure
I'd ease my bosom of its full disdain,
And dash this bold presumer on his birth.
But see! the grand procession.

Dem.

We must join it. [Retiring R.

Enter the KING, PERSEUS, ROMANS, ANTIGONUS, etc. L.

*King. Let the procession halt! and here be paid,
Before yon flaming altar, thanks to heaven,
That brings us safe to this auspicious day!
The great lustration of our martial powers,
Which, from its distant birth to present time,
Unfolds the glories of this ancient empire,
And throngs the pride of ages in an hour.

Post. (pointing.) What figure 's that, O Philip! which precedes?
King. The founder of our Empire, furious son

Of great Alcides. We're allied to heaven;
And you, I think, call Romulus a god.-
That, Philip, second of our name; and here,-
O bend with awe to him, whose red right hand
Hurl'd proud Darius like a star from heaven,
With lesser lights around him, flaming down,
And bid the laurel'd sons of Macedonia
Drink their own Ganges.

Pers. (aside to DEMETRIUS.) Give him his helmet, brother.
King. (to his sons.) You lead the troops that join in mock
encounter;

And in no other may you ever meet!

But march one way, and drive the world before you.

The victor, as our ancient rites decree,

Must hold a feast, and triumph in the bowl.

Dem. I long, my lord, to see the charge begin

The brandished falchion, and the clashing helm-
Though but in sport, it is a sport for men.
Raw Alexander thus began his fame,

And overthrew Darius first at home.

We'll practice o'er the plans of future conquests,
While neighboring nations tremble at our play,

And own the fault in fortune, not in us,

That we but want a foe to be immortal.

Pers. You have supplied my wants: I thank you, brother.
King. (coming forward. Music.) How vain all outward effort

to supply

The soul with joy! the noon-tide sun is dark,

*The part inclosed by inverted commas may be left out on common occasions, as it requires difficult scenery to represent it with any degree of beauty. When left out, Demetrius and Erixene exeunt, and enter Perseus.

And music, discord, when the heart is low:
Avert its omen! What a damp hangs on me!
These sprightly tuneful airs but skim along
The surface of my soul, not enter there:
She does not dance to this enchanting sound.
How, like a broken instrument, beneath
The skillful touch, my joyless heart lies dead!
Nor answers to the master's hand divine!

Ant. When men once reach their autumn, sickly joys
Fall off a pace, as yellow leaves from trees,
At every little breath misfortune blows;
Till, left quite naked of their happiness,
In the chill blasts of winter they expire.
This is the common lot. Have comfort then:
Your grief will damp the triumph.
King.

It is over.

Hear too; the trumpet calls us to the field,
And now this phantom of a fight begins.
Fair princess, you and I will go together,
As Priam and bright Helen did of old,

[Trumpet sounds, R.

To view the war. Your eyes will make them bolder,
And raise the price of victory itself."

[All go out R. but PERSEUS, who has observed DEMETRIUS and
ERIXENE all this time conversing, and stays behind thought-
ful and disturbed.

Pers. Before my face she feeds him with her smiles:

The king looks on, nor disapproves the crime;

And the boy takes them as not due to me.

Perish all three! I'll seek allies elsewhere;

Father and brother, nay, a mistress too.

Destruction, rise! Though thou art black as night,
Thy mother, and as hideous as despair;

I'll clasp thee thus, nor think of woman more.
How the boy dotes, and drinks in at his eyes
Her poison! O to stab him in her arms!
And yet do less than they have done to me.

Enter PERICLES L.

Peri. Where is my prince? The nation's on the wing;

No bosom but exults; no hand but bears

A garland, or a trophy: and shall Perseus.

Pers. Vengeance!

Peri.

[Shouts within.

Hear how with shouts they rend the skies!

Pers. Give me my vengeance!
Peri.

Forty thousand men,

In polish'd armour, shine against the sun.
Pers. Dare but another word, and not of vengeance,
And I will use thee, as I would-my brother.

C. L.