Act 4 — SCENE II.
Reading edition
A Hall in Hengist’s Castle: a feast set out.
Enter Vortiger, Hengist, Horsus, Devonshire, Stafford, Castiza, Roxena, two Ladies, Guards, and Atendants.
Heng. A welcome, mighty lord, may appear costlier,
More full of toil and talk, shew and conceit;
But one more stor’d with thankful love and truth
I forbid all the sons of men to boast of.
Vort. Why, here’s[477] a fabric that implies eternity;
The building plain, but most substantial;
Methinks it looks as if it mock’d all ruin,
Saving that master-piece of consummation,
The end of time, which must consume even ruin,
And eat that into cinders.
Heng. There’s no brass
Would pass your praise, my lord; ’twould last beyond it,
And shame our durablest metal.
Vort. Horsus.
Hor. My lord.
Vort. This is the time I’ve[478] chosen; here’s a full meeting,
And here will I disgrace her.
Hor. ’Twill be sharp, my lord.
Vort. O, ’twill be best.
Hor. Why, here’s the earl her father.
Vort. Ay, and the lord her uncle; that’s the height of’t;[479]
183Invited both on purpose, to rise sick,
Full of shame’s surfeit.
Hor. And that’s shrewd, byrlady:[480]
It ever sticks close to the ribs of honour,
Great men are never sound men after it;
It leaves some ache or other in their names still,
Which their posterity feels at every weather.
Vort. Mark but the least presentment of occasion,
As these times yield enough, and then mark me.
Hor. My observance is all yours, you know’t, my lord.—
What careful ways some take to abuse themselves!
But as there be assurers of men’s goods
’Gainst storms or pirates, which give[481] adventurers courage,
So such there must be to make up man’s theft,
Or there would be no woman-venturer left.
See, now they find their seats! what a false knot
Of amity he ties about her arm,
Which rage must part! In marriage ’tis no wonder,
Knots knit with kisses oft are broke with thunder.
Music? then I have done; I always learn [Music.
To give my betters place.
[Aside, while the rest seat themselves.
Vort. Where’s captain Horsus?
Sit, sit; we’ll have a health anon to all
Good services.
Hor. They are poor in these days;
They’d rather have the carp[482] than the health.
He hears me not, and most great men are deaf
On that side. [Aside.
184Vort. My lord of Kent, I thank you for this welcome;
It came unthought of, in the sweetest language
That ever my soul relish’d.
Heng. You are pleas’d, my lord,
To raise my happiness for slight deservings,
To shew what power’s in princes; not in us
Aught worthy, ’tis in you that makes us thus.
I’m[483] chiefly sad, my lord, your queen’s not merry.
Vort. So honour bless me, he has found the way
To my grief strangely. Is there no delight——
Cast. My lord, I wish not any, nor is’t needful;
I am as I was ever.
Vort. That’s not so.
Cast. How? O, my fears! [Aside.
Vort. When she writ maid, my lord,
You knew her otherwise.
Devon. To speak but truth,
I never knew her a great friend to mirth,
Nor taken much with any one delight;
Though there be many seemly and honourable
To give content to ladies without taxing.
Vort. My lord of Kent, this to thy full deserts,
Which intimates thy higher flow to honour.
[Drinking.
Heng. Which, like a river, shall return in service
To the great master-fountain.
Vort. Where’s your lord?
I miss’d him not till now,—Lady, and yours?
No marvel then we were so out of the way
Of all pleasant discourse; they are the keys
Of human music; sure at their nativities
Great nature sign’d a general patent to them
185To take up all the mirth in a whole kingdom.
What’s their employment now?
First Lady. May it please your grace,
We never are so far acquainted with them;
Nothing we know but what they cannot keep;
That’s even the fashion of them all, my lord.
Vort. It seems ye’ve great thought in their constancies,
And they in yours, you dare so trust each other.
Second Lady. Hope well we do, my lord; we’ve[484] reason for it,
Because they say brown men are honestest;
But she’s a fool will swear for any colour.
Vort. They would for yours.
Second Lady. Truth, ’tis a doubtful question,
And I’d be loath to put mine to’t, my lord.
Vort. Faith, dare you swear for yourselves? that’s a plain question.
Second Lady. My lord?
Vort. You cannot deny that with honour;
And since ’tis urg’d, I’ll put you to’t in troth.
First Lady. May it please your grace—
Vort. ’Twould please me very well;
And here’s a book, mine never goes without one;
[Taking book from Castiza.
She’s an example to you all for purity:
Come, swear (I’ve[485] sworn you shall) that you ne’er knew
The will of any man besides your husband’s.
Second Lady. I’ll swear, my lord, as far as my remembrance—
Vort. How! your remembrance? that were strange.
186First Lady. Your grace
Hearing our just excuse, will not say so.
Vort. Well, what’s your just excuse? you’re ne’er without some.
First Lady. I’m[486] often taken with a sleep, my lord,
The loudest thunder cannot waken me,
Not if a cannon’s burthen be discharg’d
Close by my ear; the more may be my wrong;
There can be no infirmity, my lord,
More excusable in any woman.
I’ve[489] often call’d in help, I know not whom;
Three at once have been too weak to keep me down.
Vort. I perceive there’s no fastening. [Aside.]—Well, fair one, then,
That ne’er[490] deceives faith’s anchor of her hold,
Come at all seasons; here, be thou the star
To guide those erring women, shew the way
Which I will make them follow. Why dost start,
Draw back, and look so pale?
Cast. My lord!
Vort. Come hither;
Nothing but take that oath; thou’lt take a thousand;
A thousand! nay, a million, or as many
As there be angels registers of oaths.
Why, look thee, over-fearful chastity,
(That sinn’st in nothing but in too much niceness,[491])
I’ll begin first and swear for thee myself:
I know thee a perfection so unstain’d,
So sure, so absolute, I will not pant on it,
187But catch time greedily. By all those blessings
That blow truth into fruitfulness, and those curses
That with their barren breaths blast perjury,
Thou art as pure as sanctity’s best shrine
From all man’s mixture, save what’s lawful, mine!
Cast. O, heaven forgive him, he has forsworn himself! [Aside.
Vort. Come, ’tis but going now my way.
Cast. That’s bad enough. [Aside.
Vort. I’ve[492] clear’d all doubts, you see.
Cast. Good my lord, spare me.
Vort. How! it grows later than so. For modesty’s sake,
Make more speed this way.
Cast. Pardon me, my lord,
I cannot.
Vort. What?
Cast. I dare not.
Vort. Fail all confidence
In thy weak kind for ever!
Devon. Here’s a storm
Able to wake[493] all of our name inhumed,
And raise them from their sleeps of peace and fame,
To set the honours of their bloods right here,
Hundred years after: a perpetual motion
Has their true glory been from seed to seed,
And cannot be chok’d now with a poor grain
Of dust and earth. Her uncle and myself,
Wild in this tempest, as e’er[494] robb’d man’s peace,
188Will undertake, upon life’s deprivation,
She shall accept this oath.
Vort. You do but call me then
Into a world of more despair and horror;
Yet since so wilfully you stand engag’d
In high scorn to be touch’d, with expedition
Perfect your undertakings with your fames;
Or, by the issues of abus’d belief,
I’ll take the forfeit of lives, lands, and honours,
And make one ruin serve our joys and yours.
Cast. Why, here’s a height of miseries never reach’d yet!
I lose myself and others.
Devon. You may see
How much we lay in balance with your goodness,
And had we more, it went; for we presume
You cannot be religious and so vile—
Cast. As to forswear myself—’Tis truth, great sir,
The honour of your bed hath been abus’d.
Vort. O, beyond patience!
Cast. But give me hearing, sir:
’Twas far from my consent; I was surpris’d
By villains, and so raught.[495]
Vort. Hear you that, sirs?
O cunning texture to enclose adultery!
Mark but what subtle veil her sin puts on;
Religion brings her to confession first,
Then steps in art to sanctify that lust.—
’Tis likely you could be surpris’d!
Cast. My lord!
Vort. I’ll hear no more.—Our guard! seize on those lords.
Devon. We cannot perish now too fast; make speed
189To swift destruction. He breathes most accurst
That lives so long to see his name die first.
[Exeunt Devonshire and Stafford, guarded.
Heng. Let him entreat, sir,
That falls in saddest grief for this event,
Which ill begins the fortune of this building.
My lord! [Takes Vortiger aside.
Rox. What if he should cause me to swear too, captain?
You know I am as far to seek in honesty[498]
As the worst here can be; I should be sham’d too.
Hor. Why, fool, they swear by that we worship not;
So you may swear your heart out, and ne’er hurt yourself.
Rox. That was well thought on; I’d[499] quite lost myself else.
Vort. You shall prevail in noble suits, my lord,
But this does shame the speaker.
Hor. I’ll step in now,
Though’t[500] shall be to no purpose.—Good my lord,
Think on your noble and most hopeful issue,
Lord Vortimer, the prince.
Vort. A bastard, sir!
I would his life were in my fury now!
Cast. That injury stirs my soul to speak the truth
Of his conception.—Here I take the book, my lord:
By all the glorify’d rewards of virtue
And prepar’d punishments for consents in sin,
190A queen’s hard sorrow ne’er supply’d a kingdom
With issue more legitimate than Vortimer.
Vort. This takes not out the stain of present shame;
Continuance crowns desert: she ne’er can go
For perfect honest that’s not always so.—
Beshrew thy heart for urging this excuse;
Thou’st justify’d her somewhat.
Hor. To small purpose.
Vort. Among so many women, not one here
Dare swear a simple chastity! here’s an age
To propagate virtue in! Since I’ve[501] begun,
I’ll shame you altogether, and so leave you.—
My lord of Kent!
Heng. Your highness?
Vort. That’s your daughter?
Heng. Yes, my good lord.
Vort. Though I’m[502] your guest to-day,
And should be less austere to you or yours,
In this case pardon me; I may not spare her.
Heng. Then her own goodness friend her!—she comes, my lord.
Vort. The tender reputation of a maid
Makes your honour, or else nothing can:
The oath you take is not for truth to man,
But to your own white soul; a mighty task:
What dare you do in this?
Rox. My lord, as much
As chastity can put a woman to;
I ask no favour. And t’approve the purity
Of what my habit and my time professeth,
As likewise to requite all courteous censure,
Here I take oath I am as free from man
As truth from falsehood, or sanctity from stain.
191Vort. O thou treasure that ravishes the possessor!
I know not where to speed so well again;
I’ll keep thee while I have thee: here’s a fountain
To spring forth princes and the seeds of kingdoms!
Away with that infection of black honour,
And those her leprous pledges!—
Here will we store succession with true peace;
And of pure virgins grace the poor increase.
[Exeunt all but Horsus.
Hor. Ha, ha!
He’s well provided now: here struck my fortunes.
With what an impudent confidence she swore honest,
Having th’ advantage of the oath! precious whore!
Methinks I should not hear from fortune next
Under an earldom now: she cannot spend
A night so idly, but to make a lord
With ease, methinks, and play. The earl of Kent
Is calm and smooth, like a deep dangerous water;
He has some secret way; I know his blood;
The grave’s not greedier, nor hell’s lord more proud.
Something will hap; for this astonishing choice
Strikes pale the kingdom, at which I rejoice. [Exit.
Dumb Show.
Enter Lupus, Germanus, Devonshire, and Stafford, leading Vortimer, and crown him: Vortiger comes to them in passion; they neglect him. Enter Roxena in fury, expressing discontent; then they lead out Vortimer: Roxena gives two villains gold to murder him; they swear performance, and go with her: Vortiger offers to run on his sword; Horsus prevents him, and persuades 192him. The lords bring in Vortimer dead: Vortiger mourns, and submits to them: they swear him, and crown him. Then enters Hengist with Saxons: Vortiger draws, threatens expulsion, and then sends a parley; which Hengist seems to grant by laying down his weapons: so all depart severally.
Enter Raynulph.
Ray. Of Pagan blood a queen being chose,
Roxena hight,[503] the Britons rose
For Vortimer, and crown’d him king;
But she soon poison’d that sweet spring.
Then unto rule they did restore
Vortiger; and him they swore
Against the Saxons: they (constrain’d)
Begg’d peace, treaty, and obtain’d.
And now in numbers equally
Upon the plain near Salisbury,
A peaceful meeting they decreen,[504]
Like men of love, no weapon seen.
But Hengist, that ambitious lord,
Full of guile, corrupts his word,
As the sequel too well proves:—
On that your eyes; on us your loves. [Exit.