Zel. Yet be calm;

I'll bear the load of life, bear all its ills,

To misery like thine the heartfelt joy

Of shielding injured virtue.

Zen. Yes, Zelmira,

That pure delight is mine, a ray from heaven That bids affliction smile-All-gracious powers! Make me your agent here to save Megistus;

To peaceful regions wing her happy flight,
And seek my lord in the dark realms of night;
Seek his dear shade in every pensive grove,
And bear him all my constancy and love.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

Enter TIGRANES.

It best befits, thus grovelling on the earth,
To bathe your feet with tears.
Phar. It must not be

[He raises her.

By Heaven, renown in arms in vain attends me,
If the loved graces of thy matchless form
Are thus depressed and languish in affliction,
Like flowers that droop and hang their pining
heads

Beneath the rigour of relentless skies.

Zen. If thou wouldst raise me from the depths
of woe,

Forgive those captives, whom thy fatal anger
Adjudged to death, nor let ill-timed resentment
Fall on the prince your son-'twas I-my tears-
My piercing lamentations won his heart
To arrest their doom-

Phar. For traitors to my crown
Does Ariana plead ?

Zen. For mild humanity

My suppliant voice is raised-I point the means
To add new glory to your fame in arms.
In nought so near can men approach the Gods,
As the dear act of giving life to others.
In feats of war the glory is divided,
To all imparted, to each common man,
And fortune too shall vindicate her share.
But, of sweet mercy, the vast, vast renown
Is all your own; nor officer, nor soldier
Can claim a part-the praise, the honoured praise
Adorns the victor; nor is the echo lost
'Midst shouts of armies, and the trumpet's sound.
He conquers even victory itself,

Than hero more-a blessing to the world!
Phar. Thy eloquence disarms my stubborn
soul.

But wherefore urgent thus? Amidst the band,
Is there who claims thy soft solicitude?

Zen. A hoary sage-alas! a more than fa-
ther-

The best of men-preserver of my being
A blameless shepherd! void of fraud and guilt,
Innoxious through his life-Oh! mighty king,
Spare an old man, a venerable sire!
Nought has

your fortune greater than the power To serve humanity!-shew that your heart Has the sweet grace, the generous virtue too! Phar. My soul relents, and yields to thy entreaty,

Thy violence of prayer-release him straightMy brightest honours wait him; honours fit

For him who gave thee birth; for him whose virtue

Thy generous soul deems worthy its esteem.
Zen. Our humble station seeks nor pomp nor
splendour;

We only ask, unenvied and obscure,
To live in blameless innocence; to seek
Our calm retreat, embraced in depth of woods,
And dwell with peace and humble virtue there.
Phar. That cold disdain, which shuns admiring
eyes,

Attracts the morc, exalting every charm.
No more of humble birth; thy matchless beauty,
Like gems, that in the mine conceal their lustre,
Was formed to dignify the eastern throne.
My sceptre, that strikes terror to each heart,
Graced by thy decent hand, shall make each sub-
ject

Adore thy softer sway. The glorious æra
Of Pharasmanes' love, his date of empire
With Ariana shared, henceforth begins,
And leads the laughing hours; but, first, the storm
Of war and wild commotion must be hushed-
That mighty care now calls me to my throne,
To give the Roman audience; audience fit
To strike a citizen of Rome with awe,
When he beholds the majesty of kings. [Going.

Enter TERIBAZÚS.

Ter. Dread sir, the Roman embassy approaches. From yonder rampart, that invests your camp, I heard their horses' hoofs, with eager speed, Beat the resounding soil.

Phar. Let them approach

And thou, whose arrogance-but I forbear-
When Ariana pardons, my resentment
Yields to her smiles, and looks away its rage.
As when the crimes of men Jove's wrath de-
mand,

And the red thunder quivers in his hand ;
The queen of love his vengeance can disarm
With the soft eloquence of every charm ;
Controul his passions with resistless sway,
And the impending storm smile to serenest day.
[Exit with his train.
Ter. And may I, then, once more, thou bright

perfection,

May Teribazus once again approach thee,
While thus my father, my ambitious father,
At sight of thee forgets his cruel nature,
And wonders how he feels thy beauty's power?
Oh! may I-but I am too importunate-
Your looks rebuke me from you, and I see
How hateful I am grown!

Zen. Mistake me not,

Nor rashly thus arraign the looks of one, Whose heart lies bleeding here-thy generous

worth

Ter. Calm disdain,

I grant you, well becomes the tyrant fair
Whom Pharasmanes destines for his throne.
But oh! in pity to this breaking heart,
Give me, in mercy, give some other rival,
Whom I may stab-without remorse may stab,
'Midst his delight, in all his heaven of bliss,
And spurn him from the joys, that, scorpion
like,

Shoot anguish here-here, through my very soul. Zen. Alas! too generous prince, the gods long since,

Between us both, fixed their eternal bar.

Ter. What say'st thou, Ariana? ha! beware, Nor urge me to distraction-love like mine, Fierce, generous, wild-with disappointment wild,

May rouse my desperate rage to do a deed
Will make all nature shudder. Love despised,
Not always can respect the ties of nature!
Driven to extremes, the tenderest passion scorn'd,
May hate at length the object it adores,
And stung to madness-no! inhuman fair,
You still must be-in all vicissitudes,
In all the scenes misfortune has in store,
You still must be the sovereign of my soul.
But for the favoured, for the happy rival,
By Heaven, whoe'er he be, despair and phrenzy
May strike the blow, and dash him from your

arms,

A sacrifice to violated love.

Zen. Why thus distract yourself with vain suspicions?

You have no rival, whom your rage can mur der

None in the power of fate-Oh! Teribazus,
The wretched Ariana-long, long since
My heart swells o'er-I cannot speak-a dutỹ,
A rigorous duty bids me ne'er accept
Thy proffered love; a duty, which, if known,
Would in eternal silence seal thy vows,
Turn all thy rage to tears, and, Oh! my prince!
Bid thee respect calamities like mine.
[Exit ZEN.
Ter. Yet, Ariana, stay-turn, turn and hear

me

She's gone, the cruel, unrelenting fair! And leaves me thus to misery of soul.

Enter ZOPIRON.

Zop. Flamminius from the Romans is arrived,

Enter RHADAMISTUS,

Welcome to these tents,
The harbinger of peace!
Rhad. Does your king know
Flamminius waits his leisure?
Zop. He prepares
To hear you, Roman!

Rhad. As I tread his camp,

There is, I know not what, of horror shoots
Through all my frame, and disconcerted reason
Suspends her function—a black train of crimes,
Murders, and lust, and rapine, cities sacked,
Nations laid waste by the destructive sword,
A thousand ruthless deeds all rise to view,
And shake my inmost soul, as I approach
The author of calamity and ruin.

Zop. Then, from a Roman, from a son of freedom,

Let the fell tyrant hear the voice of truth,
The strong resistless strain, which liberty
Breathes in her capitol, till his proud heart
Shudder with inward horror at itself.

Rhad. In Pharasmanes' camp that honest style!

Thy visage bears the characters of virtue,
Wilt thou impart thy name and quality?

Zop. In me you see Zopiron ! deem me not
A vile abettor of the tyrant's guilt.
To me Armenia trusts her sacred rights;
Hither her chosen delegate she sends me,
At the tribunal of Iberia's king,

To plead her cause; an injured people's cause!
Oh! never, never shall my native land
Yield to a vile usurper.

Rhad. Rome has heard

Thy patriot toil for freedom-Rhadamistus Has heard thy generous ardour in his cause, And pants to recompence thy truth and zeal.

Zop. Oh! name not Rhadamistus-now no

more

The god-like youth shall bless Armenia's realm. The fates just shewed him to the wondering world,

And then, untimely, snatched him from our sight! Rhad. And did'st thou know the prince?

Zop. My lot severe

Denied that transport; but the voice of fame
Endears his memory.

Rhad, A time may come

When you may meet, and both in friendship burn. Still Rhadamistus lives!

Zop. Said'st thou, Flamminius! Lives he?

Rhad. Still he survives; from death and peril
Saved by a miracle! and now for him
Rome claims Armenia.

Zop. Claims Armenia for him!
For Rhadamistus claims! and will ye, gods!
Still will ye give him to a nation's prayers?

Rhad, Alas! he lives; heart-broken, desolate,
In sorrow plunged; abandoned to despair!
Zop. The righteous gods will vindicate his

Rhad. Yes! the horror of the world!

A murderous wretch! the fatal Rhadamistus!
'Twas I-these felon hands! with treacherous
love

I clasped her in this cursed embrace-I bore her
In these detested arms, and gave that beauty,
That tender form, to the devouring waves.
Plunge me, ye furies, in your lakes of fire!
Here fix, fix all your vultures in my heart!
And lo! they rush upon me. [Starts up.] See!
see there!

With racks and wheels they come; they tear me piece-meal

'Tis just, Zenobia! I deserve it all[Falls upon ZOPIRON. Zop. Assist him, guardian powers! your own high will

Guides these events-revive, my prince, revive! Rhad. Why thus recal me to despair and horror?

To bid me hate the light, detest myself,
Traitor to nature, traitor to my love!
And yet, Zopiron, yet I am not plunged
So far in guilt, but thou may'st pity me!
Heaven, I attest, yes, you can witness, gods!
I meant to perish with her-but the fates
Denied that comfort-from her circling arms
The torrent bore me far-expiring, senseless,
Gasping in death, the overflowing tide
Impetuous drove me on the unwished-for shore.
There, soon deserted by the merciless stream,
A band of Romans, as from Syria's frontier
They ranged the country round, descried me,
stretched

Pale and inanimate; with barbarous pity,
They lent their aid, and chained me to the rack
Of inauspicious life!

Zop. For wond'rous ends

Mysterious Providence has still reserved you,
To circulate the happiness of millions,
A patriot prince-

Rhad. Would they had let me perish!
What has a wretch, like me, to do in life,
When my Zenobia's lost? 'tis true, my friend,
She begged to die-but that pathetic look,
Her tears, embraces, and those streaming eyes,
Still beauteous in distress! each winning grace,
Her every charm, should have forbid the deed,
And pleaded for her life!

Zop. And yet, my prince,
When self-acquitting conscience-
Rhad. Self-condemned,

My soul is racked, is tortured-not her child,
Her unborn infant, the first fruit of love,

Not even her babe could, with the voice of na

O'erwhelm your reason thus-What! when your

father,

Your cruel father, reeking from the blood
Of Mithridates-

Rhad. Naught but death was left;
Yet even that last, sad refuge was debarred me!
E'er since, I've lived in misery; my days
Were coloured all with anguish and despair!
Long from the Romans I concealed my name,
At length revealed me to a chosen friend;
Journeyed with him to Rome; and, in full se-
nate,

Told all the dismal story of my woes.
The conscript fathers heard, and dropt a tear-
Then, to quick vengeance fired, dispatched their
legions

To wage the war; Paulinus leads them on,
And now to me commits this embassy,
With fully delegated powers from Rome.

Zop. With one united voice Armenia calls For Mithridates' heir; convinced by rumour That thou art lost, the general cry demands

Your brother Teribazus

Rhad. He, Zopiron,

Is to these eyes a stranger.
Zop. Hapess prince!

A cloud of woes lies brooding o'er his head.
A fair, a lovely captive rules his heart;
Her name is Ariana; and, indeed,

No wonder she attracts his soft regard,
And kindles all the vehemence of love.
The tyrant eyes her, too, with fierce desire,
And ruin nods o'er Teribazus' head.

Rhad. By Heaven it shall not be! Alas! I
know

The pang of losing whom the heart adores. I'll yield him up Armenia—what are crowns But toys of vain ambition, when the loved, The dear partaker of my throne is lost?

Enter TIGRANES.

Zop. What would Tigranes ? Tig. Pharasmanes calls Flamminius to his presence

Rhad. I attend him;

So tell your king——

Tig. Instant he waits thee, Roman. [Exit TIG. Rhad. How my heart trembles at the awful meeting!

Zop. Then summon all your strength—the lapse of time

From early youth, when Pharasmanes saw you, Affliction's inward stroke, that Roman garb, All will protect, and cloak you from detection.

Rhad. Zopiron, yes; in this important crisis, When violated laws, and injured men, When my own wrongs are labouring in my heart, The great occasion calls for firmest vigour. Yes, in this interview I will maintain A Roman's part: in Pharasmanes' soul I'll wake the furies of detested guilt, And pour the rapid energy of truth, Till even to himself his crimes are known, And the usurper tremble on his throne.

[Exeunt.