know your purpose Guise I change 't is true because I love you still Love you O Heav'n ev'n in my own despight I tell you all even at that very Moment I know you straight betray me to the King Mar. O Guise I never did but Sir I come To tell you I must never see you more Guise The King 's at Blois and you have reason for 't Therefore what am I to expect from pity From yours I mean when you behold me slain Mar. First answer me and then I 'le speak my heart Have you O Guise since your last Solemn Oaths Stood firm to what you swore Be plain my Lord Or run it o're awhile because agen I tell you I must never see you more Guise Never She 's set on by the King to sift me Why by that Never then all I have sworn Is true as that the King designs to end me Mar. Keep your Obedience by the Saints you live Guise Then mark 't is judg'd by heads grown white in Council This very day he means to cut me off Mar. ╌By Heaven then you 'r for sworn you 've broke your Vows Guise ╌By you the Justice of the Earth I have not Mar. ╌By you Dissembler of the world you have I know the King Guise ╌ I do believe you Madam Mar. ╌ I have try'd you both Guise ╌Not me the King you mean Mar. ╌Do these o'reboyling Answers suit the Guise But go to Council Sir there shew your truth If you are innocent you 're safe but O If I shou'd chance to see you stretcht along Your Love O Guise and your Ambition gone That venerable Aspect pale with death I must conclude you merited your end Guise ╌You must you will and smile upon my Murder Mar. Therefore if you are conscious of a Breach Confess it to me Lead me to the King He has promis'd me to conquer his Revenge And place you next him therefore if you 're right Make me not fear it by Asseverations But speak your heart and O resolve me truly Guise ╌Madam I ha' thought and trust you with my Soul You saw but now my parting with my Brother The Prelate too of Lyons 't was debated Warmly against me that I should go on Mar. ╌Did I not tell you Sir Guise ╌True but in spight Of those Imperial Arguments they urg'd I was not to be work'd from second thought There we broke off And mark me if I live You are the Saint that makes a Convert of me Mar. Go then O Heaven VVhy must I still suspect you VVhy heaves my Heart And why o'reflow my Eyes Yet if you live O Guise there there 's the Cause I never shall converse nor see you more Guise O say not so for Once again I 'le see you VVere you this very Night to lodge with Angels Yet say not Never for I hope by Virtue To merit Heaven and wed you late in Glory Mar. This Night my Lord I 'm a Recluse for ever Guise Ha! Stay till Morning Tapers are too dim Stay till the Sun rises to salute you Stay till I lead you to that dismal Den Of Virgins buried quick and stay for Ever Mar. Alas Your Suit is vain for I have vow'd it Nor was there any other way to clear Th' imputed stains of my suspected Honour Guise Hear me a word one Sigh one Tear at parting And one last Look for O my earthly Saint I see your Face pale as the Cherubins At Adam's Fall Mar. O Heaven I now confess My heart bleeds for thee Guise Guise Why Madam why Mar. Because by this Disorder And that sad Fate that bodes upon your Brow I do believe you love me more than Glory Guise Without an Oath I do therefore have Mercy And think not Death cou'd make me tremble thus Be pitiful to those Infirmities Which thus Unman me stay till the Council's o're If you are pleas'd to grant an hour or two To my last Pray'r I 'le thank you as my Saint If you refuse me Madam I 'le not murmur Mar. Alas my Guise O Heav'n what did I say But take it take it if it be too kind Honour may pard'n it since it is my last Guise O let me crawl Vile as I am and kiss She gives him her Hand Your Sacred Robe Is' t possible Your Hand O that it were my last expiring Moment For I shall never taste the like again Mar. Farewell my Proselyte your better Genius Watch your Ambition Guise I have none but you Must I ne're see you more Mar. I have sworn you must not Thought thus roots me here melts my Resolves Weeps And makes me loyter when the Angels call me Guise O ye Celestial Dewes O Paradise O Heav'n O Joys Ne're to be tasted more Mar. Nay take a little more cold Marmoutier The temperate devoted Marmoutier Is gone a last Embrace I must bequeath you Guise And O let me return it with another Mar. Farewell for ever Ah Guise tho now we part In the bright Orbs prepar'd us by our Fates Our Souls shall meet╌Farewell╌and Io's sing above Where no Ambition nor State Crime the happier spirits prove But all are blest and all enjoy an everlasting Love Exit Mar. Guise solus Guise Glory where art thou Fame Revenge Ambition Where are you fled there 's Ice upon my Nerves My Salt my Mettal and my Spirits gone Pall'd as a Slave that 's Bed-rid with an Ague I wish my flesh were off What now Thou bleed'st Three and no more What then And why what then But just three drops And why not just three drops As well as four or five or five and twenty Enter a Page Page My Lord your Brother and the Archbishop wait you Guise I come down Devil ha Must I stumble too Away ye Dreams What if it thunder'd Now Or if a Raven cross'd me in my way Or now it comes because last Night I dreamt The Council-Hall was hung with Crimson round And all the Cieling plaister'd o're with black No more blue Fires and ye dull rowling Lakes Fathomless Caves ye Dungeons of old Night Fantoms be gone if I must dye I 'le fall True Polititian and defie you all SCENE II. The Court before the Council-Hall Grillon Larchant Soldiers plac'd People crowding Grill. Are your Guards doubl'd Captain Larch Sir They are Grill. When the Guise comes remember your Petition Make way there for his Eminence Give back Your Eminence comes late Enter two Cardinals Counsellors the Cardinal of Guise Archbishop of Lyons last the Guise Guise Well Colonel Are we Friends Grill. Faith I think not Guise Give me your Hand Grill. No for that gives a Heart Guise Yet we shall clasp in Heaven Grill. By Heaven we shall not Unless it be with Gripes Guise True Grillon still Larch My Lord. Guise Ha Captain you are well attended If I mistake not Sir your Number 's doubl'd Larch All these have serv'd against the Hereticks And therefore beg your Grace you would remember Their VVounds and lost Arrears Guise It
as Grillon A blunt hot honest downright valiant Fool. May. Yet this you must allow a failure in you You love his Neece and to a Politician All Passion 's bane but Love directly death Guise False false my Mayen thou' rt but half Guise agen Were she not such a wondrous Composition A Soul so flush'd as mine is with Ambition Sagacious and so nice must have disdain'd her But she was made when Nature was in humour As if a Grillon got her on the Queen Where all the honest Atoms fought their way Took a full Tincture of the Mother's Wit But left the dregs of Wickedness behind May. Have you not told her what we have in hand Guise My utmost aim has been to hide it from her But there I 'm short by the long Chain of Causes She has scan'd it just as if she were my Soul And though I flew about with Circumstances Denials Oaths Improbabilities Yet through the Histories of our Lives she look'd She saw she overcame May. Why then we 're all undone Guise Agen you err Chast as she is she wou'd as soon give up Her Honour as betray me to the King I tell thee she 's the Character of Heaven Such an habitual over-Womanly Goodness She dazles walks meer Angel upon Earth But see she comes call the Cardinal Guise While Malicorn attends for some Dispatches Before I take my farewell of the Court. Enter Marmoutire Mar. Ah Guise you are undone Guise How Madam Mar. Lost Beyond the possibility of hope Despair and die Guise You menace deeply Madam And should this come from any Mouth but yours My smile should answer how the ruine touch'd me Mar. Why do you leave the Court Guise The Court leaves me Mar. Were there no more but weariness of State Or cou'd you like great Scipio retire Call Rome ungrateful and sit down with that Such inward Gallantry would gain you more Than all the sullied Conquests you can boast But Oh you want that Roman Masterie You have too much of the tumultuous times And I must mourn the Fate of your Ambition Guise Because the King disdains my Services Must I not let him know I dare begon What when I feel his Council on my Neck Shall I not cast 'em backward if I can And at his Feet make known their villany Mar. No Guise not at his Feet but on his Head For there you strike Guise Madam you wrong me now For still what-e're shall come in Fortunes whirle His Person must be safe Mar. I cannot think it However your last words confess too much Confess what need I urge that Evidence When every hour I see you Court the Crowd When with the shouts of the Rebellious Rabble I see you born on shoulders to Cabals Where with the Traiterous Council of Sixteen You sit and Plot the Royal Henry's Death Cloud the Majestick Name with Fumes of Wine Infamous Scrowls and Treasonable Verse While on the other side the Name of Guise By the whole Kennel of the Slaves is rung Pamphleteers Balladmongers sing your Ruine While all the Vermin of the vile Parisians Toss up their greasie Caps where e're you pass And hurl your dirty Glories in your Face Guise Can I help this Mar. By Heaven I 'd Earth my self Rather than live to act such black Ambition But Sir you seek it with your Smiles and Bows This Side and that Side congeing to the Crowd You have your Writers too that cant your Battels That stile you the New David Second Moses Prop of the Church Deliverer of the People Thus from the City as from the Heart they spread Thro all the Provinces alarm the Countries Where they run forth in Heaps bellowing your Wonders Then cry The King the King 's a Hugonot And spight of us will have Navar succeed Spight of the Laws and spight of our Religion But we will pull 'em down down with 'em down Kneels Guise Ha Madam Why this Posture Mar. Hear me Sir For if 't is possible my Lord I 'll move you Look back return implore the Royal Mercy E're 't is too late I beg you by these Tears These Sighs and by th' ambitious Love you bear me By all the Wounds of your poor groaning Country That bleeds to death O seek the Best of Kings Kneel fling your stubborn Body at his Feet Your Pardon shall be sign'd your Country sav'd Virgins and Matrons all shall sing your Fame And every Babe shall bless the Guise's Name Guise O rise thou Image of the Deity You shall prevail I will do any thing You have broke the very Gall of my Ambition And all my Powers now float in Peace agen Be satisfi'd that I will see the King Kneel to him e're I Journey to Champagn And beg a kind Farewell Mar. No no my Lord I see thro that you but withdraw a while To muster all the Forces that you can And then rejoyn the Council of Sixteen You must not go Guise All the Heads of the League Expect me and I have engag'd my Honour Mar. Would all those Heads were off so yours were sav'd Once more O Guise the weeping Marmoutire Entreats you donot go Guise Is' t possible That Guise should say in this he must refuse you Mar. Go then my Lord. I late receiv'd a Letter From one at Court who tells me the King loves me Read it there is no more than what you hear I have Jewels offer'd too perhaps may take 'em And if you go from Paris I 'll to Court. Guise But Madam I have often heard you say You lov'd not Courts Mar. Perhaps I have chang'd my Mind Nothing as yet could draw me but a King And such a King so Good so Just so Great That at his Birth the Heavenly Council paus'd And then at last cry'd out This is a Man Guise Come 't is but Counterfeit you dare not go Mar. Go to your Government and try Guise I will Mar. Then I 'll to Court nay to the King Guise By Heaven I swear you cannot shall not dare not see him Mar. By Heaven I can I dare nay and I will And nothing but your Stay shall hinder me For now methinks I long for 't Guise Possible Mar. I 'll give you yet a little time to think But if I hear you go to take your leave I 'll meet you there before the Throne I 'll stand Nay you shall see me kneel and kiss his Hand Exit Guise Furies and Hell She does but try me Ha! This is the Mother-Queen and Espernon Abbot Delbene Alphonso Corso too All packt to plot and turn me into Madness Reading the Letter Enter Cardinal Guise Duke of Mayen Malicorn c. Ha! can it be Madam the King loves you Reads But Vengeance I will have to pieces thus To pieces with 'em all Tears the Letter Card. Speak lower Guise No By all the Torments of this galling Passion I 'll hollow the Revenge I vow so loud My Father's Ghost shall hear me up to Heaven Card. Contain your self
King Thou dost by Heaven But with such Charming pleasure I love and tremble as at Angels view Mar. Love me my Lord King Who shou'd be lov'd but you So lov'd that even my Crown and self are vile While you are by try me upon despair My Kingdom at the stake Ambition starv'd Revenge forgot and all great Appetites That whet uncommon Spirits to aspire So once a day I may have leave╌ Nay Madam then you fear me Mar. Fear you Sir what is there dreadful in you You 've all the Graces that can Crown Mankind Yet wear 'em so as if you did not know 'em So stainless fearless free in all your actions As if Heaven lent you to the World to Pattern King Madam I find you 're no Petitioner My People would not treat me in this sort Tho' 't were to gain a part of their Design But to the Guise they deal their faithless Praise As fast as you your flattery to me Tho' for what end I cannot guess except You come like them to mock at my Misfortunes Mar. Forgive you Heaven that thought no mighty Monarch The Love of all the Good and wonder of the Great I swear by Heaven my Heart adores and loves you King O Madam rise Mar. Nay were you Sir unthron'd By this Seditious Rout that dare despise you Blast all my days ye Powers torment my Nights Nay let the Misery invade my Sex That cou'd not for the Royal Cause like me Throw all their Luxury before your Feet And follow you like Pilgrims through the World Grill. Sound Wind and Limb fore God a gallant Girl Aside King What shall I answer to thee O thou Balm To heal a broken yet a Kingly Heart For so I swear I will be to my Last Come to my Arms and be thy Harry's Angel Shine through my Cares and make my Crown sit easie Mar. O never Sir King What said you Marmoutiere Why dost thou turn thy Beauties into Frowns Mar. You know Sir 't is impossible no more King No more╌and with that stern resolv'd behaviour By Heaven were I a dying and the Priest Shou'd urge my last Confession I 'd cry out Oh Marmoutiere and yet thou say'st no more Mar. 'T is well Sir I have lost my aim farewell King Come back O stay my Life flows after you Mar. No Sir I find I am a trouble to you You will not hear my Suit King You Cannot go You shannot╌O your suit I kneel to grant it I beg you take whatever you demand Mar. Then Sir thus low or prostrate if you please Let me intreat for Guise King Ha Madam what For Guise for Guise that stubborn arrogant Rebel That laughs at proffer'd Mercy slights his Pardon Mocks Royal Grace and plots upon my Life Ha! and do you protect him then the World Is sworn to Henry's Death does Beauty too And Innocence it self conspire against me Then let me tamely yield my Glories up Which once I vow'd with my drawn Sword to wear To my last drop of Blood Come Guise come Cardinal All you lov'd Traytors come╌I strip to meet you Sheath all your Daggers in Curst Henry's Heart Mar. This I expected but when you have heard How far I would intreat your Majesty Perhaps you 'll be more Calm King See I 'm hush'd Speak then how far Madam wou'd you Command Mar. Not to proceed to last Extremities Before the Wound is desperate think alone For no Man Judges like your Majesty Take your own Methods all the heads of France Cannot so well advise you as your self Therefore resume my Lord your Godlike temper Yet do not bear more than a Monarch should Believe it Sir the more your Majesty Draws back your Arm the more of Fate it Carries King Thou Genius of my State thou perfect Model Of Heaven it self and abstract of the Angels Forgive the late disturbance of my Soul I 'm clear by Nature as a Rockless Stream But they dig through the Gravel of my Heart Therefore let me conjure you do not go 'T is said the Guise will come in fpight of me Suppose it possible and stay to advise me Mar. I will but on your Royal word no more King I will be easie To my last gasp as your own Virgin Thoughts And never dare to breathe my Passion more Yet you 'll allow me now and then to Sigh As we discourse and Court you with my Eyes Enter Alphonso Why do you wave your Hand And warn me hence So looks the poor Condemn'd When Justice beck'ns there 's no hope of Pardon Sternly like you the Judge his Victim eyes And thus like me the Wretch despairing dies Exit with Alph. Enter Grillon Grill. O Rare rare Creature by the Power that made me Wer 't possible we cou'd be damn'd again By some new Eve such Virtue might relieve us O I cou'd clasp thee but that my Arms are rough Till all thy Sweets were broke with my Embraces And kiss thy Beauties to a dissolution Mar. Ah Father Uncle Brother all the Kin The precious Blood that 's left me in the World Believe dear Sir what-e're my actions seem I will not lose my Virtue for a Throne Grill. Why I will Carve thee out a Throne my self I 'le hew down all the Common-wealths in Christendom And seat thee on their Necks as high as Heaven Enter Abbot Delbene Abb. Colonel your Ear. Mar. By these whispering Councils My Soul presages that the Guise is coming If he dares come were I a Man a King I 'd sacrifice him in the City's sight O Heavens what was 't I said Were I a Man I know not that but as I am a Virgin If I wou'd offer thee too lovely Guise It shou'd be kneeling to the Throne for Mercy Ha! then thou lov'st that thou art thus concern'd Down rising mischief down or I will kill thee Even in thy Cause and strangle new born pity Yet if he were not married ha what then His Charms prevail no let the Rebel dye I faint beneath this strong oppression here Reason and Love rend my divided Soul Heav'n be the Judg and still let Virtue Conquer Love to his Tune my jarring Heart wou'd bring But Reason over-winds and Cracks the String Exit Abb. The King dispatches Order upon Order With positive Command to stop his coming Yet there is notice given to the City Besides Belleure brought but a half account How that the Guise reply'd he would obey His Majesty in all yet if he might Have leave to justify himself before him He doubted not his Cause Grill. The Ax the Ax Rebellion's pamper'd to a Plurisie And it must bleed Shout within Abbot Hark what a shout was there I 'le to the King it may be 't is reported On purpose thus Let there be Truth or Lies In this mad Fame I 'le bring you instant word Exit Abbot Manet Grillon Enter Guise Cardinal Mayen Malicorn Attendants c. Shouts again Grill. Death and thou Devil Malicorn is that Thy Master Guise Yes Grillon 't is