THEODORET

This is and impudence, And he must tell you, that till now mother Brought ye a sons obedience, and now breaks it Above the sufferance of a son. These truths are no men tales, but all men's troubles, They are, though your strange greatness would out stare v'm: Witness the daily Libels, almost Ballads In every place, almost in every Province, Are made upon your lust, Tavern discourses, Crowds cramed with whisperes; Nay, the holy Temples Are not without your curses: Now you would blush, But your black tainted blood dare not appear For fear I should fright that too. Do not abuse their names: they see your actions, And your concealed sins, though you work Like Moles, Lies level to their justice. The more my shame is of so bade a mother, And more your wretchedness you let me be so; But woman, for a mother's name hath left me Since you have left your honour; mend these ruins, And built again that broken fame, and fairly; Your most intemperate fierce have burned, and quickly Within these ten days take a Monastery, A most strict house, a house where none may whisper, Where no more light is known but what may make ye Believe there is a day where no hope dwells, Nor comfort but in tears And there to cold repentance, and starved penance Tie your succeeding days; or curse me heaven If all your guilded knaves, brokers, and bedders, Even he you built from nothing, strong Portalyde, Be not made ambling Geldings; all your maids, If that name do not shame um, fed with sponges To suck away their rancknesse; and your self Only to empty Pictures and dead Arras Offer your old desires. But that I know these tears I could dote on em. And knecle to catch um as they fallen, then knit um Into and Armlet, ever to be honoured; But woman, they are dangerous drops, deceitfuil, Full of the weeper, anger, and ill nature. That Text should tell, How ugly it becomes you to err thus; Your flames are spent, nothing but smoke maintains you, And those your favour and your bounty suffers Lie not with you, they do but lay lust on you, And then embrace you as they caught a palsy; Your power they may love, and Like spanish Iennetts Commit with such a gust. But were ye once disgraced, Or fallen in wealth, Like leaves they would fly from you, And become browse for every beast; you willed me To stock my self with better friends, and servants; With what face dare you see me, or any mankind, That keep a raze of such unheard of relics, Bawds, Leachers, Letchecs, female fornications, And children in their rudiments to vices, Old men to show examples: and lest Art Should lose her self in act, to call back custom, Leave these, and live Like Thought I assure my self ( Martell ) your counsel Had no end but allegiance and my honour: Yet I am Jealous, I have passed the bounds Of a sons duty; for suppose her worse Then you report, not by bore circumstance But evident proof confirmed ha given her out: Yet since all weaknesses in a kingdom, are No more to be severely punished, then The faults of Kings are by the Thunderer As oft as they offend, to be revenged: If not for piety, yet for policy, Since some are of necessity to be spared, I might, and now I wish I had not looked With such strict eyes into her follies. I must grant Your reasons good ( Martell ) if as she is My Mother, she had be my subject, or That only here she could make challenge to A place of being; but I know her temper And fear (if such a word become a king,) That in discovering her, I have let lose A Tigers, whose rage being shut up in darkness, Was grievous only to her self; which brought Into the view of light, her cruelty Provoked by her own shame, will turn on him That foolishly presumed to let her see The loathed shape of her own deformity. It's true, And such a desperate cure I would have used, If the intemperate patient had not be So near me as a mother; but to her, And from me gentle unguents only were To be applied: and as physicians When they are sick of fevers, eat themselves Such viands as by their directions are Forbid to others, though alike diseased, So she considering what she is, may challenge Those cordials to restore her, by her birth, And privilege, which at no suit must be Granted to others. What laughed you at Sir? Why, what's the matter? I am glad to hear it, Prithee what course takes she to do this? How? I hear a tempest coming, That sings mine and my kingdoms ruin; hast, And cause a troop of horse to fetch her back: Yet stay, why should I use means to bring in A plague that of her self hath left me? Muster Our soldiers up, we'ele stand upon our guard, For we shall be attempted; yet forbear The inequality of our powers will yield me Nothing but lose in their defeature: something Must be done, and done suddenly, save your labour, In this i'll use no counsel but mine own, That course though dangerous is best. Command Our daughter be in readiness, to attend us: Martell, your company, and honest Vitry, Thou wilt along with me. How? Not one poor welcome, In answer of so long a journey made Only to see your brother. That she that long since had the boldness to Be a bade woman, (though I wish some other Should so report her) could not want the cunning, (Since they go hand in hand) to lay fair colours On her black crimes, I was resolved before, Nor make I doubt but that she hath impoysonde Your good opinion of me, and so far Incensed your rage against me, that too late I come to plead my innocence. This moves not me, and yet had I not been Transported on my own integrity, I neither am so odious to my subjects, Nor yet so barren of defence, but that By force I could have justified my gilded, Had I be faulty: but since innocence Is to it self and hundred thousand guards, And that there is no son, but though he owe That name to and ill mother, but stands bound Rather to take away with his own danger From the number of her faults, then for his own Security, to add unto them. This, This hath made me to prevent th'expence Of blood on both sides, the injuries, the rapes, (Pages, that ever wait upon the war:) The account of all which, since you are the cause, Believe it, would have be required from you; Rather I say to offer up my daughter, Who living only could revenge my death, With my heart blood a sacrifice to your anger, Then that you should draw on your head more curses Then yet you have deserved. Which joined with duty, Upon my knees I should be proud to tender, Had she not used her self so many swords To cut those bonds that tide me to it. Alas it is a theme, I take no pleasure to discourse of; would It could asloone be buried to the world, As it should die to me: nay more, I wish (Next to my partly of heaven) that she would spend The last partly of her life so here, that all Indifferent Judges might condemn me, for A most malicious slanderer: nay texde it Upon my forehead, if you hate me mother, Put me to such a shame, pray you do, believe it There is no glory that may fallen upon me, Can equal the delight I should receive In that disgrace; provided the repeal Of your long banishde virtues, and good name, Ushered me to it. 'Tis a good sign, the comfortablest rain I ever saw. Yes Sir, To that end we cast the project. That's the thing. You'll hune no more Sir, Martell, If you remember Sir, will grace your feast With something that will yield matter of mirth, Fit for no common view. You have it. Look Sir, he has it, Nay we shall have peace when so great a soldier As the renoumde Protaldye, will give up His sword rather then use it. Observe but how shefrets. You are to violent. The worst that can come Is blanketing; for beating, and such virtues I have be long acquainted with. Nay, Martell, you must be patient. And to you pleasant labour: Martell your company, Madam good night. There shall want Nothing to express our shares in your delight Sir. Nay credulity. Your General, mother, will display himself Spite of our peace I see. There's somewhat for thy labour, more then was promised, would, would, would: Foot I shall burst unless I vent my self, would, would, would. The fortune of the fool petswades my laughter More then his cowardice; was ever rat Taken by the tail thus? would, would, would. Would, did you not see one near me? You are too sudden; I do but gently tell you what becomes you, And what may bend your honour! how these courses Of lose and lazy pleasures; not suspected But done and known, your mind that grants no limit And all your Actions follows, which lose people That see but through a missed of circumstance Dare term ambitious; all your ways hide sores Opening in the end to nothing but ulcers. Your instruments Like these may call the world And with a fearful clamour, to examine Why, and to what we govern. From example If not for virtues sake ye may be honest: There have been great ones, good ones, and it's necessary Because you are your self, and by your self A self-piece from the touch of power and Justice, You should command your self, you may imagine Which cozens all the world, but chiefly women. The name of greatness glorifies your actions And strong power Like a penthouse, promises To shade you from opinion; take heed mother, And let us all take heed, these most abuse us The sins we do, people behold through optics, Which shows um ten times more then common vices, And often multiplies um: then what justice Dare we inflict upon the weak offenders When we are thieves our selves? This Stag stood well, and cunningly. Passed homeward, weary and tirde as we are, Now Martell, have you remembered what we though of?