University of Virginia Library

SCEN: IV.

Ferrando, Ursini.
Fer:
Our Navie victour.

Urs.
The City quiet too! those clouds
Which threatned ruine to your Kingdome, all.
Blowne o're; the skie serene and calme, as if.
It laugh't at your vaine feares; the lampes of heaven
That now seem'd all blowne out, are trimm'd a new
And brighter shine, to lead you to Elyzium.

Fer:
To Heaven, Elyzium's poore to what wee shall
Enjoy to night.

Urs:
The land of some dull villager
Or doughty Poëts dreames.

Fer:
The birth of fancie,
A thin, fantasticke, aierie paradise;
With which they flatter their weake hopes, but mine
Is knowne to sense; we gather odours there; wealthy
In their native sweetenesse, flowers of a hew
As bright as lasting, roses and lillies
Blowne from their stalkes, meete here, and dwell upon
Her cheekes, as if there onely they were priviledg'd
To enjoy an everlasting spring.

Urs.
Let your
Imaginations feed even to a surfet, your senses
Are too too weake, and narrow t'entertaine
The bounteous flowing of her pleasures:
You'le let so much passe by unknowne,
As if you tooke but tribute of her blessings;
When the whole stocke is yours.

Fer:
We'le be her Mars, and meete her in soft skirmish,
In amorous duell, where we'le softly yeeld
And let her winne: (to raise her to the pride
Of a new victory, as much upon our selves
As we have done upon her Country,
Then shall shee binde us gently in her haire
Fetters for Captive lovers, and in scorne
Of our trimme youth, and temperate blood, when we
Begin to faint within her armes, shall then
Supply us with new strength from her own eyes;
Whence she will dart a soule at every glance
Rich as her selfe, and the blest smiles t'is made of;
Create an active flame within our breast
Able to give old statua's life and motion,
Make their stiffe marble feete supple as the joynts
Of love:—oh I'me lost! my Venus
Come; lead to my Venus.

Urs:
Your Cynthia,—your Moone
With a man in her—there there's
Curteine drawne, Felicia discovered lying upon a bed, Zisco, as having ravish't, and then slain her.
Your way, why move you not?
How you stand.

Fer:
Ursini, Ha! Se'st thou that blacke thing there?
That ugly fiend, I'le out-stare thee, devill.

Urs.
Where are you Sir?

Zis:
'Tis done.

Fer:
Ravish't! Calantha's ravish't—oh torment!
Grim fury post to hell.

Zis:
Pardon mee Sir,
I've a little businesse to dispatch first—
(stabs him.
This for Felicia, thus Alberto fell.

Fer.
Oh I'me wounded.

Zis:
Ha! do'e know mee Prince?

(puls off his disguise.)
Urs:
Frederico! just heavens.

Zis.
Stay your hand—be innocent in your revenge,
Let me beare all the guilt.

Urs:
Could'st thou thinke, dull Prince, that heaven so
Doated on thy royaltie, thy crowne, thy scepter,
Or regall pall could beare thee out in sin?
Or the weake shine of triviall state dazle
Their eyes that looke upon the blessed sunne!
Could'st thou flatter thy selfe into such a Security,
That vengeance would not finde thee out?
When thou had'st surfeited thy luxurious palate
With all the dainties of Felicia's body
Thirsted her blood, quaff'd off whole bowles of it,
Till thou wer't drunke, and wild with fury
Of thy intemperate draughts—Am not I a rare villaine now?

Fer.
Mad, starke mad, besides himselfe,
(aside)
Sure this is but a dreame, and I asleepe.

Zis:
Thus, thus I'le wake you:—

(stabs him.)
Fer:
Oh my blood scalds, h'has shot wild fire into my heart,
Ah traytour, thy steele is poyson'd.

Urs.
Frederico, let mee embrace thee:
Now our revenge is perfect.

A noyse within. Enter fighting, Valenzo, Grutti, Gonçales, Cassio, Calantha.
Grut:
Your passage lyes this way.

Cass:
Thorough us.

Val:
Treason, treason, raise the Court.

Gon:
Breake ope the doores.

Urs:
We are betray'd.

Val:
Villaine I greete thy heart.

(kils him.)
Cass.
Where tends your businesse?

Gon:
Slave to hell, and thou shalt carry't thither.

(kils him.
Fer:
Fire, fire, the poyson boyles my entrals.

Val:
The Prince wounded!

Gon:
Where are the traitours?

Zis:
Here I am his murtherer.

Val:
Frederico.

Urs:
Valenzo, I am o'recome.—

(Flings him his sword.
Fer:

New miracles, Calantha, my best, my dearest love:—
Oh I am sicke, stand off Calantha, my breath's so hot, 'twill
singe thee else; and licke thy beauty's up, like nimble flames;

But dost thou live?

Cal:
To curse thee false and perjur'd.

Fer:
The spheares are out of tune; nature's distraught;
The orbes celestiall have turn'd round so long
That they are giddie: the starres are in a mutiny,
The Intelligences are altogether by'th eares.

Cal:
Heaven! I blesse your justice:
Sterne tyrant! that triumph'st o're the memory
Of my father, mock'st mee with love,
Till like a foole I doated on my fetters,
'Cause they were golden ones, that thus
Thy devillish art might make my soule a captive,
With my body.

Fer.
Ænigmaticall.

Cal:
Yet then a Lady mourn'd thy perjur'd vowes,
Whom thou betrayd'st to loose adultery.

Fer:
Thy speech, Calantha, is darker than an Oracle.

Cal:
Truer it is, and dar'st thou yet dissemble it?
'Tis a truth precious to time, who will preserv't
To blast thy memory, and derive a staine
On all thy successours.

Urs., Zis.
How? or when arriv'd this your knowledge Madame?

Cal:
Felicia told mee all her selfe
Confirm'd it by religious oathes; besides
This medall which she gave mee from her necke,
A pledge of his broke faith, with the sad fruits
Of his sate lust, within her wombe.

Fer:
She's a blacke whore: shee lies; beleeve her not.

Cal.
Thou wilt be damn'd:

Fer.
So may I; and houle eternally
In those blew flames the devils bath in,
If ever my vowes were made to any other
Then thee; and those, as spotlesse as thy soule.—

Urs:
But whom have wee here?

Cal.
Felicia! Sad Lady she intreated
This night's exchange of place; that she might shew him
What an untimely mother he had made her,
And this 'twas caus'd my flight.

Fer:
Felicia!

Cal:
Ha! murder'd.

Urs.
My love.

Zis.
My sister! ravish't:
And murder'd by! mee, incestuous villaine!

Urs.
Didst thou not tell mee that Ferrando ravish't her,
And cast her to his slaves, a prey to their
Bold appetites and furies.

Zis.
To incense you the more against him; I told you
What I onely did imagine, because at my returne
From Sicily, report whisper'd hwisper'd her lost,
Lost in the ruines of my Father,
Which made mee thinke her murder'd.

Urs:
Ye Gods! I now acknowledge you supreame:
Your power is mighty over our fond arts.
Silly projectours we ensnare our selves!
Whilst we spread nets for others.
This braine has wrought all these sad plots,
Calantha, take your Lord; who is as true,
And holy in his vowes, as those blest Saints
He invok't.

Cal:
And yet Felicia wrong'd?

Urs.
'Twas I by whom she swell'd, and not Ferrando,
As 'twas suppos'd.

Cal:
Suppos'd! she swore 'twas hee.

Fer:
Ursini, farewell; I'le heare the rest anon—

(dies.
Urs.
That aggravates my crime, who wrought her into
This false beliefe, for having long lov'd her,
Without returne of mutuall flames, and at length
Finding that the impediment was her fond
Dotage upon the Prince; I determin'd,
Rather than not to be possest of her,
To part with faith and loyaltie, feign'd all
My visits for him, courted her acceptation
Of his love, which I so darkly brought about
That she consenting to private meetings
As oft as she expected the Prince,
I my selfe fill'd her armes.—

Gal:
Then you conclude Ferrando innocent?

Urs:
In act, or thought.

Zis:
Felicia! sister! your brother Frederico call's;
She's gon, cold, cold! and pale, and yet methinkes
She smiles, looke up, Felicia—

Cal.
But how came it to passe she nere discry'd you?

Urs.
For reasons I then gave her: all our meetings
Were in the night, and that i'th darke too, where I
Dissembled so the Prince in voyce and gesture.—

Cal.

This agrees right with her relation: villaine thou haste
undone mee.

Urs.

And my selfe too.

Zisc.

Death hangs upon her lids, 'tis eternall night with
her. hoa, sister, stay, take mee along with you; I'le follow
you.

(Stabs himselfe.)
Val.
Pernicious traytour.

Cal.
Rage choakes my utterance:—give mee your sword.

Val., Gon.
Our hearts and hands are yours:

Cal.
Ile be an age in killing thee, do'st tremble?
Thou look'st like one of those thin frozen ghosts,
That chattering lye on hils of thicke-ribb'd Ice,
Come meete my fury.

Urs.
Here, here's my heart.

Cal.
I: I'le dig it out,
And cast it to the hungry fiends.

Zis:

My strength decayes, I reele and totter like a crack't
reed that leanes against the windes.

Cal:
Take your sword.—

Urs:
Madame.

Cal:
Take it I say.

Val.
You do him too much honour.

Cal:
Manag't with skill and strength, or thou affront'st
My honour,—faint-hearted! coward, I'le follow thee to hell.

Urs.
Mercy heavens!

(He falls.)
Zis.

Ho! Charon, more company, lye farther there jolthead,
what quarrelling you dogs? thy oare, thy oare ferriman:
clap 'em o'th sconce with't, there, there.

Val.
The Gods are just.

Gon:
You wore their cause upon your sword.

Cal:
'Tis poore revenge this, can he not live againe?
Start up from th'earth with life, and double strength?
Wer't centupled I'de meete him:—but oh my eyes!
Looke here Valenzo: which is Prince, which subject.
Which is my lov'd Ferrando? I see there is
No ceremonious state, no pompe in death;
They all lye levell, all quiet, the bad as well
As the good, why should this traytour here
This divellish arch, arch-traytour lye as silent
As his Lord? should he not stare, 'and foame,
Start up and howle, till he wakes all the dead?

Val:
Lady:

Gon:
Her old passion returnes againe.

Cal.
—Roare, and curse heavens,
But they too have forgot to punish sinners,
And reward vertue, here's an example on't;
We were both vertuous, and deserv'd not this
Bad usage; let mee embrace thee:—
Cold as the earth he lyes on, and as dull too:
Where is the soule, that busie slame that lent
Him life and motion? affected such vaine pompe
And glorious noyse: whither is't fled? poore livelesse trunke,
It was unkindly done to leave thee thus,
A prey to wormes and rottennesse.

Zis.
Are you there fury, Megæra, Tisiphone, Alecto,
Howle, howle, furies, I'le lash you.

Cal.
Kind death th'art welcome; I kisse thy dart.

Stabs Calantha, and dies.
Gon.
The Princesse! she's slaine, unluckie hand.

Cal:
Spight of our starres, and all rude opposition,
We are one in death: Valenzo see us interr'd,
Both in one tombe, that we may mingle ashes
And be securely lodg'd, you know our soules
Were one; our hearts were long united.

Val.
A Fatall Union.

Cal:
Draw, draw the curteines there, my love and I
Must sleepe;—uncivill I protest, put out the lights,
We shall sleepe best i'th darke; pray don't disturbe us,

You may fright him from mine armes,—but—I'le—hold—
him—fast.

(dyes.)
Val.
The ruin'd treasure of two Kingdomes
In one heape.

(Enter Charintha, Piero, Violetta, Florinda, Alphonso.
Char.
In the bed-chamber! this way!

Pier.
Yes Lady, the cry was full of horrour.

Viol:
'Twas the Physitians potion this my Lord.

Flor:
Done in revenge.

Alph:
Would 'thad bin poyson.

Char:
Blesse mee! whence all these tragedies.

Pier:
Astonishment ceizes mee.

Alph.

The King:

Calantha:
Ursini dead, ha! whom have we here, Frederico.

Val.
Yes, and Felicia too.

Omnes.
All slaine; by what dire hand?

Val:
I'le tell you that within.—
Charintha is your Queene.

Pier:
May you be happy in her love.

Val:

Remove the bodies, i'th morning we will take order
for the state, and funerall rites.

Of these; the lasting story of whose wrongs
Shall be all royall lovers evening songs.