University of Virginia Library

II. iii

Enter aspero Cosmo Gismond Benti: Elinor Isabell: Lesbia: Ambassd
Asp
statesmen of venice, welcome, wee are sorry
that by the reason of our princes absence
wee nether may acept the tendred ransome
nor giue yow that full state of entertainment
yow both deserue & wee desire to tender
nor think his absence any trick deuisd
in him or vs or ether to detaine
the princes longer, or to tye yor selfes
to any strickt atendance

Gism
to Cleare wc h: lodging & diet ys tane order for
att the dukes Charge & messingers dispatcht
wt h all Conueniency for his retourne

Amba:
wc h wee atend, meane while wt hout ofence
may wee bee so much gracst as but to see
& tender seruice to the Captiue princes

Asp
wt hall our harts let them bee straightway sent for.
a foole afoole a foole

A cry wt hin ent Count lik a foole
Count.
murther murther treason dame nell treason

Elinor
where foole gainst whome

Count
here there euerywhere gainst the foole roiall gainst mee
looke here elce a Company of rebells sett vpon me in the
base Court and Cutt of my hand wt h a washing beetle harte
and I bleed not see then.

Elinor
alas poore tony staunch thy bloud wt h that

Benti
thers a simple fauor for yow foole

Count
and princes fauors are stooles that fooles stumble at many times

Elinor
the knauish pages tooke him for a stranger and pumpt him

Count
stranger why fooles are not such strange things as yow would make them
for once a day a man may be sure to find halfe a score in a Cluster.

Gis
yow make fatt fooles tony

Count
take phisike [the] & make yor selues leane then. yow haue
litle else to doe some of yow

Bent
this ys yor foole madam.

Elinor
& sent mee out of the Country for a Iewell I Can tell yee

Bent
yow might do well to hang him a while & then put him in yor eare

Count
such pickthanks as thow should not tell so many tales then & haue
such Cantles of preferment as they haue then

Cosmo
has paid yow bentivoli why art thow a foole

Count
because I haue not witt enough to bee a knaue

Asper
wc h dost thow hold the best trade a foole or a knaue

Count
a fooles the honester but a knaue a great deale the ritcher

Elinor
the are preferd & loued well enough both

Count
but in diuerse respects though by yor leaue, yow loue vs
that are fooles because wee Can do yow no hurrt but yow
loue those that bee knaues for feare they should hurt yow
I thinke I haue giuen them theire owne nell haue I not

Asper
straunge foole berlady: noble prince borgias
Ent Borgias
welcome know yow these lords

i Amba
wee are happy in yor sight

Bor
& I in yor ariuall

2 amb.
wee want yor brother

Bor
hee wants himselfe

i amb
himselfe

Bor.
at least his sences: hees wild & frantike

Asp
prince hortensio frantike
now as I loue his worth Ime sorry fort
what grownd growes his distemprance

Borg
hee finds his loue neglected by the scornfull princes
in that same dictionary of licke languadg
& ordinary scraps Count Garettzi.
but and I liue Ile Call to acount fort

Count
now had I beene but a dead hierogliphicke & the
had beene no more Cacumenos in the vniuerse

Elinor
no scorne of mine hee neuer Courted mee

Borg
hee thought yt bootles to this being disarmd
in single Combat by bentivoli

Asp
Bentevoli disarme him? durst yow fight
knowing the dukes Charge to the Contrary
espetially wt h a stranger and a prince

Bent
and hee had beene a strange diuell I Could haue done no
lesse being Chalendgd except I should haue proclaimd the
whole nation of vs Cowards

Count
't'had beene but entertaining another whole nation of fooles
to fight for vs, and some ther bee will fight against theire owne
fathers for gould

ent ij doctors
asper.
twas not well Caried.

doct
at yor lordships seruice

aspe
tis well yet yowr atendance ys so nere vs
pray seeke the prince & take him to yor Care
his greife ys of a nature yow are skilld in

doct
and there bee any roome from head to foote for art to worke
and winn fame in, I am for him—and here he Comes

amb.
most happily obserue him

Enter hortenza.
Hor.
good sir bee Couerd stand not bare to mee
my duty now my reputations lost
ys to stand bare to any thing, to nothing,
how rascall a phisition, let him Come
wt hin ten leagues of mee they all shall loose
his seruice by his death: how a rare scholler
I do Confesse his learning seneca
ys not mere morrall, Consolation flowes
from euery sillable hee vtters; how a page
desire myne eare? a Chalendg, some fresh Chalendg
Ile answert tell him, yet let mee pause on't to

Cosmo
how his imagination does transport him

Hort
the scholler gone? no matter let him goe
the parish has one begger lesse to Care for
teach mee to gett my sword againe by schoole triks
or winn my mr s loue by sillogismes
[nere tell mee, thers no schole]
my Corslet to thy Cap on't: nere tell mee
thers no schoole but an army Can releeue
myne honor, a braue army, Turke I see
thy state begin to totter. now hee reads out
I will not fight against a Christian.
lost me my mr s fauor pray but that

doctor
I do begin to find him

Hort
how shalls fight? marry Ile tell yee first I would haue the turke
great in his empire feard of most abroad
& loued of all at home, the persean shall not stirr
against him, nor the pole, the tartar shall
beare armes in's quarrells, then the turke himselfe
shalbe a gallant actiue daring fellow.
Iust such a one as garettzo haue I found yee

Count
no indeed madman I am not garettzo

Hort
not garrettzo. deny thy name base Coward

Count
yow may Call mee what yee please but I am tony dame nells foole

Hort
& so ys hee a naturall a sott
and thow art that fantastique ignorance
drosse, rubbish, Chaffe, Ile ridle through thy skinn
puncht thick wt h stabbs, the pouder of thy bones
mudd I will Clense thee

Benti
not wt hout Cause the kennell smells very ranke mee thinks

Hort
where shall wee fight, name yow the place? Ile haue
the hollyland: the poynt of my designe
ys valorous Courage, Ile haue my deeds myne owne
Ile sett a watch 'bout godffrye of ballergnes towmb
to keep his ghost in that yt may not steale
through any asistance in my victoryes

amb.
his minds Confounded wt h good purposes

Hort
nay I will haue his story to Calld in
to the end my men may find the way to fight
by no encoragement but by my example
now I reffer mee to the Councell of warr
yor voyces Captaines

Aspe
hee keeps a noble straine.

Hort
what meanes that warning peece? the turke at sea
vp to the promount & discouer: see
wt h what a maiesty our admirall sayles
as yf hee were sole emperor of the maine;
how the turks gallyes? wellcome. yf wee bleed
our wounds shalbee the ensignes of our Cause
till wt h the bloud of infidells wee haue made
a mere red sea; they graple board em board m
brauely fought Christians now for a successe
in battaile that the horrid Cryes of turks
may put the thunder of the Cannon and
the drum to silence: on there wt h the van:
giue fire gunner; whisst quick smale shott. ratt rat tat rat ta.
Exit Hort

Count
I think tara rarata ra ra I think I haue playd him
of wt h a pouder haue I not nell

Asper
yow see his humor. do yow thinke yor art
Can bring his sences into frame againe

doc
my art & hope shall both faile mee elce

Borg
doo't & expect preferment & reward

doct
my best of skill shall keep him Company
exit doctor

Asp.
greeue not yow madam.

Elinor
to see a foole play the madman no in troth follow mee tony

exit
Asp
take thow dost not fall foole

Count
I warrant thee wiseman; & yet I had better take two falls
then thow take one and lesse harme they would do mee to

Asp
yor reason for that

Count
because when a foole falls hee Can but breake his shinn & rise agen
& when a great man falls hee breaks his neck & ten to one neuer
recouers his feet more, yow knew picentio farwell pick that bone
Cleane & Ile send thee another to gnaw

exit
Asp
Children & fooles speak truth they say
yf hee do so I hope tis but by guesse
enter Duke like a hermit
what would that reuerend man haue there

Duke
yor pardon; Ime vnaquainted wt h the pride of Courts
and state of greatnes yet in my deuotion [I o]
I oft remember em I Come from yor duke

Cosmo
our humble duty to the memory of him

Aspe
what wills his highnes

Duke
nay hees low enough for the good man ys dead.

all
dead.

Duke
these dim eyes read his last requiem, these feeble hands
steed of a pillow layd a homly turfe
vnder his head, rvnge out the sacring bell
set a light burning taper on his tomb
and put pale death and him to bed together

Gis
but how the maner of his death

Duke
Ile tell yee, walking on morning nere my priuat Cell
in serious Contemplation; I heard
a deadly groane, & drawing nere the same
I found that man whome liuing yow Calld duke
wounded to death

Aspe
fatall mishap by whome

Duke
let that resolue yor question Ile bee silent
know yow that hand.

Cosmo
his very Caracter.

[Asper]
going to Castle angelo I was wounded to death by the
Confederats of the dutches & picentio.

Aspe
Cruellty beyond beleife

Cosmo
yf they yet liue let this hasten theire deaths
& yet before their execution for theire soules good
I wish this reuerend man may bee their Confessor

Isa
the bloudy murtherers deserue yt not

Duke
yet Cause yt was his dying Charrity
and may bee benificiall to theire soules
deny not that fauor

Aspero
wheres Corbino

Enter Iulio. like a slaue
Iulio
Corbinoes here

Asper
Call forth yor prisoners picentio & ye dutchesse

Iuli
they will not Come & I should

Cosmo
how will not

Iulio
so I say wonnot, Ime sure Cannot except they liue like
snailes wt h their houses on theire [heads] backs the troth
ys they are dead & buried.

Aspe
hee has deceaud my trust elce when dyed they

Iulio
when they Could liue no longer

Cosmo
but how the maner of theire deaths

Iuli
maner on't? they groand, fetcht theire breath short, said the
sent & mustines of the gaole killd the[e]m thought the duke
was misinformd, & I a dogged villaine & yf I proue any lyer
let mee dye a doggs death hang mee

Exit
Asp
how the duke misinformd? alas, but traitors
how ere they liue would seeme to dye like swanns
wt h passionate dittyes in their mouths to winn
loue of the world when in theire harts they carry Curses and
execrations

Gismond
reuerend sir yor labor in Confession then ys spard.
what further willd the duke

Duke
ys there not one amongst yow, a lord Calld aspero.

Asper
father I am hee

Duke
this then to yow, from of his dying finger
hee pluckt this signet saying giue to aspero
and tell the lords though I Cannot Comaund
yet out of many trialls I haue found him
so sound in Councell and vpright in Iustice
I wish hee may succed mee in the dukedome

Cosmo
a noble legacy

Duke
and to that end wc h Call yow Isabella.

Cosmo
that lady there

Duke
his neece quoth hee I Charge
that Isabella take him to her husband

Gis
what sayes the lady

Isa
thinke my selfe most happy in a blessing I most wisht for.

Duke
to aproue I speake no more then his owne words
pervse that scedule writt & seald wt h his owne signett

Cosmo
his to an accent: the best sacrifice
that wee Can offer ys obedience
to his requests & that wee will not faile in

Duke
so much in my next orisons Ile tell
his listning ghoast, be Constant & farewell

aspero
take that for yor deuotion

Duke
no forbeare
hee buy damnation deare that sells a praire
they are heauens Charrity & wee below
are but as trusty almners to bestow
& giue them to the needy, I do not meane the poore
in the worlds eye; princes may want them more
then beggars, prayer's an almes in generall
and when wee deale yt wee remember all

Cosmo
wee shall remember his request

Duke
take heed; tis sinn to wrong the meaning of the dead
exit Duke

Asp.
wee shall perform't what further newes?

ent a messinger wt h a letter
mess
a paquett directed to yor lordship from the Camp.

aspe
wheres hee that brought yt

mess
hee expects his answere

asp
expect yt lett him wee haue busines of more import

opens the letter
Cosmo
although yt pleasd the duke
during his life to keep a standing Camp
tis both a mighty & a needles Chardge
to keep so many loytring knaues in pay

Gis
many Complaints beside haue beene preferd
by the poore Comons for abusiue wrongs
and outrage done by them.

Aspe
they Chalenge two moneths pay
besids I know not what gratuity
due to the Captaine out of the princes ransome
by the dukes promise

Cosmo
by my aduise dismisse them;

Gis:
send them their pay yf after that they grumble
y'aue martiall law.

Asp
and they shall feelt, do they
study Comaund weele teach them to obay

exeunt