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Art thou a man, and darʼst thou use me thus?
[TO BAJAZET
Hast thou not torn me from my native country,
From the dear arms of my lamenting friends,
From my
soul's peace, and from my injur'd love?
Hast thou not ruin'd, blotted me for ever,
And driv'n me to the brink of black despair?
And is it in thy malice yet to add

A wound more deep, to sully my white name,
My virtue ?-

Baj. Yes, thou hast thy sex's virtues,
Their affectation, pride, ill-nature, noise,

Proneness to change, e'en from the joy that pleas'd them:

So gracious is your idol, dear variety,
That for another love you would forego
An angel's form, to mingle with a devil's;

Arp. Why sought'st thou not from thy own impious tribe

A wife like one of these?

Know, I detest, like hell, the crime thou mention'st:
Not that I fear, or reverence, thee, thou tyrant;
But that my soul, conscious of whence it sprung,
Sits unpolluted in its sacred temple,
And scorns to mingle with a thought so mean,

Tam. Oh, pity! that a greatness so divine
Should meet a fate so wretched, so unequal.-
Thou, blind and wilful to the good that courts thee,
[TO BAJAZET.
With open-handed bounty Heav'n pursues thee,
And bids thee (undeserving as thou art,
And monstrous in thy crimes) be happy yet:
Whilst thou, in fury, dost avert the blessing,
And art an evil genius to thyself.

Baj. No-Thou! thou art my greatest curse on earth!

Thou, who hast robb'd me of my crown and glory, And now pursu'st me to the verge of life,

To spoil me of my honour. Thou, thou hypocrite!
That wear'st a pageant outside show of virtue,
To cover the hot thoughts that glow within!
Thou rank adulterer!

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Tam. Oh, that thou wert

The lord of all those thousands, that lie breathless
On yonder field of blood, that I again

Might hunt thee, in the face of death and danger,
Through the tumultuous battle, and there force thee,
Vanquish'd and sinking underneath my arm,
To own thou hast traduc'd me like a villain.
Baj. Ha! Does it gall thee, Tartar? By revenge,
It joys me much to find thou feel'st my fury.
Yes, I will echo to thee, thou adulterer!
Thou dost profane the name of king and soldier,
And, like a ruffian bravo, cam'st with force
To violate the holy marriage-bed.

Tam. Wert thou not shelter'd by thy abject state, The captive of my sword, by my just anger,

My breath, like thunder, should confound thy pride, And doom thee dead, this instant, with a word.

Baj. 'Tis false! my fate's above thee, and thou dar'st not.

Tam. Ha! dare not! Thou hast rais'd my pond'rous

rage,

And now it falls to crush thee at a blow.

A guard there!—Seize and drag him to his fate!

Enter a GUARD, they seize BAJAZET,

Tyrant, I'll do a double justice on thee;
At once revenge myself, and all mankind.

Buj. Well dost thou, ere thy violence and lust
Invade my bed, thus to begin with murder:
Drown all thy fears in blood, and sin securely.
Tam. Away!

Arp. [Kneeling.] Oh, stay! I charge thee, by renown;

By that bright glory thy great soul pursues,
Call back the doom of death!

Tam. Fair injur'd excellence,

Why dost thou kneel, and waste such precious pray'rs,
For one to goodness lost; who first undid thee,
Who still pursues and aggravates the wrong?
Baj. By Alla! no-I will not wear a life,
Bought with such vile dishonour. Death shall free

me

At once from infamy, and thee, thou traitress!
Arp. No matter, tho' the whistling winds grow loud,
And the rude tempest roars, 'tis idle rage:
Oh! mark it not; but let thy steady virtue
Be constant to its temper. Save his life,
And save Arpasia from the sport of talkers.
Think, how the busy, meddling world will toss
Thy mighty name about, in scurril mirth;
Shall brand thy vengeance, as a foul design,
And make such monstrous legends of our lives,
As late posterity shall blush in reading.

Tam. Oh, matchless virtue! Yes, I will obey; Sultan be safe! Reason resumes her empire, [Ereunt GUARDS.

And I am cool again.-Here break we off,
Lest farther speech should minister new rage.
Wisely from dangerous passions I retreat,
To keep a conquest which was hard to get:
And, oh! 'tis time I should for flight prepare,
A war more fatal seems to threaten there,
And all my rebel blood assists the fair:
One moment more, and I too late shall find,

That love's the strongest pow'r that lords it o'er the [Exit TAMERLane.

mind.

Baj. To what new shame, what plague am I re

serv'd!

Why hast thou forc'd this nauseous life upon me? Is it to triumph o'er me?-But I will,

I will be free, I will forget thee all;

The bitter and the sweet, the joy and pain,
Death shall expunge at once, and ease my soul.
Prophet, take notice, I disclaim thy paradise,
Thy fragrant bow'rs, and everlasting shades;
Thou hast plac'd woman there, and all thy joys are
tainted.
[Exit BAJAZET.
Arp. A little longer yet, be strong, my heart;
A little longer let the busy spirits

Keep on their cheerful round.-It will not be!
Death is at last my due, and I will have it.-
And see,
the poor Moneses comes, to take
One sad adieu, and then we part for ever.

Enter MONESES.

Mon. Already am I onward of my way, Thy tuneful voice comes like a hollow sound At distance, to my ears. My eyes grow heavy, 'Tis the last office they shall ever do me, To view thee once, and then to close and die. Arp. Alas! how happy have we been, Moneses! Ye gentle days, that once were ours, what joys Did every cheerful morning bring along! No fears, no jealousies, no angry parents, That for unequal births, or fortunes frown'd; But love, that kindly join'd our hearts, to bless us, Made us a blessing too to all besides.

Mon. Oh, cast not thy remembrance back, Arpasia! 'Tis grief unutterable, 'tis distraction!

Here let me kneel, and pay my latest vows.
Be witness, all ye saints, thou Heav'n and nature,
Be witness of my truth, for you have known it!
Be witness, that I never knew a pleasure,
In all the world could offer, like Arpasia!
Be witness, that I liv'd but in Arpasia!
And, oh, be witness, that her loss has kill'd me!
Arp. While thou art speaking, life begins to fail,

And every tender accent chills like death.

Oh! let me haste then, yet, ere day declines
And the long night prevail, once more to tell thee
Moneses is myself; in my fond heart,

E'en in my vital blood, he lives and reigns:
The last dear object of my parting soul
Will be Moneses; the last breath, that lingers
Within my panting breast, shall sigh Moneses.
Mon. It is enough! Now to thy rest, my soul,
The world and thou have made an end at once.

Arp. Fain would I still detain thee, hold thee still: Nor honour can forbid, that we together

Should share the poor few minutes that remain.
I swear, methinks this sad society

Has somewhat pleasing in it.-Death's dark shades
Seem, as we journey on, to lose their horror;
At near approach the monsters, form'd by fear,
Are vanish'd all, and leave the prospect clear;
Amidst the gloomy vale a pleasing scene,
With flow'rs adorn'd and never-fading green,
Inviting stands, to take the wretched in:
No wars, no wrongs, no tyrants, no despair,
Disturb the quiet of a place so fair,
But injur'd lovers find Elysium there.

[Exeunt.

Enter BAJAZET, OMAR, HALY, and the DERVISE.

Baj. Now, by the glorious tomb that shrines our prophet,

By Mecca's sacred temple, here I swear,

Our daughter is thy bride! and to that gift
Such wealth, such pow'r, such honours will I add,
That monarchs shall with envy view thy state,
And own thou art a demi-god to them.

Thou hast giv'n me what I wish'd, power of revenge,
And when a king rewards, 'tis ample retribution.

Omar. Twelve Tartar lords, each potent in his tribe, Have sworn to own my cause, and draw their thousands,

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