stand sentry, or so; but I'll be hang'd and quartered before I'll have my members cut off.

2 SOLD. And I too; hold thee there!

PHIL. Hold you both there! away, you rogues,

you dirt!

[Beats them both in.

Thus do I tread upon you; out, begone!

One valiant is an host; fight then alone!

Enter CARDINAL, ALVERO, CHRISTOFERO, and SOLDIERS.

CARD. Prince Philip!

PHIL. For the crown of Spain, come all?
CARD. We come in love and peace.

PHIL. But come in war;

Bring naked swords, not laurel boughs; in peace! Plague on your rank peace! will you fight and cry, Down with the Moor? and then I'm yours; I'll

die

I have a heart, two arms, a soul, a head;

I'll lay that down; I'll venture all; s'foot, all!
Come tread upon me-so that Moor may fall.
CARD. By heaven, that Moor shall fall!

PHIL. Thy hand and thine.

[Flings down his weapons.

Give me but half your hearts, you have all mine;

By heaven! shall he fall?

CARD. Yes upon thee,

Like to the ruins of a tower, to grind

Thy body into dust. Traitor and bastard!

I do arrest thee of high treason.

PHIL. Hah!

Traitor and bastard! and by thee! my weapons!

CARD. Lay hands him!

upon

PHIL. Ah! you're best do so.

to

CARD. Alvero, there's the warrant ; your The prisoner is committed. Lords, let's part:

Look to him on your

life.

hands

[Exeunt Card. &c.

Manent PHILIP and ALVERO.

PHIL. 'Heart! 'heart! 'heart! 'heart!

[Tears the warrant. The devil and his dam-the Moor and mother

my

Their warrant! I will not obey: old grey beard,
Thou shalt not be my jailer; there's no prison,
No dungeon deep enough, no grates so strong,
That can keep in a man so mad with wrong.
What, dost thou weep?

ALV. I would fain shed a tear,

But from mine eyes so many show'rs are gone;
Grief drinks my tears so fast, that here's not one.
You must to prison.

PHIL. Dost thou speak to me

ALV. You must to prison.

?

PHIL. And from thence to death.

I thought I should have had a tomb hung round
With tatter'd colours, broken spears; I thought
My body should have fallen down full of wounds;
But one can kill an emperor-fool! then why
Would'st thou have many? Curse, be mad, and die!
[Exeunt.

ACT THE FIFTH.

SCENE I.

Enter RODERIGO and CHRISTOFERO; two bareheaded before them; CARDINAL alone; ZARACK and BALTAZAR bearing the crown on a cushion; ELEAZAR next; QUEEN MOTHER after him; other LORDS after her; ALVERO, sad, meets them. CARD. Alvero, 'tis the pleasure of the king, Of the Queen Mother, and these honoured states, To ease you of Philip; there's a warrant Sent to remove him to a stronger guard.

ALV. I thank you; you shall rid me of much care. ELEAZ. Sit down, and take your place.

ALV. If I might have the place I like best,

It should be my grave.

[Sits down.

[The Moors stand aside with the crown: Eleazar,

rising, takes it.

ELEAZ. [Aside to the Moors.] Stand in voice' reach.

[Aloud.] Away!

BOTH MOORS. We are gone.

[Exeunt.

ELEAZ. Princes of Spain, if in this royal court

There sit a man, that having laid his hold

So fast on such a jewel, and dare wear it

In the contempt of envy, as I dare,

Yet uncompell'd (as freely as poor pilgrims

Bestow their prayers) would give such wealth away; Let such a man step forth;-what, do none rise? No, no, for kings indeed are deities;

And who'd not, as the sun, in brightness shine?
To be the greatest is to be divine.

Who among millions, would not be the mightiest?
To sit in godlike state; to have all eyes
Dazzled with admiration, and all tongues
Shouting loud prayers; to rob every heart
Of love; to have the strength of every arm:
A sovereign's name! why 'tis a sovereign charm.
This glory round about me hath thrown beams :
I have stood upon the top of fortune's wheel,
And backward turn'd the iron screw of fate.
The destinies have spun a silken thread
About my life; yet, noble Spaniards, see
Hoc tantum tanti, thus I cast aside
The shape of majesty, and on my knee,

[Kneels: the Cardinal fetches the crown and sets

it on the chair.

To this imperial state lowly resign

This usurpation; wiping off your fears
Which stuck so hard upon me; let a hand,
A right and royal hand, take up this wreath
And guard it; right is of itself most strong;
No kingdom got by cunning can stand long.
CARD. Proceed to new election of a king.
ALL. Agreed.

ELEAZ. Stay, peers of Spain! if young Philippo

Be Philip's son, then is he Philip's heir;

Then must his royal name be set in gold;

Philip is then the diamond to that ring;

But if he be a bastard, here's his seat,

For baseness has no gall till it grow great:
First, therefore, let him blood if he must bleed,
Yet in what vein you strike him best take heed;
The Portugal's his friend; you saw he came,
At holding up a finger, arm'd: this peace
Rid hence his dangerous friendship; he's at home;
But when he hears that Philip is tied up,
Yet hears not why, he'll catch occasion's lock,
And on that narrow bridge make shift to lead

A scrambling army through the heart of Spain:
Look to't! being in, he'll hardly out again.
Therefore, first prove and then proclaim him bastard.
ALV. How shall we prove it?

ELEAZ. He that put him out to making

I am sure can tell; if not,

Then she that shap'd him can: here's the Queen
Mother,

Being prick'd in conscience, and preferring Spain
Before her own respect, will name the man.

If he be noble, and a Spaniard born,

He'll hide the apparent scars of their infamies,
With the white hand of marriage; that and time
Will eat the blemish off: say, shall it?

ALL. NO!

CARD. Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die!
HORTEN. Death is too easy for such villany.
ELEAZ. Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall
die!