in The Devil's Charter, or Pope Alexander the Sixth — Barnes, Barnabe
Metadata
Play
The Devil's Charter, or Pope Alexander the Sixth
Author
Barnes, Barnabe
Year (catalogued)
1607
First performance
1606
Decade
1600s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
King's Men
Theater
before the Court;
Speech prefix(es)
Ast. | Asto. | Astor. | Ast
Words
452
Characters
2472
Typicality
0.19 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A04539
BritDrama no.
1523
Cluster
Cluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Brother Phillippo what avails it, When our state lost the Fauintines compounded, That I should hold both life and liberty, Withal revenues of my proper state, When as my life within the Court of Room, Is much more loathsome to my soul then death, And liberty more grief then servitude. He that with fire and Brimstone did consume Sodom and other Cities round about. Deliver us from this soul-slaying sin. To which our bodies are made prostitute, I was now going to our Ladies mass, In Saint John Laterans ; where my ghostly father Attends me for my confession. But thank his Holiness on my behalf, In all endue reverence and humility. Tell him I mean—so soon as I return, pause. To come according to my bounden duty. Exit Bar. My case is desperate, what shall I do? Phillippo, was there ever any man Hunted with such unsatisfied rage? Yes and play the pleasant partly of a conceited Ani re , the shape of a bright Angel. O blessed heavens let Satan tempt no longer, His force is powerful yet thy strength much stronger, He that with guileful baits gilded untruth, So seeks to blast the blossom of my youth. This set was strangely lost I durst have wagerd, And hundred ducats after the first chase. Holla within there if I take no pains, My wastcote well can witness for I sweat. Enter Bernardo. Fill me some wine Bernardo, Give me wine and let it be thy labour good Barnardo To call for music. Bernardo delivereth wine. Brother in this cup I commend the loves, Of all true Fauentines our trusty friends, Hoping ere long to live again with them. This wine was good yet tasteth of the casck, It hath a musty relish. Holla within there. I think it good after this little rubbing to repose my body And what Bernardo. Fair gracious Angel of eternal light, Which reachest out that hand of happiness. Hailing my spirit to that triumphant throne, Of endless comfort I adore thy grace. After our ladies Mass I will return. Dear God what furies in his soul do burn? After the Celebration of the Mass, I come my Lord. Exeunt Astor and Phillipp . To visit me, nay to dishonour me, Behold this Ruby sent from his own finger, Which as a Bawd inviteth me to shame. Betrayed? a slave to sin? what shall I say? Most Holy father. To call you friend were too familiar, To call you brother sorts not with our years: To call you Father does import some fear, Endue to that age your Holiness does bear. Good Barnardo. My duty bound unto his Holiness, Return in payment from his Captive servant.
Plot summary
Plot — The Devil's Charter, or Pope Alexander the Sixth
During a papal election, Roderigo Borgia both bribes the conclave and sells his soul to the Devil. These actions ensure his election as Pope Alexander VI. He makes his son Caesar a cardinal and his other son, the Duke of Gandy, the general of the papal armies. To nepotism he adds incest with his daughter, Lucretia; among many other crimes, he also poisons cardinals for their money and makes homosexual advances to the vanquished prince, Astor Manfredi. Later, seeking to acquire the lands of Astor and his brother, he has them put to sleep with opium, then kills them with poisonous snakes and gives out that they died from over-exerting themselves at tennis. King Charles of France enters Italy to press his claim to the Neapolitan throne, and is given assistance by Lodowick Sforza. Their army marches on Rome. Alexander has secured a marriage alliance with the current rulers of Naples, and so: favours Ferdinand, Charles’s rival claimant. On Caesar’s advice, he ===== PAGE 344 ===== reluctantly allows Charles to enter Rome and capitulates to his demands. Charles takes Naples, but dies after returning to France, and Ferdinand takes back the throne; Charles’s successor, King Louis, invades again. Frustrated by the restrictions imposed by her jealous husband, Lucretia Borgia traps him in a trick chair which immobilizes him; she agrees to spare his life on condition that he signs a document she has prepared, but afterwards she stabs him to death anyway. The document turns out to be a forged suicide note. Informed by devils of the truth of the affair, Alexander sends her a poisoned perfume, pretending it to be a gift from her lover, Sforza; she uses it when preparing for an assignation with a cardinal, and dies. Despite Alexander’s efforts to foster good relations between his sons, Caesar and Gandy are bitterly jealous of one another. Caesar engages Frescobaldi to help him murder Gandy; the corpse is disposed of in the Tiber, and Caesar throws in Frescobaldi after it. He plans to throw suspicion onto Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, but devils have already revealed his guilt to Alexander. Father and son confront one another with their respective villainies, and are reconciled: Caesar is appointed the papal general in his brother’s place. Caesar leads the armies to conquer Italy. He besieges Forli, but the Countess will not surrender even when shown that Caesar has her sons as hostages. He orders them beheaded, and storms the city; but once the Countess is taken, he reunites…