University of Virginia Library

ACT V.

Scene 1st.

Enter Frederick and Sorano.
A Chair set on.
Fr.
But are you sure the Poyson's Mortal?

Sor.
Above the help of Physick;
Some two hours hence we shall have such a bawling,
And roaring up and down for Aqua Vitæ,
I've sent him that will make a bonefire in his belly,
If he recover it, there is no heat in Hell.

Fr.
But was my Mother easie of belief?

Sor.
At first indeed she did mistrust my kindness,
And gravely told me old experienc't minds
Were not so quickly caught with guilt hypocrisie,
Then Sir I wept, and bid her as she was honourable,
Not add more Hell to my afflicted soul;
Told her I had cast off those glorious favours
Of sound and honour; wealth and promises,
Your wanton pleasures had flung on my weakness;
Resolv'd to serve my Countries cause and vertues,
Poorly and honestly, and redeem my ruins.

Fr.
I guess the rest.

Sor.
Then I produc'd the Viol,
Which at the price of half my wealth I bought,
So I possest her, from an antient Jew,
A learned Scholar, and a rare Physician:
And, she not dreaming of an Antidote,
I freely drank an health unto Alphonso,
Nay advis'd her to pledge it; if she do's, Sir,
She'll find enough for both.

Fr.
May both die then;
Now, my Sorano, we shall live indeed;
Methinks already I am mounted higher,
And with contempt look on the inferior world.

Sor.
You must be speedy, Sir, with this Valerio,
Till he is cold i'th'Grave you are not safe;
There are some Lords, that buz about the Court,
And pry into our actions, they are such
The foolish people call their Countries honours,
As if they were the Patterns of the Kingdom:
He is their Head, and him they Idolize,

Fr.
He dies this Afternoon, unless she yields:
And as for his adherents, to their shames,
Within this week I'll silence 'em, Sorano,
I'll suffer no proud slaves to be about me,
That are not followers of my will, bridles, and curbs,
To the hard headed Commons that malign us.

Sor.
Now you speak like a King; as for Evanthe,
If she's perverse, remove her Paramour,
And then her love to him, which made her deaf
To all you cou'd propose, must perish with him.

Fr.
Thou shalt command in all; but, O Evanthe,
I hasten on the wings of love to meet thee,
And die within thy Arms; were she but kind
As she is beautiful but that wou'd be
Too great a happiness. Her cruel pride
May for some time, like the resistless tide,
My hopes on Rocks and desperate Quicksands throw;
The Heavens may rage above, and the Seas swell below,
But the bold Pilates Love,
Securily touches the forbidden strand,
And gently throws me on the promis'd Land.

[Exit.
Sor.
To thee 'twill prove a wandering Fairy land,
Enjoy Evanthe? no, it was enough
That I indulg'd him with a Crown and Scepter,
But can't yield up my love so tamely to him,
He comes, and love plays in his Fiery eyes,
But darts his beams on an ungrateful soil;
Surely fate's busie, and the kinder Stars
Are in conjunction to make good my hopes.

[Exit.
Enter Fr. and Evanthe.
Fr.
Can neither Power, Promise, Threats nor Tears,
Draw from your eyes one kind consenting look,
To feed a Monarchs almost dying hopes?
Why wou'd you kill me with this cruelty,
This stubborn pride? look on me, fair Evanthe,
Not as a King, that might command thy will,
But as a Slave that must be govern'd by it.

Ev.
You are a King, I wish I might say worthy
That love all honest men are bound to pay you.

Fr.
O make me yours, and mold me as you please.
I own Evanthe, I'm made up of mischiefs,
Have drawn the curses of all good men on me.
But do not thou learn cruelty from me.
To heav'n we kneel for mercy, and obtain it.
To man we fly for Justice, and he gives it.
The senseless Beasts seem with relenting pity,
To joyn with us in our severest sorrows.
Be like the Heavens, all softness, tenderness,
The price of nature, and the joy of life.

Ev.
My Lord your power may force me to hear this.
But ever to comply with your desires,
Or to be brought to love you wantonly,
Not all the honours you can throw upon me,
Shall e'er oblige me. I've a noble Husband,
And when I do forget him, or in thought
Wander from my obedience, then may I be
Sold up, and lost to all those lawless pleasures,
That leave behind em nothing but dishonour,
The unhappy Subjects of a late repentance.

Fr.
You have a Husband, but he dies this moment,
Unless you yield, and so redeem his life.
I am resolv'd, come do not, do not wind
My anger to that height; it may consume ye;
Yet I have mercy.

Ev.
Use it to your Bawds,
To me use cruelty, it best becomes you,
Thou art a King of Monsters, not of men,
And shortly wilt convert this land to Devils.
O were I but so powerfull to consume thee!
My tongue with curses I have arm'd against thee,
With Maiden curses, that heav'n Crowns with horrors.
And cou'd my hands but hold the fire of heav'n,
Wrapt in the thunder that the Gods revenge with,
Then like stern Justice I wou'd fling it on thee.

Fr.
Tho' she's unexorable, still I love,
And loving must enjoy. Thou stubborn Maid
I'll beg no more for what I can command.
I know I am a King and thou my slave,
And as a King I'll bodly seize my right,
I'll not delay my bliss one Moment longer
Tho my dead Fathers Ghost shou'd rise before me,
To shake my soul and fright me from my purpose.

Ev.
Help, help, O help! is Providence asleep
Or are the Gods deaf to a Virgins Prayers?

Val.
The Gods are Just, but proud oppression hears not,
[Enter Valerio.
Tho' dreadfull Thunder shakes the frame of nature.

Fr.
How now, what boldness brought you hither, Sir?

Val.
Love and the duty of a faithfull Husband,
The duty of a Subject to his soveraign.
Here on my knees I do entreat you, Sir,
To render back what you with-hold unjustly;
Your Father was a kind, and generous Prince,
Your Brother th'Image of his Royal vertues,
Till subtle Poison rob'd him of his reason.
Ev'n you when first you seiz'd th'Imperial Crown
Promis'd the blessings of a gentle rule,
Till drunk with Pride, and arbitrary Power,
Like a wild Boar too strong to be with-held,
You broke the bounds of Nature, Law, Religion,
Reduc'd our Fruitfull once, and flourishing State
Into a miserable, wild and desert wast.

Fr.
How, Sir? who am I?

Val.
I know not who you are,
You should be Frederick, brave Brandino's Son,
Whose reverend relicks, tho laid up in Peace,
Mourn in the Grave to think he shou'd beget,
And leave behind him such an Hellish Monster.
You shou'd be—

Fr.
What I am, a soveraign Prince,
And Master of thy Fate, Guards, seize the Traitor,
And see him dead.

Val.
Hold you mistake your duty.
There stands the Traitor, Murderer, Parricide!
Tis not in words t'express a guilt like thine,
Nor in all Hell, torments enough to punish it.
Nay frown not; tho' thy Eyes are Poisonous,
As are thy hands, and Monstrous as thy thoughts,
Thou canst not kill me as thou didst thy Father,
Thy innocent Brother, and thy noble Uncle.
If what I've utter'd is a falshood, Frederick,
Draw, if thou darest, thy self the Sword of Justice,
And thrust it home, to prove Valerio false.

Fr.
Here then, I'll once be Executioner
To my own Vengeance and to satisfie
Thy fatal Pride brag when thou comest below
Amongst thy fellow shades, that Frederick kill'd thee
Thou arogant slave—

[Enter Alphonso Cum Suis and Sorano.
Al.
Hold or you both shall die.
Unkind Valerio wou'd'st thou rob my Sword
Of the only Justice my hopes ever aim'd at.
My Fathers Ghost wou'd still walk unreveng'd,
If he shou'd fall by any hand but mine.
Put up for shame, hark to the Bell that Rings,
Hark, hark, Proud Frederick, that was King of mischeif,
The Sun of all thy pomp is set and vanish't.

Ped.
What do you shake, my Lord Sorano,
No speedy mischief to prevent this business,
No Bawdy meditation now to fly to.

Ev.
O my best Lord let me with tears of Joy,
In these dear Arms sigh out my thanks to Heav'n.

Fr.
so tamely caught! lock fast the Pallace Gates.

Ped.
Yes, Sir, we hear you, we have got the Keys,
And no doors here shall shut without our licence.

Fr.
Treason, Treason!

Ped.
You can bawl well,
But we have found the Traitor in your shape, Sir,
And mean to keep him fast, Alphonso, King Alphonso!

All.
Long live Alphonso, King of us and Naples.

Alp.
Turn, if thou darest look nature in the face,
Turn, Frederick, and boldly meet my Sword,
For till the Royal throne bythee polluted
And dawb'd with innocent blood, is purg'd by thine,
Alphonso cannot, dares not, be a King;
And tho' thou well deserv'st the Hangman's hand,
I'le be my self the Minister of Justice,
Because I han't forgot thou once wast noble;
If thou prevail'st thou still maist be a King,
Think Heav'n looks down as witness of our Combat,
And will refix the Crown o'th'Victors Head.!

Fr.
Now thou art brave and in thy nobleness!
My Guilty Soul beholds her own disgrace.
I do confess my unbounded sins, but find
My heart too stubborn for a true repentance;
What I by treachery purchas'd hitherto
I have maintain'd by force; and know, Alphonso,
Frederick with greater pleasure draws his Sword
In this dispute, than if he was to struggle
For a third Portion of the Universe.
Heav'n be thy Umpire, I to Hell appeal,
If there be either, for as yet I know not,
Let but my Sword be constant to my purpose,
I'll call no other God to my assistance.

Alp.
Thou Hellish fury sent by angry Heav'n
To scourge this bleeding Nation for her sins,
Think on the mischeifs thou hast thrown upon her,
The sighs and tears of injur'd innocence,
And curses th'hast entail'd upon Posterity,
That after death will follow, and torment
Thy guilty ashes in their restless Urn.

Fr.
Peace or I shall mistrust thy bravery.
Think'st thou to fright me with such tales as these?
If thy Sword proves as Idle as thy Tongue,
I shall begin to doubt if one Womb bore us both.
Come on, methinks I am now proud to see thee
A match fit for my Sword, and not that stupid
Senseless Alphonso I have often thought thee.

Al.
Come then since th'art so brave.

Val.
My Lord Alphonso—

Al.
Hold on the forfeit of your lives I charge you,
That Sword that is not sheath is drawn on me.
So nobly is my cause born out with Justice,
That I require no aids but those of Heav'n.

Fr.
O that th'whole World were summon'd to behold
Two rival-Brothers tugging for an Empire,
And with an Universal shout applaud the Victor.
Come on, we trifle, whilst the eager Croud;
Divided in their wishes, grow impatient
Till Victory has taught 'em whom t'obey.

Alp.
Thus then I meet thee tho my Mother bore thee.
[Wounds Fred.
There lie, and maist thou be forgot for ever.

Fr.
I feel the hand of fate upon me, whilst my Eyes
Labour in death, and view, brimfull of horror,
A dismall prospect of Eternal woe.
I now repent me of my cruelties,
And feel within my Soul the smarts already.
Alphonso, I bequeath thee all those honours
I have usurpt; but know thou can'st not long
Enjoy them, for thou hast already drunk
Thy passport to the other world. But O
In death I do entreat thee to forgive me.
Hide not the noble nature of a Brother.
The pity of a friend from my afflictions.
I've liv'd a wicked life, but now—am nothing.

[Dies.
Alp.
Tho' he was wicked, still he was my Brother,
And shou'd have liv'd, 'till Humble penitence
Had cast the load off of his wantonness.
I think he said I shou'd not long survive him.
Sure fate spoke in him, for I feel already
Convulsive heats shooting through every vein,
Struggling for freedom in their narrow prison.

[Enter Queen Mother.
Q. Mother,
Where is my Son, O bear me to Alphonso,
My Son Alphonso! the great pains I felt
When first thou saw'st the light, were softest pleasures
Compar'd to those that rack my body now,
Which thou must feel e're thou liest down in Peace.
Millions of horrors, labours, all diseases,
Despairs and Plagues the hot Sun ever breeds
Are trifles to the torments I endure:
The shadows of the pains thy Mother feels.
O damn'd deceitfull Hellish Poisonous Villain!

Alp.
What saith my Mother: O my mind misgives me!

Q. Mother,
Th'art Poison'd Son, by thy own Mother Poison'd!
Who has her self drunk of the deadly draught,
To lead thee to the Mansions of the blessed.
Give me more Air, let inundations flow
Colder than Snow upon the Scythian Mountains.
O I'm all fire, Sorano is the Villain,
Let infinite tortures, such as those I feel,
Light on his Head, and then I shall die pleas'd.

[Dies.
Alp.
Now, my Valerio, where are all my hopes,
Ye Gods—but still you must be mercifull
Tho' man can't search the ways of Providence,
But at a distance views you in your works.
O Mournfull Triumph, fatal Victory!
The earth is now Alphonso's only Throne
And that in death I'll keep: I feel him coming,
Or am I dead already? no death's cold:
But I'm all fire, fire, the raging Dog-star
Reigns in my blood. O which way shall I turn me!

Val.
Hast thee, Pisano, fly for the Physicians;
Tell 'em rewards exceeding all their wishes
Shall Crown their cares if they'll restore back to us
This one lov'd life. Look up, my honour'd Lord,
See willing nations courting ye to live.

Alp.
Give me more Air, Air, more Air, blow, blow;
Open thou Eastern gate and blow upon me,
Distill thy cold dews, O thou Icy Moon,
And rivers run through my afflicted spirit.
Ætna and all his flames burn in my Head;
Fling me into the Ocean or I perish.
Dig, dig, dig 'till the springs fly up,
The cold, cold springs that I may leap into 'em,
And bath my scorch'd limbs in their purling pleasures
O shoot me up into the higher region
Where Treasures of delicious snow are nourish'd
And banquets of sweet hail.

Val.
Haste there, shut all the Palace gates and seize that Villain;
Tortures exceeding those o'th'damn'd in Hell
Shall be thy lot.

Sor.
I dare your utmost malice
There I'm reveng'd, and in that thought rejoyce.

Val.
Go bear him to the rack. Was ever day like this?

Alp.
What will you sacrifice me?
Upon the Altar lay my willing body
And pile your wood up, fling your holy Incense,
And as I turn me, you shall see all flame,
Consuming flame, stand off me or y'are ashes.

Val.
help me to raise him, Sirs.

Alp.
Bring hither Charity and let me hug her,
They say she's cold,
Infinite cold devotion cannot warm her.
Draw me a River of false Lovers tears
Clean through my breast they are dull, cold and forgetfull,
And will give ease.
Let Virgins sigh upon me,
Forsaken souls, their sighs are precious
Let 'em all sigh, O Hell, Hell, Hell, O horror.

Val.
What scalding sweats he has

Alp.
I am inclos'd in all consuming flames
Like Phaton let me fly, let me fly, give me room
Betwixt the cold bear and the raging Lyon,
Lyes my safe way. O for a Cake of Ice now,
To clap upon my heart to comfort me.
Decrepid Winter hang upon my shoulders,
And let wear thy frozen Isicles
Like Jewels round about my head to cool me,
My eyes burn out and sink into their sockets,
And my infected brain like brimstone boils,
I live in Hell and several furies Vex me,
O carry me where no Sun ever show'd yet
A face of comfort, where the Earth is Chrystal,
Never to be dissolv'd, where naught inhabits
But night and cold, and nipping Frost and Winds.
That cut the stubborn rocks and make 'em shiver.
Set me there Friends I feel it, and am happy.

[Dies.
Val.
There broke the noble heart. I shou'd follow him
In death did not the charms of love recall me;
Bear in th'unhappy relicks and prepare
Noble interments worthy their great lives.
For me I have some right to the succession
Which in a general Assembly I'll make known.
Death finds the Monarch seated on his Throne
With as much ease as th'humble Cottager:
But Proud unthinking men are taught too late,
No power can save 'em from the hand of fate.

[Exeunt Omnes.