CONTARINO

I sent you the Evidence of the piece of land I motioned to you for the Sale. Has your counsel perused it? No. Yet I have herd of diverse, that in passing of the Alps, have but exchanged their virtues at deer rate for other vices. I am ever bound to you for many special favours. I would feign know the cause can be worthy this Thy sorrow. What to do with it Lady? That's done already; you are all mine. Give me in a word, to whom, or by whose means Are you thus torn from me? To avoid which, we will instantly be married. Be of comfort sweet Mistress. Upon my life none. (this. With whom? with Ercole? You have delivered him guiltless. With your Brother? He's partly of your self. With your complemental Mother? I use not sighed with women To morrow weel be married: Let those that would oppose this union, grow never so subtle, and entangle themselves In their own work Like Spiders, while we two Haste to our noble wishes, and presume, The hindrance of it will breed more delight, As black copartaments shows gold more bright. Sir, my love to you has proclaimed you one, Whose word was still led by a noble thought, And that thought followed by as fair a died: Deceive not that opinion, we were Students At Padua together, and have long To'th world's you shown Like friends, Was it hearty on your partly to me? You are false To the good thought I held of you, and now Join the worst partly of man to you, your malice, To uphold that falsehood, sacred innocence Is fled your bosom. Signior, I must tell you, To draw the picture of unkindness truly, Is to express two that have dearly loved, And fallen at variance; 'tis a wonder to me, Knowing my interest in the fair Iolenta, That you should love her. 'Tas a Seal from heaven To do it, since you would ravish from me What's there entitled mine: and yet I vow, By the essential front of spotless Virtue, I have compassion of both our youths: To approve which, I have not taken the way, Like and Italian, to cut your throat By practice, that had given you now for dead, And never frowned upon you. Quit me of one doubt, pray sir. 'Tis this, Whither her Brother were a main Instrument In her design for Marriage. Why? I have no enemy in the world then, but your self; You must fight with me. And instantly. Not a quarrel? It is and ornament makes it more terrible, And you shall find it A weighty injury, and attended on By discreet valour; because I do not strike you, Or give you the lie, such foul preparatives Would show Like the stale injury of Wine. I reserve my rage to fit on my swords point, Which a great quantity of your best blood Cannot satisfy. None, for fear of prevention. Weel fit them by the way: So whither our time calls us to live or die, Let us do both Like noble Gentlemen, And true Italians. Me thinks, being and Italian, I trust you To come somewhat too near me: But your Jealousy gave that embrace to try If I were armed, did it not. Yowl not forgo your interest in my Mistress? Before you fight sir, think upon your cause, It is a wondrous foul one, and I wish, That all your exercise these four days passed, Had been employed in a most fervent prayer, And the foul sin for which you are to fight Chiefly remembered in't. You are hurt. Your cause, your cause sir: Will you yet be a man of Conscience, and make Restitution for your rage upon your deathbed? That was fair, and home I think. Spare your youth, have compassion on your self. I am lost in too much daring: yield your sword. You are now at my repairing, or confusion: Beg your life. I will not partly with his sword, I have won't. Business to me? She is welcome. Exceeding well, very, very exceeding well. Is not this Vivere honest? I shall be mindful of it: In troth you write a pretty Secretary, Your Secretary hand ever takes best in mine opinion. Even as a man is traded in't. I am struck with wonder almost extaside, With this most goodly Suit. 'Tis a Case shall leave a President to all the world, In our succeeding Annals, and deserves Rather a spacious public Theater, Then a penned Court for Audence; it shall teach All Ladies the right path to rectify their issue. And you shall go unto a peaceful graven, Discharged of such a gilded, as would have lain Howling for ever at your wounded heart, And rose with you to Judgement. (of Judgement. Doubt not. What is he summoned? Never fear you that: Follow me worthy Lady, and make account This Suit is ended already. But do you mean to go? That my fair Iolenta should be rumoured To be with child by noble Ercole, Makes me expect to what a violent issue These passages will come. I hear her brother Is marrying the Infant she goes with, before it be born, As if it be a Daughter, To the Duke of Austria's Nephew; if a Son, Into the Noble ancient Family Of the Palam afini: He's a subtle Devil. And I do wonder what strange Suit in Law, Has happened between him and's mother. May it please your Lordsh. & the reverend Court, To give me leave to open to you a Case So rare, so altogether void of President, That I do challenge all the spacious Volumes, Of the whole Civil Law to show the Like. We are of Council for this Gentlewoman, We have received our Fee, yet the whole course Of what we are to speak, is quite against her, Yet weel deserve our fee too. There stands one, Romelio the Merchant; I will name him to you, Without either title or addition: For those false beams of his supposed honour, As void of true heat, as are all painted fires, Or Glowworms in the dark, suit him all basely, As if he had bought his Gentry from the Herald, With money God by extortion: I will first Produce this Aesop's Crow, as he stands forfeit, For the long use of his gay borrowed plumes, And then let him hop naked: I come to'th point, It's been a Dream in Naples, very near This eight and thirty years, that this Romelio, Was nobly descended, he has ranked himself With the Nobility, shamefully usurped Their place, and in a kind of lawcy pride, Which Like to Mushrooms, ever grow most rank, When they do spring from dunghills, sought to oversway, The Fliski, the Grimaldi, Dori, And all the ancient pillars of our State; View now what he is come to: this poor thing Without a name, this Cuckoo hatched ith nest Of a Hedge-sparrow. The Midwife strait howls out, there was no hope Of infants life, swaddles it in a stead Lambeskin, As a Bird hatched too early, makes it up With three quarters of a face, that made it look Like a Changeling, cries out to Romelio, To have it Christened, least it should depart Without that it came for: and thus are many served, That take care to get Gossips for those children, To which they might be Godfathers themselves, And yet be no arch-Puritans neither. Done Crispiano, my Lord. Where is our Solicitor with the Waitingwoman? I the cause of this practice; this ungodly woman, Has sold her self to falsehood: I will now reveal my self. How knows he the contrary? For my death? I begin to apprehend, That the violence of this woman's love to me, Might practice the disinheriting of her son. Yes my Lord, I dare affirm gainst all the world, This Noble man speaks truth. Wherefore should I with such and obstinacy, Conceal my self any longer. I am taught, That all the blood which will be shed to morrow, Must fallen upon my head; one question Shall fix it or untie it: Noble brother, I would feign know how it is possible, When it appears you love the fair Iolenta With such a height of fervor, you were ready To father another's child, and marry her, You would so suddenly engage your self, To kill her brother, one that ever stood, Your loyal and firm friend? Of my mother, I was thinking of my mother. Call the Armourer. Sir, I'll tell you, The greatest partly of it I mean to employ In payment of my Debts, and the remainder Is Like to bring me into greater bonds, as I aim it. I intend it for the charge of my Wedding. Yes Sir; and I must now entreat your pardon, That I have concealed from you a business, Wherein you had at first been called to counsel, But that I thought it a less fault in Friendship, To engage my self thus far without your knowledge, Then to do it against your will: another reason Was, that I would not publish to the world, Nor have it whispered scarce, what wealthy Voyage I went about, till I had God the Mine In mine own possession. 'Tis my hope sir. I do observe how this Romelio, Has very worthy parts, were they not blasted By insolent vain glory: there rests now The mother's approbation to the match, Who is a woman of that State and bearing, Though she be City-borne, both in her language, Her Garments, and her Table, she excels Our Ladies of the Court: she goes not gawdy, Yet have I seen her wear one Diamond, Would have bought twenty gay ones out of their clothes, And some of them, without the greater grace, Out of their honesties. She comes, I will try How she stands affected to me, without relating My Contract with her Daughter. It could never have God a sweeter air to fly in, Then your breath. They have a kind, of Exchange among them too, Marry unless, it be to hear of news, I take it, Theirs, is Like the New Burse, thinly furnished With Tyers and new Fashions. I have a suit to you. You are all Bounty, 'tis to bestow your Picture on me. You enjoy the best of Time; This latter Spring of yours, shows in my eye, More fruitful and more temperate withal, Then that whose date is only limited By the music of the Cuckoo. So please you Lady, and I shall preserve it As a most choice Object. How? Excellent Lady, Now you teach Beauty a preservative, More then against fading Colours; and your judgement Is perfect in all things. 'Tis truth. I cannot, worthy Lady. What a Treasury have I perched. I hope you understand wherefore I make this proffer. She has God some intelligence, how I intend to marry Her daughter, and ingenuously perceived, That by her Picture, which I begged of her, I meant the fair Iolenta: here's a Letter, Which gives express charge, not to visit her Till midnight: fail not to come, for 'tis a business That concerns both our honours. Yours in danger to be lost, Iolenta. 'Tis a strange In unction; what should be the business? She is not changed I hope. I'll thither straight: For women's Resolutions in such deeds, Like Bees, light oft on flowers, and oft on weeds. How now sweet Mistress? You have made sorrow look lovely of late, You have wept. I'll make his bravery fitter for a graven, Then for a wedding. If he bear himself so nobly, The manliest office I can do for him, Is to afford him my pity, since h e's Like To fail of so deer a purchase: for your mother, Your goodness quits her ill; for your brother, He that vows friendship to a man, and proves A traitor deserves rather to be hang worser, Then he that counterfeits money; yet for your sake I must sign his pardon too. Why do you tremble? Be safe, you are now free from him. Why he's gone to sea. Signior Ercol , The wind has stood my friend sir, to prevent Your putting to Sea. Only love sir, That I might take my leave sir, and withal Entreat from you a private recommends To a friend in Malta, 'twould be delivered To your bosom, for I had no time to write. You deal equally. O. Is't possible Romelio's persuaded, You are gone to the East Indies. Now I shall my Lord. Good my Lord, give us leave in a few words, To expound the Riddle, and to make it plain, Without the least of scruple: for I take it, There cannot be more lawful proof i'th world, Then the oath of the mother. Mercy upon me! o, that thou art living Is mercy indeed! In a Letter? Oh most incestuous villain. No more. Has the Armourer brought the weapons? I will no more think of her. And to you deer Lady, I have entirely vowed my life. Would? Yes, it will prove prodigious to you. I must stay your Voyage. Why you speak nobly, and for this fair dealing, Were the rich Jewel which we vary for, A thing to be divided, by my life, I would be well content to give you half: But since 'tis vain to think we can be friends, 'Tis needful one of us be taken away, From being the others enemy. Bethink your self, How fair the object is that we contend for. Yes but you have forgotten me, you and I have sweat In the Breach together at Malta. By no means. Peace lets attend the sequel. Who I? I'll now remove the cloud. Sir, your sister and I Are vowed each others, and there only wants Her worthy mother's, and your fair consents To style it marriage: this is a way, Not only to make a friendship, but confirm it For our posterities. How do you look vpon't?