On thy Ægisthus, animate his soul,
And guide his footsteps! Poliphontes calls,
I will attend him; let us to the altar.
narbas.
Wilt thou then die?
euricles.
We must not follow thee:
Let us collect our few remaining friends,
And strive—
ægisthus.
Away: another time my soul
Would listen to your kind advice, for well
I know ye love me; but no counsellors
Must now be heard save all-directing heaven
And my own heart: the irresolute alone
Is swayed by others, but the blood of heroes
Will guide itself: away, the die is cast.
What do I see? O gracious heaven! my mother!
SCENE IV.
mérope, ægisthus, narbas, euricles, Attendants.
mérope.
Once more, Ægisthus, by the tyrant’s order,
We meet together; he has sent me to thee:
Think not that, after these detested nuptials,
I mean to live; but for thy sake, my son,
I have submitted to this shameful bondage:
For thee alone I fear; for thee I bear
This load of infamy: O live, Ægisthus,
Let me entreat thee, live; ere thou canst rule
Thou must obey, and servitude must open
The path to vengeance; thou contemnest my weakness,
I know thou dost; but O the more I love
The more I fear. O my dear child—
ægisthus.
Be bold,
And follow me.
mérope.
Alas! what wouldst thou do?
Why, ye just gods, why was he made too virtuous?
ægisthus.
Seest thou my father’s tomb? dost thou not hear
His voice? art thou a mother and a queen?
O if thou art, come on.
mérope.
Methinks some god
Inspires thy soul, and raises thee above
The race of mortals: now I see the blood
Of great Alcides flows through every vein,
And animates Ægisthus: O my son,
Give me a portion of thy noble fire,
And raise this drooping heart!
ægisthus.
Hast thou no friends
Within this fatal temple?
mérope.
Once I had
A crowd of followers when I was a queen,
But now their virtue sinks beneath the weight
Of my misfortunes, and they bend their necks
To this new yoke: they hate the tyrant, yet
Have crowned him; love their queen, and yet desert her.
ægisthus.
By all art thou abandoned; at the altar
Waits Poliphontes for thee?
mérope.
Yes.
ægisthus.
His soldiers,
Do they attend him?
mérope.
No: he is surrounded
By that ungrateful faithless crowd that once
Encircled Mérope, by them upled
To the altar, I will force for thee alone
A passage.
ægisthus.
And alone I’ll follow thee:
There shall I meet my ancestors divine;
The gods who punish murderers will be there.
mérope.
Alas! these fifteen years they have contemned thee.
ægisthus.
They did it but to try me.
mérope.
What’s thy purpose?
ægisthus.
No matter what; let us begone: farewell
My mournful friends, at least ye soon shall know
The son of Mérope deserved your care.
[To Narbas, embracing him.
Narbas, believe me, thou shalt never blush
To own me for thy son.
SCENE V.
narbas.
What means Ægisthus?
Alas! my cares are fruitless all and vain:
I hoped the sure slow-moving hand of time
Would justify the ways of heaven, and place
The wronged Ægisthus on Messene’s throne;
But guilt still triumphs, and my hopes are vanished;
His courage will destroy him; death awaits
His disobedience.
[A noise within.
euricles.
Hark! they shout.
narbas.
Alas!
It is the fatal signal.
euricles.
Let us listen.
narbas.
I tremble.
euricles.
Doubtless, at the very moment
When Poliphontes was to wed the queen,
She has dissolved the shameful bonds by death,
For so her rage had purposed.
narbas.
Then Ægisthus
Must perish too, she should have lived for him.
euricles.
The noise increases, like the rolling thunder
Onward it comes, and every moment grows
More dreadful.
narbas.
Hark! I hear on every side
The trumpets sound, the groans of dying men,
And clash of swords; they force the palace.
euricles.