Chapter 10Act III, Scene 1

Act III

The Palace in Antioch. Under the hills.

Scene 1 The Audience-Chamber in the Palace. Nicanor, Phayllus and others seated; Eunice, Philoctetes, Thoas apart near the dais.

THOAS Is it patent? Is he the elder? do we know?

EUNICE Should he not rule?

THOAS

If Fate were wise, he should.

EUNICE Will Timocles sack great Persepolis? Sooner I think Phraates will couch here, The mighty, steadfast, patient, subtle man, And from the loiterer take, the sensualist Antioch of the Seleucidae.

THOAS

Perhaps. But shall I rise against the country’s laws That harbours me? The sword I draw, is hers.

EUNICE Are law and justice always one? Reflect.

THOAS If justice is offended, I will strike.

He withdraws to another part of the hall.

EUNICE The man is wise, but when ambition’s heaped In a great bosom, Fate takes quickly fire. It only needs the spark.

PHILOCTETES

Is it only that That’s needed? there shall be the spark.

He withdraws.

EUNICE

Fate or else Chance Work out the rest. I have given your powers a lead.

Nicanor, who has drawn near, stops before her.

NICANOR Your council’s finished then?

EUNICE

What council, father?

NICANOR I have seen, though I have not spoken. Meddle not In things too great for you. This realm and nation Are not a skein for weaving fine intrigues In your shut chambers.

EUNICE

We have other sports. What do you mean?

NICANOR

See less Antiochus. Carry not there your daring spirit and free rein To passion and ambition nor your bright scorn Of every law that checks your headstrong will. Or must I find a curb that shall restrain you?

He withdraws.

EUNICE My prudent father! These men think that wisdom Is tied up to beards. We too have heads And finer brains within them, as I think!

She goes up on the dais. Leosthenes, Callicrates

and others enter together.

THOAS Leosthenes from Parthia! Speeds the war?

LEOSTHENES It waits a captain.

THOAS

It shall have today A king of captains.

LEOSTHENES

I have seen the boy. But there’s a mystery? Shall he be the king?

THOAS If Fate agrees with Nature.

LEOSTHENES

Neither can err So utterly, I think; for, if they could, Man’s will would have a claim to unseat Fate, Which cannot be.

Cleopatra enters with Antiochus and

Timocles; Cleone, Rodogune in attendance,

the latter richly robed.

PHILOCTETES

See where she places him!

THOAS ’Tis on her right!

PHAYLLUS

It is a woman’s ruse. Or must I at disadvantage play the game With this strong piece against?

CLEOPATRA The strong Antiochus has gone too early Down the dim gorges to that silent world Where we must one day follow him. A younger hand Takes up his sceptre and controls his sword. These are the Syrian twins, Nicanor’s sons, These are Antiochus and Timocles. Why so long buried, why their right oppressed, Why their precedence tyrannously concealed, Forget. Forget old griefs, old hatreds; let them rest Inurned, nor from their night recover them.

NICANOR We need not raise the curtains that conceal Things long inurned, but lest by this one doubt The dead past lay a dark and heavy hand Upon our fairer future, let us swear The Queen shall be obeyed as if she spoke For Heaven. Betwixt the all-seeing gods and her Confine all cause of quarrel.

PHAYLLUS

Let the princes swear; For how can subjects jar if they agree?

CLEOPATRA O not with oaths compel the Syrian blood! My sons, do you consent?

TIMOCLES

Your sovereign will must rule, Mother, your children and our fraternal kindness Will drown the loser’s natural chagrin In joy at the other’s joy.

CLEOPATRA

Antiochus, my son!

ANTIOCHUS Your question, Madam, was for Timocles; From me it needs no answer.

PHAYLLUS

You accept Your mother’s choice?

ANTIOCHUS

God’s choice. My mother speaks A thing concealed, not one unsettled.

PHAYLLUS

Prince, Syria demands a plainer answer here.

ANTIOCHUS Who art thou? Art thou of Seleucus’ blood Who questionest Syria’s kings?

CLEOPATRA

Enough. My sons Will know how to respect their kingly birth. Today begins another era. Rise, Princess of Parthia; sit upon this throne, Phraates’ daughter; thou art peace and love And must today be crowned. Marvel not, Syrians; For it is peace my envoys bear by now Upon their saddles to Persepolis.

THOAS This was a secret haste!

LEOSTHENES

Is it possible? We had our heel upon the Parthian’s throat.

CLEOPATRA Since Parthia swept through the Iranian East Wrecking the mighty Macedonian’s toil, War sways for ever like a darkened sea In turmoil twixt our realms. How many heart-strings Have broken, what tears of anguish have been wept And eyes sought eastward unreturning eyes! Joy has been buried in the blood-drenched sands. Vain blood, vain weeping! Earth was made so wide That many might have majesty and joy Upon one mother’s equal breast. But we Arresting others’ portions lose our own. Nations that conquer widest, perish first, Sapped by the hate of an uneasy world. Then they are wisest victors who in time Knowing the limits of their prosperous fate Avoid the violence of Heaven. Syrians, After loud battles I have founded glorious peace. That fair work I began as Syria’s queen; To seal it Syria’s king must not refuse.

ANTIOCHUS I do refuse it. There shall be no peace.

CLEOPATRA My son!

ANTIOCHUS

Peace! Are the Parthians at our gates? Has not alarm besieged Ecbatana? When was it ever seen or heard till now That victors sued for peace? And this the reason, A woman’s reason, because many have bled And more have wept. It is the tears, the blood Prodigally spent that build a nation’s greatness. I here annul this peace, this woman’s peace, I will proclaim with noise of victories Its revocation.

PHAYLLUS

Now!

THOAS

Thou speakest, King!

TIMOCLES You are not crowned as yet, Antiochus.

ANTIOCHUS Syria forbids it, Syria’s destiny Sends forth her lion voices from the hills Where trumpets blare towards Persepolis, Forbidding peace.

CLEOPATRA

We do not sue for peace, My son, but give peace, taking provinces And taking Rodogune.

TIMOCLES

Who twenty times Outweighs all hero’s actions and exceeds Earth’s widest conquests.

ANTIOCHUS

For her and provinces! O worse disgrace! The sword had won us these. We wrong the mighty dead who conquered. Provinces! Whose soil are they that we must sue for them? The princess! She’s my prisoner, is she not? Must I entreat the baffled Parthian then What I shall do with my own slave-girl here In Antioch, in my palace? Queen of Syria, This was ignobly done.

CLEOPATRA I know you do not love me; in your cold heart Love finds no home; but still I am your mother. You will respect me thus when you are king?

ANTIOCHUS I will respect you in your place, enshrined In your apartments, governing your women, Not Syria.

CLEOPATRA

Leave it. You will not think of peace?

ANTIOCHUS Yes, when our armies reach Persepolis.

MELITUS How desperate looks the Queen! What comes of this?

NICANOR (who has been watching Eunice) End this debate; let Syria know her king.

TIMOCLES Mother!

CLEOPATRA

Behold your king!

MENTHO

She has done it, gods!

There is an astonished silence.

NICANOR Speak once more, daughter of high Ptolemy, Remembering God. Speak, have we understood? Is Timocles our king?

CLEOPATRA (with a mechanical and rigid gesture)

Behold your king!

Nicanor makes a motion of assent as

to the accomplished fact.

NICANOR Let then the King ascend his throne.

LEOSTHENES (half-rising)

Thoas!

PHILOCTETES Speak, King Antiochus, God’s chosen king Who art, not Cleopatra’s.

THOAS

Speak, Antiochus.

ANTIOCHUS Why didst thou give to me alone the name Of Syria’s princes? why upon thy right Hast seated me? or wherefore mad’st thou terms For that near time when I should be the king, Chaffering for my consent with arguments Unneeded if the younger were preferred? Wilt thou invoke the gods to seal this lie?

CLEOPATRA Dost thou insult me thus before my world? Ascend the throne, my son.

ANTIOCHUS

Stay, Timocles. Make not such haste, my brother, to supplant Thy elder.

TIMOCLES

My elder?

He looks at Cleopatra.

CLEOPATRA

I have spoken the truth.

MENTHO Thou hast not; thou art delivered of a lie, A monstrous lie.

CLEONE

Silence, thou swarthy slave!

MENTHO I’ll not be silent. She offends the gods. I am Mentho the Egyptian, she who saw The royal children born. She lies to you, O Syrians. Royal young Antiochus Was first on earth.

THOAS

The truth breaks out at last.

PHAYLLUS This is a slave the surplus mud of Nile Engendered. Shall we wrong the Queen by hearing her?

MENTHO I was a noble Egyptian’s wife in Memphis, No slave, thou Syrian mongrel, and my word May stand against a perjured queen’s.

EUNICE (leaning forward)

Is’t done?

Nicanor who has been hesitating, observes

her action and stands forward to speak.

NICANOR The royal blood of Egypt cannot lie. Shall Syria’s queen be questioned? Shall common words Of common men be weighed against the breath of kings? Let not wild strife arise, O princes, let it not. Antiochus, renounce unfilial pride; Wound not thy mother and thy motherland, Son of Nicanor.

THOAS

Shall a lie prevail?

NICANOR (looking again at Eunice) It was settled then among you! Be it so. My sword is bare. I stand for Syria’s king.

PHILOCTETES (in the midst of a general hesitation) Egyptian Philoctetes takes thy challenge, Nicanor.

ANTIOCHUS

Who is for me in Syria?

THOAS

I set my sword Against Nicanor’s.

LEOSTHENES

I am Leosthenes. I draw my victor steel for King Antiochus.

ANTIOCHUS Who else for me?

OTHERS

I! I! and I! and I!

CALLICRATES AND OTHERS We for King Timocles.

LEOSTHENES

Slay them, cut down The party of the liars.

There is a shouting and tumult with

drawing and movement of swords.

NICANOR

Protect the King. Let insolent revolt at once be quenched And sink in its own blood.

LEOSTHENES

I slay all strife With the usurper.

THOAS

Stay, stay, Leosthenes.

ANTIOCHUS Forbear! forbear, I say! let all be still!

The great Seleucus’ house shall not be made A shambles. Not by vulgar riot, not By fratricidal murder will I climb Into my throne, but up the heroic steps Of ordered battle. Brother Timocles, That oft-kissed head is sacred from my sword. Nicanor, thou hast thrown the challenge down; I lift it up.

CLEOPATRA

O, hear me, son Antiochus.

ANTIOCHUS I have renounced thee for my mother.

Alas!

CLEOPATRA O wretched woman!

She hurries out followed by Rodogune,

Eunice and Cleone.

NICANOR

Thou shalt not do this evil, Though millions help thee.

He goes out with Timocles, Phayllus,

Callicrates and the others of his party.

PHILOCTETES

Can we hold the house And seize the city? We are many here.

THOAS Nicanor’s troops hold Antioch.

LEOSTHENES

Not here, not here. Out to the army on the marches! There Is Syria’s throne, not here in Antioch.

ANTIOCHUS

Mentho, Go with us. Gather swiftly all our strength, Then out to Parthia!