University of Virginia Library

ACTUS SECUNDUS

Enter Ghismonda, her wayting-woman, and Guiscardo.
Guisc.
Not vnles that it shall please your Highnes,
Without a too much troublesome incrochment
Vpon your gentle patience, will I take part
In offering that which may breed your vnrest.

Ghism.
Doe you say it is the Kinges pleasure, I
Should heare him?

Guisc.
Yes, Madam, and I inioyn'd
To beare a part. But I respect not that,
Though I confesse at first it pleas'd the King
To destine me and all my best abilities
Only to be imploy'd in your attendance;
Yet, being so imploy'd, the whole dispose
And power of me consistes in your command.

Ghism.
Nay, if it be so, I'le not gaynesay his will.

Guisc.
Trust my true service. Glausamond is directed
With the best ordring of his voice and fingers
His skill affordes to offer you a songe;
And in so strict wordes the King gaue him charge
That I dare thus far paune my reputation
(Which lost with you, I wish my life may follow
In the next moment) that he will offer you
Nothing but what a chaste and modest eare
May without blushing be partaker of.
Your censure shall conclude myne good or bad,
Before he come, if it so please your goodnes.

Ghism.
No, since it must be soe, I'le heare it all together,
And so it will be either much better or much worse.
One knocks.
See who's there.

Glaus.
Pray, is her Grace at leasure?

[At the dore.
Wait.
If you'l but stay a while, I'le know her pleasure.
The King hath sent Glausamond to se your Highnes.

Ghism.
Call him in.
Enter Glausamond.
He that relates a message from the Kinge
Deserues to be nam'd welcome. Glausamond, your
Welcome, and I hope your newes deserues no lesse.

Glaus.
First your father's loue
I here deliuer; secondly, his desire
You would be merry i'th'day and sleepe i'th'night.

Ghism.
I am so, and my weake mortality
Is not refin'd to make me so durable
As hould this life so long without that nutriment.

Glaus.
The cause he feares you want it, lady, 's thus:
He oft is witnes of your solemnesse
In the daytime him selfe, but if you rest
Or sleepe or wake or dreame or seigh, or what
You doe, when the darke shade incloseth
Your sacred selfe in—you say, widow-curtayns,
But he desires the should be sportfull ones—
He's ignorant of. Yet he doth feare much
The cause by the effect and therefore bad me
First craue your patient, lending eare and then
Offer a song vnto you, onely made,
If't may be, to giue you some recreation.

Ghism.
I haue heard some songes haue bene compos'd for mirth,
And, being presented to the persons which
They should haue wrought vpon, by what disaster
I know not, the effect hath bene cleane contrary,
And hop'd-for mirth hath prou'd deepe malancholy.

Glaus.
In ill-disposed bodies 't may proue soe.

Ghism.
Therefore lett this song be contrary,
And it will worke mirth out of melancholy.

Glaus.
If your licence will admit the heareing,
Assure your selfe, a good euent will follow.

Ghism.
Discretion ne're could be call'd obstinat;
Therefore I'le yeald. He that's preiudicate
May goe the wrong way and repent too late.

The Songe.
Glaus.
The vertuous Queene, whose spottles chastitie
Doth farr exceed Diana's modestie,
Would faine dissolue her selfe with weeping still,
Making her beauty subiect to her will.

Guisc.
The time will come, and wee shall ioy to see
That she, who now's ingaged, shall liue free
And shake those fetters of which greefe hath ti'd
Her in, and then become a glorious bride.

Both
Heau'n grant this change and send this alteration,
Turning her greefe to sportfull recreation.

Glaus.
The noble Queene, whose true nobilitie
Hath the first place in Juno's pedegre,
Is now perplext with greefe, and therefore wee
Do stand partakers of her miserye.

Guisc.
The time will come, when euery blast yt blowes
Vnrest to her, shall whisk it to her foes,
And heau'n, auspitious being, shall wipe those teares
Which shew her anguish and procure our feares.

Both
Heau'n grant this etct.
Turning her greefe etct.

Glaus.
The beauteous Queen, whose lookes the Queen of loue
Fear'd should be seene, because they weare aboue
Hers, both in lustre and in dignitie,
As now grown pale with looking solemnly.

Guisc.
The time will come agayne, if Heau'n so please,
When euery accident shall giue her ease;
And where the clouds are thick, the sun will show,
And roses bud, where thorny brambles grow.

Both
Heau'n grant this chang and send this alteration,
Turning her greefe to sportfull recreation.

Ghism.
Haue you not a second part?

Glaus.
A short one.

Guisc.
But 'tis not apted as we wish it weare.
Only the wordes are as our hartes to you,
And, where an accent wantes, or breath of time
Says 'tis vnworthy of your heareing,
Let your so oft-experienc'd noblenes
Conclude the faultes not great, and we are crown'd.

The song sung by Both togeither.
The hower we look't for now begins to come,
Our ioyes now speake which long before were dumbe.
Heau'n heard our prayrs and then tooke pitty on vs,
Because before it layd a cross vpon vs.
Long let ye Princes liue, and we to pray
Her comfort may grow greater euery day.

Glaus.
If it shall please your honoured Ladyship
To haue a liuelyer tune, your word commandes it,
For this is he that ne're gaynesayd a lady.

Ghism.
I am satisfied, and I hope that you
Cannot but say the Kinges comandes fulfil'd.
I doe desire you will from me present him
With filial thankes and with a due obseruance.

Enter Pasquino.
Pasq.
Your royall father and our soueraigne
Hath set this day apart to entertayne
The embassadour which lately is ariu'd
From the great Duke of Capua, and intreates
You would be pleas'd to grace the affayre so much
As yeald your presence to the audience.

Ghism.
First the King knowes, and then the embassadour,
If he doe come from Capua, my greefe
As well as I can name it, and the occation.
Therefore first with an offering of my duty,
Then with a request of pardon, pray intreat him,
My absence may be borne with.

Pasq.
He put of,
And wil'd me let you knowe soe, this dayes busines
Longer then he intended, onely because
Your selfe should vnderstand the intelligence
At the first hand, without another's telling.

Ghism.
Is it needfull I must heare't my selfe?

Pasq.
The King is of that mynd and therefore sent me.

Ghism.
Rather then haue a second or third relation
To be disturb'd with, I'le endure the first.
Guiscardo, lead the way.

[Ex. Ghismonda: Guiscardo before her, the waiting-woman and Pasquino.
Glaus.
What, noe more manners
Then to leaue me alone? Well, breeding es all.
Had good old Tancred heard me but sing so long,
He would haue cri'd “Oh, my best boy, but seldome
Comes a better”! Blesse the old one, for the young
One's mad, els she would ne're be Niobe
So young! Yet the metamorphosis
Is only in the hart; the other partes
Are able yet to bend with supple flexure,
If they were put to't, I dare lay my life on't.

Enter Gabriello, chafinge.
Gabri.
A pox o' this rogue! I thought I had had a
Young whelp to enter, and he hath caught
The old woodcocke.

Glaus.
Who's that, Gabriello?

Gab.
He and I, I and he—
What a question's that! Who dost think't should be?

Glaus.
O, now I know the foole o'th'one side,
But whoe is the caulfes-head his brother?

Gab.
Ether thou or the great oxe Pasquino.

Glaus.
For my owne part, I thanke you and am
Satisfied. But, prithe, tell me,
What hath Pasquino done?

Gab.
Just as the fox did, when he intreated
The crow to singe—eate the cheese and sent
The crow to seeke her breakefast.

Glaus.
It is not in the compas of his cerebrum
To cheate thee of thy victualls.

Gab.
I thought soe too,
But he cheated me of meate, drink and cloth,
Eu'n pure sacke.

Glaus.
What, did he so? Pore foole, alacke!

Gab.
I protest, I'le cut your fiddle-stringes.

Glaus.
'Tis but steeping a shorte on in thy sacke,
And it will serue agayne.

Gab.
The more wrong'd, the worse abus'd.

Glaus.
What's the difference betwene them?

Gab.
My learning scornes to acquaint you
With my distinctions.

Glaus.
So, sir. Then in amity, frendship, loue, kindnes,
Curtesie and good-fellowship, without thinking
Of past mischances and hope of new reueng,
How did he o'rereach thee in thy drinke?

Gab.
'Twas thus. One serious day among the rest,
When I had nought to doe but talke with him,
Some matters of state this grene goose needes
Would speake of,
Which being made no greater thinges betwixt vs
Then shittlecockes betwene a pare of battledores,
Flirting as nimbly from him to me as did
The old woman's brawne out of her mouth
To her neighbor's trencher, I told the best
Way to keep vs both from quarrelling and
Hanging was to drowne great wordes in
Deepe cups. Soe to the tauerne we went,
Cal'd for and drunke alike; at last satiety
Growing vpon vs, I asked for the reckoning.
“That was a pore trick”, sayd Pasquino, “to goe
And not drinke our galloundes a pece”.
Now, thinking my head could beare as much
As any elder brother's in Italy, I cry'd
“Your good will be done, sir”. Then sayd he:
“Prithe, let me but goe se one quart drawne
Out of a butt of rich wine which I knowe
By a priuie marke”. “Agreed”, sayd I, “and I'le stay
Here the while”. Whi[ch] sayd Pasquino left
Gabriello alone eight shillinges to pay, and I
Had but a noble in my purse.

Glaus.
'Twas an elder brother's trick, but a younger's
Witt. And prithe, how didst come of?

Gab.
Eu'n as gentlemen doe that take vp
Vpon nouerints. I was fayne to promise and
Forc't to pay.

Glaus.
Prithee, tell me; hast thou had a sight
Of the Duke of Capua's embassador?

Gab.
Yesternight I saw him, and he inquired
Of the condicions of Lord Glausamond.

Glaus.
Well lorded, I assure you! Thou couldst shew
Him the way to my Lordship's chamber.

Gab.
And did.

Glaus.
You shew'd your duty in it, and for requitall
I'le doe as much to any courtesan
That lookes for thee. But tell me in good earnest;
Hast thou not heard the intent of his comming?

Gab.
A woord or too I did.

Glaus.
From whome?

Gab.
The Kinge.

Glaus.
Then thy intelligence must needes be good.

Gab.
I take it so. When he first came to court,
I heard it whispered, the old Duke, father-in-law
To the Princes, was so pleas'd with her carriage
And sweetnes of her disposition that
He tooke such care t'inquire her out a sutor
Worthy of her that he hath sent this messenger,
His trusty seruant, first to intreate the Kinge
And then her Highnes that a braue prince, his neighbor,
May come to offer his best seruice to her.

Glaus.
What, to owe in person?

Gab.
Soe I vnderstand it.

Glaus.
Great head and smale braynes! thou'rt out,
For the fashion's now 'mongst great ones
To owe by pictures, get children by atturney;
One's the fashion, the other's the custome; yet
The custome will outweare the fashion, and
Making loue to a painted cloth or low conges
To a little modicum of a card in an ebonie box
Wilbe out of fashion, before the vse wilbe left
Of gentlemen rideing in noblemen's sadles.

Gab.
Thou dost much ioy in being satiricall.

Glaus.
I may be so and sometimes am permitted
To shew that by way of fooleing which
A statesman would be cal'd in question for,
If he durst speake it at the councell-table.
Why, now you may abuse your father, and do't but witily,
And some kind old foole will say “Who would thinke
My sonne were so far read or had attayn'd
In so few yeares to such a large proportion
Of witt or grace”? The dayes we liue in
Are now preposterous grown, the time come agayne,
When 'twas a grace to lie, sin to speake playne.
Tell a man of his faultes, because you loue him,
You lose him quite, therby so moue him
To anger and impatience that hee'le greeue
To se you in his sight and not beleeue
What your good wishes told him. Comend a gull,
Whose father di'd but lately, leaueing him full
Of that which drawes attendanc, and 'tis great odds
Hee'le prize you as the heathens did there gods,
Call you his genius, thanke your kind wordes to him,
Although by these faire speaches you vndoe him.
If you'r toe conscientious to lie,
You must goe liue alone, for company
You'r like to haue but little. Pray stand by,
Vntill one come of your society,
For two there are not liueing. Goe from Rome,
If when a lie is told, you doe stand dumb
And feare to applaud it, 'cause it is a crime;
To sware a lie is true's the garb o'th'time.
Will not your stomake stand to cheat your brother,
You are not fitt to liue, for now a mother
Will cosin her daughter of her soule for pay;
I know an old iade did so yesterday.
If thou wilt haue a further information,
Giue but another qu; I'le make relation
Of twice as much as this.

Gab.
Nay, I think 'tis better
To goe in now, for perchanc the King
Will be displeas'd, if ether of vs be wanting,
Especially at this time of ceremony.

Glaus.
It may be soe. Therefore let's goe and see.

[Exeunt.