Chapter I: WATCH. On to Hieronimos! helpe me heere

To bring the murdred body with vs too.

PED. Hieronimo? Carry me before whom you will;
What ere he be, Ile answere him and you.
And doe your worst, for I defie you all!

Exeunt.

[ACT III. SCENE 4.]

[The DUKE's castle]

Enter LORENZO and BALTHAZAR.

BAL. How now, my lord? what makes you rise so soone?

LOR. Feare of preuenting our mishaps too late.

BAL. What mischiefe is it that we not mistrust?

LOR. Our greatest ils we least mistrust, my lord,
And [unexpected] harmes do hurt vs most.

BAL. Why, tell me, Don Lorenz,--tell me, man,
If ought concernes our honor and your owne!

LOR. Nor you nor me, my lord, but both in one;
But I suspect--and the presumptions great--
That by those base confederates in our fault
Touching the death of Don Horatio
We are all betraide to olde Hieronimo.

BAL. Betraide, Lorenzo? tush! it cannot be.

LOR. A guiltie conscience vrged with the thought
Of former euils, easily cannot erre:
I am perswaded--and diswade me not--
That als reuealed to Hieronimo.
And therefore know that I haue cast it thus--

[Enter PAGE.]

But heeres the page. How now? what newes with thee?

PAGE. My lord, Serberine is slaine.

BAL. Who? Serberine, my man?

PAGE. Your Highnes man, my lord.

LOR. Speak, page: who murdered him?

PAGE. He that is apprehended for the fact.

LOR. Who?

PAGE. Pedringano.

BAL. Is Serberine slaine, that lou'd his lord so well?
Iniurious villaine! murderer of his freend!

LOR. Hath Pedringano murdered Serberine?
My lord, let me entreat you to take the paines
To exasperate and hasten his reuenge
With your complaints vnto my l[ord] the king.
This their dissention breeds a greater doubt.

BAL. Assure thee, Don Lorenzo, he shall dye,
Or els his Highnes hardly shall deny.
Meane-while, Ile haste the marshall sessions,
For die he shall for this damned deed.

Exit BALT[HAZAR].

LOR. [aside] Why, so! this fits our former pollicie;
And thus experience bids the wise and deale.
I lay the plot, he prosecutes the point;
I set the trap, he breakes the worthles twigs,
And sees not that wherewith the bird was limde.
Thus hopefull men, that means to holde their owne,
Must look, like fowlers, to their dearest freends.
He runnes to kill whome I haue hope to catch,
And no man knowes it was my reaching [fetch].
Tis hard to trust vnto a multitude,--
Or any one, in mine opinion,
When men themselues their secrets will reueale.

Enter a MESSENGER with a letter.

LOR. Boy.

PAGE. My lord.

LOR. Whats he?

MES. I haue a letter to your lordship.

LOR. From whence?

MES. From Pedringanos that's imprisoned.

LOR. So he is in prison then?

MES. I, my good lord.

LOR. What would he with vs?

[Reads the letter.]

He writes vs heere
To stand good l[ord] and help him in distres.
Tell him I haue his letters, know his minde;
And what we may, let him assure him of.
Fellow, be gone; my boy shall follow thee.

Exit MES[SENGER].

[Aside] This works like waxe! Yet once more try thy wits.--
Boy, goe conuay this purse to Pedringano,--
Thou knowest the prison,--closely giue it him,
And be aduisde that none here there-about.
Bid him be merry still, but secret;
And, though the marshall sessions be to-day,
Bid him not doubt of his deliuerie.
Tell him his pardon is already signde,
And thereon bid him boldely be resolued;
For, were he ready to be turned off,--
As tis my will the vttermost be tride,--
Thou with his pardon shalt attend him still.
Shew him this boxe, tell him his pardons int;
But opent not, and if thou louest thy life,
But let him wisely keepe his hopes vnknowne.
He shall not want while Don Lorenzo liues.
Away!

PAGE. I goe, my lord, I runne!

LOR. But, sirra, see that this be cleanely done.

Exit PAGE.

Now stands our fortune on a tickle point,
And now or neuer ends Lorenzos doubts.
One only thing is vneffected yet,
And thats to see the executioner,--
But to what end? I list not trust the aire
With vtterance of our pretence therein,
For feare the priuie whispring of the winde
Conuay our words amongst vnfreendly eares,
That lye too open to aduantages.
Et quel che voglio io, nessun lo sa,
Intendo io quel [che] mi bastera.

Exit.

[ACT III. SCENE 5.]

[A street.]

Enter BOY with the boxe.

[BOY.] My maister hath forbidden me to look in this box, and, by my troth, tis likely, if he had not warned me, I should not haue had so much idle time; for wee [men-kinde] in our minoritie are like women in their vncertaintie; that they are most forbidden, they wil soonest attempt; so I now. By my bare honesty, heeres nothing but the bare emptie box! Were it not sin against secrecie, I would say it were a peece of gentlemanlike knauery. I must goe to Pedringano and tell him his pardon is in this boxe! Nay, I would haue sworne it, had I not seene the contrary. I cannot choose but smile to thinke how the villain wil flout the gallowes, scorne the audience, and descant on the hangman, and all presuming of his pardon from hence. Wilt not be an odde iest, for me to stand and grace euery iest he makes, pointing my figner at this boxe, as who [should] say: "Mock on, heers thy warrant!" Ist not a scuruie iest that a man should iest himselfe to death? Alas, poor Pedringano! I am in a sorte sorie for thee, but, if I should be hanged with thee, I [could not] weep.

Exit.

[ACT III. SCENE 6.]

[The court of justice.]

Enter HIERONIMO and the DEPUTIE.

HIERO. Thus must we toyle in others mens extreames
That know not how to rememdie our owne,
And doe them iusties, when vniustly we
For all our wrongs can compasse no redrese.
But shall I neuer liue to see the day
That I may come by iustice to the Heauens
To know the cause that may my cares allay?
This toyles my body, this consumeth age,
That onley I to all men iust must be,
And neither gods nor men be iust to me!

DEP. Worthy Hieronimo, your office askes
A care to punish such as doe transgresse.

HIERO. So ist my duety to regarde his death
Who when he liued deserued my dearest blood.
But come; for that we came for, lets begin;
For heere lyes that which bids me to be gone.

Enter OFFICERS, BOY, & PEDRINGANO with a letter
in his hand, bound.

DEPU. Bring forth the prisoner for the court is set.

PED. Gramercy, boy! but it was time to come,
For I had written to my lord anew
A neerer matter that concerneth him,
For feare his lordship had forgotten me;
But, sith he hath rememberd me so well,
Come, come, come on! when shall we to this geere?

HIERO. Stand forth, thou monster, murderer of men,
And heere, for satisfaction of the world,
Confesse thy folly and repent thy fault,
For ther's thy place of execution.

PED. This is short worke! Well, to your martiallship
First I confesse, nor feare I death therefore,
I am the man,--twas I slew Serberine.
But, sir, then you think this shalbe the place
Where we shall satisfie you for this geare?

DEPU. I, Pedrigano.

PED. No I think not so.

HEIRO. Peace, impudent! for thou shalt finde it so;
For blood with blood shall, while I sit as iudge,
Be satisfied, and the law dischargde.
And, though my-selfe cannot receiue the like,
Yet will I see that others haue their right.
Dispatch! the fault approued and confest,
And by our law he is condemned to die.

HANG. Come on, sir! are you ready?

PED. To do what, my fine officious knaue?

HANG. To goe to this geere.

PED. O, sir, you are to forward; thou woulst faine
furnish me with a halter, to disfurnish me of my habit.
So should I goe out of this geere, my raiment, into that
geere, the rope. But, hangman, now I spy your knauery, Ile
not change without boot; thats flat.

HANG. Come, sir.

PED. So then I must vp?

HANG. No remedie.

PED. Yes, but there shalbe for my comming downe.

HANG. Indeed heers a remedie for that.

PED. How? be turnd off?

HANG. I, truly. Come, are you ready?
I pray [you], sir, dispatch, the day goes away.

PED. What, doe you hang by the howre? If you doo, I
may chance to break your olde custome.

HANG. Faith, you haue [no] reason, for I am like to break
your yong neck.

PED. Dost thou mock me, hangman? Pray God I be not
preserued to break your knaues-pate for this!

HANG. Alas, sir, you are a foot too low to reach it, and I
hope you will neuer grow so high while I am in office.

PED. Sirra, dost see yonder boy with the box in his
hand?

HANG. What, he that points to it with his finger?

PED. I, that companion.

HANG. I know him not; but what of him?

PED. Doost thou think to liue till his olde doublet will
make thee a new truss?

HANG. I, and many a faire yeere after, to trusse vp many
an honester man then either thou or he.

PED. What hath he in his boxe, as thou thinkst?

HANG. Faith, I cannot tell, nor I care not greatly.
Me thinks you should rather hearken to your soules health.

PED. Why, sirra hangman, I take it that that is good for
the body is likewise good for the soule: and it may be in
that box is balme for both.

HANG. Wel, thou art euen the meriest peece of mans
flesh that ere gronde at my office-doore.

PED. Is your roaguery become an office, with a knaues
name?

HANG. I, and that shall all they witnes that see you seale
it with a theeues name.

PED. I prithee, request this good company to pray [for]
me.

HANG. I, mary, sir, this is a good motion! My maisters,
you see heers a good fellow.

PED. Nay, nay, now I remember me, let them alone till
some other time; for now I haue no great need.

HIERO. I haue not seen a wretch so impudent.
O monstrous times where murders are so light,
And where the soule that should be shrinde in heauen
Solelie delights in interdicted things,
Still wandring in the thornie passages
That intercepts it-selfe of hapines!
Murder? O bloudy monster! God forbid
A fault so foule should scape vnpunished!
Dispatch and see this execution done;
This makes me to remember thee, my sonne.

Exit HIERO[NIMO].

PED. Nay, soft! no hast!

DEPU. Why, wherefore stay you? haue you hope of life?

PED. Why, I?

HANG. As how?

PED. Why, rascall, by my pardon from the king.

HANG. Stand you on that? then you shall off with this.

He turnes him off.

DEPU. So, executioner, conuey him hence;
But let his body be vnburied.
Let not the earth be chokt or infect
What that which Heauens contemnes and men neglect.

Exeunt.

[ACT III. SCENE 7.]

[HIERONIMO's house.]

Enter HIERONIMO.

HIER. Where shall I run to breath abroad my woes,--
My woes whose weight hath wearied the earth,
Or mine exclaimes that haue surcharged the aire
With ceasles plaints for my deceased sonne?
The blustring winds, conspiring with my words,
At my lament haue moued to leaueless trees,
Disroabde the medowes of their flowred greene,
Made mountains marsh with spring-tides of my teares,
And broken through the brazen gates of hell;
Yet still tormented is my tortured soule
With broken sighes and restles passions,
That, winged, mount, and houering in the aire,
Beat at the windowes of the brightest heauens,
Soliciting for iustice and reuenge.
But they are plac't in those imperiall heights,
Where, countermurde with walles of diamond,
I finde the place impregnable, and they
Resist my woes and giue my words no way.

Enter HANGMAN with a letter.

HANG. O Lord, sir! God blesse you, sir! The man, sir,--
Petergade, sir: he that was so full of merie conceits--

HIER. Wel, what of him?

HANG. O Lord, sir! he went the wrong way; the fellow
had a faire commission to the contrary. Sir, heere is his
pasport, I pray you, sir; we haue done him wrong.

HIERO. I warrant thee; giue it me.

HANG. You will stand between the gallowes and me?

HIERO. I, I!

HANG. I thank your l[ord] worship.

Exit HANGMAN.

HIERO. And yet, though somewhat neerer me concernes
I will, to ease the greefe that I sustaine,
Take truce with sorrow while I read on this.
[Reads] "My lord, I writ, as mine extreames require,
That you would labour my deliuerie:
If you neglect, my life is desperate,
And in my death I shall reueale the troth.
You know, my lord, I slew him for your sake,
And was confederate with the prince and you;
Wonne by rewards and hopefull promises,
I holpe to murder Don Horatio too."--
Holpe he to murder mine Horatio?
And actors in th' accursed tragedie
Wast thou, Lorenzo? Bathazar and thou,
Of whome my sone, my sonne deseru'd so well?
What haue I heard? what haue mine eies behelde?
O sacred heauens, may it come to passe
That such a monstrous and detested deed,
So closely smootherd and so long conceald,
Shall thus by this be [revenged] or reuealed?
Now see I, what I durst not then suspect,
That Bel-imperias letter was not fainde,
Nor fained she, though falsly they haue wrongd
Both her, my-selfe, Horatio and themselues.
Now may I make compare twixt hers and this
Of euerie accident. I neere could finde
Till now, and now I feelingly perceiue,
They did what Heauen vnpunisht [should] not leaue.
O false Lorenzo! are these thy flattering lookes?
Is this honour that thou didst my sonne?
And, Balthazar,--bane to thy soule and me!--
What this the ransome he reseru'd [for thee]?
Woe to the cause of these constrained warres!
Woe to thy basenes and captiuitie!
Woe to thy birth, thy body and thy soule,
Thy cursed father, and thy conquerd selfe!
And band with bitter execrations be
The day and place where he did pittie thee!
But wherefore waste I mine vnfruitfull words,
When naught but blood will satisfie my woes?
I will goe plaine me to my lord the king,
And cry aloud for iustice through the court,
Wearing the flints with these my withered feet,
And either purchase iustice by intreats
Or tire them all with my reuenging threats.

Exit.

[ACT III. SCENE 8.]

[HIERONIMO's house.]

Enter ISABELL and her MAID.

ISA. So that you say this hearb will purge the [eyes],
And this the head? ah! but none of them will purge the
hart!
No, thers no medicine left for my disease,
Nor any physick to recure the dead.

She runnes lunatick.

Horatio! O, wheres Horatio?

MAIDE. Good madam, affright not thus your-selfe
With outrage for your sonne Horatio;
He sleepes in quiet in the Elizian fields.

ISA. Why did I not giue you gownes and goodly things,
Bought you a wistle and a whipstalke too,
To be reuenged on their villanies?

MAIDE. Madame, these humors doe torment my soule.

ISA. My soule? poore soule, thou talkes of things
Thou knowest not what! My soule hath siluer wings,
That mounts me vp vnto the highest heauens--
To heauen? I, there sits up Horatio,
Backt with troup of fierry cherubins
Dauncing about his newly healed wounds,
Singing sweet hymns and chaunting heauenly notes,
Rare harmony to greet his innocence,
That dyde, I, dyde a mirrour in our daies!
But say, where shall I finde, the men, the murderers,
That slew Horatio? whether shall I runne
To finde them out, that murdered my sonne?

Exeunt.

[ACT III. SCENE 9.]

[The DUKE's castle.]

BEL-IMPERIA at a window.

BEL. What meanes this outrage that is offred me?
What am I thus sequestred from the court?
No notice? shall I not know the cause
Of these my secret and suspitious ils?
Accursed brother! vnkinde murderer!
Why bends thou thus thy minde to martir me?
Hieronimo, why writ I of they wrongs,
Or why art thou so slack in thy reuenge?
Andrea! O Andrea, that thou sawest
Me for thy freend Horatio handled thus,
And him for me thus causeles murdered!
Well, force perforce, I must constraine my-selfe
To patience, and apply me to the time,
Till Heauen, as I haue hoped, shall set me free.

Enter [CHRISTOPHEL.]

CHRIS. Come, Madame Bel-imperia, this [must] not be!

Exeunt.

[ACT III. Scene 10.]

[A room in the DUKE's castle.]

Enter LORENZO, BALTHAZAR and the PAGE.

LOR. Boy, talke no further; thus farre things goe well.
Thou art assurde that thou sawest him dead?

PAGE. Or els, my lord, I liue not.

LOR. Thats enough.
As for this resolution at his end,
Leaue that to him with whom he soiourns now.
Heere, take my ring, and giue it [Christophel],
And bid him let my sister be enlarg'd,
And bring her hither straight.

Exit PAGE.

This that I did was for a policie,
To smooth and keepe the murder secret,
Which as a nine daies wonder being ore-blowne,
My gentle sister will I now enlarge.

BAL. And time, Lorenzo; for my lord the duke,
You heard, enquired for her yester-night.

LOR. Why! and, my lord, I hope you have heard me say
Sufficient reason why she kept away;
But thats all one. My lord, you loue her?

BAL. I.

LOR. Then in your loue beware; deale cunningly;
Salue all suspititons; only sooth me vp,
And, if she hap to stand on tearmes with vs,
As for her sweet-hart, and concealement so,
Iest with her gently; vnder fained iest
Are things concealde that els would breed vnrest.
But heere she comes.

Enter BEL-IMPERIA.

LOR. Now, sister.

BEL. Sister? No!
Thou art no brother, but an enemy,
Els wouldst thou not haue vsde thy sister so:
First, to affright me with thy weapons drawne,
And with extreames abuse my company;
And then to hurry me like whirlwinds rage
Amidst a crew of thy confederates,
And clap my vp where none might come at me,
Nor I at any to reueale my wrongs.
What madding fury did possesse thy wits?
Or wherein ist that I offended thee?

LOR. Aduise you better, Bel-imperia;
For I haue done you no disparagement,--
Vnlesse, by more discretion then deseru'd,
I sought to saue your honour and mine owne.

BEL. Mine honour? Why, Lorenzo, wherein ist
That I neglect my reputation so
As you, or any, need to rescue it?

LOR. His Highnes and my father were resolu'd
To come conferre with olde Hieronimo
Concerning certaine matters of estate
That by the viceroy was determined.

BEL. And wherein was mine honour toucht in that?

BAL. Haue patience, Bel-imperia; heare the rest.

LOR. Me, next in sight, as messenger they sent
To giue him notice that they were so nigh:
Now, when I came, consorted with the prince,
And vnexpected in an arbor there
Found Bel-imperia with Horatio--

BEL. How then?

LOR. Why, then, remembring that olde disgrace
Which you for Don Andrea had indurde,
And now were likely longer to sustaine
By being found so meanely accompanied,
Thought rather, for I knew no readier meane,
To thrust Horatio forth my fathers way.

BAL. And carry you obscurely some-where els,
Least that his Highnes should haue found you there.

BEL. Euen so, my lord? And you are witnesse
That this is true which he entreateth of?
You, gentle brother, forged this for my sake?
And you, my lord, were made his instrument?
A worke of worth! worthy the noting too!
But whats the cause that you concealde me since?

LOR. Your melancholly, sister, since the newes
Of your first fauorite Don Andreas death
My fathers olde wrath hath exasperate.

BAL. And better wast for you, being in disgrace,
To absent your-selfe and giue his fury place.

BEL. But why I had no notice of his ire?

LOR. That were to adde more fewell to your fire,
Who burnt like Aetne for Andreas losse.

BEL. Hath not my father then enquird for me?

LOR. Sister, he hath; and this excusde I thee.

He whispereth in her eare.

But, Bel-imperia, see the gentle prince;
Looke on thy loue; beholde yong Balthazar,
Whose passions by the presence are increast,
And in whose melachollie thou maiest see
Thy hate, his loue, thy flight, his following thee.

BEL. Brother, you are become an oratour--
I know not, I, by what experience--
Too politick for me, past all compare,
Since I last saw you. But content your-selfe;
The prince is meditating higher things.

BAL. Tis of thy beauty, then, that conquers kings,
Of those thy tresses, Ariadnes twines,
Wherewith my libertie thou hast surprisde,
Of that thine iuorie front, my sorrowes map,
Wherein I see no hauen to rest my hope.

BEL. To loue and feare, and both at once, my lord,
In my conceipt, are things of more import
Then womens wit are to be busied with.

BAL. Tis that I loue thee.

BEL. Whome?

BAL. Bel-imperia.

BEL. But that I feare?

BAL. Whome?

BEL. Bel-imperia.

LOR. Feare your-selfe?

BEL. I, brother.

LOR. How?

BEL. As those
That, [when] they loue, are loath and feare to loose.

BAL. Then, faire, let Balthazar your keeper be.

BEL. No, Balthazar doth feare as well as we;
Et tremulo metui pauidum iunxere timorem,
Et vanum stolidae proditionis opus.

Exit.

LOR. Nay, and you argue things so cunningly,
Weele goe continue this discourse at court.

BAL. Led by the loadstar of heauenly lookes,
Wends poore oppressed Balthazar,
As ore the mountains walkes the wanderer
Incertain to effect his pilgrimage.

Exeunt.

[ACT III. SCENE 11.]

[A street.]

Enter two PORTINGALES, and HIERONIMO
meets them.