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)
Can. | Cand. | Can, | 〈◊〉 [Gandy] | Ca.
Words
529
Characters
2849
Typicality
0.37 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A04539
BritDrama no.
1523
Cluster
Cluster 4 — Constant hearts & virtuous ladies
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Under correction of your Holiness, Those wars which virtue leu es against v ce, Are only known to some particulars Which have them written in their consciences. Those are the same they seem and in such wars Your son shall make remonstrance of his valour, And so become true Champion of the Church. Your holiness in this shall see my skill, To do you service, Exit Candy. Why Lodowick ? the wethercocke is turned, The wind stands fair, but how long will that hold? So may we put in hazard our whole Church The deer estate of Christ's flock militant And bring confusion unto Christendom. This is Saint Peters bulwark; for my part Here I will die ere I surrender it. We cannot, nor we will not yield it up. This was and act of such strange consequence, As never yet was herd, a man found dead Within a private chamber of his house; When all his servants stirred: not one of them That could give evidence of what befell But that he killed himself. Cosa impossibile. I cannot think it. The gentleman was honest, full of sport, And well affected. Go too, go too. Good Barbarossa pray my sister Lucrece, Here to encounter me with her good company: Somewhat I would in private talk with her. High God be merciful. Thou that dost know the secrets of all hearts, If Lucrece (as my father does suspect) Was privy to this murder of my life I can learn all she knows. But yet I will not either suspect, or urge her were it true Being indeed a violation of brotherhood & common huma nity She makes towards me—sister how fairs it with you? What order took you for his funnerall? Perform it decently with diligence. Gladly deer sister with what hast you may, And I desire you noble Barbarosa To meet us at my Chamber after supper. My brother Caesar hath appointed with me Some business, and I crave your company. Tell him I will attend by nine of clock. My trembling liver throbs, my cold hearts heavy; My mind disturbed and I know not why But all as he will, heavens above for me. Exeunt omnes. What is't a clock boy now? But hath La Bellam formiana noti e, Of our approach to night. 'Tis very dark, good brother go before, You know the streets best. My heart begins to throb, my soul misdoubts, I fear some treachery A I me fido, guarda me Dio, On in Gods name. Caesar I can scarce go, A sudden qualm hath seized upon my spirits. 'Tis a foul business let us retire, And seek some other season for our sports, Are you worser spos;worser to quarrel in the streets, Neither the time nor place serves instantly; To call you to some audit for these words. Dear God revenge my wrongs, receive my soul. Farewell Barbarossa. How then. It is impossible (after a search) No anger found within Vis llies doers, But that some servant of his family Should have sure notice how the murder was. I know deer brother when your counsel tends Unto my good it issueth from pure love.
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…