The Ancient British Drama ...

Hier. My help? why, my good lords, assure | By gentlemen and scholars too;

Lor. Aye, this is all.

Hier. Why, then, I'll fit you, say no more.
264 When I was young, I gave my mind,
And plied myself to fruitless poetry;
Which, though it profit the professor nought,
Yet is it 265 passing pleasing to the world.

Lor. And how for that?

Hier. Marry, my good lord, thus:
And yet methinks you are too quick with us.
When in Toledo, there I studied,

It was my chance to write a tragedy,
See here, my lords,

[Shows them a Book.
Which, long forgot, I found this other day;
Now would your lordships favour me so much
As but to grace me with your acting it,-
I mean each one of you to play a part,—
Assure you it will prove most passing strange,
And wondrous plausible to the assembly.

Bal. What, would you have us play a tragedy? Hier. Why, Nero thought it no disparagement; And kings and emperors have ta'en delight, To make experience of their wits in plays.

Lor. Nay, be not angry, good Hieronimo, The prince but asked you a question.

Bal. In faith, Hieronimo, and you be in earnest, I'll make one.

Lor. And I another.

Hier. Now, my good lord, could you intreat Your sister Belimperia to make one: For what's a play without a woman in't?

Bel. Little intreaty shall serve me, Hieronimo; For I must needs be employed in your play. Hier. Why this is well: I tell you, lordlings, It was determined to have been acted

Such as could tell what to speak.

Bal. And now it shall be 266 played by princes and courtiers,

Such as can tell how to speak;

If, as it is our country manner,

You will but let us know the argument.

Hier. That shall I roundly.--The chronicles of
Spain

Record this written of a knight of 267 Rhodes:
He was betrothed, and wedded at the length,
To one Perseda, an Italian dame,
Whose beauty ravished all that her beheld;
Especially the soul of Solyman,

Who at the marriage was the chiefest guest.
By sundry means sought Solyman to win
Perseda's love, and could not gain the same;
Then 'gan he break his passion to a friend,
One of his Bashaws, whom he held full dear;
Her had this Bashaw long solicited,

And saw she was not otherwise to be won
But by her husband's death, this knight of Rhodes;
Whom presently by treachery he slew:

She, stirred with an exceeding hate therefore,
As cause of this slew Solyman;

And, to escape the Bashaw's tyranny,
Did stab herself:—and this 268 the tragedy.
Lor. Aye, sir.

Bel. But say, Hieronimo, what then became of
him

Ran to a mountain top, and 269 hung himself.
Bal. But which of us is to perform that part?
Hier. O, that will I, my lords, make no doubt
of it,

I'll play the murderer, I warrant you;
For I already have conceited that.

Bal. And what shall I?

Hier. Great Solyman, the 270 Turkish emperor.
Lor. And I?

Hier. Erasto, the knight of Rhodes.
Bel. And I?

Hier. Perseda, chaste, and resolute.-
And here, my lords, are several abstracts drawn,
For each of you to note your parts,

263 Honour, 1618. 23. 33.

264 When I was young, &c.—Ben Jonson, who, as hath been said, performed the part of Hieronimo, hath borrowed this thought. See Every Man in his Humour, A. 1. S. 1:

265 It is, 1633.

267 Of the Rhodes, 1618. 269 Hanged, 1618, 23. 33.

"Myself was once a student, and, indeed,
Fed with the self-same humour he is now,
Dreaming on nought but idle poetry,
That fruitless and unprofitable art,

Good unto none, but least to the professors."

266 Said, 1618. 23. 33.
268 This is, 1618. 23. 33.
270 That, 1618.

And act it as occasion's offered you.
You must provide a Turkish cap,
A black mustachio, and a faulchion.

[Gives a Paper to BALTHEZAR. 271 a knight of Rhodes. [Gives another to Lorenzo. And, madam, you must attire yourself,

You with a cross, like to

[Gives BELIMPERIA another.
Like Phebe, Flora, or the huntress, 272
Which to your discretion shall seem best.
As for me, my lords, I'll look to one,
And with the ransom that the Viceroy sent,
So furnish and perform this tragedy,
273 As all the world shall say, Hieronimo
Was liberal in gracing of it so.

Bal. Hieronimo, methinks a comedy were bet

ter.

Hier. A comedy! fie! comedies are fit for

common wits:

But to present a kingly troop withal,
Give me a stately-written tragedy;
Tragadia cothurnata, fitting kings,
Containing matter, and not common things.
My lords, all this must be performed,
As fitting for the first night's revelling.
The Italian tragedians were so sharp of wit,
That in one hour's meditation,

They would perform any thing in action.

Enter ISABELLA, with a Weapon.
Isab. Tell me no more, O monstrous homicides!
Since neither piety, nor pity, moves
The king to justice or compassion,

I will revenge myself upon this place,
277 Where thus they murdered my beloved son.
[She cuts down the Arbour.

Down with these brauches, and these loathsome
boughs,

Of this unfortunate and fatal pine,

Down with them, Isabella, rent them up,

And burn the roots from whence the rest is sprung.
I will not leave a root, a stalk, a tree,

Lor. And well it may, for I have seen the like A bough, a branch, a blossom, nor a leaf,

In Paris, 'mongst the French tragedians.

Hier. In Paris! mass, and well remembered, There's one thing more that rests for us to do. Bal. What's that, Hieronimo? forget not any thing.

Hier. Each one of us must act his part
In unknown languages,

That it may breed the 274 more variety:
As you, my lord, in Latin; I in Greek;
You in Italian; and, for because I know
That Belimperia hath practised the French,
In courtly French shall all her phrases be.
Bel. You mean to try my cunning then, Hiero-
nimo.

Bal. But this will be a mere confusion,
And hardly shall we all be understood.

Hier. It must be so; for the conclusion
Shall prove the invention, and all was good:
And I myself in an oration,

And with a strange and wonderous show besides,
That I will have there behind a curtain,
Assure thyself, shall make the matter known:

No, not an herb within this garden-plot.
Accursed complot of my misery!
Fruitless for ever may this garden be,
Barren the earth, and blissless whosoever
Imagines not to keep it unmanured.

278

An eastern wind, commixed with noisome airs,
Shall blast the plants, and the young saplings:
The earth with serpents shall be pestered,

And passengers, for fear to be infect,
Shall stand aloof; and looking at it, tell,
There, murdered, died the son of Isabel.
Aye, here he died, and here I him embrace.
See there his ghost solicits 279 with his wounds
Revenge on her that should revenge his death.
Hieronimo, make haste to see thy son;
For sorrow and despair hath cited me,
To hear Horatio plead with Rhadamant.
Make haste, Hieronimo; to hold excused 280
Thy negligence in pursuit of their deaths,
Whose hateful wrath bereaved him of his breath.
Ah
nay,
281 thou dost delay their deaths,
Forgiv'st the murderers of thy noble son,

271 To, omitted, 1618. 273 That, 1623. 33. 275 O then, 1633.

277 Where they murdered, 1618. 23.-Where

278 Blessless, 1618. 23. 33.

280 To hold exclude, 161 s. 23. 33,

272 The huntress,-i. e. Diana. Hawkins,
274 The, omitted, 1618. 23. 33.
276 1, why, 1633.

they have murdered, 1633.

279 Solicited with his wounds, 1618, 23 33.
281 Ha, 1618. 23. 33.

And none but I bestir me to no end:
And as I curse this tree from farther fruit,
So shall my womb be cursed for his sake;
And with this weapon will I wound the breast,
The hapless breast that gave Horatio suck.

[She stabs herself. Enter HIERONIMO, he knocks up the Curtain, Enter the Duke of Castile.

Cast. How now, Hieronimo, where's your' fellows,

That you take all this pain?

Hier. O, sir, it is for the author's credit,
To look that all things may go well;
But, good my lord, let me intreat your grace
To give the king the copy of the play;
This is the argument of what we show.

Cast. I will, Hieronimo.

Hier. One thing more, my good 283 lord.
Cast. What's that?

282

Hier. Let me intreat your grace, That when the train are 284 past into the gallery, You would vouchsafe to throw me down the key. Cast. I will, Hieronimo. [Exit Castile. Hier. What are you ready, Balthezar ? Bring a chair and a cushion for the king.

Enter BALTHEZAR with a Chair.

Well done, Balthezar, hang up the title;
Our scene is Rhodes. What, is your beard on?
Bal. Half on, the other is in my hand.
Hier. Dispatch for shame! are you so long?—
[Exit BALTHEZAR.

Bethink thyself, Hieronimo,
Recal thy wits, recount thy former wrongs,
Thou hast received by murder of thy son.
And lastly, though not least, how Isabel,
Once his mother, and my dearest wife,
All woe-begone 285 for him, hath slain herself.
Behoves thee then, Hieronimo, to be revenged!
The plot is laid of dire revenge.

On then, 286 Hieronimo, pursue revenge;
For nothing wants, but acting of revenge. [Exit.
Enter Spanish King, Viceroy, Duke of Castile,

and their Train.

289

And holy Mahomet our sacred prophet:
And be thou graced with every excellence,
That Solyman can give, or thou desire.
But thy desert in conquering Rhodes is less,
Than in reserving this fair Christian nymph,
Perseda, blissful lamp of excellence,
Whose eyes compel like powerful adamant
The warlike heart of Solyman to wait.
King. See Viceroy, that is Balthezar your son,
That represents the emperor Solyman:
How well he acts his amorous passion!

Vice. Aye, Belimperia hath taught him that. Cast. That's because his mind runs all on Belimperia.

Hier. Whatever joy earth yields, betide 29° your
majesty.

Bal. Earth yields no joy without Perseda's love.
Hier. 291 Let then Perseda on your grace at-

tend.

Bal. She shall not wait on me, but I on her, Drawn by the influence of her lights, I yield; But let my friend the Rhodian knight come forth, Erastus dearer than my life to me,

That he may see Perseda my beloved.

Enter LORENZO.

King. Here comes Lorenzo-Look upon the And tell me, brother, what part plays he? plot,

Bel. Ah, my Erastus, welcome to Perseda. Lor. Thrice happy is Erastus that thou livest; Rhodes' loss is nothing to Erastus' joy, Sith his Perseda lives, his life survives..

Bal. Ah, Bashaw, here is love betwixt Erastus And fair Perseda, sovereign of my soul.

Hier. Remove Erastus, mighty Solyman,

282 Thy, 1618. 93. 33. 284 Is, 1618. 23. 33. 286 On them, 1618. 23. 33.

288 Denie, 1618.

29 Betinde, 1618.

283 Good my, 1633.

285 Woe begone-See P. 503. Note, 287 Our, 1618. 23. 33.

289 Christian, omitted, 1633.

291 Then let, 1618. 23. 33.

And then Perseda will be quickly won.
Bal. Erastus is my friend, and while he lives
Perseda never will remove her love.

Hier. Let not Erastus live to grieve great Soly

man.

Bal. Dear is Erastus in our princely eye.
Hier. But if he be your rival, let him die.
Bal. Why, let him die; so love commandeth

me;

Yet grieve I that Erastus should so die.
Hier. Erastus, Solyman saluteth thee,
And lets thee wit by me his highness' will,
Which is, that thou should'st be thus employed.
[Stabs him.
Bel. Ah me, Erastus!-Sce, Solyman, Erastus
slain.

Bal. Yet liveth Solyman to comfort thee.
Fair queen of beauty, let not favour die,
But with a gracious eye behold his grief,
That with Perseda's beauty is increased.
If by Perseda's grief be not released.

Bel. Tyrant, desist soliciting vain suits;
Relentless are mine ears to thy laments,
As thy butcher is pitiless and base,
Which siezed on my Erastus, harmless knight;
Yet by thy power thou thinkest to command,
And to thy power Perseda doth obey;
But were she able, thus she would revenge
Thy treacheries on thee, ignoble prince;
[Stabs him.
And on herself she would be thus revenged.
[Stabs herself.
King. Well said, old marshal, this was bravely
done.

Hier. But Belimperia plays Perseda well. Vice. Were this in earnest, Belimperia? You would be better to my son than so. King. But now what follows 292 for Hieronimo? Hier. Marry this follows for Hieronimo ; Here break we off our sundry languages, And thus conclude I in our vulgar tongue; Haply you think (but bootless 293

thoughts)

are

That this is fabulously counterfeit,
And that we do, as all tragedians do,
To die to-day, for fashioning our scene,
The death of Ajax, or some Ronan peer,
And in a minute starting up again,
Revive to please to-morrow's audience;
No, princes; know, I am Hieronimo,

your

The hopeless father of a hapless son,
Whose tongue is 294 tuned to tell his latest tale,
Not to excuse gross errors in the play.
I see your looks urge instance of those words—
Behold the reason urging me to this.

He shews his dead Son.
See here my show, look on this spectacle;
Here lay my hope, and here my hope hath end:
Here lay my heart, and here my heart was slain;
Here lay my treasure, here my treasure lost;
Here lay my bliss, and here my bliss bereft;
But, hope, heart, treasure, joy, and bliss,
All fled, fail'd, died; yea, all decay'd with this.
From forth these wounds came breath that gave
me life;

They murder'd me, that made these fatal marks.
The cause was love, whence grew this mortal hate,
The hate, Lorenzo and young Balthezar,
The love, my son to Belimperia;

But night, the coverer of accursed crimes,
With pitchy silence hush'd 295 these traitors
harms,

And lent them leave, for they had 296 sorted lei

sure,

To take advantage in my garden-plot,
Upon my son, my dear Horatio;

There merciless they butcher'd up my boy,
In black dark night, to pale dim cruel death.
He shrieks, I heard; and yet methinks I hear
His dismal outcry echo in the air;
With soonest speed I hasted to the noise,
Where hanging on a tree I found my son,
Through girt with wounds, and slaughter'd as you

see;

And grieved I, think you, at this spectacle?
Speak, Portingale, whose loss 297 resembles mine,
If thou can'st weep upon thy Balthezar,
'Tis like I 298 wail'd for my Horatio.-
And you, my lord, whose reconciled son
March'd in a net, and thought himself unseen,
And rated me for brain-sick lunacy,

299 With-God amend that mad Hieronimo;
How can you brook our play's catastrophe?
And here behold this bloody handkerchief,
Which at Horatio's death I, weeping, dipt
Within the river of his bleeding wounds,
It, as propitious, see, I have 300 reserved,
And never hath it left my bloody 301 heart,
Soliciting remembrance of my vow,
With these, O these accursed murderers;

22 For omitted, 1618. 23. 33.

294 Turned, 1618.

293 Be, 1618. 23. 33.

295 The trait'rous 1623. 33.

296 Sorted. To sort is to chuse or select. As, in the Third Part of Henry VI. A. 5. S. 6 :

Which now performed, my heart is satisfied.
And to this end the Bashaw I became,
That might revenge me on Lorenzo's life;
Who therefore was appointed to the part,
And was to represent the knight of Rhodes,
That I might kill him more conveniently :-
So, Viceroy, was this Balthezar thy son,
That Solyman, which Belimperia,
In person of Perseda, murder'd,
Solely appointed to that tragic part,
That she might slay him that offended her.
Poor Belimperia miss'd her part in this;

For though the story saith, she should have

died,

Yet I of kindness, and of care to her,
Did otherwise determine of her end;

But love of him, whom they did hate, 302 too much,

303

Did urge her resolution to be such.—
And, princes, now behold Hieronimo,
Author and actor in this tragedy,
Bearing his latest fortune in his fist;
And will as resolute conclude his part
As any of the actors gone before.-
And, gentles, thus I end my play;
Urge no more words, I have no more to say.
[He runneth to hang himself.
King. O hearken, Viceroy-Hold, Hieronimo-
Brother, my nephew and thy son are
slain.
Vice. We are betray'd-my Balthezar is slain.
Break ope the doors-run, save Hieronimo,

[They break in, and hold HIERONIMO, Hieronimo, do but inform the king of these events, Upon mine honour, thou shalt have no harm. Hier. Viceroy, I will not trust thee with my life,

Which I this day have offer'd to my son.

King. Speak, traitor! damned bloody murder

er, speak!

For now I have thee, I will make thee speak.
Why hast thou done this undeserving deed?

Vice. Why hast thou murdered my Balthezar? Cust. Why hast thou butchered both my children thus?

"Hier. But are you sure that they are dead? "Cast. Aye, slain too sure.

"Hier. What, and your's too?

"Vice. Aye, all are dead; not one of them "survive.

"Hier. Nay, then I care not.-Come, and we "shall be friends:

"Let us lay our heads together.

"See, here's a goodly noose will hold them all. "Vice. O damned devil! how 305 secure he is! "Hier. Secure! why dost thou wonder at it? "I tell thee, Viceroy, this day I have seen revenge,

"And in that sight am grown a prouder monarch, "Than ever sate under the crown of Spain. "Had I as many lives as there be stars, "As many heavens to go to as those lives, "I'd give them all, aye, and my soul to boot, "But I would see thee ride in this red pool.

"Cast. Speak, who were thy confederates in "this?

"Vice. That was thy daughter Belimperia; "For by her hand my Balthezar was slain : "I saw her stab him."

Hier. O good words.-As dear to me was my
Horatio,

As yours, or yours, or yours, my lord, to you;
My guiltless son was by Lorenzo slain,
And by Lorenzo and that Balthezar
Am I at last revenged thoroughly;

Accursed wretch! why 304 stay'st thou him that Upon whose souls may heavens be yet 306 avenged

was resolved to die?

307 With greater far than these afflictions.

302 So, 1623. 33.

305 Secure." In the sense of the Latin, securus-securus admodum de bello animi securi homo. A negligent security arising from a contempt of the object opposed." Dr Warburton's Note on Troilus and Cressida, A. 4. S. 5.

passage.

306 Revenged, 1618. 23. 33.

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