octar.
And would you then preserve the royal race?
genghis.
I would preserve Idame; for the rest
’Tis equal all, dispose it as thou wilt.
Go, bring her hither—stay—my Octar—try
If thou canst soften this rebellious slave,
This Zamti, and persuade him to obey me.
We will not heed this infant; he shall make me
A nobler sacrifice.
octar.
Who, he, my lord?
genghis.
Ay, he.
octar.
What hopest thou?
genghis.
To subdue Idame,
To see her, to adore her, to be loved
By that ungrateful fair one; or to take
My full revenge, to punish her, and die.
End of the Third Act.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.
genghis.
[A troop of Tartar soldiers.
Are these my promised joys? is this the fruit
Of all my labors? where’s the liberty,
The rest I hoped for? I but feel the weight
Without the joys of power: I want Idame,
And, instead of her, a crowd of busy slaves
Are ever thronging round me.
[To his attendants.
Hence, away,
And guard the city walls; these proud Koreans
May think to find us unprepared; already,
It seems, they have proclaimed their orphan king;
But I’ll be duped no longer; he shall die.
I am distracted with a thousand cares,
Dangers, and plots, and foes on every side;
Intruding rivals, and a wayward people,
Oppress me: when I was a poor unknown
I was more happy.
SCENE II.
octar, genghis.
genghis.
Well, my friend, you’ve seen
This proud presumptuous Mandarin: what says he?
octar.
He is inflexible; nor threats alarm
Nor promises allure him; still he talks
Of duty and of virtue, as if we
Were vanquished slaves, and he the conqueror.
I blush to think how we demeaned ourselves,
By talking to a wretch, whom by a word
We might destroy: let the ungrateful pair
Perish together; mutual is their crime,
And mutual be their punishment.
genghis.
’Tis strange,
That sentiments like these, to us unknown,
Should rise in mortal breasts: without a groan,
A murmur, or complaint, a father breaks
The ties of nature, and would sacrifice
His child to please the manes of his sovereign,
And the fond wife would die to save her lord.
The more I see, the more must I admire
This wondrous people, great in arts and arms,
In learning and in manners great; their kings
On wisdom’s basis founded all their power;
They gave the nations law, by virtue reigned,
And governed without conquest; naught hath heaven
Bestowed on us but force; our only art
Is cruel war; our business to destroy.
What have I gained by all my victories,
By all my guilty laurels stained with blood?
The tears, the sighs, the curses of mankind.
Perhaps, my friend, there is a nobler fame,
And worthier of our search: my heart in secret
Is jealous of their virtues; I would wish,
All conqueror as I am, to imitate
The vanquished.
octar.
Can you then admire their weakness?
What are their boasted arts, the puny offspring
Of luxury and vice, that cannot save them
From slavery and death? the strong and brave
Are born to rule, the feeble to obey:
Labor and courage conquer all; but you
Tamely submit, a voluntary slave:
And must the brave companions of your toil
Behold their honor stained, their glory lost,
Their king dependent on a woman’s smile?
Their honest hearts with indignation glow;
By me they speak, by me reproach thee, Genghis:
Excuse a friend, a fellow soldier, grown
Old in thy service; one who cannot bear
This amorous sickness of the soul, and longs
To guide thy footsteps to the paths of glory.
genghis.
Go, fetch Idame.
octar.
What, my lord—
genghis.
Obey:
Nor dare to murmur; ’tis a subject’s part
To reverence even the weakness of his master.
SCENE III.
genghis.
[Alone.
’Tis not in mortals to resist their fate;
She must be mine; what’s victory without her?
I have made thousands wretched, and am now
Myself unhappy: ’midst the venal crowd
Of slaves that court my favor, is there one
That can relieve the anguish of my soul,
Or fill my heart with real bliss? I wanted
Some happy error, some delusive joy,