University of Virginia Library

Actus 4.

The presenter speaketh.
Now hardned is this haplesse heathen prince,
And strengthned by the armes of Portugall,
This Moore, this murtherer of his progenie.
And warre and weapons now, and bloud and death
Wait on the counsels of this cursed king:
And to a bloudie banket he inuites
The braue Sebastian and his noble peeres.
Enter to the bloudie banket.
In fatall houre ariu'd this peerelesse prince,
To loose his life, his life and many liues
Of lustie men, couragious Portugals,
Drawen by ambitious golden lookes,
Let fame of him no wrongfull censure sound,
Honour was obiect of his thoughtes, ambition was his ground.

Exit.
Enter Abdilmelec and his traine.
Abdilm.
Now tell mee Celybin, what doeth the enemie?

Celybin.
The enemie dread lord, hath left the towne
Of Areil, with a thousand souldiers armde,
To gard his fleet of thirteene hundred saile,
And mustering of his men before the wals,
He found he had two thousand armed horse,
And foureteene thousand men that serue on foot,
Three thousand pioners, and a thousand cochmen,
Besides a number almost numberlesse
Of drudges, Negroes, slaues and Muliters,
Horse-boies, landresses and curtizans,
And fifteene hundred waggons full of stuffe
For noble men, brought vp in delicate.

Abdil.
Alas good king, thy fore-sight hath bin small
To come with women into Barbarie,
With landresse, with baggage, and with trash,
Numbers vnfit to multiplie thy hoast.

Cely.
Their paiment in the campe is passing slow,
And victuals scarce, that many faint and die.

Abdilm.
But whether marcheth he in all this hast?

Cely.
Some thinkes he marcheth hetherward,
And meanes to take this citie of Alcazar.

Abdil.
Vnto Alcazar, O vnconstant chance!

Cely.
The braue and valiant king of Portugall
Quarters his power in foure batalians,
Afront the which, to welcome vs withall,
Are sixe and thirtie roaring peeces plast,
The first consisting of light armed horse,
And of the garisons from Tangar brought
Is lead by Aluaro Peres de Tauero,
The left or middle battell of Italians,
And Germane horse-men Stukley doth command,
A warlike Englishman sent by the pope,
That vainly cals himselfe Marques of Ireland.
Alonso Aquilaz conducts the third,
That wing of Germaine souldiers most consists.
The fourth legion is none but Portugals,
Of whom Lodeuico Cæsar hath the chiefest charge,
Besides there stand sixe thousand horse
Brauely attirde, prest where need requires.
Thus haue I tolde your roiall maiestie,
How he is plac'd to braue his fight.

Abdil.
But where's our nephew Muly Mahamet?

Cely
He marcheth in the middle, garded about
With full fiue hundred hargubuze on foote,
And twice three thousand needlesse armed pikes.

Zareo.
Great soueraigne, vouchsafe to heare me speak,
And let Zareos counsell now preuaile,
Whilst time doth serue, and that these Christians dare
Approch the field with warlike Ensignes spread,
Let vs in hast with all our forces meete,
And hemme them in, that not a man escape,
So will they be aduisde another time,
How they doo touch the shore of Barbarie.

Abdilm.
Zareo, heare our resolution,
And thus our forces we will first dispose,
Hamet my brother with a thousand shot
On horse-backe, and choice harguebuziers all,
Hauing ten thousand with speare and shield,
Shall make the right wing of the battell vp,
Zareo you shall haue in charge the left,
Two thousand argolets and ten thousand horse,
The maine battell of harguebuze on foot,
And twentie thousand horse-men in their troupes,
My selfe inuirond with my trustie gard
Of Ianizaries, fortunate in warre,
And toward Arzil will we take our waie,
If then our enemie will balke our force
In Gods name let him, it will be his best,
But if he leuell at Alcazar wals,
Then beate him backe with bullets as thicke as haile,
And make him know and rue his ouersight,
That rashly seekes the ruine of this land.

Exeunt.
Enter Sebastian king of Portugall, the Duke of Auero, Stukley, and others.
Sebast.
Why tell me Lords, why left ye Portugall,
And crost the seas with vs to Barbarie,
Was it to see the countrie and no more,
Or else to slay before ye were assaild?
I am ashamd to thinke that such as you,
Whose deeds haue bin renowmed heretofore,
Should slacke in such an act of consequence,
We come to fight, and fighting vow to die.
Or else to win the thing for which we came,
Because Abdilmelec as pittying vs,
Sends messages to counsell quietnes,
You stand amaz'd and thinke it sound aduise,
As if our enemie would wish vs anie good,
No, let him know we scorne his curtesie,
And will resist his forces what so ere.
Cast feare aside, my selfe will leade the way,
And make a passage with my conquering sword
Knee deepe in bloud of these accursed Moores,
And they that loue my honor follow me.
Were you as resolute as is your king,
Alcazar wals should fall before your face,
And all the force of this Barbarian Lord
Should be confounded, were it ten times more.

Auero.
So well become these words a kingly mouth
That are of force to make a coward fight,
But when aduice and prudent fore-sight
Is ioynd with such magnanimitie,
Troupes of victorie and kingly spoiles
Adorne his crowne, his kingdome, and his fame.

Herc.
We haue descride vpon the mountaine tops
A hugie companie of inuading Moores,
And they my lord, as thicke as winters haile,
Will fall vpon our heads at vnawares,
Best then betimes t'auoide this gloomie storme,
It is in vaine to striue with such a streame.

Enter Muly Mahamet.
Muly Mah.
Beholde thrice noble Lorde, vncalde I come,
To counsell where necessitie commands,
And honor of vndoubted victorie,
Makes me exclime vpon this dastard flight.
Why king Sebastian, wilt thou now fore-slow,
And let so great a glorie slip thy hands?
Saie you doo march vnto Tarissa now,
The forces of the foe are come so nigh,
That he will let the passage of the riuer,
So vnawares you will be forst to fight.
But know O king, and you thrice valiant Lords,
Few blowes will serue, I aske but onely this,
That with your power you march into the field,
For now is all the armie resolute,
To leaue the traitor helplesse in the fight,
And flie to me as to their rightfull prince,
Some horse-men haue alreadie lead the waie,
And vow the like for their companions,
The host is full of tumult and of feare.
Then as you come to plant me in my seate,
And to inlarge your fame in Affrica,
Now, now or neuer brauely execute
Your resolution sound and honorable,
And end this warre together with his life,
That doth vsurpe the crowne with tyrannie.

Sebast.
Captaines, you heare the reasons of the king,
Which so effectually haue pearst wine eares,
That I am fully resolute to fight,
And who refuseth now to follow me,
Let him be euer counted cowardly.

Auero.
Shame be his share that flies when kings do fight,
Auero laies his life before your feet.

Stukley
For my parte Lordes, I cannot sell my bloud
Deerer than in the companie of kings.

Exeunt.
Manet Muly Mahamet.
Muly Ma.
Now haue I set these Portugals aworke,
To hew a waie for me vnto the crowne,
Or with your weapons here to dig your graues,
You dastards of the night and Erybus,
Fiends, Fairies, hags that fight in beds of steele,
Range through this armie with your yron whips,
Driue forward to this deed this christian crew,
And let me triumph in the tragedie,
Though it be seald and honourd with my bloud,
Both of the Portugall and barbarous Moore,
Ride Nemisis, ride in thy firie cart,
And sprinkle gore amongst these men of warre,
That either partie eager of reuenge,
May honor thee with sacrifice of death,
And hauing bath'd thy chariot wheeles in bloud,
Descend and take to thy tormenting hell,
The mangled bodie of that traitor king,
That scornes the power and force of Portugall.
Then let the earth discouer to his ghost,
Such tortures as vsurpers feele below,
Rackt let him be in proud Ixions wheele,
Pinde let him be with Tantalus endlesse thirst,
Praie let him be to Tisons greedie bird,
Wearied with Sisiphus immortall toile,
And lastly for reuenge, for deepe reuenge,
Whereof thou goddesse and deuiser art,
Damnd let him be, damnd and condemnd to beare
All torments, tortures, plagues and paines of hell.
Exit.

Enter the Presenter before the last dumbe show, and speaketh.
Ill be to him that so much ill bethinkes,
And ill betide this foule ambitious Moore,
Whose wily traines with smoothest course of speech,
Hath tide and tangled in a dangerous warre,
The fierce and manly king of Portugall.
Lightning and thunder.
Nowe throwe the heauens foorth their lightning flames,
And thunder ouer Affrickes fatall fields,
Bloud will haue bloud, foul murther scape no scourge.
Enter Fame like an Angell, and hangs the crownes vpon aires.
At last descendeth fame as Iris,
To finish fainting Didoes dying lyfe,
Fame from her stately bowre doth descend,
And on the tree as fruit new ripe to fall,
Placeth the crownes of these vnhappie kings,
That earst she kept in eie of all the world.
Heere the blazing Starre.
Now firie starres and streaming comets blaze,
That threat the earth and princes of the same.
Fireworkes.
Fire, fire about the axiltree of heauen,
Whoorles round, and from the foot of Casyopa
In fatall houre consumes these fatall crownes,
One fals.
Downe fals the diademe of Portugall,
The other fals.
The crownes of Barbary and kingdomes fall,
Ay me, that kingdomes may not stable stand,
And now approching neere the dismall day,
The bloudie daie wherein the battels ioyne,
Mondaie the fourth of August seuentie eight,
The sunne shines wholy on the parched earth,
The brightest planet in the highest heauen,
The heathens eager bent against their foe,
Giue onset with great ordnance to the warre.
The christians with great noise of canon shot,
Send angrie onsets to the enemie.
Geue eare and heare how warre begins his song,
With dreadfull clamors, noise, and trumpets sound.
Exit.

Alarums within, let the chambers be discharged, then enter to the battell, and the Moores flie.
Skirmish still then enter Abdilmelec in his chaire, Zareo and their traine.
Abdil.
Saie on Zareo, tell me all the newes,
Tell me what furie rangeth in our campe,
That hath inforst our Moores to turne their backes.
Zareo saie, what chance did bode this ill,
What ill inforst this dastard cowardise?

Zareo.
My Lord, such chance as wilfull warre affords
Such chances and misfortunes as attend
On him, the God of battell and of armes,
My Lord, when with our ordenance fierce we sent
Our Moores with smaller shot as thicke as haile,
Followes apace to charge the Portugall,
The valiant Duke the deuill of Auero,
The bane of Barbary, fraughted full of ire
Breakes through the rankes, and with fiue hundred horsse
All men at armes, forward and full of might,
Assaults the middle wing, and puts to flight
Eight thousand Harquebush that seru'd on foot,
And twentie thousand Moores with speare & sheild:
And therewithall the honour of the day.

Abdel.
Ah Abdelmelec doost thou liue to heare
This bitter processe of this first attempt?
Labour my Lords to renue our force,
Of fainting Moores, and fight it to the last.
My horsse Zareo, O the goale is lost,
The goale is lost, thou King of Portugall
Thrice happy chance it is for thee and thine
That heauens abates my strength and calles me hence.
My sight doth faile, my soule, my feeble soule
Shall be releaste from prison on this earth:
Farwell vaine world for I haue playd my parte.

He dyeth.
A long Skirmidge, and then enter his brother Muly Mahomet Seth.
Muly.
Braue Abdelmelec, thou thrise noble Lord,
Not such a wound was giuen to Barbary,
Had twenty hoasts of men beene put to swoord
As death, pale death with fatall shaft hath giuen.
Loe dead is he, my brother and my King
Whome I might haue reuiu'd with newes I bring.

Zareo.
His honours and his types he hath resignde
Vnto the world, and of a manly man
Loe, in a twinckling a sencelesse stocke we see.

Muly.
You trustie soldiers of this warlike King,
Be counsailde now by vs in this aduise,
Let not his death be bruted in the campe,
Least with the sodaine sorrowe of the newes,
The armye wholy be discomfited.
My Lord Zareo thus I comforte you,
Our Moores haue brauely borne themselues in fight
Likely to get the honour of the day
If ought may gotten be where losse is such.
Therfore in this apparell as he dyed
My noble brother will we heere aduance
And set him in his chayre with cunning props,
That our Barbarians may beholde their King
And thinke he doth repose him in his Tent.

Zareo.
Right pollitique and good is your aduice.
Goe then to see it speedily performd.
Braue Lord, if Barbary recouer this,
Thy soule with ioy will sit and see the sight.

Exeunt.
Alarmes. Enter to the battaile, and the christians flye. The Duke of Auero slaine.
Enter Sebastian and Stukeley.
Sebast.
Seest thou not Stukley, O Stukley seest thou not
The great dishonour doone to Christendome?
Our cheerfull onset crost in springing hope,
The braue and mightie prince, Duke of Auero
Slaine in my sight, now ioy betide his ghost,
For like a lyon did he beare himselfe.
Our battels are all now disordered,
And by our horses strange retiring backe,
Our middle wing of foot-men ouer-rod.
Stukley, alas I see my ouer-sight,
False hearted Mahamet, now to my cost,
I see thy trecherie, warnd to beware
A face so full of fraud and villanie.

Alarums within, and they runne out, and two set vppon Stukley, and he driueth them in.
Then enter the Moore and his boy flying.
Moore.
Villaine, a horse.

Boy.
Oh my Lord, if you returne you die.

Moore.
Villaine I saie, giue me a horse to flie,
To swimme the riuer villaine, and to flie.
Exit boy.
Where shall I finde some vnfrequented place,
Some vncouth walke where I may curse my fill,
My starres, my dam, my planets and my nurse,
The fire, the aire, the water, and the earth,
All causes that haue thus conspirde in one,
To nourish and preserue me to this shame,
Thou that wert at my birth predominate,
Thou fatall starre, what planet ere thou be,
Spit out thy poison bad, and all the ill
That fortune, fate or heauen may bode a man.
Thou Nurse infortunate, guiltie of all:
Thou mother of my life that broughtst me forth,
Curst maist thou be for such a cursed sonne,
Curst be thy sonne with euerie curse thou hast,
Ye Elements of whome consists this clay,
This masse of flesh, this cursed crazed corpes,
Destroy, dissolue, disturbe, and dissipate,
What water, earth, and aire conieald.

Alarums and enter the boy.
Boy.
Oh my Lorde, these rulthlesse Moores pursue you at the heeles,
And come amaine to put you to the sword.

Moore.
A horse, a horse, villaine a horse,
That I may take the riuer straight and flie,

Boy.
Here is a horse my Lord,
As swiftly pac'd as Pegasus,
Mount thee thereon, and saue thy selfe by flight.

Moore.
Mount me I will,
But may I neuer passe the riuer till I be
Reuengde vpon thy soule accursed Abdilmelec,
If not on earth, yet when we meete in hell,
Before grim Minos, Rodamant, and Eocus,
The cumbat will I craue vpon thy ghost,
And drag thee thorough the lothsome pooles,
Of Lethes, Stikes, and firie Phlegiton.

Exit.
Alarums.
Enter Stukley with two Italians.
Herc.
Stand traitor, stand ambitious English-man,
Proud Stukley stand, and stirre not ere thou die,
Thy forwardnes to follow wrongfull armes,
And leaue our famous expedition earst,
Intended by his holynes for Ireland,
Fouly hath here betraide, and tide vs all
To ruthlesse furie of our heathen foe,
For which as we are sure to die,
Thou shalt paie satisfaction with thy bloud.

Stuk.
Auant base villaines, twit ye me with shame
Or infamie of this iniurious warre?
When he that is the iudge of right and wrong
Determines battaile as him pleaseth best.
But sith my starres bode me this tragicke end
That I must perrish by these barbarous Moores,
Whose weapons haue made passage for my soule
That breakes from out the prison of my brest,
Ye proud malicious dogges of Italy
Strike on, strike downe this body to the earth
Whose mounting minde stoopes to no feeble stroke.

Stab him.
Ionas.
Why suffer we this English man to liue?
Villaine bleed on, thy blood in chanels run
And meet with those whome thou to death hast doon

Exeunt.
Stuk.
Thus Stukley slaine with many a deadly stab,
Dyes in these desart feilds of Affrica.
Harke freindes, and with the story of my life
Let me beguile the torment of my death.
In Englands London Lordings was I borne,
On that braue Bridge, the barre that thwarts the Thames.
My golden dayes, my yonger carelesse yeeres,
Were when I toucht the height of Fortunes wheele,
And liu'd in affluence of wealth and ease.
Thus in my Countrie carried long aloft,
A discontented humor draue me thence
To crosse the Seas to Ireland, then to Spaine,
There had I welcome and right royall pay
Of Phillip, whome some call the Catholique King,
There did Tom Stukley glitter all in golde,
Mounted vpon his Iennet white as snowe,
Shining as Phœbus in King Phillips Court,
There like a Lord, famous Don Stukley liu'd,
For so they calde me in the Court of Spaine
Till for a blowe I gaue a Bishops man,
A strife gan rise betweene his Lord and me,
For which, we both were banisht by the King.
From thence, to Rome rides Stukley all a flaunt,
Receiud with royall welcomes of the Pope.
There was I grac'd by Gregorye the great,
That then created me Marquis of Ireland.
Short be my tale, because my life is short,
The coast of Italy and Rome I left.
Then was I made Leiftennant Generall
Of those small Forces that for Ireland went,
And with my companies embarkt at Austria
My Sayles I spred, and with these men of warre
In fatall houre at Lishborne we ariu'd.
From thence to this, to this hard exigent
Was Stukley driuen to fight or els to dye,
Dar'd to the field, that neuer could endure
To heare God Mars his drum, but he must martch.
Ah sweet Sebastian, hadst thou beene well aduisde
Thou mightst haue manag'd armes sucsesfully.
But from our Cradles we were marked all
And destinate to dye in Affric heere.
Stukley, the story of thy life is tolde,
Here breath thy last and bid thy freindes farwell.
And if thy Countries kindnes be so much,
Then let thy Countrie kindely ring thy knell.
Now goe, and in that bed of honour dye
Where braue Sebastians breathles Course doth lye.
Heere endeth Fortune, rule, and bitter rage:
Heere ends Tom Stukleys pilgrimage.

He dyeth
Enter Muly Mahomet Seth and his traine, with Drums and Trumpets.
Muly.
Retreat is sounded through our Camp, & now
From battells furie cease our conquering Moores.
Paie thankes to heauen with sacrificing fire,
Alcazar and ye townes of Barbarie.
Now hast thou sit as in a trance and seene,
To thy soules ioy and honor of thy house,
The trophes and the triumphs of thy men,
Great Abdilmelec and the God of kings,
Hath made thy warre succesfull by thy right,
His friends whom death and fates hath tane from thee,
Lo this was he that was the peoples pride,
And cheerfull Sun-shine to his subiects all,
Now haue him hence, that roially he may
Be buried and imbalmd, as is meete.
Zareo, haue you thorough the campe proclaimd
As earst we gaue in charge?

Zareo.
We haue my Lorde, and rich rewardes proposde
For them that finde the bodie of the king,
For by those gard that had him in their charge,
We vnderstand that he was done to death,
And for his search two prisoners Portugals
Are set at large to finde their roiall king.

Muly Mah.
But of the traitrous Moore you heare no newes.
That fled the field and sought to swim the foord?

Zareo.
Not yet my Lord, but doubtlesse God wil tell
And with his finger point out where he hants.

Muly Mah.
So let it rest, and on this earth bestow
This princely coarse, till further for his funerals
We prouide.

Zareo.
From him to thee as true succeeding prince,
With all allegeance, and with honors tipes,
In name of all thy people and thy land,
We giue this kingly crowne and diademe.

Muly.
We thanke you all, and as my lawfull right,
With Gods defence and yours shall I keepe.

Enter two Portugals with the bodie of the king.
Port.
As gaue your grace in charge, right roiall prince,
The fields and sandie plaines we haue suruaide,
And euen among the thickest of his Lords,
The noble king of Portugall we found
Wrapt in his coulours coldly on the earth,
And done to death with many a mortall wound.

Mah.
Lo here my Lords, this is the earth and claie,
Of him that earst was mightie king of Portugall,
There let him lie, and you for this be free,
To make returne from hence to christendome.

Enter two bringing in the Moore.
One.
Long liue the mightie king of Barbary.

Mah.
Welcome my friend, what bodie hast thou there?

One.
The bodie of the ambitious enemie,
That squandred all this bloud in Affrica,
Whose mallice sent so many soules to hell,
The traitor Muly Mahamet doo I bring,
And for thy slaue I throw him at thy feet.

Mah.
Zareo giue this man a rich reward,
And thanked be the God of iust reuenge,
That he hath giuen our foe into our hands,
Beastly, vnarmed, slauish, full of shame,
But saie, how came this traitor to his end?

One,
Seeking to saue his life by shamefull flight,
He mounteth on a hot Barbarian horse,
And so in purpose to haue past the streame,
His headstrong stead throwes him from out his seate,
Where diuing oft for lacke of skill to swim,
It was my chance alone to see him drownd,
Whom by the heeles I dragd from out the poole,
And hether haue him brought thus filde with mud.

Mah.
A death too good for such a damned wretch,
But sith our rage and rigor of reuenge,
By violence of his end preuented is,
That all the world may learne by him to auoide,
To hall on princes to iniurious warre,
His skin we will be parted from his flesh,
And being stifned out and stuft with strawe,
So to deterre and feare the lookers on.
From anie such foole factor bad attempt,
Awaie with him.
And now my Lords, for this christian king,
My Lord Zareo, let it be your charge,
To see the souldiers tread a solempne march.
Trailing their pikes and Ensignes on the ground,
So to performe the princes funeralls.