 | The Fatall Dovvry |  |
Scæna 3.
Enter Du Croy, Charmi, Rochfort, Nouall se. Pontalier, Baumont.Nou. se.
See, equall Iudges, with what confidence
The cruell murtherer stands, as if he would
Outface the Court and Iustice!
Roch.
But looke on him,
And you shall finde, for still methinks I doe,
Though guilt hath dide him black, something good in him,
That may perhaps worke with a wiser man
Then I haue beene, againe to set him free
And giue him all he has.
Charmi.
This is not well.
I would you had liu'd so, my Lord that I,
Might rather haue continu'd your poore seruant
Then sit here as your Iudge.
Du Croy.
I am sorry for you.
Roch.
In no act of my life I haue desern'd
This iniury from the court, that any heere
Is proper to me only.
Du Cr.
What distaste
Receiues my Lord?
Roch.
You say you are sorry for him:
A griefe in which I must not haue a partner:
'Tis I alone am sorry, that I rays'd
The building of my life for seuenty yeeres
Vpon so sure a ground, that all the vices
Practis'd to ruine man, though brought against me,
Could neuer vndermine, and no way left
To send these gray haires to the graue with sorrow.
Vertue that was my patronesse, betrayd me:
For entring, nay, possessing this young man,
It lent him such a powerfull Maiesty
To grace what ere he vndertooke, that freely
I gaue my selfe vp with my liberty,
To be at his disposing; had his person,
Louely I must confesse, or far fain'd valour,
Or any other seeming good, that yet
Holds a neere neyghbour-hood, with ill wrought on me,
I might haue borne it better: but when goodnesse
And piety it selfe in her best figure
Were brib'd to my destruction, can you blame me,
Though I forget to suffer like a man,
Or rather act a woman?
Bau.
Good my Lord.
Nou. se.
You hinder our proceeding.
Charmi.
And forget
The parts of an accuser.
Bau.
Pray you remember
To vse the temper which to me you promis'd;
Roch.
Angels themselues must breake Baumont, that promise
Beyond the strength and patience of Angels.
But I haue done, my good Lord, pardon me
A weake old man, and pray adde to that
That your compassion of my age, nor his,
Moue you to any thing, that may dis-become
The place on which you fit
Charmi.
Read the Inditement.
Cha.
It shall be needelesse, I my selfe, my Lords,
Will be my owne accuser, and confesse
All they can charge me with, or will I spare
To aggrauate that guilt with circumstance
They seeke to loade me with: onely I pray,
That as for them you will vouchsafe me hearing:
I may not be denide it for my selfe,
When I shall vrge by what vnanswerable reasons
I was compel'd to what I did, which yet
Till you haue taught me better, I repent not.
Roch.
The motion honest.
Charmi.
And 'tis freely granted.
Cha.
Then I confesse my Lords, that I stood bound,
When with my friends, euen hope it selfe had left me
To this mans charity for my liberty,
Nor did his bounty end there, but began:
For after my enlargment, cherishing
The good he did, he made me master of
His onely daughter, and his whole estate:
Great ties of thankfulnesse I must acknowledge,
Could any one freed by you, presse this further?
But yet consider, my most honourd Lords,
If to receiue a fauour, make a seruant,
And benefits are bonds to tie the taker
To the imperious will of him that giues,
Ther's none but slaues will receiue courtesie.
Since they must fetter vs to our dishonours.
Can it be cal'd magnificence in a Prince,
To powre downe riches, with a liberall hand,
Vpon a poore mans wants, if that must bind him
To play the soothing parasite to his vices?
Or any man, because he sau'd my hand,
Or did I stand ingag'd to buy my freedome
(When my captiuity was honourable)
By making my selfe here and fame hereafter,
Bondslaues to mens scorne and calumnious tongues?
Had his faire daughters mind bin like her feature,
Or for some little blemish I had sought
For my content elsewhere, wasting on others
My body and her dowry; my forhead then
Deseru'd the brand of base ingratitude:
But if obsequious vsage, and faire warning
To keepe her worth my loue, could preserue her
From being a whore, and yet no cunning one,
So to offend, and yet, the fault kept from me?
What should I doe? let any freeborne spirit
Determine truly, if that thankfulnesse,
Choise forme with the whole world giuen for a dowry,
Could strengthen so an honest man with patience,
As with a willing necke to vndergoe
The insupportable yoake of slaue or wittoll.
Charmi.
What proofe haue you she did play false, besides
your oath?
Cha.
Her owne confession to her father.
I aske him for a witnesse.
Roch.
'Tis most true.
I would not willingly blend my last words
With an vntruth.
Cha.
And then to cleere my selfe,
That his great wealth was not the marke I shot at,
But that I held it, when faire Beaumelle
Fell from her vertue, like the fatall gold
Which Brennus tooke from Delphos, whose possession
Brought with it ruine to himselfe and Army.
Heer's one in Court, Baumont, by whom I sent
All graunts and writings backe, which made it mine,
Before his daughter dy'd by his owne sentence,
As freely as vnask'd he gaue it to me.
Bau.
They are here to be seene.
Open the casket.
Peruse that deed of gift.
Rom.
Halfe of the danger
Already is discharg'd: the other part
As brauely, and you are not onely free,
But crownd with praise for euer.
Du Croy.
'Tis apparent.
Charmi.
Your state, my Lord, againe is yours.
Roch.
Not mine,
I am not of the world, if it can prosper,
(And yet being iustly got, Ile not examine
Why it should be so fatall) doe you bestow it
On pious vses. Ile goe seeke a graue.
And yet for proofe, I die in peace, your pardon
I aske, and as you grant it me, may Heauen
Your conscience, and these Iudges free you from
What you are charg'd with. So farewell for euer.—
Exit Roch.
Nouall se.
Ile be mine owne guide. Passion, nor example
Shall be my leaders. I haue lost a sonne,
A sonne, graue Iudges, I require his blood
From his accursed homicide.
Charmi.
What reply you
In your defence for this?
Cha.
I but attended
Your Lordships pleasure. For the fact, as of
The former, I confesse it, but with what
Base wrongs I was vnwillingly drawne to it,
To my few words there are some other proofes
To witnesse this for truth, when I was married:
For there I must begin. The slayne Nouall
Was to my wife, in way of our French courtship,
A most deuoted seruant, but yet aym'd at
Nothing but meanes to quench his wanton heate,
His heart being neuer warm'd by lawfull fires
As mine was (Lords:) and though on these presumptions,
Ioyn'd to the hate betweene his house and mine,
I might with opportunity and ease
But still he had the freedome as before
When all was mine, and told that he abus'd it
With some vnseemely licence, by my friend
My approu'd friend Romont. I gaue no credit
To the reporter, but reprou'd him for it,
As one vncourtly and malicious to him.
What could I more, my Lords? yet after this
He did continue in his first pursute
Hoter then euer, and at length obtaind it;
But how it came to my most certaine kowledge,
For the dignity of the court and my owne honour
I dare not say.
Nou. se.
If all may be beleeu'd
A passionate prisoner speakes, who is so foolish
That durst be wicked, that will appeare guilty?
No, my graue Lords: in his impunity
But giue example vnto iealous men
To cut the throats they hate, and they will neuer
Want matter or pretence for their bad ends.
Charmi.
You must finde other proofes to strengthen these
But meere presumptions.
Du Croy.
Or we shall hardly
Allow your innocence.
Cha.
All your attempts
Shall fall on me, like brittle shafts on armor,
That breake themselues; or like waues against a rocke,
That leaue no signe of their ridiculous fury
But foame and splinters, my innocence like these
Shall stand triumphant, and your malice serue
But for a trumpet to proclaime my conquest;
Nor shall you, though you doe the worst fate can,
How ere condemne, affright an honest man.
Rom.
May it please the Court, I may be heard.
Nou. se.
You come not
To raile againe? but doe, you shall not finde
Another Rochfort.
In Nouall I cannot.
But I come furnished with what will stop
The mouth of his conspiracy against the life
Of innocent Charaloys. Doe you know this Character?
Nou. se.
Yes, 'tis my sonnes.
Rom.
May it please your Lordships, reade it,
And you shall finde there, with what vehemency
He did sollicite Beaumelle, bow he had got
A promise from her to inioy his wishes,
How after he abiur'd her company,
And yet, but that 'tis fit I spare the dead,
Like a damnd villaine, assoone as recorded,
He brake that oath, to make this manifest.
Produce his bands and hers.
Enter Aymer, Florimell, Bellapert.
Charmi.
Haue they tooke their oathes?
Rom.
They haue: and rather then indure the racke,
Confesse the time, the meeting, nay the act;
What would you more? onely this matron made
A free discouery to a good end;
And therefore Issue to the Court, she may not
Be plac'd in the blacke list of the delinquents.
Pont.
I see by this, Nouals reuenge needs me,
And I shall doe.
Charmi.
'Tis euident.
Nou. se.
That I
Till now was neuer wretched, here's no place
To curse him or my stars.
Exit Nouall senior.
Charmi.
Lord Charalois,
The iniuries you haue sustain'd, appeare
So worthy of the mercy of the Court,
That notwithstanding you haue gone beyond
The letter of the Law, they yet acquit you.
Pont.
But in Nouall, doe condemne him thus.
Cha.
I am slayne.
Rom.
Can I looke on? Oh murderous wretch,
Thy challenge now I answere. So die with him.
A guard: disarme him.
Rom.
I yeeld vp my sword
Vnforc'd. Oh Charaloys.
Cha.
For shame, Romont,
Mourne not for him that dies as he hath liu'd,
Still constant and vnmou'd: what's falne vpon me,
Is by Heauens will, because I made my selfe
A iudge in my owne cause without their warrant:
But he that lets me know thus much in death,
With all good men forgiue mee.
Pont.
I receiue the vengeance, which my loue
Not built on vertue, has made me worthy, worthy of.
Charmi.
We are taught
By this sad president, how iust soeuer
Our reasons are to remedy our wrongs,
We are yet to leaue them to their will and power,
That to that purpose haue authority.
For you, Romont, although in your excuse
You may plead, what you did, was in reuenge
Of the dishonour done vnto the Court:
Yet since from vs you had not warrant for it,
We banish you the State: for these, they shall,
As they are found guilty, or innocent,
Be set free, or suffer punishment.
Exeunt omnes.
| The Fatall Dovvry | |