 | The Italian Taylor, and his Boy |  |
Cant 9.
Argument
Here may you see how Enuie lurkes,To worke his diuelish will:
And how against it selfe aworkes,
Is author of yit ill.
This Crocadile of hellish spight,
In vgly malice bred,
Shewes like to Arrowes shot vpright
Falne on the shooters head:
Yet the conclusion doth approoue,
How Hel-borne hate turnes all to loue.
T'was wonder worthy yit:
Till smyling ioy claps hands in haste,
At this strange poynt of wit:
At last, a Foxe to bee;
A miracle, or else a mocke,
T'was iudg'd of pollicie,
The Princesse squats vpon the ground.
And smothering in her laughter,
Was readie, thus containd to sound:
But see what followeth after,
The subtile Foxe to add the more
Amazement to the wonder,
The Princesse sitting on the flore,
He creepes her Kirtle vnder:
All laugh a good, for heere the Clowne,
His Sceane was now to enter,
When tragicke shewes had wonne the Crowne,
Of sad and bold aduenter:
The reason question'd, she is mute,
At last, the Foxe vp standes,
And like a Graduate doth despute
Vpon their late demaunds:
T'was now no time to bid them feare,
But voyde a further checke:
T'was passing strange that they should heare
A Foxe so wisely speake.
“In name of Heauens faire trinitie,
“I charge thee (sayes the King)
“Depart in peace; Diuinitie
“Doth coniure any thing:
“Or if thou stay'st, reueale I charge
“(In name of God on hie)
“The meaning; let vs heare at large
“Of all this misterie?”
“And you shall further heare,
“But bouldly listen, and deuise
“No other cause of feare.
“It is sufficient what is donne,
“In terrour, King to thee;
“Thy sicknesse is againe begonne,
“Without amendement bee.
“The cause why this ill fauour'd Diuell,
“Hath vndertooke this shape,
“And like a Doctor did this euill,
“Is for a late done Rape,
“Vpon the person of a Duke,
“Of late time banisht hence,
“Who at thy mouth receau'd rebuke,
“Yet t'was for no offence:
“And he is dead that caus'd the wrong
“Who on his death-bed told
“What enuie he had borne him long
“And while he liude he would:
“Requesting he might be cal'd home;
“And yet he is not come:
“Leauing his wronges for thee to attone,
“His owne to'th highest dome:
“These Plagues therefore do fall on thee;
“First, Sicknesse without cure:
“Then ougly Shapes, which shew to bee
“The cause, thou art impure:
“And least thou do the deads commaund,
“Who did this liuing wrong,
“Reuenge hath tooke the cause in hand,
“That lay obscur'd so long.
“Restore him to his owne,
“Before this royall discontent
“Be any further showne:
“And I shall then ascend to rest,
“Whose Ghost this Doctor rais'd,
“To heape vp mischiefe on thy crest,
“Wherein thy state's amaz'd.
“Thy Daughter here herselfe doth wrong,
“For tis so much at least,
“In thee and her, that she so long,
“Should doate and loue a Beast.
“If these be ill presages, iudge,
“Or ominous, forethinke,
“That right to reason is a drudge,
“And wronged in a wincke.”
The King as one who in his sleepes
Had dreampt all this for true,
Such bitter exclamation keepes,
As made them all to rue.
“Alas (quoth he) I am abus'd
“My Sicknesse hath his force:
“This Doctors doing hath refus'd,
“To worke in right remorce,
“What Plagues hath lighted on my head
“For Incredulitie
“Vpon the Innocent, and bred
“By noble Treacherie;
“Was I the Iudge and Iuror too,
“In this so wicked Will,
“To banish, and vnknowne to doo
“A Duke such secret ill;
“My self I'le reconcile
“To Mercie: in this wretched birth,
“That I enioy the while.
“Goe call him home, we will surrender,
“His detayned good;
“And by our Parliament make tender,
“Of his Noble blood.
“I am a foole to credite such
“Before I see the proofe:
“But t'is a fault in Kings too much,
“Where Iudgement keepes aloofe:
“Hencefoorth I will aduise and know,
“Before I censure ought;
“In banishment to ouerthrow,
“In word, in deed, or thought.
“And let all princely Potencie,
“Example take by mee.
“What t'is to harme Nobilitie,
“When they shall guiltles bee.
“Hee's dead and gone, that did this ill,
“Whereto I was an ayde:
“And onely I left sorrowing still,
“And iustly am repayde.”
Hence post the Nobles seuerall wayes,
With Proclamations hire,
To call the noble Duke, whose dayes
Shall haue their first desire
The subtile Fox cals to the King;
“T'is not enough (sayes he)
“As pledge of this, giue me thy Ring,
“That so and so't shalbe.”
And witnesse tooke thereon:
No sooner graunted, but with all,
The Foxe was strangely gone;
And in his roome stood vp a Youth,
Of person faire and free.
Then did the King beleeue for trueth,
All certaine, he did see:
He knew the Boy, t'was sonne to him
The banisht Duke that's hence;
As like in feature, voyce and lim,
As wrong is to offence:
He tooke him in his royall armes:
“May I be bold (sayes hee)
“And be assurde from other harmes,
“As is my loue to thee?”
“Sir (quoth the Lad) euen thus it is
“My Father banisht so,
“Liues in a Citie much amisse,
“In grieuous want and woe:
“And glad was so to liue disguis'd,
“Least your all angrie dome,
“For his remaine had then suffiz'd,
“In iustice to haue come:
“He bound me to a Taylors trade,
“To blinde his state the more;
“And me (though young) he did perswade
“To secrecie, therefore
“I, in my childish wisedome knew
“He died, if I were knowne;
“Was secret and obedient true,
“And learnd to keepe my owne:
“That all should come to light
“By me and not by me, t'was sought,
“Heauens finger poynts aright.
“My skill of trade exceeded his
“That was my Maister then;
“He held it for his preiudice,
“I got the loue of men:
“And in his braine sprung vp a blood
“Of rancor and blacke hate,
“And all my fortunes he withstood,
“Though I made good, his state:
“He practiz'd then Pithagoras,
“To alter shapes of men;
“I also was as prosperous
“In his proceedings then:
“But when his enuie did perceaue
“My boldnesse was as strong,
“All honest duetie he did leaue,
“To do my life much wrong:
“But I obedient, when I had
“Got knowledge in this art,
“Came to my Father, and was glad
“Some succour to impart
“Transform'd my selfe into a Steed,
“And gaue my selfe to sell:
“Which money did relieue his need
“And sonne-like I did well:
“My enuious Maister knew by art,
“That I was in this forme,
“Attired like a Marchant, straight
“He bought me to much harme,
“Led me foorth to drinke,
“From that disguise I was vnable
“Ere to change (I thinke)
“But then by them vnsadled,
“As Art wil'd that I should;
“My shape of Horse was altered
“To what my wishing would:
“And knowing Land was in his power,
“To vse me as he list,
“I to a Fish that present hower,
“Was changed ere they wist:
“He likewise shapt into a Fish,
“I'th Water to pursue me;
“Who when I saw his enuious wish,
“And that his malice knew me,
“I sodainely disguis'd againe,
“Like to a rubie Ring,
“And left the siluer floting maine,
“To worke thy cure, ôKing.
“My Maister for to conquere me,
“Disguis'd thus Doctor like,
“Procurde thy health, and instantly
“The stroke of all did strike:
“This good was yours: now giue me leaue
“To doe our selues some right;
“I like a Rubie did perceaue
“My selfe with her one night;
“Awakened her: and when she felt
“A naked body neare,
“For so I was transform'd yet deelt
“Right nobly, neuer feare.
“The Doctor this her Ring,
“Who beg'd of purpose to make euen
“His malice which did spring;
“She yet denide it by my will,
“Then neuer blame her birth;
“My counsell was she should fulfill
“Your bidding in this wirth:
“Yet cast it on the sollide ground,
“As if her enuie scornde
“All true obedience to confound:
“Yet was her doing charmde;
“For on the sodaine there-hence sprong
“A faire Pomegranet bye
“Which your ritch prayses freely song,
“Most louely to the eye.
“Whereat the Doctor was all hate
“And comming roundly to' te,
“Before your Grace and Lords of state,
“He kickt it with his foote:
“The Kirnels flew about the roome;
“But I the one by happe,
“By fortune to escape his doome,
“Flew in the Princesse lappe:
“He knowing all his art was then,
“Repayde but with a mocke,
“Before you and your Noble men,
“Turn'd to a crowing Cocke
“And pickt the Kirnels hungerly,
“Thinking to deuower
“And worke my liues Catastrophy:
“But I was from his power.
“As you, and these haue seene:
“Your iudgements tell this is no mocke,
“That stand where all hath beene:
“Onely my wife here by true graunt,
“She will confesse she is;
“And in that bold and noble vaunt,
“I feare I do amisse.”
With this, the milde and modest Princesse
Humbly kneeled loe,
And in a silent yeelding dumnesse,
Shew'd it to be so.
The King with ioy shed royall teares;
“Alacke my childe (sayes hee)
“Shall I be bane of thy young yeares?
“No, it shall neuer bee.
“And though we rashly run at base,
“To catch what hand we can,
“Yet greater power doth guide the race
“Of Woman and of Man.
“His blood is pure, though stain'd by mee;
“And slaunder now, that's dead,
“T'is pardon'd and reclaimd, you see;
“That euill be on his head.
“Dispatcht we haue Embassadours,
“This noble Duke to bring
“To ioyne his Father's voyce with ours,
“In mariage of this Ring:
“For that's the price of all my good;
“And that's your glorie too,
“By vertue of which vnderstood,
“All this is like to doo;
And all the Nobles by,
Cride out, Amen; it was too late
To aske a reason why.
T'was knowne so openly to all,
Proclaimd quite through the Realme,
Thus as I slept, a voyce did call,
And wakt me from my Dreame:
Vpright I set me in my bed,
And being awake did know
All these were phansies in my head,
And it was nothing so.
| The Italian Taylor, and his Boy | |