• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

In Portingale, and, by successe of warre,

Enforced the king, then but a Sarasin,

To beare the yoake of the English monarchie.

KING.

My lord of Portingale, by this you see

That which may comfort both your king and you,

And make your late discomfort seeme the lesse.

But say, Hieronimo: what was the next?

HIERO.

The second knight that hung his scutchin vp

He doth as he did before.

Was Edmond, Earle of Kent in Albion.

When English Richard wore the diadem,

He came likewise and razed Lisbon walles,

And tooke the king of Portingale in fight,—

For which, and other suche seruice done,

He after was created Duke of Yorke.

KING.

This is another speciall argument

That Portingale may daine to beare our yoake,

When it by little England hath beene yoakt.

But now, Hieronimo, what were the last?

HIERO.

The third and last, not least in our account,

Dooing as before.

Was, as the rest, a valiant Englishman,

Braue Iohn of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster,

As by his scuthcin plainely may appeare:

He with a puissant armie came to Spaine

And tooke our Kinge of Castille prisoner.

EMBASS.

This is an argument for our viceroy

That Spaine may not insult for her successe,

Since English warriours likewise conquered Spaine

And made them bow their knees to Albion.

KING.

Hieronimo, I drinke to thee for this deuice,

Which hath pleasde both the embassador and me:

Pledge me, Hieronimo, if thou loue the king!

Takes the cup of HORATIO.

My lord, I feare we sit but ouer-long,

Vnlesse our dainties were more delicate,—

But welcome are to you the best we haue.

Now let vs in, that you may be dispatcht;

I think our councell is already set.

Exeunt omnes.

[CHORUS.]

ANDREA.

Come we for this from depth of vnder ground,—

To see him feast that gaue me my deaths wound?

These pleasant sights are sorrow to my soule:

nothing but league and loue and banqueting!

REUENGE.

Be still, Andrea; ere we go from hence,

Ile turne their freendship into fell despight,

Their loue to mortall hate, their day to night,

Their hope into dispaire, their peace in warre,

Their ioyes to paine, their blisse to miserie.

ACTUS SECUNDUS.

ACT II. SCENE 1.

[The DUKE's castle.]

Enter LORENZO and BALTHAZAR.

LORENZO.

My lord, though Bel-imperia seeme thus coy,

Let reason holde you in your wonted ioy:

In time the sauage bull sustaines the yoake,

In time all haggard hawkes will stoope to lure,

In time small wedges cleaue the hardest oake,

In time the [hardest] flint is pearst with softest shower;

And she in time will fall from her disdaine,

And rue the sufferance of your freendly paine.

BAL.

No; she is wilder, and more hard withall,

Then beast or bird, or tree or stony wall!

But wherefore blot I Bel-imperias name?

It is my fault, not she that merits blame.

My feature is not to content her sight;

My wordes are rude and worke her no delight;

The lines I send her are but harsh and ill,

Such as doe drop from Pan and Marsias quill;

My presents are not of sufficient cost;

And, being worthles, all my labours lost.

Yet might she loue me for my valiancie.

I; but thats slandred by captiuitie.

Yet might she loue me to content her sire.

I; but her reason masters [her] desire.

Yet might she loue me as her brothers freend.

I; but her hopes aime at some other end.

Yet might she loue me to vpreare her state.

I; but perhaps she [loues] some nobler mate.

Yet might she loue me as her beauties thrall.

I; but I feare she cannot loue at all.

LOR.

My lord, for my sake leaue these extasies,

And doubt not but weele finde some remedie.

Some cause there is that lets you not be loued:

First that must needs be knowne, and then remoued.

What if my sister loue some other knight?

BAL.

My sommers day will turne to winters night.

LOR.

I haue already founde a strategeme

To sound the bottome of this doubtfull theame.

My lord, for once you shall be rulde by me;

Hinder me not what ere you heare or see:

By force or faire meanes will I cast about

To finde the truth of all this question out.

Ho,