The Tragedy of Mariam Act I Scene 2 by Elizabeth Cary Lyrics
scene 2
[MARIAM. ALEXANDRA.]
ALEXANDRA
What means these tears? My Mariam
doth mistake,
The news we heard did tell the tyrant’s end:
What weep’st thou for thy brother’s murd’rer’s sake?
Will ever wight a tear for Herod spend?
My curse pursue his breathless trunk and spirit,
Base Edomite, the damnèd Esau’s heir:
Must he ere Jacob’s child the crown inherit?
Must he, vile wretch, be set in David’s chair?
No, David’s soul, within the bosom placed
Of our forefather Abram, was ashamed:
To see his seat with such a toad disgraced,
That seat that hath by Judah’s race been famed.
Thou fatal enemy to royal blood,
Did not the murder of my boy suffice,
To stop thy cruel mouth that gaping stood,
But must thou dim the mild Hircanus’ eyes?
My gracious father, whose too ready hand
Did lift this Idumean from the dust:
And he, ungrateful caitiff, did withstand
The man that did in him most friendly trust.
What kingdom’s right could cruel Herod claim,
Was he not Esau’s issue, heir of hell?
Then what succession can he have but shame?
Did not his ancestor his birth-right sell?
Oh yes, he doth from Edom’s name derive
His cruel nature which with blood is fed:
That made him me of sire and son deprive,
He ever thirsts for blood, and blood is red.
Weep’st thou because his love to thee was bent,
And read’st thou love in crimson characters?
Slew he thy friends to work thy heart’s content?
No: hate may justly call that action hers.
He gave the sacred priesthood for thy sake
To Aristobulus, yet doomed him dead:
Before his back the ephod warm could make,
And ere the miter settled on his head:
Oh, had he given my boy no less than right,
The double oil should to his forehead bring
A double honor, shining doubly bright;
His birth anointed him both priest and king.
And say my father and my son he slew
To royalize by right your prince-born breath:
Was love the cause, can Mariam deem it true,
That Mariam gave commandment for her death?
I know by fits he showed some signs of love,
And yet not love, but raging lunacy:
And this his hate to thee may justly prove,
That sure he hates Hircanus’ family.
Who knows if he, unconstant wavering lord,
His love to Doris8 had renewed again?
And that he might his bed to her afford,
Perchance he wished that Mariam might be slain.
MARIAM
Doris! Alas, her time of love was past,
Those coals were raked in embers long ago
In Mariam’s love and she was now disgraced
Nor did I glory in her overthrow.
He not a whit his first-born son esteemed,
Because as well as his he was not mine:
My children only for his own he deemed,
These boys that did descend from royal line
These did he style his heirs to David’s throne;
My Alexander, if he live, shall sit
In the majestic seat of Solomon;
To will it so, did Herod think it fit.
ALEXANDRA
Why, who can claim from Alexander’s brood
That gold-adornèd lion-guarded chair?
Was Alexander not of David’s blood?
And was not Mariam Alexander’s heir?
What more than right could Herod then bestow,
And who will think except for more than right
He did not raise them, for they were not low,
But born to wear the crown in his despite:
Then send those tears away that are not sent
To thee by reason, but by passion’s power:
Thine eyes to cheer, thy cheeks to smiles be bent,
And entertain with joy this happy hour.
Felicity, if when she comes, she finds
A mourning habit, and a cheerless look,
Will think she is not welcome to thy mind,
And so perchance her lodging will not brook.
Oh, keep her whilst thou hast her; if she go,
She will not easily return again:
Full many a year have I endured in woe,
Yet still have sued her presence to obtain:
And did not I to her as presents send
A table, that best art did beautify,
Of two, to whom Heaven did best feature lend,
To woo her love by winning Anthony?
For when a prince’s favor we do crave,
We first their minions’ loves do seek to win:
So I, that sought Felicity to have,
Did with her minion Anthony begin
With double sleight I sought to captivate
The warlike lover, but I did not right:
For if my gift had borne but half the rate,
The Roman had been overtaken quite.
But now he farèd like a hungry guest,
That to some plenteous festival is gone;
Now this, now that, he deems to eat were best,
Such choice doth make him let them all alone.
The boy’s large forehead first did fairest seem,
Then glanced his eye upon my Mariam’s cheek:
And that without comparison did deem,
What was in either but he most did like.
And, thus distracted, either’s beauty’s might
Within the other’s excellence was drowned:
Too much delight did bare him from delight,
For either’s love the other’s did confound.
Where if thy portraiture had only gone,
His life from Herod, Anthony had taken:
He would have lovèd thee, and thee alone,
And left the brown Egyptian clean forsaken,
And Cleopatra then to seek had been
So firm a lover of her wanèd face:
Then great Anthonius’ fall we had not seen,
By her that fled to have him hold the chase.
Then Mariam in a Roman’s chariot set,
In place of Cleopatra might have shown:
A mart of beauties in her visage met,
And part in this, that they were all her own
MARIAM
Not to be empress of aspiring Rome,
Would Mariam like to Cleopatra live:
With purest body will I press my tomb,
And wish no favors Anthony could give.
ALEXANDRA Let us retire us, that we may resolve
How now to deal in this reversèd state:
Great are th’affairs that we must now revolve,
And great affairs must not be taken late.
[MARIAM. ALEXANDRA.]
ALEXANDRA
What means these tears? My Mariam
doth mistake,
The news we heard did tell the tyrant’s end:
What weep’st thou for thy brother’s murd’rer’s sake?
Will ever wight a tear for Herod spend?
My curse pursue his breathless trunk and spirit,
Base Edomite, the damnèd Esau’s heir:
Must he ere Jacob’s child the crown inherit?
Must he, vile wretch, be set in David’s chair?
No, David’s soul, within the bosom placed
Of our forefather Abram, was ashamed:
To see his seat with such a toad disgraced,
That seat that hath by Judah’s race been famed.
Thou fatal enemy to royal blood,
Did not the murder of my boy suffice,
To stop thy cruel mouth that gaping stood,
But must thou dim the mild Hircanus’ eyes?
My gracious father, whose too ready hand
Did lift this Idumean from the dust:
And he, ungrateful caitiff, did withstand
The man that did in him most friendly trust.
What kingdom’s right could cruel Herod claim,
Was he not Esau’s issue, heir of hell?
Then what succession can he have but shame?
Did not his ancestor his birth-right sell?
Oh yes, he doth from Edom’s name derive
His cruel nature which with blood is fed:
That made him me of sire and son deprive,
He ever thirsts for blood, and blood is red.
Weep’st thou because his love to thee was bent,
And read’st thou love in crimson characters?
Slew he thy friends to work thy heart’s content?
No: hate may justly call that action hers.
He gave the sacred priesthood for thy sake
To Aristobulus, yet doomed him dead:
Before his back the ephod warm could make,
And ere the miter settled on his head:
Oh, had he given my boy no less than right,
The double oil should to his forehead bring
A double honor, shining doubly bright;
His birth anointed him both priest and king.
And say my father and my son he slew
To royalize by right your prince-born breath:
Was love the cause, can Mariam deem it true,
That Mariam gave commandment for her death?
I know by fits he showed some signs of love,
And yet not love, but raging lunacy:
And this his hate to thee may justly prove,
That sure he hates Hircanus’ family.
Who knows if he, unconstant wavering lord,
His love to Doris8 had renewed again?
And that he might his bed to her afford,
Perchance he wished that Mariam might be slain.
MARIAM
Doris! Alas, her time of love was past,
Those coals were raked in embers long ago
In Mariam’s love and she was now disgraced
Nor did I glory in her overthrow.
He not a whit his first-born son esteemed,
Because as well as his he was not mine:
My children only for his own he deemed,
These boys that did descend from royal line
These did he style his heirs to David’s throne;
My Alexander, if he live, shall sit
In the majestic seat of Solomon;
To will it so, did Herod think it fit.
ALEXANDRA
Why, who can claim from Alexander’s brood
That gold-adornèd lion-guarded chair?
Was Alexander not of David’s blood?
And was not Mariam Alexander’s heir?
What more than right could Herod then bestow,
And who will think except for more than right
He did not raise them, for they were not low,
But born to wear the crown in his despite:
Then send those tears away that are not sent
To thee by reason, but by passion’s power:
Thine eyes to cheer, thy cheeks to smiles be bent,
And entertain with joy this happy hour.
Felicity, if when she comes, she finds
A mourning habit, and a cheerless look,
Will think she is not welcome to thy mind,
And so perchance her lodging will not brook.
Oh, keep her whilst thou hast her; if she go,
She will not easily return again:
Full many a year have I endured in woe,
Yet still have sued her presence to obtain:
And did not I to her as presents send
A table, that best art did beautify,
Of two, to whom Heaven did best feature lend,
To woo her love by winning Anthony?
For when a prince’s favor we do crave,
We first their minions’ loves do seek to win:
So I, that sought Felicity to have,
Did with her minion Anthony begin
With double sleight I sought to captivate
The warlike lover, but I did not right:
For if my gift had borne but half the rate,
The Roman had been overtaken quite.
But now he farèd like a hungry guest,
That to some plenteous festival is gone;
Now this, now that, he deems to eat were best,
Such choice doth make him let them all alone.
The boy’s large forehead first did fairest seem,
Then glanced his eye upon my Mariam’s cheek:
And that without comparison did deem,
What was in either but he most did like.
And, thus distracted, either’s beauty’s might
Within the other’s excellence was drowned:
Too much delight did bare him from delight,
For either’s love the other’s did confound.
Where if thy portraiture had only gone,
His life from Herod, Anthony had taken:
He would have lovèd thee, and thee alone,
And left the brown Egyptian clean forsaken,
And Cleopatra then to seek had been
So firm a lover of her wanèd face:
Then great Anthonius’ fall we had not seen,
By her that fled to have him hold the chase.
Then Mariam in a Roman’s chariot set,
In place of Cleopatra might have shown:
A mart of beauties in her visage met,
And part in this, that they were all her own
MARIAM
Not to be empress of aspiring Rome,
Would Mariam like to Cleopatra live:
With purest body will I press my tomb,
And wish no favors Anthony could give.
ALEXANDRA Let us retire us, that we may resolve
How now to deal in this reversèd state:
Great are th’affairs that we must now revolve,
And great affairs must not be taken late.