Bar. Fear not, my lord, for here against the sluice, The rock is hollow, and of purpose digged, And rise with them i' the middle of the town, Open the gates for you to enter in, Bar. And if it be not true, then let me Ferneze, speak, had it not been much better To ['ve] kept thy promise than be thus surprised? Gov. What should I say? We are captives and must yield. Caly. Aye, villains, you must yield, and under Turkish yokes Shall groaning bear the burden of our ire; And Barabas, as erst we promised thee, For thy desert we make thee governor; Use them at thy discretion. Bar. Thanks, my lord. Gov. Oh fatal day, to fall into the hands Of such a traitor and unhallowed Jew! What greater misery could heaven inflict? Caly. 'Tis our command: and Barabas, we give To guard thy person, these our janizaries : Intreat them well, as we have used thee. And now, brave bassoes, come, we'll walk about The ruined town, and see the wreck we made: Farewell, brave Jew, farewell great Barabas! [Exeunt. Bar. May all good fortune follow Calymath. And now, as entrance to our safety, Gov. Oh villain, heaven will be revenged on thee. [Exeunt. Bar. Away, no more, let him not trouble me. Thus hast thou gotten, by thy policy, Lives like the ass that Æsop speaketh of, Enter Governor, with a Guard. within, Bar. Aye, lord, thus slaves will learn. Now, Governor, stand by there :-wait [Exit Guard. This is the reason that I sent for thee; Thou seest thy life, and Malta's happiness, Are at my arbitrement; and Barabas At his discretion may dispose of both: Now tell me, Governor, and plainly too, What think'st thou shall become of it and thee? Gov. This, Barabas; since things are in thy power, I see no reason but of Malta's wreck, 'Tis not thy life which can avail me aught, Gov. Will Barabas recover Malta's loss? A dissolution of the slavish bands What will you give me if I render you His soldiers, till I have consumed 'em all What will you give him that procureth this? Gov. Do but bring this to pass which thou Deal truly with us as thou intimatest, Bar. Nay, do thou this, Ferneze, and be Governor, I enlarge thee; live with me, Here is my hand that I'll set Malta free: I will be there, and do as thou desirest; Bar. Governor, presently. First to surprise great Selim's soldiers, To what event my secret purpose drives, SCENE III. Enter Calymath and Bassoes. Caly. Thus have we viewed the city, seen the sack, And caused the ruins to be new repaired, We rent in sunder at our entry: Mess. From Barabas, Malta's governor, A message unto mighty Calymath; Caly. To banquet with him in his citadel ? For Calymath, when he hath viewed the For well has Barabas deserved of us, town, Will take his leave and sail toward Otto man. Gov. Then will I, Barabas, about this And bring it with me to thee in the evening. And he from whom my most advantage Shall be my friend. This is the life we Jews are used to lead; Mess. Selim, for that, thus saith the That he hath in store a pearl so big, Not to depart till he has feasted you, Caly. I cannot feast my men in Malta walls, Except he place his tables in the streets. Mess. Know, Selim, that there is a monastery Which standeth as an out-house to the town: There will he banquet them, but thee at home, With all thy bassoes and brave followers. We'll in this summer evening feast with him. And meditate how we may grace us best SCENE IV. Enter Governor, Knights, Del Bosco. Have special care that no man sally forth Then issue out and come to rescue me, Or you released of this servitude. That thou mayest feast them in thy citadel. There wanteth nothing but the Governor's Enter Governor. Now, Governor, the sum. Gov. With free consent, a hundred thousand pounds. Bar. Pounds say'st thou, Governor? well, since it is no more I'll satisfy myself with that; nay, keep it For if I keep not promise, trust not me. Knight. Rather than thus to live as Here have I made a dainty gallery, Turkish thralls What will we not adventure? Gov. On then, begone. Knight. Farewell, grave Governor ! [Exeunt. Enter Barabas, with a hammer, above, very busy; and Carpenters. Bar. How stand the cords? How hang Are all the cranes and pulleys sure? Bar. Leave nothing loose, all levelled to Why now I see that you have art indeed. There, carpenters, divide that gold amongst you: Go swill in bowls of sack and muscadine! For so I live, perish may all the world. Enter Messenger. Mes. He will; and has commanded all his men To come ashore, and march through Malta streets, The floor whereof, this cable being cut, Here, hold that knife, and when thou seest And with his bassoes shall be blithely set, tower, To give thee knowledge when to cut the cord, And fire the house; say, will not this be brave? Gov. Oh excellent! here, hold thee, Ba- I trust thy word, take what I promised thee. A kingly kind of trade to purchase towns sun If greater falsehood ever has been done? Enter Calymath and Bassoes. How busy Barabas is there above Bar. Will 't please thee, mighty Selim Calymath, To ascend our homely stairs? Caly. Aye, Barabas; come, bassoes, attend. Gov. Stay, Calymath! For I will show thee greater courtesy Caly. Treason! treason! bassoes, fly! See his end first, and fly then if thou canst. Bar. Oh help me, Selim, help me, Christians! Governor, why stand you all so pitiless? Gov. Should I in pity of thy plaints or thee, Accursed Barabas, base Jew, relent? Bar. You will not help me, then? Bar. And villains, know you cannot help me now Then Barabas breathe forth thy latest hate, Know, Governor, 'twas I that slew thy son; I framed the challenge that did make them meet: Know, Calymath, I aimed thy overthrow, And had I but escaped this stratagem, I would have brought confusion on you all, Damned Christian dogs, and Turkish infidels; But now begins the extremity of heat To pinch me with intolerable pangs: Die life, fly soul, tongue curse thy fill, and die! [Dies. Caly. Tell me, you Christians, what doth this portend? Gov. This train he laid to have entrapped thy life; Now, Selim, note the unhallowed deeds of Jews: Thus he determined to have handled thee, But I have rather chose to save thy life. Caly. Was this the banquet he prepared for us? Let's hence, lest further mischief be pretended. Gov. Nay, Selim, stay, for since we have thee here, We will not let thee part so suddenly: Besides, if we should let thee go, all's one, For with thy galleys could'st thou not get hence, Without fresh men to rig and furnish them. Caly. Tush, Governor, take thou no care for that, My men are all aboard. And do attend my coming there by this. Gov. Why, heard'st thou not the trumpet sound a charge? Caly. Yes, what of that? Gov. Why then the house was fired, Blown up, and all thy soldiers massacred. Caly. Oh monstrous treason! Gov. A Jew's courtesy: For he that did by treason work our fall, The ruins done to Malta and to us, Or Selim ne'er return to Ottoman. Caly. Nay rather, Christians, let me go to Turkey, In person there to mediate your peace; must stay, And live in Malta prisoner; for come all the world To rescue thee, so will we guard us now, |