tullia.
And wouldst thou wish me to betray—
titus.
My soul,
Urged to despair, hath lost itself: O no!
Treason is horrible in every shape,
And most unworthy of thee: well I know
A father’s rights; his power is absolute,
And must not be disputed: well I know
That Titus loves thee, that he is distracted.
tullia.
Thou knowest what duty is, hear then the voice
Of Tullia’s father.
titus.
And forget my own!
Forget my country!
tullia.
Canst thou call it thine
Without thy Tullia?
titus.
We are foes by nature;
The laws have laid a cruel duty on us.
tullia.
Titus and Tullia foes! how could that word
E’er pass thy lips!
titus.
Thou knowest my heart belies them.
tullia.
Dare then to serve, and if thou lovest, revenge me.
SCENE VI.
brutus, aruns, titus, tullia, messala, albinus, proculus, lictors.
brutus.
[Addressing himself to Tullia.
Madam, the time is come for your departure;
Whilst public tumults shook the commonweal,
And the wild tempest howled around us, Rome
Could not restore you to your household gods:
Tarquin himself, in that disastrous hour,
Too busy in the ruin of his people
To think on Tullia, ne’er demanded thee.
Forgive me if I call thus to remembrance
Thy sorrows past: I robbed thee of a father,
And meet it is I prove a father to thee:
Go, princess, and may justice ever guard
The throne which heaven hath called thee to possess!
If thou dost hope obedience from thy subjects,
Obey the laws, and tremble for thyself,
When thou considerest all a sovereign’s duty:
And if the fatal powers of flattery e’er
Should from thy heart unloose the sacred bonds
Of justice, think on Rome; remember Tarquin:
Let his example be the instructive lesson
To future kings, and make the world more happy.
Aruns, the senate gives her to thy care;
A father and a husband at your hands
Expect her. Proculus attends you hence,
Far as the sacred gate.
titus.
[Apart.
Despair, and horror!
I will not suffer it—permit me, sir,
[Advancing towards Aruns.
[Brutus and Tullia with their Attendants go out, leaving Aruns and Messala.
Gods! I shall die of grief and shame: but soft,
Aruns, I’d speak with you.
aruns.
My lord, the time
Is short; I follow Brutus, and the princess;
Remember, I can put off her departure
But for an hour, and after that, my lord,
’Twill be too late to talk with me; within
We may confer on Tullia’s fate, perhaps
On yours.
[Exit.
SCENE VII.
titus, messala.
O cruel destiny! to join
And then divide us! Were we made, alas!
But to be foes! My friend, I beg thee stop
The tide of grief and rage.
messala.
I weep to see
So many virtues and so many charms
Rewarded thus: a heart like hers deserved
To have been thine, and thine alone.
titus.
O no!
Titus and Tullia ne’er shall be united.
messala.
Wherefore, my lord? what idle scruples rise
To thwart your wishes?
titus.
The ungenerous laws
She has imposed upon me: cruel maid!
Must I then serve the tyrants I have conquered,
Must I betray the people I had saved?
Shall love, whose power I had so long defied,
At last subdue me thus? Shall I expose
My father to these proud despotic lords!
And such a father, such a fair example
To all mankind, the guardian of his country,
Whom long I followed in the paths of honor,
And might perhaps even one day have excelled;
Shall Titus fall from such exalted virtue
To infamy and vice? detested thought!
messala.
Thou art a Roman, rise to nobler views,
And be a king; heaven offers thee a throne:
Empire and love, and glory, and revenge
Await thee: this proud consul, this support
Of falling Rome, this idol of the people,
If fortune had not crowned him with success,
If Titus had not conquered for his father,
Had been a rebel: thou hast gained the name
Of conqueror, now assume a nobler title;
Now be thy country’s friend, and give her peace.
Restore the happy days, when, blessed with freedom,
Not unrestrained by power, our ancestors
Weighed in the even scale, and balanced well
The prince’s honors and the people’s right:
Rome’s hate of kings is not immortal; soon
Would it be changed to love if Titus reigned: