I need not counterfeit to fall; Heaven knows Eater PHARAMOND, DION, CLEREMONT, and Pha. To this place we have tracked him by his blood. Cle. Yonder, my lord, creeps one away. Bel. A wretched creature, wounded in these woods By beasts: Relieve me, if your names be men, Or I shall perish. Dion. This is he, my lord, Upon my soul, that hurt her: 'Tis the boy, Pha. Oh, thou damned in thy creation! What cause could'st thou shape to hurt the princess? Bel. Then I am betrayed. Dion. Betrayed! no, apprehended. Bel. I confess, Urge it no more, that, big with evil thoughts, I set upon her, and did take my aim, Her death. For charity, let fall at once The punishment you mean, and do not load This weary flesh with tortures. Pha. I will know Who hired thee to this deed. Bel. Mine own revenge. Me as her page, and, when my fortunes ebbed, As storms arise at sea, she turned her eyes To die revenged. Pha. If tortures can be found, Long as thy natural life, resolve to feel The utmost rigour. [Philaster creeps out of a bush. Phi. Turn back, ye ravishers of innocence! Pho. Who's that? Dion. 'Tis the lord Philaster. Phi. 'Tis not the treasure of all kings in one, That virtue! It was I, that hurt the princess. Phi. Leave these untimely courtesies, Bellario. Bel. Alas, he's mad! Come, will you lead me on? Phi. By all the oaths, that men ought most to keep, And gods to punish most, when men do break, Cle. It was Philaster. Dion. Is't not a brave boy? Well, sirs, I fear me, we were all deceived. Phi. Have I no friend here? Dion. Yes. Phi. Then shew it: Some good body lend a hand to draw us nearer. To stop his life? To bind whose bitter wounds, tears Bathe them. Forgive me, thou, that art the wealth Of poor Philaster. Enter KING, ARETHUSA, and a Guard. King. Is the villain taken? Pha. Sir, here be two confess the deed; but, say it was Philaster? Phi. Question it no more; it was. King. The fellow, that did fight with him, will tell us that. Are. Ah me! I know he will. King. Did not you know him? Are. Sir, if it was he, he was disguised. Phi. I was so. Oh, my stars! that I should live still. King. Thou ambitious fool! Are. Sir, they did plot together to take hence Enter PHILASTER, ARETHUSA, and BELLARIO. Are. Nay, dear Philaster, grieve not; we are well. Bel. Nay, good my lord, forbear; we are wondrous well. Phi. Oh, Arethusa! oh, Bellario! leave to be I shall be shot from Heaven, as now from earth, Bel. Alas, my lord, my life is not a thing, Are. And I (the woful'st maid that ever was, Forced with my hands to bring my lord to death) Do, by the honour of a virgin, swear To tell no hours beyond it. Phi. Make me not hated so. Are. Come from this prison, all joyful to our deaths. Phi. People will tear me, when they find ye true To such a wretch as I; I shall die loathed. Bel. A piece of you? He was not born of woman, that can cut It, and look on. Phi. Take me in tears betwixt you, [Exeunt. For else my heart will break with shame and sor If row. Are. Why, 'tis well. Bel. Lament no more. Phi. What would you have done, you had wronged me basely, and had found My life no price, compared to yours? For love, sirs, Deal with me truly. Bel. 'Twas mistaken, sir. Phi. Why, if it were? Bel. Then, sir, we would have asked you pardon. Phi. And have hope to enjoy it? Phi. Would you, indeed? Be plain. Phi. Forgive me, then. Are. So, so. Bel. 'Tis as it should be now. Phi. Lead to my death. [Exeunt. Enter KING, DION, CLEREMONT, and King. Gentlemen, who saw the prince? And the new platform, with some gentlemen King. Is the princess ready Dion. King, you may be deceived yet: The head, you aim at, cost more setting on Than to be lost so lightly. If it must off, Like a wild overflow, that swoops before him A golden stack, and with it shakes down bridges, Cracks the strong hearts of pines, whose cable roots Held out a thousand storms, a thousand thunders, And, so made mightier, takes whole villages Enter PHILASTER, ARETHUSA, and BELLARIO King. How now! what masque is this? Sing you an epithalamium of these lovers, But, having lost my best airs with my fortunes, Free from the Sirian star, and the fell thunderstroke, Free from the clouds, when they were big with humour, And delivered, in thousand spouts, their issues to the earth: Oh, there was none but silent quiet there! And now a gentle gale hath blown again, That made these branches meet, and twine together, Never to be divided. The god, that sings Hath knit their noble hearts, and here they stand Are. Sir, if you love it in plain truth, (For there's no masquing in't) this gentleman, The prisoner that you gave me, is become My keeper, and through all the bitter throes Your jealousies and his ill fate have wrought him, Thus nobly hath he struggled, and at length Arrived here, my dear husband. King. Your dear husband! Call in The captain of the citadel; there you shall keep Your wedding. I'll provide a masque shall make Your Hymen turn his saffron into a sullen coat, And sing sad requiems to your departing souls: Blood shall put out your torches; and, instead Of gaudy flowers about your wanton necks, An axe shall hang like a prodigious meteor, Ready to crop your loves' sweets. gods! Hear, ye From this time do I shake all title off Are. Sir, by that little life I have left to swear by, There's nothing that can stir me from myself. VOL. I. What I have done, I've done without repentance; For death can be no bugbear unto me, So long as Pharamond is not my headsman. Dion. Sweet peace upon thy soul, thou worthy maid, Whene'er thou diest! For this time I'll excuse thee, Or be thy prologue. Phi. Sir, let me speak next; And let my dying words be better with you Enter a Messenger. Mes. Get you to your strength, And rescue the prince Pharamond from danger: Dion. Oh, brave followers! In honour of your mistresses. Enter another Messenger. King. A thousand devils take them! [Exit with Are. Phi. Bel. King. Away to the citadel: I'll see them safe, And then cope with these burghers. Let the guard, D Manent DION, CLEREMONT, THRASILINE. A plague upon myself, a thousand plagues, Oh, I could beat myself! or, do you beat me, Dion. You say true. Are your swords sharp? Well, my dear countrymen What-ye-lack, if you continue, and fall not back upon the first broken shin, I'll have you chronicled and chronicled, and cut and chronicled, and sung in all-to-be-praised sonnets, and graved in new brave ballads, that all tongues shall troule you in sæcula sæculorum, my kind can-carriers. Thra. What if a toy take them in the heels now, and they run all away, and cry, the devil take the hindmost?' Dion. Then the same devil take the foremost too, and souse him for his breakfast! If they all prove cowards, my curses fly amongst them, and be speeding! May they have murrains rain to keep the gentlemen at home, unbound in easy frieze! May the moths branch their velvets, and their silks only be worn before sore eyes! May their false lights undo them, and discover presses, holes, stains, and oldness in their stuffs, and make them shop-rid! May they keep whores and horses, and break; and live mewed up with necks of beef and turnips! May they have many children, and none like the father! May they know no language but that gibberish they prattle to their parcels; unless it be the Gothick Latin they write in their bonds; and may they write that false, and lose their debts! Enter the KING. Phi. Mighty sir, I will not do your greatness so much wrong, And the poor boy, and let me stand the shock King. Let your own word free them. Phi. Then thus I take my leave, kissing your And hanging on your royal word. Be kingly, King. All the gods go with thee! [Excunt. RAMOND. Cap. Come, my brave myrmidons, let's fall on! let our caps swarm, my boys, and your King. Now the vengeance of all the gods con-nimble tongues forget your mother's gibberish, of found them, how they swarm together! What a hum they raise! Devils choke your wild throats! If a man had need to use their valours, he must pay a brokage for it, and then bring them on, and they will fight like sheep. "Tis Philaster, none but Philaster, must allay this heat: They will not hear me speak, but fling dirt at me, and call me tyrant. Oh, run, dear friend, and bring the lord Philaster: Speak him fair; call him prince; do him all the courtesy you can; commend me to him! Oh, my wits, my wits! [Exit Cle. Dion. Oh, my brave countrymen! as I live, I will not buy a pin out of your walls for this: Nay, you shall cozen me, and I'll thank you; and send you brawn and bacon, and soil you every long vacation a brace of foremen, that at Michaelmas shall come up fat and kicking. what do you lack, and set your mouths up, All. Philaster! Philaster! Cap. How do you like this, my lord prince? These are mad boys, I tell you; these are things, that will not strike their top sails to a foist; and let a man of war, an argosy, hull and cry cockles. Pha. Why, you rude slave, do you know what you do? Cap. My pretty prince of puppets, we do know; and give your greatness warning, that you talk no more such bug-words, or that soldered crown shall be scratched with a musquet. Dear prince Pippen, down with your noble blood; or, as I live, I'll have you coddled. Let him loose, my spirits! Make us a round ring with your bills, my Hectors, and let us see what this trim man dares do. Now, sir, have at you! Here I lie, and with this swashing blow (do you sweat, prince?) I could hulk your grace, and hang you up cross-legged, like a hare at a poulterer's, and do this with this wiper. Pha. You will not see me murdered, wicked villains? 1 Cit. Yes, indeed, will we, sir: We have not seen one foe a great while. Cap. He would have weapons, would he? Give him a broadside, my brave boys, with your pikes; branch me his skin in flowers like a sattin, and between every flower a mortal cut. Your royalty shall ravel! Jag him, gentlemen: I'll have bun cut to the kell, then down the seams. Oh, for a whip to make him galloon-laces! I'll have 2 coach-whip. Pha. Oh, spare me, gentlemen! Cap. Hold, hold; the man begins to fear, and know himself; he shall for this time only be seeled up, with a feather through his nose, that he may only see heaven, and think whither he is going. Nay, my beyond-sea sir, we will proclaim you: You would be king! Thou tender heir apparent to a church-ale, thou slight prince of single sarcenet; thou royal ring-tail, fit to fly at nothing but poor mens' poultry, and have every boy beat thee from that too with his bread and butter! Pha. Gods keep me from these hell hounds! 1 Cit. I'll have a leg, that's certain, 2 Cit. I'll have an arm. 3 Cit. I'll have his nose, and at mine own charge build a college, and clap it upon the gate. Cit. I'll have his little gut to string a kit with; for, certainly, a royal gut will sound like silver. Pha. 'Would they were in thy belly, and I past my pain at once! 5 Cit. Good captain, let me have his liver to feed ferrets. Cap. Who will have parcels else? speak. Pha. Good gods, consider me! I shall be tortured. 1 Cit. Captain, I'll give you the trimming of your two-hand sword, and let me have his skin to make false scabbards. 2 Cit. He has no horns, sir, has he? Uncivil trades? Cap. My royal Rosiclear, We are thy myrmidons, thy guard, thy roarers! am. Phi. Hold, and be satisfied: I am myself; Free as my thoughts are: by the gods, I Cap. Art thou the dainty darling of the king? Art thou the Hylas to our Hercules? Do the lords bow, and the regarded scarlets Kiss their gummed golls, and 6 cry, we are your servants? Is the court navigable, and the presence stuck I Phi. I am what I do desire to be, your friend; 'il quit this land for ever. There is nothing, age, |