swoundings the effects of griefe I must confesse I grieved to see my selfe Rob'd of the life I sue for If he dye Of wounds he has receiv'd for 's Countries good My vengeance is lost and my designes betray'd I aske his death but not a glorious one I would not have him dye i th' bed of honour But on a Scaffold that his name may rot And his memoriall perish 'T is no shame To say I love his victory by it He has assur'd the State and render'd me A noble sacrifice in stead of Flowers Crown'd with victorious baies and such a one As I 'de have offer'd to my Fathers ghost But why alas am I transported so Roderigo needs not feare what I can doe What can a Virgins teares despis'd and scorn'd Your Kingdome is to him a place of free Security and he shall triumph over me As 'ore his enemies the bloud o th' Moores Shall choake up justice here which must be made A Trophee to the Victors crimes Whilest I Amongst the rest adorne his victory KING Sweet heart y' are too much hurri'd with your passions We when we render Justice use to cast Each thing in ballance Roderigo kill'd Thy Father but he gave the first offence Equity binds me then to shew some sweetnesse To the first injur'd But before thou accuse him Aske counsaile of thy heart Of which hee 's master I 'me sure thy love secretly thankes thy King Whose favour keepes so brave a Lover for thee CIMENA For me my Enemy the Author of My miscries the murderer of my father Is my just suite so slighted that I 'me thought To be oblig'd because I am not heard Sir since my teares cannot obtaine it of you Let the sword I beseech you give me justice By that I 'me injur'd and by that I crave To be reveng'd Of all your Cavaliers I aske his head to him that brings it me As to the Conquerour I give my selfe The Combat ended he shall be my husband This I beseech your Majesty may be publish'd By your authority KING This Countries custome More ancient than good under the colour Of punishing unjust attempts has rob'd The state of its best Souldiers and often The successe does not answer the intent The guilty scape and kill the innocent I must dispense with Roderigo's bloud It is more pretious to me than so slightly To be expos'd to hazard though his spirit Forc'd him to doe an outrage yet in freeing His Country from the Moores h' has freed himselfe D. DIEGO How Sir for him must you reverse your lawes Which have so often been observ'd what will The people or the tongue of envy say Hearing he lives by your protection And that it only serves him for a colour To hide his cowardise These are favors Sir Which bring dishonor with 'um to the takers The Count durst doe a wrong my Sonne durst punish Let him maintaine the honour hee has won KING Since you will have it so let it be done But if Roderigo be expos'd to all That will come in to fight for such a prize He must be sure to want no enemies I will have onely one t' incounter him Choose whom you will Cimena and choose wisely But after this urge me to nothing farther D. SANCHO An 't please your Majesty to let the lists Be opened I shall be th' undertaker Madam you know your promise I beseech you Let me obtaine the grace to be your Champion KING What say you Cimena shall he be the Man CIMENA Sir I have promised him KING Be ready than to morrow D. DIEGO Defer it not so long Sir A man of courage is at all times ready KING Shall he no sooner be returned from one But he must enter on another fight D. DIEGO He has tane breath Sir in recounting it KING How ere an houre or two let him repose But lest I should be thought to countenance Proceedings of this bloudy nature neither My selfe nor any of my Court shall see it perform'd Doe you looke to it and take care that both Present themselves as befits men of armes The Combat done bring me the Conquerour I meane my selfe to give him to Cimena CIMENA That were t' impose too hard a law upon me KING Thy love dares not avow this thy complaint If Roderigo conquer thou must have him Never dispute my sentence or repine Who ere is Victor I will make him thine ACT. V. SCENE I. D. RODERIGO CIMENA CIMENA WHat Roderigo in the open day Whence comes this boldnesse doe you meane t' undoe Mee and mine honour Fy retire your selfe RODERIGO Madame I goe to dye and therefore come Before my death to take my last farewell My love does owe you this and my thrall'd heart Dares not depart your Kingdome without leave CIMENA You goe to dye RODERIGO Nay more I run as soone As I have tane my leave the Count 's reveng'd CIMENA You goe to dye And is Don Sancho then A man so terrible that you need feare him Who has made you so weake or him so valiant Roderigo goes to fight and thinkes himselfe Already dead He that nor fear'd the Moores Nor yet my Father going to encounter Don Sancho trembles at it Does your spirit Fayle you at greatest need RODERIGO 'T is not to the Combat That I goe now but to my punishment For when you seeke my death my love cannot Defend a life against you My heart is still The same but not my arme when it should guard That which displeases you This night already Had beene my last if for my private quarrell The fight had beene But since 't was for the King His People and my Countrye had I left My selfe defencelesse I 'de betray'd them all I must confesse I did not hate my life So much as with false treachery to part from 't Now since no interest but mine owne is in it And you demaund my death I accept your sentence For which y'have made choise of another hand It seemes I not deserv'd to dye by yours I shall not goe to exchange blow for blow I owe him more respect that fights for you And since it is your honour which hee fights for I 'le open him my brest in his adoring Your hand from which I 'le welcome my destruction CIMENA If the just violence of a fatall duty Which makes me to pursue thee 'gainst my will Prescribe unto thy love so hard a law That thou wilt not defend thy selfe 'gainst him That fights for me Take head least thou forget That both thy life and glory fall together And howsoever Roderigo has liv'd Being slaine he will be thought a vanquisht man Honour was dearer once then I was to you When in my Fathers bloud you imbru'd your hands It made you then in spight of your affection Renounce the hope of ere injoying me But now you value it so little that You care not who it is that conquers you See how unseasonable your vertue is Why were you valiant once are not now Were
you so onely to doe me an outrage Or will you be so cruell to my father That having conquer'd him you will submit Your selfe to any hand No Roderigo Defend thy honor though thou slight thy life RODERIGO Mine honor cannot need any defence More than it has already He that could Defeat the Moores and kill the Count of Gormas Has not an enemy besides to feare No no Roderigo know's what ere you thinke How in this fight to die and save his honour That none shall dare to thinke he wanted courage Onely they 'le say he did adore Cimena He would not live having deserv'd her hate How he gave way unto the cruell fate which forc'd his Mistresse to pursue his death Shee ask'd his head and his great heart conceiv'd He should commit a crime if he deny'd it T' acquit his honour he renounc'd his love T' acquit his Mistresse he renounc'd his life Thus shall you see my glory in this Combat Shine more than ere it did My willing death Shall have this honour that no Man but I Could for the wrong done to you satisfy CIMENA Since nor thy love nor honour can prevaile To hold thee from thy ruine deare Roderigo If ere I lov'd thee I conjure thee now To doe thy best if for no other end To free me from Don Sancho let me not Be given up to th' object of my loathing What shall I say more goe defend thy selfe And if thy love be not congeal'd to ice Be Victor where Cimena is the price Adieu this last word makes me blush for shame RODERIGO Is there an Enemy now that I can feare Moores and Castilians or what ere you be Whom Aragon or Spaine thinkes valiant Appeare and make one army of your selves My soule encouraged thus shall throw me on you For so sweet hopes what is 't I dare not meet with SCENE II. INFANTA LEONORA INFANTA IS it to me you come now Leonora LEONORA Madame I come to testifie the joy I feele to see your heart at rest INFANTA My heart Can rest come to a heart that 's fill'd with griefes LEONORA If love doe live on hope and dye with it Roderigo cannot trouble you any longer You know the Combat where he is ingag'd By his Cimena there he must or dye Or be her husband but what ever happen Whether he live or dye your hope is dead INFANTA But how canst thou assure me it is dead If upon these conditions Roderigo Doe entertaine the Combat have not I Inventions enough to breake it off Love the sweet Author of my punishment Can teach the wits of lovers many slights LEONORA Hope you to breed a discontent between 'um Which a Fathers death cannot Cimena shewes By her conduct of this affaire that hate Causes not her pursuite 't is true sh' has got The Combat graunted but to take her part Whom has she chosen not an expert man Or one already famous for his actions Don Sancho serves her turne who till this time Did never put on armes she loves in him His small experience This her suddaine choise Must make you see she sought for such a Combat As might enforce her duty to be silent And yet assure Roderigo's conquest INFANTA I see it well enough and yet my heart Strives with Cimena's who shal most adore him What had I best resolve on Leonora LEONORA Madam bethink your selfe of whom y' are borne A King heav'n owes you and you love a subject INFANTA No no my thoughts are off from their first object I love not Roderigo as a Gentleman Hee that I love now is the Valiant CID The Maister of two Kings And yet I meane T' orecome my selfe not for the feare of blame But that I won't disturbe so faire a flame And though they would now crown him yet I should not Resume the guift which I have giv'n another Then since thou saist Roderigoe's Victory Is certaine let 's goe give him to Cimena And thou that know'st how far my love has run Come see me finish what I have begun SCENE III CIMENA ELVIRA CIMENA WHat shall I doe Elvira all my hopes Are lost and I have nothing left but feares I dare not give consent to my owne wishes I 've caus'd two Rivals to take armes for me What ever happens Sorrow is my lot For thinke the best I can of fate obtaine My Father 's unreveng'd or lover slaine ELVIRA From both sides you will find reason of comfort Either you have revenge or Roderigo How ever destiny disposes of you It saves your honour and provides y'a husband CIMENA What the object of my hate or of my anger Roderigo's or my Fathers murderer From this or that I must expect a husband Dy'd in the bloud of him I held most deare I feare the issue worse than any death Goe vengeance or my love that troublest me Thou hast not sweets I 'me sure to make me amends And thou the powerfull mover of that fate Which does me all this violence determine This Combat equally without advantage That neither be the Victor or the Vanquisht ELVIRA That were to handle you with too much cruelty If when the fight were done you should be bound A new to demand justice and neare leave With rigour to pursue the man you love No it were better that his unmatch'd valour Should get him victory and silence you And that the King according to his law Should force you to comply with your owne wishes CIMENA Doest thinke though he be Conquerour that I will Yeeld my selfe his my duty is too strong And my losse over great He may o'recome Don Sancho easily but not so soone The glory of Cimena Though a Monarch Have promis'd me unto his victory Mine honour rather than I 'le be his prize Shall raise him up a thousand enemies ELVIRA Take heed lest heav'n for this strange pride of yours Suffer you not to be reveng'd at all What meane you to refuse this happinesse That you may when you please sit down with honour What is 't you would pretend what can you hope Will your Lovers death restore your Father to you Or is your Fathers death so small a mischiefe That you 'd heape up losse on losse griefe upon griefe Well doe continue in this stubborne humour You scarce deserve the man they 'ave destin'd for ye And heaven being weary of its too much favour In stead of him will wed you to Don Sancho CIMENA The griefes Elvira I sustaine already Need not thy fatall augury to augment 'um I would if possible avoid them both If not Roderigo has my best of wishes Not that my love inclines me more to him But lest he fayling I should be Don Sancho's The thought of that makes me to wish him well What 's this Elvira See 't is done already SCENE IV. D. SANCHO CIMENA ELVIRA D. SANCHO AT your feet Madame I present this sword CIMENA What that yet reaking with Roderigo's bloud Traytor how dar'st thou come into my sight When thou hast ravish'd from me all
enemies nor mine to boot The pride of one man in your Court has done Almost before your face and sullied The reverence and honour of my age Advantag'd by his youth and by my weaknesse And so Sir these my haires which have growne white Under my helmet and my bloud which has So oft for you been spent should ha' descended Unto the grave with curelesse infamy Had I not got a Sonne to save my honour Who lending me his hand has slaine the Count If to shew courage and a sense of wrong If to revenge a blow o' th face deserve Severely to be punisht let it fall On me that tempest what soer'e it be For the armes fault we punish oft the head I am the head Sir he is but the arme And if Cimena doe complaine that he Has slaine her Father I must answer her Had I beene able he had never done it Sacrifice then this head which age will take The arme Sir may hereafter doe you service And let Cimena's wrong be satisfied At my owne bloud 's expence and I shall be So farre from thinking it an uniust censure That dying with mine honour I shall die Withou t regret KING Th' affaire is of importance And merits to be heard in a full Counsell Don Sancho wait upon Cimena home Don Diego's word shall be his surety Let his sonne be lookt out I 'le doe you justice CIMENA 'T is just great Sir to cut off murderers KING Daughter take truce a little with your griefes CIMENA To give them truce is to increase them more ACT III. SCENE I. D. RODERIGO ELVIRA ELVIRA WHat meane you Roderigo whither would you RODERIGO I would pursue the course of my sad fortune ELVIRA But this is a strange boldnesse to appeare In the same place which you have fill'd with mourning Come you t' affront the ghost of the dead Count Have not you slaine him RODERIGO His life was my disgrace Mine honour at my hands requir'd dis death ELVIRA But in the house of death to looke for refuge Did ever homicide make that his Asilum RODERIGO Did never any murderer present Himselfe unto his Judge ne're wonder at me I come to seeke for that I gave another That 's death my love Cimena is my Judge When I deserv'd her hate I deserv'd death And for that cause I stand here to receive My sentence from her mouth death from her hand ELVIRA Flie rather from her sight and doe not meet With the first motions of her griefe and anger Why would you more enflame her present passion RODERIGO No that deare object which I durst displease To punish me cannot have too much passion I should be happy if I could augment it And hasten so my death from her faire hand ELVIRA Cimena's at the Court bath'd in her teares And will returne thence with much company For heavens sake flie what will mens censures say If y' are discover'd here they must report Cimena t' have receiv'd into her house Th' Assassin of her father Harke she comes It is her voice at least Roderigo To save her reputation hide your selfe SCENE II. D. SANCHO CIMENA ELVIRA D. SANCHO I Madame never thinke of any other But bloudy sacrifices your anger 's just And your griefe lawfull for my part Madame I 'le neither goe about to pacifie Or comfort you but if my present service Can be of use to you imploy my Sword To cut out your revenge from your commands My heart takes courage and my arme its strength CIMENA O me unfortunate D. SANCHO Madame accept my service CIMENA I shall offend the King then who has promis'd To doe me Justice D. SANCHO But you know justice Is so slow pac'd and languishing that seldome It overtakes the crime the wrong was done By th' sword then let a Cavalier revenge it By the sword againe It is the readiest way CIMENA 'T is the last remedy but if it must Arive at that and this your noble pitty Of my misfortunes doe continue with you I shall then give you the freedom you desire D. SANCHO It is the onely happinesse I wish So having hopes to see 't I take my leave SCENE III CIMENA ELVIRA CIMENA AT length I find I 'me free to open to thee The sadnesse of my soule and to give way to my deep sighs which else would stifle me My father 's dead Eluira the first sword That Roderigo us'd has cut his thred Weepe weepe mine eyes melt into teares my braine Halfe of my life the other halfe has slaine And ty's me to revenge on what is left That part of which by this I am bereft ELVIRA Quiet your selfe sweet Madame CIMENA How unfitly Thou bid'st me to be quiet when at once I must bewaile my losse and th' hand that made it Or what is 't I can hope for in this life But torments neere to be redres'd by time If loving th' Author I pursue the crime ELVIRA Can you then love the man that kill'd your Father CIMENA Love him Eluira more than that I adore him My love stands up against the sense I should have Of a slaine father and would quite o're-beare it I finde my lover in mine enemie And spight of all my anger in my heart Roderigo makes his part good 'gainst my father Yet though my love has these advantages I 'le not advise with it about my duty Nothing is dearer to me than Roderigo My heart would take his part but then my honour Tels me I had a father which he slew ELVIRA But doe you meane to prosecute him Madam CIMENA O cruell meaning cruell prosecution To which I 'me forc'd I aske his head and yet Feare to obtaine it I would ha him punish'd And yet my death I know must wait on his ELVIRA Fie Madam quit this tragicall designe Be not so cruell to your selfe CIMENA Shall I see My father die betweene my armes his bloud Crying vengeance to me and shan't I heare him Shall my heart thinke because 't is charm'd by love That nothing's due unto a fathers death But childish teares or shall I suffer love To steale into my heart and thrust out honour ELVIRA Beleeve me Madam you may well be pardon'd If you preserve unto your selfe a man You cannot paralell and one you love Y'have done enough to ha' beene with the King Ne're presse it farther be not obstinate CIMENA Then is my glory lost no it behoves I be reveng'd ELVIRA But you love Roderigo He can't displease you CIMENA No I 'le sweare he can't ELVIRA These things consider'd Madam what can you doe CIMENA To save mine honour and to put an end To all my griefes at once I am resolv'd First to pursue him unto death and then To die my selfe SCENE IV. RODERIGO to them RODERIGO TO save the trouble of Pursuing me behold I 'me here before you Glut your selfe with the pleasure of my death CIMENA What place is this Elvira who is this Roderigo in my house before my face RODERIGO Spare not my
the publick interest The private ones of bloud For credit me Cimena 't is enough to leave to love him Banish him from your heart and he will find A heavy punishment Your Countries good Requires this besides you must not thinke The King should grant you your request CIMENA He may Refuse me if he please but I must speake INFANTA Consider well Cimena what it is You goe about and thinke of it at leasure SCENE III KING D. DIEGO D. ARIAS. D. RODERIGO KING THou brave descendent of a noble race Who have been still supporters of my kingdome Who 's valour the first proofe of thine has equall'd My power is too narrow for thy merit To free thy Country of so rude a foe As are the Moores before my selfe could give Order for their repulse is such an act As flies beyond all thought of recompence But the two captiv'd Kings which thou hast taken Shall give thee thy reward they both have nam'd thee Their CID before me which in their tongue sounds As much as Lord in ours and this faire title I will not envy thee from henceforth be Their CID that at thy name the Moores may tremble And that my Subjects hearing it may know Thy value and how much to thee I owe RODERIGO Let not your Majesty confound your servant With too much shame to set so high a prise Upon so poore a service I must blush To see such honour done so slender merit My debt to you Sir and my Country is The bloud I live by and the aire I breath And when I lose 'um for so faire an object I doe Sir but the duty of a Subject KING Few of those whom their duty binds to serve me Can so acquit themselves as thou hast done Suffer then thy just praises and at full Relate the story of thy Victory RODERIGO Sir you have heard how in this urgent danger Which put the City in so great a tumult A company of my friends met at my fathers Mov'd me to goe upon this enterprize But I crave pardon of your Majesty For daring to imploy 'um without leave The danger was at hand So were my friends The hazard of my head made me I durst not Appeare at Court and I had rather lose My life in the defence of the whole State Than give it up unto Cimena's plaints KING I must excuse the heat of thy revenge The State defended speakes in thy defence Henceforth Cimena moves me but in vaine Whom if I heare 't is but to give her comfort But on with your relation RODERIGO Under me This troop advanc'd with such a confidence And so good order that where ere they pass'd They diffus'd courage through the lookers on Which so much mov'd um that although at first We number'd but five hundred ere we reacht The Port we were increas'd into three thousand Two thirds of these when I ariv'd I hid i th' bottom of our ships which there I found The rest whose number every houre increas'd Lay close to the ground and in deep silence past The greatest part of that faire night away To th' guard I gave commaund to doe the like Affirming stoutly that I had your order For what I did At length the glimmering star light Made us discover thirty saile comming up With a full tide for the swolne Sea at once Powr'd both it selfe and them into our Haven We let 'um passe discovering none of us i th' haven or the wals and this our silence Made them so confident of our surprise That presently they landed fiercely running To meet the ruine which awaited them Then rose we up having receiv'd the signall From those within our ships Who starting up in armes did so confound The Moores that they were frighted ere halfe landed They came to pillage but they met with War At Sea and Land we bore 'um down before us Many we slew i th' place before they could Fall into ranke or make the least resistance When sudainly in spight of our endeavours Their Princes rally'd their dispersed troops And from a shame they felt to dye so tamely They tooke new courage and restor'd their ranks With their swords drawne making their fight on foot Then fell the bravest of our Souldiers Mixt with their Captains the land the water Their Fleet our Haven seem'd a feild of slaughter Where death did onely triumph blood and darknesse Cover'd the place what had their valour beene Who fought thus in the darke had they been seene I on all sides encourag'd our own men Some I made fall upon the foe and others I kept from falling from us those that came I rang'd in order put 'um on the places Which they were to make good but what was done We had no meanes to know 'till the first light Shew'd us our victory and their losse They seeing a new supply come to our aide Fled now more fiercely than before they fought They got into their ships and cut their cables Disorderly retreating and not minding Whether their Kings retir'd or stay'd behind Feare more prevailing made them lose their duty They came in with the flood and with the ebb They went away In the meane time their Kings And some few of their men ingag'd amongst us Sold their lives deare enough I bid 'um yeeld But while they had a Sword to fight they would not Till seeing their Souldiers fall about their feet And that alone they must defend them selves They ask'd who was our leader I was nam'd They yeild themselves to me So was this Battaile Ended for want of men to fight it out And thus Sir when we are about your service To them D. ALONSO D. ALONSO Sir here 's Cimena come to aske you justice KING What shall I doe I would not have her see thee In stead of thankes I must dismisse thee from me But ere thou leav'st the Court returne againe Unto thy Kings embraces D. DIEGO 'T is strange she should Pursue the man thus whom she faine would save KING I 'me told she is in love with him I 'le try Cimena ent Make shew as you were sad At length Cimena Content your self for your desires have met With their successe Though Roderigo's valour Ha' got the better of the Moores Himselfe Has perish'd with the wounds he there receiv'd Give thankes to heaven that has given you vengeance Her colour 's chang'd already D. DIEGO But Sir marke Her swoundings and by them how she betrayes The secrets of her Soule surely she loves him CIMENA Is Roderigo dead then KING No no he lives And still remaines thy true and constant lover Thou shalt enjoy him take thy mirth againe CIMENA Sir we as often faint with joy as sadnesse And when excesse of that surprizes us It soone confounds our senses KING Thou would'st faine That to do thee a courtesie we should Beleeve impossibles but here thy sadnesse Has shew'd it selfe too plain CIMENA Well Sir you may Adde this too if you please to my misfortunes And call my