thankes but aside T' will be after a strange manner if Irus has Dispatched what he was hired too then my kind Lord I shall be a little too cunning for you Pol. My Lord you are gracious with the King Vir. I thanke his Maiesty I haue his care before another man Pol. Then see no pardon be granted you may stop any thing I knew Euphues will be soliciting for his sonne Vir. I warrant you my Lord no pardon passes whilst I am there I le bee a barre betwixt him and the King but hearke the King approaches Enter the King with attendants Ambo Health to your Maiesty King Count Virro and Lord Polimetes welcome You haue beene strangers at the Court of late But I can well excuse you Count you are about a wife A yong one and a faire one too they say Get me yong souldiers Count but speake When is the day I meane to be your guest You shall not steale a marriage Vir. I thanke your Maiesty but the marriage that I intended is stolen to my hand and by another King Stolne how man Vir. My promised wife Is lately stolne away by Philocles Lord Euphues sonne against her fathers will Who followed vm and apprehended them The Law may right vs Sir if it may haue course King No reason but the law should haue his course Enter Euphues Euph. Pardon dread Soueraigne pardon for my sonne King Your sonne Lord Euphues what is his offence Euph. No hainous one my Leige no plot of treason Against your royall person or your state These aged cheekes would blush to beg a pardon For such a foule offence no crying murder Hath steyned his innocent hands his fault was loue Loue my deare Leige vnfortunately he tooke The Daughter and Heire of Lord Polimetes Who followes him and seekes exstremity Pol. I seeke but Law I am abus'd my Leige Iustice is all I beg my Daughters stolne Staffe of my age let the law doe me right Vir. To his iust prayers doe I bend my knee My promised wife is stolne and by the sonne Of that iniurious Lord iustice I craue Euph. Be like those powers aboue whose place on earth You represent shew mercy gracious King For they are mercifull Pol. Mercy is but the Kings prerogatiue T is Iustice is his office doing that He can wrong no man no man can complaine But mercy shewed oft takes way reliefe From the wronged partie that the Law would giue him Eup. The Law is blind and speakes in generall termes She cannot pitty where occasion serues The liuing law can moderate her rigour And that 's the King Pol. The King I hope in this will not do so Eup. T is malice makes thee speake Hard hearted Lord hadst thou no other way To wreake thy cankred and long fostred hate Vpon my head but thus thus bloudily By my sonnes suffering and for such a fault As thou shouldst loue him rather is thy daughter Disparaged by his loue is his blood base Or are his fortunes sunke this law was made For such like cautions to restraine the base From wronging noble persons by attempts Of such a kind but where equality Meetes in the match the fault is pardonable Leu. Mercy my Soueraigne mercy gratious King Pol. Minion who sent for you t were more modesty For you to be at home King Let her alone speake Lady I charge you no man interupt her Enter Leucothoe Leu. If euer pitty toucht that princely brest If euer Virgins teares had power to moue Or if you euer lou'd and felt the pangs That other louers doe pitty great King Pitty and pardon two vnhappy Louers King Your life is not in question Leu. Yes royall Sir If Law condemne my Philocles he and I Haue but one heart and can haue but one fate Eu. Excellent vertue thou hadst not this from thy father King Ther 's Musicke in her voice and in her face More then a mortall beauty Oh my heart I shall be lost in passion if I heare her I le heere no more conuey her from my presence Quickly I say Eu. This is strange Vir. I told you what he would doe I knew He would not here of a pardon and I against it He respects me Pol. No doubt he does my Lord I like this passage well King But stay Stay Lady let me heare you beshrew my heart My minde was running of another matter Vir. Where the diuell hath his minde bin all this while Perhaps he heard none of vs neither We may eene tell our tales againe Pol. No sure he heard vs but t is very strange King T is such a tempting poison I draw in I cannot stay my draught rise vp Lady Leu. Neuer vntill your graces pardon raise me Ther 's pitty in your eye oh shew it Sir Say Pardon gracious King t is but a word And short but welcome as the breath of life King I le further here the manner of this fact Auoid the presence all all but the Lady And come not till I send Pol. I like not this Vir. Nor I here is mad dancing Eu. Heauen blesse thy sute thou mirror of thy sex And best example of true constant loue That in the Sea of thy transcendent vertues Drown'st all thy fathers malice and redeem'st More in my thoughts then all thy kin can lose exeunt King Now Lady what would you doe to saue the life Of him you loue so deerely Leu. I cannot thinke that thought I would not doe Lay it in my power and beyond my power I would attempt King You would be thankefull then To me if I should grant his pardon Leu. If euer I were thankefull to the gods For all that I call mine my health and being Could I to you be vnthankefull for a gift I value more then those without which These blessings were but wearisome King Those that are thankefull study to requite A courtesie would you doe so would you requite This fauour Leu. I cannot Sir For all the seruice I can doe your Grace Is but my duty you are my Soueraigne And all my deedes to you are debts not merits But to those powers aboue that can requite That from their vastlesse treasures hope rewards More out of grace then merrit on vs mortals To those I le euer pray that they would giue you More blessings then I haue skill to aske King Nay but Leucothoe this lies in thy power to requite thy loue will make requitall wilt thou loue me Leu. I euer did my Lord I was instructed from my infancy To loue and honour you my Soueraigne King But in a neerer bond of loue Leu. There is no neerer nor no truer loue Then that a loyall subiect beares a Prince King Still thou wilt not conceiue me I must deale plain With you wilt thou lye with me and I will seale his Pardon presently nay more I le heape vpon you Both all fauours all honours that a Prince can giue Leu. Oh me vnhappy in what a sad dilemma stands my choise Either to
lose the man my soule most loues Or saue him by a deed of such dishonour As he will euer loath me for and hate To draw that breath that was so basely kept Name any thing but that to saue his life I know you doe but tempt my frailty Sir I know your royall thoughts could neuer stoope To such a foul dishonourable act King Bethinke your selfe there is no way but that I sweare by Heauen neuer to pardon him But vpon those conditions Leu. Oh I am miserable King Thou art not if not wilfull yeeld Leucothoe It shall be secret Philocles for his life Shall thanke thy loue but neuer know the price Thou paidst for it be wise thou heardst me sweare I cannot now shew mercy thou maist saue him And if he dye t is thou that art the Tyrant Leu. I should be so if I should saue him thus Nay I should be a Traytor to your grace Betray your soule to such a foe as lust But since your oath is past deare Philocles I le shew to thee an honest cruelty And rather follow thee in spotlesse death Then buy with sinning a dishonoured life King Yet pitty me Leucothoe cure the wound Thine eyes hath made pitty a begging King Vncharme the charmes of thy bewitching face Or thou wilt leaue me dead will nothing moue thee Thou art a Witch a Traytor thou hast sought By vnresisted spels thy soueraignes life Who are about vs there call in the Lords againe Lord Polemetes take your daughter to you Keepe her at home Pol. I will my Leige Rosio see her there I wonder what is done King Euphues I haue tane a solemne oath Neuer to grant a pardon to thy sonne Euph. O say not so my Leige your grace I know Has mercy for a greater fault then this King My oath is past and cannot be recalled Pol. This is beyond our wishes Vir. What made him sweare this I wonder Euph. A heauy oath to me and most vnlooked for Your iustice Sir has set the period Vnto a loyall house a Family That haue bin props of the Sicylian crowne That with their blouds in many an honourd field Gainst the hot French and Neopolitan Haue seru'd for you and your great Ancestors Their children now can neuer more doe so Farewell my Soueraigne whilest I in teares Spend the sad remnant of my childlesse age I le pray for your long life and happy raigne And may your Grace and your Posterity At neede finde hands as good and hearts as true As ours haue euer beene King Farewell good old man Eup. For you my Lord your cruelty has deseru'd A curse from me but I can vtter none Your Daughters goodnesse has weigh'd down your malice Heauen prosper her Poly. Amen King He is an honest man and truely noble Oh my rash oath my lust that was the cause Would any price would buy it in againe Vi. Your Maiesty is iust Pol. T is a happy Land Where the King squares his actions by the law King Away you are base and bloudy That feedes your malice with pretence of iustice T is such as you make Princes tirranous And hated of their subiects but looke too 't Looke your owne heads stands fast for if the law Doe finde a hole in your coates beg no mercy Vir. Pardon vs my Lord we were wrong'd Pol. And sought redresse but by a lawfull course King Well leaue me alone Vir. Fare well my Leige now let him chafe alone Pol. Now we haue our ends exeunt King Is there no meanes to saue him no way To get a dispensation for an oath None that I know except the Court of Rome Will grant one that 's well thought on I will not spare for gold and that will doe it Nicanor Nica. Sir King What booke is that Thou hadst from Paris about the price of sinnes Nic. T is cald the Texes of the Apostolicall Chancery Kin. Is there a price for any sinne set downe Nic. A my Sir how heinous ere it be Or of what nature for such a summe of money As is set downe there it shall be remitted Kin. That 's well go fetch the book presently exit Nic. Nic. I will my Lord Kin. Sure there is periury Among the rest and I shall know what rate It beares before I haue committed it How now hast brought it Nic. Yes Sir Kin. Reade I would know the price of periury Nic I shall find it quickly here 's an Index he reads Imp For murder of all kinds of a Clergy man of a lay man of father mother Sonne brother sister wife Kin. Reade till you come at periury Nic. Item for impoysoning enchantments witchcraft Sacriledge simony and their kind and Branches Item pro lapsu carnis fornication Adultery incest without any exception or Distinction for sodomy Brutality or any of That kind Kin. My heart shakes with horror To heare the names of such detested sinnes Can these be bought for any price of money Or do these merchants but deceiue the world With their false Wares no more of that foule booke I will know what I came to know I would not for the world redeeme my oath By such a course as this no more Nicanor Vnlesse thou finde a price for Atheisme Nic. Here 's none for that my Lord his Holinesse Can pardon that in no man but himselfe Kin. Well this is not the way I haue thought of another that may proue And both discharge my oath and saue his life Nicanor run presently call Matho hither Matho the Lawyer command him to make hast I long to be resolued Nic. I runne Sir King He is a subtill Lawyer and may find Some point that in the Lawes obscurity Hes hid from vs some point may doe vs good I haue seene some of his profession Out of case as plaine as cleere as day To our weake iudgements and no doubt at first Meant like our thoughts by those that made the Law Picke out such hard inextricable doubts That they haue spun a suit of seuen yeere long And leade their hood winke Clients in a wood A most irremoueable Labyrinth Till they haue quite consum'd vm this they can doe In other cases why not as well in this I haue seene others could extend the Law Vpon the wrack or cut it short againe To their owne priuate profits as that thiefe Cruell Procrustes seru'd his haplesse guests To fit them to his bed Well I shall see I would Nicanor were returned againe I would faine ease my conscience of that oath That rash and inconsiderate oath I tooke But see heere they are comming Enter Matho Ma. Health to my Soueraigne King Matho welcome I sent for thee about a businesse I would intreate thy helpe in Ma. Your Highnesse may command my seruice In that or any thing lies in my power King T is to decide a case that troubles me Ma. If it lye within the compasse of my knowledge I will resolue your Highnesse presently King Then thus it is Lord Euphues sonne Yong
Shallow Luce Fran. Nay fret not now you haue beene worse abusd If you had married her she neuer lou'd you Luce. I euer scorn'd thy folly and hated thee though Sometimes afore my father I would make an Asse Of thee Shal. Oh women monstrous women Little does her father know who has married her Luce. Yes he knowes the Parson married me And you can witnesse that Fran. And he shall know the Parson will lye with her Shal. Well Parson I will be reuenged on all thy coate I will not plough an Acre of ground for you to Tyth I le rather pasture my neighbours cattle For nothing Par. Oh be more charitable Sir bid God giue vm ioy Shal. I care not greatly if I do he is not the first Parson that has taken a gentlemans leauings Fran. How meane you Sir Shal. You guesse my meaning I hope to haue good luck To horse-flesh now she is a Parsons wife Fran. You haue laine with her then Sir Shal. I cannot tell you that but if you saw a woman with child without lying with a man then perhaps I haue not Luce. Impudent Coxcombe darest thou say that euer thou layst with mee didst thou euer so much as kisse my hand in priuate Shal. These things must not be spoken of in company Luce. Thou know'st I euer hated thee Shal. But when you were i' th good humour you would tell me another tale Luce. The foole is mad by heauen my Francisco I am wrong'd He discouers himselfe Fran. Then I must change my note sirrah vnsay What you haue spoken sweare here before The Parson and my selfe you neuer toucht her or I le cut thy throat it is Francisco threatens thee Shal. I am in a sweete case what should I doe now her Father thinkes I haue laine with her if I deny it Hee le haue about with me if I say I haue this Young rogue will cut my throat Fran. Come will you sweare Shal. I would I were fairely off I would lose my wench with all my heart I sweare Fran. So now thou art free from any imputation that his tongue can stick vpon thee Enter Franklin Frank. Well now I see t is done Shal. Her 's one Shall 〈◊〉 with you Frank. God giue you ioy sonne Fran. I thanke you father Frank. How 's this Francisco in the Parsons habite Fran I haue married her as you bad me Sir but this Was the truer Parson of the two he tyed the Knot and this Gentleman is our witnesse 〈◊〉 〈…〉 vndone Strumpet thou hast betraied thy 〈…〉 beggery to shame besides and that in open Court 〈…〉 what thou hast sought hang beg and starue I le 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Good Sir Sâ—â—l.. I told you what would come on 't 〈◊〉 How did your wisedome lose her 〈◊〉 〈…〉 you see I was beguild and so were you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take her thou seest the portion thou art like to haue Fran. T is such a portion as will euer please 〈…〉 for her sake be not vnnaturall 〈◊〉 Do not reiect me father Fran. But for the fault 〈…〉 were for or shame shee should endure in 〈◊〉 behold her yet an vntoucht Virgin Cushion come 〈…〉 Shallow take your child vnto you make 〈…〉 proue as wise as the father He the Cushion at him Frank This is more strange then tother ah Luce weâ—◠〈◊〉 so subtill to deceiue thy selfe and me well 〈…〉 t is thine owne choise 〈◊〉 Sir we can force no bounty from you and thereâ—â—â—â— must rest content with what your pleasure is Enter Euphues Alphonso 〈◊〉 〈…〉 he is my Lord that 's he in the Parsons 〈…〉 thus disguisd about the businesse I told you of Lysandro see your noble father Eu. Welcome my long lost sonne from all the stormes Of frowning fortune that thou hast endur'd Into thy fathers armes Luce. Iâ— my Francisco noble Frank. Lord Euphues sonne I am amaz'd Eup. I heare Lysandro that you are married Francisco Yes my Lord this is my Bride the Daughter and Heyre of this rich Gentleman t was onely she that when my state was nothing my poore selfe and Parentage vnknowne vouchsaf't to know nay grace mee with her loue her constant loue Euph. Such merit must not be forgot my sonne Daughter much ioy attend vpon your choise Fran. Now wants but your consent Frank. Which with a willing heart I do bestow Pardon me worthy sonne I haue so long Beene hard to you t was ignorance Of what you were and care I tooke for her Fran. Your care needes no Apology Euph. But now Lysandro I must make thee sad Vpon thy wedding day and let thee know There is no pure and vncompounded ioy Lent to 〈◊〉 in depth of woe Thou 〈◊〉 the knowledge of thy parentage Thy elder 〈…〉 Philocles must dye And 〈…〉 our name and house Had 〈…〉 euer had not gracious heauen Sent as a courtier to my childlesse age Thy long lost selfe supporter of the name Franc. But can there be no meanes to saue his life Euph. 〈…〉 none the King has tane an oath Neuer to 〈◊〉 him but since they say His Majestie repents and faine would saue him Franc, Then up I wretched like a man long blind That comes at last to see the wisht for sonne But finde it in ecclipse such is my case To meete in this darke woe my dearest friends Eu. Had you not heard this newes before Lysandro Fran. Yes Sir and did lament As for a worthy stranger but nere knew My sorrow stood engag'd by such a tye As brotherhood where may we see him Sir Eu. This morning hee 's arraign'd put of that habite You are in and goe along with me leaue your Friends heare awhile Fran. Farewell father Deare Luce till soone farewell nought but so sad A chaunce could make mee cloudy now Exeunt Frank Well Luce thy choice has proued better then we Expected but this cloud of griefe has dimde Our mirth but will I hope blow ouer Heauen graunt it may And signior Shallow though you haue mist what My loue meant you once pray be my guest Shal. I thanke you Sir I le not be strange Exeunt Enter King Nicanor King Nicanor I would find some priuy place Where I might stand vnseene vnknowne of any To heare the arraignment of yong Philocles Ni. The Iudges are now entring please you Sir Heere to ascend you may both heare and see King Well I le goe vp And like a iealous husband heere and see That that will strike me dead am I a King And cannot pardon such a small offence I cannot doo 't nor am I Caesar now Lust has vncrown'd me and my rash tane oath Hâ—s 〈◊〉 of a Kings prerogatiue Come come Nicanor helpe me to ascend And â—ee that fault that I want power to mend Ascendant Enter Iudges Virro Polimetes Euphues Francisco Leucothoe Clerimont Roscio 1. Iu. Bring forth the prisoner where are the witnesses Pol. Here my Lords I am the wrong'd party And the fact my man here besides the Officers That tooke them can iustifie