The Telltale | ||
II. iii
Enter aspero Cosmo Gismond Benti: Elinor Isabell: Lesbia: AmbassdAsp
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
39
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
40
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
41
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
42
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
43
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
44
& 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
45
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
46
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.
47
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
48
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
49
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
50
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
51
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.
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and they shall feelt, do they
study Comaund weele teach them to obay
exeunt
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