SCENE IV.
duke, amelia, lisois.
lisois.
What would thy rashness do?
duke.
[They disarm him.
An act of justice:
Punish myself.
amelia.
Wert thou his vile accomplice?
duke.
Thou minister of guilt, thou hast obeyed me.
lisois.
I promised you, my lord, and I have done
But what I ought.
duke.
Thy stubborn virtue oft
Hath checked my follies, and opposed my weakness;
But when I bade thee be a murderer,
And kill my brother, then thou wert obedient.
lisois.
When I refused but now to execute
The bloody office, didst thou not employ
Another hand?
duke.
Love, powerful love, that chained
My reason down, and swayed my foolish heart,
Love pleads for me; but thou whose wisdom calms
Each rising passion, whose unaltered soul,
Firm and unshaken, I so oft have feared,
So oft respected, that thou, thus unmoved,
Shouldst suffer such a deed of horror; O
’Tis terrible!
lisois.
Since sorrow and repentance,
Virtue’s best monitors, have pierced thy soul
With just remorse: since, spite of all thy rashness,
To save a brother’s blood thou gladly now
Wouldst give thy own; ye both shall find a friend.
Keep thou thy penitence.
[To the Duke.
Dry up thy tears.
[To Amelia.
This is a day of triumph. Prince, come forth:
Embrace thy brother.
[The Scene opens, and discovers Vamir.
amelia.
O my Vamir!
duke.
Ha!
My brother!
amelia.
Gracious heaven!
duke.
Can it be?
vamir, advancing to the front.
Again I see, again embrace my brother.
duke.
O thy forgiveness makes my crime still greater.
amelia.
O noble Lisois, thou hast given me life.
duke.
Life to us all.
lisois.
A base assassin raised
His arm against Vamir, but I felled the traitor,
And laid him breathless at my feet, then feigned
That I had shed thy brother’s blood: I knew
Thou wouldst repent, and wish the deed undone.
duke.
This was a service I can ne’er reward
But by endeavoring to be worthy of it:
My crime sits heavy on me, and my eyes,
Fixed on the earth, dare not look up to Vamir,
And to the wronged Amelia.
vamir.
We would both
Have served thee with our royal master; both
Are still devoted to thee. What, my brother,
Is thy design? O speak!
duke.
To do you justice:
To expiate, by the greatest punishment,
The greatest crime that love and fierce resentment
Could e’er commit: long I adored Amelia;
Even when I gave her Vamir up to death,
I loved Amelia: I adore her still,
Nay, more than ever, yet I yield her to thee,
And sacrifice my heart to make you blest.
Take her, be happy, and forgive thy brother.
vamir.
Behold me at thy feet, with gratitude
Warm as thy bounty, as thy love sincere.
amelia.
Permit me to embrace thy knees with Vamir,
Accept our tenderest friendship, for thy goodness
Has amply paid for all my sufferings past.
duke.
No more of this, it doubles my misfortunes,
And shows me but what happiness I’ve lost:
But I will learn from you to follow virtue,
My heart is yours: I’m now indeed thy brother,
By thy example I will love my country.
Let us away, and to the king relate
My crimes, my sorrows, and thy happiness:
Let Vamir’s zeal and Vamir’s truth be mine,
Faithful to France, to friendship, and to thee;
Foix shall deserve your pardon and your praise;
Ye shall forget his follies and his crimes,
And henceforth know him only by his virtues.
End of the Fifth and Last Act.
OEDIPUS
SCENE I.
SCENE I.