you stood to in your stay But the bad ground that bore vp your contempt Makes you arriue at no port but repentance Despayre and ruine Byr. Be what port it will At which your will will make me be ariued I am not come to iustifie my selfe To aske you pardon nor accuse my friends Hen. If you conceale my enemies you are one And then my pardon shall be worth your asking Or else your head be worth my cutting of Byr. Being friend and worthy fautor of my selfe I am no foe of yours nor no empayrer Since he can no way worthely maintaine His Princes honor that neglects his owne And if your will haue beene to my true reason Maintaining still the truth of loyalty A checke to my free nature and mine honor And that on your free iustice I presum'd To crosse your will a little I conceiue You will not thinke this forfaite worth my head Hen. Haue you maintaind your truth of loyalty When since I pardoned foule ententions Resoluing to forget eternally What they apperd in And had welcomd you as the kind father doth his riotous son I can approue facts fowler then th' intents Of deepe disloyalty and highest treason Byr. May this right hand be thunder to my brest If I stand guilty of the slendrest fact Wherein the left of those two can be prooued For could my tender conscience but haue toucht At any such vnnaturall relaps I would not with this confidence haue runne Thus headlong in the furnace of a wrath Blowne and thrice kindled hauing way enough In my election both to shunne and sleight it Hen. Y' are grosely and vain gloriously abus'd There is no way in Sauoy nor in Spaine To giue a foole that hope of your escape And had you not euen when you did arriued With horror to the proudest hope you had I would haue fetcht you Byr. You must then haue vs'd A power beyond my knowledge and a will Beyond your iustice For a little stay More then I vsd would hardly haue beene worthy Of such an open expedition In which to all the censures of the world My faith and Innocence had beene fouly foyld Which I protest by heauens bright wittnesses That shine farr farr from mixture with our feares Retaine as perfect roundnes as their spheares Hen T is well my Lord I thought I could haue frighted Your firmest confidence some other time We will as now in priuate sift your actions And poure more then you thinke into the side Alwaies reseruing clemency and pardon Vpon confession be you nere so foule Come le ts cleere vp our browes shall we to tennis Byr. I my Lord if I may make the match The Duke Espernon and my selfe will play With you and Count Soissons Esp. I know my Lord You play well but you make your matches ill Hen. Come t is a match Exit Byr. How like you my ariuall Esp. I le tell you as your friend in your eare You haue giuen more preferment to your courage Then to the prouident counsailes of your friends D Au. I told him so my Lord and much was grieu'd To see his bold approach so full of will Byr. Well I must beare it now though but with th' head The shoulders bearing nothing Esp. By Saint Iohn T is a good headlesse resolution Exeunt ACTVS 4. SCEN. 1. Byron D'Avuergne Byr. O the most base fruites of a setled peace In men I meane worse then their durty fields Which they manure much better them-selues For them they plant and sowe and ere they grow Weedie and choakt with thornes they grub and proyne And make them better then when cruell warre Frighted from thence the sweaty labourer But men them-selues in steed of bearing fruites Growe rude and foggie ouer-growne with weedes Their spirits and freedomes smootherd in their ease And as their tyrants and their ministers Growe wilde in prosecution of their lusts So they grow prostitute and lye like whores Downe and take vp to their abhord dishonors The friendlesse may be iniur'd and opprest The guiltlesse lead to slaughter the deseruer Giuen to the begger right be wholy wrongd And wrong be onely honor'd till the strings Of euery mans heart crack and who will stirre To tell authority that it doth erre All men cling to it though they see their blouds In their most deare associates and Allyes Pour'd into kennels by it and who dares But looke well in the breast whom that impayres How all the Court now lookes askew on me Go by without saluting shun my sight Which like a march sunne agues breeds in them From whence of late 't was health to haue a beame D'Au. Now none will speake to vs we thrust our selues Into mens companies and offer speech As if not made for their diuerted eares Their backs turnd to vs and their words to others And we must like obsequious Parasites Follow their faces winde about their persons For lookes and answers or be cast behinde No more viewd then the wallet of their faults Enter Soisson Byr. Yet here 's one views me and I thinke will speake Soiss. My Lord if you respect your name and race The preseruation of your former honors Merites and vertues humbly cast them all At the kings mercy for beyond all doubt Your acts haue thether driuen them he hath proofes So pregnant and so horride that to heare them Would make your valure in your very lookes Giue vp your forces miserably guilty But he is most loth for his ancient loue To your rare vertues and in their empaire The full discouragement of all that liue To trust or fauour any gifts in Nature T' expose them to the light when darknesse may Couer her owne broode and keepe still in day Nothing of you but that may brooke her brightnesse You know what horrors these high strokes do bring Raisd in the arme of an incensed King Byr. My Lord be sure the King cannot complaine Of any thing in me but my true seruice Which in so many dangers of my death May so approoue my spotlesse loyaltie That those quite opposite horrors you assure Must looke out of his owne ingratitude Or the malignant enuies of my foes Who powre me out in such a Stygian flood To drowne me in my selfe since their deserts Are farre from such a deluge and in me Hid like so many riuers in the Sea Soiss: You thinke I come to found you fare you wel Exit Enter Chancellor Espernon Ianin Vidame Vytry Pralin whisperinge by couples c. D' Au: See see not one of them will cast a glaunce At our eclipsed faces Byr: They keepe all to cast in admiration on the King For from his face are all their faces moulded D' Au: But when a change comes we shall see them all Chang'd into water that will instantly Giue looke for looke as if it watcht to greete vs Or else for one they 'l giue vs twenty faces Like to the little specks on sides of glasses Byr: Is 't not an easie losse to
heart If it but thinke of doing any good Thou witchest with thy smiles suckst bloud with praises Mock'st al humanitie society poisonst Coosinst with vertue with religion Betrayst and massacrest so vile thy selfe That thou suspectst perfection in others A man must thinke of all the villanies He knowes in all men to descipher thee That art the centre to impietie Away and tempt me not Laf. But you tempt me To what thou Sunne be iudge and make him see Exit Sau. Now by my dearest Marquisate of Salusses Your Maiestie hath with the greatest life Describ'd a wicked man or rather thrust Your arme downe through him to his very feete And pluckt his inside out that euer yet Mine eares did witnesse or turnd eares to Eies And those strange Characters writ in his face which at first sight were hard for me to reade The Doctrine of your speech hath made so plaine That I run through them like my naturall language Nor do I like that mans Aspect me thinkes Of all lookes where the Beames of Starres haue caru'd Their powrefull influences And O rare What an heroicke more than royall Spirite Bewraide you in your first speech that defies Protection of vile droanes that eate the honny Swette from laborious vertue and denies To giue those of Nauarre though bred with you The benefites and dignities of Fraunce When little Riuers by their greedy currants Farre farre extended from their mother springs Drinke vp the forraine brookes still as they runne And force their greatnesse when they come to Sea And iustle with the Ocean for a roome O how he roares and takes them in his mouth Digesting them so to his proper streames That they are no more seene hee nothing raisde Aboue his vsuall bounds yet they deuour'd That of themselues were pleasant goodly flouds Hen. I would doe best for both yet shall not be secure Till in some absolute heires my Crowne be setled There is so little now betwixt Aspirers And their great obiect in my onely selfe That all the strength they gather vnder me Tempts combate with mine owne I therefore make Meanes for some issue by my marriage Which with the great Dukes neece is now concluded And she is comming I haue trust in heauen I am not yet so olde but I may spring And then I hope all traitrous hopes will fade Sau. Else may their whole estates flie rooted vp To Ignominie and Obliuion And being your neighbor seruant and poore kinsman I wish your mighty Race might multiply Euen to the Period of all Emperie Hen. Thankes to my princely coozen this your loue And honour shewne me in your personall presence I wish to welcome to your full content The peace I now make with your brother Archduke By Duke Byron our Lord Ambassadour I wish may happily extend to you And that at his returne we may conclude it Sau. It shall be to my heart the happiest day Of all my life and that life all employd To celebrate the honour of that day Exeunt Enter Roiseau Rois. The wondrous honour doone our Duke Byron In his Ambassage heere in th' Archdukes Court I feare will taint his loyaltie to our King I will obserue how they obserue his humour And glorifie his valure and how he Accepts and stands attractiue to their ends That so I may not seeme an idle spot In traine of this ambassage but returne Able to giue our King some note of all Worth my attendance And see heere 's the man Who though a French man and in Orleance borne Seruing the Arch-duke I doe most suspect Is set to be the tempter of our Duke I le goe where I may see all though not heare Enter Picoté with two other spreading a Carpet Pic. Spreade heere this historie of Cateline That Earth may seeme to bring forth Roman Spirites Euen to his Geniall feete and her darke breast Be made the cleare Glasse of his shining Graces Wee le make his feete so tender they shall gall In all paths but to Empire and therein I le make the sweete Steppes of his State beginne Exit Lowde Musique and enter Byron Byr. What place is this what ayre what rhegion In which a man may heare the harmony Of all things moouing Hymen marries heere Their ends and vses and makes me his Temple Hath any man beene blessed and yet liu'd The bloud turnes in my veines I stand on change And shall dissolue in changing t is so full Of pleasure not to be containde in flesh To feare a violent Good abuseth Goodnes T is Immortallitie to die aspiring As if a man were taken quicke to heauen What will not holde Perfection let it burst What force hath any Cannan not being chargde Or being not dischargde To haue stuffe and forme And to lie idle fearefull and vnus'd Nor forme nor stuffe shewes happy Semele That died comprest with Glorie Happinesse Denies comparison of lesse or more And not at most is nothing like the shaft Shot at the Sunne by angry Hercules And into shiuers by the thunder broken Will I be if I burst And in my heart This shall be written yet t was high and right Musique againe Heere too they follow all my steppes with Musique As if my feete were numerous and trode sounds Out of the Center with Apolloes vertue That out of euery thing his ech-part toucht Strooke musicall accents wheresoe're I goe They hide the earth from me with couerings rich To make me thinke that I am heere in heauen Enter Picote in haste Pic. This way your Highnesse Byr. Come they Pic. I my Lord Exeunt Enter the other Commissioners of Fraunce Belieure Brulart Aumall Orenge Bel. My Lord d' Aumall I am exceeding sorie That your owne obstinacie to hold out Your mortall enmitie against the King When Duke du Maine and all the faction yeelded Should force his wrath to vse the rites of treason Vpon the members of your sencelesse Statue Your Name and House when he had lost your person Your loue and duety Bru. That which men enforce By their owne wilfulnesse they must endure With willing patience and without complaint D'Aum. I vse not much impatience nor complaint Though it offends me much to haue my name So blotted with addition of a Traitor And my whole memory with such despight Markt and begun to be so rooted out Bru. It was despight that held you out so long Whose penance in the King was needfull iustice Bel Come let vs seeke our Duke and take our leaues Of th' Archdukes grace Exeunt Enter Byron and Pycotè Byr. Here may we safely breathe Py. No doubt my Lord no stranger knowes this way Onely the Arch-duke and your friend Count Mansfield Perhaps may make their generall scapes to you To vtter some part of their priuate loues Ere your departure Byr. Then I well perceiue To what th' intention of his highnesse tends For whose and others here most worthy Lords I will become with all my worth their seruant In any office but disloyaltie But that
was giuen the 22. of this month condemning the said Duke of Byron of heigh treason for his direct conspiracies against the kings person enterprises against his state Byr. That is most false let me for euer be Depriued of heauen as I shall be of earth If it be true knowe worthy country-men These two and twenty moneths I haue bene clere Of all atempts against the king and state Har. Treaties and trecheries with his Enemies being marshall of the Kings army for reparation of which crimes they depriued him of all his estates honors and dignities and condemned him to lose his head vpon a Scaffold at the Greaue Byr. The Greaue had that place stood for my dispatch I had not yeelded all your forces should not Stire me one foote wild horses should haue drawne My body peece-meale eare you all had brought me Har. Declaring all his goods moueable and inmoueable whatsoeuer to be confiscate to the King the Signeury of Byron to loose the title of Duchy and Peere for euer Byr. Now is your forme contented Cha. I my Lord And I must now entreat you to deliuer Your order vp the king demands it of you Byr. And I restore it with my vow of safty In that world where both he and I are one I neuer brake the oth I tooke to take it Cha. We 'l now my Lord wee 'l take our latest leaues Beseeching heauen to take as clere from you All sence of torment in your willing death All loue and thought of what you must leaue here As when you shall aspire heauens highest sphere Byr. Thankes to your Lordship and let me pray to That you will hold good censure of my life By the cleere witnesse of my soule in death That I haue neuer past act gainst the King Which if my faith had let me vndertake They had bene three yeares since amongst the dead Harl: Your soule shall finde his safety in her owne Call the executioner Byr: Good sir I pray Go after and beseech the Chancellor That he will let my body be interrd Amongst my predecessors at Byron Desc: I go my Lord Exit Byr: Go go can all go thus And no man come with comfort farewell world He is at no end of his actions blest Whose ends will make him greatest and not best They tread no ground but ride in ayre on stormes That follow State and hunt their empty formes Who see not that the Valleys of the world Make euen right with the Mountains that they grow Greene and lye warmer and euer peacefull are When Clowdes spit fire as Hilles and burne them bare Not Valleys part but we should imitate Streames That run below the Valleys and do yeeld To euery Mole-hill euery Banke imbrace That checks their Currants and when Torrents come That swell and raise them past their naturall height How madde they are and trubl'd like low straines With Torrents crownd are men with Diademes Vit: My Lord t is late wilt please you to go vp Byr. Vp t is a faire preferment ha ha ha There should go showtes to vp-shots not a breath Of any mercy yet come since we must Whos 's this Pral: The executioner my Lord Byr: Death slaue downe or by the blood that moues me I le plucke thy throat out goe I le call you straight Hold boy and this Hang Soft boy I le barre you that Byr: Take this then yet I pray thee that againe I do not ioy in sight of such a Pageant As presents death Though this life haue a cursse T is better then another that is worse Arch My Lord now you are blinde to this worlds sight Looke vpward to a world of endles light Byr: I I you talke of vpward still to others And downwards looke with headlong eyes your selues Now come you vp sir But not touch me yet Where shall I be now Hang Heere my Lord Byr: Where 's that Hang There there my Lord Byr: And where slaue is that there Thou seest I see not yet I speake as I saw Well now i st fit Hang Kneele I beseech your Grace That I may do mine office with most order Byr: Do it and if at one blow thou art short Giue one and thirty I le indure them all Hold stay a little comes there yet no mercy High Heauen curse these exemplarie proceedings When Iustice failes they sacrifize our example Hang Let me beseech you I may cut your haire Byr: Out vgly Image of my cruell Iustice Yet wilt thou be before me stay my will Or by the will of Heauen I le strangle thee Vit: My Lord you make to much of this your body Which is no more your owne Byr: Nor is it yours I le take my death with all the horride rites And representments of the dread it merits Let tame Nobilitie and nummed fooles That apprehend not what they vndergo Be such exemplarie and formall sheepe I will not haue him touch me till I will If you will needs racke me beyond my reason Hell take me but I le strangle halfe that 's here And force the rest to kill me I le leape downe If but once more they tempt me to dispaire You wish my quiet yet giue cause of fury Thinke you to set rude windes vpon the Sea Yet keepe it calme or cast me in a sleepe With shaking of my chaines about myne eares O honest Soldiers you haue seene me free From any care of many thousand deathes Yet of this one the manner doth amaze me View view this wounded bosome how much bound Should that man make me that would shoote it through Is it not pitty I should lose my life By such a bloody and infamous stroake Soldi Now by thy spirit and thy better Angell If thou wert cleere the Continent of France Would shrinke beneath the burthen of thy death Ere it would beare are it Vit: Whos 's that Soldi I say well And cleere your Iustice here is no ground shrinks If he were cleere it would And I say more Clere or not cleere If he with all his foulenesse Stood here in one Skale and the Kings chiefe Mynion Stood in another here Put here a pardon Here lay a royall gift this this in merit Should hoyse the other Mynion into ayre Vit: Hence with that franticke Byr: This is some poore witnes That my desert might haue out-weighed my forfeyt But danger hauntes desert when he is Greatest His hearty ills are prou'd out of his glaunces And Kings suspicions needes no Ballances So her 's a most decreetall end of me VVhich I desire in me may end my wrongs Commend my loue I charge you to my brothers And by my loue and misery command them To keepe their faiths that bind them to the King And proue no stomakers of my misfortunes Nor come to Court till time hath eaten out The blots and skarres of my opprobrious death And tell the Earle my deare friend of D'Auergne That my death vtterly were free from griefe But for the sad losse of his worthy friendship And if I had beene made for longer life I would haue more deseru'd him in my seruice Beseeching him to know I haue not vsde One word in my arraignement that might touch him Had I no other want then so ill meaning And so farewell for euer neuer more Shall any hope of my reuiuall see mee Such is the endlesse exile of dead men Summer succeeds the spring Autumne the Summer The Frosts of Winter the falne leaues of Autumne All these and all fruites in them yearely fade And euery yeare returne but cursed man Shall neuer more renew his vanisht face Fall on your knees then Statists ere yee fall That you may rise againe knees bent too late Stick you in earth like statues see in me How you are powr'd downe from your cleerest heauens Fall lower yet mixt with th' vnmoued center That your owne shadowes may no longer mocke yee Stricke stricke O stricke Flie flie commanding soule And on thy wings for this thy bodies breath Beare the eternall victory of death FINIS