A Plot Discover'd.
57
Greater than any I can guess hereafter.
Jaff. I am, I am a Coward; witness't, Heaven,
Witness it, Earth, and every being Witness;
'Tis but one blow yet: by immortal Love,
I cannot longer bear a thought to harm thee,
He throws away the dagger and embraces her.
The Seal of providence is sure upon thee.
And thou wert born for yet unheard of wonders:
Oh thou wert either born to save or damn me!
By all the power that's given thee o'r my soul,
By thy resistless tears and conquering smiles,
By the victorious love that still waits on thee;
Fly to thy cruel Father: save my friend,
Or all our future Quiet's lost for ever:
Fall at his feet, cling round his reverend knees;
Speak to him with thy Eyes, and with thy tears,
Melt thy hard heart, and wake dead nature in him,
Crush him in th'Arms, and torture him with thy softness:
Nor, till thy Prayers are granted, set him free,
[Ex. ambo.But conquer him, as thou hast vanquish'd me.
Witness it, Earth, and every being Witness;
'Tis but one blow yet: by immortal Love,
I cannot longer bear a thought to harm thee,
He throws away the dagger and embraces her.
The Seal of providence is sure upon thee.
And thou wert born for yet unheard of wonders:
Oh thou wert either born to save or damn me!
By all the power that's given thee o'r my soul,
By thy resistless tears and conquering smiles,
By the victorious love that still waits on thee;
Fly to thy cruel Father: save my friend,
Or all our future Quiet's lost for ever:
Fall at his feet, cling round his reverend knees;
Speak to him with thy Eyes, and with thy tears,
Melt thy hard heart, and wake dead nature in him,
Crush him in th'Arms, and torture him with thy softness:
Nor, till thy Prayers are granted, set him free,
[Ex. ambo.But conquer him, as thou hast vanquish'd me.
The end of the fourth Act.
ACT V.
Enter Prinli solus.
Prin.Why, cruel Heaven, have my unhappy days
Been lengthen'd to this sad one? Oh! dishonour
And deathless infamy is fall'n upon me.
Was it my fault? Am I a traitour? No.
But then, my onely child, my daughter, wedded;
There my best bloud runs foul, and a disease
Incurable has seiz'd upon my memory,
To make it rot and stink to after ages.
Curst be the fatal minute when I got her;
Or woud that I'd been any thing but man,
And rais'd an issue which wou'd ne'r have wrong'd me.
The miserablest Creatures (man excepted)
Are not the less esteem'd, though their posterity
Degenerate from the vertues of their fathers;
Been lengthen'd to this sad one? Oh! dishonour
And deathless infamy is fall'n upon me.
Was it my fault? Am I a traitour? No.
But then, my onely child, my daughter, wedded;
There my best bloud runs foul, and a disease
Incurable has seiz'd upon my memory,
To make it rot and stink to after ages.
Curst be the fatal minute when I got her;
Or woud that I'd been any thing but man,
And rais'd an issue which wou'd ne'r have wrong'd me.
The miserablest Creatures (man excepted)
Are not the less esteem'd, though their posterity
Degenerate from the vertues of their fathers;
The
