 | Landgartha |  |
The fourth Act.
Enter Reyner musing at one doore, and Hubba to him at the other.Rey.
Is Jnguar yet return'd from th' Fleet?
Hub.
Not yet sir.
Rey.
Let him be quickly sent for then; be gone.
Exit Hubba.
A poore gentlewoman, an ordinary
Whom Cesar would rejoyce, to have made his sonne,
Some horrid plague confound her modesty,
And her for me, for now I care not for her;
Though I dissemble it: because I dare not
(She is so damn'd valiant) doe otherwise
Till I have got from hence: For she (being
So belov'd too of the Norwegians) might
Cut short my life and passage. But yet, Reyner,
Thinke how exceeding worthy she is of love;
And of a Prince: thinke of her vertue, doe:
Thinke of her beautie, myldnesse, vallor, and
What else: no, no, I will not; will not love her:
For I have tooke enough of what I most lov'd;
Which, I confesse could not but please my Palat
Enter Uald,
But here comes Valdemar, who like an Asse
Still dotes on his wife, I'll not therefore trust him.
Vald.
Your resolution to be gone for Denmarke,
Men doe admire; and I must tell you, sir,
(Seeing you will needs be constant, in so bad
A purpose) some doe feare your projects are
Ignoble. I then (as one that lov'd you once;
And will doe still, unlesse you forfeyte your selfe)
Wo'd be your adviser, if you dare take advice.
Rey.
Y' are too sawcie; and what I have resolv'd on,
I will not alter. Must we be curb'd by you,
In tendering the welfare of our subjects?
Shall Denmarke be still forgotten?
Vald.
That colour
Dyes but very poorely; though you stalke with it.
The fall of your obstreperous passion, to
Your Queene (sir) people take notice of: though she,
Poore Lady, (a sham'd to be deceiv'd or scorn'd)
Say nothing of it; restrayn'd too, by her love
To you. But, we that are your Countriemen
(Whom you mainely dishonour in't) can have
No such patience.
Rey.
Or affection to our
Will not be question'd, but by your slanderous tongue.
Uald.
You cannot, sir. Nay shall not, maske your blacke
Intentions so from me; they doe appeare
Too many. And she whom you most wrong, is more
Then worthy of you; had you but the wisedome
And grace to thinke so still. But be assur'd
(When she is rid o' th' burthen she now carries)
She'll be reveng'd at full for her dishonour;
And snatch the Crownes you weare from of your trech'rous
Temples.
Rey.
You will not play the Traytor, in
Conspiring with her?
Vald.
Though I sho'd not, sir,
You need not doubt but Harrolld will; who thinkes
His right to Denmarke, as good as yours to Norway.
Rey.
That Christian dog-shead and yours too, had beene
chopt off ere this, had I not beene a foole.
Vald.
If you durst (you make me now beleeve) that had
Beene so. But I'll make shift to save one of's;
Enter Ing. & Hubba.
And thinke you'll hardly save your selfe from t' other.
Rey.
You may doe what you list; and so will I.
Are all the Shipping ready?
Ing.
They are sir, but—
Rey.
Come, spare your breath; I know what you wo'd say.
Hub.
Wo'd all the Cables and Sayles were burnt:
You brought us hither with the hazard of our lives,
To gaine this kingdome for you; and now you have it,
You 'll wisely gi' 't away; and fetch 'em all
Upon our backes.
Rey.
Who made you a Counseller?
There's your reward.
strikes him.
Hub.
I shall take more then this
Ere long if I sticke to you.
Vald.
You doe well
To practise before hand.
Offers to draw, so does Vald. & Ing. steps in.
Rey.
Traytor, doe you upbrayd us?
Ing.
I beseech you sir, to suppresse your passion;
How truely-loyall the Prince Valdemar,
Has ever beene to you, sir, and now pleads
Strongly against himselfe; in seeking to
Detaine you, with your gracious noble Queene.
Vald.
He accounts his friends, his neerest enemies,
Rey.
We take heaven to witnesse, we are wrong'd.
Enter Land. with Childe and Scania not so.
But peace; here she comes.
Land.
Will you needs be gone, sir,
And leave me thus?
Rey.
It is but two houres sayling,
In a faire day; and we shall soone be backe.
Land.
I doe not use to weepe: But now I must;
Weeps.
My heavy minde fore-speakes some future evill.
Death (which shall be welcome) I know's not farre from me.
Rey.
May the gods grant to hasten it.
Aside.
Scan.
The time was
When shee, sir, could with a nod 'a' forc'd your fancie.
In a farre greater matter, then your stay
For some small time.
Rey.
And shall againe sweet Sister,
But the meere necessitie of our departure,
Is such: that we must needs away, at this
Very instant.
Land.
Then give me leave (deare sir,)
To share the worst may happen in your voyage.
Rey.
So to indanger your life, we'd loose ours first,
You shall by no means stirre, my only soule. Come:
We will conduct you to your Chamber, and there
Leave you (with your friends and mine) to be guided
By your accustomed vertue, and strong heart.
Exeunt.
Enter Cowsell and Radger.
Cow.
O brother, brother, I know the very griefe on't,
Will kill me out right, as dead as a Herring.
Rad.
O deare, loving brother. I shall fare no better,
I'm sure o that; wo'd I had never seene you.
Besides brother, I tooke such an affection
To the women, fine, courteous, honest cre'tures.
Rad.
And we to you brother, and to all the Danes.
You came not to pray on's, but to deliver
Us from the Swedes.
Cow.
We ought to love each other,
Brother, being so neere neighbors, and friends.
Rad.
So we doe, deare brother, all those are good and honest,
Who wo'd 'a' thought his grace sho'd leave the Queene
So abruptly, i' the latter end of her time too?
Cow.
Hard against our wils: but sayes, he 'll soone be backe.
Rad.
I' th' meane time brother, and before we part.
We are best take t' other cup.
Cow.
I thought to 'a'
Made that now my motion brother, we shall
Remember you in Denmarke.
Rad.
And when we
Forget you brother, may the gods forget us.
Ho ! drawer, Rolfo,
Within, Anon anon sir.
Enter Rolfo.
Rad.
Honest, Rolfo, one flaggon more of that
You gave us last, the very same I charge thee,
Without tricks or mixture.
Rol.
By Iove sir, you shall:
What? Doe you thinke I'll use you like a stranger?
Cow.
Prithee kinde Rolfo, let not us be forc'd
To knocke agen.
Exit Rolfo.
Rad.
Captaine Hubba (as I
Conceive brother) goes not along with you;
I met him spurring to our house, as I came.
Cow.
The Princesse Scania, by much intreatie
Got leave of the Lord Inguar, his Coronell,
To stay onely two dayes; and he is gone
A visit to his Mistris.
Enter Rolfo.
Rad.
Welcome Rolfo.
Come, give it me: for we shall need no glasses.
They drinke at the Lines.
Here worthy brother, halfe to your good journey
Cow.
Let me see brother, Peeps into the pot.
you have drunke the full halfe—
Exit Rolfo.
Rad.
O sweet brother, that you co'd stay all night.
I sho'd never be weary of your company.
Enter Rolfo.
Cow.
Nor I of yours brother, and now from the deepe
Bottome of my heart to th' wide mouth of my stomacke
I speake it, dearest brother, here's a whole one,
To our next merry meeting—
Rad.
Quickely Rolfo,
Exit Rolfo.
Fetch it, and be honest. O sweet brother,
That I co'd imbrace you thus for ever, ever.
They imbrace.
Cow.
I must kisse at parting.
They kisse.
Rolf.
Y'are a couple of th' arrantest kind gentlemen.
Ent. Rolf.
Rad.
Give me the pot: I ne'r drunke i' my life
With more sorrow, and a better desire.—
Cow.
Here, take Money Rolfo, my brother payd last,
I must kisse thee too Rolfo,
Within, Rolfo.
Rogue.
Rolfo.
Anon, anon, sir.
As they kisse.
Rad.
Nay Rolfo, for all
Your haste: I must (for my brothers sake) take
Off that kisse, from thy now sweet (though greasie) lips.
They kisse.
Cow.
And now farewell, but not for ever, my dearest
And best of friends.
Rad.
we'll part at t' other Taverne.
Cow.
Then arme in arme let's march, most worthy brother.
Exeunt.
Enter Hubba and Marfisa.
Hub.
I could not otherwise chuse, Mistris (though
Your distrust of my unfayn'd affection,
Kept me thus long from injoying, what I
Most desir'd in a noble way) but come
(Vrg'd by that love, that ever shall remaine
With me, wheresoe'r I goe) to tender
The duty of a servant, in taking leave
Of you, before my suddaine departure.
Mar.
It's indeed too suddaine: and I doe now
Repent the not imbracing, what I was not
Enough good to accept, your love. For, I confesse
Did me; and ever shall unlesse the fault
Be onely yours, in proving (which I doe
Not yet suspect) a changling. I shall for
My part, punish severely in my selfe,
Th' offence of not being yours, by a continu'd
Sadnesse and griefe, till once agen I see you.
Hub.
And though I have beene too much noted for
My mirth (which yet, was never sawc'd with spite,
Or other bad condition:) I promise
(Por my misfortune in thus missing of you)
Not to laugh once (unlesse against my will,
At some unlucky chance) till I possesse
The treasure I most covet.
Mar.
That (if you
Meane me) shall be yours when we meete next, and
Safely kept for you, untill then, I' th' meane time,
I shall charily preserve (though but a poore
Satisfaction for you) your image in
Th' interior of my minde.
Hub.
Which overpay's,
With much advantage, all my services.
Mar.
't was a strange resolution of the King,
To leave his Queene, she being so much against it;
And he so strangely fond of her at first:
Which she deserv'd, being a Lady the world
Cannot match.
Hub.
He is these thirtie houres in Denmarke:
Where if he prove unkinde to her, that cannot
(In true judgement) condemne others, that like not
Such proceeding.
Mar.
He had needed be circumspect
In what he do's; or he may soone repent it,
And perchance,
When matters prove past remedy to him,
Yet, while I find you sound: no alien faults
Shall make me hate, what once I so affected.
Hub.
Resting on that assurance, I must now
Mar.
That you shall have they kisse.
and halfe a dozen more,
When you come to your Ship: For, so farre I
Will with you; and wo'd along to Denmarke, but to try
If I may build upon your constancie.
Exeunt.
Enter Harold and Eric.
Har.
It's now but need, we both looke to our selves:
Or we may pay the forfeyt of our slackenesse
(With the losse of both our heads) upon a Scaffold.
For, Reyner having cast the faire Landgartha
Off, (of whom he was not worthy:) and by
A dreadfull precipice, fall'n from much goodnesse:
He will not stop at his first fault. But (hurri'd
By the guiltinesse of his Conscience)
Runne headlong downe the hill, upon the rocke
Of dangerous mischiefe; to which he's now ingag'd.
Eric.
She is a Lady of so stout a heart,
That when she finds him base (although she lov'd him
Exceedingly) shee cannot but be reveng'd
For her repudiation, and disgrace.
Har.
And may prove our strong friend to ruine him;
That has threatned (and that not privatly)
To rid himselfe on us.
Eric.
And will, if he can:
You may by his death then, that wo'd be yours,
Settle your selfe securely in his kingdomes,
By matching and partaking now with her.
Har.
Brother, the man whose deitie we adore
(And who to give us rest, still liv'd without it)
Can witnesse for me, could I but perswade
My minde by any probabilitie,
't were possible, for me to live in peace here,
And not have my throat cut: although my right
Unto the Crowne of Denmarke be apparant,
My title while I slept or wak d, sho'd sleepe;
As when King Reyner liv'd a vertuous kind man.
Though I feare not to spend my owne in a
Iust cause. But seeing all rest is deni'd me:
As the strong law of nature binds, I must
Shift for my selfe, the best I may. Which shall not
Be effected by base trechery, or murder.
Nor doe I chiefly yet meane to rely
On th' brave Landgartha's assistance; whom the
Love of a wife, and hope of reconcilement,
May urge beyond all spirit of revenge.
Eric.
What is't you meane to plot then for our safetie?
Har.
We'll to the pious Christian Emperor,
Lewis the Debonaire; who (as you know)
Do's oft solicite me to plead my right
To th' Crowne, by dent of sword; that being the best
(Nay onely) Patent, Reyner has to show for't.
Though he from's father got it: which doth lessen
Much his guilt.
Eric.
It's not his guilt that now most troubles him;
But by more sinne to guard it.
Har.
Twelve thousand
Expert Souldiers (that lye neere here, o' th' borders
Of Germany) I may have when I list;
To adde (with all speed) to our owne sure friends.
And unto others that will fall in troopes,
From now dishonour'd Reyner, for his base
Adultery intended with Vraca,
To strengthen himselfe against his wife and me.
Eric.
Vnheard of madnesse, so vilely to betray
(And to's owne ruine) a poore and vertuous Lady;
That but for him, and his damn'd shamelesse lyes,
Had never marry'd any. Being withall
(As 't is reported) most extreamely faire,
Farre, farre beyond the other.
Har.
Such are the follies
Of humane nature, when it is forsaken
Of him that made it: But we'll now make use on't.
Eric.
You sho'd be suddaine, least we be layd hold on;
Har.
When night ascends
Her sable charyot, we will both of us
(Mounted on our best horses) post away;
And be (I hope) ere we be miss'd, pass'd danger.
Come, let us therefore in, and loose no time:
Which, in necessitie's a fatall crime.
Exeunt.
| Landgartha | |