'T is but a slip of Nature and I 'le on Think on thy Wrongs the Wrongs her Lust has done thee And sweep away this loath'd Incestuous Brood As Heav'n would drive a Plague from off the Land Think thou shalt have thy Seyâ—or in thy Arms Who shall restore thy loss with double Charms And tho' my Bullen sets this Night and dies Seymor next Morn like a new Sun shall rise Ex. King Attendants North. With an unwilling Heart I take this Office And Heav'n if Anna Bullen's Innocent Forgive me since it is my King's Command My Breast is sad and tender for her all Tho' Piercy ne're can rise but by her Fall Enter to him Rochford Lieutenant and Guards Roch. Wil 't not be granted that I here may see My Sister e're I dye to part with her Lieut. There is my Lord Northumberland he 'l tell you Roch. My Lord y' are come to see a wretched Pair Of Ormonds Issue leave this fatal World Shall we not meet and take our last Farewell North. Norris my Lord is now upon the Scaffold Then your turn follows but before that time I guess the Queen will be prepar'd and come Roch. Forgive me Heav'n my Passion and my Crime For Natures choice of a wrong fatal Object Loving too well what in effect was ill O all you strict Idolaters of Beauty You fond severe Adorers of that Sex Who think that all their Vices cannot Center In one vile Womans Breast see and repent Behold 'em all together In the Infernal Blunt in Her they 're fix'd Thus have they all been Curst and thus they all Have been betray'd that lov'd so well as I. Enter Queen going to Execution all in White Diana Women in Mourning Guards Queen Come where are those must lead me to my Fate To a more Glorious Happy Marriage-Bed And my Eternal Coronation Day What Piercy's Father must he do the Office Still I can bear it all and bear it bravely North. Madam it is the Kings severe Command That I attend your Majesty to th' Scaffold Queen Enough my Lord you might have spar'd that Title Alas I wish it ever had been spar'd I should have been if Malice had not reign'd Your Piercy's Wife the Scope of my Ambition I ne're had then been mounted to a Throne Then this unhappy hour had never been Roch. Mind this you Rocky World and mourn in Chaos Such Words as these the Heav'ns must weep to hear And make yon Marble Roof dissolve in Tears Queen What! do you Weep to see your Mistress Glory That she shall streight wipe off the Stain on Earth She bears with an unspotted Fame in Heav'n I charge you by my hopes and by your hopes When you are going where I soon shall go By the Illustrious Pomp I long to meet The Sacred Just Rewards of injur'd Truth Acquaint this Noble Lord and all here present If e're you saw in all my Nights or Days Or in my looser Hours of Mirth or Humour The smallest sign of that most horrid Guilt That I 'm condemn'd for Why are you all dumb If you are loth to tell it whilst I live Proclaim it when I 'm dead to all the World That Heav'n may bar the Gates of Bliss against me And throw me to the blackest of Hells Dungeons Where all Dissemblers at their Death shall howl Wom. Alas most Gracious Mistress none can wish Themselves more Innocent for Death than you Queen What dost thou weep unhappy Brother too Oh shew me not suspected nor thy self So Guilty by such softness Learn of me This Breast that 's petrify'd by constant Woes By all my Wrongs m'Injustice and my Cause Who sees me weep they shall be tears of Joy Who grieves to leave the World shall never come Where I am going where all sorrow 's banish'd Roch. Tho'I am innocent my Fate is not 'T is that has been unjust to thee and me Queen Tho' 't is a Common 't is a fatal sign We weep when we are born but it was More ominous and much more fatal prov'd From these prophetick Eyes there gusht a shower When Harry gave his Faithless hand to me And on my Coronation day the like My bodeing Heart another Tribute rack'd Methought there sate a Mountain on my Head The Curses of wrong'd Katherine weigh'd me down And made my Crown indeed a Masley Crown Roch. Deny me not a little tender Grief For every drop of Blood that 's to be shed Of that inestimable Mass of thine My Soul must rack a thousand years in Hell Queen Forbear such words You have not injur'd me I might as well tax Providence as you For Heav'n that heard the Perjury of Villains Might if it pleas'd have chok'd 'em with its Thunder Or sent 'em with a Lightning blast to Hell But he has bent their Rage another way One whispers North. And on their Malice we shall safely mount As on a Cherubin to Heav'n North. My Lord You must prepare a Messenger is come Who brings the News that Norris is beheaded Queen Alas unhappy Norris art thou dead Yet why do I so much wrong to pity thee Thou' rt happier by some moments now than I. Roch. Come lead me to my rest my rest from wrongs Now Anna Bullen teach me all thy Courage Thy Innocence that makes the Heav'ns amaz'd And the more guilty Angels blush to see Help me to pass this Rubicon of Parting This mid-way Gulph that hangs 'twixt Earth and Sky Then that blest Region all beyond is mine And Caesar was not half so great as I. Queen Go be a lucky Harbinger for me Tell all the Saints and Cherubins and Martyrs Tell all the Wrong'd that now are righted there Till it shall reach the high Imperial Ear That Anna Bullen is a coming streight Roch. Wilt not embrace thy dying Brother first One Father and one Mother gave us Birth And one Chast Innocent Natures Bed inclos'd us These are our Parents Arms and so are thine Then all you Saints above and Men below Bear Witness and I vow it on my Death It is the greatest first and only favour I e're receiv'd from Anna Bullen's Person Queen In spite of Scandal Malice and the World Nay were the King and our vile Judges by Since Heav'n is satisfy'd it is no Sin I will embrace thee think I 've in my Arms Both Father Mother Sister Brother all And Envy cannot blame me now for this Roch. Thus let thy Soul into my Bosom fly That I may feel the stroke of Death for thee And when the fatal Ax hangs o're thy Head O may it full Thee and not strike thee dead Softer than Infants Dreams or with less pain Than 't is to sleep or to be born again Ex. Roch. to Execution Queen So this is past and vanquisht but behold A greater yet Now I begin to dread Enter Diana with the young Princess and Women Ah kind Diana wonderful and good The pity that thou shew'st thy dying Friend This little one I hope will live to
her in Discourse Till Piercy comes Roch. So kind and pitiful May all thy Cruel Sex be blest for thee Ex. Roch. Blunt So this has prov'd a lucky Tale and now This rare Intelligence goes to my Woolsey who 'l send th' Alarm to the watchful King Streight to surprize him with his Wife like Iason Just stealing of his Golden Fleece away She comes she comes this Player-Queen but know This is the last proud Act of all thy show This is a Bait kind Stars if you 'l not frown With which I 'le take Revenge or catch a Crown And when sh' has got her Heav'n and I my Aim Who then dares tell me that I was to blame For who contemns a prosp'rous Wickedness Or thinks that ill that 's Sainted with Success Ex. Blunt Enter Queen with a Letter Queen What shall I do where teach my trembling Feet Their way was ever Virtue storm'd like mine Within without I am haunted all alike Without tormented with a jealous King Within my Fears suggest a thousand Plagues Bid me remember injur'd Piercy's Wrongs And brand me with the Name of Cruel to him Then on a sudden a more dreadful thought Upbraids me with a Guilt And tells me that kind Pity is a Sin Witness and blame not me y'Immortal Powers When you expose two diff'rent Paths one Good The other bad and tell not which to take If to obey you is my Aim just Heav'n 'T is not my fault if I shou'd chuse the wrong Enter Rochford Roch. Sister most Royal Merciful and Fair And best belov'd of Heav'n and all Mankind Let your dear Brother make it his Request Thus on his Knees as Deities are Charm'd That you would hear th' unhappy Piercy speak This once and but this once Piercy's without Shall my best Friend take but his last Farewell Grant it or never more let Rochford see you Queen Oh Brother plead no more 't is all in vain Do not betray thy Sister to a Guilt And stain the Crystal Virtue of a Soul Which still she holds far dearer than a Crown Seek not by Vile Enchantments to destroy That Innocence which yet is all my Force All the Defence poor Bullen has against A jealous Husband Cruel Foes and worse Against the Malice of Inveterate Hell Roch. What Danger can there be what Guilt in you To hear the Wretched and the Injur'd pray Come for you will you shall you must now hear him Queen No more no more There 's yet a subtler Orator Than you or Pity pleads for Piercy here Here in my firm couragious Soul and stronger Than Father Mother or ten thousand Brothers Yet I can that deny Roch. What shall I tell him Queen Tell him we are undone I must not see him And what 's far worse the King is jealous tell him I love him Tell him what is false I hate him Say any thing but let me not behold him For oh my Weakness he so fierce assaults 'T will spoil 'T will wrack my Conduct See he comes Enter Piercy Most Cruel Piercy Cruel Brother rather Help Take and bear me swiftly from the Danger Roch. Cast but one Look and you must needs relent Queen What shall I do which Passage shall I chuse Aside Arm me kind Heav'n against my Foe of Pity Pier. Still still she turns and hides her treach'rous Eyes Is' t possible that she can feel Remorse Or Pity after all O no she loves too well The fatal Cause that purchas'd all this Pomp Stay Anna Bullen Stay my Queen Perhaps It is expected I should call you Queen Behold your Hatred Queen Fly good Piercy fly There 's Nets preparing for your life and mine There 's nought but Snares and Quick-sands where we tread Unfathom'd Pits hid under painted Grounds Where vast Destruction watches to devour us Farewell Pier. Hear me but first and shew thy Face Thy false dissembling Beauties Many when wrackt have been by Dolphins born And safely landed on the welcome Shore And in the Forests nay the Monsters Dens The Passenger half starv'd for want of Food Has by the Lyons oft been spar'd and fed But Cruel Bullen Cruel Beauty kills All whom it Fetters most on whom it Smiles Nor can the Elements nor gentler Brutes Teach Woman to be pitiful or good Queen Now now just Heav'n y' are showring all your Plagues At once upon my Head and I will bear 'em Bear 'em like one of you and bless the Weight Hear my self false upbraided call'd most perjur'd Deceitful and the Monster of my Sex Ev'n I who you Revengeful Powers above Know love this Cruel Chider to a Fault Ah Piercy Piercy Fly for life begone Each Minute that you stay brings Death to both Pier. Ah hold If not for Love for Pity stay And if no just Complaint can pierce your hearing Then Blessings shall Ten thousand Blessings on you If you will hear the Curst of Mankind speak Roch. Now Sister heard you that By Heav'n it melts me Sure I'm turn'd all the Woman you the Man Queen Give me your hand kind Brother and support me Help for I stagger with the treble Weight Of Grief Despair and Pity My Senses all are charm'd and Feet fast ty'd To this Inchanted Floor Quick or I 'm lost Pier. Yet turn if there 's one jot of Pity in you If Piercy e're was worth one Thought I charge you By the lov'd Name of Anna Bullen stay What then will nothing move O inexorable No not a Look not Piercy worth one Look Yet Rochford hold Canst thou too be so Cruel Fell and obdurate both Is there no hope but will you will you then Begone Queen Fly Brother e're it be too late For shou'd I listen but a Moment more The strength of Hercules were not enough To draw me hence so unruly is my Body And my unwilling Soul so loth to part Pier. Then with my Knees thus fastning to the ground Piercy kneels upon her Robe Your Robe and thus with my extended Arms I 'le force and charm you 'till y'have heard my last Complaint And then forbear to pity if you can Queen Why dost thou hold Why do I hold my self Pier. Ten thousand Curses light upon her Soul In Hell and worse what mine on Earth endures That first taught Woman Falsehood If for a Crown she 's false Oh may that Crown Sit loathsom on her Forehead as her Crimes May Adders nest within th' Ambitious Round And into Stings the fatal Ermins turn When dead may all the Miseries she feels Be through the World recorded as a Mark For faithful Lovers to beware and ne're Be nam'd without a Curse Queen Ah Cruel Piercy Pier. But for my Queen let Heav'n and Angels guard her Her I except from any bitter Fate Let Anna Bullen's Breast be ne're disturb'd Nor Soul upbraided with the Wrongs of Piercy And oh kind Heav'n if there be any Sorrow As sure none e're can be ordain'd for her False as she is I beg that it may fall Only on wretched Piercy's
pay Dian. Ah Royal Mistress England's falling Star Best Pattern that e're Earth receiv'd from Heav'n I need not fear these Eyes should see you dye For e're that time just grief shall-strike me dead Or Torrents of these Tears will make me blind Queen Come lift her to my Arms and let me kiss her For'tis the last kind Office you will do me Now let me press thy little Coral-Lips With my dead pale ones now and oh let me Infuse some of thy Mothers latest Breath In Blessings on thy tender blooming Soul What 's this that tempts me with a Mothers Fondness To break my Resolution and upbraids me That I must leave thee to a Father's Rage And yet more cruel Enemies to both Leave thee a Lamb 'mongst Wolves for all who 've been Thy Mothers Foes will certainly be thine Dian. Tygers nor Devils or what 's more inhumane Envy of Mankind cannot be so Curst Queen See see Diana by my Wrongs it weeps Weeps like a thing of Sense and not a Child Like one well understood in Grief the Tears Drop sensibly in order down its Cheeks And drowns its pretty Speech in thoughtful Sorrow Nothing could shoot Infection through my Breast But this and this has done it Why weeps my Child Ah what a Question 's that â—â—â—n Behold how 't strives and betwixt Tears and Throbs If it could form a Language it would speak Queen Strive not for Words my Child these little drops Are far more Eloquent than Speech can be Be pitiful my Lord and thou my kind Diana ever faithful to thy Queen When I am dead as shortly I shall be Take this poor Babe and carry 't to the King Its Lips just pregnant with its Mother's Fondness Perhaps he 'l take her then into his Arms And tho' the favour were to me deny'd Steal there a Kiss of mine Say 't is the last Request of Anna Bullen North. Remove the little Princess To her Apartment where we streight will come And wait on her as is the Queen's Command Queen Yet let me hold her but a moment longer And with this Kiss that now must be my last Unlock a Secret which Heav'n dictates to me If e're there is a Light that does transcend Dark humane Knowledge in the Breast of Man Fate to foresee there is a Light at Death And that now bids me speak Thou little Child Shalt live to see thy Mother's Wrongs o're paid In many Blessings on thy Womans State From this dark Calumny in which I set As in a Cloud thou like a Star shalt rise And awe the Southern World That holy Tyrant Who binds all Europe with the Yoak of Conscience Holding his Feet upon the Necks of Kings Thou shalt destroy and quite unloose his Bonds And lay the Monster trembling at thy Feet When this shall come to pass the World shall see Thy Mothers Innocence reviv'd in thee Ex. Women with the Princess Eliz. North. Madam with greater pain to me than Racks I 'm forc'd to let you know your Brother's dead And that alas you must prepare Queen My Lord I thank you you mistake your noble Office It is the Voice of Angels to wrong'd Martyrs The sound of Cherubs trumpetting from Heav'n I 've heard it said amongst our many Ends Beheading is the mildest Death of any If it be so I thank my Gracious Lord For I was never us'd to pain How say you North. We cannot wish you less since y' are to dye And if the Heads-man do as he 's commanded 'T will be no more than 't is to drop asleep Queen My Lord I 've but a little Neck Therefore I hope he 'l not repeat his Blow But do it like an Artist at one stroke North. There is no fear He has particular Order Queen Then let me go Heav'n chides my fond delay But tell the King I say it as I just Am going to dye I both forgive and bless him And thank him as my kindest Benefactor First from an humble Maid he lifted me To Honour then he took me to his Bed The highest State that I could be on Earth And now as if he thought he ne're could do Enough for me has mounted me to Heav'n North. Mr. Lieutenant on and lead the way Queen If 't is no Sin to skip one moment now Of what belongs to Heav'n let me remember Poor Piercy once Here take this Innocent Kiss A Token to you both 'T is thine and his Farewel Diana Farewell to you all Dian. A long farewell to all our Sexes Glory Queen Weep not for me but hear my dying Sentence Any that shall hereafter fall like me Falsly accus'd by wicked Men and Traytors Tho' in this World y' are great in Virtue strong Never Blaspheme and say that Heav'n does wrong Nor think an undeserved Death is hard For Innocence is still its own Reward And when th' Almighty makes a Saint sometimes He acts by Contraries and Villains Crimes Whilst thus their Malice always cheated is And leads us but the nearest way to Bliss Exit Queen to Execution with Northumberland and Guards Enter Piercy alone Pier. I dread the horrid deed is done or now A doing else what means this sudden Gloom Clad o're the Morning Sky and all Mankind All pass with Horror â—y with frighted Looks and Voice Lift up to Hâ—â—v'n who sees and hears in vain Then shake their melancholly heads like Time A general Consternation seizes all As if the Universal Empress of the World Nature it self were fled with Anna Bullen Enter a Gentleman with a Hanckerchief stain'd with the Queens Blood Hast thou beheld this great Eclipse of Virtue Speak is the Queen Beheaded Hast thou done As I commanded Gent. Sir when the fatal blow I saw perform'd Swift as a Whirlewind through the Crowd I rush't And as the Blood from their rich Vessels drain'd This Linnen with the Sacred Crimson stain'd Pier. Giv 't me and leave me to my self a moment Now Sacred Drops now Heavenly Nectar first I 'le kiss then pledge you with a Dying Thirst What 's this I feel my Soul beat at my Wound And bid me to remember now 's the time Now to let out Life's Navigable Stream And mix it with this most Celestial Flood Thus as kind Rivers to their Ocean run First I 'le descend by just degrees to Earth Thus on my Knees and wing my Soul to Heaven Kneels Where Anna Bullen waits her Piercy's coming And with this Bloody Sign the Pow'rs implore Like a poor Wretch Ship-wrackt on some Lone-shoar Who spies a Sail far off waves 'em his Hand To come and waft him from the Barren Land Enter Diana Behold the good Diana By those Tears Something of horror 't is thou hast to say Dian. Alas my Lord what have you done Your Wound does bleed afresh Your Looks are alter'd all those Masculine Beauties That shone in your Illustrious Face and made The noblest brave Epitomy of Mankind Are vanisht on a sudden and you hang Like a pale Carcass on my trembling