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The Same. The Senate House. | |
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The Senate sitting. | |
| First Sen. My lord, you have my voice to it; the fault’s | |
| Bloody; ’tis necessary he should die; | |
| Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy. | 5 |
| Sec. Sen. Most true; the law shall bruise him. | |
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Enter ALCIBIADES, attended. | |
| Alcib. Honour, health, and compassion to the senate! | |
| First Sen. Now, captain. | |
| Alcib. I am a humble suitor to your virtues; | 10 |
| For pity is the virtue of the law, | |
| And none but tyrants use it cruelly. | |
| It pleases time and fortune to lie heavy | |
| Upon a friend of mine, who, in hot blood, | |
| Hath stepp’d into the law, which is past depth | 15 |
| To those that without heed do plunge into ’t. | |
| He is a man, setting his fate aside, | |
| Of comely virtues; | |
| Nor did he soil the fact with cowardice,— | |
| An honour in him which buys out his fault,— | 20 |
| But, with a noble fury and fair spirit, | |
| Seeing his reputation touch’d to death, | |
| He did oppose his foe; | |
| And with such sober and unnoted passion | |
| He did behave his anger, ere ’twas spent, | 25 |
| As if he had but prov’d an argument. | |
| First Sen. You undergo too strict a paradox, | |
| Striving to make an ugly deed look fair: | |
| Your words have took such pains as if they labour’d | |
| To bring manslaughter into form, and set quarrelling | 30 |
| Upon the head of valour; which indeed | |
| Is valour misbegot, and came into the world | |
| When sects and factions were newly born. | |
| He’s truly valiant that can wisely suffer | |
| The worst that man can breathe, and make his wrongs | 35 |
| His outsides, to wear them like his raiment, carelessly, | |
| And ne’er prefer his injuries to his heart, | |
| To bring it into danger. | |
| If wrongs be evils and enforce us kill, | |
| What folly ’tis to hazard life for ill! | 40 |
| Alcib. My lord,— | |
| First Sen. You cannot make gross sins look clear; | |
| To revenge is no valour, but to bear. | |
| Alcib. My lords, then, under favour, pardon me, | |
| If I speak like a captain. | 45 |
| Why do fond men expose themselves to battle, | |
| And not endure all threats? sleep upon ’t, | |
| And let the foes quietly cut their throats | |
| Without repugnancy? If there be | |
| Such valour in the bearing, what make we | 50 |
| Abroad? why then, women are more valiant | |
| That stay at home, if bearing carry it, | |
| And the ass more captain than the lion, the felon | |
| Loaden with irons wiser than the judge, | |
| If wisdom be in suffering. O my lords! | 55 |
| As you are great, be pitifully good: | |
| Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood? | |
| To kill, I grant, is sin’s extremest gust; | |
| But, in defence, by mercy, ’tis most just. | |
| To be in anger is impiety; | 60 |
| But who is man that is not angry? | |
| Weigh but the crime with this. | |
| Sec. Sen. You breathe in vain. | |
| Alcib. In vain! his service done | |
| At Lacedæmon and Byzantium | 65 |
| Were a sufficient briber for his life. | |
| First Sen. What’s that? | |
| Alcib. I say, my lords, he has done fair service, | |
| And slain in fight many of your enemies. | |
| How full of valour did he bear himself | 70 |
| In the last conflict, and made plenteous wounds! | |
| Sec. Sen. He has made too much plenty with ’em; | |
| He’s a sworn rioter; he has a sin that often | |
| Drowns him and takes his valour prisoner; | |
| If there were no foes, that were enough | 75 |
| To overcome him; in that beastly fury | |
| He has been known to commit outrages | |
| And cherish factions; ’tis inferr’d to us, | |
| His days are foul and his drink dangerous. | |
| First Sen. He dies. | 80 |
| Alcib. Hard fate! he might have died in war. | |
| My lords, if not for any parts in him,— | |
| Though his right arm might purchase his own time, | |
| And be in debt to none,—yet, more to move you, | |
| Take my deserts to his, and join ’em both; | 85 |
| And, for I know your reverend ages love | |
| Security, I’ll pawn my victories, all | |
| My honour to you, upon his good returns. | |
| If by this crime he owes the law his life, | |
| Why, let the war receive ’t in valiant gore; | 90 |
| For law is strict, and war is nothing more. | |
| First Sen. We are for law; he dies: urge it no more, | |
| On height of our displeasure. Friend, or brother, | |
| He forfeits his own blood that spills another. | |
| Alcib. Must it be so? it must not be. My lords, | 95 |
| I do beseech you, know me. | |
| Sec. Sen. How! | |
| Alcib. Call me to your remembrances. | |
| Third Sen. What! | |
| Alcib. I cannot think but your age has forgot me; | 100 |
| It could not else be I should prove so base, | |
| To sue, and be denied such common grace. | |
| My wounds ache at you. | |
| First Sen. Do you dare our anger? | |
| ’Tis in few words, but spacious in effect; | 105 |
| We banish thee for ever. | |
| Alcib. Banish me! | |
| Banish your dotage; banish usury, | |
| That makes the senate ugly. | |
| First Sen. If, after two days’ shine, Athens contain thee, | 110 |
| Attend our weightier judgment. And, not to swell our spirit, | |
| He shall be executed presently. [Exeunt Senators. | |
| Alcib. Now the gods keep you old enough; that you may live | |
| Only in bone, that none may look on you! | |
| I am worse than mad: I have kept back their foes, | 115 |
| While they have told their money and let out | |
| Their coin upon large interest; I myself | |
| Rich only in large hurts: all those for this? | |
| Is this the balsam that the usuring senate | |
| Pours into captains’ wounds? Banishment! | 120 |
| It comes not ill; I hate not to be banish’d; | |
| It is a cause worthy my spleen and fury, | |
| That I may strike at Athens. I’ll cheer up | |
| My discontented troops, and lay for hearts. | |
| ’Tis honour with most lands to be at odds; | 125 |
| Soldiers should brook as little wrongs as gods. [Exit. | |
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