"

"Lucrece, thou'rt mine, arise and meet my arms;
When straight I wak'd and found young Tarquin by me,
His robe unbutton'd,' red and sparkling eyes,
The flushing blood that mounted in his face,
'The trembling eagerness that quite devour'd him,
With only one grim slave that held a taper,
At that dead stillness of the murd'ring night,
Sufficiently declar'd his horrid purpose.
Coll. Oh, Lucrece, Oh!

Lucrece. How is it possible to speak the passion,
The fright, the throes, and labour of my soul?
Ah, Collatine! half dead I turn'd away
To hide my shame, my anger, and my blushes,
While he at first with a dissembled mildness

Attempted on my honour;

But hastily repuls'd, and with disdain
He drew his sword, and locking his left hand
Fast in my hair, he held it to my breast:
Protesting by the Gods, the fiends and furies,
If I refus'd him he would give me death,
And swear he found me with that swarthy slave,
Whom he would leave there murder'd by my side.
Brut. Villain! Damn'd Villain!

Luc. Ah Collatine! Oh Father! Junius Brutus!
All that are kin to this dishonour'd blood,
How will you view me now? Ah, how forgive me?
Yet think not, Collatine, with my last tears,
With these last sighs, these dying groans, I beg you,
I do conjure my love, my lord, my husband,
Oh think me not consenting once in thought,

Though he in act possess'd his furious pleasure:
For, oh the name! the name of an adult'ress 1-
But here I faint! Oh help me!

Imagine me, my Lord, but what I was,

And what I shortly shall be, cold and dead.

Coll. Oh you avenging Gods! Lucrece, my love! I swear I do not think thy soul consenting; And therefore I forgive thee.

Lucrete. Ah, my Lord!

Were I to live, how should I answer this?
All that I ask you now is to revenge me;
Revenge me, father, husband!-Oh revenge me,
Revenge me, Brutus! you his sons, revenge me!
Herminius, Mutius, thou Horatius too!
And thou, Valeriust all, revenge me all!
Revenge the honour of the ravish'd Lucrece!

All. We will revenge thee.

Lucrece. I thank you all; I thank you, noble Ro

mans:

And that my life, though well I know you wish it,
May not hereafter ever give example
"To any that, like me, shall be dishonour'd,
To live beneath so loath'd an infamy;
Thus I for ever lose it, thus set free
My soul, my life, and honour, altogether:
Revenge me; Oh revenge, revenge, revenge! (Dies.
Luc. Struck to the heart-already motionless!

Coll. Oh give me way, t' embalm her with my tears;

For who has that propriety of sorrow?
Who dares to claim an equal share with me?

D

Brut. That, Sir, dare I; and every Roman here. What now? At your laments? Your puling sighs ? And woman's drops? Shall these quit scores for blood?

For chastity, for Rome, and violated honour?.
Now, by the Gods, my soul disdains your tears:
There's not a common harlot in the shambles

But for a drachm shall outweep you all.
Advance the body nearer; see, my Lords,
Behold, you dazzled Romans, from the wound
Of this dead beauty, thus I draw the dagger,
All stain'd and reeking with her sacred blood:
Thus to my lips I put the hallow'd blade;
To your's, Lucretius; Collatinus, your's;
To your's, Herminius, Mutius, and Horatius;
And your's, Valerius: kiss the poniard round:
Now join your hands with mine, and swear, swear all,
By this chaste blood, chaste ere the royal villain
Mixt his foul spirits with the spotless mass:
Swear, and let the Gods be witnesses,

That you with me will drive proud Tarquin out,
His wife, th' imperial fury, and her sons,

With all the race; drive 'em with sword and fire

To the world's limits, profligate accurst:
Swear from this time never to suffer them,

Nor any other King, to reign in Rome.

All. We swear.

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Brut. Well have you sworn; and Oh, methinks I

see

The hovering spirit of the ravish'd matron

Look down; she bows her airy head to bless you,

And crown th' auspicious sacrament with smiles.
Thus, with her body high expos'd to view,
March to the Forum with this pomp of death.
Oh Lucrece! Oh!-

When to the clouds thy pile of fame is rais'd,
While Rome is free thy memory shall be prais'd:
Senate and people, wives and virgins all,
Shall once a year before thy statue fall;
Cursing the Tarquins, they thy fate shall mourn :
But, when the thoughts of Liberty return,
Shall bless the happy hour when thou wert born.

[Exeunt.

;

ACT II. SCENE I.

The Forum. TIBERIUS, FABRITIUS, LARTIUS,

and FLAMINIUS.

Tiberius.

FABRITIUS, Lartius, and Flaminius,

As you are Romans, and oblig'd by Tarquin,
I dare confide in you; I say again,

Though I could not refuse the oath he gave us,
I disapprove my father's undertaking:
I'm loyal to the last, and so will stand.
I am in haste, and must to Tullia.

Fab. Leave me, my Lord, to deal with the multitude.
Tib. Remember this in short: A King is one

To whom you may complain when you are wrong'd;

The throne lies open in your way for justice;
You may be angry, and may be forgiven.
There's room for favour, and for benefit,
Where friends and enemies may come together,
Have present hearing, present composition,
Without recourse to the litigious laws;
Laws that are cruel, deaf, inexorable,
That cast the vile and noble altogether;
Where, if you should exceed the bounds of order,
There is no pardon: Oh! 'tis dangerous,
To have all actions judg'd by rigorous law.
What, to depend on innocence alone,
Among so many accidents and errors
That wait on human life? Consider it';
Stand fast, be loyal-I must to the Queen.

[Exit.

Fab. A pretty speech, by Mercury! Look you, Lartius, when the words lie like a low wrestler, round, close, and short, squat, pat, and pithy.

Lar. But what should we do here, Fabritius? The multitude will tear us in pieces.

Fab. 'Tis true, Lartius, the multitude is a mad thing, a strange blunder-headed monster, and very unruly; but eloquence is such a thing, a fine, moving, florid, pathetical speech! but see, the hydra comes: let me alone; fear not; I say, fear not.

Enter VINDITIUS, with Plebeians.

Vin. Come, neighbours, rank yourselves, plant yourselves, set yourselves in order, the Gods are very angry, I'll say that for 'em: poh, poh, I begin to sweat al

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