And lessen the oppressive weight of empire;
But Octar, who should heal, hath probed my wounds
Too deeply; I have none but monsters round me,
Blood-thirsty slaves, unfeeling, merciless,
And cruel, disciplined to blood and slaughter:
O for a few soft hours of gentle love
To brighten this dark scene! they shall not judge,
Shall not arraign the conduct of their king:
Where is Idame?—ha! she comes.
SCENE IV.
genghis, idame.
idame.
My lord,
’Tis cruel to insult a friendless woman,
And add fresh weight to her calamities.
genghis.
Be not alarmed; your husband yet may live;
My vengeance is suspended for a while,
And for thy sake I will be merciful:
Perhaps it was decreed by heaven Idame
Should be reserved to captivate her master,
To bend the stubborn fierceness of his nature,
And soften his rude heart: you understand me;
My laws permit divorce: embrace the offer,
And make the sovereign of the world your own.
I know you love me not, but think what joys
Surround a throne; think how thy country’s good,
Her welfare, and her happiness depend
On thy resolve: I know it moves thy wonder
To see a haughty conqueror at thy feet:
Forget my power, forget my cruelty,
Weigh your own interest well, and speak my fate.
idame.
I am indeed surprised, and so perhaps
Will Genghis be when I shall answer him:
There was a time, my lord, you well remember,
When he who holds the subject world in awe,
This terror of the nations, was no more
Than a poor soldier, friendless and unknown;
He offered me the pure unspotted heart
Of Temugin, and I with pleasure then
Would have received it.
genghis.
Ha! couldst thou have loved me?
idame.
Perhaps I might; but those to whom I owe
My first obedience doomed me to another:
Thou knowest the power of parents o’er their children;
They are the image of that God we serve,
And next to them should be obeyed: this empire
Was founded on paternal right, on justice,
Honor, and public faith, and holy marriage;
And if it be the sacred will of heaven
That it must fall a sacrifice to thee,
And thy successful crimes, the enlivening spirit
That long supported it shall never perish:
Your fate has changed; Idame’s never can.
genghis.
Couldst thou have loved me then?
idame.
I could, my lord,
And therefore never must hereafter think
On Genghis; I am bound in sacred bonds
To Zamti; nay, I’ll tell thee more; I love him,
Prefer him to the splendor of a throne,
And all the honors thou canst lavish on me:
Think not it soothes my vanity to spurn
A conqueror, all I wish is to fulfil
My duty, and do justice to myself:
Bestow your favors on some grateful heart,
Worthier than mine, that will with joy receive them:
May I implore you to conceal from Zamti
These proffered terms? ’twould wound his soul to think
My truth to him had ever thus been questioned.
genghis.
He knows what I expect, and will obey
If he desires to live.
idame.
He never will:
Though cruel torments should extort from him
A feigned submission, my firm constancy
Would soon recall him to the paths of duty,
Of honor, truth, and virtue.
genghis.
Can it be,
When this ungenerous husband would have given
Thy son to death?
idame.
He did: he loved his country:
It was a noble crime, and I forgive him:
He acted like a hero, and Idame
Like the fond mother: even if I had hated
I would not have been false to him.
genghis.
Amazing!
Resistance but inflames my passion for thee,
And the more injured, I but love thee more:
Yet know, I have a soul that’s capable
Of rage as well as tenderness.
idame.
I know
Thou art the master here, and life or death
Depend on thee: but tremble at the laws.
genghis.
The laws! they are no more, or in my will
Alone are to be found; your laws already
Have been too fatal to me; they prevented
That happy union which my soul desired,
And bound thee to another; but they are void,
And stand dissolved by my superior power:
Obey me, madam, I have given my orders,
And I expect your husband should deliver
Into my hands the emperor and Idame:
Remember, Zamti’s life depends on you:
Let prudence teach you to disarm the wrath
Of an offended king, who, blushing, owns
His foolish fondness for a worthless woman.
SCENE V.
idame, asseli.
idame.