“ Exit Piston.
Erastus.
Ah, virtuous lamps of ever-turning heavens,
Incline her mind to play, and mine to win!
Nor do I covet but what is mine own:
Then shall I let Perseda understand,
How jealousy had arm'd her tongue with malice.
Ah! were she not Perseda, whom my heart
No more can fly, than iron can adamant,
Her late unkindness would have chang'd my mind.
Enter Guelpio and Julio, with Piston.
Guelpio.
How now, Erastus? wherein may we pleasure thee?
Erastus.
Sirs, thus it is: we must in mummery
Unto Lucina, neither for love nor hate ”

“ Hath in the actors shown the greatest power?
Have not I taught Erastus and Perseda
By mutual tokens to seal up their loves?
Fortune.
Ay, but those tokens, the ring and carcanet,
Were Fortune's gifts; Love gives no gold or jewels.
[Pg 288]
Love.
Why, what is jewels, or what is gold, but earth;
An humour knit together by compression,
And by the world's bright eye first brought to light,
Only to feed men's eyes with vain delight?
Love's works are more than of a mortal temper,
I couple minds together by consent:
Who gave Rhodes' princess to the Cyprian prince,
But Love? ”

“ As free from malice to Hieronimo,
As to my soul, my lord.
Castile.
Hieronimo, my son, mistakes thee then.
Lorenzo.
My gracious father, believe me, so he doth;
But what's a silly man, distract in mind,
To think upon the murder of his son?
Alas! how easy is it for him to err?
But for his satisfaction and the world's,
'Twere good, my lord, that [260] Hieronimo and I
Were reconcil'd, if he misconstrue me.
Castile.
Lorenzo, thou hast said; it shall be so.
Go, one of you, and call Hieronimo. ”

“ Enter Basilisco and Perseda.
Lucina.
And if I live, this shall not be forgot:
But see, Ferdinando, where Perseda comes,
Whom women love for virtue, men for beauty;
All the world loves, none hates but envy.
Basilisco.
All hail, brave cavalier: good morrow, madam,
The fairest shine that shall this day be seen,
Except Perseda's beauteous excellence,
Shame to love's queen, and empress of my thoughts.
Ferdinando.
Marry, thrice happy is Perseda's chance,
To have so brave a champion to her 'squire.
Basilisco.
Her 'squire? her knight! and whoso else denies. ”

“ Speak, men of Portingal, shall it be so?
If ay, say so; if not, say flatly, no.
Viceroy.
Renowned king, I come not, as thou think'st,
With doubtful followers, unresolved men,
But such as have upon thine articles
Confirm'd thy motion, and contented me.
Know, sovereign, I come to solemnise
The marriage of thy beloved niece,
Fair Bell'-Imperia, with my Balthazar,
With thee, my son; whom sith I live to see,
Here take my crown, I give it her and thee:
And let me live a solitary life,
In ceaseless prayers, to think
How strangely heav'n hath thee preserved. ”

“ Perhaps thou doubt'st my friendship's constancy;
Then dost thou wrong the measure of my love,
Which hath no measure, and shall never end.
Come, Erastus, sit thee down by me,
And I'll impart to thee our Brusor's news;
News to our honour and to thy content:
The governor is slain, that sought thy death.
Erastus.
A worthy man, though not Erastus' friend.
Soliman.
The Prince of Cyprus, too, is likewise slain.
Erastus.
Fair blossom, likely to have prov'd good fruit.
Soliman.
Rhodes is taken, and all the men are slain,
Except some few that turn to Mahomet. ”

“ Erastus.
'Tis not my country, but Philippo's wrath
(It must be told) for Ferdinando's death,
Whom I in honour's cause have reft of life.
Soliman.
Nor suffer this or that to trouble thee:
Thou shalt not need Philippo nor his isle;
Nor shalt thou war against thy countrymen:
I like thy virtue in refusing it.
But, that our oath may have his current course,
Brusor, go levy men;
Prepare a fleet t' assault and conquer Rhodes.
Meantime Erastus and I will strive
By mutual kindness to excel each other.
Brusor, begone; and see not Soliman,
Till thou hast brought Rhodes in subjection. ”

“ O Rome, accursed Rome, thou murd'rest us,
And massacrest thyself in yielding thus.
Yet are there gods, yet is there heaven and earth,
That seem to fear a certain Thunderer?
No, no, there are no gods; or, if there be,
They leave to see into the world's affairs:
They care not for us, nor account of men,
For what we see is done, is done by chance.
'Tis Fortune rules; for equity and right
Have neither help nor grace in Heaven's sight.
Scipio hath wrench'd a sword into his breast,
And launch'd his bleeding wound into the sea. ”

“ Hieronimo.
Ay, I would have sworn myself, within this hour,
That this had been my son Horatio,
His garments are so like: ha! are they not great persuasions?
Isabella.
O, would to God it were not so!
Hieronimo.
Were not, Isabella? dost thou dream it is?
Can thy soft bosom entertain a thought,
That such a black deed of mischief should be done
On one so pure and spotless as our son?
Away, I am asham'd.
Isabella.
Dear Hieronimo,
Cast a more serious eye upon thy grief,
Weak apprehension gives but weak belief.
Hieronimo. ”

“ Antony. 'Tis wisdom yet not to be credulous.
Cæsar. The quiet life, that carelessly is led,
Is not alonely happy in this world;
But death itself doth sometime pleasure us.
That death, that comes unsent for or unseen,
And suddenly doth take us at unware,
Methinks is sweetest; and, if heaven were pleas'd,
I could desire that I might die so well.
The fear of evil doth afflict us more
Than th' evil itself, though it be ne'er so sore. ”

“ Yes, heav'ns are just, but thou art so corrupt,
That in thee all their influence doth change,
As in the spider good things turn to poison.
Ah, false Erastus, how had I misdone,
That thou shouldst pawn my true affection's pledge
To her, whose worth will never equal mine?
What, is Lucina's wealth exceeding mine?
Yet mine sufficient to encounter thine.
Is she more fair than I? that's not my fault,
Nor her desert: what's beauty but a blast,
Soon cropp'd with age or with infirmities?
Is she more wise? her years are more than mine. ”

“ Which thoughts may guess, but tongue must not profane;
A sweeter creature nature never made:
[Pg 332] Love never tainted Soliman till now.
Now, fair virgin, let me hear thee speak.
Perseda.
What can my tongue utter but grief and death?
Soliman.
The sound is honey, but the sense is gall:
Then, sweeting, bless me with a cheerful look.
Perseda.
How can mine eyes dart forth a pleasant look,
When they are stopp'd with floods of flowing tears?
Soliman.
If tongue with grief, and eyes with tears be fill'd,
Say, virgin, how doeth thy heart admit
The pure affection of great Soliman? ”

“ Learn thou, and all posterity after thee,
What 'tis, a servile slave to brave a king!
Pardon, my gracious lord; for this my act
Is service done to God and to yourself.
King. Lord Mayor, for thy valiant act in this,
And noble courage in the king's behalf,
Thou shalt perceive us not to be ungrateful.
All the Rebels. Our captain is slain, our captain is slain! ”

“ Yet Rome may wish his life eternised.
Cæsar. Heaven sets our time; with heaven may nought dispense.
Antony. But we may shorten time with negligence.
Cæsar. But Fortune and the heavens have care of us.
Antony. Fortune is fickle, heaven imperious.
Cæsar. What shall I then do?
Antony. As befits your state;
Maintain a watchful guard about your gate.
Cæsar. What more assurance may our state defend,
Than love of those that do on us attend?
Antony. There is no hatred more, if it be mov'd,
Than theirs whom we offend, and once belov'd.
Cæsar. Better it is to die than be suspicious. ”

“ Know thou that Rhodes, nor all that Rhodes contains,
Shall win thee from the side of Soliman,
If we but find thee well-inclin'd to us.
Erastus.
If any ignoble or dishonourable thoughts
Should dare attempt or but creep near my heart,
Honour should force disdain to root it out!
As air-bred eagles, [409] if they once perceive
That any of their brood but close their sight
When they should gaze against the glorious sun,
They straightway seize upon him with their talents, [410]
That on the earth it may untimely die,
For looking but askew at heav'n's bright eye. ”

“ Sit down, young prince, you are our second guest:
Brother, sit down; and, nephew, take your place.
Signior Horatio, wait thou upon our cup,
For well thou hast deserved to be honour'd.
Now, lordings, fall to; Spain is Portingal,
And Portingal is Spain; we both are friends;
Tribute is paid, and we enjoy our right.
But where is old Hieronimo, our marshal? ”

“ Our army's broken, and the Libyan bears
Devour the bodies of our citizens.
The conquering tyrant, high in Fortune's grace,
Doth ride triumphing o'er our commonwealth;
And mournful we behold him bravely mounted
(With stern looks) in his chariot, where he leads
The conquer'd honour of the people yok'd.
So Rome to Cæsar yields both power and pelf,
And o'er Rome Cæsar reigns in Rome itself.
But, Brutus, shall we dissolutely sit,
And see the tyrant live to tyrannise?
Or shall their ghosts, that died to do us good,
'Plain in their tombs of our base cowardice? ”

“ Cries out Horatio, where is my Horatio?
[Pg 116] So that with extreme grief and cutting sorrow
There is not left in him one inch of man:
See, here he comes.
Enter Hieronimo.
Hieronimo.
I pry through every crevice of each wall,
Look at each tree, and search through every brake,
Beat on the bushes, stamp our grand-dame earth,
Dive in the water, and stare up to heaven:
Yet cannot I behold my son Horatio.
How now, who's there? Sprights, sprights!
Pedro.
We are your servants that attend you, sir.
Hieronimo.
[Pg 117]
What make you with your torches in the dark? ”

“ Is this the love thou bear'st Horatio?
Is this the kindness that thou counterfeit'st?
Are these the fruits of thine incessant tears?
Hieronimo, are these thy passions,
Thy protestations and thy deep laments,
That thou wert wont to weary men withal?
O unkind father! O deceitful world!
With what excuses canst thou show thyself,
With what dishonour and the hate of men [275] —
Thus to neglect the loss and life [276] of him,
Whom both my letters and thine own belief
Assures thee to be causeless slaughtered? ”

“ Erastus.
Then view my tears, that plead for innocence.
Perseda.
[Pg 297]
What are thy tears, but Circe's magic seas,
Where none 'scape wreck'd but blindfold mariners?
Erastus.
If words and tears displease, then view my looks,
That plead for mercy at thy rigorous hands.
Perseda.
What are thy looks, but like the cockatrice,
That seeks to wound poor silly passengers?
Erastus.
If words, nor tears, nor looks may win remorse,
What then remains? for my perplexed heart
Hath no interpreters but words, or tears, or looks.
Perseda.
And they are all as false as thou thyself. ”

“ Make thee Archbishop of Canterbury
And Chancellor of England, or I'll die.
How sayest thou, Wat, shall it be so?
W. T. Ay, Jack Straw, or else I'll bide many a foul blow.
It shall be no other but he,
That thus favours the commonalty.
Stay we no longer prating here,
But let us roundly to this gear.
'Tis more than time that we were gone,
We'll be lords, my masters, every one.
T. M. And I, my masters, will make one,
To fight when all our foes be gone;
Well shall they see, before we'll lack,
We'll stuff the gallows till it crack. ”