spring:

'Tis hence that heroes conquer, poets sing. Even he may feel the soul exalting fire, Fame prompts the humblest bosom to aspire.

Without a guide this rash attempt he made,
Without a clue from art, or learning's aid.
He takes a theme where tenderest passions
glow,

A theme your grandsires felt with pleasing wo.
Essex' sad tale he strives to clothe anew,
And hopes to place it in a stronger view.

Poets, like painters, may, by equal law, The labour'd piece from different masters draw;

Perhaps improve the plan, add fire and grace, And strike th' impassion'd soul through all the

face.

How far our author has secur'd a claim
To this exalted palm, this wish'd-for fame,
Your generous sentiments will soon declare:
Humanity is ever prone to spare.

'Twere baseness then your conduct to distrust;
A British audience will, at least, be just.
A flattering truth he fearful must confess,
His sanguine friends made promise of success;
But that, he fears, their ardent wishes wrought,
Since partial favour seldom sees a fault,

Then hear, like patient friends, this first essay, His next shall thank you in a nobler way.

ACT I.

SCENE I-An Antichamber in the Palace.

Enter BURLEIGH and RALEIGH,

Bur. The bill, at length, has pass'd opposing numbers,

Whilst crowds seditious clamour'd round the senate,

And headlong faction urged its force within.

Ral. It has, my lord.-The wish'd-for day is

come,

When this proud idol of the people's hearts
Shall now no more be worshipp'd-Essex falls.
My lord the minute's near that shall unravel
The mystic schemes of this aspiring man.
Now Fortune, with officious hand invites us
To her, and opens wide the gates of greatness,
The way to power. My heart exults: I see,
I see, my lord, our utmost wish accomplish'd!
I see great Cecil shine without a rival,
And England bless him as her guardian saint.
Such potent instruments I have prepared,
As shall, with speed, o'erturn this hated man,
And dash him down, by proof invincible.

Bur. How say'st? to prove them?
Ral. Ay, my lord, and back'd
With circumstances of a stronger nature.
It now appears, his secretary Cuff,

With Blunt and Lee, were deep concern'd in this
Destructive scheme, contrived to raise this lord,
And ruin Cecil Oh, it is a subtile,

A deep laid mischief, by the earl contrived,
In hour malignant to o'erturn the state,
And (horror to conceive!) dethrone the queen.
Bur. These gladsome tidings fly beyond my
hopes!

The queen will listen now, will now believe,
And trust the counsel of her faithful Burleigh.
Let this most lucky circumstance be kept
A secret still from public observation-
Dispose them well till kind occasion calls
Their office forth, lest prying craft mean while
May tamper with their thoughts, and change their
minds:

Let them, like batteries conceal'd appear,
At once both to surprize and to destroy.

Ral. This sudden shock, my lord, this weighty stroke,

Must press him, headlong, down to deep destruc

And pick out tales for Essex' ear!-Why, let her;

I'm arm'd secure against her arts and cunning.
Besides, her errand comes too late, for now
Her minion's doom'd to fall-Conduct her in.
[Exit GENT.
And you, my Raleigh, watch Southampton's
steps;
With care observe each movement of his friend;
That no advantage on that side be lost.

[Exit RAL.
Southampton's Essex' second self; he shares
His headlong councils and adopts his schemes
His daring heart, and bold ungovern'd tongue,
Are both enlisted in the rash designs
Of this proud lord, nor knows a will but his:
A limb so fix'd must with the body fall.

Bur. Bright excellence,

This fair applause too highly over-rates,
Too much extols the low deserts of Cecil.

Not. What praises are too high for patriotworth?

Or what applause exceeds the price of virtue?
My lord, conviction has at last subdued me,
And I am honour's proselyte:-too long
My erring heart pursued the ways of faction
I own myself t' have been your bitterest foe,
And join'd with Essex in each foul attempt
To blast your honour, and traduce your fame.
Bur. Though ne'er my wishing heart could

call you friend,

Yet honour and esteem I always bore you;
And never meant, but with respect to serve you.
It grieves me, Madam, to have thus offended,
Where most my wishes labour'd to oblige.

Not. I know your honour and your virtues

Could I accuse my heart but of a thought
To do you wrong; if any purpose ever
Against your welfare in my soul arose,
That look'd with malice on your shining merit,
Your matchless beauty, or your brighter virtues,
Then let me live despised, a proverb made
To every passing slave: nay more, the scorn
And trampled footstool of the man I hate.

Not. It is enough, my lord, I know it well,
And feel rekindling virtue warm my breast!
Honour and gratitude their force resume
Within my heart, and every wish is yours.

O Cecil, Cecil, what a foe hast thou,
A deadly foe, whilst hated Essex lives!
Bur. I know it well, it can assign no cause.
Not. Ambition's restless hand has wound his
thoughts

'Too high for England's welfare; nay, the queen
Scarce sits in safety on her throne, while he,
Th' audacious Essex, freely treads at large,
And breathes the common air. Ambition is
The only god he serves, to whom he'd sacrifice
His honour, country, friends, and every tie
Of truth, and bond of nature; nay, his love.
Bur. I find this business work as I would have
it.

[Aside.

'That man that in this public duty fails,
On private virtue will disdainful tread,
As steps to raise him to some higher purpose:
In vain each softer wish would plead with him,
No tender movement in his soul prevails,
And mighty love, who rules all nature else,
Must follow her in proud ambition's train.
Not. Pronounce it not, my soul abhors the
sound,

Like death.- -O Cecil, will you kindly lend
Some pity to a wretch like me?

Bur. Command,

Madam: my power and will are yours. I feel
Your wrongs, I feel the base return you've met
From this ungrateful and disloyal man,
Though oft your goodness screen'd him from re-
proof.

Believe me worthy to partake your grievance,
Accept my service, and employ my power.

Not. Will Cecil's friendly ear vouchsafe to bend

Its great attention to a woman's wrongs,

Whose pride and shame, resentment and despair, Rise up in raging anarchy at once,

To tear with ceaseless pangs my tortured soul? Words are unequal to the woes I feel,

And language lessens what my heart endures. Passion repulsed with scorn, and proud disdain,

Recoils indignant on my shrinking soul,
Beats back my vital springs, and crushes life.

Bur. Madam, your wrongs, I must confess,

are great;

Yet still, I fear ye know not half his falsehood.
Who that had eyes to look on beauty; who,
That had a heart to feel that beauty's power;
Who, but the false perfidious Essex, could
Prefer to Nottingham a Rutland's charms?
Start not-by Heaven I tell you nought but truth,
What I can prove past doubt; that he re-
ceived

The lady Rutland's hand in sacred wedlock,
The very night before his setting out
For Ireland.'

Not. Oh, may quick destruction seize them! May furies blast, and hell destroy their peace! May all their nights

Bur. I pray, have patience, Madam. Restrain a while your rage; curses are in vain. But there's a surer method to destroy him; And if you'll join with me, 'tis done: he falls. Not. Ha! say's thou, Burleigh! Speak, my

genius, speak;

Be quick as vengeance' self to tell me how.

Bur. You must have heard the commons have impeach'd him,

And we have proofs sufficient for his ruin:

But the queen-you know how fair he stands
In her esteem: and Rutland too, his wife,
Hath full possession of the royal ear.
What then avail impeachments, or the law's
Severest condemnation, while the queen
May snatch him from th' uplifted hand of
justice?

Here then, my Nottingham, begins thy task :
Try every art t' incense the queen against him,
Then step between her and the lady Rutland,
Let not her fondness find the least access
To the queen's heart, to counterwork our pur-

pose.

Observe Southampton, too, with jealous eye;
Prevent, as much as possible, his suit:
For well I know he will not fail to try
His eloquence on the behalf of Essex.

Not. It shall be done! his doom is fix'd; he dies.

Oh, 'twas a precious thought! I never knew
Such heart-felt satisfaction! Essex dies,
And Rutland, in her turn, shall learn to weep.
The time is precious; I'll about it straight.
Come, vengeance, come, assist me
breathe

Thy venom'd spirit in the royal ear.

now to

[Exit Nor. Bur. There spoke the very genius of the sex; And disappointed woman sets no bounds To her revenge. Her temper's form'd to serve

In all her pomp of power. But are you sure
No subtile vice conceal'd assumes her garb ?
Take heed, that malice does not wear the mask,
Nor envy deck her in her borrow'd guise.
Rancour has often darken'd reason's eye,
And judgment winks, when passion holds the

scale.

Impeach the very man to whom I owe
My brightest rays of glory! Look to it, lords,
Take care, be cautious on what ground you
tread;

Let honest means alone secure your footing. Raleigh and you withdraw, and wait our leisure. [Exeunt RAL. and SOUTH. Lord Burleigh, stay; we must with you have farther

Conference.-I see this base contrivance plain.
Your jealousy and pride, your envy of
His shining merit, brought this bill to light.
But mark me, as you prize our high regard
And favour, I command you to suppress it:
Let not our name and power be embarrass'd
In your perplexing schemes. 'Twas you began,
And therefore you must end it.

Bur. I obey.

Yet humbly would intreat you to consider
How new, unpopular, this step must be,
To stand between your parliament's inquiry
And this offending lord.-We have such proofs-
Queen. Reserve your proofs to a more proper

season,

And let them then appear. But once again
We charge you, on your duty and allegiance,
To stop this vile proceeding; and to wait
Till Essex can defend himself in person.
If then your accusations are of force,
The laws, and my consent, no doubt are open.
He has my strict command, with menace mix'd,
To end effectually this hated war,
Ere he presume to quit the Irish coast.

Bur. Madam, my duty now compels me to Queen. No more! see that my orders be obey'd. [Exit BUR.

Essex a traitor!--that can never be--
His grateful and his honest soul disdains it.-
I know him hot, ambitious, rash, impatient;
But then he's firmly anchor'd in his duty:
Though stormy passions toss him to and fro.
Can he prove false? so high advanced, so ho-
nour'd,

So near my favour-and--I fear, so near
My heart-Impossible. This Burleigh hates
him;

And, his rival, therefore would destroy him,
But he shall find his narrow schemes defeated.
In vain their fraudful efforts shall combine
To shake my settled soul, my firm design;
Resolved to lift bright virtue's palm on high,
Support her grandeur, and her foes defy.

ACT II. SCENE I

Enter BURLEIGH and RALEIGH.

[Exit.

Bur. Essex arrived! Confusion to my hopes! His presence will destroy me with the queen. I much suspect he had some private notice, Perhaps a punctual order to return.

Пe lurks too near her heart.-What's to be done?
Prepare the witnesses with speed; apprize
The Lady Nottingham-Southampton's pride,
And Rutland's too, will lift the crest again.
But fly, my Raleigh, send me Nottingham.

(Exit RAL
We must alarm the queen with new commotions
In many parts of her dominions raised:
All this, and more must now be pass'd for truth
This sudden blow has struck me to the soul;
'Tis gone too far, he dies-proud Essex now,
Or Cecil falls. Now is th' important crisis-
Keep up thy usual strength; my better genius,
Direct my steps to crush my mortal foe.

Enter QUEEN and RALEIGH.

Queen. It cannot be! Return'd without my leave!

Against my strict command!-Impossible! Ral, Madam, the earl is now at court, and begs

An audience of your majesty.

Queen. Amazing!

What! break his trust! desert his high command! Forsake his post, and disobey his queen! "Tis false-invented all-You wish it so.

Bur. Madam, I wish some other rumours

false:

Reports, I fear, of great concern to you.

Queen. What rumours? what reports? Your frown would much

Denote: your preface seems important-Speak. Bur. Some new commotions are of late sprung

up

In Ireland, where the west is all in arms,
And moves with hasty march to join Tyrone,
And all his northern clans. A dreadful power!
Nay more, we have advices from the borders
Of sudden risings, near the banks of Tweed!
'Tis thought to favour an attempt from Scotland.
Mean while, Tyrone embarks six thousand men
To land at Milford, and march where Essex
Shall join them with his friends.

Queen. In league with James!
And plotting with Tyrone! It cannot be.
His very pride disdains such perfidy.
But is not Essex here without my leave!
Against my strict command! that, that's rebel-
lion,

The rest, if true, or false, it matters not.
What's to be done? admit him to my presence?
No, no-my dignity; my pride forbid it.
Ungrateful man, approach me not; rise, rise,
Resentment, and support my soul! Disdain,
Do thou assist me- -Yes, it shall be so.

Bur. I see she muses deep, her mind works upwards,

And paints its struggling efforts in her face.
Tyrone's invasion wakes her fear and anger,
And all her soul is one continued storm.

Queen. For once my pride shall stoop; and I

will see

This rash, audacious, this once favour'd man; But treat him as his daring crimes deserve.

Enter SOUTHAMPTON.

South. [Kneeling.] Permit me, Madam, to approach you thus ;

Thus lowly to present the humble suit