He through a little window cast his fight,
Though thick of bars that gave a scanty light:
But ev❜n that glimmering ferv'd him to descry
Th'inevitable charms of Emily. :~. :)
Scarce had he feen, but, feiz'd with sudden smart,
Stung to the quick, he felt it at his heart;
Struck blind with over-powering light he stood,
Then started back amazid, and cry'd aloud.
Young Arcite heard; and up he ran with hafte,
To help his friend, and in his arms embrac'd ;
And atk'd him why he look'd fo deadly wan,
And whence and how his change of cheer began?
Or who had done th' offence? But if, faid he,
Your grief alone is hard captivity;
For love of heaven, with patience undergo ·
A curelefs ill, fince fate will have it fo:
So ftood our horofcope in chains to lie,
And Saturn in the dungeon of the sky,
Or other baleful afpect, rul'd our birth,
When all the friendly ftars were under earth:
Whate'er betides, by deftiny 'tis done;
And better bear like men, than vainly seek to fhun.
Nor of my bonds, faid Palamon again,
Nor of unhappy planets I complain;
But when my mortal anguish caus'd my cry,
That moment I was hurt through either eye;
Pierc'd with a random fhaft, I faint away,
And perish with infenfible decay:
A glance of fome new goddess gave the wound,
Whom, like Acteon, unaware I found..
Look how the walks along yon fhady space,
Not Juno moves with more majestic grace;
And all the Cyprian queen is in her face.
If thou art Venus (for thy charms confefs
That face was form'd in heaven, nor art thou lefs;
Disguis'd in habit, undisguis'd in shape)
O help us captives from our chains to 'fcape;
But if our doom be past in bonds to lie
For life, and in a loathifome dungeon die,'
Then be thy wrath appeas'd with our difgrace,
And fhew compaffion to the Theban race,
Opprefs'd by tyrant power! While yet he spoke,
Arcite on Emily had fix'd his look ;
The fatal dart a ready paffage found,
And deep within his heart infix'd the wound:
So that if Palamon were wounded fore,
Arcite was hurt as much as he, or more:
Then from his inmoft foul he figh'd, and faid,
The beauty I behold has ftruck me dead :
Unknowingly the strikes; and kills by chance;
Poifon is in her eyes, and death in every glance.
O, I must ask; nor ask alone, but move
Her mind to mercy, or must die for love.
Thus Arcite and thus Palamon replies,
(Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes.)
Speak'st thou in earnest, or in jesting vein ?
Jefting, faid Arcite, fuits but ill with pain.
It fuits far worse (faid Palamon again,
And bent his brows) with men who honour weigh,
Their faith to break, their friendship to betray;
But worst with thee, of noble lineage born,
My kinfman, and in arms my brother fworn.
Have we not plighted each our holy oath,
That one should be the common good of both;
One foul fhould both infpire, and neither prove
His fellow's hindrance in pursuit of love?
To this before the Gods we gave our hands,
And nothing but our death can break the bands.
This binds thee, then, to further my defign:
As I am bound by vow to further thine :
Nor canft, nor dar'st thou, traitor, on the plain
Appeach my honour, or thine own maintain,
Since thou art of my council, and the friend
Whofe faith I truft, and on whofe care depend:
And would't thou court my lady's love, which I
Much rather than release would choofe to die?
But thou, falfe Arcite, never shalt obtain
Thy bad pretence; I told thee first my pain:
For firft my love began ere thine was born;
Thou, as my council, and my brother fworn,
Art bound t'affift my eldership of right:
Or justly to be deem'd a perjur'd knight.
Thus Palamon: but Arcite with difdain
In haughty language thus reply'd again;
Forfworn thyfelf: the traitor's odious name
I first return, and then difprove thy claim.
If love be paffion, and that paffion nurst
With ftrong defires, I lov'd the lady first.
Canft thou pretend defire, whom zeal inflam'd
To worship, and a power celeftial nam'd?
Thine was devotion to the bleft above,
I faw the woman, and defir'd her love;
Firft own'd my paffion, and to thee commend
Th' important fecret, as my chosen friend.
Suppofe (which yet I grant not) thy defire
A moment elder than my rival fire;
Can chance of feeing first thy title prove?
And know'st thou not, no law is made for love;
Law is to things which to free choice relate;
Love is not in our choice, but in our fate;
Laws are but positive; love's power, we see,
Is Nature's fan&tion, and her firft decree.
Each day we break the bond of human laws
For love, and vindicate the common caufe.
Laws for defence of civil rights are plac'd,
Love throws the fences down, and makes a general waste :
Maids, widows, wives, without diftinction fall;
The fweeping deluge, love, comes on, and covers all.
If then the laws of friendship I tranfgrefs,
I keep the greater, while I break the less ;
And both are mad alike, fince neither can poffefs.
Both hopeless to be ranfom'd, never more
To fee the fun, but as he paffes o'er.
Like fop's hounds contending for the bone,
Each pleaded right, and would be lord alone ;
The fruitless fight continued all the day;
A cur came by, and fnatch'd the prize away.
As courtiers therefore juftle for a grant,
And when they break their friendship plead their want,
So thou, if fortune will thy fuit advance,
Love on, nor envy me my equal chance :
For I must love, and am refolv'd to try
My fate, or failing in th' adventure die.
Great was their ftrife, which hourly was renew'd,
Till each with mortal hate his rival view'd:
Now friends no more, nor walking hand in hand;
But when they met, they made a surly stand;
And glar'd like angry lions as they pafs'd,
And wish'd that every look might be their last.
It chanc'd at length, Pirithous came t'attend
This worthy Thefeus, his familiar friend;
Their love in early infancy began,
And rofe as childhood ripen'd into man.
Companions of the war; and lov'd fo well,
That when one dy'd, as ancient stories tell,
His fellow to redeem him went to hell.
But to pursue my tale; to welcome home
His warlike brother is Pirithous come:
Arcite of Thebes was known in arms long fince,
And honour'd by this young Theffalian prince.
Thefeus, to gratify his friend and guest,
Who made our Arcite's freedom his request,
Reftor'd to liberty the captive knight,
But on thefe hard conditions I recite:
That if hereafter Arcite fhould be found
Within the compafs of Athenian ground,
By day or night, or on whate'er pretence, '
His head fhould pay the forfeit of th' offence.
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