HERMIT

Your fears are true indeed, the Duke Is dead. Your Majesty shall hear, As I was gathering Roots within the Forest, The best partly of my food, casting my eye aside, I saw a man lie weltering in his gore, Straight I was strucken with a sudden fear; But Charity prevailing above fear, I stepped to see, if yet the soul had left That comely Mansion, for so indeed it was; Finding some sparks of life remaining, I took A cordial water which I ever carry with me, And by the help of that I brought him to his senses, So that he was able to deliver these few words. Death I embrace thee willingly, thou being A far less torment, then for to live And know Clarinda loves another better. May she enjoy Lysander, whom now I do Believe is worthy of her: for I that Most unjustly went about to cross it, Must pay my life down for my error; Lysander, I forgive thee my death, and so I hope the King, and with that word the King, He sunk between my arms, and never Spoke word. There Sir begins occasion of new grief, While I did vainly strive to call back life, Three barbarous thieves seeking some booty, Came by chance that way, and seeing his garments Rich, they went about to strip him; but hearing Of some noise within the wood, one of them Did advise to carry him to their boat, which lay Hard by within a Creek. I went about To hinder them, and for my pains they did compel Me to carry the body upon my shoulders, Threatening to kill me if I did refuse; But not content with this, they made me row Them down the stream, three days together, Until they came unto their fellow Pirates. Threw it ouerbord, when they had Rifled it first. Sir, the current of the water bore us farther In three days, then I was able to return in ten. Here, here's some meat; I was my self at Gerards Lodge, and saw those There whom you would little think. The King and his fair Sister, Lysander bound as a Prisoner, for killing Of the Duke. Be not sad Boy for that, I herd the Princess swear if the King Put to death Lysander, that she will not outlive Him; and he too well loves his Sister, To loose her so. Indeed they say she is. Come then, I'll show thee to a Bed. Come, thou shalt lie alone; There are two beds, we two will lie together. Go to bed sweet child, we'll leave thee. Exeunt. What did you with the Boy? At what hour say they must Lysander suffer? You needs not bid me. Exeunt. Sir upon my credit, And men of my Profession should not lie, he's both In Birth and worth equal unto the Duke. Sir, yes; every way as worthy, And one your Majesty does love so well, That if he ask you, I know you will pardon Lord Lysander for his sake. Thus I can prove it, Discover Duke. To your great joy and all the Kingdoms. Sir, what I told you Concerning the finding of him wounded, All that was true, and how I did recover him By a sovereign water; but that he after Died within my arms, you see is false And yet he spoke those words that I delivered As his dying speech, he having then indeed No hope of life: but heaven so ordered it, That he recovered by my skill in Surgery, In which Art I shall not boast to say That I am equal with the most skilful of this age, Which I think well appears, since I have cured Him in so short a time; yet I must attribute His sudden curing to a sovereign balm, That and Egyptian gave me, from which country I late came. Say no Lysander. Because the Marriage is not lawful. Lysander, did not your Father When you last parted with him, give you A little Cabinet, in which he bid you look When you should marry, on his blessing Not before, not at your death. Send for it with all haste. Here Sir, read that paper; there you shall Find, what you do little think. My Lord, if you will beg a Pardon from the King, It is for a fault, that was never proved against me; I then will make all things so plain, that no man shall deny it. My Lord, let him be brought, heel help to the clea ring of the discourse I am to make. Then Sir, behold a banished man. puls off his beard. Oh thou wicked villain! art thou alive yet? I might have known thee by thy villainies, Through thy disguises. My second wife being barren, I had No hope of Issue Male; for I had Mariana There by my first and it did grieve my Soul To think that villain there should be my heir; For he daily practised mischief before unheard of. It was not long before my wife observed That the chief cause of all my discontent Grew from her barrenness, and she being fearful That my affection might decline as did my hope Of Issue, thought of a strange and most unwonted Means, to make her self appear a happy mother. My friends Wife here, the Count Ʋ trante Finding her self to be with Child; my Wife, By help of Art did seem so too: but strange To see how gold will work! for by a some of Money, my Wife did work the Midwives, Nurse, And Doctor, to cozen the true Mother of her Child When ere she should be brought to bed. Most easy Sir, as they did handle it, The Child was born, and proved a Boy, As my Wife wished; for had it been a Girl, It could not then have eased me of my grief, My land being tied upon the Heirs Male. The Nurse was by the Doctor straight Commanded to carry into the next room the child, Alleging that it was most necessary, The Mother, after so much labour should Sleep, which the Child's crying might hinder: Within a short space comes in the Midwife Pitifully weeping telling the Mother That the Child could hardly live; but straight The Nurse she entering the Chamber cried out Alas the Child is dead; the woeful Mother Falling in a swoon, had almost made That sorrow real for her, which then but Counterfeited for the Child. No Sir, the crafty Nurse Had by a backdoor conveyed it out o'th house By help of another Nurse that she had there For the purpose: having recovered The Mother out of her trance, the poor Lady Desired to see her late comfort, though now Her only cause of sorrow, the dead Child: But the Doctor utterly denied that, Alleging that would but increase her sorrow, Which might impeach her health: My friend here was not then at home, And who durst contradict the Doctor In such a case. Sir, to prevent that, They had before provided a piece of wood Shaped Like a Child, and about that they put A winding sheet. For that they told the servants The Child being deformed they made such haste To hide it from the neighbours; that they Might not be witnesses of their Ladies shame, In bringing such a Monster into the world. The Nurse the same night came, and told my Wife What they had done, and she advising with Her agents, the next night after seemed To fallen in labour, and by the help of those Her creatures made perfect by their former practice, She cozened me and the world, by making us Believe, that she had truly brought me forth a son. I did a thousand times kiss my young heir, And by my careful education and his own Brave natural parts, he's grown to be What now you find, Lysander, for he's the same. My Wife Sir, Being upon her death bed, she found her conscience Troubled with this deceit, and could not Depart in peace, till she had freely told me Of this strange Story; I still concealed it Out of my joust anger against my wicked Brother; Beside that great affection which I bore Lysander, Continued still, and is now so great, That if your Majesty by your Prerogative Will but confirm it. I do adopt him for my Heir. My Lord, I'll tell you; Your Lordship may remember, for it is not Five years since, that this my Friend, the Count Ʋ trante and my self, were both suspected For poisoning of your , because we were His professed Enemies; especially my self, Which made me fly, though I were innocent For it was known to many, that the villain Killed him for's own particular revenge Yet my wicked Brother there, persuaded the fellow At his death to say, that we had set him on And God another rascal to witness with him That it was true; my friend, not having so great Enemies, did stay to justify himself, And for his pains was laid in prison, and kept there For his lands, till you God him released, And yet he was never brought unto his trial; I, ere I left this Country, did leave this Cabinet With my son, or rather yours, and withal The charge of looking in it when he should Be married. After many a weary step abroad, I came home to my Country, and in disguise Have lived here in the Forest, and saw my friends Full often, although they knew not me; And having this occasion of doing your Lordship Service, I thought it would be a sure means To get my pardon; especially when things Were grown unto the extremest point Of danger, I knew a timely remedy would be Most welcome then of all, and that made me Conceal my self so long. My Lord, I then desire He may be kept a prisoner all his life; For should he have his liberty, I know He would do mischief that we should all Repent of. Lord Sir, where have you been?