Act 3 — SCENE II.
Reading edition
A garden[274] belonging to Francisco’s house.
Enter Fernando, Francisco, John, Pedro, Maria, Louis and Diego.
Fer. Louis de Castro, since you circled are
In such a golden ring of worthy friends,
Pray, let me question you about that business
You and I last conferr’d on.
Louis. My lord, I wish it.
Fer. Then, gentlemen, though you all know this man,
Yet now look on him well, and you shall find
Such mines of Spanish honour in his bosom
As but in few are treasur’d.
Louis. O, my good lord——
Fer. He’s son to that De Castro o’er whose tomb
Fame stands writing a book, which will take up
The age of time to fill it with the stories
Of his great acts, and that his honour’d father
143Fell in the quarrel of those families,
His own and Don Alvarez de Castilla['s].
Fran. The volume of those quarrels[275] is too large
And too wide printed in our memory.
Louis. Would it had ne’er come forth!
Fran. Ped., &c. So wish we all.
Fer. But here’s a son as matchless as the father,
For his[276] mind’s bravery; he lets blood his spleen,
Tears out the leaf in which the picture stands
Of slain De Castro, casts a hill of sand
On all revenge, and stifles it.
Fran. Ped., &c. ’Tis done nobly!
Fer. For I by him am courted to solicit
The king for the repeal of poor Alvarez,
Who lives a banish’d man, some say, in Naples.
Ped. Some say in Arragon.
Louis. No matter where;
That paper folds in it my hand and heart,
Petitioning the royalty of Spain
To free the good old man, and call him home:
But what hope hath your lordship that these beams
Of grace shall shine upon me?
Fer. The word royal.
Fran. Ped., &c. And that’s enough.
Louis. Then since this sluice is drawn up to increase
The stream, with pardon of these honour’d friends
Let me set ope another, and that’s this;
That you, my lord don Pedro, and this lady
144Your noble wife, would in this fair assembly,
If still you hold me tenant to your favour,
Repeat the promise you so oft have made me,
Touching the beauteous Clara for my wife.
Ped. What I possess in her, before these lords
I freely once more give you.
Mar.[277] And what’s mine,
To you, as right heir to it, I resign.
Fer. Fran., &c. What would you more?
Louis. What would I more? the tree bows down his head
Gently to have me touch it, but when I offer
To pluck the fruit, the top branch grows so high,
To mock my reaching hand, up it does fly;
I have the mother’s smile, the daughter’s frown.
Fran. Ped., &c. O, you must woo hard!
Fer. Woo her well, she’s thine own.
John. That law holds not ’mongst gipsies; I shoot hard,
And am wide off from the mark. [Aside.
[Flourish within.
Fer. Is this, my lord, your music?
Fran. None of mine.
Enter Soto disguised as before, with a cornet in his hand.
Soto. A crew of gipsies with desire
To shew their sports are at your gates a-fire.
Fran. How, how, my gates a-fire, knave?
John. Art panting? I am a-fire I'm sure! [Aside.
Fer. What are the things they do?
Soto. They frisk, they caper, dance and sing,
Tell fortunes too, which is a very fine thing;
145They tumble—how? not up and down,
As tumblers do, but from town to town:
Antics they have and gipsy-masquing,
And toys which you may have for asking:
They come to devour nor wine nor good cheer,
But to earn money, if any be here;
But being ask’d, as I suppose,
Your answer will be, in your t’other hose;[278]
For there’s not a gipsy amongst ’em that begs,
But gets his living by his tongue and legs.
If therefore you please, dons, they shall come in:
Now I have ended, let them begin.
Fer. Ped. &c. Ay, ay, by any means.
Fran. But, fellow, bring you music along with you too?
Soto. Yes, my lord, both loud music and still music; the loud is that which you have heard, and the still is that which no man can hear. [Exit.
Fer. A fine knave!
Fran. There’s report[279] of a fair gipsy,
A pretty little toy, whom all our gallants
John. Yes, sure[282] ’tis she—I should be sorry else.
[Aside.
146Enter Alvarez, Guiamara, Constanza, Christiana, Carlo, Antonio, Roderigo, Sancho, Soto, and others, disguised as before, with the following
Song.
Come, follow your leader, follow,
Our convoy be Mars and Apollo!
The van comes brave up here;
As hotly[283] comes the rear:
Chorus.
Our knackers are the fifes and drums,
Sa, sa, the gipsies' army comes!
Horsemen we need not fear,
There’s none but footmen here;
The horse sure charge without;
Or if they wheel about,
Chorus.
Our knackers are the shot that fly,
Pit-a-pat rattling in the sky.
If once the great ordnance play,
That’s laughing, yet run not away,
But stand the push of pike,
Scorn can but basely strike;
Chorus.
Then let our armies join and sing,
And pit-a-pat make our knackers ring.
Arm, arm! what bands are those?
They cannot be sure our foes;
We’ll not draw up our force,
Nor muster any horse;
147Chorus.
For since they pleas’d to view our sight,
Let’s this way, this way give delight.
A council of war let’s call,
Look either to stand or fall;
If our weak army stands,
Thank all these noble hands;
Chorus.
Whose gates of love being open thrown,
We enter, and then the town’s our own.
Fer. A very dainty thing!
Fran. A handsome creature!
Ped.[284] Look what a pretty pit there’s in her chin!
John. Pit? ’tis a grave to bury lovers in.
Rod. My father?[285] disguise guard me! [Aside.
San. Soto, there’s De Cortes my guardian, but he smells not us.
Soto. Peace, brother gipsy.—Would any one here know his fortune?
Fer. Fran., &c. Good fortunes all of us!
Ped. ’Tis I, sir, need[286] a good one: come, sir, what’s mine?
Mar. Mine and my husband’s fortunes keep together;
Who is’t tells mine?
San. I, I; hold up, madam; fear not your pocket, for I ha' but two hands. [Examining her hands.
You are sad, or mad, or glad,
For a couple of cocks that cannot be had;
Yet when abroad they have pick’d store of grain,
Doodle-doo they will cry on your dunghills again.
148Mar. Indeed I miss an idle gentleman,
And a thing of his a fool, but neither sad
Nor mad for them: would that were all the lead
Lying at my heart!
Ped. [while Soto examines his hand] What look’st thou on so long?
Soto. So long! do you think good fortunes are fresh herrings, to come in shoals? bad fortunes are like mackerel at midsummer: you have had a sore loss of late.
Ped. I have indeed; what is’t?
Soto. I wonder it makes you not mad, for—
Through a gap in your ground thence late have[287] been stole
A very fine ass and a very fine foal:
Take heed, for I speak not by habs and by nabs,
Ere long you’ll be horribly troubled with scabs.
Ped. I am now so; go, silly fool.
Soto. I ha' gi’n't him. [Aside.
San. O Soto, that ass and foal fattens me!
Fer. The mother of the gipsies, what can she do? I'll have a bout with her.
John. I with the gipsy daughter.
Fran. To her, boy!
Gui. [examining Fernando’s hand]
From you went a dove away,
Which ere this had been more white
Than the silver robe of day;
Her eyes, the moon has none so bright.
Sate she now upon your hand,
Not the crown of Spain could buy it;
But ’tis flown to such a land,
Never more shall you come nigh it:
Ha! yes, if palmistry tell true,
This dove again may fly to you.
149Fer. Thou art a lying witch; I'll hear no more.
San. If you be so hot, sir, we can cool you with a song.
Soto. And when that song’s done, we’ll heat you again with a dance.
Louis. Stay, dear sir; send for Clara, let her know
Her fortune.
Mar. ’Tis too well known.
Louis. ’Twill make her
Merry to be in this brave company.
Ped. Good Diego, fetch her. [Exit Diego.
Fran. What’s that old man? has he cunning too?
Gui. Car., &c.[288] More than all we!
Louis. Has he? I'll try his spectacles.
Fer. Ha! Roderigo there? the scholar
That went to Salamanca, takes he degrees
I' th' school of gipsies? let the fish alone,
Give him line: this is the dove,—the dove?—the raven
That beldam mock’d me with. [Aside.
Louis. [while Alvarez examines his hand] What worms pick you out there now?
Alv. This:
When this line the other crosses,
Art tells me ’tis a book of losses:—
Bend your hand thus:—O, here I find
You have lost a ship in a great wind.
Louis. Lying rogue, I ne’er had any.
Alv. Hark, as I gather,
That great ship was De Castro call’d, your father.
Louis. And I must hew that rock that split him.
Alv. Nay, and[289] you threaten—— [Retires.
Fran. And what’s, Don John, thy fortune?
Thou’rt long fumbling at it.
150John. She tells me tales of the moon, sir.
Consti. And now ’tis come to the sun, sir.
[To Fran.] Your son would ride, the youth would run,
The youth would sail, the youth would fly;
He’s tying a knot will ne’er be done,
He shoots, and yet has ne’er an eye:
You have two, ’twere good you lent him one,
And a heart too, for he has none.
Fran. Hoyday! lend one of mine eyes?
San. They give us nothing; we’d[290] best put on a bold face and ask it. [Sings.
Now that from the hive
You gather’d have the honey,
Our bees but poorly thrive
Unless the banks be sunny;
Then let your sun and moon,
Your gold and silver shine,
My thanks shall humming fly to you,
Chorus.
And mine, and mine, and mine.
[Fran., Fer., &c. give money.
Alv. [sings.]
See, see, your[291] gipsy-toys,
You mad girls, you merry boys,
A boon voyage we have made,
Loud peals must then be had;
If I a gipsy be,
A crack-rope I'm for thee:
O, here’s a golden ring!
Such clappers please a king,
Chorus.
Such clappers please a king.
151Alv. [sings.]
You pleas’d may pass away;
Then let your bell-ropes stay;
Now chime, ’tis holyday,
Chorus.
Now chime, ’tis holyday.
Const. No more of this, pray, father; fall to your dancing. [Const., Car., &c. dance.
Louis. Clara will come too late now.
Fer. ’Tis great pity,
Besides your songs, dances, and other pastimes,
You do not, as our Spanish actors do,
Make trial of a stage.
Alv. We are, sir, about it;
So please your high authority to sign us
Some warrant to confirm us.
Fer. My hand shall do’t,
And bring the best in Spain to see your sports.
Alv. Which to set off, this gentleman, a scholar——
Rod. Pox on you! [Aside.
Alv. Will write for us.
Fer. A Spaniard, sir?
Rod. No, my lord, an Italian.
Fer. Denies
His country too? my son sings gipsy-ballads! [Aside.
Keep as you are, we’ll see your poet’s vein,
And your’s for playing: time is not ill spent
That’s thus laid out in harmless merriment.
[Exeunt. Alvarez, Guiamara, Constanza, Christiana, Carlo, Antonio, Roderigo, Sancho, Soto, and others, dancing.
Ped. My lord of Carcomo, for this entertainment
You shall command our loves.
Fran. You’re nobly welcome.
Ped. The evening grows upon us: lords, to all
A happy time of day.
152Fer. The like to you, Don Pedro.
Louis. To my heart’s sole lady
Pray let my service humbly be remember’d;
We only miss’d her presence.
Mar. I shall truly
Report your worthy love. [Exeunt. Pedro and Maria.
Fer. You shall no further;
Indeed, my lords, you shall not.
Fran. With your favour,
We will attend you home.
Re-enter Diego.
Diego. Where’s Don Pedro?—O sir!
Louis. Why, what’s the matter?
Diego. The lady Clara,
Passing near to my lord corregidor’s house,
Met with a strange mischance.
Fer. How? what mischance?
Diego. The jester that so late arriv’d at court,
And there was welcome for his country’s sake,
By importunity of some friends, it seems,
Had borrow’d from the gentleman of your horse
The backing of your mettled Barbary;
On which being mounted, whilst a number gaz’d
To hear what jests he could perform on horseback,
The headstrong beast, unus’d to such a rider,
Bears the press of people [on] before him;
With which throng the lady Clara meeting,
Fainted, and there fell down, not bruis’d, I hope,
But frighted and entranc’d.
Louis. Ill-destin’d mischief!
Fer. Where have you left her?
Diego. At your house, my lord;
A servant coming forth, and knowing who
The lady was, convey’d her to a chamber;
A surgeon, too, is sent for.
153Fer. Had she been my daughter,
My care could not be greater than it shall be
For her recure.
Louis. But if she miscarry,
I am the most unhappy man that lives. [Exit.
Fer. Diego, [straightway[292]] coast about the fields,
And overtake Don Pedro and his wife;
They newly parted from us.
Diego. I'll run speedily. [Exit.
Fer. A strange mischance: but what I have, my lord
Francisco, this day noted, I may tell you;
An accident of merriment and wonder.
Fran. Indeed, my lord!
Fer. I have not thoughts enough
About me to imagine what th' event
Can come to; ’tis indeed about my son;
Hereafter you may counsel me.
Fran. Most gladly.—
Re-enter Louis.
How fares the lady?
Louis. Callèd back to life,
But full of sadness.
Fer. Talks she nothing?
Louis. Nothing;
For when the women that attend on her
Demanded how she did, she turn’d about,
And answer’d with a sigh: when I came near,
And by the love I bore her begg’d a word
Of hope to comfort me in her well-doing,
Before she would reply, from her fair eyes
She greets me with a bracelet of her tears,
Then wish’d me not to doubt; she was too well;
154Entreats that she may sleep without disturbance
Or company until her father came:
And thus I left her.
Fran. Sir,[293] she’s past the worst.
Young maids are oft so troubled.
Fer. Here come they
You talk of.—
Re-enter Pedro and Maria.
Sir, your daughter, for your comfort,
Is now upon amendment.
Mar. O, my lord,
You speak an angel’s voice!
Fer. Pray, in and visit her;
I'll follow instantly. [Exeunt. Pedro and Maria.]—
You shall not part[294]
Without a cup of wine, my lord.
Fran. ’Tis now
Too troublesome a time.—Which way take you,
Don Louis?
Louis. No matter which; for till I hear
My Clara be recover’d, I am nothing.—
My lord corregidor, I am your servant
For this free entertainment.
Fer. You have conquer’d me
In noble courtesy.
Louis. O, that no art
But love itself can cure a love-sick heart! [Exeunt.
155