should I haue euer seene my faire
Sophonisba, whose beauty farre surmounteth eche other wight,
whose comelines is withoute peere, whose grace inspeakable,
whose maners rare and incomparable, and whose other qualities
generally disparcled throughoute dame Nature's mould by speach
of man can not bee described? If Scipio had not transfraited the
seas to arriue in Affrike soile, how should I, (O onely hope and
last refuge of my desires) haue knowen thee, neither should I
haue bene thy feere, ne yet my wife thou shouldest haue ben, but
great had ben thy gaine and losse not much, neuer shouldest thou
haue felt the present painfull state, wherein thou art, thy life
(whereof most worthy no doubt thou art) shoulde not haue lien in
ballance poize, or rested in doubtfull plight, which now in
choyse of enimies thrall thou maist prolong, or else in Romanes
handes a praye or spoile by captiue state. But I beseech the
gods to preuent the choyce to be a Romane prysoner. And who can
thinke that Scipio euer ment to graunt me the life of one, and
goeth about to spoile me of the same? Did not he giue me the
pardon of one, when he sent me to besiege the City of Cirta,
where I found fayre Sophonisba which is my Life? A straunge
kinde of pardon, by giuing me a pardon to dispossesse me of the
same. Who euer hard tel of such a pardon? So much as if he said
to me, thus: 'Massinissa, go take the paine to cause the city
yeld, and ransack it by force, and I wil pardon thee thy lyfe.
And not wyth the onely benefit, but with Craesus goods I wil
inrich thee, and make thee owner of the happy soyle of Arrabia,
and when I haue so done and rased the walles by myne indeuor,
wherein myne onely lyfe and ioy did rest, at my retourne for
guerdone of that Noble fact, in steede of lyfe hee choppeth of
my head, and for fayre promyse of golden mountes, hee strips me
naked, and makes mee a Romane slaue: accordynge to whych case
and state he deales wyth me. For what auailes my Lyfe, if in
gryefe and sorrowes gulffe I drown the pleasures of the same?
Doth not he berieue my life and bredes my death by diuiding me
from my fayre Sophonisba? Ah Caitife wretch, what lucke haue I,
that neither storme nor whirle Wynde could sende him home to
Italian shore, or set him packing to Sicile land? what ment
cruell Scipio, when so sone as Syphax was taken, he did not
streight way dispatch him to Rome, to present the glorious sight
of the Numidian king to the Romane people? If Sc