GORBODUC

MY Lords whose graven advise & faithful aid Have long upheld my Honour & my Realm And brought me from this age from tender years. Guiding so great estate with great renown: Now more imports me the erst to use Your faith and wisdom whereby yet I reign, That when by death my lief and rule shall cease, The kingdom yet may with unbroken course, Have certain Prince, by whose undoubted right, Your wealth and peace, may stand in quiet stay, And eke that they whom Nature hath prepared, In time to take my place in Princely Seat, While in their Father's time their pliant youth Yields to the frame of skilful governance May so be taught and trained in noble Arts, As what their father's which have reigned before Have with great fame derived down to them With honour they may leave unto their seed: And not be taught for their unworthy life, And for their Laweles swerving out of kind, Worthy to loose what Law and kind them gave But that they may preserve the continued ̄ mon peace, The cause that first began and still maintains The Lyneall course of kings inheritance, For me, for mine, for you, and for the state Whereof both I and you have charge and care. Thus do I mean to use your wonted faith To me and mine, and to your native Land, My Lords be plain without all wry respect Or poisonous craft to speak in pleasing wise, Lest as the blame of ill succeeding things Shall light on you, so light the harms also. My Lords I thank you all. This is the case You know, the Gods, who have the sovereign care For kings, for kingdoms, and for continued ̄ men weals, Gave me two sons in my more lusty Age, Who now in my deceiving years are grown Well towards riper state of mind and strength, To take in hand some greater Princely charge, As yet they live and spend their hopeful days, With me and with their Mother here in Courts Their age now asks other place and trade, And mine also does ask and other change, Theirs to more travail, mine to greater ease: When fatal death shall end my mortal life, My purpose is to leave unto them twain The Realm divided into two sandrie parts: The one Ferrex mine elder son shall have, The other shall the other Porrex rule That both my purpose may more framelie stand, And eke that they may better rule their charge, I mean forthwith to place them in the same: That in my life they may both learn to rule, And I may Joy to see their ruling well. This is in so ̄ me, what I would have you weigh: First whither you allow my whole devise, And think it good for me, for them, for you, And for our Country, mother of us all: And if you like it and allow it well, Than for their guiding and their governance, Show forth such means of circumstance, As you think meet to be both known and kept: Lot, this is all, now tell me your advise. I take your faithful hearts in thankful part But sith I see no cause to draw my mind, To fear the nature of my loving sons, Or to misdeme that Envy or disdain, Can there work hate, where nature plants love In one self purpose do I still abide, My love extendeth equally to both, My Land sufficeth for them both also: Humber shall part the Marches of their Realms: The Sotherne part the elder shall possess, The Northern shall Porrex the younger rule, In quiet I will pass mine aged days, Free from the travail and the painful cares That hasten age upon the worthiest kings. But lest the fraud that you do seem to fear Of flattering tongues, corrupt their tender youth And wrieth them to the ways of youthful lust, To climbing pride, or to revenging hate Or to neglecting of their careful charge Lewdly to live in wanton recklenesse, Or to oppressing of the rightful cause Or not to wreke the wrongs done to the poor To tread down truth, or favour false deceit I mean to join to either of my sons Some one of those whose long approved faith And wisdom tried may well assure my heart: That mining fraud shall find no way to crepee Into their fenced ears with graven advise: This is the end, and so I pray you all To bear my sons the love and loyalty That I have found within your faithful breasts. Oh Cruel fates, Oh mindful wrath of Gods whose we ̄ geau ̄ ice neither Simois strained strea mes. Flowing w to blood of Trojan Princes slain Nor Phrygian fields made rank w to Corpses dead Of Asian kings and Lords can yet appease, He slaughter of unhappy Pryams raze Nor Ilions fallen made level with the soil, Can yet suffice: but still continued rage, Pursue our lives, and from the farthest Seas Does chased the issues of destroyed Troy: O no man happy, till his end be seen, If any flowing wealth and seeming Joy In present yeresmight make a happy wight, Happy was Hecuba the woefullest wretch That ever lived to make a Mirror of And happy Pryam with his noble sons, And happy I till now, Alas, I see And feel my most unhappy wretchedness: Behold my Lords, read you this Letter here Lo it contains the ruin of our Realm If timely speed provide not hastle help Yet (Oh you Gods) if ever woeful King Might move you kings of kings, wreke it on me And on my Sons, not on this gilties Realm. Send down your wasting flames from wrathful skies To reue me & my so ̄ nes the hateful breath Read, read my Lords: this is the matter Why I called you now to have your good advise. The Gods send joyful news. Philander, welcome: But how does my son? Oh heavens yet more? no end of woes to ? Are they in Arms? would he not send for me Is this the honour of a Father's name? In vain we travail to assuage their minds As if their hearts whom neither Brother's love Nor Father's awe, nor kingdoms care can move Our Cou ̄ sells could withdraw from raging heat Jove slay them both, and end the cursed Line For though perhaps fear of such mighty force As I my Lords, joined with your noble Aides May yet raise, shall repress their present heat, The secret grudge and malice will remain The fire not quentched, but kept in close restraint Fead still within, breaks forth with double flame Their death and mine must pease the angry gods Oh Heave ̄ S send down the flames of your revenge, Destroy I say w to flash of wrekefull fire The Traitor son, and than the wretched sire: But let us go, that yet perhaps I may Die with revenge, and pease the hateful gods. WE marvel much whereto this lingering stay Falls out so long: Porrex unto our Court By order of our Letters is returned And Eubulus received from us by hest At his arriuale here to give him charge Before our presence straight to make repair And yet we have no word whereof he stays. We Like and praise this speedy will in you To work the thing that to your charge we gave Porrex, if we so far should swerve from kind, And from ̄ these bounds which laws of Nature sets As thou hast done by vile and wretched deed In cruel murder of thy Brother's life, Our present hand could stay no longer time, But straight should bath this blade in blood of the As joust revenge of thy detested crime. No. we should not offend the law of kind, If now this sword of ours did slay thee here: For thou hast murdered him whose heinous death Even Nature's force does move us to revenge By blood again: But Justice forceth us To measure Death for Death, thy endue desert, Yet since thou art our child, and sith as yet In this harden case what word thou canst allege For thy defence, by us hath not been harden We are content to stay our will for that Which Justice bids us presently to work: And give the leave to use thie speech at full If ought thou have to say for thine excuse. In vain, Oh wretch thou show A woeful heart, Ferrex now lies in graven, Slain by thy hand. O cruel wight, should any cause prevail To make the stain thy hands with brother's blood But what of thee we will resolve to do Shall yet remain unknown: Thou in the mean Shalt from our royal presence banished be Until our Princely pleasure further shall To the be showed, depart therefore our sighed Accursed child. What cruel destiny What forward fate hath sorted us this chance That even in those, where we should comfort find Where our delight now in our aged days Should rest and be, even there our only grief And deepest sorrows to abridge our lief, Most pining cares and deadly thoughts do graven yours Many can yield right graven and sage advise Of patient sprite to others wrapped in woe, And can in speech both rule and conquer kind, Who if by proof, they might feel nature's force, Would show them selves men as they are in deed, which now will needs be gods: but what does me ane The sorry cheer of her that here does come? Madame (alas) what means your woeful tale? Oh Eubulus, o draw this sword of ours, And pierce this heart with speed, Oh hateful light, Oh loathsome lief, Oh sweet and welcome Death, Dear Eubulus work this we thee beseech. Oh let us than repaier, unto the place, And see if that Porrex, or thus be slame.