Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Reg. What I have sworn I will fulfil,

Hamilcar.

Be satisfied.
Pub.
With your own eloquence inspire him now!

Ye guardian gods of Rome,

Reg. Carthage by me this embassy has sent ;
If Rome will leave her undisturb'd possession
Of all she now enjoys, she offers peace;
But if you rather wish protracted war,

Her next preposal is, exchange of captives;
you demand advice of Regulus,

If

Reject them both.

Ham. What dost thou mean?

Pub. My father!

Man. Exalted fortitude! I'm lost in wonder. (Aside) Reg. Romans! I will not idly spend my breath, To show the dire effects of such a peace;

The foes, who beg it, shew their dread of war.

Man. But the exchange of prisoners thou proposest?

Reg. That artful scheme conceals some Punic fraud. Ham. Roman, beware! hast thou so soon forgotten?

Reg. I will fulfil the treaty I have sworn to.
Pub. All will be ruined.

Reg. Conscript fathers! hear me.

Though this exchange teems with a thousand ills,
Yet 'tis th' example I would deprecate.

This treaty fix'd, Rome's honour is no more.
Should her degenerate sons be promis'd life,
Dishonest life, and worthless liberty,
Her glory, valour, military pride,

Her fame, her fortitude, her all were lost.
What honest captive of them all would wish
With shame to enter her imperial gates,
The flagrant scourge of slavery on his back?
None, none, my friends, would wish a fate so vile,
But those base cowards who resign'd their arms,
Unstain'd with hostile blood, and poorly sued,

Through ignominious fear of death, for bondage;
The scorn, the laughter, of th' insulting foe.
O shame! shame! shame! eternal infamy!
Man. However hurtful this exchange may be,
The liberty, the life of Regulus,

More than compensates for it.
Thou art mistaken.-

Reg.
This Regulus is a mere mortal man,
Yielding apace to all th' infirmities
Of weak decaying nature.-

-I am old,
Nor can my future, feeble services

Assist my country much; but mark me well;
The young fierce heroes you'd restore to Carthage,
In lieu of this old man, are her chief bulwarks.
Fathers in vig'rous youth this well-strung arm
Fought for my country, fought and conquered for

her:

That was the time to prize its service high.

Now, weak and nerveless, let the foe possess it,
For it can harm them in the field no more.

Let Carthage have the poor, degrading triumph
To close these failing eyes; but, O my countrymen!
Check their vain hopes, and shew aspiring Afric
That heroes are the common growth of Rome.
Man. Unequall'd fortitude.

Pub. O fatal virtue !

Ham. What do I hear? this constancy confounds

me.

Man. (to the Senators) Let honour be the spring of all our actions,

Not interest, fathers. Let no selfish views

Preach safety at the price of truth and justice.
Reg. If Rome would thank me, I will teach her
how.

-Know, fathers, that these savage Africans
Thought me so base, so very low of soul,
That the poor wretched privilege of breathing,
Would force me to betray my country to them.

Have these barbarians any tortures left,
To match the cruelty of such a thought?
Revenge me, fathers! and I'm still a Roman.
Arm, arm yourselves, prepare your citizens,
Snatch your imprison'd eagles from their fanes,
Fly to the shores of Carthage, force her gates,
Die every Roman sword in Punic blood-
And do such deeds-that when I shall return,
(As I have sworn, and am resolved to do,)
may behold with joy, reflected back,

I

The terrors of your rage in the dire visages
Of my astonish'd executioners.

Ham. Surprise has chill'd my blood! I'm lost in wonder!

Pub. Does no one answer? must my father perish!

Man. Romans, we must defer th' important question :

Maturest counsels must determine on it.

Rest we awhile :-Nature requires some pause
From high-rais'd admiration. Thou, Hamilcar,
Shalt shortly know our final resolution.
Meantime, we go to supplicate the gods.

Reg. Have you a doubt remaining? Manlius, speak.

Man. Yes, Regulus, I think the danger less To lose th' advantage thy advice suggests,

Than would accrue to Rome in losing thee,

Whose wisdom might direct, whose valour guard her.

Athirst for glory thou wouldst rush on death,

And for thy country's sake wouldst greatly perish. Too vast a sacrifice thy zeal requires,

For Rome must bleed when Regulus expires.

Exeunt Consul and Senators.

Manent REGULUS, PUBLIUS, HAMILCAR; to them enter ATTILIA and LICINIUS.

Ham. Does Regulus fulfil his promise thus ?
Reg. I've promis'd to return, and I will do it.
Att. My father! think a moment.

Lic. Ah! my friend!

Lic. and Att. O by this hand we beg

Reg. Away! no more. Thanks to Rome's guardian gods, I'm yet a slave And will be still a slave, to make Rome free!

Att. Was the exchange refused? Oh! ease my fears.

Reg. Publius! conduct Hamilcar and myself To the abode thou hast for each provided.

Att. A foreign residence? a strange abode ? And will my father spurn his household gods? Pub. My sire a stranger?--Will he taste no

more

The smiling blessings of his cheerful home?

Reg. Dost thou not know the laws of Rome forbid

A foe's ambassador within her gates?

Pub. This rigid law does not extend to thee.
Reg. Yes; did it not alike extend to all,
"Twere tyranny.-The law rights every man,
But favours none.

Att.
Then, O my father,
Allow thy daughter to partake thy fate!

Reg. Attilia! no. The present exigence
Demands far other thoughts, than the soft cares,
The fond effusions, the delightful weakness,
The dear affections 'twixt the child and parent.
Att. How is my father chang'd from what I've
known him!

Reg. The fate of Regulus is chang'd, not Regulus I am the same; in laurels or in chains.

'Tis the same principle; the same fix'd soul,

Unmov'd itself, though circumstances change.
The native vigour of the free-born mind

Still struggles with, still conquers adverse fortune;
Soars above chains, invincible though vanquish'd.
[Exeunt REGULUS and PUBLIUS.

ATTILIA, HAMILCAR, going, enter BARCE.
Bar. Ah! my Hamilcar.

Ham.

Ah! my long-lost BARCE:

Again I lose thee; Regulus rejects

Th' exchange of prisoners Africa proposes.

My heart's too full. Oh, I have much to say! Bar. Yet you unkindly leave me, and say nothing.

Ham. Ah! didst thou love as thy Hamilcar loves,

Words were superfluous; in my eyes, my Barce,
Thou'dst read the tender eloquence of love,
Th' uncounterfeited language of my heart.
A single look betrays the soul's soft feelings,
And shews imperfect speech of little worth.

[Exit HAMILCAR. Att. My father then conspires his own destruction. Is it not so?

Bar.

Indeed, I fear it much;

But as the senate has not yet resolv'd,

There is some room for hope; lose not a moment;
And, ere the conscript fathers are assembled,
Try all the powers of winning eloquence,
Each gentle art of feminine persuasion,
The love of kindred, and the faith of friends,
To bend the rigid Romans to thy purpose.
Att. Yes, Barce, I will go; I will exert
My little pow'r, though hopeless of success.
Undone Attilia! fall'n from hope's gay heights
Down the dread precipice of deep despair.
So some tir'd mariner the coast espies,

And his lov'd home explores with straining eyes;

« AnteriorContinuar »