UC-NRLF NERO JIND ICTH ERIC MACKAY LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Class NERO AND ACT^A NERO AND ACTEA H BY ERIC MACKAY AUTHOR OF LOVE-LETTERS OF A VIOLINIST,' *A LOVER'S LITANIES,' ETC. LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN 1891 [All rights reserved] QiHERAL Dramatis fjerson. NERO, Emperor of Rome. GALBA, general of the forces in Spain. GLAUCUS, his nephew. TlGELLFNUS, friend and satellite of Nero. PYRRHUS, ^ LYSANIAS, \patricians. SABINUS, J VENTIDIUS, a conspirator. Lucius CAIUS, a friend of "NERO. PETRONIUS, ) , L rival poets. SELIUS, ) ANSELMUS, a Christian recluse. A Messenger. A Ntibian Slave. Three Priests of Bacchus. VASCO, a friend ^VENTTDIUS. DRACO, a page. Two Soldiers. A Boy. POPP^EA, wife of NERO. ACTEA, his favourite female slave. Courtiers, soldiers, dancers, citizens, cupbearers, slaves, and others. Scene ROME AND ITS VICINITY. Time A.D. 68. 29G788 ACT I. OF THE UNIVERSITY / SCENE I. A street. Enter PYRRHUS and LYSANIAS, meeting. PYRRHUS. What news, Lysanias ? Will the General stay ? Or goes he hence to-morrow ? LYSANIAS. He'll not budge. PYRRHUS. Is't so announced ? LYSANIAS. Poppaea wills it so ! PYRRHUS. Come, sir, be frank with me, as thou wert wont. io NERO AND ACTEA. Will Galba's nephew thrive as heretofore ? LYSANIAS. Will women kiss ? PYRRHUS. Nay, that's beside the mark ! The General's here on service, as we know ; And war's his theme. LYSANIAS. Aye, wars of wantonness, And midnight pranks that shame the vestal moon, Nay, hear me, Pyrrhus ! and purpend thereon. Poppaea's false. PYRRHUS. Poppaea ? LYSANIAS. False as fire ! Great Caesar's wife, the paragon of dames, She whom the world deems honest, is a trull. Nay, hear me out ! She hath a plot on hand NERO AND ACTEA. n Will unseat Nero, and the rest of us, If not o'ermastered. PYRRHUS. These are sudden news ! LYSANIAS. Sudden or not, they'll soon o'ertop themselves ; For every hour brings forth its destiny. But here's Sabinus. He will tell thee more. He hath Poppsea's slave in his employ, And knows his price in bullion. Ha ! Good day ! (Enter SABINUS.) How fares the world with thee since last we met ? SABINUS. Indifferent well. LYSANIAS. Here's Pyrrhus thinks me mad Because I've found a flaw in Caesar's wife, A kiss gone wrong, a fealty flung aside, And more, belike, than fealty, if we knew. 1 2 12 NERO AND ACT&A. PYRRHUS. Aye, if we knew ! LYSANIAS. Why, man, she's patented For deeds outrageous, more than may be guessed. Tell him, Sabinus ; tell him all thou know'st. SABINUS. Nay, that's past telling. There's no book extant Will hold her vices. . PYRRHUS. Is't so foul as that ? SABINUS. She's leagued with Glaucus in some enterprise Which love has sanctioned, love and war combined. I have it straight from Draco, the new page. PYRRHUS. And Nero ? Knows he aught ? SABINUS. How should he know ? NERO AND ACTEA. 13 She feigns dislike of her young paramour, And laughs at soldiers. But, Lysanias mine ! And thou, good Pyrrhus ! is't so wonderful That she should tire of her besotted mate ? LYSANIAS. He's Caesar ! SABINUS. Aye, but Rome ? PYRRHUS. There's no such place ! What once was Rome is Caesar's hunting-field, And whom he kills he kills, and there an end. LYSANIAS. And whom he likes ? PYRRHUS. The gods deliver us From such loud favour ! Whom he likes he wounds. It is the love that wastes and will not slack Till it has fouled the face of heaven itself. i 4 NERO AND ACT^A. SABINUS. And Tigellinus ? PYRRHUS. Tush ! think not of him. LYSANIAS. He's Caesar's gossip. SABINUS. Aye ! and knows the road Straight to his bosom. PYRRHUS. Would his dagger did ! But there's no Brutus now, to bear the knife, No Marcus Tullus, no great orator To move the minds of men to more revolts. LYSANIAS. Indeed, 'tis true ; the world has grown so base. One man's the law, one voice the oracle Of all men's doings. Shall we sleep o' nights ? Ask Caesar's tongue ! Shall we be fortunate NERO AND ACT^A. 15 In toil or pleasure, love or state-intrigue ? Ask the glib tongue of our self-seeking lord ! SABINUS. Well, keep thy counsel. We're at one with thee, But streets can talk. The very stones we tread Are Caesar's spies, and every twittering bird Has grown as watchful as the cormorant. LYSANIAS. Is not to-day the feast of Mulciber ? SABINUS. It is. And Nero holds a solemn court In Vulcan's honour. Shall we join the throng ? PYRRHUS. E'en as thou wilt ! SABINUS. And thou? /^ LYSANIAS. As Pyrrhus doth. 16 NERO AND ACT&A. SABINUS. Let's play the courtier, then, till times improve And on, with speed, to join these revelries. PYRRHUS. Aye, let's do so. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Throne-room in the palace of the Cczsars. A procession of trumpeters and divers musicians. Enter NERO and POPP^EA, followed by slaves and courtiers ; then TIGELLINUS ; and at a distance SELIUS, PETRONIUS and LYSANIAS. NERO and POPP^EA seat themselves as the soldiery line the walls. NERO. Where is Anselmus ? Where's the Christian rogue ? Speak, Tigellinus! Hast thou captured him ? TIGELLINUS. My men pursue him, and this very hour 'Tis like they'll trap him on the Aventine. Indeed, 'tis feared he hath some dealings there With old Vertumnus. NERO. With that saucy priest ? 1 8 NERO AND ACTEA. TlGELLINUS. With him and others of the factious bands. NERO. This must be seen to, and without delay ! How say'st thou, Pyrrhus ? PYRRHUS. That the villain's mad. NERO. And thou, Lysanias ? LYSANIAS. That his wit's at fault. For he hath scoffed at Venus and high Jove ; And, more than once, hath preached within the gates Of Christ and Paul. NERO. We'll have his head struck off! Or thine, Lysanias, or the one that's propped On Pyrrhus' shoulders. Men who grow too fast Are like some trees ; they need the pruning-knife ! NERO AND ACTEA. 19 But where's Petronius ? Let him front us here, And with him Selius. Quick, display yourselves. Ye are the rival singers, are ye not ? PETRONIUS. We come, great Caesar ! as in winter time, To try our skill before your Majesty. NERO. I do remember. Ye were tyros then, And now ye'd pluck the laurel. Is't not so ? PETRONIUS. 'Tis so, an't please thee. Begin thou, Selius. Let him begin. NERO. It doth please me well. SELIUS. Nay, most honoured liege ! PETRONIUS. He fears thy censorship, 20 NERO AND ACTEA. As I do fear it, Caesar, from my soul. NERO. Ye're worthy fellows ! But begin, begin ! I'll put ye to't ! An ode, or what ye will, The length of fifty kisses from a maid, Or twice the time it takes to kill a man. Begin, Sir Selius ! let thy theme be love. (A sound of lutes is heard.) SELIUS (reciting). I. It is the kiss of Love that conquers death ; And all the world is quickened by his breath ; And day by day, and nightly, as of yore, With smiles and tears and tricks from out his store, The wanton god renews his rhapsodies. II. With raging breast the tiger to his mate Leaps, fell and fierce, affamished and elate ; But more than he for fierceness of attack Is Woman's lover when, on wonder's track, He lays her low in Love's enravishment. , NERO AND ACTEA. 21 NERO. Hold there ! Enough ! I know what's in thy thought, And, later on, we'll test its pertinence. But come, Petronius ! Take thy turn in song. (Brisker music.) PETRONIUS (reciti I. Oh, tell me not that Love is lord of all, Or that the moon is mistress of the spheres. It is great Csesar has the world in thrall ; And what he sings in these eventful years Is flecked with fire or sanctified by tears. II. It is the golden god who sways the heart, And what he wills is law from land to land. He has his portion in the poet's art ; And grief and joy are merged at his command To re-endow the raptures he has planned. III. He is the sovereign of the welkin's height, And from the disk of his resplendent throne He doth control the seasons in their flight ; And all the stars are his from zone to zone, And Dian's eyes are turned to him alone. 22 NERO AND ACTEA. NERO. I like thee, sir ! Thy muse acclaims thee well. Speak, fair Poppaea ! Who's thy favourite ? Who vexed thee least ? Who least did weary thee ? POPP^A. Petronius, Sire ! NERO. He shall be crowned for that, And, after, don thy colours at the feast, Aye ! be the keeper of the keys of song. Come, take my wreath and wear it for an hour. (Unwreaths himself and crowns PETRONIUS.) What is amiss, my bird ? POPP^EA. Young Selius is ! I like him not. He looks a libertine ; And he hath soiled his mantle at the hem. NERO. He shall not live ! Good gossip, strike him down. NERO AND ACTEA. 23 Give him a taste of steel ! Aye, in with it ! (TIGELLINUS stabs SELIUS.) What says the villain ? TIGELLINUS. That thine end is near. NERO. Tear out his tongue ! Or stay ; we'll question him. Bear him along. Now, sir, thy dying speech ! SELIUS. Thou art a tyrant, Nero ! Thou art one Whom nature loathes ; and we who flatter thee Foresee thy doom ! Hear now my prophecy. (NERO plays with his dagger.} Thou art the dark abortion of these times, The grief, the scandal, and the scourge of Rome ! Nay. thou shalt hear ! Ye gods, consume this man With blistering fire ! Unflesh him, Jupiter, While yet he lives, and, ere he comes to die, Make him an eyesore to his Empress there ! 24 NERO AND ACT&A. Aye, frown thy fill ! A canker shall be thine, Thick as thy fist, and thou NERO (leaping to his feet}. I've heard enough ! Die, villain, like the dog I take thee for, And say 'twas Caesar knifed thee. (Stabs him.) SELIUS. Aye, 'tis so ! Thou shalt be brought full soon to thine account And Rome and all good men (Digs.) NERO (re-sheathing his dagger). What ! Art thou dead so soon, with all thy talk, A carcase merely, and a lumpish one ? Bear him away ! Strew sand upon the floor, And quick to business. Faugh ! the air's corrupt ! (Reseats himself as the body is carried out.} Go, pretty boy, and bring me my perfumes, Which thou wilt find out yonder in the hall ; And see thou trip not, as that fellow did ! [Exit DRACO. NERO AND ACTEA. 25 The sight of carrion and the thought thereof Are past endurance ! Sound a merry bout, And teach the lutes to laugh, the horns to sing, As when I speared the boar in Calydon. (Re-enter DRACO.) What have we here ? The scents ? My mood is changed. Go, strew them o'er the corpse, and make it sweet For instant cutting. We will probe his heart And see what's in't belike a little lute ; For he could sing divinely when he would. Ho, Tigellinus ! Do thou fetch the slave Whom late I told thee of. TIGELLINUS. Actea, sire ? NERO. My Grecian slave, my new-found masterpiece ! [Exit TIGELLINUS. If what I'm told be true, Poppsea mine ! She's past perfection. She's no woman then ! 2 26 NERO AND ACTEA. NERO. She hath the light of summer in her eyes, And in her throat a nest of singing birds. POPP^EA. A huge defect if all should sing at once. NERO. Thou'rt waspish ever ! POPP^EA. Then she's fair, this slave ? NERO. As fair as Venus. POPP^EA. And as chaste as she ? NERO. My merchant praises her, and thinks her cheap At twice ten times her weight in shining gold. And I do credit him, for he's a judge. POPP^A. Of cattle, sire ? NERO. Of all that's in the mart. UNIVERSITY OF '^S NERO AND ACTEA. 27 (aside). The gods defend her if she fail in aught ! A kiss to-day, a curse to-morrow morn, And then the furnace. But thy brows are bent. (Loud music.) Art vexed with me, Immortal ? Have I jarred Some heart-reflection ? Poor Poppsea, then ! NERO (turning to musicians). Softer, ye dogs ! The music likes me not. It is too blatant. There are jerks therein That tug the senses and confound the brain. (Enter ACTA, preceded by dancing girls.) See, see ! She comes, arrayed in stateliness, And like the fairest flower in all the field She tops all pride ! Oh, she's a paragon ! By Hermes' wand ! I'll have her, aye! at price Of Rome itself! (To POPPSEA.) How say'st thou, malapert ? POPP^A. She lacks in height, my lord ! and she's too pale. NERO. Go to ! These are thy whimsies. What she is 2 2 2 8 NERO AND ACTEA. Outshines all showing. She surpasses thee As spring the winter, and as morn the night. Ha ! See'st thou that ? She bends her gaze this way : A golden-haired, sweet syren, welkin-eyed, And girt about with glory like the sun. I'll have her straight ! No help ! I'll pivot her To my good pleasure. POPP^A. Ho ! my women there ! It is the heat ! I faint. I must be gone ! Farewell, my liege ! Thy slave is passing fair, And I'll adopt her. Is her name Actea ? It is a name Apollo would have loved, A name to sing to. Have I leave to go ? NERO. Thou hast my leave ! Come, sweetheart, take her place, And show thyself the gem of all the earth. [Exit POPPJEA, frowningly, followed by attendants. Aye, sit by me, thou silvery silentness ! And with those eyes of thine that light the spheres Make Nero glad. There shall be joy in heaven For this encounter ; and old Mulciber, NERO AND ACT&A. 29 Whose feast it is, shall ache with pleasantries. Come, sit thee down, and share the world with me. (ACTA seats herself.) Thou art a tune, methinks, in woman's shape. ACT&A. Most godlike Caesar ! NERO. Speak, oh ! speak again, That I may know the needs of nightingales, And what they trill of in the nights of June. ACTA. What would my lord ? NERO. Thy service for an hour, For Venus' sake, who made thee what thou art ! ACTA. Nay, I do know myself, an't please thee, Sire ! I am a poor pale thing unfit to touch. 'NERO. The lily's pale as thou, but not so sweet ! 30 NERO AND ACT^A. ACTA. Then is my paleness more than my desert, And more than pomp the fealty of fair vows. NERO. As wise as young ! Oh, thou'rt a nonpareil, : And I will have thee niched and garlanded. But when thou'lt dance oh, when thou'lt dance and leap, Leap to mine arms ! I '11 teach thee platitudes. Villains ! withdraw ! Stand further from the throne. I need no counsel when my mind's made up. (Courtiers fall hastily back.) Aye, sweet one ! smile on me, and with thine eyes Make mine to burn ! There's witchery in thy glance. It fires the blood in me from face to foot. ACTA. If Caesar says 'tis well, why then 'tis so ; If not 'tis naught. The names of good and ill Attend his verdict. There's no other test. NERO. Thou shalt be waited on by crowned kings, NERO AND ACTtiA. 31 And all thy women shall be clad in gold ; And there shall be carousings day and night, And maids and men . . . (He kisses her.) Ha ! Thou canst blush ? ACT^A. Thy pardon, dread my Liege. NERO. 'Tis not yet blushing-time ! Go to ! Go to ! There's sport at hand, but not so publicly. Nor may I formulate what's in my mind, Or swear by this or that, as wantons use When they would make deceit their go-between. (Kisses her again.) Oh ! thou'rt as fragrant as the damask rose That bares its bosom to the wondering sun, And hides its thorn, belike for daintiness. ACTA. May this be so in truth ? (Enter a MESSENGER.) NERO. How now ? Thine errand ? MESSENGER. In the vestibule 32 NERO AND ACTEA. The lawless knave, Anselmus- NERO. Lead him up That I may snatch the knavery from his throat. Or stay ! Not now ! To-day's a gala-time And must not lack some joy for every man. Go, Tigellinus ! See him housed and fed. [Exeunt MESSENGER and TIGELLINUS. My soul's at flood to-day, and swamps the world ; And I will have all things fantastical : The sun a furnace, the mild maiden-moon A soldier's helmet, frayed about the edge, And all the stars, new-launched in the sky, Phosphoric stones to hurl at enemies. What ho ! More music ! Sound the dulcimer, And let the tabor and the tricksy flute Ring out the requiem of the hour that's gone. Thy hand, Actea ! Sirs, break up the court ! [Exeunt Omnes in procession. ACT II. SCENE I. A corridor in the palace. (Enter POPP^A and GLAUCUS.) POPP^EA. I hate him madly. GLAUCUS. Ah, be patient still ! POPPLE A. When he has soiled me, Glaucus, with a kiss I've longed to strangle him. GLAUCUS. His doom is sealed ! He shall not see the winter. Nay, I swear 36 NERO AND ACT^A. He's faithless, too. But that's no fault in him. Would he had twenty wives so I were none. GLAUCUS. Be hopeful yet ! POPP^A. Hast seen his light-o'-love, Imported here from Athens, as they say ? GLAUCUS. I have in part surveyed her. Hast in truth Perceived her failings, as my women do ? Hast seen her, Glaucus, how untrained she is And how unfit to decorate a throne, Much less to sit thereon ? Hast noted this ? GLAUCUS. Compared with thee she's faulty every way A foil to beauty, not its counterpart. NERO AND ACrfiA. 37 How near is Galba ? GLAUCUS. Close on Antium Town. Only at Antium ? That's a stretch too far. But tell me quickly. Is there hope indeed Of prompt rebellion ? Will thine uncle come With all his legions to depose this fiend ? GLAUCUS. He'll rid the world of him. Be sure of that ! POPP^EA. And seize the sceptre ? GLAUCUS. Not for Hercules ! He will but drag the despot from his throne And then reform the senate. POPP^A. Only this ? Methought he aimed at separate sovereignty, 38 NERO AND ACT&A. And, like an eagle born for precedence Would build his eyrie at the palace gates. But who comes here ? 'Tis Draco, my new slave ; A goodly youth and sworn to secrecy. (Enter DRACO.) What news, my Draco ? DRACO. Caesar comes this way. POPP^EA. Alone, good fellow ? DRACO. Aye! Well, get thee gone. And slack his pace by talk of gallantries, Or what thou wilt, in reason. See thou to it. [Exit DRACO. I must be gone ! There's peril in the air, And every moment stabs. Farewell, dear heart ! GLAUCUS. The gods be with thee, Love ! till next we meet. [Exit POPP.EA. NERO AND ACT&A. 39 How fair she is ; how fraught with tender grace ! Ah ! how unlike the trull they'll make of her, Who is the fairest and the first of nymphs Whom yet the sovereign sun has smiled upon ! Alone I'll face this fiend we call a man And smear his soul with flattery thick as mud. (Enter NERO.) Caesar, thy footstool ! Thine adoring serf ! A man, great Caesar ! who, to pleasure thee, Would cope with bears and front the basilisk. NERO. Do I not know it ? Thou'rt mine other self, And I will make thee rich as thou art brave. Hast seen Poppaea ? GLAUCUS Sire? NERO. Hast seen my wife ? GLAUCUS. had a glimpse of her a moment since, 40 NERO AND ACTEA. And she did waste a welcome smile on me. NERO. Tut, man, she's naught ! GLAUCUS. Caesar ? NERO. I say she's naught. I know her, Glaucus, as I know thyself. GLAUCUS. Can such things be ? NERO. She is a waning moon, And must be swept from heaven. Dost heed me, sir ? GLAUCUS. With gaping wonder ! NERO. I would have her dead. At twenty-seven a wife is good to kill, NERO AND ACT&A. But past all kissing. GLAUCUS. Dead ? Poppaea dead ? NERO. Thou must go stab her. Thou must do the deed. Myself would do it were I stern enough ; . But I'm too gentle, and in killing her I might repent and call her back to life : For Death obeys me. GLAUCUS. All creation doth. Earth and the stars and Time, the gods themselves, Are swayed by Caesar. NERO. Here's my signet ring. 'Twill yield thee entrance through the corridors, And thence to her state-chamber. Take it, man ! She is thy deadly foe, as she is mine. 3 42 NERO AND ACTEA. GLAUCUS. I know it, Caesar. NERO. When the deed is done Come thou to me. It wants an hour of night. I'd have her live till sunset. After dark Despatch her straight. Go now, mine honest friend ; Be swift and bloody. GLAUCUS. Doubt me not, my lord ! NERO. And see thou tell her not of my dislike, But let thy dagger be thine argument. If she dispute its purport, thrust it in With two-fold vigour. I would have her killed In reverent fashion. Mark how much she bleeds And what she says w.hen dying, how she looks, And how her wound becomes her. Fare thee well! NERO AND ACT&A. 43 GLAUCUS. I humbly take my leave. NERO. Thy luck's at flood. Begone, true heart ! and count on thy reward. [Exit GLAUCUS. He has a plot in progress, as I learn, And must be silenced. Aye, 'tis so, 'tis so ! Applause to-night, a noose to-morrow morn, And then oblivion ! Death shall be the fee With which I'll bribe the fool for his goodwill. [Exit. 32 SCENE II. A dungeon in the palace. ANSELMUS discovered pacing to and fro. ANSELMUS. My Master calls me in the house of shame, And with His whisper, fearful to be heard, He thrills my being ! O thou mighty Power That art the stay of this proud sovereignty ! Look down on Rome, Thy city ; prosper it, And make it clean from Tiber to the hills ! NERO AND ACT&A. 45 Be Thou the dreadful dire Iconoclast Of these gray temples, thick with infamies, And let the slaughter of thy martyred saints Be fraught with quick redemption for us all ! But soft ! Whom have we here at this fell hour ? (ACTA appears at doorway.) Who art thou ? Speak ! ACTA. A friend. ANSELMUS. I've dreamt of friends ; But found them not, this many and many a day. Why com'st thou here ? ACTA. To warn and counsel thee. ANSELMUS. ^ I'll take the counsel of so fair a face With right goodwill. What is't that I must do ? Am I consigned to death, as others are, 46 NERO AND ACTEA. Or must I live in suffrance ? ACT^A (coming forward) . Thou must die. ANSELMUS. There's no great harm in that, when all is said. Who lives must die. 'Tis but the hour that frets. ACTEA. Aye, but to die in fragments, to be torn By ravenous beasts and pitched from side to side In tugs of fury, 'mid the shouts of men ! ANSELMUS. God's will be done ! He made the universe. He guides the storm, He sways the equinox, And with His breath He kindles all the stars. Aye, with His love , ACTEA. When Caesar speaks to thee, (As like enough he will, and I with him,) Keep thou the jewel Silence in thy mouth, NERO AND ACT&A. 47 Nor pawn the price thereof for idle words Which may destroy thee. ANSELMUS. He's the anti-Christ, The whip of Fate, the scourge, the bane of time ! ACTA. Art thou his judge ? It is the curse of kings That they are darkened by the light they give And stand, as 'twere, eclipsed by their own deeds. Be prudent, sir ! And when great Caesar speaks, Weigh well thy words. For this I've sought thee out : To give thee counsel and to snatch from death A tottering weak old man who must not die If tact may save him. ANSELMUS. Why this tenderness For one despised, and old, and chambered here In this vile tenement of earthly wrongs ? Why this is so, I know not, of a truth. 48 NERO AND ACTEA. Perchance 'tis pity, or a kindred thought, Or some remembrance of the Grecian tongue Which once was mine. In sooth I know not why. But this I know : thou art condemned to bleed, And all too soon thy soul may rest in death. ANSELMUS. Death is a gateway, not a resting-place ! ACTEA. Well ! Arm thyself with comfort, if thou canst ; And when great Caesar calls thee, as he will, Accept his utterance ; make the best of it. I shall be near thee in thine hour of dole, And what Actea can, that will she do. ANSELMUS. Actea ? Thou God in heaven ! ACTA (moving towards door). I must from hence ! Oh, be thou wise, Anselmus ; aye, be brave, And dower thyself with patience to the end. NERO AND ACTEA. 49 ANSELMUS. Stay, maiden if a maid indeed thou art, And not the phantom of a dream I had When I was young as thou and wild of blood, Bold in my thoughts, obstreperous, unrestrained- ACTEA. Farewell, grave sir ! ANSELMUS. By all thou art, or wert, By all thou seemest ! By thy soul and mine, Which evermore, in good or ill report, [Exit ACTA, She's gone ! I have o'erawed her. She is pale As phantoms are ; and all's confused again. A Greek? And called Actea ? O my heart ! 'Twas such a one, so sweet and circumspect, Whom years ago, in mine own Fatherland, I had for friend, a maiden young as she, And like to her in all good attributes. Ah me ! Ah me ! The world goes on apace, So NERO AND ACT&A. And I am dulled with age ; else could I sift My tremulous thoughts. Actea's prototype, And young and lissome as in days gone by ? I will again to prayer, if hermit's voice May reach the centre where Salvation is. The Greek Actea ? Aye, to prayer ! to prayer ! [Exit. SCENE III. A n open loggia, with distant view of the Tiber. Enter NERO and TIGELLINUS. NERO. The setting sun has burnt up half the sky, And through the far-off windows of the west I see strange things. O Tigellinus, mine ! I ache to think on't Out in yonder room The deed's a-doing that I told thee of, A deed so fair and yet withal so foul, 52 NERO AND ACTEA. TlGELLINUS. More fair than foul, my lord ! NERO. He's at her throat, And soon will knife her. He is primed to this By innate malice. Thou dost know the man, How much he hates thee for thy faithfulness. Hark ! What was that ? TlGELLINUS. An owl the owlet's cry A midnight wind that's up before its time ! NERO. Go, search the corridors, and bring me word. [Exit TlGELLINUS. When he has done the deed, and closed with her, I'll find what tears I can to rue his fault, And then, who knows ? the plots that everywhere Do plague the soil may find in his collapse Their sure solution. He's his uncle's man From head to foot, and bent on saucy aims NERO AND ACTEA. 53 That must be seen to. (Re-enter TIGELLINUS.) Well? TIGELLINUS. The Empress, Sire ! NERO. Poppaea ? Quick ! Let's here ensconce ourselves. (They hide in the shrubbery.) SCENE IV. The same. Enter POPP^EA and GLAUCUS. POPP^A. Come ! tell me all the tale, without reserve. GLAUCUS. Thus, then, said he : ' My wife must die to-night, Go, kill her, Glaucus. Let her feel the force Of thy strong arm.' POPP^A. And wilt thou murder me ? NERO AND ACT&A. 55 GLAUCUS. With kisses, yes. POPP^A. Thy kisses have not killed ! Nor am I like to die for being kissed. GLAUCUS. His parting words were these : ' She must not live. Go, kill her, Glaucus ; for she hateth thee.' POPP^A. He means himself! GLAUCUS. He touched his dagger-hilt, And smiled obscenely, with a lurid look, As who would say : ' Thou know'st the backward stroke ?' And bade me stab thee with what force I could In thy state-chamber. POPP^A. Would he'd seen us there, And thou knife-certain in that flash of time 56 NERO AND ACTEA. To pierce his soul ! Oh, I could murder him, And after laugh and go to festival To think he'd seen us. Come ! thy lips are mine. I will be kissed all day and every night, And be as near thee as thy shadow is. (He kisses her.) I will be kissed, I say, as many times As there are stars upon the welkin's vault, And thou shalt teach me to forget the world. (NERO peeps through the foliage, part of which he displaces with his hand.) I will be rich enough when I am poor, For I shall then be rid of many cares, And far away, in some secluded nook, Unseen of men, unguessed at, undivulged By those we trust withal (NERO stabs her in the back and disappears.) Help ! Help ! I'm slain ! Oh ! Glaucus, we are trapped ; And envious Fate . . . Oh ! Love, protect thy- self! . . . I can no more ! I die ! . . . Glaucus ! . . . Fare- well ! [Dies. NERO AND ACT&A. 57 GLAUCUS (bending over the body). It is the cheat of death ! She is not dead. Wake, wake, Poppaea ! Wake, and speak to me ! There are more bolts in heaven than maybe named, And one has fallen. Awake ! awake ! awake ! (Enter NERO and TIGELLINUS ; then armed slaves.) NERO. There stands the traitor. GLAUCUS. Now, by all the gods ! NERO. Arrest him, sirs. Preposterous, damned villain! Aye, bind him close, for he hath murdered her That was the light of earth, and my one joy ! TIGELLINUS. Earth's light is quenched indeed. NERO. See how he gapes, And how he eyes thee with a wandering stare, 4 58 NERO AND ACTEA. As he would plead for mercy. Mark him well ! TIGELLINUS. I do, great Caesar ! NERO (aside to GLAUCUS). Where's my virtuous spouse, Thou villain, thou ? Come, speak ! Hast done with her ? Or must we wait without, as panders do, For more embracements ? Ha ! GLAUCUS. Accursed tyrant ! Thou didst give command To slay the Empress, whom of all the world I most did honour. NERO. Gag the villain, straight ! He'll crack the ears of night with his laments, And swear 'twas love that urged him to his crimes. Nay, I'll, not weep ! Dear lady, rest thee there, As chaste in death as in the sanctity NERO AND ACTEA. 59 Of our sworn loves ! I'll weep for thee anon ! TIGELLINUS. Say but the word, and he shall pay all debts Without more parley. Shall I poniard him ? NERO. He hath deserved no better at my hands, But Death's too busy; and 'twere sacrilege That he should die with her. To-night will serve, To-morrow morn, or later, or next day. Go, sirs, conduct him to the dungeon-keep, And there attend my coming. Hence ! Begone ! [Exeunt slaves with GLAUCUS, gagged. Ha ! Shall we smile or weep at this dread sight ? How say'st thou, friend ? It makes a blot, methinks, On our mad annals : for I loved her once. And now she's what ? A toy for Death himself, W ho soon will pluck the secrets from her soul, And tell them, too, in Hades. Ha ! Is't well ? 42 60 NERO AND ACT^A. TlGELLINUS. He'll keep thy counsel, Caesar ! as befits. NERO. I know not that ! The dead can see and hear, And talk the while, without the use of sense ; And I have heard, that once in Thessaly A clay-cold wretch did rise from all his wounds, To curse his slayer. Hark ! Dost nothing hear ? TlGELLINUS. Nothing, my lord ! NERO. Come, sir ! Let's quit this place. I like it not that creatures newly dead Should stare so wildly! In ! 'Tis time to sup ; And there are games a-foot, and drinking-bouts Will make us merry. In, good councillor ! By thine advice I've done this deed of woe ; And, right or wrong the while, my wife and Death Must lie together. Come ! Let's leave them to it. [Exeunt. ACT III. SCENE I. A road near the village cfSabri. Enter VENTIDIUS and TIGELLINUS, VENTIDIUS. All's ready, then, and thou'rt prepared to join, Famed as thou art, our great conspiracy ? TIGELLINUS. E'en so, Ventidius. VENTIDIUS. That's affirmed aright, 64 NERO AND ACTEA. But Glaucus is in durance, as I learn, And thou'rt his gaoler. TIGELLINUS. Gaols have doors, fair sir. VENTIDIUS. And janitors may turn the bolts thereof. Is that thy drift ? TIGELLINUS. Aye, sir, by thy good leave. VENTIDIUS. Thou'lt set him free ? TIGELLINUS. As air ! VENTIDIUS. And thy reward ? TIGELLINUS. The post of General and such ample pay As fits my life, which, as thou know'st, is held NERO AND ACTEA. 65 In high-set reverence. VENTIDIUS. Thou shalt have thy wish. But say, most valiant ! Is't well certified That Nero's maimed I mean in subsidies ? TIGELLINUS. He is, Ventidius. What his tables cost Would feed an army of ten thousand men ; And when he wantons, when he buys a kiss, A fortune's gone. VENTIDIUS. Aye ! He's Corruption's hack, And like a new Silenus, pert and proud, He makes the throne his scandal and our loss. But there are statesmen yet. What say they to't ? TIGELLINUS. They bide their hour. VENTIDIUS. And thou ? TIGELLINUS. My hour has come ! 66 NERO AND ACT^A. VENTIDIUS. True ; thou'rt the warder of the city-gates, And canst at leisure, while the world's asleep, Admit our legions. But there's much to do Ere this be thought on. I mistrust the troops Who guard the palace every man at arms, Aye, every bondman, every sycophant Who courts his favours. TlGELLINUS. Time will alter this. VENTIDIUS. Our cue's to help the time, and spur it on. And, trust me, Sir ! the man who plants his foot On Caesar's neck, and then, with jocund sword, Lets out the blood of this vile autocrat, Shall want for nothing. TlGELLINUS. What ! A soldier's doom, And he a coward, as his courtiers know, NERO AND ACT&A. 67 And like enough to win a martyr's crown If so despatched ? I'd have him ta'en alive ; And stripped, and beaten, and then spat upon, With here and there a festered wound or so, Which I and thou and Galba shall inflict, He, for his dole, out-clamouring like a cur Throat-sore for mercy ! VENTIDIUS. That thou art his foe Is clear throughout ; and Galba will rejoice At thy much valour, for the which, be sure, Thou shalt be paid in full. TIGELLINUS. Thy word's my bond. VENTIDIUS. When Nero's dead we'll count our several gains And thou and I shall need no bond therein. But here let's part I southward to the camp, 68 NERO AND ACTEA. Thou Tiberwards. TlGELLINUS. E'en so. VENTIDIUS. To Rome go thou As one who means to carve his way to fame Through Nero's heart. TlGELLINUS. The gods be good to thee ! VENTIDIUS. And thee ! Farewell ! TlGELLINUS. Mars be thy shield ! [Exeunt in opposite directions. CFTHE UNIVERSITY ' OF SCENE II. A Terrace in the Palace of the Ccesars. NERO and ACTA seated, the former on a high throne, the latter on the steps of the same. PYRRHUS, SABINUS, courtiers, etc. NERO. There is a saucy sweetness in the air Which tells of summer ; for the winds are hushed, And every bird's a tuneful prodigal. Yes, by-and-by the roses red and white Will make their shimmering curtsey to the sun. 70 NERO AND ACTEA. Always a poet NERO. Aye, my blood's a-stir With May Day meanings masked and manifold ; And half an hour ago I penned a verse Red-hot for thee and crammed with foolish things, If thou'lt forgive them. ' By the joys of love,' Nay, 'tis not so. ' By all the joys and jests Of halcyon love.' Aye, thus the measure runs. * By all the joys and jests of halcyon love, And by the warm white feathers of the dove, I'm all thine own, by night as well as day ; And, seeking thee, I'll whisk my soul away In life-long kisses meant for sacraments.' How lik'st thou this attempt ? Is't fairly done ? ACTA. In Orpheus' vein ! There's none to vie with thee ; For since the bard of Mantua's dead and gone, NERO AND ACT&A. And Ovid flown and Horace with the gods, There's none can sing as thou this side the moon. NERO. Thou lik'st it then ? Thou lik'st my madrigal ? ACTA. More than my tongue can tell thee, mighty Lord ! Nor would I wish a song more syren-sweet To waft me hence when I shall quaff the cup Of halcyon silence. NERO. Hold ! Thou hast me there. I have a cup e'en now within my thought Which must be quaffed by my two enemies. I mean Anselmus and the dastard wretch Who slew Poppsea. ACTA. Take no heed of them ! What though their faults be foul and full of shame ? Revenge will keep. Suspend it, Caesar mine ! 72 NERO AND ACTEA. And let the games proceed as purposed. NERO. Call in the dancers, there ! The dancers, ho ! And let the airy fools trip up and down While mirth and music wait on wonderment. Speak, Pyrrhus ! Canst thou leap ? PYRRHUS. Not I, my Lord ! NERO. And thou, good fellow ? SABINUS. Dread my Lord, not I. NERO. But thou canst kiss, no doubt ? Ha ! Said I well ? SABINUS. Indeed, my Lord, there's many a kiss for sale. NERO. And many a strapping wench to sell it thee ? NERO AND ACTEA. 73 Go to ! Go to ! Thou dost corrupt the court, And I must blush to hear thee at thy quips. But see out yonder where the dancers come Armed for the nonce like boastful amazons ! (Enter at great speed a troop of dancing girls in short tunics.) SABINUS. A noble bevy, sire ! and like to win Olympian honours. PYRRHUS. Hist ! the games commence. (The amazons execute a wild fantastic dance, and then depart with shouts and waving of spears after the manner of trained soldiers. Enter TIGELLINUS.) NERO. How now, good gossip ? TIGELLINUS. Please thy Mightiness ! The rogue Anselmus, bound and pinioned, 5 74 NERO AND ACTEA. Attends thy pleasure. NERO. Lead him to the front That I may spy what faults abide in him. [Exit TIGELLINUS. We shall have sport anon, divine Actea ! The fool will talk of virtue and such like, And how the Nazarene, in Pilate's time, Laid down his life in Jewry for a dream. ACTEA. Caesar, a word. NERO. A thousand, an thou wilt. ACTEA. I have thy promise, Sire, that for a space I shall be Caesar and be throned as he. NERO. Thou shalt be Caesar. ACTA. In my little hand NERO AND ACT\. I then shall bear the sceptre of the world, And curb To-morrow, and control To-day, E'en as thou dost thyself? NERO. Thou shalt do this. And much 'twill please me for an hour or two To change my state with thine. But here's our sport. (Enter ANSELMUS, guarded.) Now, Sir, thy business ? Thou'rt a sage, I'm told. And dost conspire with Jews, and mountebanks, To bring about our Empire's overthrow ? Speak, sirrah ! Thou'dst ascend Olympus' height, And there dethrone the gods ? Is this thy bent ? ANSELMUS. They are dethroned already, worthy Sire ! 52 76 NERO AND AC'lliA. NERO. Oh ! They're dethroned already ? (To ACTA.) Mark him well ! He's primed for treason, packed with villainies ; And, like enough, he'll boast of many things. Thou say'st the gods of Greece are all dethroned, Olympus void, Apollo put to flight, And every post made over to the Jews ? ANSELMUS. I said not that. NERO. You hear him, gentlemen ! He says what suits him of the golden gods And then dethrones them straight. ANSELMUS. They never lived Those gods of thine were phantoms from the first, Illusions all, deceitful, impotent, NERO AND ACI'tiA. 77 And, like the dreams incorporate of a bard, Foredoomed to perish. NERO. Thou shalt howl for this ! ACTA. I pray thee, Sire ! be lenient with this man. Almighty Jove, the regent of the sky, Is oft-times meek; and thou'rt his counterpart. Believe it, Caesar. Hate's a baleful thing, And he is twice a man who once forgives. NERO. I never yet was meek in all my life ; And as for mercy, why, I laugh at it. Are tempests meek ? Is thunder merciful ? ACTA. It spares the worm, it will not hurt the moth, Nor will it scold a gnat for peevishness. Nay, Caesar ! Thou hast wept. I've seen thee do't. 78 NERO AND AC T&A. I've seen thy lids brim over with thy tears ; And often, too, a tune has wrung from thee Heart-rending sighs, till I, for womanhood, Have ached thereat. NERO. Indeed, 'tis passing true. I once did hurt the nestling of a dove, And could not sleep in quiet afterward. I'd rather kill a man than wound a bird ! ACTA. We know thy nature, Sire ! We all do know Thy wealth of pity for the weak and old ; And thou'lt o'erlook the faults of this recluse. NERO. Let him entreat forgiveness of the gods And he shall live. ACTEA. Thou hear'st the Emperor ? NERO AND ACTEA. 79 NERO. Bow to the gods, abjure thy heresies, And thou shalt live thy natural term of life. ANSELMUS. There are no gods but One; and He is thine And mine, and hers, and all men's under Heaven ! Yea, every living thing, and all the stars, Are His alone, the rivers and the dales, The towering forest and the moaning sea. The grave is His, and worlds beyond the grave, And in the pit the worm of thy remorse, Which, dead or living, still shall find thee out ; And fires unceasing NERO. Hence ! Away with him He shall be flogged anon ! He shall be snipt With red-hot pincers, and his ardent soul Shall seethe for hours in fumes of sanctity. 8o NERO AND ACT1SA. Away ! Bestir ! Remove him from our sight ! [ANSELMUS is dragged out. Now, for young Glaucus, mine arch-enemy He who did kill Poppsea, my late wife. I claim thy promise, Sire ! that here, to-day, I shall be Nero. NERO. Be what Nero is In power and splendour, as in all things else, And for a little space control the realm. Fellows ! behold her where she mounts the throne. (NERO and ACTA change places.) She is great Caesar now, and I her slave To do her bidding and to joy therein, As storms fulfil the dictum of the gods. (Courtiers bow profoundly.) Begin, my Sweet ! begin thy dainty jests, NERO AMD ACTEA. 81 And with the weakness of thy woman-strength Uphold the sceptre of the king of kings. AcTiA. I'm Caesar then ? NERO. Aye, most confirmedly. ACTEA. Call back the Christian ! NERO. Call the Christian, ho !- I like it well ! If sun and moon and stars Were balls to play with, I would have them here. But what's thy purpose with the Bethlehemite ? ACTA. What Caesar means to do let none discuss. NERO. Thou bear'st it royally ! 82 NERO AND ACTEA. ACTEA. I am thyself; And so must bear me. But a truce to words ! (Re-enter ANSELMUS guarded as before.) Here comes the recreant ; and in time he comes To learn the upshot of our last resolve. Speak ! Thou'rt Anselmus ? Thou art that recluse ? ANSELMUS. I am that man. ACTEA. And thou'rt in enmity With lordly Caesar, lately made a god ? ANSELMUS. Not so, an't please thee. Nay, I know thy thought. But hide it, hide it, make no boast of it. NERO AND ACT&A. 83 ANSELMUS. There are no gods but One ! ACTA. I know thy vaunt. But thou'rt unlettered, and the late decrees Have not prevailed with thee, as they should do. Come, sir ! Thy foes have wronged thee, have they not? And, though a shrine- perverter. thou art cleansed Of rancorous hate and envy, and vile wrath ? ANSELMUS. I hate no man alive.^ ACTA. Then thou'rt prepared, Cleansed as thou art, to die unpleaded for ? ANSELMUS. To die's to live ! There's no such thing as death ! ACTA. Oh, then I plainly see that thou art mad ! 84 NERO AND ACT&A. Thou must be gone from here, and quickly too. There is no place for madmen here in Rome, And no provision made for malcontents. Nay, answer not. I know what thou would'st say. I read thy face as one may read a book, And in't I see strange things that anger me. Away! Remove him ! Rid him of his chains. Go, sirrah ! Shake the dust of ancient Rome From thine old feet, and quit our thoroughfares Now and for ever! Hence! Begone! Thou'rt free ! [Exit ANSELMUS, pushed out by the guard. What says my Lord ? Have I done ill or well ? NERO. Thou hast done well. ACTA. How is't, if this be so, That, thus within the compass of a smile, NERO AND ACrfiA. 85 Thou frown'st on me ? Nay ! I will know thy mind : And either kill the frown, if that may be, Or win the smile's completion in a kiss. NERO. Thou art most royal. Then my reign begins In downright earnest ? I may lord it here Some minutes more, and not be frowned upon ? (Enter a Nubian slave.) How now ? Thy mission ! SLAVE. Glaucus, my Lord, is fled ! NERO (starting up). Thou dog ! thou liest. x x x/ SLAVE. Indeed, 'tis true, great Caesar ! as I live. 86 NERO AND ACTEA. NERO. Thou liv'st too long. Despatch him, some of you. (Slave is cut down.) Oh, ye are traitors, all ! Away ! away ! In Glaucus' place, in that arch-rebel's stead, If not o'ertaken ere the day be flown, The best of you shall taste my dagger's point ! Away ! away ! He dies who speaks to me. [Exit, followed by ACTA and others, dispersedly. ACT IV. :iJii. V l **\JL OF THE ' -NiVERsrrv j Or SCENE I. Outer Shrine of the Temple of Bacchus. Enter Three PRIESTS. FIRST PRIEST. It must be shown that Fortune favours him, And that the augurs, aided by the gods, Foretell the death of Galba. SECOND PRIEST. What ! His death ? 6 90 NERO AND ACTEA. THIRD PRIEST. No way but that, unless the truth be told. FIRST PRIEST. A fig, sir, for the truth ! 'Tis out of gear. An honest lie that gives us meat and drink Will serve my turn and his and every man's. SECOND PRIEST. Fie, brother, fie ! A jest within the shrine ? Arid we on service, too ? For shame ! For shame ! FIRST PRIEST. Nay, that's no matter ! Caesar comes at noon ; And here he'll bribe the Fates, as I have said. A thousand pieces for the augur's fee, And twenty thousand for the shrine and us. THIRD PRIEST. How men are cozened ! FIRST PRIEST. Hush ! No word of that. Who robs a robber is no thief at all, NERO AND ACTl^A. 91 And Caesar's wealth is ours to angle for. (A gong sounds.) Hark ! 'Tis the signal. He is close at hand. Begone, I pray you ! In, for charity ! [Exeunt SECOND and THIRD PRIESTS. A double master means a double wage ; And I will so acquit me of my task That I shall win rewards from each in turn, And gage the gods themselves for mine own use. (Enter NERO.) Immortal Caesar! NERO. Smile the Fates to-day ? Or look they frowning forth ? FIRST PRIEST. On thee they smile. NERO. And Galba ? What of him ? FIRST PRIEST. His cup is full. 62 92 NERO AND ACTEA. NERO. Would it were poisoned ! FIRST PRIEST. He shall die full soon ; In desperate torture. Make no doubt of that ! NERO. He shall not then be Caesar, as I dreamt ? FIRST PRIEST. He shall be thrown as offal to the dogs. NERO. Is't so ordained ? FIRST PRIEST. The gods have willed it so. NERO. Why, then, let comets crack the firmament And winds tear up the trophies of the deep. I care not. I ! Such omens are for slaves. FIRST PRIEST. May't please thee, Caesar, that I do prepare NERO AND ACTEA. 93 The victim's shrine ? NERO. Do so, most reverend sir ! And see the beast be cleanly for the knife And so bedecked with flowers as fits the act. FIRST PRIEST. My lord shall be obeyed. [Exit- NERO. All things are nought, and nought is nothingness, And in the name of nought we live and die, Or think we die, if thought be what it seems. Ah me ! Ah me ! How memory finds us out When we would shirk its thrall ! A father slain, a mother put to death, A wife cut off with kisses on her mouth, And I the assassin ! Ha ! Such things have been, And then the whisperings of the inner soul, The fierce and fell retort of heart and nerve ? How then, ye gods ? Are ye concerned therewith, 94 NERO AND ACTJ&A. Or tricksters merely, tools of circumstance, Which in the end collapse ? If this be so, As there are signs thereof immutable, We may be what we are, or what we seem, To wile away the tedium of a god Who, by-and-by, will dream of other worlds, And then good-night ! A man may gull himself And think he lives when he's but so much air. (Enter SECOND and THIRD PRIESTS.) SECOND PRIEST. He is enrapt ! THIRD PRIEST. The fangs of his remorse Are fast upon him ; and his desolate eye Looks out unseeing. SECOND PRIEST. Hist ! He speaks again. NERO. The world's gone wrong. There's no such thing as peace ; NERO AND ACT&A. 95 For, what we do, when done, will trip us up When least we think it. We're not cognisant Of our full tether till we strain thereat. And there are dreams, outrageous, ill-defined, The pomp of death, enthralment's progeny, That do subvert our reason. Hope's a cheat, And joy a semblance, and ambition's prize A bauble merely, meant for babes and fools. SECOND PRIEST. The augurs wait, my lord ! NERO. And what the cost ? A stab, a kingdom, or a wanton's kiss, Which, for the nonce, we're proud of! Is't so much, Is't, O ye gods ! so much to be alive When we must pay a pang for every smile, And for the joys we snatch, a world of tears, And for a moment's gain an annual loss, 96 NERO AND ACTEA. And for a just revenge, long waited for, A day's damnation packed up to the brim ? And then, great Dis ! the upshot of it all, The rage, the rancour, and the lapse of love, Which at the augur's bidding may converge To things we knew not of, an hour agone. SECOND PRIEST. He waits within, my liege ! NERO. Ha ! Say'st thou so ? Well, I can cut as feelingly as he And probe as deeply for the sacrament. Come, sir ! let's in, to pluck from out the beast Its shuddering heart, and then again to prayers. SECOND PRIEST. With right goodwill, my true and honoured lord ! NERO. Come, both of you ! Oh, there are deeds to do NERO AND ACTEA. 97 Which must perforce affright the commoners When they shall speed me on the Appian Road. For I must write my name in foeman's blood, Straight through the annals. Quick ! Lead on, I say! [Exeunt. SCENE II. The Camp. Enter GALBA and GLAUCUS, in front of tent. GALBA. Yes, thou'rt as welcome as the sun in spring ; And Tigellinus for this quick reprieve Shall have my thanks. GLAUCUS. He may be trusted, then ? NERO AND ACTEA. 99 GALBA. He hath in part redeemed his word, I think. ' By Glaucus' head,' he wrote, ' I will perform This and all else I stand contracted for.' And he hath freed thee all the gods be praised ! GLAUCUS. Then he'll consort with us ? GALBA. No doubt he will. GLAUCUS. In days gone by 'tis said the Capitol Was saved by geese. A fox will guard it now ! GALBA. A fox indeed ! But tell me, Glaucus mine ! Is't well assured that Vasco and the rest, Lucius the Fair and valiant Philtorax, Will join our banner ? GLAUCUS. As I live they will. ioo NERO AND ACTfiA. GALBA. And Pyrrhus too, with all his myrmidons ? GLAUCUS. Pyrrhus, and all. GALBA. Why, then, the game's our own. GLAUCUS. Ere twice the sun has ringed the dome of heaven, A hundred thousand men will join us here. But, uncle ! uncle ! Pm at war to-day With mine own soul, or mine own soul with me ; Nor can I shake the curse from off my life. GALBA. Peace, boy! I know the legend of thy love, And how with tears and sighs and wanton moans Thou hast done penance for thy brief delights. GLAUCUS. Oh ! but to love a Venus, and to see Her piteous body hacked about with knives ! NERO AND ACT&A. 101 GALBA. No more, I pray thee ! GLAUCUS. Like a stricken doe She stood and bled, and I amazedly Did gape and stare. GALBA. Have done, thou foolish boy! A man may cheat himself in many ways ; And thou hast ta'en a glow-worm in the dark For some eternal, truth-abiding star. But learn in manhood what thy youth omits, And look beyond these shows to grander heights. GLAUCUS. Is there a grander height than woman's love ? GALBA. When Freedom calls us, when her flag is out, And when she blows her trumpet on the wind, We must forget all else and spring to her. 102 NERO AND ACTEA. Why, boy! the world is packed with womankind, And there are eyes of women all about, More numerous than the stars that shine in heaven, And more quick-prying than forget-me-nots. GLAUCUS. A thousand women will not make amends For one that's lost, when she's unparagoned. GALBA. Thou'lt win a bride ere long, a queenly one. Her name is Peace, though sistered, as I know, By War and Wonder. Oh, be true to her, And strike at once for Freedom and for Rome ! GLAUCUS. Thou hast prevailed. I am a soldier born, E'en as thyself art one, from top to toe. My tears I'll stint, my griefs I'll disallow, And be henceforward, for my country's sake, A friend to Freedom, Truth, and Victory. NERO AND ACT^A. 103 GALBA. Thy hand, my Glaucus ! Let's consult the map, And after pour libations to the gods, For thy soul's weal and mine. GLAUCUS. With all my heart ! [Exeunt. SCENE III. The battlements of a tower in the imperial gardens. Moonlight. Enter NERO, gaily attired. NERO. The night's not dark enough to be the foil Of mine out-yearning ; for the moon's abroad, And in her train a thousand peeping stars That stare and flash, as they were cognisant Of some disaster, not approved in Heaven. NERO AND ACTEA. 105 Ho, Tigellinus ! bring thy shadow here, To cut the moonlight into dusky shapes, That we may sport withal. I'm sad to-night, And feel as 'twere a pang about my heart Ho, Tigellinus ! bring thy warlike frame Where now I'd have it, here against the moon That doth upbraid me with her mawkish light. (Enter TIGELLINUS with a lute.) Thou'rt slack to-night, methinks, and peevish, too, Or I mistake thee. Where's mine instrument ? TIGELLINUS. Here, good my Liege. NERO. Go, place it in the niche Of yon bare wall ; and see thou break it not. So ! Now 'twill serve. What ails thee, man, to night, That thou dost greet me with so pert a look ? Thy service cools in thee, thy duty halts, And thou art changed in many a secret way. 7 io6 NERO AND ACTEA. I have observed of late thine altered mien, And but I know thee true I'd take the odds That thou'rt a schemer and a man of guile. TIGELLINUS. Great Caesar dreams of this, and wrongs his friend NERO. If gold can buy a man, I've purchased thee. Thine arms are mine, thy feet, thine every part. There's not an inch of thee that is not mine ; Aye, every thought thou hast, and every thew Is bought and paid for. TIGELLINUS. Say 'tis so, my Liege ! I am not perfect, though with heart and soul I serve Perfection. Were I perfected, I then were Csesar. NERO. Ha! NERO AND ACT^A. 107 TIGELLINUS. I cannot flatter would to Heaven I could ! I am a poor paid fool that say my say, And what I think, though there be peril in't, I straightway speak a blunt, unvarnished man, Who makes no secret of his faithful heart. NERO. Enough ! I know thy general honesty ; But urge it not, as daws and parrots do, Lest it should crack i' the bluster and so end. I know thou'rt honest. Shall I denounce what's mine and call it naught When I do know the price I pay for it ? TIGELLINUS. Ask me to do a deed thrice damnable \ Ask it, my master ! Ask me, an thou wilt, To fool a virgin, or to flesh a child, And I'll so bear me, and so suddenly NERO. How far is't that we stand above the ground ? 72 io.8 NERO AND ACTEA. TlGELLINUS. A hundred feet, my Liege ! if one may judge. (Aside) Now could I hurl him from the battlements Were he not chartered for a heavier doom. A hundred feet, my Liege ! and more than that. NERO. Hast fired the house of Sardi and his crew ? TlGELLINUS. I have, my Lord. NERO And Vasco's domicile ? TlGELLINUS. That also, and the house of Philtorax. NERO. Lucretius Cloten, is his palace fired ? There are some fifty houses on the list. Have all been seen to ? TlGELLINUS. All, an't please thee, Sire. NERO AND ACTEA. 109 NERO. That's bravely done ! TlGELLINUS. The cellars here and there I've stocked with pitch and straw that's quick to burn. And furthermore, as thou didst caution me, I've given it out that, in their fiendish spite, The Christians are to blame for all this rack. A thousand shuddering souls will seek the shades While we look on, unmoved and unassailed. NERO. Oh ! when will't all begin ? The curtain's up ! The shadowy screen that hid the firmament Has cleared abruptly. When will't all begin ? TlGELLINUS. When yonder moon has reached the Ple'fad group. NERO. Then Rome is like a scorpion ringed in fire, no NERO AND AC l And soon must bite itself and sting its brain ? Is this not so ? TlGELLINUS. 'Tis so, most mighty Liege ! NERO. And Lucius ? What says he ? Of all my friends He is, I think, the one I cherish most. He should be here to-night. But what says he ? A better soul may not be found alive, Or one addicted more to merriment ! I'll wager fifty horses to one bull That Lucius Claudius when he sees the sport Will much applaud it. TlGELLINUS. Sire, he likes it not. He fears 'twill end but badly for the State. NERO. The gods confound him for a peevish fool ! He is thy brother's son ; I know it well ; NERO AND ACTEA. in But sons are mortal. Brothers are the same, And thou thyself art made as other men. See to't, I say ! Who wears a frown to-night May lose his head to-morrow. Think upon't. TIGELLINUS. I will, most honoured lord ! (Aside) And so wilt thou ! NERO. What ! He will question ? He will carp at me, And say ' do this ' or ' that/ as suits his whim ? Make him a torso ! Lop him, hand and foot ! TIGELLINUS. He shall not live ! But, Caesar, look the while. The moon has reached the stars I told thee of. NERO. O brave ! O wonderful ! The world's on fire ; And east and west have changed their opposites. . (Flames break out in all directions.) See, Tigellinus ! See how grand it is, NKRO AND ACT^A. And how the flames do eat the darkness up ! Give me my lute, and keep thou close to me. There is a kind of sunset everywhere Which, by-and-by, the gods will gaze upon. My lute, I say ! We'll mount the upper tower, And there rehearse the burning of old Troy. Come, let's ascend ! [Exeunt. ACT V SCENE I. The camp at Ostia. Enter GLAUCUS, VASCO, Lucius, and others. GLAUCUS. FAIR sirs ! he'll come. He bade us wait for him Here at the cross-way 'twixt the villages ; And I mistake mine eyesight overmuch Or he's in view. What ho ! Good uncle ! Ho ! (Enter GALBA.) We have a word in store will flush thy cheek n6 NERO AND ACTEA. And make thee young again. GALBA. Pronounce it, boy ! GLAUCUS. It is a word so packed with potency That, like a charm, 'twill act upon thy life, And give thee back the summer of thy days. GALBA. Out with it, Glaucus. GLAUCUS. Ave, Imperator ! GALBA. Imperator ! Is that thy famous word ? I've heard it once too oft, and so hast thou. All Rome has heard it. Earth and sea and sky Have learnt to loathe its purport everywhere, As girt about with dangers for the world. GLAUCUS. Oh, thou shalt hear it, uncle, all day long. NERO AND ACT&A. 117 Caesar is Caesar. Galba's name is Caesar. If there's a better name 'tis thine to hold. Caesar, all hail ! VASCO. All hail, great Caesar ! Ave, Imperator ! LUCIUS AND OTHERS. Caesar ! Caesar ! Caesar ! GALBA. What ! will you thrust a sceptre in my hand And o'er-persuade me to ascend a throne Which best were swept away, for all men's good ? GLAUCUS. The troops will have it, uncle. They're agog For feasts and frippery, and the forms of state, Which never yet have palled on commoners. GALBA. Hast sounded all the troops, from first to last ? GLAUCUS. We have ; and found them ardent, brave and true. n8 NERO AND ACTEA. Lucius. They're mad for action, Galba, and for thee Would conquer Hades or invade the stars. VASCO. Indeed, 'tis true. Come, sir ! be well-advised. Take what's thine own : the world and all that's in't, And all the glories that pertain thereto. GALBA. I am but mortal, and ye press me hard ; Nor can I stint allegiance to the cause Of Rome and Justice. But at Freedom's call, At hers alone bear witness, each of you I wave aloft, relentless, unrestrained, The fearful standard of our Land's revolt. GLAUCUS. So be it, then ! We'll fight for Liberty And then for Empire in the name of Peace ! [Exeunt. SCENE II. A banquet-hall in CAESAR'S palace. NERO and ACTEA seated in the place of honour. Lords and ladies at table dispersedly in festive robes. Nubian and white slaves on duty. Cupbearers and others. Hall brilliantly lighted up. NERO. Now, Tigellinus, glad mine ears again With thy good news, and let the wine go round ! (Cupbearers replenish the bowls.} Galba is dead, thou sayest ? How died the man ? In war's embracements, as a soldier should, i2o NERO AND ACTtiA. Or done to death by rogues and sycophants ? TIGELLINUS. He fell in harness, at the battle's front, And at his side young Vasco, as I hear, And bold Ventidius, famed for deeds of war. NERO. Then all are vanquished ? TIGELLINUS. Vanquished, Sire, and slain, And with them Glaucus and his raw recruits, Who never more shall vex the world or thee. (Aside) Until they force the gates, as soon they will ! NERO (drinking to TIGELLINUS). Good, sir ! I thank thee. Caesar thanks his friend, The best and bravest whom my heart has known. Fill high the bowl ! Be all men comforted. We've gained, it seems, a glorious victory, Which by-and-by the world will wonder at. And thou, Actea, art content therewith ? NERO AND ACTEA. 121 ACTA. I'm ill at ease, my Lord. I know not why ! Perchance my brain is wrought with too much pomp, Which never yet was mated with content. NERO. Ha ! Tears again ? Go to ! I like it not. ACTEA. Forgive me, Sire ! I had a dream of thee, And in't I saw what seemed a deadly snake Coiled in the cushions of the empire-throne. And as I gazed thereat, nigh dead with fear, I saw 'twas half a snake and half a man, And wore the face of Tigellinus there. NERO. Tut ! Thou'rt a woman, and a foolish one. ACTA. A loving one, my Lord ! Take heed of him. I say, take heed ! NERO. Have done ! Thou troublest me. 8 122 NERO AND ACT^A. The man's as honest as the bird of dawn And more quick-serving than the thunderbolt ! I've watched him, wench. The man's no make-believe. ACTEA. I pray thee, Caesar, keep thy room to-night. Forego more state, admit no revellers ! A woman's love is like the summer sky ; All day 'tis lightened by the sun of faith, And all night long its eyes are everywhere. The stars are not more constant in their course Than woman's eyes are true to their one love. (Enter men, quaintly attired and masked.} NERO. Hist ! Break thee off ! Here come or I mistake The priests of Bacchus bent on jollity. Have they some part to play ? TIGELLINUS. They have, my Liege ! NERO. Let them begin ! I love what's venturesome NERO AND ACTEA. 123 In art and pleasure. Give me joyful priests And I'll forgive their slips in holiness. TlGELLINUS. You hear him, friends ? Throw caution to the winds, And show him face to face what men you be. (The new-comers unmask.) Caesar, thine hour has come ! NERO. Mine hour, say'st thou ? TlGELLINUS. Thy death-hour, Caesar ! NERO (starting to his feet). Dog ! Villain ! Traitor ! What ! young Glaucus too ? And Philtorax and Lucius and the rest, All Galba's retinue of thieves and spies ? Have at them, slaves ! (AcT^A clings to NERO ; the slaves protect them with drawn swords.} Aye, beat them promptly back ! The gods themselves 82 i2 4 NERO AND ACT&A. Are leagued with Caesar ! Ho, my body-guard ! What ho ! within ! (Lightning and claps of thunder.) TlGELLINUS. The gods have given thee, Caesar ! to our hands, Arid all in vain thou call'st thy myrmidons. I've purchased them with gold of thine own purse, As thou didst purchase me in days gone by, Though I've retained some portion of myself To thwart thine aims withal. Have at him, friends ! And LONG LIVE GALBA ! Jove defend the right ! (Prolonged thunder, during which the lamps are ex- tinguished. Skirmish. Part of the roof falls in and columns are overturned. Cries of ( Down with Nero ! Death to the Tyrant ! Liberty ! Galba /' etc. Scene closes in complete darkness.) SCENE III. A subterranean chamber near the Aventine. A rude stone altar with lighted tapevs ; and over the same a crucifix. Enter ANSELMUS and a BOY. ANSELMUS. Go, child, and bring me word what's in the air. A storm, belike, or some discordancy 'Twixt earth and heaven, foretold in Palestine. [Exit BOY. I fear I know not what ! The Judgment-day Seems close at hand, as Paul did predicate. 126 NERO AND AC TEA. And who shall say how soon 'twill jeopardize The sentient joys of death-devising men? For some are called, arid some (Re-enter BOY.) Well, what's amiss ? BOY. Fly, fly, my master ! All the town's astir. The clouds rain blood, the firmament's on fire, And roystering winds are loosed upon the earth. Men seek thee out, it seems, both high and low, And still they cry : ' Anselmus ! down with him ! Down with the Christian knaves !' and on they speed. ANSELMUS. Thy news are paramount. Come, take my hand ! There is a secret passage, as thou know'st, And we'll repair thereto. Quick, boy ! Let's in. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The same. Thunder and lightning. Enter NERO NERO. A dog may run to earth on such a night, And so may Caesar ! Aye, 'tis told of me, By grey-beard, ancient men who read the stars, That I shall die of surfeit after wine, And not of sorrow ; and, since this is so, What brooks an hour's rebellion, more or less, 128 NERO AND ACTEA. When I have surety of a ripe old age, And joys unnumbered, and a nectared death ? (Flashes of lightning, then thunder.) There is a battle somewhere in the clouds, And mounted gods, astride on hurricanes, Do flash their sabres ; while, with echoed thuds, The fearful thunder shakes the vault of Heaven ! (More thunder.) It is the car of Jove that on the wind Goes rattling by, to scour, incontinent, The realms of air, abused by anarchists, As I myself am wronged and rated at. But who comes here ? I'll stand aside and watch. (Enter two SOLDIERS.) FIRST SOLDIER. He passed this way. Anselmus ! Traitorous hound ! Come forth and show thy foul and ferret-face. SECOND SOLDIER. Thou hast mista'en the road. There's no one here. NERO AND ACT&A. 129 FIRST SOLDIER. I know not that. Here's one will answer us. Ho, fellow ! Show what spawn of earth thou art. NERO (coming forward). An honest man am I, or so I've heard And there are scribes will bear me out in this ; But fall'n on evil days I tread the paths Of shame and beggary, as my betters do. .FIRST SOLDIER. Thy rags protect thee ! SECOND SOLDIER. Art thou such a one ? And seek'st the haunt of that vile reprobate Who, with his fellows, fired the streets of Rome. Art thou Anselmus ? NERO. What 1 am, I am ! We know not what we are. I least of all. (Enter ANSELMUS behind.) FIRST SOLDIER. Not know ourselves ? Thou art perchance a wit 130 NERO AND ACT&A. And canst at will-unloose the elements, Or, like a wizard, call the dead to life ? If this be so, my weapon hurts thee not. Come ! give a shrewder answer, or thou diest ! (Prepares to lunge at him.} ANSELMUS (coming forward) . These holy vaults are sacred to the Lord ; And He permits no murder. FIRST SOLDIER. Who art thou ? ANSELMUS. His poor disciple. FIRST SOLDIER. Old Anselmus then ? ANSELMUS. Thou say'st aright. FIRST SOLDIER. Then thou shalt die forthwith ! NERO AND ACTEA. 131 SECOND SOLDIER. Tut ! Tut ! Put up thy blade. There's more at stake Than yet thou know'st of. Yonder seeming-churl Is our late Caesar. FIRST SOLDIER. How ? This gad-about With pinched-up smile and features all a-cold ? It cannot be. SECOND SOLDIER. Look well upon his brow, And note the contour of his lineaments. I've spent that face of his to buy me bread. I've chinked it, too, and stored it in my fob. See here ! This coin will tell thee what he is. FIRST SOLDIER. /* 'Fore Heaven 'tis true ! (To NERO) Come, sir ! Lift up thy face. We have some doubts of thee in this attire. 132 NERO AND ACT&A. Art them not Caesar ? NERO. Aye, good militants ! For though ye stint allegiance, as I see, And though ye bend not as the custom is, I have some record, too, to go upon. The winds have roared at me from far and near, And hailed me Caesar, as the troops have done. And there have been dissensions in the clouds ; And fires from Heaven have fallen about my feet. FIRST SOLDIER. As thou shalt fall at mine. Come, eat my sword ! ANSELMUS. Rude fellow ! Hence ! Nay ; I will shelter him ! (Stands in front of SOLDIER.) In God's high name I charge thee quit the bounds Of His true altar ! FIRST SOLDIER. What ! Wilt sermonize. NERO AND ACT^A. 133 And mouth at me, malignant as thou art ? Take mine Amen, 'and wear't within thy soul, And this, and this, by way of epilogue ! (Stabs him; ANSELMUS/