University of Virginia Library

SCENA SECUNDA.

Alphonso, Isabella, Carloo.
Alphonso.
What doe I see?

Carlos.
But Madame, your suspitions
Injute my love extremelie.

Isabella.
My suspitions
Give Carlos intimation that I love him.

Alphonso.
You love him?

Isabella.
Heaven! what heare I?

Carlos.
O hard Fortune!

Isabella.
I must dispose my selfe to dye, he'll kill me
—aside
Father.

Alphonso.
Vnworthy object of my anger.
Iustly provoked, I'm thy enemie,
Call me no more thy Father: how! presum'st thou
T'offend me in fo high degree as thus
Against the rules of reason and of honour
To come to Carlos at his house by night,
And in despising the Religious Cloyster
Whereto I've destin'd thee, to give thy selfe
Over to base amours?

Isabella.
I doe beseech you,
Heare me, graunt me that favour, will you, Sir
Refuse me?

Alphonso.
Yes, everie thing except death.

Carlos.
Heare equitie oppressed by my mouth,
If her flame be a crime, I m guilty onelie;
Yes if it be a fault, daigne to remember,
That I am the cause on't, and whom you ought
Onelie to punish, be more just without
Being more gentle, save the innocent.
And destroy the offender.

Isabella.
No, against me
Bend all your furie, if it be a crime
To love, it is a vertue ro be loved:
The tendernes which I resent for Carlos
Denotes his merit, and setts forth my weaknes:
And if my passion be worthy death,
Carlos is free, and I alone am guilty.

Alphonso.
Perfidious, thou shalt dye then.

Carlos.
Oh, abandon
That thought.

Alphonso.
Then Carlos with my honour take
Away my life, that is the onely way
To make her crime safe; nothing but my death
Can stop her punishment.

Carlos.
Feare nothing from me,
I have respect for you, and since I could not
Appease your anger, I oppose no further
But rather presse you now that Isabella
May perish

Isabella.
How? doe you presse my destruction?
Oh now's the fatall moment, wherein I
Have just cause to complaine of destinie
My heart is peirc'd with griefe to see you here
With such injustice to become my judge,
And not my complice. I was well resolv'd,
Carlos, to dye, and quarrell'd not with fate,
So long as I thought to expire for thee;
But I believed not in this adventure
That Love aswell as Nature would betray me,
And that I should at last goe to the grave
Thus by a Fathers stroak, and Lovers sentence.

Carlos.
Madame, I've sayd but what I should have sayd:
Once more I doe repeate it, since your daughter
Must dye, Sir, and I cannot hinder it,
Content your selfe to strike, but pray mistake not
The bosome, heere direct your stroaks, tis heere
That Isabella's lodg'd, heere she is Mistresse,
Heere she is criminall, heere you must assault her
To punish her, and in peircing my heart,
You cannot misse her.

Isabella.
Oh, believe him not;
Turne your armes here.

Alphonso aside.
Alphonso.
Readie to shed my blood,
I feel my teares flow, and my choler's cold:
I onelie by a sudden strange effect
Am vanquish'd in the fight, let us feigne yet,
Carlos, your cunning for a little time
Retards her Punishment, but satisfy me
Vpon a thing that brought me heere, and wick
Doth trouble me extreemely tell me truelie,
Is my Sonne here, or no; if he be here,
His death is but too certaine.

Carlos.
I assure you,
Me is not here, Sir.

Alphonso.
Since you doe assure me,
I will not doubt it.