And this, when you, my dearest lord, receive,
Own her, and think on me, dying Eudocia.
Take it; 'tis well there is no more to read.

[TO ARGA. My eyes grow full, and swim in their own light. [He embraces PALM. Palm. I fear, sir, this is your intended pageant. You sport yourself at poor Palmyra's cost; But if you think to make me proud,

Indeed I cannot be so: I was born

With humble thoughts, and lowly, like my birth. A real fortune could not make me haughty, Much less a feigned.

Poly. This was her mother's temper.

I have too much deserved thou shouldst suspect
That I am not thy father; but my love
Shall henceforth show I am. Behold my eyes,
And see a father there begin to flow :
This is not feigned, Palmyra.

Palm. I doubt no longer, sir; you are a king,
And cannot lie: Falsehood's a vice too base
To find a room in any royal breast.

I know, in spite of my unworthiness,

I am your child; for when you would have killed

me,

Methought I loved you then.

Arga. Sir, we forget the prince Leonidas; His greatness should not stand neglected thus. Poly. Guards, you may now retire; Give him his sword,

And leave him free,

Leon. Then the first use I make of liberty Shall be, with your permission, mighty sir, To pay that reverence to which nature binds me.

[Kneels to HERMOGENES. Arga. Sure you forget your birth, thus to mis place

This act of your obedience; you should kneel
To nothing but to heaven, and to a king.

Leon. I never shall forget what nature owes,
Nor be ashamed to pay it; though my father
Be not a king, I know him brave and honest,
And well deserving of a worthier son.

Poly. He bears it gallantly.

Leon. Why would you not instruct me, sir, before,

Where I should place my duty?

[To HERM.

From which, if ignorance have made me swerve,
I beg your pardon for an erring son.

Palm. I almost grieve I am a princess, since

It makes him lose a crown.

Leon. And next, to you, my king, thus low I
kneel,

To implore your mercy; if in that small time.
I had the honour to be thought your son,
I paid not strict obedience to your will.

I thought, indeed, I should not be compelled,
But thought it as your son; so what I took
In duty from you, I restored in courage;
Because your son should not be forced.
Poly. You have my pardon for it.

Leon. To you, fair princess, I congratulate
Your birth; of which I ever thought you worthy :
And give me leave to add, that I am proud
The gods have picked me out to be the man,
By whose dejected fate yours is to rise;
Because no man could more desire your fortune,
Or franklier part with his, to make you great.
Palm. I know the king, though you are not his

son,

Will still regard you as my foster-brother,
And so conduct you downward from a throne,
By slow degrees, so unperceived and soft,
That it may seem no fall: Or, if it be,

May fortune lay a bed of down beneath you!
Poly. He shall be ranked with my nobility,
And kept from scorn by a large pension given him.
Leon. You are all great and royal in your gifts;
[Bowing.

But at the donor's feet I lay them down:
Should I take riches from you, it would seem
As I did want a soul to bear that poverty,
To which the gods designed my humble birth:
And should I take your honours without merit,
It would appear, I wanted manly courage
To hope them, in your service, from my sword.
Pely. Still brave, and like yourself.

The court shall shine this night in its full splendour,

And celebrate this new discovery.

Argaleon, lead my daughter: As we go,

I shall have time to give her my commands,
In which you are concerned.

[Exeunt all but LEONIDAS.

Leon. Methinks, I do not want

That huge long train of fawning followers,
That swept a furlong after me.

"Tis true I am alone;

So was the godhead, ere he made the world,
And better served himself, than served by nature.

And yet I have a soul

Above this humble fate. I could command,

Love to do good, give largely to true merit,
All that a king should do: But though these are

not

My province, I have scene enough within,
To exercise my virtue.

All that a heart, so fixed as mine, can move,
Is, that my niggard fortune starves my love.

[Exit.

SCENE II.

PALAMEDE and DORALICE meet: She, with a book in her hand, seems to start at the sight of him.

Dor. 'Tis a strange thing that no warning will serve your turn; and that no retirement will secure me from your impertinent addresses! Did not I tell you, that I was to be private here at my devotions?

:

Pala. Yes; and you see I have observed my cue exactly I am come to relieve you from them. Come, shut up, shut up your book; the man's come who is to supply all your necessities.

Dor. Then, it seems, you are so impudent to think it was an assignation? This, I warrant, was your lewd interpretation of my innocent meaning.

Pala, Venus forbid, that I should harbour so unreasonable a thought of a fair young lady, that you should lead me hither into temptation. I confess, I might think indeed it was a kind of honourable challenge, to meet privately without seconds, and decide the difference betwixt the two sexes; but heaven forgive me, if I thought amiss.

Dor. You thought too, I'll lay my life on't, that you might as well make love to me, as my husband does to your mistress.

Pala. I was so unreasonable to think so too.

Dor. And then you wickedly inferred, that there was some justice in the revenge of it; or, at least, but little injury for a man to endeavour to enjoy that, which he accounts a blessing, and which is not valued as it ought by the dull possessor. Confess your wickedness,-did you not think so?

Pala. I confess I was thinking so, as fast as I could; but you think so much before me, that you will let me think nothing.

Dor. 'Tis the very thing that I designed; I have forestalled all your arguments, and left you without a word more, to plead for mercy. If you have any thing farther to offer, ere sentence passPoor animal, I brought you hither only for my diversion.

Pala. That you may have, if you'll make use of me the right way; but I tell thee, woman, I am now past talking.

Dor. But it may be, I came hither to hear what fine things you could say for yourself.

Pala. You would be very angry, to my knowledge, if I should lose so much time to say many of them.By this hand you would!

Dor. Fye, Palamede, I am a woman of honour.

Pata. I see you are; you have kept touch with your assignation: And before we part, you shall find that I am a man of honour. Yet I have one scruple of conscience———

Dor. I warrant you will not want some naughty argument, or other, to satisfy yourself. I hope you are afraid of betraying your friend?

Pala. Of betraying my friend! I am more afraid of being betrayed by you to my friend. You women now are got into the way of telling first yourselves: A man, who has any care of his reputation, will be loth to trust it with you.

Dor. O, you charge your faults upon our sex! You men are like cocks; you never make love, but you clap your wings, and crow when you have

done:

Pala. Nay, rather you women are like hens; you never lay, but you cackle an hour after, to discover your nest.—But I'll venture it for once.

Dor. To convince you that you are in the wrong, I'll retire into the dark grotto, to my devotion, and make so little noise, that it shall be im possible for you to find me.