SCENTE I.

TOU NGAN COU, attended With Soldiers.

IF we would have our Affairs be attended with Success

we must not be in too great a hurry: When

I was informed that the Princess had a Son called The

Orphan of Tchao, I sent Han to guard all the

Avenues of the Palace, and publish'd an Order that

if any one should carry off, or conceal the Orphan, he

and all his Family should be destroy'd. — Sure this

little Cub fly away: I have had News of him

lately which makes me uneasy.

Enter a SOLDIER.

My Lord, I have very bad News to acquaint you with.

TOU NGAN COU.

From whence?

SOLDIE R.

The Princess has hang'd herself in her Girdle, and

Han has stab'd himself with a Dagger.

TOU NGAN COU.

Han Koue kill'd himself! — the Orphan is certainly

carried off then! — What dreadful News' — What

is to be done? The best way will be to counterfeit

the King's Order, and command all the Children

under six Months old to be brought to my Palace,

and there I will put them to death with three Stabs of

my Dagger; the Orphan will certainly be among

them, and then I shall be sure he is defrayed. --

Here, who waits? -- Go, and fix up this Order,

that all those who have Male Children under six

Months old shall bring them to my Palace, and if

any dares disobey he and

Of Tsin; the Orphan shall die, and lie unbury'd;

tho' he was made of Gold and Jewels he should not

escape the Edge of my Sword.

SCENE II.

KONG SUN, alone.

I am old Kong kun, and have been great Officer

under King Ling kang, but being grown in Years,

and recing Yuan take the whole Authority in-

to his Hands, I resigned my Office and retired to this

Village, where live at ease,

[He sings, the better express his Hatred to Tou ngan cou.

SCENE III.

TCHING YNG with a Chest at his Back.

Tching yng, what cause have you to be afraid? My

little Master how dear are you to me! Tou ngan cou,

how do I hate thee! T Tho' I have got this little Creature

without the Walls, I have learnt that Tou ngan cou

has been inform'd of my Flight, and has order'd

all Persons to bring him their Children under six

Months old, and then, without troubling himself whether

the Orphan is among them or not, he will dismember

them  and cut them in pieces ; how then can

I hide this dear Child? Here is the Village of Tai Ping

where Kung sun is retired; this old Man was a

Friend to Tchao tun; he has left the Court, and

lives his Retirement, and is a Man upright

And sincere; in his House I'll conceal my Treasure,

and I'll go immediately and make him a Visit.

I'll hide my Chest in this Arbor of Banana-Trees.

My dear little Master wait for me here a moment,

as soon as I have seen Kong sun I'll come back to you again.

[He speak to a Servant of Kong sun.] 

see him.

 [the Servant says that is at the door; Kong sun says, Desire him to walk in.

SERVANT.

My Master desires you to walk in.

SCENE. IV.

KONG SUN, TCHING YNG.

KONG SUN.

Tching yng! what Business brings you hither ?

TCHING YNG.

Knowing that you have retired to this Village, I

am come to do myself the honour to wait upon you.

KONG SUN.

How do all the King's chief Officers since I retired from Court?

TCHING YNG.

It is not as it used to be when you were in Office,

Tou ngan cou rules all, and every thing is turned upside down.

KONG SUN

We should all join to let the King know it.

TCHING YNG

Sir, you know there were always wicked Men, and

even in the Reigns of Yao and Tchun there were four

remarkable Villains.

KONG SUN

[He sings, and towards the end he mentions what happen'd to Tchao tun.]

TCHING YNG.

Sir, Heaven has excellent Eyes, Family of Tchao is not without an Heir.

KONG SUN.

The whole Family, to the Number of three hundred Persons,

are killed; the King's Son-in-law is stabbed, the Princess his hanged, Where then can the Heir be that you speak of?

211 

Sir, Since you know So well what has passed I'll

say nothing of it; but I'll tell you what perhaps you

know nothing at all of, which is this: When the

Princess was confined to her own Palace she was delivered

of a Son, whom she called The Orphan of the

Family Tchao ; and all that I fear is when Tou

ngan cou comes to know it he'll cause him to be taken,

and if he once falls into his Hands he'll barbarously

destroy him, and the Family Of Tchao will be in reality

without an Heir.

KONG SUN.

Has anybody saved this poor little Orphan ? Where

is he?

TCHING YNG.

Sir, you seem to have so great Compassion for the

Family that I can hide nothing from you; the princess,

before she died, gave her Son to me, and desired

me to take care of him till he comes to Man's Estate,

and shall be able to revenge himself of the Enemy of

his Family; as I was coming out of the Palace with

my precious Trust I found Han Kouè at the Gate,

who let me pass, and killed himself in my Presence ;

upon this I fled with my little Orphan, and could

think of nothing more safe than to bring him to your

House; I know, Sir, that you were an intimate

Friend of Tchao tun, and I make no doubt but you

will take pity on his poor Grandson, and preserve his

Life.

KONG SUN.

Where have you left this dear Infant ?

TCHING YNG.

Without, under the Bananae-Trees.

KONG SUN.

Don't be afraid, go and take him and bring him

to me. 

Blessed be Heaven and Earth, the young Prince is

still asleep!

KONG SUN sings of the Orphan's Misfortunes.

Tcbing yng says, that the whole Remains of the Family

of Tchao is in this Infant, [He sings.] and as for

me, I say he is the Cause of all the Misfortunes of his

Family.

TCHING YNG.

Sir, I suppose you don't know that Tou ngan cou,

finding that the Orphan has escaped, is going to destroy

all the Children who are about his Age, and

therefore I was desirous of concealing him at your

House, by which I shall acquit myself of all the 

Obligations that I had to his Father and Mother, and

save the Life of all the little Innocents in the Kingdom:

I am in the forty-fifth Year of my Age, and

have a Son born about the time of our dear Orphan ;

he shall pass for little Tchao, you shall go and inform

against me to Tou ngan cou, and accuse me of

having concealed the Orphan that he seeks after : I

am Willing to die with my Son, and you shall educate

the Heir of your Friend till he is old enough to

revenge his Relations. What say you Of this Design?

Is it not agreeable to your Taste?

KONG SUN.

How old do you say you are?

TCHING YNG.

Forty-five.

KONG SUN.

It will be at least twenty Years before this Orphan

can revenge his Family; you will be then sixty-five,

and I shall be ninety what Assistance can I lend at

such an Age? O Tching yng since you are willing to

sacrifice your Son bring him to me, and go and inform

Against me to Tou ngan cou, and let him know that

conceal in my House the Orphan he searches after ;

Tou ngan cou will come with his Guards and encompass

213 

educate the Orphan of till he is able to revenge

 his Family: This Design is farer than yours,

what do you say to it?

TCHING YNG.

I like it very well, but it will coSt you too dear;

let us immediately give little Tchao's Cloaths to my

Son ; go and accuse me to the Tyrant, and I and my

Son will die together.

KONG SUN.

I have said I am resolved upon, therefore

don't offer to oppose me. [He sings.] Yet twenty

Years and we shall be revenged : Could I be so happy

as to Jive till that Day

TCHING YNG.

Sir, you are yet sufficiently strong.

KONG SUN.

I am no longer what I was, but I Will do as much

as I can ; follow my Counsel.

TCHING YNG.

YOU lived altogether at ease, and l, without knowing

what I did, have involved you in Misfortunes

which greatly troubles me.

KONG SUN.

What is it you say ? -- A man of seventy like me must expect to die very soon, and to part a few Days sooner is not very difficult. [He sings.

TCHING YNG.

Sir, since you have undertaken this Affair be sure

to carry it on, don't go back from your Word.

KONG SUN.

Of what use are Words that can't be depended upon?

TCHING YNG.

If you have the Orphan you will obtain immortal

Fame. [Kong sun sings.] But, Sir, there is something

still behind; if Tou ngan cou takes you up can you

undergo the and endure the Torture 

Son must be put to death, and all my pain will be

to see the Heir of Tcbao die notwithstanding all this,

troublesome Affair.

KONG SUN.

I know that the two Families are nor to be: reconciled;

When Tou ngan cou takes me up he will say a

Thousand severe things, call me old Rascal, old Villain:

Did know my Orders, and conceal my

sworn Enemy to destroy me? Tching yng fear nothing,

whatever happens I'll make no Discovery ; do

you go and take care of the Orphan; the Death of

an old Man like me is a matter of less consequence.

[He sings, and Exit.

TCHING YNG.

Things being as they are there is no time to be lost,

I'll take my Son and bring him to this Village, and am

glad I can rave the Orphan by that means ; 'tis with

respect to me a kind of Justice, but it is a great Loss

to the generous Kong sun.

THE THIRD PART.

SCENE I.

TOU NGAN COU, and Train.

CAN little escape me? I have fixed up an

Order, that if he is not found in three Days, all

the Male Infants under six Months old shall be put to

Death ; let somebody go to the Gate of the Palace

and look about, and if any one brings an Accusation

give me immediate notice of it.