CORNELIUS

Pleases your Highness, I: here they are, Madam: But I beseech your Grace, without offence (My Conscience bids me ask) wherefore you have Commanded of me these most poisonous Compounds, Which are the movers of a languishing death: But though slow, deadly. Your Highness Shall from this practice, but make hard your heart: Beside, the seeing these effects will be Both noisome, and infectious. I do suspect you, Madam, But you shall do no harm. I do not Like her. She does think she ha Strange lingering poisons: I do know her spirit, And will not trust one of her malice with A drug of such damned Nature. Those she ha, Will stupify and dull the Sense awhile, Which first (perchance) shee'l prove on Cats and Dogs, Then afterwards up higher: but there is No danger in what show of death it makes, More then the locking up the Spirits a time, To be more fresh, reviving. She is fooled With a most false effect: and I, the truer, So to be false with her. I humbly take my leave. With horror, madly dying, Like her life, Which (being cruel to the world) concluded Most cruel to her self. What she confessed, I will report, so please you. These her Women Can trip me, if I err, who with wet cheeks Were present when she finished. First, she confessed she never loved you: only Affected Greatness God by you: not you: Married your Royalty, was wife to your place: Abhorred your person. Hail great King, To sour your happiness, I must report The Queen is dead. Your daughter, whom she boar in hand to love With such integrity, she did confess Was as a Scorpion to her sighed, whose life (But that her flight prevented it) she had Taken off by poison. More Sir, and worse. She did confess she had For you a mortal Mineral, which being took, Should by the minute feed on life, and lingering, By inches waste you. In which time, she purposed By watching, weeping, tendance, kissing, to Overcome you with her show; and in time (When she had fitted you with her craft, to work Her Son into the adoption of the Crown: But failing of her end by his strange absence, Grew shameless desperate, opened (in despite Of Heaven and Men) her purposes: repented The evils she hatched, were not effected: so Despairing, died. O Gods! I left out one thing which the Queen confessed, Which must approve thee honest. If Pasanio Have (said she) given his Mistress that Confection Which I gave him for Cordial, she is served, As I would serve a Rat. The Queen (Sir) very oft importuned me To temper poisons for her, still pretending The satisfaction of her knowledge, only In killing Creatures vild, as Cats and Dogs Of no esteem. I dreading, that her purpose Was of more danger, did compound for her A certain stuff, which being taken, would cease The present pour of life, but in short time, All Offices of Nature, should again Do their endue Functions. Have you taken of it? By the Queens Dram she swallowed.