And in his favour that imprefs'd me first.
But to thy ftory.
Nar. What with admiration
Struck every heart, was this-A noble virgin,
Confpicuous far o'er all the captive dames,
Was mark'd the General's prize. She wept, and blush'd,
Young, fresh, and blooming like the morn.
As when the blue sky trembles thro' a cloud
Her features, and infus'd enchantment thro' them.
Her shape was harmony.
But eloquence
Beneath her beauty fails; which feem'd, on purpose,
Pour'd out by lavish nature, that mankind
Might fee this action in its highest luftre.
Soft, as the pafs'd along, with downcaft eyes,
Where gentle forrow fwell'd, and now and then
Dropt o'er her modeft cheek a trickling tear;
The Roman legions languifh'd; and hard war
Felt more than pity. Even Scipio's felf,
As on his high tribunal rais'd he fat,
Turn'd from the piercing fight, and chiding afk'd
His officers, if by this gift they meent
To cloud his glory in its very dawn.
Maf. Oh, gods! my fluttering heart! On, ftop not, Narva. Nar. She question'd of her birth, in trembling accents, With tears and blushes broken, told her tale.
But when he found her royally defcended,
Of her old captive parents the fole joy;
And that a haplefs Celtiberian prince,
Her lover and belov'd, forgot his chains,
His loft dominions, and for her alone
Wept out his tender foul; fudden the heart
Of this young, conquering, loving, godlike Roman
Felt all the great divinity of virtue
His wifhing youth stood check'd, his tempting power,
By infinite humanity
Maf. Well, well;
And then!
Nar. Difdaining guilty doubt, at once He for her parents and her lover call'd.
The various fcene imagine: how his troops
Look'd dubious on, and wonder'd what he meant ;
While ftretch'd below the trembling fuppliants lay,
Rack'd by a thoufand mingling paffions, fear,
Hope, jealoufy, difdain, fubmiffion, grief,
Anxiety, and love in every fhape.
To thefe as different fentiments fucceeded,
As mixt emotions, when the man divine
Thus the dread filence to the lover broke.
We both are young, both charm'd. The right of war
Has put thy beauteous mistress in my power;
With whom I could, in the most facred ries,
Live out a happy life: but know that Romans
Their hearts as well as enemies can conquer.
Then take her to thy foul; and with her take
'Thy liberty and kingdom. In return
I afk but this. When you behold thefe eyes,
Thefe charms, with transport; be a friend to Rome.
Maf. There fpoke the foul of Scipio-But the lovers-
Nar. Joy and extatic wonder held them mute;
While the loud camp, and all the cluft'ring crowd,
That hung around, rang with repeated fhouts.
Fame took th' alarm, and thro' refounding Spain
Blew fast the fair report: which, more than arms,
Admiring nations to the Romans gain'd.
Maf. My friend in glory! thy awaken'd prince
Springs at thy faithful tale. It fires my foul,
And nerves each thought anew; apt oft perhaps,
Too much, too much to flacken into love.
But now the foft oppreffion flies; and all
My mounting powers expand to deeds like thine,
Thou pattern and infpirer of my fame,
Scipio, thou first of men, and best of friends!
What man of foul would live, my Narva, breathe
This idle-puffing element; and run,
Day after day, the ftill-returning round
Of life's mean offices, and fickly joys;
But in compaffion to mankind? to be
A guardian god below? to diffipate
An ardent being in heroic aims?
Do fomething vaftly great like what you told?
Something to raise him o'er the groveling herd.
And make him fhine for ever?- -Oh, my friend!
Bleed
every vein about me; every nerve
With anguish tremble; every finew ake;
Be toil familiar to my limbs; ambition
Mix all my thoughts in an inceffant whirl;
The third time may I lofe my kingdom; and again
Wander the falfe inhofpitable Syrts;
Yet Oh, ye liberal gods! in rich award,
And ampleft recompence I afk no more-
Share me the wreath of fame from Scipio's brow!
But fee, the comes! mark her majestic port.
Enter Sophonifba and Phoeniffa.
Sopb. Behold, victorious prince! the scene revers'd;
And Sophonisba kneeling here; a captive,
O'er whom the gods, thy fortune, and thy virtue,
Have given unqueftion'd power of life and death.
If fuch a one may raife her fuppliant voice,
Once mufic to thy ear; if fhe may touch
Thy knee, thy purple, and thy victor-hand;
Oh, liften, Mafinifia! Let thy foul
Intenfely liften! While I fervent pray,
And strong adjure thee, by that regal ftate,
In which with equal pomp we lately shone!
By the Numidian name, our common boast!
And by thofe houfhold gods! who may, I wish,
With better omens take thee to this palace,
Than Syphax hence they fent. As is thy pleasure,
In all befide, determine of my fate.
This, this alone I beg. Never, Oh, never!
Into the cruel, proud, and hated
Of Romans let me fall. Since angry heaven
Will have it fo, that I must be a flave,
And that a galling chain muft bind these hands;
It were fome little foftening in my doom,
To call a kindred fon of the fame clime,
A native of Numidia, my lord.
But if thou canst not fave me from the Romans,
If this fad favour be beyond thy power;
At least to give me death is what thou canst.
Here ftrike- -My naked bofom courts thy fword;
And my laft breath fhall blefs thee, Mafiniffa !
Maf. Rife, Sophonisba, rife. To fee thee thus
Is a revenge I fcorn; and all the man
Within me, though much injur'd by thy pride,
And fpirit too tempeftuous for thy fex,
Yet blushes to behold thus at my feet,
Thus proftrate low, her, for whom kings have kneel'd,
The faireft, but the falfeft of her fex.
Soph. Spare thy reproach-Tis cruel thus to lofe
In rankling difcord, and ungenerous ftrife,
The few remaining moments that divide me
From the laft evil, bondage-Roman bondage!
Yes, fhut thy heart against me; fhut thy heart
Against compaffion, every human thought,
Even recollected love: yet know, rafh youth!
That when thou feeft me fwell their lofty triumph,
Thou feest thyself in me. This is my day;
To morrow may be thine. But here, affur'd,
Here will I lie on this vile earth, forlorn,
Of hope abandon'd, fince defpis'd by thee;
Thefe locks all loofe and fordid in the duft;
This fullied bofom growing to the ground,
Scorch'd up with anguish, and of every shape
Of mifery full: till comes the foldier fierce
From recent blood; and, in thy very eye,
Lays raging his rude fanguinary grafp
On thefe weak limbs; and clinches them in chains.
Then if no friendly fteel, no nectar'd draught
Of deadly poifon, can enlarge my foul;
It will indignant burft from a flave's body;
And, join'd to mighty Dido, fcorn ye all.
Maf. Oh, Sophonisba! 'tis not fafe to hear thee; And I mistook my heart, to truft it thus.
Hence, let me fly.
Soph. You fhall not, Mafiniffa!
Here will I hold you, tremble here for ever;
Here unremitting grow, till you confent.
And can't thou think, Oh! canft thou think to leave me ?
Expos'd, defencelefs, wretched, here alone?
A prey to Romans flufh'd with blood and conqueft?
The fubject of their scorn or baser love?
Sure Mafiniffa cannot; and, tho' chang'd,
Tho' cold as that averted look he wears;
Sure love can ne'er in generous breafts be lost
To that degree, as not from fhame and outrage
To fave what once they lov'd.
Maf. Enchantment! Madnefs!
What wouldst thou, Sophonisba ?—Oh, my heart!
My treacherous heart!
Soph. What would I, Mafiniffa?
My mean requeft fits blufhing on my cheek,
To be thy flave, young Prince, is what I beg;
Here Sophonifba kneels to be thy flave;
Yet kneels in vain. But thou'rt a flave thyself,
And canst not from the Romans fave one woman;
Her, who was once the triumph of thy foul,
Ere they feduc'd it by their lying glory.
Immortal gods! and am I fallen fo low?
Scorn'd by a lover, by a flave to Rome?
Nought can be worth this bafenefs, life nor empire.
I loath me for it. On this kinder earth,
Then leave me, leave me, to despair and death.
Maf. What means this conflict with almighty nature?
With the whole warring heart?-Rife, quickly rife,
In all the conquering majefty of charms;
O Sophonifba, rife! while here I fwear,
By the tremendous powers that rule mankind,
By heaven, and earth, and hell, by love and glory,
The Romans fhall not hurt you
For Rome is generous as the gods themselves,
And honours, not infults, a generous foe.
Yet fince you dread them, take this facred pledge,
This hand of furety, by which kings are bound,
By which I hold you mine, and vow to treat you
With all the reverence due to ruin'd state,
With all the foftnefs of remember'd love,
All that can footh thy fate, and make thee happy.
Soph. I thank thee, Mafiniffa. Now the fame,
The fame warm youth, exalted, full of foul,
With whom, in happier days, I wont to pafs
The fighing hour; while dawning fair in love,
All fong and fweetnefs, life fet joyous out,
Ere the black tempeft of ambition rofe,
And drove us different ways. Thus drefs'd in war,
In nodding plumes, o'ercaft with fullen thought,
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