In Greece I landed: and in Greece I found
The affembled princes all alarm'd with fears,
In which their common fafety feem'd concern'd.
I join'd them: for I hop'd that war and glory
Might fill my mind, and take up all my thoughts:
And, that my shatter'd foul, impair'd with grief,
Once more would reaffume its wonted vigour,
And ev'ry idle paffion quit my breaft.

Pyl. The thought was worthy Agamemnon's fon.
Oreft. But see the strange perverfenefs of my ftars,
Which throws me on the rock I ftrove to fhun !
The jealous chiefs, and all the ftates of Greece,
With one united voice complain of Pyrrhus;
That now forgetful of the promise giv❜n,
And mindlefs of his godlike father's fate,
Aftyanax, he nurses in his court;
Aftyanax, the young, furviving hope
Of ruin'd Troy; Aftyanax, defcended
From a long race of kings; great Hector's fon.
Pyl. A name ftill dreadful in the ears of Greece!
But, prince, you'll cease to wonder why the child
Lives thus protected in the court of Pyrrhus,
When you shall hear, the bright Andromache,
His lovely captive, charms him from his purpose:
The mother's beauty guards the helpless fon.

Oreft. Your tale confirms what I have heard; and hence

Spring all my hopes. Since my proud rival wooes
Another partner to his throne and bed,

Hermione may ftill be mine. Her father,
The injur'd Menelaus, thinks already

His daughter flighted, and th' intended nuptials

Too long delay'd. I heard his loud complaints
With fecret pleasure; and was glad to find
Th' ungrateful maid neglected in her turn,
And all my wrongs aveng'd in her disgrace.

Pyl. Oh, may you keep your juft refentments

warm!

Oreft. Refentments! Oh, my friend, too foon I found

They grew not out of hatred! I'm betray'd :
I practice on myself; and fondly plot
My own undoing. Goaded on by love,
I canvafs'd all the fuffrages of Greece:
And here I come their fworn ambassador,
To speak their jealoufies, and claim this boy.

Pyl. Pyrrhus will treat your embaffy with scorn. Full of Achilles, his redoubted fire,

Pyrrhus is proud, impetuous, headstrong, fierce;
Made up of paffions: Will he then be sway'd,
And give to death the fon of her he loves?
Oreft. Oh, would he render up Hermione,
And keep Aftyanax, I fhould be bleft!
He muft; he fhall. Hermione is my life,
My foul, my rapture!-I'll no longer curb
The strong defire that hurries me to madness ;
I'll give a loose to love; I'll bear her hence;
I'll tear her from his arms; I'll-O, ye gods!
Give me Hermione, or let me die !-

But tell me, Pylades; how stand my hopes?
Is Pyrrhus ftill enamour'd with her charms?
Or doft thou think he'll yield me up the prize,
The dear, dear prize, which he has ravish'd from

me?

Pyl. I dare not flatter your fond hopes fo far;
The king, indeed, cold to the Spartan Princess,
Turns all his paffion to Andromache,

Hector's afflicted widow. But in vain,
With interwoven love and rage, he fues
The charming captive, obftinately cruel.
Oft he alarms her for her child confin'd
Apart; and when her tears begin to flow,
As foon he ftops them, and recalls his threats.
Hermione a thoufand times has seen

His ill-requited vows return to her;
And takes his indignation all for love.
What can be gather'd from a man fo various?
He may, in the diforder of his foul,

Wed her he hates; and punish her he loves.

Oref. But tell me how the wrong'd Hermione Brooks her flow nuptials, and dishonour'd charms? Pyl. Hermione would fain be thought to fcorn Her wavering lover, and disdain his falsehood; But, fpite of all her pride and conscious beauty, She mourns in fecret her neglected charms; And oft has made me privy to her tears: Still threatens to be gone: yet ftill she stays; And fometimes fighs, and wishes for Orestes:

Oreft. Ah, were those wishes from her heart, my friend,

I'd fly in transport

Pyl. Hear!-the king approaches

[Flourish within.

To give you audience. Speak your embassy
Without referve: urge the demands of Greece;
And, in the name of all her kings, require,

That Hector's fon be giv'n into your hands,

Pyrrhus, inftead of granting what they ask,
To fpeed his love and win the Trojan dame,
Will make it merit to preserve her fon.
But, fee; he comes.

Oreft. Mean while, my Pylades,
Go, and difpofe Hermione to fee

Her lover, who is come thus far, to throw
Himself, in all his forrows, at her feet.

Enter PYRRHUS, PHOENIX, and Attendants.

Before I fpeak the meffage of the Greeks,
Permit me, fir, to glory in the title
Of their ambaffador; fince I behold
Troy's vanquisher, and great Achilles' fon.
Nor does the fon rife fhort of fuch a father:
If Hector fell by him. Troy fell by you.
But what your father never would have done,
You do. You cherish the remains of Troy ;
And by an ill-tim'd pity keep alive

The dying embers of a ten years war.

Have you fo foon forgot the mighty Hector?
The Greeks remember his high brandifh'd fword,
That fill'd their ftates with widows and with orphans,
For which they call for vengeance on his fon.
Who knows what he may one day prove? Who
knows

But he may brave us in our ports; and, fill'd
With Hector's fury, fet our fleets on blaze.
You may, yourself, live to repent your mercy.
Comply, then, with the Grecians' juft demands;
Satiate their vengeance, and preferve yourself.

Pyr. The Greeks are for my fafety more concern'd
Than I defire. 1 thought your kings were met
On more important counfel. When I heard
The name of their ambaffador, I hop'd
Some glorious enterprize was taking birth.
Is Agamemnon's fon dispatch'd for this?
And do the Grecian chiefs, renown'd in war,
A race of heroes, join in clofe debate,

To plot an infant's death !-What right has Greece
To afk his life? Muft I, muft I alone,
Of all the scepter'd warriors, be deny'd

To treat my captive as I please? Know, prince,
When Troy lay fmoking on the ground, and each
Proud victor fhar'd the harvest of the war,

Andromache and this her fon were mine

;

Were mine by lot; and who fhall wreft them from me?

Ulyffes bore away old Priam's queen ;

Caffandra was your own great father's prize;
Did I concern myself in what they won?

Did I fend embaffies to claim their captives?

Oreft. But, fir, we fear for you, and for ourselves. Troy may again revive, and a new Hector Rife in Aftyanax. Then think betimesPyr. Let daftard fouls be timorously wife: But tell them, Pyrrhus knows not how to form Far-fancy'd ills, and dangers out of fight.

Oreft. Sir, call to mind the unrivall'd strength of Troy ;

Her walls, her bulwarks, and her gates of brafs;

Her kings, her heroes, and embattled armies !