Act 5 — SCENE III.

A Room, in Justice Season's House.

Enter JUSTICE REASON, OLD MASTER ARTHUR, and OLD MASTER LUSAM.

JUS. Old Master Arthur and Master Lusam, so It is that I have heard both your complaints, But understood neither, for, you know, Legere et non intelligere negligere est.

O. ART. I come for favour, as a father should, Pitying the fall and ruin of his son.

O. LUS. I come for justice, as a father should, That hath by violent murder lost his daughter.

JUS. You come for favour, and you come for justice: Justice with favour is not partial, And, using that, I hope to please you both.

O. ART. Good Master Justice, think upon my son.

O. LUS. Good Master Justice, think upon my daughter.

JUS. Why, so I do; I think upon them both; But can do neither of you good; For he that lives must die, and she that's dead Cannot be revived.

O. ART. Lusam, thou seek'st to rob me of my son, My only son.

O. LUS. He robb'd me of my daughter, my only daughter.

JUS. And robbers are flat felons by the law.

O. ART. Lusam, I say thou art a blood-sucker, A tyrant, a remorseless cannibal: Old as I am, I'll prove it on thy bones.

O. LUS. Am I a blood-sucker or cannibal? Am I a tyrant that do thirst for blood?

O. ART. Ay, if thou seek'st the ruin of my son, Thou art a tyrant and a blood-sucker.

O. LUS. Ay, if I seek the ruin of thy son, I am indeed.

O. ART. Nay, more, thou art a dotard; And, in the right of my accused son, I challenge thee the field. Meet me, I say, To-morrow morning beside Islington, And bring thy sword and buckler, if thou dar'st.

O. LUS. Meet thee with my sword and buckler? There's my glove. I'll meet thee, to revenge my daughter's death. Call'st thou me dotard? Though these threescore years I never handled weapon but a knife, To cut my meat, yet will I meet thee there. God's precious! call me dotard?

O. ART. I have cause, Just cause, to call thee dotard, have I not?

O. LUS. Nay, that's another matter; have you cause? Then God forbid that I should take exceptions To be call'd dotard of one that hath cause.

JUS. My masters, you must leave this quarrelling, for quarrellers are never at peace; and men of peace, while they are at quiet, are never quarrelling: so you, whilst you fall into brawls, you cannot choose but jar. Here comes your son accused, and his wife the accuser; stand forth both. Hugh, be ready with your pen and ink to take their examinations and confessions.

Enter MISTRESS MARY, BRABO, YOUNG MASTER ARTHUR, MISTRESS SPLAY, HUGH, and OFFICERS.

Y. ART. It shall not need; I do confess the deed, Of which this woman here accuseth me; I poison'd my first wife, and for that deed I yield me to the mercy of the law.

O. LUS. Villain! thou mean'st my only daughter, And in her death depriv'dst me of all joys.

Y. ART. I mean her. I do confess the deed; And though my body taste the force of law, Like an offender, on my knee I beg Your angry soul will pardon me her death.

O. LUS. Nay, if he kneeling do confess the deed, No reason but I should forgive her death.

JUS. But so the law must not be satisfied; Blood must have blood, and men must have death; I think that cannot be dispens'd withal.

MRS MA. If all the world else would forgive the deed, Yet would I earnestly pursue the law.

Y. ART. I had a wife would not have us'd me so; The wealth of Europe could not hire her tongue To be offensive to my patient ears; But, in exchanging her, I did prefer A devil before a saint, night before day, Hell before heaven, and dross before tried gold; Never was bargain with such damage sold.

BRA. If you want witness to confirm the deed, I heard him speak it; and that to his face, Before this presence, I will justify; I will not part hence, till I see him swing.

MRS SPLAY. I heard him too: pity but he should die, And like a murderer be sent to hell. To poison her, and make her belly swell!

MRS MA. Why stay you, then? give judgment on the slave, Whose shameless life deserves a shameful grave.

Y. ART. Death's bitter pangs are not so full of grief As this unkindness: every word thou speak'st Is a sharp dagger thrust quite through my heart. As little I deserve this at thy hands, As my kind patient wife deserv'd of me: I was her torment, God hath made thee mine; Then wherefore at just plagues should I repine?

JUS. Where did'st thou buy this poison? for such drugs Are felony for any man to sell.

Y. ART. I had the poison of Aminadab: But, innocent man, he was not accessory To my wife's death; I clear him of the deed.

JUS. No matter; fetch him, fetch him, bring him To answer to this matter at the bar. Hugh, take these officers and apprehend him.

BRA. I'll aid him too; the schoolmaster, I see, Perhaps may hang with him for company.

Enter ANSELM and FULLER.

ANS. This is the day of Arthur's examination And trial for the murder of his wife; Let's hear how Justice Reason will proceed, In censuring of his strict punishment.

FUL. Anselm, content; let's thrust in 'mong the throng.

Enter AMINADAB, brought in with OFFICERS.

AMIN. O Domine! what mean these knaves, To lead me thus with bills and glaves? O, what example would it be To all my pupils for to see, To tread their steps all after me, If for some fault I hanged be; Somewhat surely I shall mar, If you bring me to the bar. But peace; betake thee to thy wits, For yonder Justice Reason sits.

JUS. Sir Dab, Sir Dab, here's one accuseth you, To give him poison, being ill-employ'd: Speak, how in this case you can clear yourself.

AMIN. Hei mihi! what should I say? the poison given I deny; He took it perforce from my hands, and, Domine, why not? I got it of a gentleman; he most freely gave it, As he knew me; my meaning was only to have it.[24]

Y. ART. 'Tis true, I took it from this man perforce, And snatch'd it from his hand by rude constraint, Which proves him in this act not culpable.

JUS. Ay, but who sold the poison unto him? That must be likewise known; speak, schoolmaster.

AMIN. A man verbosus, that was a fine generosus; He was a great guller, his name I take to be Fuller; See where he stands, that unto my hands convey'd a powder; And, like a knave, sent her to her grave, obscurely to shroud her.

JUS. Lay hands on him; are you a poison-seller? Bring him before us: sirrah, what say you? Sold you a poison to this honest man?

FUL. I sold no poison, but I gave him one To kill his rats?

JUS. Ha, ha! I smell a rat. You sold him poison then to kill his rats? The word to kill argues a murd'rous mind; And you are brought in compass of the murder So set him by, we will not hear him speak: That Arthur, Fuller, and the schoolmaster, Shall by the judges be examined.

ANS. Sir, if my friend may not speak for himself, Yet let me his proceedings justify.

JUS. What's he that will a murther justify? Lay hands on him, lay hands on him, I say; For justifiers are all accessories, And accessories have deserved to die. Away with him! we will not hear him speak; They all shall to the High Commissioners.

Enter MISTRESS ARTHUR.

MRS ART. Nay, stay them, stay them yet a little while! I bring a warrant to the contrary; And I will please all parties presently.

Y. ART. I think my wife's ghost haunts me to my death; Wretch that I was, to shorten her life's breath!

O. ART. Whom do I see, my son's wife?

O. LUS. What, my daughter?

JUS. Is it not Mistress Arthur that we see, That long since buried we suppos'd to be?

MRS ART. This man's condemn'd for pois'ning of his wife; His poison'd wife yet lives, and I am she; And therefore justly I release his bands: This man, for suff'ring him these drugs to take, Is likewise bound, release him for my sake: This gentleman that first the poison gave, And this his friend, to be releas'd I crave: Murther there cannot be where none is kill'd; Her blood is sav'd, whom you suppos'd was spill'd. Father-in-law, I give you here your son, The act's to do which you suppos'd was done. And, father, now joy in your daughter's life, Whom heaven hath still kept to be Arthur's wife.

O. ART. O, welcome, welcome, daughter! now I see God by his power hath preserved thee.

O. LUS. And 'tis my wench, whom I suppos'd was dead; My joy revives, and my sad woe is fled.

Y. ART. I know not what I am, nor where I am; My soul's transported to an ecstasy, For hope and joy confound my memory.

MRS MA. What do I see? lives Arthur's wife again? Nay then I labour for his death in vain. [Aside.

BRA. What secret force did in her nature lurk, That in her soul the poison would not work? [Aside.

MRS SPLAY. How can it be the poison took no force? She lives with that which would have kill'd a horse! [Aside.

MRS ART. Nay, shun me not; be not asham'd at all; To heaven, not me, for grace and pardon fall. Look on me, Arthur; blush not at my wrongs.

Y. ART. Still fear and hope my grief and woe prolongs. But tell me, by what power thou didst survive? With my own hands I temper'd that vile draught, That sent thee breathless to thy grandsire's grave, If that were poison I receiv'd of him.

AMIN. That ego nescio, but this dram Receiv'd I of this gentleman; The colour was to kill my rats, But 'twas my own life to despatch.

FUL. Is it even so? then this ambiguous doubt No man can better than myself decide; That compound powder was of poppy made and mandrakes, Of purpose to cast one into a sleep, To ease the deadly pain of him whose leg Should be saw'd off; That powder gave I to the schoolmaster.

AMIN. And that same powder, even that idem, You took from me, the same, per fidem!

Y. ART. And that same powder I commix'd with wine, Our godly knot of wedlock to untwine.

O. ART. But, daughter, who did take thee from thy grave?

O. LUS. Discourse it, daughter.

ANS. Nay, that labour save; Pardon me, Master Arthur, I will now Confess the former frailty of my love. Your modest wife with words I tempted oft; But neither ill I could report of you, Nor any good I could forge for myself, Would win her to attend to my request; Nay, after death I lov'd her, insomuch That to the vault where she was buried My constant love did lead me through the dark, There ready to have ta'en my last farewell. The parting kiss I gave her I felt warm; Briefly, I bare her to my mother's house, Where she hath since liv'd the most chaste and true, That since the world's creation eye did view.

Y. ART. My first wife, stand you here: my second, there, And in the midst, myself; he that will choose A good wife from a bad, come learn of me, That have tried both, in wealth and misery. A good wife will be careful of her fame, Her husband's credit, and her own good name; And such art thou. A bad wife will respect Her pride, her lust, and her good name neglect; And such art thou. A good wife will be still Industrious, apt to do her husband's will; But a bad wife, cross, spiteful and madding, Never keep home, but always be a-gadding; And such art thou. A good wife will conceal Her husband's dangers, and nothing reveal That may procure him harm; and such art thou. But a bad wife corrupts chaste wedlock's vow. On this hand virtue, and on this hand sin; This who would strive to lose, or this to win? Here lives perpetual joy, here burning woe; Now, husbands, choose on which hand you will go. Seek virtuous wives, all husbands will be blest; Fair wives are good, but virtuous wives are best. They that my fortunes will peruse, shall find No beauty's like the beauty of the mind.

[Exeunt.

THE END.