Are happie witnesses of his Highnes health.
The KING lookes on the letters, and proceeds.
VICE. [reads] "Thy sonne doth liue; your tribute is receiu'd;
Thy peace is made, and we are satisfied.
The rest resolue vpon as things proposde
For both our honors and they benefite."
EM. These are his Highnes farther articles.
He giues him more letters.
VICE. Accursed wrech to intimate these ills
Against the life and reputation
Of noble Alexandro! come, my lord, vnbinde him!
[To ALEXANDRO] Let him vnbinde thee that is bounde to death,
To make a quitall for thy discontent.
They vnbinde him.
ALEX. Dread lord, in kindnes you could do no lesse,
Vpon report of such a damned fact;
But thus we see our innocence hath sau'd
The hopeles like which thou, Villuppo, sought
By thy suggestions to haue massacred.
VICE. Say, false Villuppo, wherefore didst thou thus
Falsely betray Lord Alexandros life?
Him whom thou knowest that no vnkindenes els
But euen the slaughter of our deerest sonne
Could once haue moued vs to haue misconceaued.
ALEX. Say, trecherous Villuppo; tell the King!
Or wherein hath Alexandro vsed thee ill?
VIL. Rent with remembrance of so foule a deed,
My guiltie soule submits me to thy doome,
For, not for Alexandros iniuries,
But for reward and hope to be preferd,
Thus haue I shamelesly hazarded his life.
VICE. Which, villaine, shalbe ransomed with thy death,
And not so meane a torment as we heere
Deuised for him who thou saidst slew our sonne,
But with the bitterest torments and extreames
That may be yet inuented for thine end.
ALEX[ANDRO] seemes to intreat.
Intreat me not! Goe, take the traitor hence!
Exit VILLUPPO.
And, Alexandro, let vs honor thee
With publique notice of thy loyaltie.
To end those things articulated heere
By our great l[ord], the mightie king of Spaine,
We with our councell will deliberate.
Come, Alexandro, keepe vs company.
Exeunt.
[ACT III. SCENE 2.]
[Spain: near the DUKE's castle.]
Enter HIERONIMO.
HIERO. Oh eies! no eies but fountains fraught with teares;
Oh life! no life, but liuely fourme of death;
Oh world! no world, but masse of publique wrongs,
Confusde and filde with murder and misdeeds;
Oh sacred heauens, if this vnhallowed deed,
If this inhumane and barberous attempt,
If this incomparable murder thus
Of mine, but now no more my sonne
Shall pass vnreueald and vnreuenged passe,
How should we tearme your dealings to be iust,
If you vniustly deale with those that in your iustice trust?
The night, sad secretary to my mones,
With direfull visions wake my vexed soule,
And with the wounds of my distresfull sonne
Solicite me for notice of his death;
The ougly feends do sally forth of hell,
And frame my hart with fierce inflamed thoughts;
The cloudie day my discontents records,
Early begins to regester my dreames
And driue me forth to seeke the murtherer.
Eies, life, world, heauens, hel, night and day,
See, search, show, send, some man, some meane, that may!
A letter falleth.
Whats heere? a letter? Tush, it is not so!
A letter for Hieronimo.
[Reads] "For want of incke receiue this bloudie writ.
Me hath my haples brother hid from thee.
Reuenge thy-selfe on Balthazar and him,
For these were they that murdered thy sonne.
Hieronimo, reuenge Horatios death,
And better fare then Bel-imperia doth!"--
What meanes this vnexpected miracle?
My sonne slaine by Lorenzo and the prince?
What cause had they Horatio to maligne?
Or what might mooue thee, Bel-imperia,
To accuse they brother, had he beene the meane?
Hieronimo, beware! thou art betraide,
And to intrap they life this traine is laide.
Aduise thee therefore, be not credulous:
This is deuised to endanger thee,
That thou, by this, Lorenzo shoulst accuse.
And he, for thy dishonour done, show draw
Thy life in question and thy name in hate.
Deare was the life of my beloved sonne,
And of his death behoues me to be aueng'd:
Then hazard not thine own, Hieronimo,
But liue t'effect thy resolution!
I therefore will by circumstances trie
What I can gather to confirme this writ,
And, [harken] neere the Duke of Castiles house,
Close if I can with Belimperia,
To listen more, but nothing to bewray.
Enter PEDRINGANO.
Now, Predringano!
PED. Now, Hieronimo!
HIERO. Wheres thy lady?
PED. I know not; heers my lord.
Enter LORENZO.
LOR. How now, whose this? Hieronimo?
HIERO. My lord.
PED. He asketh me for my lady Bel-imperia.
LOR. What to doo, Hieronimo? Vse me.
[Dialogue from the undated and the 'A' manuscript.]
HIERO. Oh, no, my lord, I dare not, it must not be;
I humbly thank your lordship.
[End of insertion.]
[Dialogue from the 1618, 1623, and 1633 editions.]
HIERO. Who? You, my lord?
I reserue your favour for a greater honour;
This is a very toy, my lord, a toy.
LOR. All's one, Hieronimo; acquaint me with it.
HIERO. Y faith, my lord, tis an idle thing.
I must confesse I ha bin too slacke, too tardy,
To remisse vnto your Honour.
LOR. How now, Hieronimo?
HIERO. In troth, my lord, it is a thing of nothing:
The murder of a sonne or so, my lord,--
A thing of nothing.
[End of insertion.]
LOR. Why then, farewell!
HIERO. My griefe in hart, my thoughts no tung can tell.
Exit.
LOR. Come hither, Pedringano; seest thou this?
PED. My lord, I see it, and suspect it too.
LOR. This is that damned villain Serberine,
That hath, I feare, reuealde Horatios death.
PED. My lord, he could not; twas so lately done,
And since he hath not left my company.
LOR. Admit he haue not; his conditions such
As feare or flattering words may make him false.
I know his humour, and there-with repent
That ere I vsde him in this enterprise.
But, Pedringano, to preuent the worst,
And cause I know thee secret as my soule,
Heere, for thy further satisfaction, take thou this!
Giues him more golde.
And harken to me; thus it is deuisde:
This night thou must--and prithee so resoule--
Meet Serberine at St. Luigis Parke,--
Thou knowest tis heere hard by behinde the house;
There take thy stand, and see thou strike him sure,
For dye he must, if we do meane to liue.
PED. But how shall Serberine be there, my lord?
LOR. Let me alone, Ile send him to meet
The prince and me where thou must doe this deed.
PED. It shalbe done, my l[ord]; it shall be done;
And Ile goe arme my-selfe to meet him there.
LOR. When things shall alter, as I hope they wil,
Then shalt thou mount for this, thou knowest my minde.
Exit PED[RINGANO].
Che le Ieron!
Enter PAGE.
PAGE. My lord.
LOR. Goe, sirra,
To Serberine, and bid him forthwith meet
The prince and me at S. Luigis Parke,
Behinde the house, this euening, boy.
PAGE. I goe, my lord.
LOR. But, sirra, let the houre be eight a-clocke.
Bid him not faile.
PAGE. I flye, my lord.
Exit.
LOR. Now to confirme the complot thou hast cast
Of all these practices, Ile spread the watch,
Vpon precise commandement from the king
Strongly to guard the place where Pedringano
This night shall murder haples Serberine.
Thus must we worke that will auoide distrust,
Thus must we practice to preuent mishap,
And thus one ill another must expulse.
This slie enquiry of Hieronimo
For Bel-imperia, breeds suspition;
And [thus] suspition boads a further ill.
As for my-selfe, I know my secret fault,
And so doe they, but I haue dealt for them.
They that for coine their soules endangered
To saue my life, for coyne shall venture theirs;
And better tis that base companions dye
Then by their life to hazard our good haps.
Nor shall they liue for me to feare their faith;
Ile trust my-selfe, my-selfe shall be my freend;
For dye they shall,--
Slaues are ordein[e]d to no other end.
Exit.
[ACT III. SCENE 3.]
[San Luigi's Park.]
Enter PEDRINGANO with a pistoll.
PED. Now, Pedringano, bid thy pistoll holde;
And holde on, Fortune! Once more fauour me!
Giue but successe to mine attempting spirit,
And let me shift for taking of mine aime.
Heere is the golde! This is the golde proposde!
It is no dreame that I aduenture for,
But Pedringano is possest thereof.
And he that would not straine his conscience
For him that thus his liberall purse hath sretcht,
Vnworthy such a fauour may he faile,
And, wishing, want when such as I preuaile!
As for the feare of apprehension,
I know, if need should be, my noble lord
Will stand betweene me and ensuing harmes.
Besides, this place is free from all suspect.
Heere therefore will I stay and take my stand.
Enter the WATCH.
I WATCH. I wonder much to what intent it is
That we are thus expresly chargd to watch.
II WATCH. This by commandement in the kings own
name.
III WATCH. But we were neuer wont to watch and ward
So neere the duke his brothers house before.
II WATCH. Content your-selfe, stand close, theres somewhat
int.
Enter SERBERINE.
SER. [aside] Heere, Serberine, attend and stay thy pace;
For heere did Don Lorenzos page appoint
That thou by his command shouldst meet with him.
How fit a place, if one were so disposde,
Me thinks this corner is to close with one.
PED. [aside] Heere comes the bird that I must ceaze vpon;
Now, Pedringano, or neuer play the man!
SER. [aside] I wonder that his lordship staies so long,
Or wherefore should he send for me so late.
PED. For this, Serberine; and thou shalt ha'te!
Shootes the dagge.
So, there he lyes; my promise is performde.
The WATCH.