Act 5 — Scene III.
Reading edition
[Enter[2774] Bilioso.
Bil. Make way there! The duke returns from the enthronement.—Malevole—
Mal. Out, rogue!
Bil. Malevole,—
Mal. “Hence, ye gross-jawed, peasantly5 —out, go!”[2775]
Bil. Nay, sweet Malevole, since my return I hear you are become the thing I always prophesied would be,—an advanced virtue, a worthily-employed faithfulness, a man o’ grace,10 dear friend. Come; what! Si quoties peccant homines[2776]—if as often as courtiers play the knaves, honest men should be angry—why, look ye, we must collogue[2777] sometimes, forswear sometimes.15
Mal. Be damned sometimes.
Bil. Right: nemo omnibus horis sapit; “no man can be honest at all hours:” necessity often depraves virtue.
Mal. I will commend thee to the duke.20
Bil. Do: let us be friends, man.
Mal. And knaves, man.
Bil. Right: let us prosper and purchase: our lordships shall live, and our knavery be forgotten.25
Mal. He that by any ways gets riches, his means never shames him.
Bil. True.
Mal. For impudency and faithlessness are the main stays to greatness.30
Bil. By the Lord, thou art a profound lad.
Mal. By the Lord, thou art a perfect knave: out, ye ancient damnation!
Bil. Peace, peace! and thou wilt not be a friend to me as I am a knave, be not a knave to me as I am thy friend, and disclose me. Peace! cornets!]37
Enter Prepasso and Ferrardo, two Pages with lights, Celso and Equato, Mendoza in duke’s robes, and Guerrino.
Men. On, on; leave us, leave us. Exeunt all saving Malevole [and Mendoza]. Stay, where is the hermit? Mal. With Duke Pietro, with Duke Pietro.40 Men. Is he dead? Is he poisoned? Mal. Dead, as the duke is. Men. Good, excellent: he will not blab: secureness lives in secrecy. Come hither, come hither.45 Mal. Thou hast a certain strong villainous scent about thee my nature cannot endure. Men. Scent, man! What returns Maria, what answer to our suit? Mal. Cold, frosty; she is obstinate.50 Men. Then she’s but dead; ’t is resolute, she dies: “Black deed only through black deed safely flies.” Mal. Pooh! per scelera semper sceleribus tutum est iter.[2778] Men. What, art a scholar? Art a politician? Sure, thou art an arrant knave.56 Mal. Who, I? I ha’ been twice an under-sheriff, man.[2779] [Well, I will go rail upon some great man, that I may purchase the bastinado, or else go marry some rich Genoan lady, and instantly go travel.
Men. Travel, when thou art married?62
Mal. Ay, ’t is your young lord’s fashion to do so, though he was so lazy, being a bachelor, that he would never travel so far as the university: 65 yet, when he married her, tales off, and, Catso, for England!
Men. And why for England?
Mal. Because there is no brothel-houses there.
Men. Nor courtesans? 70
Mal. Neither; your whore went down with the stews, and your punk came up with your puritan.]
Men. Canst thou empoison? Canst thou empoison? 75
Mal. Excellently; no Jew, ’pothecary, or politician better. Look ye, here’s a box: whom wouldst thou empoison? Here’s a box (giving it), which, opened and the fume ta’en up in conduits thorough which the brain purges itself, 80 doth instantly for twelve hours’ space bind up all show of life in a deep senseless sleep: here’s another (giving it), which, being opened under the sleeper’s nose, chokes all the pores of life, kills him suddenly. 85
Men. I’ll try experiments; ’t is good not to be deceived.—So, so; catso!
Seems to poison Malevole [who falls].
Who would fear that may destroy? Death hath no teeth nor tongue; And he that’s great, to him are slaves, 90 Shame, murder, fame, and wrong.— Celso!
Enter Celso.
Celso. My honour’d lord? Men. The good Malevole, that plain-tongu’d man, Alas, is dead on sudden, wondrous strangely! He held in our esteem good place. Celso,96 See him buried, see him buried. Celso. I shall observe ye. Men. And, Celso, prithee, let it be thy care to-night To have some pretty show, to solemnize100 Our high instalment; some music, masquery. We’ll give fair entertain unto Maria, The duchess to the banish’d Altofront: Thou shalt conduct her from the citadel Unto the palace. Think on some masquery.105 Celso. Of what shape, sweet lord? Men. What[2780] shape! Why, any quick-done fiction; As some brave spirits of the Genoan dukes, To come out of Elysium, forsooth, Led in by Mercury, to gratulate110 Our happy fortune; some such anything, Some far-fet trick good for ladies, some stale toy Or other, no matter, so ’t be of our devising. Do thou prepare ’t; ’t is but for fashion sake. Fear not, it shall be grac’d, man, it shall take. Celso. All service.116 Men. All thanks; our hand shall not be close[2781] to thee; farewell. (Aside.) Now is my treachery secure, nor can we fall: Mischief that prospers, men do virtue call. I’ll trust no man: he that by tricks gets wreaths120 Keeps them with steel; no man securely breathes Out of deserved ranks; the crowd will mutter, “fool!” Who cannot bear with spite, he cannot rule. The chiefest secret for a man of state Is, to live senseless of a strengthless hate. Exit.
Mal. (starts up and speaks.) Death of the126 damned thief! I’ll make one i’ the masque; thou shalt ha’ some brave spirits of the antique dukes.
Celso. My lord, what strange delusion?130
Mal. Most happy, dear Celso, poisoned with an empty box: I’ll give thee all, anon. My lady comes to court; there is a whirl of fate comes tumbling on; the castle’s captain stands for me, the people pray for me, and the135 great leader of the just stands for me: then courage, Celso; For no disastrous chance can ever move him That leaveth[2782] nothing but a God above him.
Exeunt.