Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

AND

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

JULY 1821.

[blocks in formation]

I FORWARD YOU some specimens of a tragedy which, independently of its intrinsic merits, I consider a great literary curiosity. It is not mentioned in the "Biographia Dramatica," or in any of the works of the dramatic bibliographers with which I am acquainted. The copy which I possess was bound up in a volume of worthless tracts, and is in very fine preservation. If brought to the hammer, I have no doubt Mr Heber, or some other voracious bibliomaniac, would gladly give as many guineas for it as it cost me pence. The attention of the public having been thoroughly attracted to our early drama by the excellent" Specimens" of Mr Lamb, and more recently by the admirable series of articles on this subject in the "Retrospective Review," I think some account of this rare (perhaps unique) play may be acceptable to your readers. The title is as follows:"The Famouse Historie of Petronius Maximus, with the tragicall deathe of Etius, the Roman General, and the Misdeeds of Valentinian, the Western Emperour, now attempted in blank verse, by W. S. London: Printed by William Brent, for Nathaniel Butter, and sold by him at his shop in Paule's Churchyarde, 1619."

I have been hitherto unable to discover any writer of that period whose initials agree with those on the title

page, and whose style at all tallies with that of the play before us. There is a greater degree of correctness in the language and versification, and of regularity in the plot, than is common to the writers of that period. The story has been also handled by Beaumont and Fletcher, whose play of Valentinian contains some fine scenes, and many splendid passages; but the plot is defective, and the characters ill drawn, and inconsistent. The story of" the Famouse Tragedie" is this:-In the reign of Valentinian II. (a weak and luxurious prince, who is supported on the throne by the valour and conduct of Etius, to whose sister he is married,) Maximus, a brave but wayward youth, after serving some time in the legions of Ætius, had left the army,

In fierce resentmente that his merits past without rewarde or prayse.

He soon after marries a young and beautiful wife, with whom he retires into the country, and devotes himself to the cultivation of his paternal domains. The Emperor Valentinian, in one of his hunting excursions, visits the abode of Maximus, and is captivated by the beauty of his wife. To facilitate his desires on the latter, he takes Maximus into his service, and dispatches him on a distant embassy to Genseric, in Africa. During his absence, the Emperor tries, but in vain, every method of seducing Sabina from her allegiance, and at length effects his purpose by violence. Maximus returns in time to witness the death of his wife, who would not

After a short

survive her dishonour. interval of anguish and rage, during which his reason was almost unsettled, Maximus repairs to court, with

a stern resolution to smother his re

sentment, till occasion should prompt him to a vengeance "boundless as his wrongs." Valentinian, deceived by his apparent unconsciousness of his injuries, receives him graciously, and Maximus exerts himself so effectually as to rise rapidly in favour with his weak and indolent master. His first care is to remove from the Emperor's person all those whose talents or fidelity he dreaded, and to supply their places with powerless or treacherous dependants. He even endeavours to win to his projects the Empress Eudocia, who had long been neglected by her husband. Encouraged by her apparent acquiescence, he ventures to hint his personal devotion to her; but she indignantly spurns his overtures, and accuses him of this attempt to the Emperor. Maximus artfully retorts the charge, and contrives to convince the Emperor that the accusation originates in revenge for his having shunned her attachment; and she is in consequence rigorously immured. While these machinations are going on, Etius, having driven Attila from Gaul, returns to Rome, and enters the city with few attendants. On his arrival, Etius inquires why his sister is absent? Valentinian accuses her of her intended infidelity. Etius expresses his contempt and disbelief of the accusation, and indignantly threatens Maximus, if he fail to prove his assertions; and the latter replies to him with equal haughtiness and defiance. Etius hastens to his sister, and Maximus persuades the Emperor that his only chance of safety depends on the immediate destruction of Ætius, while he is yet within his power. Valentinian, accordingly, gives orders for the destruction of the General, who is attacked by some of the Prætorian guards in the apartments of the Empress, and slain after a desperate resistance. Maximus, taking the body with him, leaves the city privately, and proceeds to the camp of Ætius. He arrives in the night, rouses the troops, and exhibits the body of their beloved commander; accuses Valentinian of his murder, and incites them to vengeance. They unanimously vow to revenge Etius,

salute Maximus with the title of Emperor, and march tumultuously for Rome. Meanwhile, Valentinian, elated with his emancipation from the control of Etius, gives a sumptuous banquet in his palace, at which he gives a loose to triumph and revelry. The riotous mirth of the feast is interrupted by the sudden entrance of Eudocia, who bitterly upbraids the Emperor with the murder of her brother, and denounces speedy and heavy vengeance on his destroyer. She is forcibly removed, and Valentinian resumes his arrogance and enjoyment. A messenger arrives with the intelligence that the army is in revolt. Valentinian bids him seek Maximus, and order him to put down the rebels. Maximus cannot be found, and it is soon rumoured that he is at the head of the insurgents. Valentinian, affecting resolution, orders Rufinus, the prefect of the Prætorian guards, to defend the gates; but the latter shows no promptitude in obeying; and on being reproached by Valentinian, leaves him with the undisguised intention of joining the enemy. The parasites and attendants of the Emperor disperse in consternation, and he is left almost alone in his palace. this state of desertion and despair, he is sinking under an agony of remorse and terror, when Eudocia enters, and exhorts him to meet his fate as becomes a man and a Cæsar. The foes soon enter the palace-Maximus rushes in-drives back the soldiers, who were furious to destroy the murderer of their general-bitterly taunts Valentinian with his wrongs-fights with, and kills him.-Finding the tenure by which he held his authority extremely precarious, Maximus resolves to espouse the widow of Valentinian. Eudocia indignantly rejects his love, and contemns his threats. She, however, suddenly changes her mind, and the nuptials speedily take place.-The last scene of the play represents a splendid banquet in honour of this event. Maximus impatiently calls for wine," to carouse to Rome and his Eudocia." The Empress herself presents him with a bowl; he raises it to his lips,-then suddenly pausing, fixes his eye doubtfully on Eudocia, and exclaims, "Drink thou." She receives the bowl, and drinks without hesitation. Maximus re-assured, quaffs the wine, and exultingly ad

In

dresses the assembled nobles on his plans of ambition and empire. He then turns to the Empress, who repulses him with horror, denounces him as the murderer of her brother and her husband, tells him he has imbibed inevitable death in the wine, and dies exulting at having avenged Etius and mankind. Maximus, in a speech of mingled remorse, triumph, and justification, hurriedly adverts to his wrongs, and expires.

The author has evidently bestowed much pains on the character of Maximus. This usurper is represented as not by nature bloody and treacherous; but the milk of human kindness in him had been soured by injury. Having received a deep and irreparable wrong, he seemed to feel himself emancipated from all the ties that

bound him to his species. He takes refuge from intense and intolerable feeling in the indulgence of his only remaining passions, ambition and revenge. His revenge receives an additional stimulus from his ambition, and his ambition is rendered remorseless by his revenge. This complication of passion appears to me an injudicious choice, and somewhat difficult of delineation. W. S. however, has managed it better than might have been expected in a coup d'essai, as this I imagine to be, from some expressions in the author's dedication

to his looving uncle, T. S. Gent." But it is time to give a few specimens of this curious production. The following is the foreboding soliloquy of Etius on coming within sight of Rome:

O thou imperiouse Citie! once againe
I see thee, glitteringe in thy long arai
Of gorgeous domes and skie-aspiring toures:
Thou home of mightie men, thou mart of greatnes,
Thie sunne is sette for aye: the fletinge lightes
That gleame upon thy darke and drearie annales,
Are but the passing meteors of an houre,
That blaise and are not. Ev'n such is Etius!
I cannot rolle the tide of conqueste backeward,
That wins with everie surge upon thy boundes,
And saps the moulderinge pillers of thy strengthe:
I can but propp awhile thy cumbrous weight,
That topples to its fall. The storme of fate
Gathers and blackens round thee soone, proud Rome,
Twil burst and overwheline thy giante pride.

And was it but for this the Decii died?
And was it but for this great Julius conquered?
Have heros, sages, chiefs, bled, councelled, toyled,
All but for this?

O! Rome, how gloriouse in thy hardie youthe,
How mightie in the manhoode of thy state;
But O! how tame, how base, how impotente,
In thy despised olde age! Thou canst not falle
With dignitie, but must remaine a scoffe

And bye-worde to the churles that climbe to empire
Upon thy ruines, and with barbarouse tongue
Prophane the temples and majestick halles

Where honei-tonged Virgilius sang of Troye,

And Tullye fulmined forthe immortale wordes!

Maximus's description of his first interview with the Emperor, after the death of his wife, is rather striking, though the manner in which Valentinian scrutinizes the man whom he had so deeply injured, indicates a hardihood in villany not in keeping with the character of that voluptuous prince,

I found the base purloyner of my honour

Revelling in the fulnes of his pride,
And surfeiting on pleasure *

His eye met mine, and shrunk abashed; the blood
Fled from that visage which defy'd the heavens,

And his proude lip was blanch'd with gilty feare.
But soon the cloude past offe, for he was girt
With thronging courtiers, and I stood alone,
Defenceless and unarmed :-That thoughte rekindled
His wonted pride: he fixte on me a looke

Of hesitatinge doubte, that seemed to ask-
Know'st thou thus much ?-He gazed on me, Sabinus,
As he woulde search my verye inwarde soule
To finde its secret: then a looke, a tone,
The quiv'ring lippe, the shrinking eye, that told
Of consciousness, had doom'd me to a deathe
Instante and unreveng'd-a tyrant's feare
Is deadly as his hate-I brav'd his glance
With steady apathy, (for I had mann'd
My bosom for its task,) and not a feature
Betwray'd the troubled workings of my soule.

The following scene takes place on the day of the expected arrival of Ætius.

EUDOCIA AND CLAUDINA.

Eud. How heavily the lagging houres creepe on
That yet divide me from my brother's armes!
O that thy steede, Etius, could keep pace

With my swift-winged desires! This widow'd hearte,
That cherishes its solitarie woe

When all around are gay, at thy approache

Feels lightened of its griefs. Come, quicklie come,
Thou brother of my soul, and lette me claspe thee,
Crown'd with the victor's laurel, bravelie wonne
From all the rugged warriors of the north.

Cla. The consul Maximus

I will avoid him.

Eud.
I like not that bolde man; he is too forwarde
And lavish of his zeale-Awaye, and leave him.
Cla. He is alreadie here.

Max. Imperiale ladie, if I rudelie presse

Upon your privacie, my duteouse zeale

Eud. Say that Etius comes, and it is pardoned.

Max. Another houre, and gratefulle Rome will banquette
Her eyes on her deliverer. Populouse streetes,

The common hauntes of man, silent and empty,

Shew like a deserte, while the peopled walls

Groane with their loade, and the Flaminian waye

Chokes with the eager thronge. The mighty Julius,
Whose life was but one victorie, yet knew not

A prouder day than this!

Eud.

My valiante brother

[blocks in formation]

The love or hate of coward senators,

The pamperde sons of peace, is much beneathe
Etius' care; and thy officious feare
Dishonours him.

Max.
I would my feares were groundless;
But mightie men and mightie states have fallen
By mean and trivial foes. The curst Heraclius
(That smoothe and subtle ministere of ille)
With devilish ingenuite distorts

The fayrest vertues of your brother's life
To usurpation and rebellious pryde:

And Cæsar's credulous mind imbibes the poison
Of dark distruste and hatrede, which will worke
The fall of one or both.

Eud.

It may be so

But why of this to me? Have I the power

To crush these reptiles? If they dared to crosse
Thy lightest humoure, thy revengfulle hande

Would sweepe them from thy pathe: but if theire malice
Would undermine the bulwarke of the state,

Would worke the downfalle of the Roman champion,
And peril Cæsar in his overthrowe,

The great all-potent Maximus (whose will

Is more than law in Rome) resortes to me,

(A weeke and powerlesse woman,) to complain

That such men are:-they are but by thy sufferance,

Max. There was a time when I, indeed, might boaste

Some share of power, (perhaps too much for me

To keepe or lose with safetie,) but 'tis past:

My foolish honestie aspired to serve

The state and not myself; it was a brighte
But idle dreame. It is a crime with Cæsar
To be or but seeme vertuous.

This to me!

Eud.
The wife of Cæsar, and from Cæsar's vassall!
Hast thou no feeres, presumptous-

Max.

None!-my love,
(My zeale I would have sayde-my duteous zeale,)
Dares brave even your rebuke.........
Sister of great Ætius, on this houre

....

The fate of nations hangs. Treason and murder
Have wette their daggers for the bloodiest deede
That ever stained the annales of our tyrantes.
If Ætius enter Rome-he dies

Eud.

Ætius!

The conqueroure of Attila, with all

His thousands rounde him! Treason would recoil
In hopelessnesse from such unequal daring!

Mar. Little, alas! availes the soldier's faulchion
Against the assassin's dagger,-but he comes
Alone to Rome, with nothinge but his vertues
To fence his dauntlesse breast. Domestic treacherie,
And his own recklesse confidence, have severed
His faithfulle legions from him. Cæsar's hate
Hathe mark'd him for the grave; and e'er the sunne,
That now is climbinge his meridiane heighte,
Hath reached his western goal, Ætius falls,

Or Cæsar's reign is o'er.

Eud.

If thou dost speake it unadvisedlie,

Petronius Maximus,

[blocks in formation]

Max.

My life shall answere it. In one shorte houre

The horrors which my wordes have feeblie shadowed
Will with their palpable and bloodie formes

Appal the eye and hearte. Is this a time

To doubt and waver, when your brother's fate
Trembles 'twixt life and deathe?

Eud.
O save him, save him!
But thou-thou knewst of all their hellishe plotte-
Thou too wert leagued to slaie him.-O! what hope

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »