COUNTESS

My Lords of Scotland will you stay and drink: Unnatural besiege, woe me unhappy, To have escaped the danger of my foes, And to be ten times worse in erd by friends: Hath he no means to stain my honest blood, But to corrupt the author of my blood, To be his scandalous and vile soliciter: No marvel though the branches be then infected, When poison hath encompassed the root: No marvel though the leprous infant die, When the stern dame inuennometh the Dug: Why then give sin a passport to offend, And youth the dangerous reign of liberty: Blot out the strict forbidding of the law, And cancel every cannon that prescribes, A shame for shame, or penance for offence, No let me die, if his too boisterous will, Will have it so, before I will consent, To be and actor in his graceless lust. Say good my Lord, which is he must have the Lady, And which her jewels, I am sure my Lords You will not hence, till you have shared the spoils. 'Tis not for fear, and yet you run away, Oh happy comfort welcome to our house, The confident and boisterous boasting Scot, That swore before my walls they would not back, For all the armed power of this land, With facelesse fear that ever turns his back: Turned hence again the blasting Northeast wind: Upon the bore report and name of Arms. In duty lower then the ground I kneel, And for my dul knees bow my feeling heart, To witness my obedience to your highness, With many millions of a subjects thanks. For this your Royal presence, whose approach, Hath driven war and danger from my gate. As easy may my intellectual soul, Be lent away and yet my body live, As lend my body palace to my soul, Away from her and yet retain my soul, My body is her bower her Courther abey, And she and Angel pure divine unspotted, If I should leave her house my Lord to thee, I kill my poor soul and my poor soul me, I did my liege so what you would I could. Then wrong for wrong, and endless hate for hate: But fith I see your majesty so bent, That my unwillingness, my husbands love, Your high estate, nor no respect respected, Can be my help, but that your mightiness: Will overbear and awe these deer regards, I bind my discontent to my content, And what I would not, I'll compel I will, Provided that your self remove those lets, That stand between your highness love and mine, Well may I give a welcome Cousin to thee: For thou con st well to chase my foes from hence. How may I entertain his Majesty, To show my duty, and his dignity. No war to you my liege, the Scots are gone, And gallop home towards Scotland with their hate, Least yielding here, I pine in shameful love: Come wele pursue the Scots, Artoyes away. A little while my gracious sovereign stay, And let the power of a mighty king Honour our roof: my husband in the wars, When he shall hear it will triumph for joy. Then deer my liege, now niggard not thy state, Being at the wall, enter our homely gate. Far from this place let ugly treasonly. What might I speak to make my sovereign stay? Let not thy presence Like the April sun, Flatter our earth, and suddenly be done: More happy do not make our outward wall, Then thou wilt grace our inner house withal, Our house my liege is Like a Country swain, Whose habit Jude, and wanners blunt and plain, Presages nought yet inly beautified, With bounties riches; and fair hidden pride: For where the golden Over does buried lie, The ground vndect with nature's tapestry, Seems barren, re, unfertile, f uctles dry, And where the upper turf of earth does boast, His pride perfumes, and party coloured cost, Delve there, and find this issue and their pride, To spring from ordure, and corruptions side: But to make up my all to long compare, These ragged walls no testomie are, What is within, b to Like a cloak does hide, From weathers West, the under garnished pride: More gracious then my terms can let thee be, Entreat thy self to stay a while with me. My Lord and father, I have sought for you: My mother and the Peers importune you, To keep in promise of his majesty. And do your best to make his highness merry. It is their lives that stand between our love, That I would have choked up my sovereign. Nay yowl do more, yowl make the Ryuerto, With their heart bloods, that keep our love asunder, Of which my husband, and your wife are twain. Oh periurde beauty, more corrupted Judge: When to the great Starchamber over our heads, The vniuersell Sessions calls to count, This packing evil, we both shall tremble for it. Pardon my boldness my thrice gracious Lords, Let my intrusion here be called my duty, That comes to see my sovereign how he fares, My thrice loving liege, Your Queen, and Salisbury my wedded husband, Who living have that title in our love, That we cannot bestow but by their death, So is your desire, if the law Can hinder you to execute the one, Let it forbid you to attempt the other: I Cannot think you love me as you say, Unless you do make good what you have sworn. No more , ethy husband and the Queen shall die, Fairer thou art by far, then Hero was, Beardless Leander not so strong as I: He swome and easy currant for his love, But I will throng a helly spout of blood, To arrive at Cestus where my Hero lies. Resolute to be dissolude, and therefore this, Keep but thy word great king, and I am thine, Stand where thou dost, isle partly a little from thee And see how I will yield me to thy hands: Here by my side does hang my wedding knifes, Take thou the one, and with it kill thy Queen And learn by me to find her where she lies And with this other, I'll dispatch my love, Which now lies fast a sleep within my heart, When they are gone, then I'll consent to love: Stir not lascivious king to hinder me, My resolution is more nimbler far, Then thy prevention can be in my rescue, And if thou stir, I strike, therefore stand still, And hear the choice that I will put thee to: Either swear to leave thy most unholy suit, And never hence forth to solicit me, Or else by heaven, this sharp pointed knife, Shall stain thy earth, with that which thou would stain: My poor chased blood, swear Edward swear, Or I will strike and die before thee here. No wilful disobedience mighty Lord, But my desert and public law at arms. I took the king my self in single fight, and Like a soldier would be loath to lose The least pre-eminence that I had wone. And Copland straight upon your highness charge, Is come to France, and with a lowly mind, Does vale the bonnet of his victory: Receive dread Lord the custom of my fraught, The wealthy tribute of my labouring hands, Which should long since have been surrendered up Had but your gracious self been there in place, Sorry I am to see my liege so sad, What may thy subject do to driven from thee. Thy gloomy consort, sullome melancholy, Now God forbid that any in my House Should think my sovereign wrong, thrice gentle King: As never my Liege as all my woman's power, Can pawn it self to buy thy remedy. I will my Liege. By heaven I will, All this is done my thrice dread sovereign, That power of love that I have power to give. Thou hast with all devout obedience, Inploy me how thou wilt in proof thereof, Yfon my beauty take that if thou canst, Though little I do prize it ten times less, If on my virtue take it if thou canst, For virtues store by giving does augment, Be it on what it will that I can give, And thou canst take away inherit it. Ils follow thee, and when my mind turns so, My body sink, my soul in endless woo. I deer my liege, your endue. Oh were it painted I would wipe it of, And dispose my self to give it thee, But sovereign it is souldered to my life, Take one and both for Like and humble shadow, It haunts the sunshine of my summer's life, But thou mayest leave it me to sport with all, But that your lips were sacred my Lord, You would profane the holy name of love, That love you offer me you cannot give, For Caesar owes that tribute to his Queen, That love you beg of me I cannot give, For Saram owes that duty to her Lord, He that does clip or counterfeit your stamp, Shall die my Lord, and will your sacred self, Comit high treason against the King of heaven, To stamp his Image in forbidden mettel, For getting your allegiance, and your oath, In violating marriage secred law, You break a greater honour then your self, To be a King is of a younger house, Then to be married, your progenitor Sole ragning Adam on the universe, By God was honoured for a married man, But not by him anointed for a king, It is a pennalty to break your statutes, Though not enacted with your highness hand, How much more to infringe the holy act, Made by the mouth of God, sealed with his hand, I know my sovereign in my husbands love, Who now does loyal service in his wars, Does but to try the wife of Salisbury, Whither she will hear a wantons tale or no, Lest being therein giulty by my stay, From that not from my liege I turn away: My father on his blessing hath commanded.