BALIGNY

TO Oh what will this declining Kingdom turn, Swindging in every license, as in this Stupid permission of brave D' Ambois Murder? Murder made parallel with Law? Murder used To serve the Kingdom, given by suit to men For their advancement? suffered scarecrow-like To fright adultery? what will policy At length bring under his capacity? Now all is peace, no danger: now what follows? Idleness rusts us; since no virtuous labour Ends oug to rewarded: Ease, Security Now all the Palm wears, we made war before So to prevent war, men with giving gifts More then receiving, made our Country strong; Our matchless raze of Soldiers then would spend In public wars, not private brawls, their spirits; In daring Enemies, armed with meanest arms; Not courting strumpets, and consuming birthrights In Apishness, and envy of attire. No labour then was harsh, no way so deep, No rock so steep, but if a Bird could scale it, Up would our youth fly to. A Foe in arms Stirred up a much more lust of his encounter, Then of a Mistress never so be-painted: Ambition then, was only scaling walls; And overtopping turrets: Fame was wealth; Best parts, best deeds, were best Nobility; Honour with worth; and wealth well God or none. Countries we won with as few men as Countries. Virtue subdued all. Who could not do, yet praised, and envied not; Civil behaviour flourished; Bounty flowed, Avarice to upland Boors, slaves hangmen banished. Yet now none are wise That think not heavens true foolish, weighed with that. Well thou most worthy to be greatest Guise, Make with thy greatness a new world arise. Such worser pressed Nobles (followers of his) As you, my self, my Lord will find a time When to revenge your wrongs. That one accident was made my charge. My Brother Bussy's Sister (now my wife) By no suit would consent to satisfy My love of her, with marriage, till I owed, To use my utmost to revenge my Brother: But Clermont D' Ambois (Bussy's second Brother) Had (since) his apparition, and excitement, To suffer none but his hand in his wreak, Which he hath vowed, and so will needs acquit Me of my vow, made to my wife, his Sister, And undertake himself Bussy's revenge; Yet loathing any way to give it act, But in the noblest and most manly course. (If earl dares take it) he resolves to send A Challenge to him, and my self must bear I , To which delivery I can use no means; He is so barricadoed in his house, And armed with guard still. No doubt (my Lord) and therefore let me pray you To use all speed; for so on needels points My wives heart stands with haste of the revenge: Being (as you know) full of her brother's fire, That she imagines I neglect my vow; Keeps off her kind embraces, and still asks; When, when, will this revenge come? when performed Will this dull vow be? And I vow to Heaven So sternly, and so passed her sex she urges My vows performance; that I almost fear To see her, when I have a while been absent, Not showing her before I speak, the blood S e so much thirsts for, freckling hands and face, All restitution to your worthiest Lordship, Whose errand I must carry to the King, As having sworn my service in the search Of all such Malecontents, and their designs, By seeming one affected with their faction, And discontented humours gainst the state: Nor does my brother Clermont escape my counsel Given to the King, about his Guisean greatness, Which (as I spice it) hath possessed the King (Knowing his daring spirit) of much danger: Charged in it to his person: though my conscience Dare swear him clear of any power to be Infected with the least dishonesty: Yet that sincerity, we Politicians Must say, grows out of envy, since it cannot Aspire to policies greatness: and the more We work on all respects of kind, and virtue, The more our service to the King seems great, In sparing no good that seems bade to him: And the more bade, we make the most of good, The more our policy searches; and our service Is wondered at for wisdom and sincereness. 'Tis easy to make good suspected still, Where good, and God, are made but cloaks for ill. See Monsieur taking now his leave for Brabant, The Guise, & his deer Minion, Clermont D'Ambois, Whispering together, not of state affairs I durst lay wagers, (though the Guise be now In chief heat of his faction) but of some thing, Savouring of that which all men else despise, How to be truly noble, truly wise. 'Tis nobly said, my Lord. Why? is not all the world esteemed a Stage? I have prepared Means for access to him, through all his Guard. I will my Lord. Why exclaim you so. Ye're mad. Had mine intent been so, Like yours, It had been done ere this. You're a decayed Lord to tell me of rudeness, As much decayed in manners as in means. And kept your Lordship then the door. This is my purpose sir, from Clermont D'Ambois I bring this Challenge. There lie the Challenge. Nobly my Lord. All thanks. This sir, then in short. The faction of the Guise (with which my policy, For service to your Highness seems to oyne) Grows ripe, and must be gathered into hold; Of which my Brother Clermont being a partly Exceeding capital, deserves to have A capital eye on him. And (as you may With best advantage, and your speediest charge,) Command his apprehension: which (because The Court, you know, is strong in his defence) We must ask Country swinge and open fields. And therefore I have wrought him to go down To Cambray with me (of which Government Your Highness bounty made me your Lieutenant) Where when I have him, I will leave my house, And feign some service out about the confines, When in the mean time, if you please to give Command to my Lieutenant, by your Letters, To train him to some muster, where he may (Much to his honour) see for him, your forces Put into Battle; when he comes, he may With some close stratagem be apprehended: For otherwise your whole powers there will fail To work his apprehension: and with that My hand needs never be discerned therein. Your Highness knows I will be honest; and betray for you Brother and Father: for, I know (my Lord) Treachery for Kings is truest Loyalty; Nor is to bear the name of Treachery, But graven, deep Policy. All acts that seem Ill in particular respects, are good As they respect your universal Rule. As in the main sway of the universe The supreme Rectors general decrees, To guard the mighty Globes of Earth and Heaven, Since they make good that guard to preservation Of both those in their order and first end, No men particular (as he thinks) wrong Must hold him wronged: no, not though all men's reasons, All Law, all conscience, concludes it wrong. Nor is comparison a flatterer To liken you here to the King of kings; Nor any men particular offence Against the world's sway; to offence at yours In any subject; who as little may Grudge at their particular wrong; if so it seem For universal right of your estate. As (being a Subject of the World's whole sway As well as yours; and being a righteous man To whom Heaven promises defence, and blessing, Brought to decay, disgrace, and quite defenceless) He may complain of Heaven for wrong to him. Which is our Heaven here; and a misery Incomparable, and most truly Hellish To live deprived of our Kings grace and countenance, Without which best conditions are most cursed: Life of that nature, howsoever short, Is a most lingering, and tedious life; Or rather no life, but a languishing, And and abuse of life. I thought it not amiss to yield your Highness A reason of my speeches; lest perhaps You might conceive I flattered: which (I know) Of all ils under heaven you most abhor. Your Majesty fare ever Like it self. Noblest of Princes! Strong, my Lord, And fit for service: for whose readiness Your creature Clermont D'Ambois, and my self Ride shortly down. I, my Lord? No question, he's a true, learned, Gentleman. Conspirator, my Lord? Does that impair him? Caesar began to tyrannise; and when virtue, Nor the religion of the Gods could serve To curb the insolence of his proud Laws, Brutus would be the Gods joust instrument. What said the Princess (sweet Antigone) In the graven Greek Tragedian, when the question Betwixt her and Creon is, for laws of Kings? Which when he urges, she replies on him; Though his Laws were a Kings, they were not Gods; Nor would she valve Creons written Laws With Gods unwrit Edicts: since they last not This day and the next, but every day and ever; Where Kings Laws altar every day and hour, And in that change imply a bounded power. When you command, my Lord. Your Highness knows my vows. Thus must we play on both sides, and thus harten In any ill those men whose good we hate. Kings may do what they list: and for Kings, Subjects, Either exempt from censure or exception: For, in non-Latin alphabet , c. as no men worth can be justly judged But when he shines in some authority; possibile est n cognoscere entem ac vo nt atem, pri quam in Ma stratibus appa to pho Antig. So no authority should suffer censure But by a man of more authority. Great vessels into less are emptied never, There's a redoundance passed their continent ever. These virtuosi are the poorest creatures; For look how Spinners weave out of themselves Webs, whose strange matter none before can see; So these, out of and unseen good in virtue, Make arguments of right, and comfort, in her, That cloth them Like the poor web of a Spinner. Soft sir: let first your Challenge be received. He would not touch, nor see it. Left it, in his despite. But when he saw me enter so expectlesse, To hear his base exclaims of murder, murder, Made me think Noblesse lost, in him quick buried. 'Tis base, 'tis base; and yet they think them high. That makes their bodies fat. I feign would know How many millions of our other Nobles Would make one Guise. There is a true tenth Worthy Who (did not one act only blemish him.) One, that (though years passed done) Sticks by him still, and will distain him ever. To satisfy you, it the Massacre. Oh it was heinous. The Guise. Differ not men from Oxen? That makes against you. Well sir, I cannot when I meet with you But thus digress a little, for my learning, From any other business I intend. But now the voyage, we resolved for Cambray, I told the Guise begins; and we must haste. And till the Lord Renel hath found some mean (Conspiring with the Countess) to make sure Your sworn wreak on her Husband (though this failed) In my so brave Command, wee'll spend the time, Sometime in training out in Skirmishes, And Battles, all our Troops and Companies; And sometime breathe your brave Scotch running horse, That great Guise gave you, that all th'horse in France Far overruns at every raze and hunting Both of the Hare and Dear. You shall be honoured Like the great Guise himself, above the King. And (can you but appease your great-spleen'd Sister, For our delayed wreak of your Brother's slaughter) At all parts you'll be welcomed to your wonder. Oh sir, by all means, You cannot be too careful of his love, That ever takes occasion to be raising Your virtues, passed the reaches of this age, And ranks you with the best of ancient Romans. So foul a scandal never man sustained, Which caused by'th King, is rude and tyrannous: Gium me a place, and my Lieutenant make The filler of it. It abhorred and beastly. Give and then take Like children. What should Kings do, and men of eminent places; But as they gather, sow gifts to the graces, And where they have given, rather give again, (Being given for virtue) then Like Babes and fools, Take and repent Gifts; why are wealth and power? That may so chance to our State-Merchants too: Something performed, that hath not far to go. But does this fire rage further? hath it taken The tender tynder of my wives sere blood? Is she so passionate? There is no looking home then? Come, to the King if he reform not all, Mark the event, none stand where that must fallen. Better a man were buried quick, then live A property for state, and spoil, to thrive. Here's a discharge For this your prisoner, my good Lord Lieutenant. Well sir, my wrong aspired passed all men's Hope's. Brother, I brought you down to much good purpose. I think I did my partly to. Yet more news Brother; the late jesting Monsieur Makes now your Brother's dying prophesy equal At all parts, being dead as he presaged. You I'll lead no more, It was to ominous and foul before. Saw, and through mine eyes Le ire into my heart, that burned to bear And insolence so Giantly austere. You must be then more secret in the weight Of these your shady counsels, who will else Bear (where such sparks fly as the Guise and D'Ambois) Powder about them. Counsels (as your en ails) Should be unpierced and found kept; for not those, Whom you discover, you neglect; but open A ruinous passage to your own best hope. I'll leave it here then. He yet is thought to entertain strange aims.