Atto

  1 1|     return—for thine am I!~ ~ PAUL. Oh, why this haste to leave
  2 1|      more, a thousandfold!~ ~ PAUL.Great Gods above!~ ~ POLY.
  3 1|     this content thy love!~ ~ PAUL. You love and yet you leave
  4 1|    life—than fame—~ ~But——~ ~ PAUL. There is something that
  5 1|     Oh, dreams are naught!~ ~ PAUL.Yet, when they tell of thee,~ ~
  6 1|    POLYEUCTE and NEARCHUS.~ ~ PAUL. Yes, go, despise my prayer—
  7 1|     He loves thee, lady!~145~ PAUL.Love should mate with trusts;~ ~
  8 1|    for man’s admonishment.~ ~ PAUL. Though this thy faith—if
  9 1|      an empty urn in vain!~ ~ PAUL. Alas! ’tis he; all Rome
 10 1|      love the day had won!~ ~ PAUL. Which duty lost—then had
 11 1|    more thy tale withhold!~ ~ PAUL. Last night I saw Severus:
 12 1|       strength and shield.~ ~ PAUL. You say his words: at all
 13 1|     bow—to court disgrace!~ ~ PAUL. My father comes—oh, peace!~
 14 1|   true, and for the rest——~ ~ PAUL. By what new fear, say,
 15 1|   FELIX. Severus lives!~ 265~ PAUL.Ah! this no cause for fear!~ ~
 16 1|       Decius honour shows!~ ~ PAUL. Thus fickle Fortune bows
 17 1|        He comes! Is near——~ ~ PAUL.The gods——~ ~ FELIX.Do all
 18 1|  FELIX.Do all things well.~ ~ PAUL. My dream fulfilled! But
 19 1|    lightly I disdained.~ 305~ PAUL. Yes, this may be, for ah!
 20 1|      Unnerves me quite.~ 310~ PAUL.Fear not, his soul is great.~ ~
 21 1|      now bring the remedy!~ ~ PAUL. Forbid it, Heaven! One
 22 1|      one word! Be kind!~ 330~ PAUL. I will not, for I love!—
 23 1|       and his weal betray?~ ~ PAUL. I yield! Come woe!—come
 24 1|   FELIX. I know thee pure.~ ~ PAUL.And pure I will remain,~
 25 1|     thou hold’st our fate!~ ~ PAUL. Go, broken heart, to probe
 26 2|    Armenian!~ ~Enter PAULINE~~PAUL. Yes, that debt I pay,~ ~
 27 2|     thou lov’dst me never!~ ~ PAUL. Too plain, Severus, I my
 28 2|     only mates with grief?~ ~ PAUL. Alas! the rents in armour
 29 2|     of comfort may not be?~ ~ PAUL. The cup is poisoned both
 30 2|      cherish but the root!~ ~ PAUL. Untimely blossom bears
 31 2|       Let memory remain!~190~ PAUL. That grief might hope beget,
 32 2|    end the piteous strife!~ ~ PAUL. My grief, too deep for
 33 2|     Polyeucte and thee!~ 205~ PAUL. Stern Fate obeyed, end,
 34 2|       Thou wast my heaven!~ ~ PAUL.My father I obeyed—~ ~ SEV.
 35 2|    too dear—I can no more!~ ~ PAUL. So must I say—depart—where
 36 2|       that cause for pain!~ ~ PAUL. Oh, if from pity start
 37 2|      What dost thou dread?~ ~ PAUL.Heaven—hell—earth—empty
 38 2|    yet noble in his heart!~ ~ PAUL. Ah, Polyeucte bathed in
 39 2|  welfare did Severus pray!~ ~ PAUL. Yes, yes, his heart is
 40 2|     for here in life am I!~ ~ PAUL. The day is young, and oh,
 41 2|       valour now my quest.~ ~ PAUL. Radiant he came, who left
 42 2|       I can jealous be?~ 250~ PAUL. An outrage this on him,
 43 2|     Go, we do follow thee!~ ~ PAUL.I cannot go;~ ~Severus flies
 44 3|              Act III~PAULINE~ PAUL. Cares—clouded and confused—
 45 3|         STRAT. Alas! Alas!~ ~ PAUL.Nay, soothe my aching heart!~ ~
 46 3|     go—~ ~The Christians——~ ~ PAUL.What of them?~ ~ STRAT.Ah,
 47 3|    STRAT.Ah, how to speak—~ ~ PAUL. They on my father would
 48 3|       that fear too small!~ ~ PAUL. The Christians rise?~ ~
 49 3|       true; Polyeucte is——~ ~ PAUL. Dead?~60~ STRAT. Ah, no,
 50 3|      name!—a Christian he!~ ~ PAUL. Nay, that one word’s enough!
 51 3|       evil make no truce.~70~ PAUL. If he be Nazarene—he must
 52 3|        the badge of shame.~ ~ PAUL. My plighted faith, my troth,
 53 3|       his own wife betray!~ ~ PAUL. If he be false, yet I will
 54 3| fullest vengeance wreaks!~90~ PAUL. Nearchus lured him on?~ ~
 55 3|    The secret is revealed.~ ~ PAUL. Which I would know—and
 56 3|       their deed of shame!~ ~ PAUL. Ere dull despair o’ermaster
 57 3|    shall speak the doom.~145~ PAUL. How threatening, how dark
 58 3|      is too much!—he dies!~ ~ PAUL. O father!—on my knees! (
 59 3|      crown’st with love!~155~ PAUL. Ne’er vainly have I sued
 60 3|      hath told thee all.~160~ PAUL. Nearchus goaded—planned—
 61 3|   Death—will learn to sue!~ ~ PAUL. What! Thinkest thou his
 62 3|      every furnace quench!~ ~ PAUL. It might! It may!—I know
 63 3|    thou giv’st me tears!~185~ PAUL. I give no thanks—no cause
 64 3|  holds his pardon still.~190~ PAUL. The bird escapes, when ’
 65 3| escapes—if so he do elect.~ ~ PAUL. He death embraces—as doth
 66 3|      by himself undone.~ 195~ PAUL. He cannot see!~ ~ FELIX.
 67 3|    hateth still the light.~ ~ PAUL. O, by the Gods—~ ~ FELIX.
 68 3|     Gods demand his death.~ ~ PAUL. They hear our prayers—~ ~
 69 3|   then let Polyeucte pray!~ ~ PAUL. Since Decius gives thee
 70 3|      all who work him ill.~ ~ PAUL. Is Polyeucte his foe?~ ~
 71 3|     Christians rebels are.~ ~ PAUL. Thy son shall plead more
 72 3|    sinks into nothingness.~ ~ PAUL. Too great thy rigour!~ ~
 73 3|   more great his guilt.~ 215~ PAUL. Too true my dream! Must
 74 3|     Emperor—rule over all.~ ~ PAUL. O hear our dying supplication—
 75 3|      compels a saner view.~ ~ PAUL. O, if thou lov’st him still,
 76 3|       come!~ ~No more!—~ 245~ PAUL.O father!~ ~Enter ALBIN~~
 77 3|    mind is still the same.~ ~ PAUL. ’Tis as I said—oh, father,
 78 3|   lovest an unworthy lord!~ ~ PAUL. Thou gavest him my hand, ’
 79 3|   thou hold’st so dear.~ 280~ PAUL. In pity!——~ ~ FELIX.Leave
 80 4| Pauline, my deadliest foe!~ ~ PAUL. All, save thyself, to thee,
 81 4|    great a price to pay?~125~ PAUL. ‘Out on these Christian
 82 4|     God—what word is meet?~ ~ PAUL. Which God?~140~ POLY. Hush!
 83 4|      rules—supreme—divine!~ ~ PAUL. Adore Him in thy heart,
 84 4|     Jove and Jehovah—Lord?~ ~ PAUL. One moment feign. Ah, let
 85 4|       is yet unrevealed?~160~ PAUL. O cruel! I can strangle
 86 4|  unknown!~180~ POLY. Alas!~ ~ PAUL.O! that ‘Alas!’—so faint,
 87 4|     doest all things well!~ ~ PAUL. O wretch, what words are
 88 4|       a never-ending fire.~ ~ PAUL. Or else?~ ~ POLY.O God,
 89 4|    blesséd hour will come!~ ~ PAUL. Oh, leave illusions! Love
 90 4|       less than God above!~ ~ PAUL. For love’s dear sake, ah,
 91 4|    await the answer there!~ ~ PAUL. To leave me here is naught!
 92 4|     reach not the goal.~ 215~ PAUL. O fancy—fooled!~ ~ POLY.
 93 4|     led by heavenly light!~ ~ PAUL. Thy faith is blindness!~ ~
 94 4|  Faith is more than sight!~ ~ PAUL. Ah, death, strange rival
 95 4|       with the joys above!~ ~ PAUL. Go, monster! woo thy death!
 96 4|      yet I love thee ever!~ ~ PAUL. Yes, I will go—if absence
 97 4|      But to renounce thee!~ ~ PAUL.Nay, I must not hear!~ 265~
 98 5|    Enter PAULINE~~Pauline!~ ~ PAUL. That word broke from thee
 99 5|          POLY.Severus wed!~ ~ PAUL. Ah, this is outrage! Rather
100 5|    still—his honour grows.~ ~ PAUL. Thy wife’s true heart another
101 5|     Their vengeance slake!~ ~ PAUL. His life is saved! These
102 5|  behest—prepare the knife!~ ~ PAUL. Where goes he?~ ~ FELIX.
103 5|      Pauline, farewell!~ 255~ PAUL. Nay, I will follow thee—
104 5|    for ah—Pauline is here!~ ~ PAUL. Tyrant, why leave thy butchery
105 5|     Behold a willing prey!~ ~ PAUL. (To FELIX.) Yes, mine for