They fly.
narbas.
Perhaps to serve the tyrant’s cause.
euricles.
Far as my eyes can reach I see them still
Engaged in fight.
narbas.
Whose blood will there be shed?
Surely I heard the name of Mérope,
And of Ægisthus.
euricles.
Thanks to heaven, the ways
Are open, I will hence, and know my fate.
[He goes out.
narbas.
I’ll follow thee, but not with equal steps,
For I am old and feeble: O ye gods!
Restore my strength, give to this nerveless arm
Its former vigor; let me save my king,
Or yield up the poor remnant of my days,
And die in his defence.
SCENE VI.
narbas, ismenia.
[A crowd of people.
narbas.
Who’s there? Ismenia?
Bloody and pale! O horrid spectacle!
Art thou indeed Ismenia?
ismenia.
O my voice,
My breath is lost; let me recover them,
And I will tell thee all.
narbas.
My son—
The queen—do they yet live?
ismenia.
I’m scarce myself;
Half dead with fear; the crowd has borne me hither.
narbas.
How does Ægisthus?
ismenia.
O he is indeed
The son of gods; a stroke so terrible,
So noble! never did the unconquered courage
Of great Alcides with a deed so bold
Astonish mortals.
narbas.
O my son, my king,
The work of my own hands, the gallant hero!
ismenia.
Crowned with fresh flowers the victim was prepared,
And Hymen’s torches round the altar blazed,
When Poliphontes, wrapped in gloomy silence,
Stretched forth his eager hand; the priest pronounced
The solemn words; amidst her weeping maids
Stood fixed in grief the wretched Mérope;
Slow she advanced, and trembling in these arms,
Instead of Hymen, called on death; the people
Were silent all; when from the holy threshold,
A more than mortal form, a youthful hero
Stepped forth, and sudden darted to the altar;
It was Ægisthus; there undaunted seized
The axe that for the holy festival
Had been prepared; then with the lightning’s speed
He ran, and felled the tyrant; “Die,” he cried,
“Usurper, die; now take your victim, gods.”
Erox, the monster’s vile accomplice, saw
His master weltering in his blood, upraised
His hand for vengeance; but Ægisthus smote
The slave, and laid him at the tyrant’s feet:
Meantime, recovered, Poliphontes rose
And fought; I saw Ægisthus wounded; saw
The fierce encounter: the guards ran to part them;
When Mérope, such power has mighty love,
Pierced through opposing multitudes, and cried,
“Stop, ye inhuman murderers, ’tis my son,
’Tis my Ægisthus, turn your rage on me,
And plant your daggers in the breast of her
Who bore him, of his mother, and your queen:”
Her shrieks alarmed the crowd, and a firm band
Of faithful friends secured her from the rage
Of the rude soldiers; then might you behold
The broken altars, and the sacred ruins:
On every side, confusion, war, and slaughter
Triumphant reigned; brothers on brothers rose,
Children were butchered in their mothers’ arms,
Friends murdered friends, the dying and the dead
Together lay, and o’er their bodies trampled
The flying crowd; with groans the temple rung.
Amidst the uproar of contending legions
I lost Ægisthus and the queen, and fled:
In vain I asked each passing stranger whither
They bent their way; their answers but increased
My terrors; still they cry, he falls, he’s dead,
He conquers; all is darkness and confusion:
I ran, I flew, and by the timely aid
Of these kind friends have reached this place of safety:
But still I know not whether yet the queen
And great Ægisthus are preserved; my heart
Is full of terrors.
narbas.
Thou great arbiter
Of all that’s mortal, providence divine,
Complete thy glorious work, protect the good,
Support the innocent, reward the wretched,
Preserve my son, and I shall die in peace!
Ha! midst you crowd do I behold the queen?
SCENE VII.
mérope, ismenia, narbas, People, Soldiers.
At the farther part of the stage is exposed the corpse of Poliphontes, covered with a bloody robe.
mérope.
Priests, warriors, friends, my fellow-citizens,
Attend, and hear me in the name of heaven.
Once more I swear, Ægisthus is your king,
The scourge of guilt, the avenger of his father,
And yonder bleeding corpse, a hated monster,
The foe of gods and men, who slew my husband,
My dear Cresphontes, and his helpless children,