Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A01253
|
Imperiale a tragedie.
|
Freeman, Ralph, Sir, fl. 1610-1655.
|
1639
(1639)
|
STC 11369; ESTC S117291
|
30,974
|
64
|
is our duty to discharge that trust With all integrity and not to looke Vpon mens persons but to weigh their crimes In equall ballance to which purpose now Although a strange and horrid sacriledge Ha's cald us hither in unusuall haste Yet it must be our cheife care to proceed With due deliberation otherwise Though just our sentence be we are unjust Doc. I have for some yeares had the happines To be a witnes of your constant session In all which time I have not heard a sentence Pronounc't by you that envy could pervert Iud. We must not thinke we deserve prayse for that Which to neglect would merit punishment Doc. But yet there are degrees of good and ill Wherein the actor takes a liberty Iud. Yet where the lawe prescribes a certaine rule A iust Iudge cannot challenge liberty But let us now pursue the worke in hand Where is the pris'ner Off. Heere Doc. Let him draw neere Iud. His name Off. He calls himselfe Virdugo sir Iud. Then know Virdugo though thy haynous fact Be evident yet the Iustice of this state Grants thee free leave to answer for thy selfe Ver. I thanke the state for their set complement Iud. Bring forth the witnesses that he may see them Off. They are both heere an 't please your excellence Iud. Have they bin sworne Doc. Yes both sir before me Iud. Then by the oath you tooke declare the truth Of what you know concerning this delinquent Begin you first Wit 1. Aboute som three howres since Being in the Domo I espi'd this man At his first entrance and although I never To my remembrance saw his face before Yet instantly I found a strange mislike Of his aspect which did increase the more Because I saw him often fix his eyes On him he slew whom I conceiv'd to be Signior Imperiale I reveal'd my thoughts To this yong man who then stood next me who Concurring with me did resolve as I To watch him narrowly we both agreed To keepe on either side of him at length In midst of all the crowd raising his arme To fetch his blow he hit me with his elbow At which I suddenly laid hold on him Supposing he had snatcht at some mans purse But then I saw drop from his hand the sheath Of that dire weapon he had newly buried In the warme bowels of that Gentleman Wit 2. Most part of this I averre I stood so neere him That I perceiv'd the motion of his arme And looking down spi'd bloud upon his hand Ver. The Canker take your Phisiognomy That made you try conclusions upon me Iud. There cannot be more cleere and pregnant proofe What have you to alledge in your defence Doc. He hath confest the fact Iud. Hath he confest Who set him on whether he meant to kill Signior Imperiale or yong Spinola Ver. The one had done me wrong but destiny Made th' other take a Carnivall disguise Somewhat too soone Iud. Such recreations Though in themselves they be in different Yet in a sacred Temple th' are prophane And draw downe vengeance Ver. Had there bin but hope To have enervated their testimony The racke nor the Strapado no nor yet The subtler torment both of fire and water Should have inforc't me to the least confession But 't is my fate and therefore let me heare My passing bell my doome quickly pronounc'd For 't were ridiculous to expect favour Since your integrity as you confest May not shew any where the law condemnes Doc. Dar'st thou deride the Iudge Iud. Let him alone He hath no sence of his owne misery His boldnesse moves not me I shall proceed With the unchanged countenance of Law And with a voyce not furious but severe When I condemne a guilty man 't is done As if I strooke a Serpent not with passion Doc. His wicked acts have hardned him he came No novice to this cruell enterprise In Venice he climing a Ladder shot Through the glasse window a Clarissimo Sitting at supper flew a Count of Naples In his owne garden having first observ'd A place where he might scale the wall t' escape And that his wants may not obtrude the guilt Vpon his fortune he but lately ravish't A yong and Noble Virgin in Siena The onely daughter of Petruccio Ver. Can that be thought to be a great offence Doc. The harmelesse man thinks it no great offence With hot and beastly lust to vitiate A Damzell at the most but ten yeers old Ver. Beleeve it I have found um good at eight Why there are many like Quartella sir Remember not that they were ever maids Iud. He takes delight not onely in the act But in the infamy of wickednesse But I will rid the world of such a monster And therefore now Verdugo I pronounce Because th' hast heap'd up crimes and drunk in vice Which is dispersed into every limbe Thy body shall be laid upon a wheele And limb by limb be broken till thou dyest Nor shalt thou then finde any other grave Then the blacke mawes of Vultures and remaine In the meane time a spectacle to men This sentence justice hath declar'd by me Ver. Sir Iud. Not to be revok't take him away And early in the morning see 't be done Ver. I 'le beare it manfully although I feele Ixion like the torment of the wheele Iud. Such malefactors in a State are like To putrified members in mans body Which like a skilfull Surgeon law findes best To cut off quite lest they infect the rest Chorus of two 1 LOve built on vertue cannot be Led by a rash credulitie To entertaine reports that tend To the dishonour of a friend True love is confident a doubt That slakes loves fire will put out 2 As they whose tongues are us'd to erre Are not beleev'd when they averre That which is true so when we know A story false in part we grow Iealous of all if truth once touch On falshood it is render'd such 1 When men in their revengefull hate Doe study others ruines Fate Acts Iustice part to let them see They plotted their owne misery 'T is just that they themselves should finde What they to others have design'd 2 But how are these amaz'd when they Being about to seize their prey Finde themselves caught yet doe not know From whence they did receive the blow Like him that hid his gold in hope To keepe it safe but found a rope 1 Though they could blinde and bribe the law And keepe all witnesses in awe By their great power though they could make By cunning the whole Stake mistake Yet can they be so void of sense To thinke to cozen Providence 2 If mischiefe-workers would but bend Their guilty thoughts to weigh the end Of their ill deeds they would confesse No safety found in wickednesse How can those crimes that heaven doth see And so abhor unpunish't be Actus Quartus Scena Prima Evagrio Iustiniane Eva. BEleeve it sir h 'as all the signes of phrensie His inflam'd bloud boyles in
cheerfully from shrivel'd Tythons bed And thou so discontentedly from mine But I 'le not doubt the cause to spring from me Rather from feare of yong Prince Doria's safety Whose great affaires perhaps have made him stretch His promise to the utmost not to breake it Though he could not prevent our expectation He 'l not deceive 't but like th' approaching Sunne Will soone expell these mists and cheere our hearts Hon. I am solicitous I must confesse Of his returne whom we have long expected To whom we have design'd our onely daughter And with her both our fortunes and our loves But the true cause of all these perturbations Which you discover in my countenance Is a strange dreame heaven make it but a dreame And I perhaps should but have thought it so Had not my daughter ev'n this very night And the same houre as neere as we can guesse With the like vision been disquieted Me thought we harbour'd in our house a Wolfe Bred up so tame that all did handle him Which like a dogge would fawne on them that beat him Til on a time accompanied with another Of his owne race he rush't into the chamber Where I together with my Daughter sate There they resum'd their native crueltie The one assaulted her the other me And tearing first our Iewells from our necks They made us both at length their farall prey Ang. Oh how the terrour of that dreadfull vision Affrights my Soule I tremble when I thinke on 't Me thought the heartstrings of Prince Doria crack't At the dire newes it prov'd the overthrowe Of our whole Family we differ but in this The Savadge executioners to me Seem'd to be Beares creatures as bloody as wolves Imp. It is no wonder that your dreames concurr'd Since there is that relation in your blood I must beleeve you had the day before Communicated some sad thoughts together Which in the night your wakefull fantasies From a like temperature of braine reduc't Into like formes suggesting that for truth Which is at best but fond imagination What can be vainer then a womans dreame T' is lesse to be regarded then her teares Which are prepar'd to flow at her command Hon. Cassandra's true predictions were dispis'd Imp. And well they might had Troy bin provident Hon. Many at length deplore their unbeleife Imp. But more lament their rash credulitie Hon. Future events by dreames have bin reveal'd Imp. So did old wisards doubtfull things vnfould By flights of birds such witchcrafts now are seas'd And we from those darke errours are releas'd To talke of visions is an indiscretion Practis'd by Children and distemperd persons Go then prepare your selves for solid joyes On this day the Republick yearly paies A retribution to our Familie And as I heare the time being Carnivall Some mirth shall season our solemnitie If Doria come to day as we expect To morow nothing shall be heard of us But songs of Hymen and Thalassius Hon. Never could any wretches be more glad To be deceiv'd Ang. My heart continues sad Actus primus Scena quinta Imperiale O Wretched state of man to whom the time By nature made for ease is found unquiet Sleepe properly cald rest who can expresse How restles it becomes through various dreames Which are so strongly formed by the fancy That though they be most false and when we wake Should wholly vanish yet even then they leave A deepe Impression in the troubled mind Nor doth this onely happen to weake women But unto men of speciall eminence Working vpon their hopes aswell as feares Who many times to their confusion Have by such drowsie errors bin seduc'd Hence did Amilcar venture to assault Strong Syracuse deluded by a dreame But though it be a folly beyond pardon To venture life or fortune in pursuit Of such a vanitie yet in all things Abundant warines can never hurt My slaue may not unfitlie be compar'd To a tame Wolfe or Beare who may perchance Resent his late sharpe castigation Him will I send to my owne Galley where He shal be chain'd from mischeife and to me Not prove unusefull when the smallest boult May eas'ly be remov'd who would omit it Let others lose themselves in laborinthes Of hidden superstition and beleeve The ayre to be replenished with spirits Who by a naturall and inherent virtue Foreseeing things to come and taking pity Vpon improvident man reveale by visions The dangers that approach to th' end he may By timely care prevent his misery I 'le not depend on such intelligence T' informe me whether Spinola hath buried Or only hid his long continued malice I 'le fetch my preservation neerer hence That shall conserve this individuall No man can suffer ill but from himselfe Fate only awes the slothfull wisdom barres The powerfull operation of the starres Chorus of two 1 THose men that mischiefe do devise Had need to borrow Argus eyes To looke about a poore slave may By chance lie hid and then betray 2 Within the house they may suspect That walles and bedds may them detect And in the feild they must provide That not a bush a spie may hide 1 And albeit they shut the doore Having well searcht the house before Yet they may be betray'd for proofe Iove in a shower did peirce the roofe 2 Though in the feild no tree nor bush Nor bird be neere nor winde doth rush Yet undiscern'd a fairy drab Their whole discourse may heare and blab 1 Then since that neither house nor field To our black crumes can safety yield Let us be virtious and not feare What all the world can see or heare 2 Our dreames are often found to bee Fruits of a wandring phantasie Yet many times they likewise are Sure pledges of Caelestiall care 1 Some men beleeve too much and some Conceive no truths by dreames can come It is a knowledge given to fewe To finde if they be false or true 2 Then as it is a rash misprision To count each idle dreame a vision So it 's an error at the least To thinke all visions are quite ceast Actus Secundus Scena prima Francisco CAn no advice of friends nor mine owne reason Hold me from strong pursuite of what I finde Can never be obtaind am I so stupid After so many scornes not to desist An arrow shot sooner may be recal'd Then her affection th' Apenine the Alpes Will eas'lier be removed then her Father Feed not thy selfe fond foole with desperate hopes But shall I arm'd with powerfull love consult With timerous discretion the weake Child Of feeble age the towring Eagle may More eas'ly be confin'd within high walls Then that wing'd boy that hover'd over Chaos Be ty'd to humane possibilities What transformations did the Antique Poets Affirme to have bin wrought on men and Gods By his sole deity which Iove himselfe His frequent sport had found what guards what spies He hath deceiv'd and fore't the fiery Bull The wakefull dragon and gaz'd Argus witnes Though shee that 's truly nam'd Angelica Should