Tush, to be short, he meant to make me monk,
Or else to murder me, and so be king.

Let Christian princes, that shall hear of this
(As all the world shall know our Guise is dead),
Rest satisfied with this, that here I swear,
Ne'er was there king of France so yoked as I.
Eper. My lord, here is his son.

Enter GUISE'S Son.

Henry. Boy, look where your father lies.

G.'s Son. My father slain! who hath done this deed? Henry. Sirrah, 'twas I that slew him ; and will slay 120 Thee too, an thou prove such a traitor.

G.'s Son. Art thou king, and hast done this bloody deed?

I'll be reveng❜d.
[Offers to throw his dagger.
Henry. Away to prison with him! I'll clip his wings
Or e'er he pass my hands. Away with him!

[Some of the Attendants bear off GUISE'S Son.
But what availeth that this traitor's dead,
When Duke Dumaine, his brother, is alive,
And that young cardinal that is grown so proud?
Go to the governor of Orleans,

130

And will1 him, in my name, to kill the duke. [To the Captain of the Guard. Get you away, and strangle the cardinal.

VOL. II.

[To the Murderers. [Exeunt Captain of the Guard and Murderers.

1 Order.

T

These two will make one entire Duke of Guise,
Especially with our old mother's help.

Eper. My lord, see, where she comes, as if she droop'd
To hear these news.

Henry. And let her droop; my heart is light enough.

Enter CATHERINE the Queen Mother.

Mother, how like you this device of mine?
I slew the Guise, because I would be king.

Cath. King! why, so thou wert before :
Pray God thou be a king now this is done!

Henry. Nay, he was king, and countermanded me:
But now I will be king, and rule myself,
And make the Guisians stoop that are alive.

140

Cath. I cannot speak for grief.—When thou wast born,
I would that I had murdered thee, my son !

My son? thou art a changeling, not my son :
I curse thee, and exclaim thee miscreant,
Traitor to God and to the realm of France!

150

Henry. Cry out, exclaim, howl till thy throat be hoarse!
The Guise is slain, and I rejoice therefore :
And now will I to arms.-Come, Epernoun,
And let her grieve her heart out, if she will.

[Exit with EPERNOUN.
Cath. Away! leave me alone to meditate.
[Exeunt Attendants.

Sweet Guise, would he had died, so thou wert here !
To whom shall I bewray my secrets now,

Or who will help to build religion?

The Protestants will glory and insult;

Wicked Navarre will get the crown of France;
The Popedom cannot stand; all goes to wreck ;
And all for thee, my Guise! What may I do?
But sorrow seize upon my toiling soul!
For, since the Guise is dead, I will not live.

So, pluck amain:

He is hard-hearted; therefore pull with violence.
Come, take him away.

1 Scene: the interior of a prison at Blois.

160

[Exit.

SCENE XXII.

Enter1 two Murderers, dragging in the CARDINAL.

Card. Murder me not; I am a cardinal.

First Murd. Wert thou the Pope thou might'st not scape from us.

Card. What, will you file your hands with churchmen's blood?

Sec. Murd. Shed your blood! O Lord, no! for we intend to strangle you.

Card. Then there is no remedy, but I must die?
First Murd. No remedy; therefore prepare yourself.
Card. Yet lives my brother Duke Dumaine, and many
mo,

To revenge our deaths upon that cursed king;
Upon whose heart may all the Furies gripe,
And with their paws drench his black soul in hell!

First Murd. Yours, my Lord Cardinal, you should
have said.
[They strangle him.

Exeunt with the body.

SCENE XXIII.

Enter1 DUMAINE, reading a letter; with others.
Dum. My noble brother murder'd by the king!
O, what may I do for to revenge thy death?
The king's alone, it cannot satisfy.
Sweet Duke of Guise, our prop to lean upon,
Now thou art dead, here is no stay for us.
I am thy brother, and I'll revenge thy death,
And root Valois his line from forth of France;
And beat proud Bourbon to his native home,
That basely seeks to join with such a king,
Whose murderous thoughts will be his overthrow.
He will'd the governor of Orleans, in his name,
That I with speed should have been put to death;
But that's prevented, for to end his life,
And 2 all those traitors to the Church of Rome
That durst attempt to murder noble Guise.

Enter Friar.

Fri. My lord, I come to bring you news that your brother the Cardinal of Lorraine, by the king's consent, is lately strangled unto death.

Dum. My brother Cardinal slain, and I alive! O words of power to kill a thousand men !Come, let us away, and levy men;

'Tis war that must assuage this tyrant's pride.

1 Scene; a room in Dumaine's house, at Paris.
2 Old ed. "His life and all," &c.

20

Fri. My lord, hear me but speak.

I am a friar of the order of the Jacobins,
That for my conscience' sake will kill the king.

Dum. But what doth move thee, above the rest, to do the deed?

Fri. O my lord, I have been a great sinner in my days! and the deed is meritorious.

Dum. But how wilt thou get opportunity?

Fri. Tush, my lord, let me alone for that.

Dum. Friar, come with me;

We will go talk more of this within.

bear

Henry. Brother of Navarre, I sorrow much
That ever I was prov'd your enemy,
And that the sweet and princely mind you
Was ever troubled with injurious wars.
I vow, as I am lawful king of France,
To recompense your reconcilèd love,
With all the honours and affections
That ever I vouchsaf'd my dearest friends.

Nav. It is enough if that Navarre may be
Esteemèd faithful to the king of France,
Whose service he may still command till death.

1 Scene Saint-Cloud.

30

[Exeunt.

SCENE XXIV.

Drums and Trumpets. Enter1 KING HENRY, the KING OF NAVARRE, EPERNOUN, BARTUS, PLESHÈ, Soldiers, and Attendants.

10