Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

somerset; please you to be acquainted with her and give me your opinion: she is but seventeen: there's a periwinkle! I had a gemini before I went to travel, and I am bound in conscience, if you think fit, to see her well provided for

Car. With whips,-I'll have her skin flay'd off. Luys. Her skin flay'd off! dost thou know, mortal man, what thou hast said? I tell thee, Don, nothing can come near her in the shape of an officer; she is a very basilisk, and will kill them with her eyes threescore yards pointblank: but you may talk, and do your pleasure with her, for I came o' purpose to bring her to your lodging; if you love me, do but see her; it shall cost you nothing, you shall be my friend; hang money!

Car. Thus will my state consume; vexation! What shall I do? when you have slept, Luys, I'll tell you more.-Attend him to his chamber, And make his door fast.

Luys. You will consider on't? Upon those terms I will go sleep a twinkling. [Exeunt Servant and Luys. Car. And will not all this take away my senses?

My son is lost too! this is all a curse
For my ambition and my avarice.

Re-enter ALSIMIRA, and a Servant with a letter.

Als. News, Don Carlos, from our daughter.
Car. Ha! a letter! 'tis Jacinta's hand.

[reads.

Als. Know'st thou where she is? Ser. Yes, madam, and her resolution to attend her father, with my master, Don Francisco, if Don Carlos please to admit them; the matter's Als. What matter?

[done.

Ser. They are as fast as any priest can make them.

Car. Wife to Francisco, now his father's heir! That's some allay, if it be true; she writes

Don Pedro was contracted to Estefania, who supplied her person in the coach-'twas not Jacinta was ravish'd. Then Don Pedro was not noble, after he had made faith, to intangle my Jacinta.-Hum! say they shall be welcome. Ser. They are present, sir.

Enter FRANCISCO and JACINTA.

Car. I am not yet collected, but if this Paper be justified, I receive you both.Peruse those wonders, Alsimira.

Jac. Sir,

[Exit.

[blocks in formation]

Enter a Servant.

Ser. Don Pedro, sir.

Car. You shall for some few minutes Withdraw into that chamber, in his passion He may be violent; leave me to moderate [him]. Fran. I shall obey you, sir.

[Exeunt FRANCISCO and JACINTA.

Enter DON PEDRO.

Ped. Was ever man of my great birth and fortune

Affronted thus? I am become the talk
Of every picaro and ladron; I challenge
A reparation of my honour; where's
Jacinta? "Tis a plot, a base contrivement
To make my name ridiculous, the subject
Of every scurril language.

Car. My lord, with pardon

Of your altesa, you're not injur'd here,
Unless I have been faulty in too much
Observance, and desires to serve your person
With th' almost sacrifice of my daughter.
Ped. Ha!

Too much to me?

Car. I would you had remember'd
How much your honour was engag'd before,
By contract, to another, when you mock'd
The innocent Jacinta, now not mine.

Ped. Who hath traduc'd my fame, or mention'd

me

With that dishonour? I disclaim all contracts;
The unconfined air's not more free than I
To all the world, except your beauteous daughter.
Car. Do you know the Lady Estefania?

Ped. Dares she make saucy claim? My breath dissolves it.

If every lady whom we grace with our converse Should challenge men of my nobility

Car. I wish, my lord, you could evade it, for The honour of my family; if your conscience Or art can nullify that lady's interest,

I am resolv'd-my son Luigi shall Then marry with that widow.-[Aside.]—I have no other

Ambition.

Ped. You are wise, and I

Am fortified to clear myself thought-free
From any promise to that sullen madam-

Enter ALBERTO, and ESTEFANIA disguised as before, with a paper in her hand.

Ha! 'tis Jacinta, and she wears the jewel

I did present, conspicnously.-I ask

No reason for thy absence, let me chain
My darling in this amorous curl; 'tis happiness
Enough to repossess thee: not the policy
And power of hell shall separate us again.
Estef. It is but justice, sir!

[Uncovering her face.

Ped. Ha! Estefania!
Alb. Do you know her, sir?
Estef. Do you know this character?
[Showing him the poper.

Ped. Conspiracy!

Estef. When this is read, Don Carlos,
You will imagine he has wrong'd your daughter.
Car. Is this your hand, Count Pedro ?
Ped. Mine? 'tis counterfeit,

Upon my honour; and I thus dissolve
Thy insolent claim. [Tears the paper in pieces.

Of every picaro and ladron-every regue and thief. 2 altesa-highness.

[blocks in formation]

Thee worth my anger, shadow of a lord!
Thy greatness I despise, and think thee now
Too poor for my revenge, and freely give
Thee back thy barren promises; and when
I read in story one that has been perjur'd,
I'll write Don Pedro in the place of him
That broke his faith, and thank my fate to have
miss'd thee.

Alb. If you please, madam, while he's i' the humour

Of being base, I'll make him gather up
These paper relics, which he shall make himself
Up into rolls, and having swallow'd them
For pills, thank you his physic was so gentle.
Estef. It will be too much time and breath
lost on him.

Alb. It will become me, madam, to attend you.
[Exeunt ESTEFANIA and ALBERTO.
Ped. So, she is taken off, and my path free
To Carlos' daughter.

Re-enter DON CARLOS and LUYS.

Luys. Contracted to Don Pedro, say [you]? Car. She was.-Where is Estefania? Ped. Gone with Alberto, proud to wait upon The lady I neglected.

Car. Follow them, Luys.

I do not like he should insinuate,

Now she is free, and his hopes desperate in
Jacinta's love.

Luys. How long have I slept, sir?

Car. Thou dost dream still. Pursue the widow now,

Or never look at such a fortune [more].

Luys. Is she gone with Alberto? What if I

say

I have lain with her, and that she's with child by me?

Car. That would stain both your fames. Away, and welcome

When thou return'st, and she confirm'd.

Luys. I'll confirm her, or confound somebody: No more; I am awake. This is Don Pedro, I'll talk with him first.-Will you justify1 The widow is a widow still, and sweet, For all your contract? that you have not been My rival, as they say, after the flesh, And that you did not know I had a mind, Or not a mind, to do the deed of matrimony? Ped. Not I, upon my honour.

1 justify-prove.

Luys. You are witness.Now to Alberto.

Car. Manage the business temperately. Luys. Let me alone to be temperate; if I do not cozen somebody, let me never drink sack again. [Exit.

Car. What think you of Jacinta now, my lord?

Ped. As of the saint I pay my chief devotions to.

Enter FERNANDO with his sword drawn.

Fer. I come to seek one that I late call'd brother,

But he hath forfeited that name, and Justice,
Weary of such a prodigy in nature,

Hath arm'd me thus in her revenge.-Don Carlos,
Obscure him not, no darkness can protect him;
My sword shall forage every room like lightning,
No cave but it shall visit, and through ribs
Of steel compel my passage to his heart,
Although I meet him in his mistress' arms,
The lover's sanctuary, I dare force Francisco,
And with my sword cut the embrace that chains
him,

Rather than he shall glory in my ruins,
And revel out those honours with her he
Took from my blood.

[blocks in formation]

If you dare violate, I dare possess you With all my title to your land.

Car. How is that?

Will you resign the interest to such

A fair estate, and wrong my daughter, sir?
Fran. Let him receive it at his peril.

[Gives the parchment to FERNANDO, who reads it. Fer. Ha!

Fran. It was my father's act, not mine; he trembled

To hear his curse alive, what horror will
His conscience feel when he shall spurn his dust
And call the reverend shade from his bless'd seat,
To this bad world again, to walk and fright him?
Car. I am abused..

Fer. Can this be more than dream?

Fran. Sir, you may cancel it, but think withal How you can answer him that's dead, when he Shall charge your timorous soul for this contempt

To nature and religion, to break

His last bequest and breath, that seal'd your blessings!.

Car. These are fine fancies.
Fer. Here, and may it prosper,

[Gives back the parchment to FRANCISCO.
Where my good father meant it; I'm o'ercome.
Forgive me, and enjoy it; I may find
Some earth that is not thine, where I may die,
And take up a dark chamber: love Jacinta,
And, while I seek out where to be forgotten,
Live happy, and divide the spring between you.

[Going.

Enter RAMYRES, FELISARDA, and THEODORO behind.

Fran. So, so; all's well again. Ram. [coming forward with the rest.]-Fernando, stay!

Fer. Ha! my father and Felisarda?

Car. Don Ramyres and my niece?

Fer. Are they both dead? [FERNANDO kneels. I dare kneel too; they do converse.-Don Carlos, Do not you know that shape? 'tis wondrous like Your niece.

Car. And that your father; ha?

Fer. How long hath Felisarda been a sad Companion to the shades? I did not think

To find thee in this pale society

Of ghosts so soon.

Fel. I am alive, Fernando,

And Don Ramyres still thy living father.
Fran. You may believe it, sir. I was o' the
counsel.
[Exit.

Fer. It is a joy will tempt me wish to live
Here, without more ambition to change
For blessings of the other world; and is
My father willing that we both should live?
Car. Men thought you dead.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

No staying to tell the money, give't me in lump:
I'll count it afterwards. Good sir, make haste.
[Exeunt LUYS and CARLOS.
Ram. Something hath happen'd that doth fresh
perplex him.

Fran. Where is Don Pedro ?
Fer. He's here.

Re-enter Dox PEDRO.

Ped. The storm is over, sure; I hear no noise. Toledos are asleep.-Jacinta! have

I found my love [here]?

Fran. Here 'twas lost indeed:

I must allow no such familiarity
With my wife.

Ped. How! married?

Jac. "Tis most true, my lord.

Ped. You have not used me thus?

Fran. It had been impious to divorce your

heart

1 Toledos-swords. From Toledo in Spain, where swords of the finest temper were manufactured.

[blocks in formation]

Luys. Sir, for the credit of your wisdom, talk not;

The man, you see, 's alive, and married too,
With my consent. Alas, I ow'd him money;
That widow has paid all; I must be honest,
I had no heart to leave you so unsatisfied,
These sums must go for other debts.-
My debts do clog my conscience, and are better
When they are timely paid, sir, than let run
With their long teeth to bite your state here-
after;

And if, when I am free, you dare but trust meCar. Was ever father cheated thus? Come hither;

How dar'st thou be so impudent?

Luys. I cannot help it, sir; unless you die Or give me better means, I shall make bold With these devices; you are my father, sir, And I am bound

Car. To cozen me?

Luys. All must be mine, and if

I pay myself a little before the day,

[blocks in formation]

We'll live together,

And, if thy father be not bountiful,
Thou shalt command my fortune.
Luys. You speak nobly.

Ped. Ladies, I ask your pardon;

Unless you hold me desperate, disdain not
That I may this day wait upon your triumph,
And to each bride offer some gift to expiate
My folly and offence.

Ram. You are too bountiful.

Car. You're all my guests to-day.
Ram. I beg your next

Remove may place the scene of joy with me;

My house shall be much honour'd. Lead the way,

With verse and wine let poets crown this day. [Exeunt.

EPILOGUE. Spoken by DON PEDRO.

So, so; your danger's over,' and the state
Secure, as when our fleet in eighty-eight
Was fir'd and scatter'd. To confirm it true,
Here is Don Pedro, taken prisoner too;
I'm at your mercy, gentlemen, and I
Confess, without a rack, conspiracy,
So far as my poor part i' the play comes to;
But I am innocent from hurt to you,
And I dare quit the rest from any plot
Meant but to please; if you believe it not,
I dare make oath; your hands can do no less
Than certify your friends what I confess.

1 The danger of the Spanish plot.' See the Prologue. The next line contains an allusion to the defeat and destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588.-GIfford.

THE END.

MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH,

PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

« ZurückWeiter »