CLARINDA

Good morrow noble Brother, for by that title I am proud to call you, being denied a nearer. Let us go walk into the Garden, and there We may freely speak, and think upon some remedy Against this disaster. Exeunt Lys. & Clar. Come, let us fit down, for I am tired With walking; and then I will tell you How I am resolved to free us from this torment. Yes, if you will give consent to what I shall propound. My Father, though he have his liberty, Is not yet restored to his Lands: when next The Duke does visit me, which I believe will Be to day; I'll seem as if I did mistrust his love To be but feigned; he then will strive by some strong Testimony, to prove he truly loves: Then will I urge my Father's restoration To his Lands, which he being once possessed of, Will not be hard for me, the world knowing How well he loves me, to get some coin and Jewels In my power, sufficient to maintain us In some other Country, where we Like shepherd's Or some Country folks may pass our time with joy: And that we may without distrust effect this, I to the Duke will promise, that when a month Is expired, if he will come and led me to the Church, I'll not refuse to go, do you approve Of this Lysander? You are too thankful, and attribute that To my bounty, which was the wages of your true And faithful service. Lysander, to what tends this great acknowledgement? I understand you not, what is your meaning? Do not thus vainly strive to altar my opinion, Of your worth with words, which was so firmly grounded By your real actions; it is a fault, but I will strive To wash it from you with my tears. How now Jasper, where is my Father? He was resolved to have supped here, How hath he changed his mind! Well, I will obey him. Exeunt. My Lord, your praises fly too High a pitch to light on. A reasonable pitch would sooner strike Me with belief. My Lord, it lies in your choice whither I shall Believe you or no; for if you will speak Only that which in reason is likely to be true, I am no Infidel, I shall believe. I see I must allow you the Lovers Phrases, Which is to call their Mistress St. and their affection Devotion: but to let your Phrases pass, And answer the meaning of your protestation, How can I believe that you can love me Better then any man did ever love his Mistress, There being such and inequality in our present Fortune's, When equality does give birth to more affection, And those more violent, there being no respect To be a hindrance, I mean both the equalities Of Birth and Fortune's, in both which we far differ, You being the next a kin unto the King, And I the Daughter to a condemned man, Though now for your own ends at liberty. My Lord, in this last I do unfeignedly believe you, I mean in your opinion, which is, that true love Cannot be mixed with respects, and to show now How well I believe you, I will make it my shield Both to defend me against your worthy affection. (I confess if your thoughts and words agree) And against my Father's unjust commands; For since you confess, that to mix love with respects Spoils the purity of it, and that they Who so mix it, deserve not to be happy; It must needs be great injustice in you And my Father to desire me to love you Unworthily; since I cannot love you Without mixing the consideration Of the benefits my Father shall receive By my Marriage with your Grace, beside The satisfaction of me own ambition In being a Duchess, may make any stream Of affection which can proceed from me, Unfit to mix with so pure a stream As you profess yours is. I should account my self happy, were I So furnished: but my Lord, I must not look Upon my self in the flattering glass Of your praises; for I hate flattery though a woman; And as I am my self armed against flattery, So would I have you be; therefore I tell you That I can never be yours, to arm you against The flattery of hope; yet I must tell you That your deserts, if it were possible For me to love, might sooner do it then any other, But as I am a votress to Diana, in whose Temple I do shortly mean to dwell, I am free From any fire that can be kindled By desert in Man. I see this is no way my Lord, This rash oath you have made, may cost you deer. The greatness of your folly rather, That think by threatening punishments to your self, To make me pity you, when since I do not love you, I am not touched with any feeling of your griefs. My Lord I shall so martyr it before I come again, That you will repent you. Sir, you have showed us many Pictures; But above all the rest, I Like that of your Lords. It may be Sir I will. Father, I see you have no skill, you do not know The craft we women use to make men love the more; The smallest favour I shall show him after this harsh usage, Will make him think himself in heaven. Leave that to my Discretion My Lord, indeed I wondered how you stayed so long, Oh rather how you lived your heart and you being parted; For that you left behind you when you went. My Lord, I see it was not bounty But hope of gain made you give me your heart; For you expect that I should give you mine By way of recompense, which yet I cannot do: But that I may be sure they are true Miracles That you are pleased to say my Beauty works; For there are many false ones here in Loves Religion; I'll take a Month for trial of the truth, All which time my charity compels me to keep your heart; For should I send it backs, you say it would kill you, Or work another Miracle, which I desire not, In that time I shall be acquainted with your heart, If then it does appear the same it now does, Clad in the same pure zeal that now it wears, I'll make a change, and give you mine for it; For when a Month is once passed, come you And led me to the Church, I'll not refuse to go. This offer I expected; My Lord, you know the injuries my Father Hath received: if you will see him righted, His Lands and Honours back to him restored, Which is but Justice for a bribe, for even joust causes Now have needs of bribery: I'll give you thanks, And trust me that is more then great men Should expect for doing justice. This once performed, Since you so much desire it, I will study Some Command, that may add honour to you In the fair performance. My Lord, did I love you so well as to be jealous, These praises of the Princess, were apt food For it to feed on. My Lord, I should account it as the most acceptable Service that you could do, to bring me to kiss the hands Of this much to be admired Lady. What is the reason She lives not with her brother at the Court, Since he so dearly loves her as they say? My Lord, it's late; And though heretofore the company of a Father Were a sufficient buckler to bear off slanders darts; Yet now world is ehanged, grown so vicious, That Father's are become the likeliest Instruments Of sin, and women are not to satisfy themselves Alone, with being good; but they must give the world A firm belief of all their actions, That they are so; there may be some sing me here Thus late, that will not stick to say, my honour Is the bribe paid for my Father's restoration. My Lord, it shall not needs. Do not too strongly apprehend your happiness, A month's a long time, all things are uncertain, Especially the promises of women. Exeunt. It is dark indeed, the fitter for one overcharged With grief in heart as I am. I see Lysander you do not love me now, Nor wish my happiness, you would not else Persuade me from loving you, wherein it only Can consist. You know I love you more Then I have words to utter. Lysander, why d'ye stare so and look pale? Your hair stands up and end, as if your sense Began to fail you sure you are fallen mad, Nay, I do hope you are so; for if you be not, I am more miserable then if you were: For, can Lysander be himself, and speak thus To his Clarinda? No, he cannot: either Lysander Is changed from what he was; or else he never Was what I esteemed him, either of which Makes me most miserable. Pardon me Lysander, that I have seemed For to believe; for sure I did no more, That which you have spoke proceeded from your heart. Yes, Lysander; I know you did dissemble; For if you did not, you were a loathed villain. I'll seem as base as he would have me, And so find out whither he speaks this from His heart or no. I must confess that this which you have spoken Stands with good reason; and reason is the rule By which we ought to square our actions: Dare I believe that you would counsel me To any thing, but that which will be most For my content, and for the Duke, will it not be Far less to his content, not to enjoy at all Me whom he loves, then if he should possess me, And yet you have a share with him in my embracings: For what is that husband worse, whose wife abuses him, If she have but the wit to keep it from his knowledge. Leave, leave. You do overact your partly, I see the end you aim at, your virtue shows it self Quite through that mask of vice, which love to me And to my Father made you put on; you thought If you could have given me a belief Of your unworthiness, that then I would have given Consent to have married with the Duke: Leave your dissembling then, since you're discovered, Lest you offend the Gods; I only seemed To give applause to what you said, to find Your craft. Lysander, I perceive that your affection Is altogether governed by your reason, For which if it be possible, I love you more, Because it well becomes a man to do so: But I should hate my self, if I should love According to your rule, which I will manifest; For here I take the heavens to witness, That if within three days you do not marry me, I'll kill my self, speak quickly; for if you do not Love me, it is a greater mercy to tell me so, (That I may die) then to persuade me To love another, that being impossible, But death is easy. reads. I fear the Duke hath notice of our loves; for he hath sent to me to meet him armed, I fear it is to fight, if it be so, and I survive the Combat, I will send you word where I a bide, if I be killed, I do conjure you by your virtues, not to to be ungrateful unto the Duke, who you see does not desire to live, without he may enjoy you for his wife. No my Lysander, in that hour when I shall hear That thy fair soul is parted from thy body, I will quickly follow thee. I feared as much, This comes of my dissembling. Here Sir, is the unhappy object of your anger. It is my duty Sir, you are my Sovereign. Oh Sir, how ill you do requite Lysander; His love to you was the only cause That pulled these Misery's upon him; For had not he so dearly tendered you, Fearing to draw on you the Kings displeasure, We had long since been married, then this unlucky Combat had not been, nor I had needs of that Which now I am to beg: Mercy, great Sir. Ono, but I do fear he cannot escape Your hands. Madame, it does indeed. I cannot name you a particular, But all that I have, or can give. If it should come to that, I know I sooner should be willing, Then I should draw him to give his consent. Is she a handsome Lady, and well born? Madame I do beseech you Leave this too harsh discourse: for it hardly Can be true, since there is no Lady In this Kingdom, that ever I saw That equals you in beauty, yet The imagination that it may be so, Does from mine eyes draw tears, and chases From my heart the usual heat. I never saw true cause of fear till now, The tale you told appears much likelier truth, Now, that you are the Lady, then it did before; For you have in you that full excellency, That would make Gods forswear themselves, If they had made and oath, should you propose Your self as the reward of that their perjury: Shall I believe then that Lysander's frailty, Can resist such and assault, if you be so resolved; Beside, what Lady hath the power to beg Lysander's life, at your incensed brother's hands; But only you that are his Sister: Go poor forsaken maid, and melt thyself Away in tears, and do not live to be and eyesore To this noble Lady, nor to upbraid Lysander With his falsehood. Madame, your humble servant. How strange a tale is this! yet sure it's true, Why should the Princess say so else? But can it be the Princess loves Lysander? Can it be otherwise, if she do know him? If it be true, sure Lysander will not neglect So great a blessing: hence Jealousy, the canker Of true love, that dost in time consume that Which did give thee being; why should I wrong Lysander, to mistrust his faith, till I have Better cause, I must to him, and in disguise, Which how to get my self I know not, I must trust some body, and who so fit As honest Giacomo, who I know loves Lysander. Come hither honest Giacomo. I know thou lovest me, And wilt do any thing that I command thee. No thou shalt see I do not doubt; For I will make thee privy to a secret, That torture should not draw from me. What sayest thou Giacomo? I know it should; come trusty Giacomo, I'll tell thee all the Story as we go. Exeunt. How am I bound to thee for this disguise, I think my Father if I had met him Could not have known me, how far is it Yet to the Lodge? I would not else have come so far a foot Nor put on this disguise. Though I befaint and weary; Yet I will not stay, the great desire I have To see Lysander, does support my weakness. For shame say not so, can you being a man And used to walk, be weary in so short a journey? How Giacomo? I do confess The pains that thou hast taken, and I intend thee a reward equal to it, But it amazes me to hear thee ask, That which would trouble me to give; And yet to thee that shoul'st receive it, Do no good at all. How stangely art thou transported. With a found desire! I prithee be not angry Giacomo, I'll give thee that which is better; Here take this Jewel; yet let me tell thee, The Duke would not thus boldly have demanded What thou didst ask. How! I know thou dost but speak this For to excuse thy self from going; fit still, I'll find the way my self. What sayest thou honest Giacomo? Oh, I fear this villain. Will honest Giacomo then prove a villain? Why villain, dost thou prize Lysander's life Above mine honour? Stay Giacomo, canst thou be such a villain As thou dost seem; I do not think Thou art in earnest. Then may they all light on thee; For thou deservest them all. Dost thou relent? I knew thou didst it but to try me. I thought thou still Wertenberg honest. Canst thou believe, the heavens that have the power, To strike thee dead, will suffer such a wicked Act? If the fear of Heaven Cannot deter thee from this villainy; Yet tremble at the punishments my Father And Lysander will inflict upon thee; For do not think there's any place that's so remote, But they will find thee out. Why villain, dost thou think I will not Discover thee? I know thou wilt not be so merciful to kill me. Then kill me first, before thou dost dishonour me. Help, Murder: is there no power that will transform me to a tree, and save my honour? My hard hearted Master I fear will come again. Sir, I was born in Naples. Where Sir, do you think you have seen A face Like mine? Then Sir, you do not know the way to Gerards Lodge. Yes Sir, if I did know the way. Sir, I do owe you much, And have no other payment but my thanks: But might I be so happy as to meet you In the City, I have some friends that would Perchance do you some pleasure. You are the most Courteous man that ere I met with: I am so weary that it is not possible For me to reach the City, and at the Lodge, Lysander must not stay, nor must I fly With him; I am not yet provided of money, For our flight. Fool that I was to trust That villain Giacomo, alas, I did not know Him then to be a villain. Sir, if you'll bring Me to the Lodge, I will only speak one word With one that is there, and go along with you. He takes me for a Boy, and so long There's no danger. Exeunt. Sir, must we lie here in the wood all night. Oh my Lysander thou art lost I fear For ever, and that same villain Giacomo is cause of all. There is some comfort yet, I see a light, sure it's some house. Sir, I cannot eat, I had rather sleep, No Sir, I'll lie upon the Rushes, I never use To lie with any body, and I am sure Here in this house there are not many beds. Please Sir to leave me here, I'll go to bed. No child, I'll help thee. If he should see my breasts, I am undone; I will keep on my doublet. Sir, I have lost all hope of mercy; but Justice I hope you will grant me against that villain Giacomo. Sir, here's a witness, that will confirm What I have said for truth. I beseech your Majesty let him be hanged, For on my honour what I do affirm is truth. I in my soul grieve for the Duke, His manly eyes shed tears to perform this Office; I would to heaven he were my Brother, Or that Lysander were; the consideration Of his worth and infinite affection, Which hath appeared in all his actions, Hath gained much upon me. My Lord, I should too much wrong my self, though I did not Love you, in deferring of so great a blessing But the large testimony that you have given Both of your worth and affection to me, Have turned that great affection in and instant, That I bore Lysander, as you could wish it, Upon you; nay to say truth, I ever loved you, Though not so well as he, and held your worth As great. Sir, pardon me you were your self the cause By your excessive love to him; for that made me Dissemble my affections to Lysander, Fearing to daw your frowns upon my Father, Should I have showed neglect unto the Duke. Sir, I do utterly refuse it, all that I desire, Is that your Majesty will give me leave To depart, my griefs do so oppress me, That I am sick at heart. Sir, all the suit I'll make, since this cannot be granted, is That in the self same hour that my Lysander Is to suffer; I who have been the fountain From whence these bloody streams have issued, May be permitted to show Lysander the dark Yet pleasing way to the Elysian Fields; For though we could not here, yet there we shall Enjoy each other. The Princess is the fairest Creature That yet mine eyes ever beheld, why does she look So steadfastly upon me? Gracious Madame, What see you in this worthless frame, That so attracts your eyes. And Madame, may I perish, If ere mine eyes yet met and object, wherein I took half that delight that I do now In looking upon you; were I a man, And could frame to my self a Mistress by my wishes Having the wide world to choose in, for each Particular to make up the whole. I should believe It were a fruitless labour, if I went farther Then your self thus framed. Dear Lady, what is it for? How, begged his pardon of the King! And upon those conditions hath he given consent? I do not Like this, whats that honest Giacomo? Pray heaven he did not miss his way a purpose. Oh my Lysander's lost. falls. That same who is Lysander, now a prisoner, (And must die) was the only cause I would So feign have gone to Gerards Lodge, For that villain who had bound me, I knew Would tell the King that Lysander was there, And I would feign have given him warning, That he might have fled, because he is Thy Kinsman. How! Is the Princess so in love with him? Oh Sir, you are cozened, he is a Devil incarnate, Justice. Justice great Sir. Would I had bit my tongue out of my head, When I gave it power to tell you where Lysander was. Though thou deniest this with a brazen brow, Yet thou canst not deny thou wouldst have ravished me, When I did trust thee to go along with me, I being disguised then, where I to thee discovered When Lysander was; and more thou threatendst (If I did not give consent to thy base lust) To murder me, when thou hadst done, Because I should not tell. Sir, 'twas I that you rescued yesterday, From a villain that would have ravished me. I was the Boy you found in the wood, Whom this villain would then have ravished, Which then I told you was my master. Lysander, do not think I grudge that partly of Love You pay the Princess, her merits fair transcending mine, Beside, you owe her for preserving of your life, And I have been the only cause, that you must loose it; But I'll bear you company, and in that pay the debt I owe you. Would it had pleased heaven you had not fought Or that the Duke had escaped with life; but since Your quarrel was not to be reconciled, though I Do blush to say so. I am glad was he that perished, For I have ever wished you well; I would not have you think I am now in love With you; yet by my life I cannot say, but I may be Hereafter, though I know you have a Mistress, Whose perfections darken mine, give me those Things to dress his wounds with. The wounds sure were given to me to make me happy, In being touched by your soft hands, my wounds Can never heal, my prayers are against it; Because being well I cannot have this blessing. It do's not grieve me that you are My Brother.