University of Virginia Library

Scœn. 3.

Malindo
, Hirvdo.
Grosse indignation! manifest repulse!
Am I neglected? O disdainfull Prince!
May wee obserue thy peeuish altitude,
Like a contemptiue groome or Sycophant,
Without your glaunce and poore espyall? Iudge,
O iudge my quarrell some ingenious man,
Witnesse my righteous challenge of his pride;
Resolue me some indifferent arbiter,
How to digest this ignomious pill.
My loue and duty both reiected thus?
My dignity esteem'd so little worth?
My salutations frustrate? Some poore doult,
Who payes a curtesie and supple cringe
For euery dram of aire hee suckes in,
Cannot be vs'd with lesse humanity.
Wee, bending, stoop'd before his Maiesty,
Hee, with a crabbed countenance, cleane auers'd,
Goes on like some dull statue; neuer stoopes,
Nor smiles, but with a frowning arrogance,
Iust like a moulded picture, like the frame
Of a supported Image, doth moue on,
As by some artificiall new deuice,
Puppets are seene to make a solemne daunce.
He now attended with a barball size
Of sober Statesmen, doth reiect my loue,
As if I were not in full æquipage
Of his owne yeares: nay almost of degree,
Excepting his high place of Soueraigne.
O pride of Princes! ô how forceable
Be scornfull frownes from an offended King?
This argues guilt, and makes me culpable,
Without a conscious crime; without pretence
Of any thing committed: In defence
I therefore well may pleade pure ignorance.
What new suggestion should exasperate
The Kings displeasure? doubtlesse, he of late,
And his bigge title, was more affable,
More gent and curteous: but the crowne perhap
Is heauy, and requires the cunnning helpe
Of those gray dotards (who indeed possesse
Our most deluded Monarch) to support
A thing so massy, and immence; proceed,
Soone may my wrathfull curses ouertake
The proudest veine of their aduanced soules:
May the vaste concaue of Olympus cracke
And giue a signall to our Gods decree
Of dissolution ready to approach,
Of earth and heauen their latest period,
When I repent my curse, or do abstaine
From an effectuall meanes, which may procure
Destruction, though delai'd; yet deadly sure.
Am I not noble? bred of æquall stemme
With Sparta's chiefe and best Magnificoes?
My Auncestors (remou'd but nine degrees)
Knew neuer man below the bloud of Kings
Worth æmulation, as a riuall fit
For them, admitting mighty Emperours,
None as aboue, but as competitors:
From those heroicke monuments of Greece,
From those Hyrudo you can testifie,
Our selfe deriues a lineall descent:
And by the law of Heralds dignity,
(A sect supported by antiquity)
I am enrould amid the chiefest ranke
Of Dukes, which gouerne this Peninsula:
Yet shall I trauerse so obsequiously,
Within the glaunce of his huge altitude,
Like some deiected melancholy Asse,
Which feeds on thistles.

Hy.
Death! you are abusde,
Were I the man appointed to sustaine,
So vndeseru'd a signall of disgrace,
The proudest King in Europe should perceiue,
I'de not digest an iniury so base.
You being the subiect of such high abuse,
You should with faction terrifie the King,
Amaze the Court, and make your opposites
Tremble againe like babes, who shaking stand,
Doubtfull of mercy from the Tutors hand.
Were I the man whom dignity of place
Entitled to such vaste prerogatiue
As you enioy, no scandall, no disgrace,
Should touch my honour without full reuenge:
The King himselfe should not escape my spleene,
(Vpon so iust a quarrell) I'de affront
His ample greatnesse: nay expostulate
On equall tearmes, why without open cause
He should reiect my seruice with a frowne,
I'de taxe him of vngouern'd appetite,
Selfe-humour, peeuish ignorance of state,
And charge him to amend infirmities:
If like a tyrant hee but durst reply,
Rating the licence of audacity,
Then would I menace torture; I would teare,
The big voluminous Title he doth weare
Pin'd on his backe by parasites and knaues,
Who though they want, yet can bestow much grace,
Kings when they leaue to be vpright, are base.

Mal.
Make me acknowledge this thy loue sincere,
Bring thy magnanimous courage into act;
O be my agent, reconcile the doubts
Which do possesse my intellectuall sence.
The Statesmen are my sole Antigonists,
They do seduce and steale away the King.
Keepe his heroicke bounty for themselues;
They doe detaine his nature punctually,
Make him (deluded) parsimonious,
Erect who pleases their magnificence,
Who them displease, the king must frowne vpon:
They do entombe the silly wretch aliue,
Make him as dead, to eminent designes,
Which they approue not; then reuiue his will,
To aduenture such, as none approue but they.
In briefe, they leade him like a Lyons whelpe,
Tame, and yet fierce; if so the keeper please,
To wurry with aduantage: then beware,
Those who offended haue the keepers will;
By which, the tame-taught Lyon's gouern'd still.

Hy.
Beleeu't my Lord, a home-bred naturalist,
Whose resolution neuer was confirm'd
By art, example, or experience;
Who neuer knew a faith historicall,
(That low step to a warrant rationall)
His anger would be ready for attempt;
Nay finish all with very good successe,
Whilst you revolue a tedious aduice,
Of which, too long delay doth spoile the prize.

Mal.
But sir, the high opponents, who traduce
My honour, and good name, be numerous,
Men of no dung-hill breeding (not aduanc'd
By some especiall Madame of the Court,
For a concealement of her secresie,
In case, where witnesse, bawdy hand, or seale,
To broken Titles be restoratiue)
But matchlesse in their eminence of birth,
Not sprung from petty page, or foot-boyes race,
(Onely remou'd, to fill vp vacant place,
And rob iudiciall statesmen of deserts,
To whom by Nations law, all fame reverts)
No, my assailants be both rich and wise,
(Two qualities scarce analogicall,
Yet my oppugnant enemies haue both)
Rich, wise, and nobly borne; nay fauourites,
Men of an æquall iudgement with my selfe,
Ingenious they be (though Flatterers)
Who with calumnious faction doe depraue
My potent fortunes, making birth a slaue.
My foes be great, therefore I am dismaid,
And to incounter great ones am afraid.

Hy.
What huge Antæus may of conquest brag,
Who ouercomes a Pigmey? or insults
Ouer a simple wrecth condemn'd to chaines?
May Ioues owne Eagle stoope at stinking flyes?
And suffer Owles to penetrate the skies?
Well did that mighty Indian dog deserue,
Whom neither Bucke, mad Bull, nor threatning Boare,
Could from the kennell make to rise, before
A stout couragious Lyon, king of strength,
Irefull enough, with vengeance in his iawes,
Prepar'd for single combat; boldly then
Like a resolued Champion forth he flew,
And the Maiesticke Lyon fiercely slew.
Giue me a man, whom neither multitude,
Nor meanes to worke reuenge, can terrifie;
Who, though incompass'd with corriuall foes,
Immur'd with aduerse competitors,
Left eu'n amidst the circumuenting Iawes,
Of greedy hounds, and hunters policy;
Can, like a whirle-winde, in despight of those,
Who with vnæquall faction dare oppose,
Fly through the thickest, make their big-swolne mawes,
Leuell with stinking lakes, and ditches deepe,
Like a Colossus though they stood before.
Who may esteeme it an inglorious act,
Rather who thinkes the valour not deuine,
Which through a banded troope of enemies,
Doth, like some bolt of thunder flye apace,
And force withstanding obiects to giue place?
Men of your size being vrg'd with insolence
Of peeuish statists æmulating pride,
(A humor most vnnecessary ill)
Should, like the murdering Chain-shot, driue downe-hill
Castles and rockes, although impregnable,
Make mountaines stoope before you, rend vp Okes,
Buffet large Atlas with incessant strokes,
(Though the supporter of Olympus frame)
Till heau'n and earth begge rescue for the same.
Yet shallow great-men, they must wise-men seeme,
For noble births doe liue by peoples breath;
Nor may the priuiledge of birth redeeme
Our æstimation, subiect still to death;
Bee theerfore wise (wisedome who dares condeme?)
If not by nature, then by stratagem.

Ma.
Thou'art yong (Hirudo) resolute and wise,
A plyant apprehension soone will rise;
Remember now thy naturall good parts,
Thinke if they serue to reconcile the doubt
Of my ensuing mischiefe; prethee thinke,
If thou dar'st venture boldly to remoue
My foes from bounty of Mænanders loue:
Which, till the blinded King doe abrogate,
Each foole may from my fortunes derogate.
Combine thy powers, and ingenious parts
To salue the wound of my disgrace, which smarts,
And be my creature; meditate withall
Our now-declining ioyes to re-install:
And be my creature; satisfie the King
By some corrupted meanes, or anything:
And bee my creature; may some new deuise,
Purchas'd by Magicke Art, and hellish prise,
Wholly avert the puny Kings beliefe
From our opponents tales, which doe in chiefe
Poyson my merits; ô abolish those,
And bee my creature, or indeed deere slaue
I will bee thine; doe but imploy some care
To best aduantage of thy agent-skill;
Remember then, thou art my creature still.

Hy.
Know then I loue thee Duke, and must preferre
Thy fortunes, though I doe confiscate all,
Whom Gods will not releiue, inuention shall.