Enter Dorax, attended by three Soldiers.
Emp. Thou mov'st a tortoise-pace to my relief.
Take hence that once a king; that sullen pride,
That swells to dumbness: lay him in the dungeon,
And sink him deep with irons, that, when he would,
He shall not groan to hearing; when I send,
The next commands are death.
Alm. Then prayers are vain as curses.
Emp. Much at one
In a slave's mouth, against a monarch's power.
This day thou hast to think;
At night, if thou wilt curse, thou shalt curse kindly;
Then I'll provoke thy lips, lay siege so close,
That all thy sallying breath shall turn to blessings.—
Make haste, seize, force her, bear her hence.
Alm. Farewell, my last Sebastian!
I do not beg, I challenge justice now.—
O Powers, if kings be your peculiar care,
Why plays this wretch with your prerogative?
Now flash him dead, now crumble him to ashes,
Or henceforth live confined in your own palace;
And look not idly out upon a world,
That is no longer yours.
[She is carried off struggling; Emperor and Benducar follow. Sebastian struggles in his Guards' arms, and shakes off one of them; but two others come in, and hold him; he speaks not all the while.
Dor. I find I'm but a half-strained villain yet;
But mongrel-mischievous; for my blood boiled,
To view this brutal act; and my stern soul
Tugged at my arm, to draw in her defence.[Aside.
364 Down, thou rebelling Christian in my heart!
Redeem thy fame on this Sebastian first;[Walks a turn.
Then think on other wrongs, when thine are righted.
But how to right them? on a slave disarmed,
Defenceless, and submitted to my rage?
A base revenge is vengeance on myself:—[Walks again.
I have it, and I thank thee, honest head,
Thus present to me at my great necessity.— [Comes up to Sebastian.
You know me not?
Seb. I hear men call thee Dorax.
Dor. 'Tis well; you know enough for once:—you speak too;
You were struck mute before.
Seb. Silence became me then.
Dor. Yet we may talk hereafter.