Volume Ii Part 25 (1/2)

_Phil_. Vaunt on, thou monstrous Instrument of h.e.l.l!

For I'm so pleas'd to have thee in my Power, That I can hear thee number up thy Sins, And yet be calm, whilst thou art near d.a.m.nation.

_Abd_. Thou ly'st, thou canst not keep thy Temper in; For hadst thou so much Bravery of Mind, Thou'dst fight me singly; which thou dar'st not do.

_Phil_. Not dare!

By Heaven, if thou wert twenty Villains more, And I had all thy Weight of Sins about me, I durst thus venture on;--forbear, _Alonzo_.

_Alon_. I will not, Sir.

_Phil_. I was indeed too rash; 'tis such a Villain, As shou'd receive his Death from nought but Slaves.

_Abd_. Thou'st Reason, Prince! nor can they wound my Body More than I've done thy Fame; for my first step To my Revenge, I whor'd the Queen thy Mother.

_Phil_. Death! though this I knew before, yet the hard Word Runs harshly thro my Heart;-- If thou hadst murder'd fifty Royal _Ferdinands_, And with inglorious Chains as many Years Had loaded all my Limbs, 't had been more pardonable Than this eternal Stain upon my Name: --Oh, thou hast breath'd thy worst of Venom now.

_Abd_. My next advance was poisoning of thy Father.

_Phil_. My Father poison'd! and by thee, thou Dog!

Oh, that thou hadst a thousand Lives to lose, Or that the World depended on thy single one, That I might make a Victim Worthy to offer up to his wrong'd Ghost.-- But stay, there's something of thy Count of Sins untold, That I must know; not that I doubt, by Heaven, That I am _Philip's_ Son--

_Abd_. Not for thy Ease, but to declare my Malice, Know, Prince, I made thy amorous Mother Proclaim thee b.a.s.t.a.r.d, when I miss'd of killing rhee.

_Phil_. G.o.ds! let me contain my Rage!

_Abd_. I made her too betray the credulous Cardinal, And having then no farther use of her, Satiated with her l.u.s.t, I set _Roderigo_ on to murder her.

Thy Death had next succeeded; and thy Crown I wou'd have laid at _Leonora's_ Feet.

_Alon_. How! durst you love the Princess?

_Abd_. Fool, durst! had I been born a Slave, I durst with this same Soul do any thing: Yes, and the last Sense that will remain about me, Will be my Pa.s.sion for that charming Maid, Whom I'd enjoy'd e'er now, but for thy Treachery.

[_To_ Osmin.

_Phil_. Deflour'd my Sister! Heaven punish me eternally, If thou out-liv'st the Minute thou'st declar'd it.

_Abd_. I will, in spite of all that thou canst do.

--Stand off, fool-hardy Youth, if thou'dst be safe, And do not draw thy certain Ruin on, Or think that e'er this Hand was arm'd in vain.

_Phil_. Poor angry Slave, how I contemn thee now!

_Abd_. As humble Huntsmen do the generous Lion; Now thou darst see me lash my Sides, and roar, And bite my Snare in vain; who with one Look (Had I been free) hadst shrunk into the Earth, For shelter from my Rage: And like that n.o.ble Beast, though thus betray'd, I've yet an awful Fierceness in my Looks, Which makes thee fear t'approach; and 'tis at distance That thou dar'st kill me; for come but in my reach, And with one Grasp I wou'd confound thy Hopes.

_Phil_. I'll let thee see how vain thy Boastings are, And una.s.sisted, by one single Rage, Thus--make an easy Pa.s.sage to thy Heart.

[_Runs on him, all the rest do the like in the same Minute_.

Abd. _aims at the_ Prince, _and kills_ Osmin, _and falls dead himself_.