 | The Conspiracie of Charles Duke of Byron, Marshall of France |  |
ACTVS 1.
SCAENA 1.
Sauoy, Roncas, Rochette, Breton.Sau.
I would not for halfe Sauoy, but haue bound
Fraunce to some fauour, by my personall presence
More than your selfe, (my Lord Ambassadour)
Could haue obtaind; for all Ambassadours
(You know) haue chiefly these instructions;
To note the State and chiefe sway of the Court,
To which they are employde; to penetrate
The heart, and marrow of the Kings designes,
And to obserue the countenances and spirites,
Of such as are impatient of rest;
And wring beneath, some priuate discontent:
But, past all these, there are a number more
Of these State Critiscismes: That our personall view
May profitably make, which cannot fall
Within the powres of our instruction,
To make you comprehend; I will doe more
With my meere shadow, than you with your persons.
All you can say against my comming heere,
Is that, which I confesse, may for the time,
Breede strange affections in my brother Spaine;
But when I shal haue time to make my Cannans,
The long-tong'd Heraulds of my hidden drifts,
Our reconcilement will be made with triumphs.
Ron.
If not, your Highnesse hath small cause to care,
Hauing such worthy reason to complaine
Of Spaines colde friendship, and his lingring succours,
Who onely entertaines your griefes with hope,
To make your medcine desperate.
Roch.
My Lord knowes
The Spanish glosse too well; his forme, stuffe lasting,
And the most dangerous conditions,
He layes on them with whome he is in league.
Th'iniustice in the most vnequall dowre,
Compar'd with that her elder sister had,
May tell him how much Spaines loue weighs to him;
When of so many Globes and Scepters held
By the great King, he onely would bestow
A portion but of six score thousand Crownes
In yeerely pension, with his highnesse wife,
When the Infanta wedded by the Archduke
Had the Franch County, and lowe Prouinces.
Bret.
We should not set these passages of Splene
Twixt Spaine and Sauoy; to the weaker part,
More good by suffrance growes, than deedes of heart,
The nearer Princes are, the further off
In rites of friendship; my aduice had neuer
Consented to this voyage of my Lord,
In which he doth endaunger Spaines whole losse,
For hope of some poore fragment heere in Fraunce.
Sau.
My hope in France you know not, though my counsel,
And for my losse of Spaine, it is agreede,
That I should sleight it, oft-times Princes rules
Are like the Chymicall Philosophers;
Leaue me then to mine owne proiection,
In this our thriftie Alchymie of state,
Yet helpe me thus farre, you that haue beene heere
Our Lord Ambassadour; and, in short informe mee,
What Spirites here are fit for our designes.
Ron.
The new-created Duke Byron is fit,
Were there no other reason for your presence,
To make it worthie; for he is a man
Of matchlesse valure, and was euer happy
In all encounters, which were still made good,
With an vnwearyed sence of any toyle,
Hauing continewd fourteene dayes together
Vpon his horse; his blood is not voluptuous,
Nor much inclinde to women; his desires
Are higher than his state and his deserts
Not much short of the most he can desire,
If they be weigh'd with what Fraunce feeles by them:
Is fit to feede his Spirites, whome it possesseth
With faith in any errour; chiefly where
Men blowe it vp, with praise of his perfections,
The taste whereof in him so soothes his pallate,
And takes vp all his appetite that oft times
He will refuse his meate, and companie
To feast alone with their most strong conceit;
Ambition also, cheeke by cheeke doth march
With that excesse of glory, both sustaind
With an vnlimited fancie, That the King,
Nor Fraunce itselfe, without him can subsist.
Sau.
He is the man (my Lord) I come to winne:
And that supreame intention of my presence
Saw neuer light till now, which yet I feare,
The politike king, suspecting, is the cause
That he hath sent him so farre from my reach,
And made him chiefe in the Commission,
Of his ambassage to my brother Arch-duke,
With whome he is now; and (as I am tolde)
So entertaind and fitted in his humour,
That ere I part, I hope he will returne
Prepar'd, and made the more fit for the phisicke
That I intend to minister.
Ron.
My Lord,
There is another discontented Spirite
Now heere in Court, that for his braine, and aptnes
To any course that may recouer him
In his declined and litigious state,
Will serue Byron, as he were made for him,
In giuing vent to his ambitious vaine,
And that is, De Lassin.
Sau.
You tell me true,
And him I thinke you haue prepar'd for me.
Ron.
I haue my Lord, and doubt not he will prooue,
Of the yet taintlesse fortresse of Byron,
A quicke Expugner, and a strong Abider.
Sau.
Perhappes the battry will be brought before him,
They set high price of him, and are informde
Of all the passages, and means for mines
That may be thought on, to his taking in:
Enter Henry and Laffin.
The King comes, and Laffin: the Kings aspect
Folded in cloudes.
Hen.
I will not haue my traine,
Made a retreite for Bankroutes, nor my Court,
A hyue for Droanes: prowde Beggars, and true Thieues,
That with a forced truth they sweare to me,
Robbe my poore subiects, shall giue vp their Arts,
And hencefoorth learne to liue by their desarts;
Though I am growne, by right of Birth and Armes
Into a greater kingdome, I will spreade
With no more shade, then may admit that kingdome
Her proper, naturall, and woonted fruites,
Nauarre shall be Nauarre, and France still France:
If one may be the better for the other
By mutuall rites, so, neither shall be worse.
Thou arte in lawe, in quarrells, and in debt,
Which thou wouldst quit with countnaunce; Borrowing
With thee is purchase, and thou seekst by me
(In my supportance) now our olde warres cease
To wage worse battells, with the armes of Peace.
Laf.
Peace must not make men Cowherds, nor keepe calme
Her pursie regiment with mens smootherd breaths;
I must confesse my fortunes are declinde,
But neither my deseruings, nor my minde:
I seeke but to sustaine the right I found,
When I was rich, in keeping what is left,
And making good my honour as at best,
Though it be hard; mans right to euerything
Wanes with his wealth, wealth is his surest King;
Yet Iustice should be still indifferent.
The ouerplus of Kings, in all their might,
Is but to peece out the defects of right:
And this I sue for, nor shall frownes and taunts
Nor mis-construction that doth colour still
Licentiate Iustice, punishing good for ill,
Keepe my free throate from knocking at the Skie,
If thunder chid mee for my equitie.
Hen.
Thy equity, is to be euer banisht
From Court, and all societie of noblesse,
Amongst whome thou throwst balls of all dissention;
Thou arte at peace with nothing but with warre,
Hast no heart but to hurt, and eatst thy heart,
If it but thinke of doing any good:
Thou witchest with thy smiles, suckst bloud with praises,
Mock'st al humanitie; society poisonst;
Coosinst with vertue; with religion
Betrayst, and massacrest; so vile thy selfe,
That thou suspectst perfection in others:
A man must thinke of all the villanies
He knowes in all men, to descipher thee,
That art the centre to impietie:
Away, and tempt me not.
Laf.
But you tempt me,
To what, thou Sunne be iudge, and make him see.
Exit.
Sau.
Now by my dearest Marquisate of Salusses,
Your Maiestie hath with the greatest life
Describ'd a wicked man; or rather thrust
Your arme downe through him to his very feete,
And pluckt his inside out, that euer yet,
Mine eares did witnesse; or turnd eares to Eies;
And those strange Characters, writ in his face,
which' at first sight, were hard for me to reade,
The Doctrine of your speech, hath made so plaine,
That I run through them like my naturall language:
Nor do I like that mans Aspect, me thinkes,
Of all lookes where the Beames of Starres haue caru'd
Their powrefull influences; And (O rare)
What an heroicke, more than royall Spirite
Bewraide you in your first speech, that defies
Protection of vile droanes, that eate the honny
To giue those of Nauarre, though bred with you,
The benefites and dignities of Fraunce.
When little Riuers by their greedy currants,
(Farre farre extended from their mother springs)
Drinke vp the forraine brookes still as they runne,
And force their greatnesse, when they come to Sea,
And iustle with the Ocean for a roome,
O how he roares, and takes them in his mouth,
Digesting them so to his proper streames,
That they are no more seene, hee nothing raisde
Aboue his vsuall bounds, yet they deuour'd,
That of themselues were pleasant, goodly flouds.
Hen.
I would doe best for both, yet shall not be secure,
Till in some absolute heires my Crowne be setled,
There is so little now betwixt Aspirers
And their great obiect in my onely selfe,
That all the strength they gather vnder me,
Tempts combate with mine owne: I therefore make
Meanes for some issue by my marriage,
Which with the great Dukes neece is now concluded,
And she is comming; I haue trust in heauen
I am not yet so olde, but I may spring,
And then I hope all traitrous hopes will fade.
Sau.
Else may their whole estates flie, rooted vp
To Ignominie and Obliuion:
And (being your neighbor seruant, and poore kinsman)
I wish your mighty Race might multiply,
Euen to the Period of all Emperie.
Hen.
Thankes to my princely coozen, this your loue
And honour shewne me in your personall presence,
I wish to welcome to your full content:
The peace I now make with your brother Archduke,
By Duke Byron our Lord Ambassadour,
I wish may happily extend to you,
And that at his returne we may conclude it.
Sau.
It shall be to my heart the happiest day
Of all my life, and that life all employd,
Exeunt.
Enter Roiseau.
Rois.
The wondrous honour doone our Duke Byron
In his Ambassage heere, in th'Archdukes Court,
I feare will taint his loyaltie to our King,
I will obserue how they obserue his humour,
And glorifie his valure; and how he
Accepts and stands attractiue to their ends,
That so I may not seeme an idle spot
In traine of this ambassage, but returne
Able to giue our King some note of all,
Worth my attendance; And see, heere's the man,
Who (though a French man, and in Orleance borne
Seruing the Arch-duke) I doe most suspect,
Is set to be the tempter of our Duke;
Ile goe where I may see, all though not heare.
Enter Picoté, with two other spreading a Carpet.
Pic.
Spreade heere this historie of Cateline,
That Earth may seeme to bring forth Roman Spirites;
Euen to his Geniall feete; and her darke breast
Be made the cleare Glasse of his shining Graces,
Weele make his feete so tender, they shall gall
In all paths but to Empire; and therein
Ile make the sweete Steppes of his State beginne.
Exit.
Lowde Musique, and enter Byron.
Byr.
What place is this? what ayre? what rhegion?
In which a man may heare the harmony
Of all things moouing? Hymen marries heere,
Their ends and vses and makes me his Temple.
Hath any man beene blessed, and yet liu'd?
The bloud turnes in my veines, I stand on change,
And shall dissolue in changing; tis so full
Of pleasure not to be containde in flesh:
To feare a violent Good, abuseth Goodnes,
As if a man were taken quicke to heauen;
What will not holde Perfection, let it burst;
What force hath any Cannan, not being chargde,
Or being not dischargde? To haue stuffe and forme,
And to lie idle, fearefull, and vnus'd,
Nor forme, nor stuffe shewes; happy Semele
That died comprest with Glorie: Happinesse
Denies comparison, of lesse, or more,
And not at most, is nothing: like the shaft
Shot at the Sunne, by angry Hercules,
And into shiuers by the thunder broken
Will I be if I burst: And in my heart
This shall be written: yet twas high and right.
Musique againe.
Heere too? they follow all my steppes with Musique,
As if my feete were numerous, and trode sounds
Out of the Center, with Apolloes vertue,
That out of euery thing his ech-part toucht,
Strooke musicall accents: wheresoe're I goe,
They hide the earth from me with couerings rich,
To make me thinke that I am heere in heauen.
Enter Picote in haste.
Pic.
This way, your Highnesse.
Byr.
Come they?
Pic.
I my Lord.
Exeunt.
Enter the other Commissioners of Fraunce, Belieure, Bruhart, Aumall, Orenge.
Bel.
My Lord d' Aumall, I am exceeding sorie,
That your owne obstinacie to hold out,
Your mortall enmitie against the King,
When Duke du Maine, and all the faction yeelded,
Should force his wrath to vse the rites of treason,
Vpon the members of your sencelesse Statue,
Your Name and House, when he had lost your person,
Your loue and duety.
Bru.
That which men enforce
With willing patience, and without complaint.
D' Aum.
I vse not much impatience nor complaint,
Though it offends me much, to haue my name
So blotted with addition of a Traitor.
And my whole memory, (with such despight,
Markt and begun to be so rooted out.)
Bru.
It was despight that held you out so long,
Whose penance in the King was needfull iustice.
Bel.
Come let vs seeke our Duke, and take our leaues
Of th'Archdukes grace.
Exeunt.
Enter Byron and Pycotè.
Byr.
Here may we safely breathe?
Py.
No doubt (my Lord) no stranger knowes this way;
One y the Arch-duke, and your friend Count Mansfield,
Perhaps may make their generall scapes to you,
To vtter some part of their priuate loues,
Ere your departure.
Byr.
Then, I well perceiue
To what th'intention of his highnesse tends;
For whose, and others here, most worthy Lords,
I will become (with all my worth) their seruant,
In any office, but disloyaltie;
But that hath euer showd so fowle a monster
To all my Ancestors, and my former life,
That now to entertaine it; I must wholy
Giue vp my habite, in his contrary,
And striue to growe out of priuation.
Py.
My Lord, to weare your loyall habite still,
When it is out of fashion; and hath done
Seruice enough; were rusticke miserie:
The habite of a seruile loyaltie,
Is reckond now amongst priuations.
With blindnesse, dumbnesse, deafnesse, scilence, death,
All which are neither natures by themselues
Nor substances, but mere decayes of forme,
And so, 'tis nothing, what shall you then loose?
Your highnesse hath a habite in perfection,
And in desert of highest dignities,
Which carue your selfe, and be your owne rewarder;
No true powre doth admit priuation,
Aduerse to him; or suffers any fellow
Ioynde in his subiect; you, superiors;
It is the nature of things absolute.
One to destroy another; be your Highnesse,
Like those steepe hils that will admit no clowds,
No deawes, nor left fumes bound about their browes;
Because their tops pierce into purest ayre,
Expert of humor; or like ayre it selfe
That quickly changeth; and receiues the sunne
Soone as he riseth; euery where dispersing
His royall splendor; guirds it in his beames,
And makes it selfe the body of the light;
Hote, shining, swift, light, and aspiring things,
Are of immortall, and celestiall nature;
Colde, darke, dull, heauie of infernall fortunes,
And neuer aime at any happinesse:
Your excellencie knowes; that simple loyaltie,
Faith, loue, sinceritie, are but words, no things;
Meerely deuisde for forme; and as the Legate,
Sent from his Holinesse, to frame a peace
Twixt Spaine and Sauoy; labour'd feruently,
(For common ends, not for the Dukes perticular)
To haue him signe it; he againe endeuours
(Not for the Legates paines, but his owne pleasure)
To gratifie him; and being at last encountred;
Where the flood Tesyn enters into Po,
They made a kinde contention, which of them
Should enter th'others boate; one thrust the other:
One legge was ouer, and another in:
And with a fierie courtesie, at last
Sauoy leapes out, into the Legates armes,
And here ends all his loue, and th'others labour;
Exprest before, hold nothing in themselues
Really good; but florishes of forme:
And further then they make to priuate ends
None wise, or free, their propper vse intends.
Byr.
O 'tis a dangerous, and a dreadfull thing
To steale prey from a Lyon; or to hide
A head distrustfull, in his opened iawes;
To trust our bloud in others veines; and hang
Twixt heauen and earth, in vapors of their breaths:
To leaue a sure pace on continuate earth,
And force a gate in iumps, from towre to towre,
As they doe that aspire, from height to height;
The bounds of loyaltie are made of glasse,
Soone broke, but can in no date be repaird;
And as the Duke D' Aumall, (now here in Court)
Flying his countrey; had his Statue to me
Peece-meale with horses; all his goods confiscate,
His Armes of honor, kickt about the streetes,
His goodly house at Annet rac'd to th'earth.
And (for a strange reproche of his foule treason)
His trees about it, cut off by their wastes;
So, when men flie the naturall clime of truth,
And turne them-selues loose, out of all the bounds
Of Iustice, and the straight-way to their ends;
Forsaking all the sure force in themselues
To seeke, without them, that which is not theirs,
The formes of all their comforts are distracted;
The riches of their freedomes forfaited;
Their humaine noblesse shamd; the Mansions
Of their colde spirits, eaten downe with Cares;
And all their ornaments, of wit, and valure,
Learning, and iudgement, cut from all their fruites.
Alb.
O, here were now the richest prize in Europe,
Were he but taken in affection,
Would we might growe together, and be twins
Of eithers fortune; or that, still embrac't
I were, but Ring to such a pretious stone:
Your highnesse honors, and high bountie showne me,
Haue wonne from me, my voluntary powre;
And I must now mooue by your eminent will;
To what particular obiects; if I know
By this mans intercession, he shall bring:
My vttermost answere, and performe betwixt vs,
Reciprocall and full intelligence.
Alber.
Euen for your owne deserued roiall good,
Tis ioyfully accepted, vse the loues
And worthy admirations of your friends,
That beget vowes of all things you can wish,
And be what I wish: danger saies, no more.
Exit.
Enter Mansfield at another dore. Exit Picoté.
Mans.
Your highnesse makes the light of this Court stoope,
With your so neere departure, I was forc't
To tender to your excellence, in briefe,
This priuate wish in taking of my leaue;
That in some army Roiall, old Cont Mansfield,
Might be commanded by your matchles valor,
To the supreamest point of victorie:
Who vowes for that renowne all praier, and seruice:
No more least I may wrong you.
Exit Mans.
Byr.
Thanke your Lordship.
Enter D' Aumall and Oreng.
D' Au.
All maiestie be added to your highnesse,
Of which, I would not wish your brest to beare
More modest apprehension: then may tread,
The high gate of your spirit; and be knowne
To be a fit Bound for your Boundlesse valor;
Or.
So Oreng wisheth, and to the desarts
Of your great actions, their most roiall Crowne.
Enter Picoté.
Pic.
Away my Lord, the Lords enquire for you.
Exit Bir.
Manet Oreng, D' Aum. Roiseau.
Ore.
Would we might winne his valor to our part.
Tis well prepar'd in his entreaty here;
With all states highest obseruations:
And to their forme, and words are added gifts,
He was presented with two goodly horses,
One of which two, was the braue Beast Pastrana:
With plate of gold, and a much prized iewell;
Girdle and hangers, set with welthy stones:
All which were vallewed, at ten thousand crownes;
The other Lords had suites of tapistry,
And chaines of gold, and euery gentleman
A paire of Spanish Gloues, and Rapire blades:
And here ends their entreaty; which I hope
Is the beginning of more good to vs,
Then twenty thousand times their giftes to them.
Enter Alber: Byr: Beli. Mans: Roiseau: with others.
Alber.
My Lord, I grieue that all the setting forth,
Of our best welcome, made you more retired:
Your chamber hath beene more lou'd then our honors;
And therefore we are glad your time of parting
Is come to set you in the ayre you loue:
Commend my seruice to his Maiesty,
And tell him that this daie of peace with him
Ile hold, as holie. All your paines my Lords
I shalbe alwaies glad to gratefie
With any loue and honour, your owne hearts
Shall do me grace to wish exprest to you.
Ruis.
Here hath beene strange demeaneure, which shall flie,
To the great author of this Ambassy.
FINIS Actus 1.
| The Conspiracie of Charles Duke of Byron, Marshall of France | |