RAYMOND

Gentlemen all I thank you, your good wills To me (as well as to the Duke your loyalty) Is shown in this your Readiness and Love. He cannot be far off: Pray let your men Keep off the Country People, that do swarm As thick as do the City multitude At sighed of any rare Solemnity. I wonnot cross your Grace, but if my con fell— They are here my Lord. How now—Your haste? Have I broke my brains, As these white hairs Do witness, for the safety of you, And of your Father before you, and the State, To have a private Gentleman, my Neighbour, Merely for getting of a handsome Wench, Raised above me—it will not be digested, For I will break the neck of these new Fortune's, Or they shall mine, and crush me, into nothing. Here's a Wench knows how to blaze a Coat. Yes, my good Lord. My Lord. The Duchess would be private. This is not as I look for, nor do wish. What blood have these two creatures? Cold as I am My aged head wrapped Like the Alps in Snow, Yet if the Devil lust, had warmed me on, Respects should never quench the heat in me. There is a spark already in my bosom, And I do feel it working towards my heart, Which when it once hath reached, and kindled Into a flame, no premeditation Of the offence, shall blow it out again. The Duke has entertained a jealousy, And employs me in the discovery, Which makes effectual to my purposes. Mischief is brooding in my brains, and the event Shall work my pleasures or their discontent. Unwillingly I obey you; Oh my heart dances, And tuned unto so many joys, it beats My blood about me into every partly, That I grow young again; Alas good Lady, Why do you weep? these tears were well becoming If you had any crime to wash away, But you are clear as heaven; then bear your self As confident and shining, that stands unshaken, When men speak blasphemy and throw up curses: Beware sweet Princess, your too zealous care, Expressed in the behalf of your firm friend, May be by some informing Ear snatched up, And carried to the Duke, which would pile high, And heighten up the mountain of his wrath. See Madame, here's a Guard upon you. So, the devil when he means to seduce, Puts on and Angels shape, who does not know. How to dissemble, must not think to grow Or prosper in his purpose. In this plot Envy alone is not expressed, but hight Untameable desires, which flame so High; One mischief must another satisfy. I love, fair Julia, and there was no way How to obtain, but bringing to decay The greatness of the Princess; misery Will burst the strongest bar of Chastity. She comes: Alas, she is lost, and those that seek her, Must be companions of her misery. Therefore be wise fair Julia, and forget her; Thou art as fair as she, as excellent; And I that rule the Duke do think so. The meaning is Like him that utters it, Plain and sincere, to make thee Mistress Of all the happiness which thou canst wish; As she whom I create shall stand above, And laugh a the calamities of others: Look not upon my hairs, I'm not so old But I can kiss thee into Actium, Infuse a breath into you through your Ear, Shall call a flaming blush into your cheek, And turn this springtide of your tears to fire, Or change them into blood, and strike them inward, To incite a heat as sensual as the same That did beget you. Why? I will give you liberty to think, To ponder on it for a little time; For I would rather Love should make thee mine Then Violence or Fear. Consider of it Without delays, return me absolute: I am not Like your dull cold Englishman, That can attend his Mistress a whole day, A week, a month, a year, yet check his blood, And when it should have vent to burst in fire, He weeps out in water. The Sun burns Not outward, as my blood within, passion beat So thick and short, they make my entrails sweat. But for a while I leave you, think and be wise. That I must speak it grieves me in a cause, Which I cud wish nevet had presidence, As it hath had too often, alas that I Who do bleed inward, to behold this woman Fallen by a sin equal to Lucifer. From her clear Heaven where she stood a sta , Moving in his arms as her proper Orb, That I should see this woman as I say. Who had she been a fixed one, had never Shot from her sphere, but as and exhalation, Drawn by the attractive virtue of the Sun, Appears a glorious star yet wanting matter. To maintain his lustre, shoots forth his flame: And drops from whence it came unto a Dunghill, So was this woman raised and so she fell: That so much Beauty which was given for Honour, And did advance her to it, should cause shame, Who can tell whither this be the first man, That she hath sind withal, since usually, Many faults are committed ere one found, She promised the fellow of her lust, Upon condition to make that: And what was it? A Garland: A Garland of all flowers, Of what effect who knows, or to what purpose, Both being as certain as the thing it self, How or from whence it came nay more then this; She was so impudent to tell the Duke, And tell him she had sworn, which the immodests, And most professed Strumpet never would: What name of shame is to be given this woman, That would thus lewdly suffer the wild tongue, Proclay me performance of so vild a deed, And unto him she knew did love her so, She might perhaps by her beauty and her tears, Or both together stir compassion, In many here, and in the Duke himself, B to when her crime shall be remembered, A crime so beyond mercy being done, Unto a Prince; and such a Prince as he is, What can I less inspire me all you powers? That thought me worthy of authority Then without pity to condemn this woman. Is it not graven Father's. You all do know, all you that know the Law, Who pardoneth the offender does commit, And offence equal with him that does punish, The harmless innocent then she must die, I grieve to speak't and am so charitable, To wish that her reproach may die with her. Whence come that voice. Sir, will you hear me, Sweet Julia kiss me. Thou seest my power, how with a breath I turn. And wind the Duke any way I please, In spite of all those words wasted in air: I plucked the Worser tchesse from his arms again, The only star of court, more then a Duchess, Which is to be my Mistress. Prithee look up and smile upon me. Come I have word sufficient nor will any longer be kept of thus weary of delay, I mean to work y u. Stay—you are too wilful. Here me——I will speak what shall be liking to thee. Prithee come back; so well I do perceive thou lovest the Duchess, that her affliction's thine. Canst thou cast off grief with her releasement? If I shall bring her found unto the Duke, In every circumstance, and fix her sure: Nay set her one stair higher then she was, And make him honour what before he admired. Wilt thou then make a passage for my love, And open me away into thy heart? Wilt that give me a kiss upon the premises. I hold heaven in my arms, and all the joys: Wut thou be joust to me? Another kiss, and go and promise unto all thy friends, and to the Duchess self, her liberty. Would. What voice is that? Cut my throat. Swoons it pinched me by the throat. This is another voice allied to that which pleaded for the Duchess, but not the same, and it is merely Witchcraft. I fear thee not Dinell, or Devils mate, friend or acquaintantance. A scurvy voice, I know not, nor do care for, And yet it troubles me, I cannot see The thing that sets it going. Be you Careful and constant. In the afternoon Come to my lodging, I will have the Duke there And you shall be a witness of my w king. And of the subtle projects I have laid, To execute your wishes, till then farewell. A pox upon thee what so ere thou art. Show thy self and be the Prince of Devils, I'll not fear thee. What art? (thee. Oh, Swoons he has stabbed me. Who went for Lopez? Is he not come yet? O, my blood boils, as if the Sun Had darted all his beams into my entrails. Short shot my soul, and Like the shaft Shot by great Hercules, fly till thou breakest, Or else, strike through the body of the Sun, And fix thy self in heaven a brighter Star. What shall I do? Is there no pour in Physic? Swoons are you dumb, Doctors can you not talk, Though you do nothing else? Why then you might a said, that you can say, That you know nothing, but your own Privilege, to kill unpunished; yet are you apt When Nature workee her self, to assume it yours. Oh my torment, when wut thou cease? get you gone, Impostures as you are, and cousin people That have faith in you; for I have found No Art, but Voice among you. Is not the Duke come yet? They ase very welcome. Wondrous well satisfied in any point touching my salvation: only one burden on my conscience lies, for the Duke himself to take away. Then all the rest I pray depart the room. Cheerful, wondrous cheerful, all this whole day I felt not such a minute. Your grace is a good comforter, and your sighed blows up this spark of life to such a light which is but as a twinkling before death. Therefore I do beseech your Majesty, As in this life and after death you'll stand, In history to the last hour of Time, A joust religious Prince to which I know, In your own inclination you aspire, Even for the Dukedoms peace, Oh—your pardon: My breath I find will fail me,—your pardon Duke. And quickly speak it; or I shall not hear you. Oh I have wronged you. By that strong power which raises me I have, And lends me breath to utter it; and this Lady, Where is she and the Princess all of you, For when you first began your jealousy, Upon a small presumption, I as apt. And sudden as your self in fear to find, The issue of a Prince which Heaven advert, So basely bastardise, held up your thought, Told you of former and familiar tricks, In the Like nature I had seen between them, Which I protest was then out of my care, That such a thing might be, rather then any crime, That ever I knew she was guilty of, Send for her therefore, and condemn your rash False suppositions, and pardon mine, That grew but out of yours, but once being grown, It spread into more branches then your own, Religious as the Churches which is, To clear all doubts and present Truth, In her own Garments, to protect innocence, And from her white hand lift her out of slanders, By all the best Hope's of a dying man, This being a time not to jest breath away. There does not live this day in Christedome, A Queen nor any woman through the world, More truly virtuous, and as I speak truth, So may I fail or find it. So happy reconcilements make the Angels, Tread the bright ring, and from the ordered spheres, Strikes heavenly music to all earthly ears: Give me your royal pardon and remit me, The hand of death lies cold and weighty on me, And what is he but must sink under it, Therefore go exercise your joys where grief, May not be herd to express her self in tears, For sorrow still sings loud unto our ears, Dear Princes speak no more, I know your heart, But as you love my quiet, leave me to it, For I do find and enclination to Rest and sleep, and perhaps my last. Why I thank you, and all good lighten on you. But not stay— Carolus. Are they all forth the room? Active as fire I spring out of my graven then, And will see some before me ever I die, That are more fit for Earth and Heaven then I, Fetch me some water, and a cup of wine, I'll drink my own health and my lust shall pledge it, Do I bear earth about me, sure I donnot; For in this ecstasy, I have no feeling, No use of feet, but ride and rack i'th Air, Like a black Cloud, holding in his hand lightning, And in this a tempest, give me, and go And understand the cause of Julia's stay, It puts me into doubts and she should go Away now with the Queen and cheat my Hope's, I have made a sickmans plot of it, But Julia is Religious in her vows, Knows what it is to swear, and what to break them. How now villain, why returned without her? Be thoug on to then, and after her and fetchher, And bring her to me, or lay down thy duty, And let me never see it in a face, Or and officious leg again presented, Zoons are you scraping there when I forbid you. My Lord, my Loggerhead, begun. Thou art my truth, and I will study thee, No more shall misbelief enter my thoughts: For thy Idea standing in my heart, As in a Temple shall fright all false suggestions, To the Tartars. Give me instead of Laurel, For my deed, a sugared kiss, and crown my joys. Yes i'll think of it, but you shall give me time, And you and I will now go and consult of it. Why you wonnot stab. Why then a combat; look you, I am provided too Will you yield now? This would show handsome on a Stage, And old man and a woman at the point: Believe it i'll stab too. Nay then you stir me, yield, or I will force thee. And after pay, thy perjury with death, Are you so mannish. Would, the Duke, then rage rise high in me, And add unto this wickedness a worse. Oh I am lost. To death. I see't, and shame to see my self, How had the Devil blinded me, I could not See your rare virtues? Oh let my penitence, Which if it be not zealous, joust heavens strike, That breath into my throat, again which forms, The words I utter, and let them strangle me: Let my true penitence I say beget, Another virtue in you, beside mercy, Credulity that I am truly sorry, For the bold mischiefs gainst you and my Prince: A guilty conscience followed by despair, Light on all Traitors to their Sovereign, Wants to the extreamst sickness without succour, Without all good men pity and their prayers, Fallen on the slanderers of all your sex: Diseases rot him living; dead no graven, But ravenous Fowls, become his sepulcher, His bones kicked up and down by his enemies, And charitable men allow of it, Hell and the Devils, plying him with torments: Baste his black soul, that he may roar so loud: As to the earth crying he herd may be, Who slanders women, may be damned Like men. What a well built castle is a clear Conscience? No Battery, no Invasion stirs it, When a guilty on, is Like a Spiders web, Shook with the motion of each little fly. What help there lies in me much injured Lady, Assure your self of it, as if your own heart Had the pour to work it. This is scurvy wooing, Julia no more.