University of Virginia Library

Scena 3.

Enter Codigune, Gloster, Cornewall, with colours and souldiours.
Codig.
Now, Caradoc, what ist thou canst demaund?

Morg.
Cousin Caradoc, I pray you hold her peace a little.

Codig.
Ile heare no mad men speake.

Morg.
Cads blu-hood, take her for Bedlems, & mad mens?

He offers to strike him.
Cara.
Be patient, Cousin. Codigune, in briefe,
I come to clayme my right, that thou vsurpest,
And by sinister meanes, blacke as thy sinnes,
Hast basely stolne: surrender first my wife,
My sister, and the Kingdome of Southwales;
Or by the gods, to whom I stand obliged,
In sacred bonds of Orizons and thankes,
For life and motion: if thou refuse to doe it,
Or moue that bloud boyles within my veynes,
At the memoriall of thy hellish sinne,
Ile teare the Crowne from off thy cursed head,
And eyther die my selfe, or strike thee dead.

Cod.
Caradoc, thou claymest South-Wales of vs.
Nor that, nor wife, nor sister shalt thou haue;
But if thou long'st for any, aske a graue.
The high-swolne pride of Maiesty and loue,
Brookes no competitors; its thus decreede,
Who shares with them, must for the booty bleed.
Ech Planet keeps his Orbe, which being resign'd.
Perhaps, by greater lights would be outshinde.

Car.
Sweet Patience, yet instruct my toung awhile
To speake the language of a temperate soule.
Codigune, marke vvhat Ile offer thee:
Since that the wrongs, which basely thou hast bred
Cannot be reconciled, but by the death
Of millions, that must suffer for vs two;
And we the authors of what wars and bloud
Shall in her frantike outrage lauish out:
(For tis a thing that honour scornes to doe,
That multitudes should perish for vo two:)
Thou art a man, if actions like thy words,
Be but proportionable, that disdaynest
To fight with crauen basenesse all on ods:
Nor doe I thinke thy honour so profuse,
That guiltlesse men should bleed for thy abuse:
Then, if thou darest: And once more to augment
Thy Bastard courage, againe, I dare thee fight,
Euen in a single Monomachy, hand to hand:
And, if by chance (as man is nought but chance)
Thou conquerest me, I will become thy slaue,
Confirme my right to thee, and to thy heyres;
And if I ouercome, doe thou the like?
How sayest thou? vvilt thou accept this offer?

Cod.
It pleases me, and here in sight of heauens,
By all my hopes of immortality,
I vvill performe vvhat thou hast brauely spoke.
I loue thee for these honourable termes,
And will as fearelesse entertaine this fight,
As a good conscience doth the cracks of Ioue.

Cara.
Then as vve are Souldiers, begirt vs round,
And let no man disturbe the Combatants,
Till one, or both, fall to our mother earth.
For thus be vvell assurde, the cause being right,
Immortall spirits doe for iustice fight.

Alarum.
They fight at Poleaxe, Codigune is conquered.
Glost.
Novv, Gloster, flie and hide thy head vvith shame.

Morg.
Cads blue-hood, peat out her praynes, for calling her Bedlems.

Cara.
Rise, Ile spare thy life.
Reuenge sufficient for thy damned facts;
For to a seared conscience these doe well,
Long life, mens hate, and a perpetuall hell.
Yet, that thou mayest liue, to attone thy soule
Vnto the angry heauens, I freely giue
The Kingdome of North-Wales for terme of life,
To thy dispose; onely reseruing tribute to my selfe,
In iust acknowledgement of me and mine.

Cod.
Know, Caradoc, since by the chance of war,
I must be forst to render vp that right,
That like a slaue I might haue kept by might,
I scorne thy gifts, and rather chuse to liue
In the vast wildernes with fatall Owles,
Free from the malice of base buzzard Chaunce,
And there in husht vp silence rauing goe;
Then earth, except be hell, no place so low.
Then with high almes,
Aside.
Ile to the Romanes, and there plot, pell mell.
Vessels that once are seasoned, keepe their smell.
Welshmen, farewell; and Caradoc adieu;
Vnder the heauens, we haue no foe but you.

Exit.
Cornewall.
Now Royall Prince, since happy victory
Hath set a period to a bloudy fight,
Cornewall, in humble manner, here presents
Himselfe and seruice to your Princely Grace.

Cara.
Cornewall, although thy actions not deserue
The least respect of vs, in taking part
With the aspiring Bastard, and the rest
Of his adherents; yet we doe omit
All former iniuries, and reunite
Cornewall vnto our loue.

Corn.
Then Princes, ioyne with Cornewall, and inthrone
True honour and deserts, with what's her owne.
Ascend your Chayre, fayre Prince.

The Trumpets flourish, omnes. They crowne him.
Omnes.
Long liue Caradoc. King of Wales.

Cara.
We thanke you Princes. This being done, weele see
Our beautious Queene and sister both set free.
Enter Gloster solus.
Now, Gloster, in this still and silent wood,
Whose vnfrequented pathes do lead thy steps
Vnto the dismall caue of hellish fiends;
With whom, a Witch, as vgly to confront,
As are the fearefull Furies she commaunds,
Liues in this solitary vncouth place;
Begin thy damned plots, banish that thred-bare thought
Of Vertue,
Which makes vs men so senselesse of our wrong,
It makes vs beare the poyson of each tongue.
No, Gloster, no; he, whose meeke bloud's so coole
To beare all wrongs, is a religious foole:
Or he that cannot finely knit reuenge,
Like to Aracne, in a curious web,
May wounds still fit a Nightcap for his head.
Since I am forst to flie with foule disgrace,
And since of gods or men no hope I finde,
Ile vse both hell and Fiends to ease my minde.
Here dwels a famous Witch, who, with her sonne,
As blacke in arte, as arte it selfe is blacke,
Both memorable for their Magicke skill,
That can command sterne vengeance from beneath
The center of the earth, for to appeare
As quicke as thought. To her Ile tell the tale
Of my reuenge, and with the golden Chimes
Of large rewards, inchaunt her hellish eares.
And see: their monstrous shapes themselues appeares.