University of Virginia Library

Scæna 3.

Renugio bringeth Gismund out of her chamber, to whom Tancred saith.
Renugio depart, leaue vs alone.
Exit Renugio.
Gismund, if either I could cast aside
All care of thee: or if thou wouldst haue had
Some care of me, it would not now betide
That either thorow thy fault my ioy should fade,
Or by thy folly I should beare the paine
Thou hast procur'd: but now tis neither I
Can shun the griefe: whom thou hast more thē slain
Nor maist thou heale, or ease the grieuous wound,
Which thou hast geuen me. That vnstained life
Wherein I ioy'd, and thought it thy delight,
Why hast thou lost it? Can it be restor'd?
Where is thy widdowhood, there is thy shame.
Gismund, it is no mans, nor mens report,
That haue by likely proofes enformd me thus.
Thou knowest how hardly I could be induc'd
To vex my selfe, and be displeasde with thee,
With flying tales of flattering Sicophants.
No, no, there was in vs such setled trust
Of thy chaste life, and vncorrupted minde:
That if these eyes had not beheld thy shame,
In vaine ten thousand censures could haue tolde,
That thou didst once vnprincelike make agree
With that vile traitor Countie Palurin.
Without regard had to thy selfe or me,
Vnshamefastly to staine thy state and mine.
But I vnhappiest haue beheld the same,
And seeing it, yet feele th'exceding griefe
That slaies my heart with horror of that thought.
Which griefe commandes me to obey my rage,
And Iustice vrgeth some extreame reuenge,
To wreake the wrongs that haue been offred vs.
But Nature that hath lockt within thy brest
Two liues: the same inclineth me to spare
Thy bloud, and so to keep mine owne vnspilt.
This is that ouerweening-loue I beare
To thee vnduetifull, and vndeserued.
But for that traitor, he shal surelie die,
For neither right nor nature doth intreat
For him, that wilfully without all awe
Of gods, or men, or of our deadly hate,
Incurde the iust displeasure of his king.
And to be briefe, I am content to know
What for thy selfe thou canst obiect to vs,
Why thou shouldst not together with him die,
So to asswage the griefes that ouerthrow
Thy fathers heart.

Gif.
O king, and father, humbly geue her leaue
To plead for grace, that stands in your disgrace.
Not that she recks this life: for I confesse
I haue deseru'd, when so it pleaseth you,
To die the death. Mine honor and my name
(As you suppose) distained with reproach,
And wel contented shall I meet the stroke
That must disseuer this detested head
Frō these lewd limmes. But this I wish were known
That now I liue not for my selfe alone.
For when I saw that neither my request,
Nor the intreatie of my carefull Aunt,
Could winne your Highnes pleasure to our will:
“Then Loue, heate of the heart, life of the soule,
“Fed by desire, increasing by restraint,
Would not endure controlment any more:
But violently enforst my feebled heart.
For who am I alas, still to resist
Such endlesse conflicts? To relent and yeelde
Therewith I chose him for my Lord and pheare.
Guiszard mine Earle that holds my loue full deare,
Then if it be so setled in your mind,
He shall not liue because he dar'd to loue
Your daughter. Thus I geue your Grace to know
Within his heart there is inclosde my life.
Therfore O father, if that name may be
Sweet to your eares, and that we may preuaile
By name of father, that you fauour vs.
But otherwise, if now we cannot finde
That which our falsed hope did promise vs.
Why then proceed, and rid our trembling hearts
Of these suspitions: since neither in this case
His good deserts in seruice to your Grace,
Which alwaies haue bin iust, nor in desires
May mittigate the cruel rage of griefe.
That straines your heart, but that mine Earl must die
Then all in vaine you aske what I can say
Why I should liue, sufficeth for my part
To say I wil not liue, and so resolue.

Tan.
Dar'st thou so desperat decree thy death?

Gis.
A dreadles heart delites in such decrees.

Tan.
Thy kind abhorreth such vnkindly thoughts.

Gis.
Vnkindly thoughts they are to them that liue
In kindly loue.

Tan.
As I doe vnto thee.

Gis.
To take his life who is my loue to me.

Tan.
Haue I then lost thy loue?

Gis.
If he shal lose
His life, that is my loue.

Tan.
Thy loue. Be gone.
Returne vnto thy chamber.

Gis.
I wil goe.

Gismund departeth to her chamber.