amelia.
Thy virtues, noble youth,
Astonish me; thou givest the admiring world
A rare example; canst thou be sincere?
And sure thou art so, thus to conquer love,
And give up all to friendship! all who know
Must wonder at thee: thou hast served thy master.
And canst not be an enemy to mine:
A heart so generous sure must think with me:
’Tis not in souls like thine to hate their king.
Shall I then ask one favor at thy hands?
lisois.
Amelia’s orders shall be ever sacred:
Command, and I obey.
amelia.
Thy generous counsel
Hath urged me to accept a noble rank
I looked not for, and offered by a prince:
The choice, I own, does honor to Amelia,
When I reflect, that, long before he told
His love, he saved my liberty and life;
Foe to his sovereign, though the rebel Moor
Hath drawn him from his duty and allegiance,
Yet he has poured so many favors on me,
I cannot bear to hurt him, though, in spite
Of all his goodness, and my gratitude,
I must refuse him: his unhappy passion
Afflicts me; ’tis distressful to my heart,
For all his kindness thus to make him wretched.
Fain would I spare myself the ungrateful task
Of saying that I must not hear his vows:
It is not for my feeble voice to tell
A prince his duty; ’twere a dangerous power,
And I am far from wishing to enjoy it;
Who can direct him better than thyself?
Alas! my lord, ’tis not a time for love;
The royal army at our gates, and naught
But war and slaughter all around us: blood
On every side! himself against my master,
Against his brother, now in arms; all these
Are powerful reasons: O my lord, in you
Is all my hope; forgive me; O complete
The generous work, restore me to my king;
Let him do that, ’tis all I ask; but add
This effort more to what thou’st done already:
Thou hast the strongest influence o’er his heart,
A firm and manly soul, a friend like thee,
Respected and beloved, will make the voice
Of duty heard, his counsels will be laws.
lisois.
Alas! those counsels will have little weight
Against the passions that possess his soul;
His fiery temper gives me too much cause
To fear him: he’s inclined to jealousy,
And if he hears I had a thought of thee,
’Twill drive his soul to madness, and perhaps
Undo us all: he must be soothed by art;
Leave him to me, and try to reconcile
Your jarring interests; weigh his offers well.
Henceforth I’ll think no more of love and thee,
But get me to the field, the soldier’s duty
Shall there engross me: if thou lovest thy country,
If France be dear to thee, restore her hero,
And she will bless thee for the deed: farewell.
SCENE II.
amelia, thais.
amelia.
Restore him, said he? what! at the dear price
Of all my happiness! it cannot be;
’Twere infamous and base, the worst of crimes.
thais.
But wherefore is the prince thus hateful to you?
Why in these days of discord, war, and tumult,
Whilst faction reigns, and of our royal race
Brother ’gainst brother arms, and every hour
Brings new afflictions, wherefore should Amelia,
Whose gentler stars for other purposes
Had formed her soul, to love and to be loved,
Why should Amelia, with such sentiments
Of scorn and hatred, meet a hero’s vows
Who had avenged her cause? The prince, thou knowest,
Amongst his ancestors can boast the blood
Of our first kings, and is himself a lord
Of rich domains, and wide-extended power.
He loves you, offers you his hand: can rank
And title, objects that are envied still
By all mankind, pursued with eagerness,
And gained with rapture, can these only fill
Thy heart with sorrow, and thy eyes with tears?
amelia.
Because he saved me once, has he a right
Now to oppress me? Must Amelia fall
A victim to his fatal aid? I know
I’m much indebted to him, would I were not!
thais.
Nay, that’s ungrateful.
amelia.
Thou shalt know my heart,
My miseries, my duty, and my fate:
I will no longer keep the secret from thee,
’Twere cruel to distrust thee; when thou knowest
My story, thou mayst justify thy friend.
I must not listen to the prince’s vows,
For know, my heart is given to his brother.
thais.
Ha! to the noble Vamir!
amelia.
Yes, my friend:
With mutual oaths we sealed our mutual faith,
And at Leucate I expected him,
There to confirm it at the holy altar,
When by the cruel Moors that rushed upon us
I was surprised, and made a captive; then
The prince, to these unconquered savages
In firm alliance bound, appeared, and saved me;
There’s my distress: the life another saved
Must be devoted to the faithful Vamir.
thais.
But why then thus conceal thy passion? why