Marc. Portius, thou know'st my soul in all its weakness,

Then pr'ythee spare me on its tender side. Indulge me but in love, my other passions : Shall rise and fall by virtue's nicest rules. Por. When love's well-tim'd, 'tis not a fault to love.

Sem. Come, 'tis no matter; we shall do with-The strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the

Marc.THANKS to my stars, I have not rang'dBut what's all this to one that loves like me?

Enjoys the noon day breeze! Observe her, Portius; But, O! I'll think no more! the hand of fate That face, that shape, those eyes, that heaven of Has torn thee from me, and I must forget thee. beauty!

Observe her well, and blame me if thou canst.
Por. She sees us, and advances--
Marc. I'll withdraw,

And leave you for a while. Remember, Portius,
Thy brother's life depends upon thy tongue.

Enter Lucia.

[Exit.

Por. Hard-hearted, cruel maid!
Luc. O stop those sounds,

Those killing sounds! Why dost thou frown
upon me?

My blood runs cold, my heart forgets to heave,
And life itself goes out at thy displeasure.
The gods forbid us to indulge our loves;
But, O! I cannot bear thy hate, and live.

Por. Talk not of love, thou never knew'st its
force.

Luc. Did not I see your brother Marcus here? Why did he fly the place, and shun my presence? Por. O Lucia! language is too faint to shew I've been deluded, led into a dream His rage of love; it preys upon his life; Of fancied bliss. O Lucia, cruel maid! He pines, he sickens, he despairs, he dies: Thy dreadful vow,loaden with death, still sounds His passions and his virtues lie confus'd, In my stunn'd ears. What shall I say or do? And mixt together in so wild a tumult, Quick let us part! Perdition's in thy presence, That the whole man is quite disfigur'd in him. And horror dwells about thee!-Ha! she faints! Heavens! would one think 'twere possible for Wretch that I am, what has my rashness done! To make such ravage in a noble soul? [love Lucia, thou injur'd innocence! thou best O Lucia! I'm distrest; my heart bleeds for him: And loveliest of thy sex! awake, my Lucia, Ev'n now,while thus I stand blest in thy presence, Or Portius rushes on his sword to join thee. A secret damp of grief comes o'er my thoughts, Her imprecations reach not to the tomb, And I'm unhappy, tho' thou smil'st upon me. They shut not out society in deathLuc. How wilt thou guard thy honour, in But, ah! she moves, life wanders up and down [Portius, Thro' all her face, and lights up ev'ry charm. Of love and friendship? Think betimes, my Think how the nuptial tie, that might ensure Our mutual bliss, would raise to such a height Thy brother's griefs, as might perhaps destroy

the shock

him.

Por. Alas, poor youth! what dost thou think, my Lucia?

Luc. O Portius, was this well-to frown on her
That lives upon thy smiles? to call in doubt
The faith of one expiring at thy feet,
That loves thee more than ever woman lov'd?
-What do I say? My half-recover'd sense
Forgets the vow in which my soul is bound.
Destruction stands betwixt us; we must part.
Por. Name not the word my frighted"
thoughts run back,

And startle into madness at the sound.
Luc. What wouldst thou have me do? Con-
sider well

His gen rous, open, undesigning heart
Has beg'd his rival to solicit for him ;
Then do not strike him dead with a denial;
But hold him up in life, and cheer his soul
With the faint glimm'ring of a doubtful hope :
Perhaps when we have pass'd these gloomy hours, The train of ills our love would draw behind it.
And weather'd out the storm that beats about Think, Portius, think thou seest thy dying'

Us

Luc. No, Portius, no; I see thy sister's tears,
Thy father's anguish, and thy brother's death,'
In the pursuit of our ill-fated loves:
And, Portins, here I swear, to Heaven I swear,
To Heaven and all the powers that judge man-

kind,

Never to mix my plighted hands with thine,
While such a cloud of mischiefs hang about us,
But to forget our loves, and drive thee out
From all my thoughts as far as I am able.
Por. What hast thou said? I'm thunder-
struck-recal

Those hasty words, or I am lost for ever.
Luc. Has not the vow already pass'd my lips?
The gods have heard it, and 'tis seal'd in heaven.
May all the vengeance that was ever pour'd
On perjur'd heads o'erwhelm me if I break it!
Por. Fix'd in astonishment, I gaze upon thee,
Like one just blasted by a stroke from Heaven,
Who pants for breath, and stiffens, yet alive,
In dreadful looks; a monument of wrath!

Lue. At length I've acted my severest part :
I feel the woman breaking in upon me,

brother

Stabb'd at his heart, and all besmear'd with blood,
Storming at Heaven and thee! Thy awful sire
Sternly demands the cause, th' accursed cause,
That robs him of his son: poor Marcia trembles,
Then tears her hair, and, frantic in her griefs,

I

Calls out on Lucia. What could Lucia answer,
Or how stand up in such a scene of sorrow?
Por. To my confusion, and eternal grief,
must approve the sentence that destroys me.
The mist that hung about my mind clears up ;
And now, athwart the terrors that thy row
Has planted round thee, thou appear'st more fair,
More amiable, and risest in thy charms.
Loveliest of women! Heaven is in thy soul;
Beauty and virtue shine for ever round thee,
Brightning each other: thou art all divine.

Luc. Portius, no more; thy words shoot
thro' my heart,

Melt my resolves, and turn me all to love.
Why are those tears of fondness in thy eyes?
Why heaves thy heart? why swells thy soul
with sorrow?

It softens me too much-farewel, my Portius:

And melt about my heart; my tears will flow. Farewel, tho' death is in the word-for ever!

Xx3

Por. Stay, Lucia, stay! What dost thou say? [ Por. A second, louder yet,
For ever?
Swells in the winds, and comes more full upon us.
Luc. Have I not sworn? If, Portius,thy success Marc. O, for some glorious cause to fall in bat-
Must throw thy brother on his fate, farewel-Lucia, thou hast undone me; thy disdain (de!
O, how shall I repeat the word, for ever! [flame Has broke my heart: 'tis death must give me case.
Por. Thus o'er the dying lamp th' unsteady Por. Quick, let us hence. Who knows if
Hangs quiv'ring on a point, leaps off by fits,
And falls again, as loth to quit its hold. [thee,
---Thou must not go; my soul still hovers o'er
And can't let loose.

Luc. If the firm Portius shakes
"To hear of parting, think what Lucia suffers!
Por. 'Tis true, unruffled and serene, I've met
The cominon accidents of life; but here
Such an unlook'd-for storm of ills falls on me,
It beats down all my strength. I cannot bear it.
We must not part.

Luc. What dost thou say? Not part!
Hast thou forgot the vow that I have made?
Are there not heavens, and gods, that thunder

o'er us?

Marc. Thy down-cast looks, and thy disor-
der'd thoughts

Tell me my fate. I ask not the success
My cause has found.

Por. I'm griev'd I undertook it.
Marc. What! does the barbarous maid insult
my heart,

My aching heart, and triumph in my pains?
That I could cast her from my thoughts for ever!
Por.Away, you're too suspicious in your griefs;
Lucia, though sworn never to think of love,
Compassionates your pains, and pities you.
Marc.Compassionates my pains,and pities me!
What is compassion, when 'tis void of love?
Fool that I was to choose so cold a friend
To urge my cause!-Compassionates my pains!
Pr'ythee, what art, what rhet'ric didst thou use
To gain this mighty boon ?-She pitics me!
To one that asks the warm return of love,
Compassion's cruelty, 'tis scorn, 'tis death-
Por. Marcus, no more; have I deserv'd this
treatment?

Marc. What have I said! O Portius, O, for-
give me!

A soul exasperate in ills falls out

With ev'ry thing, its friend, itself—but, ha !
What means that shout, big with the sounds

war? What new alarms?

of

Cato's life

Stands sure? O Marcus, I am warm'd, my bart Leaps at the trumpet's voice, and burns glory.

[Event

Enter Sempronius with the Leaders' of the Muting.
Sem. At length 'the winds are rais'd, the
storm blows high:

Be it your care, my friends, to keep it up
In its full fury, and direct it right,
Till it has spent itself on Cato's head.
Meanwhile I'll herd among his friends,and seem
One of the number, that whate'er arrive,

My friends and fellow-soldiers may be safe.

[Eri!. 1st Leader. We are all safe, Sempronius is our friend.

Sempronius is as brave a man as Cato.
But hark! he enters. Bear up boldly to him;
Be sure you beat him down, and bind him fast.
This day will end our toils, and give us rest:
Fear nothing, for Sempronius is our friend.
Re-enter Sempronius, with Cato, Lucius, Per
tius, and Marcus.

Cato. Where are these bold intrepid sons of war
That greatly turn their backs upon the foe,
And to their general send a brave defiance?
Sen. Curse on their dastard souls, they stand
astonish'd.

Cato. Perfidious then! And will you thu

dishonour

Your past exploits, and sully all your wars?
Do you confess 'twas not a zeal for Rome,
Nor love of liberty, nor thirst of honour,
Drew you thus far; but hopes to share the spl
Of conquer'd towns, and plunder'd provinces
Fir'd with such motives, you do well to join
With Cato's foes, and follow Cæsar's banners.
Why did I 'scape th' envenom'd aspic's rage,
And all the fiery monsters of the desert,
To see this day? Why could not Cato fall
Without your guilt? Behold, ungrateful met.
Behold my bosom naked to your swords,
And let the man that's injur'd strike the blow.
Which of you all suspects that he is wrong'd,
Or thinks he suffers greater ills than Cato?
Am I distinguish'd from you but by toils,
Superior toils, and heavier weight of cares!
Painful pre-eminence!

Sem. By heavens they droop!
Confusion to the villains; all is lost. [side
Cato. Have you forgotten Libya's burning

waste,

But in their deaths remember they are men ;
Strain not the laws to make their tortures griev-And
Lucius, the base degen'rate age requires Tous.
Severity, and justice in its rigour:

This awes an impious, bold, offending world,
Commands obedience, and gives force to laws.
When by just vengeance guilty mortals perish,
The gods behold their punishment with pleasure,
And lay th' uplifted thunderbolt aside.

Sem. Cato, I execute thy will with pleasure.
Cato. Meanwhile we'll sacrifice to liberty.
Remember, O my friends, the laws, the rights,
The gen'rous plan of pow'r deliver'd down,
From age to age, by your renowned forefathers,
(So dearly bought, the price of so much blood :)
O let it never perish in your hands!
Bat piously transmit it to your children.
Do thou, great Liberty, inspire our souls,
And make our lives in thy posse sion happy,
Or our deaths glorious in thy just defence.
[Exeunt Cato, &c.
1st Leader. Sempronius, you have acted like

And left the limbs still quivering on the ground!
Hence let us carry off those slaves to Cato,
That we may there at length unravel all
This dark design, this mystery of fate.

[Exit Juba, with Prisoners, &c. Enter Lucia and Marcia.

Luc. Sure 'twas the clash of swords; my troubled heart

Is so cast down, and sunk amidst its sorrows, It throbs with fear, and aches at ev'ry sound. Sem-O Marcia, should thy brothers for my sake!I die away with horror at the thought.

Luc. Now, Marcia, call up to thy assistan Thy wonted strength and constancy of mind, Enter Sempronius, dressed like Juba, with Nu-Thou canst not put it to a greater trial.