Of both fall on thee! now thou weepest; thy tears
No longer shall deceive me: I must die,
But Vamir first shall perish. Yet I love thee,
Even yet thou mayest escape the fatal blow:
Accept my hand, attend me to the altar,
And seal his pardon there.
amelia.
Who, I, my lord?
duke.
It is enough.
amelia.
Shall I be false to Vamir?
duke.
Stop—answer me.
amelia.
I cannot.
duke.
Let him die.
vamir.
Amelia, never let his threats o’ercome
Thy noble faith, but love me well enough
To see me perish: leave me to my fate;
Now I shall fall triumphant: shouldst thou yield,
Vamir must die by his Amelia’s hand.
duke.
Guards, drag the traitor to the tower: away.
SCENE III.
duke, amelia.
amelia.
And wilt thou make this horrid sacrifice?
Pollute thee with the blood of innocence?
Thou wilt not!
duke.
Yes: to hate thee, and to die,
Is all I wish; to see thee more unhappy,
More wretched than myself, to shed the blood
That’s dearest to thee, and to make thy days
As full of woe as was that fatal hour
Which hath destroyed us all. Away, and leave me;
The sight of thee distracts me.
SCENE IV.
duke, amelia, lisois.
amelia.
From thy justice,
And, that alone, I can expect relief.
Help me to soften this obdurate heart:
Assist me, Lisois.
duke.
If thou listenest to her,
Thou art not my friend.
amelia.
I call just heaven to witness.
duke.
Hence from my sight: I loathe thee.
amelia.
Tyrant, go,
For I abhor thee; spite of all thy rage,
I thought a woman might at least command
Some cold respect: but love, that softens all,
Hath lost its tender influence o’er thy heart:
I leave thee to thy rage; go, sacrifice
Thy victims, amidst thy crimes be sure thou count
Amelia’s death, and with it count thy own,
For vengeance comes, and in thy punishment
Unites us all; inglorious shalt thou perish,
And unlamented. Die, inhuman savage;
And may that hatred, that contempt of thee,
Which now I feel, pursue thy memory,
And after ages execrate thy name!
SCENE V.
duke of foix, lisois.
duke.
Yes, cruel prophet, I expect the doom
Pronounced by thee, that discord’s fatal hand
Shall seize on all, and join us in the tomb.
lisois.
Rage has o’erpowered him, and his senses fail.
duke.
What says my friend? am I to suffer shame
And insult thus; and shall my haughty rival
Bear off the false, perfidious, dear Amelia?
Wilt thou bear this, or waitest thou till the traitor
Shall raise a powerful faction to enslave me?
lisois.
Too well I see, my lord, the royal party
Hath spread sedition through the multitude,
And shook their faith.
duke.
Vamir lights up the flame:
He has betrayed us all.
lisois.
I never meant
To palliate Vamir’s crimes, for much I dread
The fatal consequence; already France
Is armed against us. If the people seek
Their safety in rebellion, all is lost,
Danger’s on every side.
duke.
What’s to be done?
lisois.
Prevent it; rage and love must be subdued;
Then may we conquer all. We must be firm
And resolute; avoid, or brave the storm,
Do as thou wilt, my hand is ready still
To aid my friend. This morning thou hadst thoughts
Of treating with the king: if thou commandest,
I’ll go, my lord, even now, and sue for peace;
Or if we try the fortune of the day,
The faithful Lisois shall attend thee still:
There, if thou fallest, thy friend shall not survive thee.
duke.
Alone I will descend into the grave:
Live thou, to serve my cause, and to avenge me.
My hour is come, I must fulfil my fate:
Who wishes but for death, is sure to find it;
But mine should come with all his terrors round him;
I must have vengeance; and whene’er I fall,
Will drag my rival with me to the tomb.
lisois.
What horrid thoughts are these!
duke.
In yonder tower
He