GUISE. Oh! I've my death-wound! give me leave to speak!

2 MURD. Then pray to God, and ask forgiveness

of the king.

GUISE. Trouble me not, I ne'er offended him, Nor will I ask forgiveness of the king.

Oh! that I have not power to stay my life,

Nor immortality to be reveng'd!

To die by peasants, what a grief is this!
Ah! Sextus, be reveng'd upon the king!
Philip and Parma, I am slain for you!
Pope, excommunicate Philip, depose
The wicked branch of curst Valois's line.
Vive la messe ! perish Hugonots!

Thus Cæsar did go forth, and thus he dies. [Dies.
Enter the CAPTAIN of the GUARD.

CAP. What, have you done?

Then stay awhile, and I'll go call the king;

But see where he comes.

Enter KING and EPERNOUNE.

My lord, see where the Guise is slain.

KING. Ah! this sweet sight is physic to my soul; Go, fetch his son for to behold his death.Surcharg'd with guilt of thousand massacres, Monsieur of Lorraine, sink away to hell, In just remembrance of those bloody broils, To which thou didst allure me being alive. And here, in presence of you all, I swear I ne'er was king of France until this hour. This is the traitor that hath spent my gold,

In making foreign wars, and cruel broils.
Did he not draw a sort of English priests,
From Douay to the seminary at Rheims,

To hatch forth treason 'gainst their natʼral queen ?
Did he not cause the king of Spain's huge fleet
To threaten England, and to menace me?
Did he not injure Monsieur that's deceas'd?
Hath he not made me, in the Pope's defence,

To spend the treasure that should strength my land,
In civil broils between Navarre and me?

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 yok'd as I!
EPER. My lord, here is his son.

Enter GUISE'S SON.

KING. Boy, look where your father lies.

Boy. My father slain! Who hath done this deed? KING. Sirrah, 'twas I that slew him, and will slay Thee too, an thou prove such a traitor.

Boy. Art thou king, and hast done this bloody deed?

I'll be reveng'd.

[He offers to throw his dagger. KING. Away to prison with him! I'll clip his wings Or ere he pass my hands. Away with him.

[The Attendants bear off the Boy.

But what availeth that this traitor's dead,
When duke Dumaine, his brother, is alive,

And that young cardinal that's grown so proud?
Go to the governor of Orleans,

And will him, in my name, to kill the duke.

[To the Captain of the Guard.

Get you away, and strangle the cardinal.

[To the Murderers.

[Exeunt Captain of the Guard, and Murderers.

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 the news.

Enter the QUEEN MOTHER and ATTENDANTS. KING. And let her droop; my heart is light enough. Mother, how like you this device of mine? I slew the Guise, because I would be king.

Q. Mo. King! why so thou wert before; Pray God thou be a king now this is done! KING. Nay, he was king, and countermanded me; But now I will be king, and rule myself, And make the Guisians stoop that are alive.

Q. Mo. I cannot speak for grief.-When thou wast born,

I would that I had murder'd 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.

KING. Cry out, exclaim, howl till thy throat be hoarse!

The Guise is slain, and I rejoice therefore.

And now will I to arms. Come, Epernoune,

And let her grieve her heart out if she will.

[Exeunt King and Epernoune.

Q. Mo. 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 wrack;
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. [Exit.

SCENE III.

Enter two MURDERERS, dragging in the CARDINAL CARD. Murder me not, I am a Cardinal.

1 MURD. Wert thou the Pope, thou might'st not 'scape from us.

CARD. What, will you 'file your hands with church-men's blood?

2 MURD. Shed your blood? O Lord no; for we intend to strangle you.

CARD. Then there's no remedy, but I must die. 1 MURD. No remedy; therefore prepare yourself. CARD. Yet lives my brother duke Dumaine, and

many more,

To 'venge our deaths upon that cursed king;
Upon whose heart may all the furies gripe,

And with their paws drench his black soul in hell.

1 MURD. Yours, my lord Cardinal, you should

have said. [They strangle him. So pluck amain; he is hard-hearted; therefore pull with violence! Come, take him away.

[Exeunt.

Enter DUMAINE, reading a letter; with others.
Du. My noble brother murder'd by the king!
Oh! what may I do 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's line from forth of France;
And beat proud Bourbon to his native home,
That basely seeks to join with such a king,
Whose murd'rous 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 all those traitors to the church of Rome,
That durst attempt to murder noble Guise.

Enter a 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.

Du. My brother Cardinal slain, and I alive! O words of pow'r to kill a thousand men ! Come, let's away, and levy men;

"Tis war that must assuage the tyrant's pride.

FRI. My lord, hear me but speak.