LELIO

By those moist tears which with a mournful heart, I often shed upon Sempronios herst: And by the love I bear Annetta fair: Nought but my death, shall make me loose thy right, More then my life, I cannot hazard mighty Florentine Whom do my eyes behold, art thou not Brishio my father? Who forsaking weal and friends, Madest thy choice of baleful banishment, Rather then live and seem banished. What means thy champion Medesa to faint. Fear not my Lord, the Florentines are men that honour right. Speak great Italian Duke, shall it be bruited in the ears of men? That Forsam grants all duty unto thee, And thou deny her right of marriage. Oh happy relics of a worthy man, Young Zepherius, and kind Orphinio. How wends the word, in Venice with our friends: How fares Annetta, how lives Lucida. Like as the Palm unto the Egyptian sagges, That in three hundred days, and sixty five: Is seemliest and fully brought to pass, Even so your tidings to sad Lelio, Imports my excreding year of grief. That hath three hundred woes and sixty five, And sixty five, three hundred sorrows more. Why are your swords unsheathed you noble Friends? Does pity move you by a blessed death to end my wooes. Oh welcome is that sword that slyts this heart. Is this the cause that makes you so unkind: Will Lelios head, or heart, or any partly, Be comforters to Brishio and his sons? Put up your swords, we will not square for this. That I may see my father ere I go, And thank him for his many courtesies. I come to thank my father for his love, And pray him by those arms he honours most, To deign my dutiful and kind adieu. Why whither goes my son so suddenly? These are thy children Brishio, these exceed In kindness towards thee, and towards me. O honours to your father and to me: Let me embrace you for your courtesy. Brishio fare well, accept a thousand thanks. Oh bend not those knees, to which nature bends. Rise father of kind sons, sons kind to father, Brother's unkind, in kindness to your brother: I kind to churlish of my kind, Do yield kind death, to save your lives And I with favour of my noble Lord, Will first give order to my soldiers, And then return to Brishio in his tent. My business passed I will revisit thee. In what a world of troubles am I tossed, To Venice Lelio, rid thy father's cares: I but Brishio will accuse thy breach of faith. But while I here remain his griefs increase, I am resolved, father, Friends, farewell, I will to Venice with a merry heart. And in what ear disguise I can provide, Visit Annetta my distressed wife, And so redeem my father's banishment. Exit Lelio. Will you buy any Coals, fine small Coals. Thus have I entered Venice in disguise, And through the streets have got unespied, Silence Lelio, my thinks my door does open, Ah yonder comes my wife and daughter forth, How fares Annetta, how does Lucida. Oh comfort of my erst esteemed life: How do your sighs revive my drooping mind? I come to rid thy father from his banishment, And to endow my daughter Lucida. come reselud to Venice here to die: Come hither daughter, thou knowest it is proclaimed, That who so brings me to the Senate house, Shall have a thousand Crowns for recompense. Now therefore Lucida I yield to thee: Take thou the gold, and yield me to them straight, And let my death, end all your miseries. Buy any Coals, small Cools, fine Cools. Sir I am Lelio, I'll not deny my name, And I am prisoner to my Lucida, To her belongs the ransom of my head, Not to thee son of hate and nygardie. My Lord I confess the fault, and am willing with my death to recompense the deed. That which would move the best and wisest man Had he but self same causes as I had. What shall they know, in knowing my mishap, That will not mollify their marble minds, Who first having slain his dearest friend? Next caused his father's banishment, And last his wife to live in misery, And would not seek ease for their disgrace, First pay his slaughtered friend with dearest blood, Next call his father home from banishment, And seeing his wife and daughter once oppressed, To get endowment and relief for both: But all my hope is lost, I die in vain, Which yields a double torment to my pain. Give sentence Prince, delay not by my death, To rid me from a world of Misery's. Who spares the guilty, anymates the bade. Oh life thou feedest me with continual death, When wilt thou end and ease my heinous harms? And I'll revenge my mortal injury, Now is his lustful insolence, Drowned in the sea of bloody tragedy, How now Sempronio? Too late remorse, why dost thou follow me? Ah sweet Sempronio, speak but one word more. Fly Lelio fly, and save thy life. Exit Lelio. No knave the door. Sirrah speak, where's your mistress? Wood speak, and guts sing, how meanest thou that? And where is my daughter Lucida? As how? Jest not sirrah, but call them hither quickly. Annetta call me wretch. The worst of harms. Ah, ask not where he is, Thou must be husbandless through my misdeeds, Thou must be fatherless through my disgrace: Farewell, I dare not stay to tell my mind, I have no time Annetta to embrace thee, Unless I hazard life to stay so long, Annetta, in a word Sempronio's dead, His friends pursue me, and to save my life, I needs must fly: you for your maintenance Must presently the chiefest jewels seize, Farewell, my sighs and tears must tell the rest. Captives sweet souls, in chains of misery. He that relieves poor souls when hope is dead. True virtue daughter, if he be in presence: Ah look on these you care desiring eyes, These cannot speak, for woe clogs up their tongue's Thus silent misery tells mourning grief, Go to poor souls and hide you from a storm, The hands are pressed to rob you of your own, Go in poor souls, weep less, endeavour more, Hast forceth grief, danger keeps the door. Exeunt. Where shall I hide me from too searching eyes? O whither may I go to save my life? Oh stay me not Brishio for thy daughters sake, Be not thou the means to bring me to my end. Father by marriage, friend in my misdeed, Thus fortune hath depressed my weak estate, Sempronio found in Venice for my friend, Dear to my soul while he held virtue deer, Incensed thy daughter and my wedded wife, Who scorning to defame her ancient stock, Disburdened his lewd suit within my ears, Hereon in a rage I drew him to the field, There he lies slain, I fly to save my life. Now as thou art a father, for my sake Pity thy daughter and my woeful child, For by the law I am condemned to die: Farewell, the rest who cannot tell, if you inquire. Hast thou not herd the sentence of the Duke? That who so succors me must lose his goods, And live a banished life. What God will have, folly may not withstand. You wrong me brother's. Voluntary intent Brought me to Venice, not your words. Mighty, magnificent, and gracious lord, Why stay you silly souls with dalliance, Command these murdering hands to cut my throat, And if that justice flourish in this state, Pity my father, friend, my joy and weal. Sempronio. Have I retained thee caitiff in my house, And made thee Lord of all my best delights, And could thy impious heart so lewdly think, Dishonour to defile my wedding bed, Had Venus no other strumpet to content Sempronios mind, but thou must choose my wife, To make a stale to thy unbridled lust, Wretch, why do I thus expostulate? Come, come, I'll act revenge, and talk no more, Even for our ancient love I'll give thee law, Disroabe thee if thou wilt, speak no more, For Lelio hath inexorable ears. A pardon Medesa all the world beside. Had not this man, this father of my wife: Encountered me, I would have died and perished in thy cause. I vow to be as sequest to my Father, And with my heart I do forgive my brother's. Ho Gnatto open. To combat with my father were my death?