LADY ELIDURE

Such greetings from great Archigalloes queen Would be most gracious to our princely ear. Is my Coach ready, where are all my men That should attend upon our awful frown, What not one near? Painted Majesty be gone, I am not to be counterchecked by any. Which of you will persuade my Elidure To take upon him England's royalty. This mildness in him makes me so despised By the proud Queen, and by her favourites. My Lord and husband, with your leave this book Is fitter for and University Then to be looked on, and the Crown so near: You know these Lords for tyranny have sworn To banish Archigallo from the throne, And to invest you in the royalty: Will you not thank them, and with bounteous hands Sprinkle their greatness with the names of Earls, Dukes, Marquesses, and other higher terms. Come have you done your task, now do you see What 'tis to be so proud of Majesty, We must take up your glove, and not be thought Worthy the name of Sister, thus you minx I'll teach you ply your work, and thank me to, This pains will be your own another day. My Lord, if she continue these proud terms, I give you liberty to punish her. I'll not maintain my prisoner and my slave To rail gainst any one that honours me. Oh I could tear my hair, base Elidure To wrong himself, and make a slave of me. Thou Screchowle, Raven, ugly throated slave Theres for thy news. Well sayest thou: no I look that she should Triple All the disgraces I have laid on her. I shall turn Laundress now, and learn to starch, And set and poke, and pocket up such baseness As never princess did: did you observe What looks I cast at Elidure my husband? I'll rather stoop to death thou moonlike Queen, New changed, and yet so proud: theres those are made For flexure, let them stoop, thus much I'll do, You are my Queen, 'tis but a debt I owe. A distaff and a spindle, so indeed I told you this, Diana be my speed. Now if it be thy will, sweet blessed heaven Take him to mercy. Take back your Distaff yet, wele stay our rage, We will forbear our spleen for charity And love unto the dead, till you have hearsd Your husbands bones, conduct her Lords away, Our pride though eager, yet for food shall stay. We do command what we well know yowl do, Follow the stronger partly, and cleave thereto. What traitorous hand dares interdict our way? Wilt thou be made a stale, Shall this proud Woman, and these boys prevail? Shall I for them be made a public scorn, O hadst thou buried been, assoon as born, How happy had I been. O monstrous lie. Whom speaks this woman to? My scarf is fallen, one of you reach it up. Saucy Lord forbear, there's for your exhortation. She's shadow, We the true substance are: follow her those That to our greatness dare themselves oppose. Why this is worse to my lofty mind, Then the late checks given by the angry Queen. On your younger brother, And then no doubt we shall be awed indeed, When the ambition of the elders wife, Can scarcely give our patience any bounds: England is sick of pride and tirrany, And in thy goodness only to be curd. Thou art called forth amongst a thousand men, To minister this sovereign Ancidote, To amend thy brother's cruelty with love, And if thou wilt not from oppression free Thy native Country, thou art vild as he. Men, heaven, gods, devils, what power should I invoke, To fashion him a new: thunder come down, Crown me with ruin, since not with a Crown. For that conceit Lords, you have won my heart, In his despite let him be straight ways Crowned, That I may triumph while the trumpets found. Help Lords to seat him, nay help every one: So should the Majesty of England fit, While we in Like state do associate him. Pain me in this sort great Lords every day, 'Tis sweet to rule. We thank you Lords, now call in the deposed, Him and his proud Queen, bring unto our sighed, That in her wrongs we may have our delight. So had not I, fit still my gracious Lord, While I look through this Tyrant with a frown, Minion reach up my glove. That pride of thine shall be thy overthrown. And thus I sentence them. No you are too mild, judgement belongs to me: Thou Archigallo for thy tirranie, For ever be excluded from all rule, And from thy life. He unto whom the greatest wrongs are done, Dispatch him quickly. Why strike you not, o 'tis a dangerous thing, To have a living subject of a King: Much treason may be wrought, when in his death, Our safety is secured. What and his Ladies to. But I'll not have you banished with the King, No Minion no, since you must live, be assured I'll make thee meanest of my waiting Maids. Dry up childish tears, And to these Lords that have invested you, Give gracious looks, and honourable deeds. Then from my self these dignities receive, The Island wrested from you I restore, See it be given them back Lord Sicophant. The office of High Seneschal bereft you, My Lord of Cornwell to your grace we give. You Martianus be our Treasurer, And if we find you faithful, be assured You shall not want preferment at our hands. Mean time this office we impose on you, Be Tutor to this Lady, and her pride With your learned principles whereof you are full Turn to humility, or vex her soul, Young Peridurus and Vigenius, Lords Release from prison, and because your King, Is mightily affected unto York, Thither dismiss the Court incontinent. Are not we King. His silence says it, and what we ordain, Who dares make question of: this day for ever Through our reign beheld a festival: And triumph Lords that England is set free, From a vild tyrant and his cruelty: Oh monstrous, was not I thy Queen but now. Would they had burned his eyes out That hath eclipsd our state and Majesty. I'll see her burst first. Are we not Queen? Vild traitress, darest, thou lay a violent hand on us thy Queen? Before such bondage, grant me heaven a graven. Wilt thou so much wrong both thy self and wife? Hast lived a king, and canst thou die a slave, A royal seat, does ask a royal graven, Though thousand swords thy present safety ring, Thou that hast been a Monarch, die a king. How Minion, thine? Canst be so base to see a younger brother, Nay two young Boys placed in thy throne of state, And thou their sudden in their trains to wait, I'll die before I endure it. The third am I. Yes to let two such usurpers live. Base flattering groom slavish parasite, In her power, O double slavery. To death, to hell, Rather then in thy base subjection dwell. What shall I never from this servitude Receive releasant evermore be plagued, With this insulting Queen? Is there no change, no other alteration in the state I know there is not, I am born to be a slave, to one baser then slavery By death, alas, what tongue pronounced that word? What my Lord weathercock? nay then I see, Death in thy mouth is but base flattery. By whose means. not the proud queen. And quite all former injury. no, for she had rather have my life prolongd. then I repent me of my wrongs towards her, And in the stead of a reward proposed to him that should destroy her, I do wish, Death be his death, that undertakes the deed. not I, I in my oaths am true. though that should chance, isle hold my promise sure. Sister. My Elydure a third time to be crowned. And you knew this before. Neither you Sister. If you did My oath is passed, and what I have lately sworn isle hold inui olate, here all strife ends, thy wit has made two proud shrews perfect friends. Methinks my gracious husband and my King, I never took more pleasure in my glass, Then I receive in her society. Is that strange monster took, somuch renowned, In City, Court, and Country, for lewd pranks. 'Tis well, weel hear how he can purge himself. Let me doom him, smooth spaniel, soothing grome Slick Oily knave, egregious parasite, Thou turning vane, and changing Weathercock, My sentence is thou shalt be naked stripped, And by the city beadles soundly whipped. O if a Devil would undertake that deed, I carded not though she herd me, I would say, He were a star more glorious then the day.