But when? or where -This world was made for Cæfar, Thus am I doubly arm'd-My death and life, The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. CHAP. IX. SOUTHAMPTON AND ESSEX. OFFICER. My lord, We bring an order for your execution, And hope you are prepar'd; for you must die This very hour. SOUTH. Indeed! the time is fudden ! Ess. Is death th' event of all my flatter'd hope? Falfe Sex! and Queen more perjur'd than them all! My foul shall vanish filent as the dew, Attracted by the fun from verdant fields, CATO. And leaves of weeping flowers-Come, my dear friend, These faithful arms-and O now let me tell thee, 4 I have I have no weight, no heaviness on my foul, But that I've loft my dearest friend his life. SOUTH. And I protest by the fame powers divine, And to the world, 'tis all my happiness, The greatest blifs my mind yet e'er enjoy'd, Since we muft die, my lord, to die together. OFFICER. The queen, my lord Southampton, has been pleas'd Το grant particular mercy to your perfon; SOUTH. O my unguarded foul! Sure never was Ess. Then I am loofe to fteer my wand'ring voyage; Again, Southampton, let me hold thee faft, SOUTH. O belefs kind, my friend, or move lefs pity, Or 1 fhall fink beneath the weight of fadness! I weep that I am doom'd to live without you, And fhould have fmil'd to fhare the death of Effex. Ess. O fpare this tenderness for one that needs it, Methinks that very name should stop thy pity, That is not meant to her be a kind friend To her, as we have been to one another; Name not the dying Effex to thy Queen, Left it should cost a tear, nor e'er offend her. SOUTH. O ftay, my lord! let me have one word more : One last farewel, before the greedy ax Shall part my friend, my only friend from me, Are call'd the pangs of death, but fure I am Ess. Why that's well faid-Farewel to thee- SOUTH. And I, while I have life, will hoard thy me mory: When I am dead, we then shall meet again. Ess. Till then, Farewel. SOUTH. Till then, Farewel. CHAP. X. EARL OF ESSEX. JAFFIER AND PIERRE. JAFF. By Heav'n you ftir not, I must be heard, I must have leave to speak: Had not a dagger done thee nobler juftice? But ufe me as thou wilt, thou canst not wrong me, With pity and with charity behold me; PIER. What whining monk art thou? what holy cheat, That would'ft incroach upon my credulous ears, And cant'ft thus vilely? hence! I know thee not. JAFF. Not know me, Pierre ! PIER. No, know thee not: What art thou ? JAFF. Jaffier, thy friend, thy once lov'd, valu'd friend! Tho' now deferv'dly scorn'd, and us'd most hardly. PIER. Thou Jaffier! thou my once lov'd, valu'd friend! By heav'ns thou ly'ft; the man fo call'd my friend, Was generous, honeft, faithful, juft, and valiant, Noble in mind, and in his perfon lovely, Dear to my eyes, and tender to my heart: But thou a wretched, bafe, falfe, worthlefs coward, Fond of its goal, and labouring to be at thee; What fhall I do what fay to make the hear me? PIER. Haft thou not wrong'd me? dar'ft thou call thyfelf That once lov'd valu'd friend of mine, And swear thou haft not wrong'd me? Whence these chains? PIER. What's that? JAFF. To take thy life on fuch conditions The council have propos'd: thou and thy friend PIER. Life! afk my life! confefs! record myself And carry up and down this curfed city A difcontented and repining spirit, To lose it, may be at last, in a lewd quarrel For fome new friend, treacherous and falfe as thou art ! And cannot part on better terms than now, When only men like thee are fit to live in't. PIER. Swear by fome other powers, For thou hast broken that facred oath too lately. JAFF. Then by that hell I merit, I'll not leave thee, Till to thyfelf at least thour't reconcil'd, However thy refentment deal with me. PIER. Not leave me !' JAFF. No: thou shalt not force me from thee; Use me reproachfully and like a flave ; Tread |