 | The raging Tvrke, or Baiazet the second |  |
Scena Octaua.
Enter Cherseogles.Chers.
A darke and heauy night, as if the gods
Winckt at our projects, and had clad the heauens
In a propitious blacke, to blesse my plot;
Reuenge, to thee I dedicate this worke,
And I will pamper thy wild appetite
With blood and murther, thy dull slow pac't feet
Shall caper to behold our fearefull sceanes
Drencht in a scarlet Ocean,
Tis full twelue—
I heare a quiet foot pace, and it beates
Directly towards. 'Tis Selymus,
Ioy of expectation.
Enter Selymus
Selym.
Thou Queene of shades;
Bright Cynthia, and you starry lampes of heauen,
And therefore hate to grace the time, in which
I ruinate my latest foe; this is the sand
On which I am to wrestle for a Crowne,
And I am entred full of greedie lust,
To meet my adverse champion; here's my god,
Whom I adore with greater confidence
Then all those beauties, Sunne, or Moone, or Starres
That with malicious absence haue disrob'd,
This gracious houre of i'ts due respect.
Oh thou the silent darkenesse of the night,
Arme me with desperate courage and contempt,
Of gods—lou'd men, now I applaud the guile,
Of our braue roarers which select this time,
To drink and swagger, and spurne at all the powers
Of either world, blest mortals, had that mother
Strangled her other infant, white fac't day,
And brought forth onely night, my limbs are stiffe,
And I must bath them in my brothers blood,
Ile steepe this grasse in a red purple goare,
Scatter the carcasse peecemeale, and that done
Ile reare a lasting monument, Ile signe
A trophie, which inscrib'd, shall speake my deedes
To after ages, that's my chiefe intent,
Hee's coldly prays'd that's written innocent;
VVhose there? my souldier?
Cher.
Souldier and slaue, great Prince at your command,
Sely.
I will jnoble thee place thee my second selfe
In all my power for thy rare faith.
VVhere's our Achomates?
Cher.
I heard one softly tracke full hitherwards,
And thinke tis he; 'tis needfull that I meete him,
And giue some proofe that I continue his,
Else jealous of my faith, he will returne,
And we be both deluded; when y'are met,
Parley before you fight, till I prepare
My selfe to runne vpon him vnawares,
Meane while Ile goe to meete him.
Exit
Goe, make hast,
But if this base raskall should deceiue
My trust? a trifle—my nerues are plumped vp
And fil'd with vigor, strong enough to fright,
A million of such big backt, drowsie slaues;
I heare them both approach.
Enter Cherseogles and Achomates.
Cherse.
See where he stands, I shall not be slow
To second your encounter being met,
Parley before ye fight, till I prepare
My selfe, to runne vpon him vnaware,
Meane while I'le withdraw—now for my Bassaes,
Exit
Achom.
A time of dismall blacknes, and my soule
Is dull and heauy, as if enuious night,
Striu'd to subdue my fatall watchfullnesse.
But I haue rush'd vpon my foe: whose there?
Sely.
Answere thy Prince first I say, what art thou?
Acho.
He that vsurp's the title of a villaine.
Sely.
But he that weares it is a Saint, and such am I.
Achom.
Th'art a treacherous slaue.
Sely.
Achomates thou lyest, this night shall proue
I shrinke not to vnmake what I haue done.
Achom.
Oh heauens so impudently bad?
Selymus
Good brother we know your vertues, one that
Gayn country, gods, and men,
Slew an Ambassadour which here we must reuenge.
Achom.
Hearke in thine eare,
Ile whisper forth thy mischiefes, least the heauens
Should teare and snatch them hence from my reuenge,
In greedinesse of wrath—they whisper.
Enter Cherseogles, Isaacke, Mesithes, Mustapha.
Cherse.
See where they stand.
Isaacke
Achomates and Selymus?
Cher.
Both:
They are two, we foure, lets runne vpon them,
'Tis very darke, be certaine in your aime,
And all strike home.
A match.
Mes.
Isaack, and I will take the neerest.
Must.
And we the other.
Cher.
Strike home, and sure, and here's at them.
Stab him.
Selym.
I haue the Crowne, and I will, Oh, oh, oh.
stab him.
Achom.
Oh, òò, O villaine I am slaine.
vterque moritur.
Cher.
It is not Cherseogles we haue slaine.
Isa.
Not Cherseogles villaine, whom then? speak.
They confer.
Cher.
Achomates and Selymus.
Isaack.
Ha.
Cher.
None other.
Isaack.
Hast thou betray'd vs so?
Cher.
Be silent, heare me.
There lie the Captaines of both Armies dead,
Breathlesse, and so stupid to neglect
The vse of oportunities.
Isaack.
What vse?
Cher.
Are you not rich, wealthie in powerfull gold,
Goe whilst the Souldiers lye thus destitute
Of any Leader, frankly bribe both parts
Buy their vnsetled loue at any rate,
And creepe into their bosome, then in this
Dead want and dearth of Princes, they will
Cleaue to Isaack, and at length salute
Isaack.
Me Emperour?
Cher.
You apprehend it right.
Isa.
What blessed angell art thou?
Cher.
'Tis no time for idle complement.
Isaack.
Thy counsel's good.
I would not let slip this sweet occasion,
For all the pretious plenty of the world.
Come let's away.
Cher.
First make some quick dispatch with these now riualls.
Isa.
True, they'le not endure my Soueraignty.
Hast no suddaine wits how to remoue them both?
Cher.
No wile but strength; are not we two?
They are no more; we must encounter them, 'tis man to man:
The match no whit vnequall.
Isa.
I am thine:
I hate to haue co-partners in my state:
There shall not breath a man whose enuious eye
Mes.
They that bring newes first, are still most welcome.
Musta.
Experience speakes it true.
Mes.
Let vs hast, now Selymus we come to gratulate
Isaack.
Stay—
Cherseo.
Stand.
Mes.
How?
Mustaph.
What meanes this?
Isaacke.
Fate to your liues.
They fight, Isaack is slaine.
Musta.
Sweet doings.
Isaack.
'Tis no lesse, Sir witnesse this,
Traytor I'me slaine.
Moritur.
Cherseog.
Crosse fortune, wicked chance:
But I must make the best of it. Is he dead?
Mes.
Villaine he is, and thy bad turne is next:
What deuill did incite thee, to incite
Isaack 'gainst friends? Iniurious slaue.
Musta.
Vrge him to no confession, till the rack
Force from his closest thought vnwilling truth,
He shall be doom'd for this notorious fact
Vnto continuall paines,
Hunger, oppression, want and slauery.
Mes.
That struck me full.—Haue at thee:
Hold thou art victor. I haue met the price
Of treason death, and as I hop'd to raise
By blood, I fall, so haue I mist my scope,
Delusion is the end of lawlesse hope.
Moritur.
Cherse.
Mesithes stay one moment, art thou gone,
I am not farre behinde I feele the blood
By slow degrees ebb, from my fainting breast,
I am heart struck, and wounded euen to death,
A Sceane of slaughterthis.—O iust heauens
Still I plighted faith to each of these,
I wisht that if I fail'd in one, I vow'd
Death would thus strike me, I haue gain'd my wish,
Then you imperiall Fates that intercept
The brittle courses of fraile mortality,
Continue this firme iustice, and enact
A constant law, that all false meaning hearts
That thinke of oathes as of a puffe of winde,
May as I doe, thus sinke into the graue
Moritur.
Enter Souldiers.
Sould. 1.
The night ouerblowne, and fiue a clocke,
I wonder at their absence; what are these
Our Generalls murdered, our deere Selymus,
With his three Bassaes, and Achomates,
Whose bloody hand is guilty of this fact?
Sould. 2.
A trembling shakes me, 'twas some power
That frown'd at our proceedings.
Sould. 3.
Baiazet is new borne to his Soueraignty.
Sould. 4.
Let's take their bodies, beare them hence in pompe
Vnto their greatnesse, and aduise the foe
Of their slaine Generall sterne Achomates,
Sound peacefull rumours; we must resubmit
To Baiazet, so heauen hath thought it fit.
Exeunt.
| The raging Tvrke, or Baiazet the second | |