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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1731]

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who now, knit together,

Have driven and shut you up in these wilde mountains;

And though they now seek to unite with friendship,

It is to wound your bosom, not embrace it,

And with an utter extirpation

To rout the Brittains out, and plant the English.

Seek for your safety, Sir, and spend no time

To build the(e) airy Castles; for Prince Uter,

Armed with vengeance for his brothers blood,

Is hard upon you. If you mistrust me,

And to my words crave witness, sir, then know,

Here comes a messenger to tell you so.

(Exit MER.

Enter MESSENGER.

MESSEN.

My Lord! Prince Uter!

VORT.

And who else, sir?

MESSEN.

Edol, the great General.

VORT.

The great Devil! they are coming to meet us?

MESSEN.

With a full power, my Lord.

VORT.

With a full vengeance,

They mean to meet us; so! we are ready

To their confront. At full march, double footing,

We'l loose no ground, nor shall their numbers fright us:

If it be Fate, it cannot be withstood;

We got our Crown so, be it lost in blood.

(Exeunt.

Scene II.

Open Country in Wales.)

Enter PRINCE UTER, EDOL, CADOR, EDWIN, TOCLIO, with Drum and Soldiers.

PRINCE.

Stay, and advice; hold, drum!

EDOL.

Beat, slave! why do you pause?

Why make a stand? where are our enemies?

Or do you mean to fight among our selves?

PRINCE.

Nay, noble Edol,

Let us here take counsel, it cannot hurt,

It is the surest Garison to safety.

EDOL.

Fie on such slow delays! so fearful men,

That are to pass over a flowing river,

Stand on the bank to parly of the danger,

Till the tide rise, and then be swallowed.

Is not the King in field?

CADOR.

Proud Vortiger, the Trator, is in field.

EDWIN.

The Murderer and Usurper.

EDOL.

Let him be the devil, so I may fight with him.

For heavens love, sir, march on! Oh, my patience!

Will you delay, untill the Saxons come

To aid his party?

(A Tucket.

PRINCE.

There's no such fear: prithee, be calm a while.

Hark! it seems by this, he comes or sends to us.

EDOL.

If it be for parly, I will drown the summons,

If all our drums and hoarseness choke me not.

Enter CAPTAIN.

PRINCE.

Nay, prithee, hear. - From whence art thou?

CAP.

From the King Vortiger.

EDOL.

Traitor, there's none such: Alarum drum; strike slave,

Or, by mine honor, I will break thy head,

And beat thy drums heads both about thine ears.

PRINCE.

Hold, noble Edol,

Let's hear what Articles he can inforce.

EDOL.

What articles or what conditions

Can you expect to value half your wrong,

Unless he kill himself by thousand tortures,

And send his carcase to appease your vengeance

For the foul murder of Constantius,

And that's not a tenth part neither.

PRINCE.

'Tis tru,

My brothers blood is crying to me now;

I do applaud thy counsel: hence, be gone! -

(Exit CAPT.

We'l hear no parly now but by our swords.

EDOL.

And those shall speak home in death killing words:

Alarum to the fight; sound, sound the Alarum.

(Exeunt.

Scene III.

A Field of Battle.)

Alarum. Enter EDOL, driving all Vortigers Force before him, then Exit.

Enter PRINCE UTER pursuing VORTIGER.

VORT.

Dost follow me?

PRINCE.

Yes, to thy death I will.

VORT.

Stay, be advis'd;

I would not be the onely fall of Princes,

I slew thy brother.

PRINCE.

Thou didst, black Traitor,

And in that vengeance I pursue thee.

VORT.

Take mercy for thyself, and flie my sword,

Save thine own life as asatisfaction,

Which here I give thee for thy brothers death.

PRINCE.

Give what's thine own: a Traitors heart and head,

That's all thou art right Lord of. The Kingdom

Which thou usurp'st, thou most unhappy Tyrant,

Is leaving thee; the Saxons wich thou broughtst

To back thy usurpations, are grown great,

And where they seat themselves, do hourly seek

To blot the Records of old Brute and Brittains

From memory of men, calling themselves

Hingest-men, and Hingest-land, that no more

The Brittain name be known: all this by thee,

Thou base destroyer of thy Native Countrey.

Enter EDOL.

EDOL.

What, stand you talking?

(Fight.

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