Certaine small poems lately printed with the tragedie of Philotas. Written by Samuel Daniel.

SCENA 2.

Polidamas, Sostratus.

FRriend Sostratus, come haue you euet knowne Such a distracted face of court as now, Such a distrustfull eye, as men are growne To feare themselues and all: and do not know. Where is the side that shakes not, who lookes best In this foule day, th'oppressor or th'opprest. What posting, what dispatches, what aduice, What search, what running, what discoueries? What rumors, what suggestions, what deuice To cleere the king, please people, hold the wise, Retaine the ••ude, crush the suspected sorte At vnawares, ere they discearne th'are hurt. So much the fall of such a weighty peere Doth shake the state, and with him tumble downe, All whom his beame of fauour did vpbeare, All who to rest vpon his base were knowne. And none that did but touch vpon his loue Are free from feare to perish with his loue. My selfe whom all the world haue knowne t'imbrace Parmenio in th'intirenes of my hart, And euer in all battayles, euery chace Of daunger, fought still next him on that part: Was seazd on this last night, late in my bed, And brought vnto the presence of the king.

To pay I thought the tribute of my head, But ô twas for a more abhorred thing: I must redeeme my daunger with the bloud Of this deare friend, this deare Parmenios bloud. His life must pay for mine, these hands must gore, That worthy hart, for whom they fought before.

Sost.

What hath the king commanded such a deed, To make the harts of all his subiects bleed? Must that olde worthy man Parmenio die?

Pol.

O Sostratus he hath his doome to die, And we must yeald vnto necessity.

For comming to the king, and there receiud With vnexpected grace, he thus began: Polidamas we both haue ben deceiud In holding friendship with that faithlesse man Parmenio, who for all his glozing mine Thou seest hath sought to cut my throte and thine, And thou must worke reuenge for thee and me: And therefore haste to Media speedely, Take these two letters here, the one from mee Vnto my sure and trustie seiuants there, The other signed with Philotas seale, As if the same t'his father written were: Carry them both, effect what I haue said, The one will giue th'accesse, the other ayde, I tooke the letters, vowd t'effect the same. And here I go the instrument of shame.

Sost.

But will you charge your honour with this shame?

Poli.

I must or be vndone with all my name. For I haue left all th'adamantiue tyes

Of bloud and natūre, that can hold a hart Chaind to the world•• my br̄ethren and allies The Ostages to caution for my parte. And for their liues must I dishonor mine. Els should the king rather haue turnd this sword Vpon my hart, then forst it impiously, (Hauing done all faire seruice to his Lord Now to b'imployd in this foule villanie.) Thus must we do who are inthrald to kings, whether they will iust or vnlawfull things. But now Parmenio, ô me think I see Thee walking in th'artificiall Groue Of pleasant Susis, when I come to thee, And thou rememb••ing all our ancient loue Hastes to imbrace me. Saying ô my friend, My deare Polidamas, welcome my friend, Well art thou come that we may sit and chate Of all the old aduentures we haue run. Tis long Polidamas since we two met, How doth my soueraigne Lord, how doth my sonne? When I vile wretch, whilst m'answere he attends With this hand giue the letter, this hand ends His speaking ioy, and stabbs him to the hart. And thus Parmenio thou rewarded art For all thy seruice, thou that didst agree For Alexander to kill Attalus For Alexander I must now kill thee. Such are the iudgments of the heauenly powrs, We others ruynes worke, and others ours.

Cho. P.

Why this is right now Alexander takes

The course of powre, this is a Persian tricke, This is our way, here publike triall makes No doubtfull noyse, but buries clamor quick.

Gr.

Indeed now Persia hath no cause to rew, For you haue vs vndone, who vndid you.

NVNGIVS.

THis worke is donne, the sad Catastrophe Of this great act of bloud is finisht now. Philotas ended hath the tragedy.

Cho.

Now good my friend I pray thee tell vs how.

N.

As willing to relato as you to heare A full-chargd hart is glad to finde an eare. The Councell being dimissd from hence, and gone, Still Craterus plyes the King, still in his eare, Still whispering to him priuately alone, Vrging it seemd a quick dispatch of feare: For they who speako but priuately to Kings, Do seldome speake the best and fittest things. Some would haue had him forthwith ston'd to death. According to the Macedonian course: But yet that would not satisfie the breath Of busie rumour; but would argue force, There must be some confessions made within, That must abrode more satisfaction minne. Craterus with Caenus and Ephestion, Do mainely vrge to haue him tortured,

Whereto the king consents, and there vppon They three are sent to see't accomplished. Racks, Yrons, Fires, the grisely torturers Stand hidcously prepard before his face. Philotas all vnmou'd, vnchaungd appeares, As if•• he would, deathes ougliest brow out-face, And skornd the worst of force, and askt them why They staid to torture the kings enemy.

Cho.

That part was acted well, God grant we heare No worse a Scene then this, and all goes cleare. So should worth act, and they who dare to fight Against corrupted times should dye vpright: Such harts kings may dissolue but not defeat, Agreat man where he falles he should lye great Whose ruine (like the sacred carkeses Of skattred temples which still reuerent lio, And the religious honour them no lesse Then if they stood in all their gallantry. But on with thy report.

Nu.

Straight were hote-yrons appli'd to sere his flesh, Then wresting racks, his comely body straine: Then yron whipps and then the rack a-fresh, Then fire againe, and then the whipps againe: Which he indures with so resolud a looke As if his mind were of another side Then of his body, and his sence for sooke The part of nature, to be wholy tyde To honor, that he would not once consent So much as with a sight' his punishment.

Ch.

Yet doth he like himselfe yet all is well.

This Argument no tyrant can refell, This plea of resolution winnes his cause More right then all, more admiration drawes, For we loue nothing more then to renowne Men stoutely miserable, highly downe.

N.

But now.

Ch.

We f••are that but. O if he ought discend Leaue here, and let the Tragedie here end, Let not the least act now of his at last, Marre all his act of life and glories past.

Nu,

I must tell all, and therefore giue nie leaue, Swolne with raw tumors, vlcered with the ierk••s Of Iron whips, that slesh from bene had raz••d, And no part free from wounds; it erkes His soule to see the house so foule defast, Wherein his life had dwelt so long time clene, And therefore craues he, they would now dismisse His grieuous tortures, and he would begin To open all wherein h'had donne amisse. Streight were his tortures ceast, and after they Had let him to recouer sense he said, Now Craterus say, what you will haue me say? Wherewith as if deluded, or delaid, Cratetus in wrath calles presently againe, To haue the tortures to be reapplied. When what soeuer secret of his hart Which had bene fore-conceiued but in athought What friend soeuer had but tooke his part In common loue h'accus'd; and so forgot Himselfe that now he was more forward to

Confesse, then they to vrge him thereunto, Whether affliction had his spirits vndonne, Or seeing to hide or vtter was all one; Both waies lay death, and therefore he would vie Now to be sure to say enough to die.

••nd then began his fortunes to deplore Humbly besought them, whom he skornd before, That Alexander where he stood behind A Trauers, out of sight, was heard to speake: I neuer thought a man that had a mind T'attempt so much, had had a heart so weake.

There he confest that one Hegelochus, When first the King proclaimd himselfe Ioues sonne: Incene'd his fathers heart against him thus, By telling him that now we were vndone, If we indur'd, that he which did disdaine To haue beene Philips sonne, should liue and raigne. He that aboue the state of man will straine His stile, and will not be that which we are, Not onely vs contemnes, but doth disdaine The godds themselues, with whom he would compare, We haue lost Alexander, lost (said he) The King; and falue on pride and vanitie: And we haue made a God of our owne bloud, That glorisies himselfe, neglects our good. Intollerable is this impious deed, To Godds, whom he would match, to men he would exceed.

Thus having over-night Hegelochus Discoursd: my father sends next day For me to heare the same: and there to vs

All he had said to him made him re-say. Supposing out of wine the night before He might but idlic raue. When he againe Far more inragd; in heat and passion more Vrgd vs to clere the state of such a stayne. Coniurd vs to redeeme the common-weale And doo like men, or els as men conceale.

Parmenio thought whilst yet Darius st••od This course was out of season; and thereby Th'extinguishing of Alexanders bloud Would now not profit vs, but th'enemy. But he once dead; we seazing th'others powres Might make all th' orient, and all Asia ours, That course we lik't, to that our councell stands, There-to we tyde our othes, and gaue our hands. And as for this, he said, for Dymnus plot, Though he were cleere yet now it cleer'd him not. And yet the force of racks at last could do So much with him, as he confest that too. And said that fearing Bactra would detaine The king too long, he hastned on his endes, Least that his father, Lord of such a traine And such a wealth, an whome the whole depends, Should being aged, by his death preuent These his designes, and frustrate his intent.* 1.1

Cho.

O would we had not heard this latter iarre, This all his former straines of worth doth marre: Before this last his foes his spirit commends, But now he is vnpittied of his friends.

Nun.

Then was Demetrius likewise brought in place,

And put to torture, who denies the deed, Philotas he auerres it to his face. Demetrius still denies: then he espide A youth one Calm that was standing by; Calin said he, how long wilt thou abide, Demetrius vainely to auouch a lie.

The youth, that neuer had ben nam'd before In all his tortures, gaue them cause to gesse Philotas car'd not now to vtter more Then had bene priuie to his practises. And seeing they had as much as they desir'd, They with Demetrius ston'd him vnto death, And all whom Dymnus nam'd to haue conspird, With greeuous tortures now must loose their breath: And all that were allyde which could not flie, Are in the hands of Iustice now to dye.

Ch.

What must the punishment ariue beyond Th' offence, not with th'offender make an end?

Nu.

They all must dye who may be feard in time To be the heires vnto their kindreds crime, All other punishments end with our breath, But treason is pursude beyond our death,

Ch.

The wrath of Kings doth seldome measure keepe, Seeking to cure bad parts they lance too deepe: When punishment like lightning should appeare To few mens hurt, but vnto all mens feare. Great Elephants, and Lyons murther least, Th' ignoble beast is the most cruell beast, But all is well if by the mightie fall Of this great man, the King be safely freed:

But if this Hydra of ambition shall Have other heads, to spring vp in his ste••d Then hath he made but way for them to rise, Who will assault him with fresh trecheries. The which may teach vs to obserue this straine, T'admire high hills, but liue within the plaine••

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dum infici∣atus eft fa∣cinus cru∣deliter tor∣qu••rivide∣batur post confessione Philotas ne amicor••̄ guid•• mi∣sericordiam mer••it.