Cort.  I till to-morrow will the fight delay; Remember you have conquered me to-day.

Alib.  This grant destroys all you have urged before;
Honour could not give this, or can give more. 
Our women in the foremost ranks appear;
March to the fight, and meet your mistress there: 
Into the thickest squadrons she must run,
Kill her, and see what honour will be won.

Cyd.  I must he in the battle, but I’ll go
With empty quiver, and unbended bow;
Not draw an arrow in this fatal strife,
For fear its point should reach your noble life.

Enter PIZARRO.

Cort.  No more:  your kindness wounds me to the death: 
Honour, be gone! what art thou but a breath? 
I’ll live, proud of my infamy and shame,
Graced with no triumph but a lover’s name;
Men can but say, love did his reason blind,
And love’s the noblest frailty of the mind.—­
Draw off my men; the war’s already done.

Piz.  Your orders come too late, the fight’s begun;
The enemy gives on, with fury led,
And fierce Orbellan combats at their head.

Cort.  He justly fears, a peace with me would
prove
Of ill concernment to his haughty love;
Retire, fair excellence!  I go to meet
New honour, but to lay it at your feet.

[Exeunt CORTEZ, VASQUEZ, and PIZARRO.]

Enter ODMAR and GUTOMAR, to ALIBECH and CYDARIA.

Odm.  Now, madam, since a danger does appear
Worthy my courage, though below my fear;
Give leave to him, who may in battle die,
Before his death, to ask his destiny.

Guy.  He cannot die, whom you command to live; Before the fight, you can the conquest give; Speak, where you’ll place it?

Alib.  Briefly, then, to both,
One I in secret love, the other loathe;
But where I hate, my hate I will not show,
And he, I love, my love shall never know;
True worth shall gain me, that it may be said,
Desert, not fancy, once a woman led. 
He who, in fight, his courage shall oppose,
With most success, against his country’s foes,
From me shall all that recompence receive,
That valour merits, or that love can give. 
’Tis true, my hopes and fears are all for one,
But hopes and fears are to myself alone. 
Let him not shun the danger of the strife;
I but his love, his country claims his life.

Odm.  All obstacles my courage shall remove.

Guy.  Fall on, fall on.

Odm.  For liberty!

Guy.  For love!

[Exeunt, the women following.

SCENE III.—­Changes to the Indian country.

Enter Montezuma, attended by the Indians.

Mont.  Charge, charge! their ground the faint Taxallans yield! 
Bold in close ambush, base in open field. 
The envious devil did my fortune wrong:—­
Thus fought, thus conquered I, when I was young.