Vid. There resteth all. But if they fail thereof, And if the end bring forth an ill1 success, On them and theirs the mischief shall befall, And so I pray the gods requite it them; And so they will, for so is wont to be, When lords and trusted rulers under kings, To please the present fancy of the prince, With wrong transpose the course of governance, Murders, mischief, and civil sword at length, Or mutual treason, or a just revenge, When right succeeding line returns again, By Jove's just judgment and deserved wrath, Brings them to cruel and reproachful death And roots their names and kindreds from the earth. Fer. Mother, content you, you shall see the end. Vid. The end! thy end I fear: Jove end me first!

SCENE 2.-Gorboduc, King of Great Britain, is consulting with two of his lords, Arostus and Philander, and his secretary, Eubulus, whose name is Greek for good counsel, and from whom especially proceeds good counsel for the English. Gorboduc first tells his friends that he needs faithful advice from them, for the well-being of himself and of his sons. Arostus promises for all that he shall have it. Gorboduc then says

My lords, I thank you all. This is the case:
Ye know, the gods, who have the sovereign care
For kings, for kingdoms, and for common weals,
Gave me two sons in my more lusty age,
Who now, in my decaying3 years, are grown
Well towards riper state of mind and strength,
To take in hand some greater princely charge.
As yet they live and spend their hopeful days
With me, and with their mother, here in court.
Their age now asketh other place and trade,
And mine also doth ask another change,
Theirs to more travail, mine to greater case.
When fatal death shall end my mortal life,
My purpose is to leave unto them twain
The realm divided in two sundry parts:
The one, Ferrex, mine elder son, shall have;
The other, shall the younger, Porrex, rule.
That both my purpose may more firmly 6 stand,
And eke that they may better rule their charge,
I mean forthwith to place them in the same;
That in my life they may both learn to rule,
And I may joy to see their ruling well.
This is, in sum, what I would have you weigh:
First, whether ye allow my whole devise,
And think it good for me, for them, for you,
And for our country, mother of us all :
And if ye like it and allow it well,

5

Then, for their guiding and their governance, Shewe forthe suche meanes of circumstance, As ye think meet to be both known and kept. Lo, this is all; now tell me your advice.

Arostus agrees with the king smoothly in a speech of seventy lines; finding reasons to show that his grace hath wisely thought. Philander, in a speech of a hundred lines, partly agrees with Arostus, partly differs from him :

As for dividing of this realm in twain,
And lotting out the same in equal parts
To either of my lords, your grace's sons,
That think I best for this your realm's behoof,
For profit and advancement of your sons,
And for your comfort and your honour eke:
But so to place them while your life do last,
To yield to them your royal governance,
To be above them only in the name
Of father, not in kingly state also,

I think not good for you, for them, nor us.

To part your

realm unto my lords your sons

I think not good for you, ne yet for them,
But worst of all for this our native land.
Within one land, one single rule is best :
Divided reigns do make divided hearts;
But peace preserves the country and the prince.
Such is in man the greedy mind to reign,
So great is his desire to climb aloft,

In worldly stage the stateliest parts to bear,
That faith and justice, and all kindly love,
Do yield unto desire of sovereignty,
Where equal state doth raise an equal hope
To win the thing that either would attain.
Your grace remembreth how in passed years,
The mighty Brute, first prince of all this land,
Possess'd the same, and ruled it well in one:
He, thinking that the compass did suffice

For his three sons three kingdoms eke to make,
Cut it in three, as you would now in twain.
But how much British 10 blood hath since been spilt,

To join again the sundered unity!

What princes slain before their timely hour!11
What waste of towns and people in the land!
What treasons heaped on murders and on spoils!
Whose just revenge even yet is scarcely ceased,
Ruthful remembrance is yet raw 12 in mind.

(Who long might live to see your ruling well)
To you, my lord, and to his other son,
Lo, he resigns his realm and royalty;

Which never would so wise a prince have done,
If he had once misdeemed that in your heart
There ever lodgéd so unkind a thought.
But tender love, my lord, and settled trust
Of your good nature, and your noble mind,
Made him to place you thus in royal throne,
And now to give you half his realm to guide;
Yea, and that half which, in abounding store
Of things that serve to make a wealthy realm,
In stately cities, and in fruitful soil,
In temperate breathing of the milder heaven,
In things of needful use, which friendly sea

And thus to match his younger son with me
In equal power, and in as great degree?
Yea, and what son?

Hermon inflames yet more the anger that good Dordan seeks to cool. In vain Dordan warns :

Ill is their counsel, shameful be their end, That raising such mistrustful fear in you, Sowing the seeds of such unkindly hate, Travail by treason to destroy you both.

Hermon flatters in Ferrex the "noble gifts of princely qualities" that make him worthy of his

he loves.

Dor. Ne yet he wrongeth you that giveth you So large a reign ere that the course of time Bring you to kingdom by descended right, Which time perhaps might end your time before. Fer. Is this no wrong, say you, to reave from me My native right of half so great a realm,

1 Which, in, within. (W. G.)

2 Seme. (W. G.)

3 This cut is taken from Strutt's "Manners and Customs of the English." It was copied from a large painting on wood that surrounded the portrait of Sir Henry Unton, with pictured incidents in his life. Sir Henry Unton died in debt in the year 1596. The incident here pictured is the masque held at his wedding, and it serves to show the method of presenting such an entertainment.

Ports. (W. G.)

birthright. In mildness and in sober governance he far excels his brother, to whose fiery head, Hermon suggests, mild sufferance of so great a wrong would presently give courage to invade the whole. fore, advises Hermon,

There

While yet therefore sticks in the people's mind
The loathed wrong of your disheritance;
And ere your brother have, by settled power,
By guileful cloak of an alluring show,
Got him some force and favour in the realm;
And while the noble queen, your mother, lives,
To work and practise all for your avail;
Attempt redress by arms, and wreak yourself
Upon his life that gaineth by your loss,
Who now to shame of you, and grief of us,
In your own kingdom triumphs over you.
Show now your courage meet for kingly state,
That they which have avow'd to spend their goods,

5 This. (W. G.) 6 Estate. (W. G.)

6

Shall I revenge it with his death therefore?
Or shall I so destroy my father's life
That gave me life? The gods forbid. I say:
Cease you to speak so any more to me:
Ne you, my friend, with answer once repeat
So foul a tale. In silence let it die.
What lord or subject shall have hope at all,
That under me they safely shall enjoy
Their goods, their honours, lands, and liberties,
With whom, neither one only brother dear,
Ne father dearer, could enjoy their lives?
But, sith I fear my younger brother's rage,
And sith, perhaps, some other man may give
Some like advice, to move his gruizing head
At mine estate; which counsel may perchance
Take greater force with him than this with me,
I will in secret so prepare myself,

As, if his malice or his last to reign
Break forth in arms or sudden violence,

I may withstand his rage and keep mine own

Exeunt FERREX and HERMON.

SCENE 2-Porrex, the younger brother, consults with two advisers, Tylar, a parasite, and Philander, a counsellor assigned to him by his father. He is told by the parasite of these preparations for war which his brother had resolved to make as safeguard against outbreak from Porrex, and which are LOW made into reasons for attacking him :—

Pr. And is it thus and doch be so prepare
Agung his bother as his mortal for?
And now, wile yet his azéd father lives?
Netther regards he him, nor fears he me ?
War would be haver and be shall have it so.

The Lot temper of Porrex is quickened by the reports of Tyniar, the parasite. Philander tres in vain that Porrex dodli seni to his brother for explanation before Loving unkindly war, and send to Gurbodne, who would appease the kinded minds of his sons, ani ri Porrex of this fear :

Fur. Hid me of far! I fear him not at all: Ne vi si bien ne to my father wai If danger were for one to tarry there, Think re in safety to return again? In miehife such as Ferrex 2mezk The word undeous laws do moments Are not observi vild a juk vir thy m St I sc hamed azt for t

Shall I betray my tasty freis 2. him

That have disclosed his treason unto me,
Let him entreat that fears; I fear him not.
Or shall I to the king, my father send?
Yea, and send now, while such a mother lives,
That loves my brother, and that hateth me?
Shall I give leisure, by my fond delays,
To Ferrex to oppress me all unware?
I will not; but I will invade his realm,
And seek the traitor prince within his court.
Mischief for mischief is a due reward.
His wretched head shall pay the worthy price
Of this his treason and his hate to me.
Shall I abide, and treat,3 and send, and pray,
And hold my yielden throat to traitor's knife,
While I, with valiant mind and conquering force,
Might rid myself of foes, and win a realm?
Yet rather, when I have the wretch's head,
Then to the king, my father, will I send.
The bootless case may yet appease his wrath:
If not, I will defend me as I may.

[Exeunt PORREX and TYNDAR.

Philander remains to utter his misgivings, and leaves to warn Gorboduc, "ere this mischief come to the likely end." Then the Chorus sums up the act thus:

CHORUS.

When youth, not bridled with a guiding stay,

Is left to random of their own delight,

And wields whole realms by force of sovereign sway,+
Great is the danger of unmastered might,
Lest skilless rage throw down, with headlong fall,
Their lands, their states, their lives, themselves and all.

When growing pride doth fill the swelling breast, And greedy lust doth raise the climbing mind,

Oh, hardly may the peril be repressed.

Ne fear of angry gods, ne lawés kind,
Ne country's care3 can firéd hearts restrain,
When force hath arméd envy and disdain.

When kings of foreset will neglect the rede
Of best advice, and yield to pleasing tales
That do their fancies' noisome humour feed,
Ne reason nor regard of right avails,
Succeeding heaps of plagues shall teach, too late,
To learn the mischiefs of misguided state.

Foul fall the traitor false, that undermines

The love of brethren, to destroy them both. Woe to the prince, that pliant ear inclines,

And yields his mind to poisonous tale that flow'th From flattering mouth! And woe to wretched land, That wastes itself with civil sword in hand! Lo, thus it is, poison in gold to take, And wholesome drink in homely cup forsake.

The Second Act being ended, a Dumb Show preluded in this manner the Third Act:

Read, read my lords; this is the matter why
I called ye now, to have your good advice.

The letter from DORDAN, the Counsellor of the elder Prince.
EUBULUS readeth the letter.

My sovereign lord, what I am loath to write,
But loathest am to see, that I am forced
By letters now to make you understand.
My lord Ferrex, your eldest son, misled
By traitorous fraud of young untemper'd wits,
Assembleth force against your younger son,
Ne can my counsel yet withdraw the heat
And furious pangs of his inflaméd head.
Disdain, saith he, of his disheritance9
Arms him to wreak the great pretended 10 wrong
With civil sword upon his brother's life.

If present help do not restrain this rage,
This flame will waste your sons, your land, and you.
Your Majesty's faithful,

and most humble subject,
DORDAN.