University of Virginia Library

SCENE I.

SCENE, a Chamber.
Enter Hubert and Guards.
Guard.
Not to disgrace, or hold thee captive, lord,
Doth he desire thee back—Wolfort is noble,
Thy life, thy honour's safe.

Hub.
I pr'ythee, peace!
And let him make the largest use he dare
Of his ill-gotten power. Lost Jaculin!

Enter Wolfort.
Wolf.
What, Hubert stealing from me! fly a friend,
Unwearied in his study to advance you!
What have I e'er possess'd that was not yours?
Yet, after these assurances of love,
These ties and bonds of friendship, to forsake me;
Forsake me like a foe! Hubert, you must
Give me a reason.

Hub.
Wolfort, so I will,
If I may do't in private, and you'll hear it.

Wol.
All leave the room—
[Exeunt guards.
You have your will. Begin,
And use the liberty of our first friendship.

Hub.
AIR.

Wol.
To me this is strange language.

Hub.
To you! why, what are you?

Wol.
Your prince and master, the earl of Flanders.

Hub.
By a proper title!
Rais'd to't by cunning, circumvention, force,
Blood, and proscriptions; and maintain'd therein,
By frequent murders practis'd on all such,
As serv'd or lov'd old Gerard; which, at length,
Compell'd the good man, with his daughter, Jaculin,
(The chosen, the betroth'd of my affections)
To leave the city. They, by secret ways,
(As you give out, and we would gladly have it)
Escap'd your fury; tho' 'tis too much fear'd
They fell among the rest: but your late cruelties
So far transcend your former bloody acts,
That, if compar'd, they only would appear
Essays of mischief.

Wol.
O! repeat 'em not.

Hub.
Who was the lord of house, or land, that stood
Within the prospect of your covetous eye?

Wol.
You are in this to me a greater tyrant,
Than e'er I was to any.

Hub.
AIR.

Wol.
Oh! Hubert, these your words and reasons, have
As well drawn tears of blood from my griev'd heart,
As these drops from my eyes; can you think
Where any of the proscrib'd lords are hid?
Where Gerard is, or your lost love, or Florez?
Whom in his infancy—

Hub.
You stole; and since
Have kept conceal'd, the better to maintain
Your usurpation of his seat.

Wol.
By Heaven,
I stole him not, nor know I where he is,
Nor if he lives. Soon after my return
From Brabant, whither I was sent to treat
About a future match with our prince, Florez,
And their young heiress, Berrha, (whose feign'd loss since
The crafty Brabander made his pretence
For the ensuing war, thereby to lay
An unjust gripe on Flander's earldom) he,
Florez, our prince, was missing, and remains
Unheard of to this hour: if you can find him,
I will resign the earldom.

Hub.
Do not abuse
My aptness to believe.

Wol.
Suspect not you
A faith, that's built upon so true a sorrow;
Make your own terms, ask for them all the ties
Humanity can give: Hempskirke too shall
Along with you to this so wish'd discovery,
And, in my name, confirm all that you promise.
I have of late receiv'd intelligence,
That some of them are in, or about Bruges,
To be found out—which I did then interpret
The cause of that town's standing out against me;
But now am glad, it may direct your purpose,
Of giving them their safety, me my peace.

Hub.
Be constant to this goodness, peace is yours.

Wol.
Distrust me not, till you have well built cause,
And may your search be prosp'rous. Farewel, Hubert!

[Exit.
Hub.
AIR.

[Exit.