(SCENE 4.)

Enter the King on his bed, two Physitians, Anthony Damianus and Cosmo.

King. Are you Physitians? Are you those men that proudly call your selves The helps of Nature?

Ant. Oh, my good Lord, have patience.

King. What should I doe? lye like a patient Asse? Feele my selfe tortur'd by this diffused poyson, But tortur'd more by these unsavoury drugges?

Ant. Come one of you your selves and speake to him.

1 Phys. How fares your Highnesse?

King. Never worse:—What's he?

Dami. One of your Highnesse Doctors.

King. Come, sit neare me; Feele my pulse once again and tell me, Doctor, Tell me in tearmes that I may understand,— I doe not love your gibberish,—tell me honestly Where the Cause lies, and give a Remedy, And that with speed; or in despight of Art, Of Nature, you and all your heavenly motions, Ile recollect so much of life into me As shall give space to see you tortur'd. Some body told me that a Bath of mans blood Would restore me. Christians shall pay for't; Fetch the Bishop hither, he shall begin.

Cosm. Hee's gone for.

King. What's my disease?

1 Phys. My Lord, you are poyson'd.

King. I told thee so my selfe, and told thee how: But what's the reason that I have no helpe? The Coffers of my Treasury are full, Or, if they were not, tributary Christians Bring in sufficient store to pay your fees, If that you gape at.

2 Phys. Wilt please your Highnesse then to take this Cordiall? Gold never truely did you good till now.

King. 'Tis gone.

2 Phys. My Lord, it was the perfectst tincture Of Gold that ever any Art produc'd: With it was mixt a true rare Quintessence Extracted out of Orientall Bezar,[158] And with it was dissolv'd the Magisteriall Made of the Horne Armenia so much boast of; Which, though dull Death had usurp't Natures right, Is able to create new life agen.

King. Why does it good on men and not on Kings? We have the selfe-same passages for Nature With mortall men; our pulses beate like theirs: We are subiect unto passions as they are. I finde it now, but to my griefe I finde, Life stands not with us on such ticklish points, What is't, because we are Kings, Life takes it leave With greater state? No, no; the envious Gods Maligne our happinesse. Oh that my breath had power With my last words to blast their Deities.

1 Phys. The Cordiall that you tooke requires rest: For healths sake, good my Lord, repose your selfe.

King. Yes, any thing for health; draw round the Curtaines.

Dami. Wee'le watch by him whilst you two doe consult.

1 Phys. What guesse you by that Urine?

2 Phys. Surely Death!

1 Phys. Death certaine, without contradiction, For though the Urin be a whore and lies, Yet where I finde her in all parts agree With other Symtomes of apparent death Ile give her faith. Pray, Sir, doe but marke These black Hypostacies;[159] it plainely shewes Mortification generally through the spirits; And you may finde the Pulse to shew as much By his uncertainty of time and strength.

2 Phys. We finde the spirits often suffisticated By many accidents, but yet not mortified; A sudden feare will doe it.

1 Phys. Very right; But there's no malitious humour mixt As in the king: Sir, you must understand A Scorpion stung him: now a Scorpion is A small compacted creature in whom Earth Hath the predominance, but mixt with fire, So that in him Saturne and Mars doe meet. This little Creature hath his severall humours, And these their excrements; these met together, Enflamed by anger, made a deadly poison; And by how much the creatures body's lesse By so much is the force of Venome more, As Lightning through a windows Casement Hurts more than that which enters at the doore.

2 Phys. But for the way to cure it?

1 Phys. I know none; Yet Ancient Writers have prescrib'd us many: As Theophrastus holds most excellent Diophoratick[160] Medicines to expell Ill vapours from the noble parts by sweate; But Avices and also Rabby Roses[161] Doe thinke it better by provoking Urin, Since by the Urine blood may well be purg'd, And spirits from the blood have nutriment, But for my part I ever held opinion In such a case the Ventosities are best.

2 Phys. They are indeed, and they doe farre exceede—

1 Phys. All the great curious Cataphlasmes, Or the live taile of a deplum[e]d Henne, Or your hot Pigeons or your quartered whelpes;[162] For they by a meere forc'd attractive power Retaine that safely which by force was drawne, Whereas the other things I nam'd before Do lose their vertue as they lose their heat.

2 Phys. The ventosities shall be our next intensions.

Anton. Pray, Gentlemen, attend his Highnesse.

King. Your next intentions be to drowne your selves: Dogge-leaches all! I see I am not mortall, For I with patience have thus long endur'd Beyond the strength of all mortality; But now the thrice heate furnace of my bosome Disdaineth bounds: doe not I scorch you all? Goe, goe, you are all but prating Mountebankes, Quack-salvers and Imposures; get you all from me.

2 Phys. These Ventosities, my lord, will give you ease.

King. A vengeance on thy Ventosities and thee!

Enter Eugenius.

Anton. The Bishop, Sir, is come.

King. Christian, thy blood Must give me ease and helpe.

Eugen. Drinke then thy fill: None of the Fathers that begot sweet Physick, That Divine Lady, comforter to man, Invented such a medicine as man's blood; A drinke so pretious should not be so spilt: Take mine, and Heaven pardon you the guilt.

King. A Butcher! see his throat cut.

Eugen. I am so farre from shrinking that mine owne hands Shall bare my throat; and am so farre from wishing Ill to you that mangle me, that before My blood shall wash these Rushes, King, I will cure thee.

1 Phys. You cure him?

King. Speak on, fellow.

Eugen. If I doe not Restore your limbs to soundnesse, drive the poyson From the infected part, study your tortures To teare me peece-meale yet be kept alive.

King. O reverent man, come neare me; worke this wonder, Aske gold, honours, any, any thing The sublunary treasures of this world Can yeeld, and they are thine.

Eugen. I will doe nothing without a recompence.

King. A royall one.

Omnes. Name what you would desire.

King. Stand by; you trouble him. A recompence can my Crowne bring thee, take it; Reach him my Crowne and plant it on his head.

Eugen. No; here's my bargaine—

King. Quickly, oh speake quickly.— Off with the good man's Irons.

Eugen. Free all those Christians which are now thy slaves, In all thy Cittadels, Castles, Fortresses; Those in Bellanna and Mersaganna, Those in Alempha and in Hazanoth, Those in thy Gallies, those in thy Iayles and Dungeons.

King. Those any where: my signet, take my signet, And free all on your lives, free all the Christians. What dost thou else desire?

Eugen. This; that thy selfe trample upon thy Pagan Gods.

Omnes. Sir!

King. Away.

Eugen. Wash your soule white by wading in the streame Of Christian gore.

King. I will turne Christian.

Dam. Better wolves worry this accursed—

King. Better Have Bandogs[163] worry all of you, than I To languish in a torment that feedes on me As if the Furies bit me. Ile turn Christian, And, if I doe not, let the Thunder pay My breach of promise. Cure me, good old man, And I will call thee father; thou shalt have A king come kneeling to thee every Morning To take a blessing from thee, and to heare thee Salute him as a sonne. When, when is this wonder?

Eugen. Now; you are well, Sir.

King. Ha!

Eugen. Has your paine left you?

King. Yes; see else, Damianus, Antony, Cosmo; I am well.

Omnes. He does it by inchantment.

1 Phys. By meere Witch-Craft.

Eugen. Thy payment for my cure.

King. What?

Eugen. To turne Christian, And set all Christian slaves at liberty.

King. Ile hang and torture all— Call backe the Messenger sent with our signet. For thy selfe, thou foole, should I allow Thee life thou wouldst be poyson'd by our Colledge of Physitians. Let him not touch me Nor ever more come neare me; and to be sure Thy sorceries shall not strike me, stone him to death.

(They binde him to a stake, and fetch stones in baskets.)

_Omnes. When?

King. Now, here presently.

Eugen. Ingratefull man!

King. Dispatch, his voyce is horrid in our eares; Kill him, hurle all, and in him kill my feares.

Eugen. I would thy feares were ended.

King. Why thus delay you?

Dam. The stones are soft as spunges.

Anton. Not any stone here Can raze his skin.

Dam. See, Sir.

Cosmo. Thankes, heavenly preservation.

King. Mockt by a hell-hound!

Omnes. This must not be endur'd, Sir.

King. Unbinde the wretch; Naile him to the earth with Irons. Cannot death strike him? New studied tortures shall.

Eugen. New tortures bring, They all to me are but a banquetting. [Exit.

Anton. But are you well, indeed, Sir?

King. Passing well: Though my Physitian fetcht the cure from hell; All's one, I am glad I have it.

[Exeunt.

Actus Quartus.

Enter Antony, Cosmo, Hubert, and Damianus.

Anton. You, noble Hubert, are the man[164] chosen out From all our Vandal Leaders to be chiefe O'er a new army, which the King will raise To roote out from our land these Christians That over-runne us.

Cosmo. 'Tis a glory, Hubert, Will raise your fame and make you like our gods, To please whom you must do this.

Dam. And in doing Be active as the fire and mercilesse As is the boundlesse Ocean when it swallows Whole Townes and of them leaves no Monuments.

Hub. When shall mine eyes be happy in the sight Of this brave Pagentry?

Cosmo. The King sayes instantly.

Hub. And must I be the Generall?

Omnes. Onely you.

Hub. I shall not then at my returning home Have sharers in my great acts: to the Volume My Sword in bloody Letters shall text downe No name must stand but mine; no leafe turn'd o'er But Huberts workes are read and none but mine. Bellizarius shall not on his Clouds of fire Fly flaming round about the staring World Whilst I creepe on the earth. Flatter me not: Am I to goe indeed?

Anton. The King so sweares.

Hub. A Kings word is a Statute graven in Brasse, And if he breakes that Law I will in Thunder Rouze his cold spirit. I long to ride in Armour, And looking round about me to see nothing But Seas and shores, the Seas of Christians blood, The shoares tough Souldiers. Here a wing flies out Soaring at Victory; here the maine Battalia Comes up with as much horrour and hotter terrour As if a thick-growne Forrest by enchantment Were made to move, and all the Trees should meete Pell mell, and rive their beaten bulkes in sunder, As petty Towers doe being flung downe by Thunder. Pray, thanke the King, and tell him I am ready To cry a charge; tell him I shall not sleepe Till that which wakens Cowards, trembling with feare, Startles me, and sends brave Musick to mine eare; And that's the Drumme and Trumpet.

Ant. This shall be told him.

Dam. And all the Goths and Vandalls shall strike Heaven With repercussive Ecchoes of your name, Crying, a Hubert!

Hub. Deafe me with that sound: A Souldier, though he falls in the Field, lives crown'd.

Cosmo. Wee'le to the King and tell him this.

[Exeunt.

Enter Bellina.

Hub. Doe.—Oh, my Bellina, If ever, make me happy now; now tye Strong charmes about my full-plum'd Burgonet To bring me safe home. I must to the Warres.

Bellina. What warres? we have no warres but in our selves; We fighting with our sinnes, our sinnes with us; Yet they still get the Victory. Who are in Armes That you must to the Field?

Hub. The Kings Royall thoughts Are in a mutiny amongst themselves, And nothing can allay them but a slaughter, A general massacre of all the Christians That breath in his Dominion. I am the Engine To worke this glorious wonder.

Bellina. Forefend it Heaven! Last time you sat by me within my bower I told you of a Pallace wall'd with gold.

Hub. I doe remember it.

Bellina. The floore of sparkling Diamonds, and the roofe Studded with Stanes shining as bright as fire.

Hub. True.

Bellina. And I told you one day I would shew you A path should bring you thither.

Hub. You did indeed.

Bellina. And will you now neglect a lease of this To lye in a cold field, a field of murder? Say thou shouldst kill ten thousand Christians; They goe but as Embassadors to Heaven To tell thy cruelties, and on yon Battlements They all will stand on rowes, laughing to see Thee fall into a pit as bottomlesse As the Heavens are in extension infinite.

Hub. More, prethee, more: I had forgot this Musick.

Bellina. Say thou shouldst win the day, yet art thou lost, For ever lost; an everlasting slave Though thou com'st home a laurel'd Conqueror. You courted me to love you; now I woe thee To love thy selfe, to love a thing within thee More curious than the frame of all this world, More lasting than this Engine o're our heads, Whose wheeles have mov'd so many thousand yeeres: This thing is thy soule, for which I woe thee.

Hub. Thou woest, I yeeld, and in that yeelding love thee, And for that love Ile be the Christians guide: I am their Captaine, come, both Goth and Vandall; Nay, come the King, I am the Christians Generall.

Bellina. Not yet, till your Commission be faire drawne; Not yet, till on your brow you beare the Print Of a rich golden seale.

Hub. Get me that seale, then.

Bellina. There is an Aqua fortis (an eating water) Must first wash off thine infidelity, And then th'art arm'd.

Hub. O let me, then, be arm'd.

Bellina. Thou shalt; But on thy knees thou gently first shall sweare To put no Armour on but what I beare.

Hub. By this chaste clasping of our hands I sweare.

Bellina. We then thus hand in hand will fight a battaile Worth all the pitch-fields, all the bloody banquets, The slaughter and the massacre of Christians, Of whom such heapes so quickly never fell. Brave onset! be thy end not terrible.

Hub. This kindled fire burne in us, till as deaths slaves Our bodies pay their tributes to their graves.

[Exeunt.