in The Conspiracy of Charles Duke of Byron — Chapman, George
Metadata
Play
The Conspiracy of Charles Duke of Byron
Author
Chapman, George
Year (catalogued)
1608
First performance
1608
Decade
1600s
Genre
History
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the Queen's Revels
Speech prefix(es)
Rois. | Ruis.
Words
303
Characters
1676
Typicality
0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A18404.1
BritDrama no.
1575
Cluster
Cluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
The wondrous honour done our Duke Byron In his Ambassage here, in archdukes Court, I fear will taint his loyalty to our King. I will observe how they observe his humour, And glorify his valour; and how he Accepts and stands attractive to their ends, That so I may not seem and idle spot In train of this ambassage but return Able to give our King some note of all, Worth my attendance; And see, here's the man, Who (though a French man, and in Orleans born Serving the Archduke) I do most suspect, Is set to be the tempter of our Duke; I'll go where I may see, all though not hear. As a City Dame, Brought by her jealous husband, to the Court, Some elder Courtiers entertaining him, While others snatch, a favour from his wife: One starts from this door; from that nook another, With gifts, and junkets, and with printed phrase, Steal her employment, shifting place by place Still as her husband comes: so Duke Byron Was wood, and worshipped in the Archdukes Court, And as assistants that your Majesty, Joined in Commission with him, or my self Or any other doubted eye appeared, He ever vanished: and as such a dame, As we compared with him before, being won To break faith to her husband, lose her fame, Stain both their progenies, and coming fresh From underneath the burden of her shame, Visits her husband with as chaste a brow, As temperate, and confirmed behaviour, As she came quit from confession. So from his escapes, would he present a presence, The practice of his state adultery, And gilded that should a graceful bosom strieke, Drowned in the set lake, of a hopeless cheek. Here hath been strange demeaneure, which shall fly, To the great author of this Ambassy.
Plot summary
Plot — The Conspiracy of Charles Duke of Byron
The Duke of Savoy comes to the court of Henry IV, angry with his Spanish allies over the relative dowries ===== PAGE 463 ===== 1608 paid to him and his brother-in-law, the Archduke Albert, and keen to resolve a territorial dispute with France; in particular, he has his eye on the good offices of the Duke of Biron. At present, Biron is in Flanders, one.of the French commissioners sent to witness the signing of a peace treaty with Archduke Albert. Eager to compromise his loyalty to the French crown, Albert’s men shower him with honours and flattery. When Biron returns to France, he listens sympathetically to the complaints of the court malcontent La Fin, and offers him an introduction to Savoy. What he doesn’t realize is that Savoy has put La Fin up to this: the object of the exercise is to arrange a meeting between Savoy and Biron, not Savoy and La Fin. Savoy sets up a mutual enmity between Biron and King Henry. He tells the King, who is already concerned about the honours showered on Biron in Flanders, about Biron’s reputation for supreme valour; this irritates Henry, who was himself the commander in the military engagements Savoy describes. Conversely, Savoy flatters Biron and makes him annoyed that the King undervalues his soldierly service. Henry sends Biron to England as an ambassador. Before he goes, Biron shows his horoscope to a magician, who finds indications in it that Biron has recently done something that will cost him his head. On Biron’s return from England, Savoy asks him to apply to King Henry for control of a citadel near the Franco-Savoyard border. The King refuses, and Biron takes offence: stressing his previous military services, he calls Henry an ingrate, but the King makes it worse by laughing at him. Planning violent reprisals, Biron draws his sword, but Henry talks him round and Biron makes his submission. Henry grants Savoy the disputed territory, and he leaves France.