The monster, the perfidious—
[Lifting up the dagger.
O ye manes
Of my dear son, this bloody arm—
narbas.
[Entering on a sudden.
O gods!
What wouldst thou do?
mérope.
Who calls?
narbas.
Stop: stop—alas!
If I but name his mother, he’s undone.
mérope.
Die, traitor.
narbas.
Stop.
ægisthus.
[Turning towards Narbas.
My father!
mérope.
Ha! his father!
ægisthus.
[To Narbas.
What do I see? and whither wert thou going?
Camest thou to be a witness of my death?
narbas.
O, madam, go no further: Euricles,
Remove the victim, let me speak to thee.
euricles.
[Takes away Ægisthus, and shuts up the lower part of the scene.
O heaven!
mérope.
[Coming forward.
Thou makest me tremble: I was going
To avenge my son.
narbas.
[Kneeling down.
To sacrifice—Ægisthus.
mérope.
Ægisthus! ha!
narbas.
’Twas he, whom thy rash arm
Had well nigh slain; believe me, ’twas Ægisthus.
mérope.
And lives he then?
narbas.
’Tis he, it is your son.
mérope.
[Fainting in the arms of Ismenia.
I die!
ismenia.
Good heaven!
narbas.
[To Ismenia.
Recall her fleeting spirit;
This sudden transport of tumultuous joy,
Mixed with anxiety and tender fears,
May quite o’erpower her.
mérope.
[Coming to herself.
Narbas, is it you?
Or do I dream? is it my son? where is he?
Let him come hither.
narbas.
No: refrain your love,
Restrain your tenderness.
[To Ismenia.
O keep the secret;
The safety of the queen, and of Ægisthus,
Depend on that.
mérope.
Alas! and must fresh danger
Embitter my new joys? O dear Ægisthus,
What cruel god still keeps thee from thy mother?
Was he restored but to afflict me more?
narbas.
You knew him not, and would have slain your son:
If his arrival here be once discovered,
And you acknowledge him, he’s lost forever.
Dissemble, therefore, for thou knowest that guilt
Reigns in Messene: thou art watched; be cautious.
SCENE V.
mérope, euricles, narbas, ismenia.
euricles.
’Tis the king’s order, madam, that we seize—
mérope.
Whom?
euricles.
The young stranger, whom thou had’st condemned
To death.
mérope.
[With transport.
That stranger is my child, my son:
They would destroy him, Narbas, let us fly—
narbas.
No: stay.
mérope.
It is my son; they’ll have him from me,
My dear Ægisthus: why is this?
euricles.
The king
Would question him before he dies.
mérope.
Indeed!
And knows he then I am his mother?
euricles.
No:
’Tis yet a secret to them all.
mérope.
We’ll fly
To Poliphontes, and implore his aid.
narbas.
Fear Poliphontes, and implore the gods.
euricles.
Howe’er Ægisthus may alarm the tyrant,
Thy promised nupitals make his pardon sure:
Bound to each other in eternal bonds,
Thy son will soon be his; though jealousy
May now subsist, it must be lost in love
When he’s your husband.
narbas.
He your husband, gods!
I’m thunderstruck.
mérope.
I will no longer bear
Such anguish, let me hence.
narbas.
Thou shalt not go:
Unhappy mother! thou shalt ne’er submit
To these detested nuptials.
euricles.
She is forced
To wed him, that she may avenge Cresphontes.
narbas.
He was his murderer.
mérope.
He! that traitor!
narbas.
Yes:
By Poliphontes thy Ægisthus fell,
His father, and his brothers: I beheld
The tyrant weltering in Cresphontes’ blood.
mérope.
O