Abdelm. Then, from your friendship they their lives shall gain;

Tho' love be dead, yet friendship does remain. Lyndar. That friendship, which from withered love does shoot,

Like the faint herbage on a rock, wants root.
Love is a tender amity, refined:

Grafted on friendship it exalts the kind.
But when the graff no longer does remain,
The dull stock lives, but never bears again.

Abdelm. Then, that my friendship may not doubt-
ful
prove,-

Fool that I am to tell you so!-I love.

You would extort this knowledge from my breast,
And tortured me so long that I confest.
Now I expect to suffer for my sin;

My monarchy must end, and yours begin.

Lyndar. Confess not love, but spare yourself that shame,

And call your passion by some other name.
Call this assault, your malice, or your hate;
Love owns no acts so disproportionate.
Love never taught this insolence you shew,
To treat your mistress like a conquered foe.
Is this the obedience which my heart should move!
This usage looks more like a rape than love.

Abdelm. What proof of duty would you I should give?

Lyndar. Tis grace enough to let my subjects live!

Let

your rude soldiers keep possession still;
Spoil, rifle, pillage,—any thing but kill.
In short, sir, use your fortune as you please;
Secure my castle, and my person seize;
Let your true men my rebels hence remove;
I shall dream on, and think 'tis all your love!

2

Abdelm. You know too well my weakness and

your power:

Why did heaven make a fool a conqueror!

She was my slave, 'till she by me was shewn
How weak my force was, and how strong her own.
Now she has beat my power from every part,
Made her way open to my naked heart:

[To a Soldier.
Go, strictly charge my soldiers to retreat:
Those countermand who are not entered yet.
On peril of your lives leave all things free.

[Exit Soldier. Now, madam, love Abdalla more than me. I only ask, in duty you would bring The keys of our Albayzyn to the king: I'll make your terms as gentle as you please. [Trumpets sound a charge within, and soldiers shout. What shouts, and what new sounds of war are

these?

Lyndar. Fortune, I hope, has favoured my in

tent,

[Aside. Of gaining time, and welcome succours sent.

Enter the Alferez.

Alferez. All's lost, and you are fatally deceived: The foe is entered, and the place relieved. Scarce from the walls had I drawn off my men, When, from their camp, the enemy rushed in, And prince Abdalla entered first the gate.

Abdelm. I am betrayed, and find it now too late. When your proud soul to flatteries did descend, [To her I might have known it did some ill portend. The weary seaman stormy weather fears, When winds shift often, and no cause appears. You by my bounty live

Your brothers, too, were pardoned for my sake,
And this return your gratitude does make.

Lyndar. My brothers best their own obligement know;

Without your charging me with what they owe.
But, since you think the obligement is so great,
I'll bring a friend to satisfy my debt.

[Looking behind. Abdelm. Thou shalt not triumph in thy base de

sign;

Though not thy fort, thy person shall be mine.

[He goes to take her: She runs and cries out help. Enter ABDALLA, Duke of ARCOs, and Spaniards. ABDELMELECH retreats fighting, and is pursued by the adverse party off the stage. The alarm within. Enter again ABDALLA and the Duke of ARCOS, with LYNDARAXA.

D. Arcos. Bold Abdelmelech twice our Spaniards faced,

Though much out-numbered; and retreated last.
Abdal. Your beauty, as it moves no common fire,
[To LYNDARAXA.
So it no common courage can inspire.

As he fought well, so had he prospered too,
If, madam, he, like me, had fought for you.

Lyndar. Fortune, at last, has chosen with my

eyes;

left.

And, where I would have given it, placed the prize.
You see, sir, with what hardship I have kept
This precious gage, which in my hands you
But 'twas the love of you which made me fight,
And gave me courage to maintain your right.
Now, by experience, you my faith may find,
And are to thank me that I seemed unkind.

When your malicious fortune doomed your fall,
My care restrained you then from losing all;
Against your destiny I shut the gate,

And gathered up the shipwrecks of your fate;
I, like a friend, did even yourself withstand,
From throwing all upon a losing hand.

Abdal. My love makes all your acts unquestioned go,

And sets a sovereign stamp on all you do.
Your love I will believe with hood-winked eyes;-
In faith, much merit in much blindness lies.
But now, to make you great as you are fair,
The Spaniards an imperial crown prepare.
Lyndar. That gift's more welcome, which with
you I share.

Let us no time in fruitless courtship lose,
But sally out upon our frighted foes.
No ornaments of power so please my eyes,
As purple, which the blood of princes dies.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The Alhambra.

BOABDELIN, ABENAMAR, ALMAHIDE, and Guards, &c. The Queen wearing a scarf.

Aben. My little journey has successful been; The fierce Almanzor will obey the queen.

I found him, like Achilles on the shore,

Pensive, complaining much, but threatening more;
And, like that injured Greek, he heard our woes,
Which, while I told, a gloomy smile arose
From his bent brows: And still, the more he
heard,

A more severe and sullen joy appeared.

But, when he knew we to despair were driven,
Betwixt his teeth he muttered thanks to heaven.

Boab. How I disdain this aid! which I must take, Not for my own, but Almahide's sake. Aben. But when he heard it was the queen who

sent,

That her command repealed his banishment,
He took the summons with a greedy joy,
And asked me how she would his sword employ :
Then bid me say, her humblest slave would come,
From her fair mouth with joy to take his doom.

Boab. Oh that I had not sent you! though it cost My crown! though I, and it, and all were lost! Aben. While I, to bring this news, came on before, I met with Selin

Boab. I can hear no more.

Enter HAMET.

Hamet. Almanzor is already at the gate, And throngs of people on his entrance wait. Boab. Thy news does all my faculties surprise; He bears two basilisks in those fierce eyes; And that tame dæmon, which should guard my throne,

Shrinks at a genius greater than his own.

[Exit BOAB. with ABEN. and Guards.

Enter ALMANZOR; seeing ALMAHIDE approach him, he speaks.

Almanz. So Venus moves, when to the Thunderer, In smiles or tears, she would some suit prefer;

When with her cestus girt,

And drawn by doves, she cuts the liquid skies,
And kindles gentle fires where'er she flies:

To every eye a goddess is confest,

By all the heavenly nation she is blest,

And each with secret joy admits her to his breast.— Madam, your new commands I come to know,

If yet you can have any where I go.

[To her bowing.