CYPRIAN.

That I admit, and yet that God should not
(Falsehood is incompatible with deity)
Assure the victory: it would be enough
To have permitted the defeat. If God
Be all sight,-God, who beheld the truth,
Would not have given assurance of an end
Never to be accomplished. Thus, although
The Deity may according to his attributes
Be well distinguished into persons, yet,
Even in the minutest circumstance,
His essence must be one.

DEMON.

To attain the end,

The affections of the actors in the scene
Must have been thus influenced by his voice.

CYPRIAN.

But for a purpose thus subordinate

He might have employed genii, good or evil,-
A sort of spirits called so by the learned,

Who roam about inspiring good or evil,
And from whose influence and existence we
May well infer our immortality.

Thus God might easily, without descending
To a gross falsehood in his proper person,
Have moved the affections by this mediation
To the just point.

DEMON.

These trifling contradictions

Do not suffice to impugn the unity

Of the high gods; in things of great importance
They still appear unanimous; consider

That glorious fabric, man-his workmanship,
Is stamped with one conception.

CYPRIAN.

Who made man

Must have, methinks, the advantage of the others.
If they are equal, might they not have risen
In opposition to the work, and being

All hands, according to our author here,
Have still destroyed even as the other made?
If equal in their power, and only unequal
In opportunity, which of the two
Will remain conqueror?

DÆMON.

On impossible

And false hypothesis, there can be built
No argument. Say, what do you infer
From this?

CYPRIAN.

That there must be a mighty God

Of supreme goodness and of highest grace,
All sight, all hands, all truth, infallible,
Without an equal and without a rival;

The cause of all things and the effect of nothing;

One power, one will, one substance, and one es

sence;

And in whatever persons, one or two,
His attributes may be distinguished, one
Sovereign power, one solitary essence,
One cause of all cause.

[They rise.

DEMON.

How can I impugn

So clear a consequence?

CYPRIAN.

Do you regret

My victory?

DEMON.

Who but regrets a check

In rivalry of wit? I could reply

And urge new difficulties, but will now
Depart, for I hear steps of men approaching,
And it is time that I should now pursue

My journey to the city

CYPRIAN.

Go in peace!

DÆMON.

Remain in peace! Since thus it profits him
To study, I will wrap his senses up
In sweet oblivion of all thought but of
A piece of excellent beauty; and as I

Have power given me to wage enmity
Against Justina's soul, I will extract
From one effect two vengeances.

CYPRIAN.

I never

Met a more learned person. Let me now
Revolve this doubt again with careful mind.

Enter LELIO and FLORO.

Exit

[He reads

LELIO.

Here stop. Those toppling rocks and tangled boughs,

Impenetrable by the noonday beam,

Shall be sole witnesses of what we

FLORO.

Draw!

If there were words, here is the place for deeds.

LELIO.

Thou needest not instruct me; well I know

That in the field the silent tongue of steel

Speaks thus.

CYPRIAN.

[They fight.

Ha! what is this? Lelio, Floro,

Be it enough that Cyprian stands between you,

Although unarmed.

Run, run! for where we left my master,
We hear the clash of swords.

CLARIN.

I never

Run to approach things of this sort, but only
To avoid them. Sir! Cyprian! sir!

CYPRIAN.

Be silent, fellows! What! two friends who are In blood and fame the eyes and hope of Antioch; One of the noble men of the Colalti,

The other son of the Governor, adventure

And cast away, on some slight cause no doubt,
Two lives, the honour of their country?

LELIO

Cyprian,

Although my high respect towards your person Holds now my sword suspended, thou canst not