University of Virginia Library

Sce: 3.a

Ent: Don Pedro, reading a Letter, & Manuell.
Man:
Deare sir, let me have power to recall
yor graver thoughts out of this violent storme
of passion that thus overwhelmes yor mind.
remember what you are, & wt h what strength,
what more then manly strength, you have outworne
dangers of Battaile, when your warlike lookes
have outfac'd horror.

Ped:
oh, my son, my son,
horror it selfe vpon ye wings of Death
stretcht to ye vttermost expansion,
over ye wounded body of an Army,
could never carry an Aspect like this;
this murthering spectacle, this field of paper
stucke all wt h Basiliskes eyes: Read but this word,
The ravisht Eleonora:—does't not seeme
like a full cloud of bloud ready to burst
& fall vpon or heads?

Man:
Indeed you take too deepe a sence of it.

Ped:
What? when I see this meteor hanging ore it?
this prodigy in figure of a man?
clad all in flames wt h an Inscription
blazing on's head; Henrico ye Ravisher.

Man:
Good sir, avoid this passion.

Ped:
In battailes I have lost & seene ye falls
of many a right good soldier; but they fell
like blessed grayne yt shott vp into honor:
But in this leud exploit I lose a son
& thou a brother, my Emanuell,
& or whole house ye glory of her name;
her beauteous name, yt never was distaynd,
is, by this beastly fact, made odious.

Man:
I pray sir be yor selfe, & let yor Iudgement
entertaine reason; from whom came this Letter?

Ped:
from ye sad plaintiffe Eleonora.

Man:
Good; & by ye com̄on poast; you every weeke
receiving letters from yor noble frends
yet none of their papers can tell any such Tidings.

Ped:
All this may be too sir.

Man:
Why is her father silent? has she no kindred,
no frend, no gentleman of note, no servant
whom she may trust to bring by word of mouth
her dismall story!

Ped:
no, perhaps she would not
text vp his name in proclamations.

Man:
Some Villaine hath filld vp a Cup of poyson
t'infect ye whole house of ye Gusman family;
& you are greedyest first to take it downe.

Ped:
That villaine is thy brother.

Man:
were you a stranger
armd in ye middle of a great Battalia
& thus should dare to taxe him, I would wave
my weapon ore my head to waft you forth
to single Combate; if you would not come,
had I as many lives as I have hayres
I'de shoot 'em all away to force my passage
through such an hoast vntill I mett ye Traytor
to my deare brother; pray doe not thinke so sir.

Ped:
Not? when it shall be said one of or name
(oh heaven could I but say he were not my son) was so dishonorable,
so sacrilegious, to defile a Temple
of such a beauty & goodnes as she was?

Man:
As beauteous is my brother in his soule
as she can bee.

Ped:
Why dost thou take his part so?

M:
Because no dropp of honor falls from him
but I bleed wt h it; why doe I take his part?
my sight is not so precious as my brother;
If there be any goodnes in one man
he's Lord of that, his vertues are full Seas,
wc h cast vp to ye shoares of ye base world
all bodyes throwne into them; he's no Drunkard,
I thinke he nere swore oath; to him a woman
was worse then any Scorpion, till he cast
his Eye on Elionora; & therefore sir
I hope it is not so.

Ped:
was not she so?

M:
I doe not say, sir, that she was not so,
yet weomen are strang creatures; but my hope
is that my brother was not so ignoble.
Good sir be not too credulous on a Letter,
who knowes but it was forgd, sent by some foe,
as ye most vertuous ever have ye most;
I know my Brother lov'd her honor so
as wealth of Kingdomes could not him entice
to violate it or his faith to her:
Perhapps it is some queint devise of theirs
to hast yor Iourney homeward out of france,
to terminate their long-desired marriage.

Ped:
The language of her letter speakes no such comfort;
but I will hasten home; & for you are
so confident, as not to thinke his honor
any way toucht, yor good hopes be yor guide,
auspiciously to find it to yor wish.
Therefore my Counsaile is you post before
& if you find yt such a wrong be done,
let such provision instantly be
betwixt you made to hide it from ye world
by giving her due nuptiall satisfaction,
that I may heare no voice of't at my com̄ing.
Oh, to prserve ye Reputation
of noble Ancestry yt nere bore stayne
who would not passe through fire, or dive the mayne?

Exeunt.