Sends me his delegate to offer terms,

On which even foes may well accord; on which The fiercest nature, though it spurn at justice, May sympathize with his.

Dion. Unfold thy mystery; Thou shalt be heard.

Her. The gen'rous leader sees,

With pity sees the wild, destructive havoc
Of ruthless war; he hath survey'd around
The heaps of slain that cover yonder field,
And, touch'd with gen'rous sense of human wo,
Weeps o'er his victories.

Dion. Your leader weeps!

Then let the author of those ills thou speak'st of,
Let th' ambitious factor of destruction,
Timely retreat, and close the scene of blood.
Why doth affrighted peace behold his standard
Uprear'd in Sicily? and wherefore here

The iron ranks of war, from which the shepherd
Retires appall'd, and leaves the blasted hopes
Of half the year, while closer to her breast
The mother clasps her infant?

Her. 'Tis not mine

To plead Timoleon's cause; not mine the office
To justify the strong, the righteous, motives
To urge him to the war: the only scope
My deputation aims at, is to fix

An interval of peace, a pause of horror,
That they, whose bodies on the naked shore
Lie welt'ring in their blood, from either host
May meet the last sad rites to nature due,
And decent lie in honourable graves.

Dion. Go tell your leader his pretexts are vain.
Let him, with those that live, embark for Greece,
And leave our peaceful plains; the mangled limbs
Of those he murder'd, from my tender care
Shall meet due obsequies.

Her. The hero, Sir,

Wages no war with those who bravely die.
'Tis for the dead I supplicate; for them
We sue for peace; and to the living too
Timoleon would extend it, but the groans
Of a whole people have unsheath'd his sword.
A single day will pay the funeral rites.
To-morrow's sun may see both armies meet
Without hostility, and all in honour;
You to inter the troops who bravely fell;
We, on our part, to give an humble sod
To those who gain'd a footing on the isle,
And by their death have conquer'd.

Dion. Be it so;

I grant thy suit: soon as to-morrow's dawn
Illume the world, the rage of wasting war
In vain shall thirst for blood: and now farewell.
Some careful officer conduct him forth.

[Exit HERALD.
By heaven the Greek hath offer'd to my sword
An easy prey; a sacrifice to glut
My great revenge. Away, my friends, disperse.
Philotas, waits Euphrasia as we order'á ?

Phil. She's here at hand.

Dion. Admit her to our presence. Rage and despair, a thousand warring passions, All rise by turns, and piecemeal rend my heart; Yet ev'ry means, all measures must be tried. To sweep the Grecian spoiler from the land, And fix the crown unshaken on my brow,

Enter EUPHRASIA.

Dion. Approach, fair mourner, and dispel thy fears.

Thy grief, thy tender duty to thy father,
Has touch'd me nearly. In his lone retreat,
Respect, attendance, ev'ry lenient care

To soothe affliction, and extend his life,
Evander has commanded."

Euph. Vile dissembler!

Detested homicide! [Aside.] And has thy heart Felt for the wretched?

Dion. Urgencies of state

Abridg'd his liberty; but to his person
All honour hath been paid.

Euph. The righteous gods

Have mark'd thy ways, and will in time repay Just retribution.

Dion. If to see thy father,

If here to meet him in a fond embrace,
Will calm thy breast, and dry those beauteous

Torments have wrung the truth. Thy husband,
Phocion-

Euph. Oh! say, speak of my Phocion.
Dion. He; 'tis he

Hath kindled up this war; with treach'rous arts
Inflam'd the states of Greece, and now the traitor
Comes with a foreign aid to wrest my crown.
Euph. And does my Phocion share Timoleon's
glory?

Dion. With him invests our walls, and bids rebellion Erect her standard here.

Euph. Oh! bless him, gods! Where'er my hero treads the paths of war, List on his side; against the hostile jav'lin Uprear his mighty buckler; to his sword Lend the fierce whirlwind's rage, that he may

come

presence?

Have I not vow'd protection to your boy?

Euph. Horror! it must not be.
Phil. No; never, never:

I'll perish rather. His policy has granted
A day's suspense from arms; yet even now
His troops prepare, in the dead midnight hour,
With base surprise, to storm Timoleon's camp.
Evan. And doth he grant a false insidious truce,
To turn the hour of peace to blood and horror?
i uph. I know the monster well; when spe.
cious seeming

Becalms his looks, the rankling heart within
feems with destruction;

Mountains hurl'd up in air, and moulten rocks,
And all the land with desolation cover'd.

Mel. Now, Phocion, now on thee our hope de-
pends.

Fly to Timoleon; 1 can grant a passport :
Rouse him to vengeance; on the tyrant turn
His own insidious arts, or all is lost.

Pho. Evander, thou; and thou, my best Eu-
phrasia,

Both shall attend my flight.

Mel. It were in vain;

Th' attempt would hazard all.

Euph. Together here

We will remain, safe in the cave of death;

And wait our freedom from thy conqu'ring arm. Eran. Oh! would the gods roll back the stream of time,

And give this arm the sinew that it boasted
At Tauromenium, when its force resistless
Mow'd down the ranks of war; I then might

guide

The battle's rage, and, ere Evander die,

Add still another laurel to my brow.

Hath reap'd in earlier days.

Eran. And shall my sword,

When the great cause of liberty invites,
Remain inactive, unperforming quite?
Youth, second youth, rekindles in my veins :
Though worn with age, this arm will know its
office;

Will show that victory has not forgot
Acquaintance with this hand. And yet-O

shame!

It will not be: the momentary blaze
Sinks and expires: I have surviv'd it all:
Surviv'd my reign, my people, and myself.
Euph. Fly, Phocion, fly! Melanthon will con-
duct thee.

Mel. And when th' assault begins, my faithful

cohorts

Shall form their ranks around this sacred dome. Pho. And my poor captive friends, my brave companions

Taken in battle, wilt thou guard their lives? Phil. Trust to my care: no danger shall assail

them.

Pho. By heaven, the glorious expectation swells This panting bosom! Yes, Euphrasia, yes; Awhile I leave you to the care of heaven. Fell Dionysius, tremble! ere the dawn Timoleon thunders at your gates; the rage, The pent-up rage, of twenty thousand Greeks, Shall burst at once; and the tumultuous roar Alarm the astonish'd world.

Eran. Yet, ere thou go'st, young man, Attend my words: though guilt may oft provoke, As now it does, just vengeance on its head, In mercy punish it. The rage of slaughter Can add no trophy to the victor's triumph;

[Exit CAL.

Enter EUPHRASIA.

Dion. Once more approach and hear me; 'tis

not now

A time to waste in the vain war of words.
A crisis big with horror is at hand.

I meant to spare the stream of blood, that soon
Shall deluge yonder plains. My fair proposals
Thy haughty spirit has with scorn rejected.
And now, by heaven! here in thy very sight,
Evander breathes his last.

Euph. If yet there's wanting
A crime to fill the measure of thy guilt,
Add that black murder to the dreadful list;
With that complete the horrors of thy reign.

Dion. Woman, beware: Philotas is at hand,
And to our presence leads Evander. All
Thy dark complottings, and thy treach'rous arts,
Have prov'd abortive.

Euph. Ha!-What new event! And is Philotas false?-Has he betray'd him?

Dion. What, ho! Philotas.

Enter PHILOTAS.

Euph. How my heart sinks within me !
Dion. Where's your pris'ner?
Phil, Evander is no more.

[Aside

Dion. Ha!--Death has robb'd me

Of half my great revenge.

Phil. Worn out with anguish,

I saw life ebb apace. With studied art
We gave each cordial drop, alas! in vain;
He heav'd a sigh; invok'd his daughter's name,
Smil'd, and expir'd.

Dion. Bring me his hoary head.

Phil. You'll pardon, Sir, my over-hasty zeal.
I gave the body to the foaming surge,
Down the steep rock despis'd.

Dion. Now then thou feel'st my vengeance.
Euph. Glory in it;

Exult and triumph. Thy worst shaft is sped,
Yet still the unconquer'd mind with scorn can

view thee;

With the calm sunshine of the breast can see
Thy power unequal to subdue the soul,
Which virtue form'd, and which the gods protect.
Dion. Philotas, bear her hence, she shall not
live;

This moment bear her hence; you know the rest;
Go, see our will obey'd; that done, with all
A warrior's speed attend me at the citadel;
There meet the heroes whom this night shall lead
To freedom, victory, to glorious havoc,
And the destruction of the Grecian name. [Exit.
Euph. Accept my thanks, Philotas; gen'rous

man!

These tears attest th' emotions of my heart. But, oh! should Greece defer

Phil. Dispel thy fears;

Phocion will bring relief; or, should the tyrant Assault their camp, he'll meet a marshall'd foe. Let me conduct thee to the silent tomb.

Euph. Ah! there Evander, naked and disarm'd, Defenceless quite, may meet some ruffian stroke. Phil. Lo! here a weapon; bear this dagger to him.

In the drear monument should hostile steps
Dare to approach him, they must enter singly;
This guards the passage; man by man they die.
There may'st thou dwell amidst the wild commo-
tion.

Euph. Ye pitying gods, protect my father
there!
[Exeunt.

SCENE II-The Citadel.

Enter DIONYSIUS, CALIPPUS, and several Officers.

Dion. Ye brave associates, who so oft have shar'd

Our toil and danger in the field of glory,
My fellow-warriors, what no god could promise,
Fortune has given us. In his dark embrace,
Lo! sleep envelops the whole Grecian camp.
Against a foe, the outcasts of their country,
Freebooters, roving in pursuit of prey,
Success, by war or covert stratagem,
Alike is glorious. Then, my gallant friends,
What need of words? The gen'rous call of
freedom,

Your wives, your children, your invaded rights,
All that can steel the patriot breast with valour,
Expands and rouses in the swelling heart.
Follow the impulsive ardour; follow me,
Your king, your leader; in the friendly gloom
Of night assault their camp: your country's love
And fame eternal shall attend the men

Who march'd through blood and horror, to redeem
From th' invader's power their native land.

Cal. Lead to the onset, Greece shall find we bear

Hearts prodigal of blood, when honour calls
Resolv'd to conquer or to die in freedom.

Dion. Thus I've resolv'd: when the declining

moon

Hath veil'd her orb, our silent march begins.
The order thus: Calippus, thou lead forth
Iberia's sons with the Numidean bands,
And line the shore-Perdicas, be it thine
To march thy cohorts to the mountain's foot,
Where the wood skirts the valley; there mako
halt

Till brave Amyntor stretch along the vale.
Ourself, with the embodied cavalry

Clad in their mail'd cuirass, will circle round
To where their camp extends its farthest line;
Unnumber'd torches there shall blaze at once,
The signal of the charge; then, oh! my friends,
On every side let the wild uproar loose,
Bid massacre and carnage stalk around,
Unsparing, unrelenting; drench your swords
In hostile blood, and riot in destruction.
Enter an OFFICER.

Ha! speak; unfold thy purpose.

Offi. Instant arm;

To arms, my liege; the foe breaks in upon us;" The subterraneous path is theirs; that way Their band invades the city, sunk in sleep.

Dion. Treason's at work; detested,treach'rous villains!

Is this their promis'd truce? Away, my friends, Rouse all the war: fly to your sev'ral posts, And instant bring all Syracuse in arms.

[Excunt; warlike music, SCENE III-The inside of the Temple; a Monument in the middle.

Enter EUPHRASIA, ERIXENE, and Female Attendants.

Euph. Which way, Erixene, which way, my virgins,

Shall we direct our steps? What sacred altar Clasp on our knees?

Erix. Alas! the horrid tumult Spreads the destruction wide. On every side The victor's shouts, the groans of murder'd wretches,

In wild confusion rise. Once more descend Eudocia's tomb; there thou may'st find a shelter.

Euph. Anon, Erixene, I mean to visit, Perhaps for the last time, a mother's urn. This dagger there, this instrument of death, Should fortune prosper the fell tyrant's arms, This dagger then may free me from his power, And that drear vault entomb us all in peace. [Flourish.

Erir. Hark! Euph. The din

Of arms with clearer sound advances. Hark!
That sudden burst! Again! They rush upon us!
The portal opens; lo! see there; "behold!
War, horrid war, invades the sacred fane;
No altar gives a sanctuary now. [Warlike music.
Enter DIONYSIUS and CALIPPUS, with several
Soldiers.

Dion. Here will I mock their siege; here stand at bay, And brave 'em to the last.