ALTEZA

Try Signior Allidore, Antonio's son: Utruvio, or the rich Pirracco. Gritalin, or old Contarini of Placentia— Is't come to this? I'll be a crooked Spinster first, and with My spittle and my flax procure my bred. Hence, I see thee, and my eyes shrink into My skull: the Raven's not so ominous and black. I would have my Orchard—paved with Aggats. You preach of love, but your obedience would More pleasure me. Exc'lent! Oh bounteous Sir!— More precious still! Pretty Sir, proceed! But how will you perform these Hope's? Death on my Tribe! Your wealth? Your wealth? Canst thou persist in such accursed schism? By heaven not I. I forfeited the love O'th'great Duke (my Uncle) to marry thee; That Wertenberg a thing shrunk from thy fate, and lost Unto the lips and eyes of men; but yet In most assured hope, that thou wouldst prove, And humble and obedient husband. Hear Altamont! For I will give solemnity unto A vow, that shall for evermore, divide Thee from my bed— M'opinions of The Church, I'll tell to'th Conclave, not to you— Thy anger's vain. Here I do banish thee My bed: And we will never more embrace. I now divide my house: This side is mine, with the dimensions that Dependence have on this square frame: for here My family and I will rule. That side You, and your meager ragged train possess. Thou mayest henceforth my neighbour, but no more My husband be. Charintha, come away— Stay Altamont! withdraw thy violence! If thou disorderst but a hair, that does Belong to th'Eyebrow of my meanest Groom, I will proclaim my superiority And rule i'th'Streets. Insult beneath thy own low Roof! This partly O'th'House does call me sovereign Is that the Piece you have so magnified, She you boast of for your pastime Royal? Are you so hight? — Pray a word! Is there in this Pageantry Ought Like to truth? Discover your intent! How well my Stars behave their influence? Then are the vows, the Ecclesiastic rites With which the zealous Priest obliged us to Peculiar heat, to abstinence from change, And various love, quite canceled by your lust? Thou art a perjured man! Thy breath is fulsome as that steam Which Toads when they engender vaporate. I smile at thee, and thy thin Arts; Like to Some homely Village Levite, thou dost preach Of terrors strange, to keep dull faith in awe: I pray stay; I am not angry Sir. I practised all this while how endanger your spleen (Sir) not my own which if my powers Prove joust, I shall, perform ere long. Niente, send the party in— Exit Niente. A slow device (Sir) but o'my own Brain. D'ye want a clearer paraphrase? He is My servant Sir, my stallion if I please. A Courtly implement, and much in use Among Ladies of my growth and Title. Since I'm so aptly furnished with delight, Your Concubine may fearless walk about The house, and share the wholesome Sun in peace. Hold Altamont, or else I wound thy heart— Hang him Ingrate! Fling a danger from Thy arm, I'll summon strait (with Trumpet and with Drum) the world to hear thy infamy— Nay it becomes You finely, does it not? He sleeps. He wants a judgement to consider this. Dead as a monument! Let us leave him!— I needs must sing my ushers praise: he made A most discreet election of a man. Sir, that we do expect, and then you shall Over take our noble Sense, with newer love. Our husband is a trifle, such as can No way disturb your peace or safety here. Active and bold! Niente thou hast made A choice out-parallels the world. Do they Niente ? As how Sir? How Signior? Is your appetite so strong? All of your begetting? Stay my pregnant Signior! Our love is not Yet ripe: there is a larger distance too Belongs unto our Lips. I am too proud to have my favours soon and easily conferred. Such smiles are cheap. I mean to procreate by prescription Sir, Make my lust as physical as my meals. And can your rudeness covet then where your Safe wit and knowledge warns your abstinence? Keep back, if you'll continue life. When I Am pleased to be delighted Sir, I can command the function of your Limbs. Charintha within. Madam! Sister, I come. Throw him to his chamber— What would you read? My Usher in my closet can appoint Your choice of these. Away; I come, I come. Exeunt Niente, Sciolto: Signior Dandolo ! Why it's yet a month Ere he should meet your expectation here. Milk him (my Charintha ) oft I have preached Unto thine Ear a sovereignty over man. Take all he gives, it's princely fashion now. Could but thy acceptation beggar him, Thy little wit were ever magnified. You are not understood— So free? I am Charintha's Sister Sir— 'Tis Sir, th'ambition of my love, that you Would know me for Charintha's Sister!— What means your Lordship? Your Lordship binds my great acknowledgement. I'th leisure of a wink, he'll give away And Empire. Th'are rarely fixed, If they import as much as you denominate. But how (Sir) does your Pimp adhere to use? Who does he mean? My Lord, they shall be answered so. Take it. Afflict me Fame, if ere I knew His parallel; he woes at Neroe's rate. Enter Besognia. A conspiracy. Charintha, it's some stratagem; but if He Jewels bring, and in a hand as large, And open as yon'easy snypes, thou hast Ill luck if thou constrain him not to lose. Sir you destroy the Quiet of my House: He shall have safety here, and leave to speak. I sir, and in such Toys, she much delights: Although her modesty be loath, to make Her fancys known. Would you had brought some few To mach'em. As how, deer Sir? Sister this Hulk, is neither rigged, nor fraught, We'll not protect his crimes, use your justice. My lord? Yet th'other has some marks, that do belong Unto a Count, o'th last edition too: He should be a Venetian, By'th' wit, and policy of his courage. Y'on thrifty counterfeit, has much perplexed Your servants wit. Convey those odours thither, and disperse The costly smoke, about the room. Place soft and easy fingered Lutes, behind The Arras; voices feminine and young. And spread the Couch, with the green Persian Quilt. I feel a slothful grudging in my veins, And therefore mean to solace with a male. Brush thy Beard, and follow me. — Why comest thou not? Is not thy blood well? Kiss me Sciolto. We'll have our artificial heats, and with our own Panting cool us to new, and younger strength. We'll grow as in one skin. I want thy meaning. I Like this well. My Male is witty grown. What motive (Sir) persuades you, use me thus? Trim prodigy! Villain, thou liest. Adders, and snakes. Better, th'adst been unborn. Hoa! Niente. Oh Sir, if anguish, or distress, can make, And humble heart, behold your Lady now; That shortens thus, her stature, at your feet.— Sciolto (cruel as the winds in March) Hath struck, my womanhood, with tyranny, And scorn. Can Fate present so large a test, Of your true love, (both to your self, and me) As that you minister revenge upon His Life. Go, and salute his recreant Heart With your bright Steel, and then obedience claim Replete with fond Idolatry, and love. So ill I merit charity: that all My passion argue cunning and pretence. This is a wise hypocrisy, to hide Thy lust, or snare me in some gilded, whereby The Duke may claim my life, and thou receive More quiet space, enjoy Sciolto's limbs. Those angry spirits that reside below, In flaming Ovens, are not more cruel in Their envy, then am I in hate to him. If ere I knew him, with more gilded, then what My wishes and my thoughts contained; let wrath Then make me her experiment, to try How much of pain, mortality can hear. Express, Some mercy in your faith, and hear me speak. Love is no more. How hath the pride Of Courts miss-led my youth, that you should think I've lost, all tender compliments of grace? I have outlived the help of penitence, And benefit of hope. But I am sterill as a wilderness, My name, is sickness to your memory. Then you are loyal still, oath Marriage vow. All springs from the ambition of my gilded. — This is a mercy that confounds the will And strength of all my gratitude. Oh sad Decree. You have divorced me from your Eyes. Take heed (Sir) how you prophecy! For my Humility with moist contrition joined, May hope to wash my leprous stains away. I creep thus to my Tomb, indebted for Your love, till all the drowsy world shall rise To general Accounts; and then my want Of earlier gratitude will make my Debt A sin— Exit. A Guard upon my Gates, and have they there Been placed ere since the first arrival of The Night? The Sun begins to both i'th'Mornings Tears Hast thou Lucio called, and bid Pytho mix With him in a sad Song? No more ( Niente ) shalt thou service do For me: last night I told thee I had lost My vanity: that courtly Lady serve Who finds it first. But least thy wants augment Thy Sins, my charity affords thee this— What means this fatal summon, that does make Amazement cold, as is Iberian Ice. Down holy flame. When Hope does sicken so, I would not have the power to prophecy. Ambiguous History! He conqueror, Yet this the last memorial of his love! Oh my poor Lord! how soon hast thou begun Thy immortality. The hasty Spark So up ard mounts, and then no more is seen. Th'obedience which I canted to his life, Unto his memory I'll strictly pay. Can this advancement ought refer to your Delight, or to my Lords last Testament? Sciolto and Scoperta still alive? Oh dire, sinister accident! Sir, you have skill to know my womanhood Is weak as ignorance, or sleep. Why should You seat me here, thus to dispose of Law: That never knew any justice, but revenge. Have I not herd you say, my Husband did Ordain them both for death? Would ill become The duty of my knowledge alter his Decree. Hah? Hold. hold. — Did my dead Lord bid you perform, what I decree? Hear then without resistan of my breath, Sciolto is condemned by Law; as known The fatal Instrument that did deprive My Lord, of precious life; so he must die. T'were fit my care affected mercy in Scoperta is dome; she's Sister to my Lord: But her sweet innocence does make her safe. She must remain among the living still; And in her room, I do condemn my self. For my stern pride, was the original cause Of this black Tragedy. Kind Esteem your Vows, see my edic And give me pri iledge first to its wrath— She des ds. Give me your pardon (gentle Maid). I have Deprived you of a Brother that deserved More Pyramids, then all th'Egiptian Kings. Instead of him, receive my prayers, my wealth. When over his Hersse you raise a Monument, And fix my Marble-Figure near to his, Create me weeping.— I shall go, with so Much sorrow, to my Grave, that being dead, My Ashes will have power to penetrate The Stones. Release this pious Lady and Perform your execution upon me— My Altamont. — She Sinks. The Earth groaned at my fallen, so heavy are My sins, so much they did increase my weight. Sir, I have hope my future loyalty Will manifest, your mercy well bestowed.— Charintha, thy election is so safe Thou never wilt repent the judgement of Thy sighed. He cannot be so near allied Unto the blood of Altamont, but he Must needs participate in virtue too. Sister!— Should I not chide? Thou hast a rude heart, and a blisterd tongue! What slave disturbs the quiet of my Ear? Slave, go force and answer more delightful. A Millainois showed me to day for sale, Bright and spacious Jewels; but in the dark, Your pusill malice hath betrayed my faith, With Merchant's. You have now my credit wrought So low, and cheap; I cannot stand deposed For th'triuiall loan of forty thousand crowns. There— it's to reach back the heart I gave you— Are my Grooms dead? what hoa! I'll impound you.— Where are my Grooms, my slaves? injurious wolf. Bark at my precious feature, and thus strew My beauty over, with infamy and dust? Strike my green youth, with Epithets of age? My Altamont never used me thus. He oft Compared me to the Stars, m'Eies to Eastern light, When day smiles at her birth. Oh! I could curse The giddy judgement of my blood; that thus Seduced me to forsake that Saint, and mix My knowledge with this Devil. He's fled too, Untouched by my revenge. Niente, hoa! Enter Altamont.