Act 5 — ACT V. SCENE I.

A room in Fernando’s house.

Fernando, Francisco, Pedro, Roderigo, Clara, and Maria, pass over the stage from church: as the others exeunt, Fernando stays Roderigo.

Fer. Thou hast now the wife of thy desires.

Rod. Sir, I have,

And in her every blessing that makes life

Loath to be parted with.

Fer. Noble she is,

And fair; has to enrich her blood and beauty,

Plenty of wit, discourse, behaviour, carriage.

Rod. I owe you duty for a double birth,

Being in this happiness begot again,

Without which I had been a man of wretchedness.

Fer. Then henceforth, boy, learn to obey thy fate;

’Tis fallen upon thee; know it, and embrace it;

Thy wife’s a wanton.

Rod. A wanton?

Fer. Examine through the progress of thy youth

What capital sin,^[361] what great one ’tis, for ’tis

A great one, thou’st committed.

Rod. I a great one?

Fer. Else heaven is not so wrathful to pour on thee

A misery so full of bitterness:

I am thy father; think on’t, and be just;

Come, do not dally.

Rod. Pray, my lord——

Fer. Fool, ’twere

Impossible that justice should rain down

186In such a frightful horror without cause.

Sir, I will know it; rather blush thou didst

An act thou dar’st not name, than that it has

A name to be known by.

Rod. Turn from me then,

And as my guilt sighs out this monster,—rape,

O, do not lend an ear!

Fer. Rape? fearful!

Rod. Hence,

Hence springs my due reward.

Fer. Thou’rt none of mine,

Or if thou be’st, thou dost belie the stamp^[362]

Of thy nativity.

Rod. Forgive me!

Fer. Had she,

Poor wrongèd soul, whoe’er she was, no friend,

Nor father, to revenge? had she no tongue

To roar her injuries?

Rod. Alas, I know her not!

Fer. Peace! thou wilt blaze a sin beyond all precedent:

Young man, thou shouldst have married her; the devil

Of lust that riots in thy eye should there

Have let fall^[363] love and pity, not on this stranger

Whom thou hast doted on.

Rod. O, had I married her,

I had been then the happiest man alive!

Re-enter Clara, Maria, and Pedro, from behind the arras.

Cla. As I the happiest woman, being married:

Look on me, sir.

Ped. You shall not find a change

187So full of fears as your most noble father,

In his wise trial, urg’d.

Mar. Indeed you shall not,

The forfeit of her shame shall be her pawn.

Rod. Why, pray, d’ye mock my sorrows? now, O, now,

My horrors flow^[364] about me!

Fer. No, thy comforts,

Thy blessings, Roderigo.

Cla. By this crucifix [Shewing crucifix.

You may remember me.

Rod. Ha! art thou

That lady wrongèd?

Cla. I was, but now am

Righted in noble satisfaction.

Rod. How can I turn mine eyes, and not behold

On every side my shame!

Fer. No more: hereafter

We shall have time to talk at large of all:

Love her that’s now thine own; do, Roderigo;

She’s far from what I character’d.

Cla. My care

Shall live about me to deserve your love.

Rod. Excellent Clara!—Fathers both, and mother,

I will redeem my fault.

Fer. Ped. Mar. Our blessings dwell on ye!

Re-enter Francisco with Louis.

Louis. Married to Roderigo?

Fran. Judge yourself;

See where they are. [Exit.

188Louis. Is this your husband, lady?

Cla. He is, sir: heaven’s great hand, that on record

Fore-points the equal union of all hearts,

Long since decreed what this day hath been perfected.

Louis. ’Tis well then; I am free, it seems.

Cla. Make smooth,

My lord, those clouds, which on your brow deliver

Emblems of storm;^[365] I will, as far as honour

May privilege, deserve a noble friendship,

As you from me deserve a worthy memory.

Louis. Your husband has prov’d himself a friend [to me],

Trusty and tried; he’s welcome, I may say,

From the university.

Rod. To a new school

Of happy knowledge, Louis.

Louis. Sir, I am^[366]

Not so poor to put this injury up;

The best blood flows within you is the price.

Rod. Louis, for this time calm your anger; and if

I do not give you noble satisfaction,

Call me to what account you please.

Louis. So, so.—I come for justice t’ye,

And you shall grant it.

Fer. Shall and will.

Louis. With speed too;

My poor friend bleeds the whiles.

Fer. You shall yourself,

189Before we part, receive the satisfaction

You come for.—Who attends?

Servant [within]. My lord?

Fer. The prisoner!

Servant [within]. He attends your lordship’s pleasure.

Enter Constanza, Guiamara, and Alvarez.

Louis. What would this girl?

Foh, no tricks; get you to your cabin, huswife;

We have no ear for ballads.

Fer. Take her away.

Cla. A wondrous lovely^[367] creature!

Const. Noble gentlemen,

If a poor maid’s, a gipsy-virgin’s tears

May soften the hard edge of angry justice,

Then grant me gracious hearing; as you’re merciful,

I beg my husband’s life!

Fer. Thy husband’s, little one?

Const. Gentle sir, our plighted troths are chronicled

In that white book above which notes the secrets

Of every thought and heart; he is my husband,

I am his wife.

Louis. Rather his whore.

Const. Now, trust me,

You’re no good man to say so; I am honest,

'Deed, la, I am; a poor soul, that deserves not

Such a bad word: were you a better man

Than you are, you do me wrong.

Louis. The toy grows angry!

Cla. And it becomes her sweetly; troth, my lord,

I pity her.

190Rod. I thank you, sweet.^[368]

Louis. Your husband,

You’ll say, is no thief.

Const. Upon my conscience,

He is not.

Louis. Dares not strike a man.

Const. Unworthily

He dares not; but if trod upon, a worm

Will turn again.

Louis. That turning turns your worm

Off from the ladder, minion.

Const. Sir, I hope

You’re not his judge; you are too young, too choleric,

Too passionate; the price of life or death

Requires a much more grave consideration

Than your years warrant: here sit they,^[369] like gods,

Upon whose head[s] the reverend badge of time

Hath seal’d the proof of wisdom; to these oracles

Of riper judgment, lower in my heart [Kneels.

Than on my knees, I offer up my suit,

My lawful suit, which begs they would be gentle

To their own fames, their own immortal stories.

O, do not think, my lords, compassion thrown

On a base low estate, on humble people,

Less meritorious than if you had favour’d

The faults of great men! and indeed great men

Have oftentimes great faults: he whom I plead for

Is free; the soul of innocence itself

Is not more white:^[370] will you pity him?

191I see it^[371] in your eyes, ’tis a sweet sunbeam,

Let it shine out; and to adorn your praise,

The prayers of the poor shall crown your days,

And theirs are sometimes heard.^[372]

Fer. Beshrew the girl,

She has almost melted me to tears!

Louis. Hence, trifler!—Call in my friends!^[373]—

Enter John, Diego, Cardochia, and Servants.

What hope of ease?

Diego. Good hope, but still I smart;

The worst is in my pain.

Louis. The price is high

Shall buy thy vengeance: to receive a wound

By a base villain’s hand, it mad[den]s me.

John. Men subject to th' extremity of law

Should carry peace about ’em to their graves;

Else, were you nobler than the blood you boast of

Could any way, my lord, derive you, know

I would return sharp answer to your slanders;

But it suffices, I am none of ought

Your rage misterms me.

Louis. None of ’em? no rascal?

John. No rascal.

Louis. Nor no thief?

John. Ask her that’s my accuser: could your eyes

Pierce through the secrets of her foul desires,

You might without a partial judgment look into

A woman’s lust and malice.

Card. My good lords,

What I have articled against this fellow,

I justify for truth.

192John. On then, no more:

This being true she says, I have deserv’d

To die.

Fer. We sit not here to bandy words,

But minister [the] law, and that condemns thee

For theft unto the gallows.

Const. O my misery!

Are you all marble-breasted? are your bosoms

Hoop’d round with steel? to cast away a man,

More worthy life and honours than a thousand

Of such as only pray unto the shadow

Of abus’d greatness!

John. ’Tis in vain to storm;

My fate is here determinèd.

Const. Lost creature,

Art thou grown dull too? is my love so cheap

That thou court’st thy destruction ’cause I love thee?—

My lords, my lords!—Speak, Andrew, prithee, now,

Be not so cruel to thyself and me;

One word of thine will do’t.

Fer. Away with him!

To-morrow is his day of execution.

John. Even when you will.

Const. Stay, man; thou shalt not go,

Here are more women yet.—Sweet madam, speak!

You, lady, you methinks should have some feeling

Of tenderness; you may be touch’d as I am:

Troth, were’t your cause, I'd weep with you, and join

In earnest suit for one you held so dear.

Cla. My lord, pray speak in his behalf.

Rod. I would,

But dare not; ’tis a fault so clear and manifest.

Louis. Back with him to his dungeon!

John. Heaven can tell

193I sorrow not to die, but to leave her

Who whiles I live is my life’s comforter.

[Exit with Servants.

Card. Now shall I be reveng’d!

[Aside, and exit with Diego.

Const. O me unhappy! [Swoons.

Fer. See, the girl falls!

Some one look to her.

Cla. ’Las, poor maid!

Gui. Pretiosa!

She does recover: mine honourable lord——

Fer. In vain; what is’t?

Gui. Be pleas’d to give me private audience;

I will discover something shall advantage

The noblest of this land.

Fer. Well, I will hear thee;

Bring in the girl.

[Exeunt. Fernando, Maria, Pedro, Clara, Roderigo, Guiamara, and Constanza: Alvarez stays Louis.

Louis. Ought with me? what is’t?

I care not for thy company, old ruffian;

Rascal, art impudent?

Alv. To beg your service.

Louis. Hang yourself!

Alv. By your father’s soul, sir, hear me!

Louis. Despatch!

Alv. First promise^[374] me you’ll get reprieve

For the condemnèd man, and by my art

I'll make you master of what your heart on earth

Can wish for or desire.

Louis. Thou liest; thou canst not!

194Alv. Try me.

Louis. Do that, and then, as I am noble,

I will not only give thy friend his life,

But royally reward thee, love thee ever.

Alv. I take your word; what would you?

Louis. If thou mock’st me,

'Twere better thou wert damn’d!

Alv. Sir, I am resolute.

Louis. Resolve me, then, whether the count Alvarez,

Who slew my father, be alive or dead?

Alv. Is this the mighty matter? the count lives.

Louis. How?

Alv. The count lives.

Louis. O fate! Now tell me where,

And be my better genius.

Alv. I can do’t:

In Spain ’a lives; more, not far from Madrill,^[375]

But in disguise, much alter’d.

Louis. Wonderful scholar!

Miracle of artists! Alvarez living?

And near Madrill too? now, for heaven’s sake, where?

That’s all, and I am thine.

Alv. Walk off, my lord,

To the next field, you shall know all.

Louis. Apace, then!

I listen to thee with a greedy ear:

The miserable and the fortunate

Are alike in this, they cannot change their fate.

[Exeunt.

195