|
Bell.
Or let me perish loath'd. Come my good Lord,
Creep in amongst
those bushes: who does know
But that the gods
may save your (much lov'd) breath?
Phi.
Then I shall die for grief, if not for this,
That I have wounded
thee: what wilt thou do?
Bell.
Shift for my self well: peace, I hear 'em come.
Within.
Follow, follow, follow; that way they went.
Bell.
With my own wounds I'le bloudy my own sword.
I need not counterfeit
to fall, Heaven knows,
That I can stand
no longer.
Enter
Pha. Dion, Cle. and Thra.
Pha.
To this place we have tract him by his bloud.
Cle.
Yonder, my Lord, creeps one away.
Di.
Stay Sir, what are you?
Bell.
A wretched creature wounded in these Woods
By Beasts; relieve
me, if your names be men,
Or I shall perish.
Di.
This is he my Lord,
Upon my soul that
hurt her; 'tis the boy,
That wicked boy
that serv'd her.
Pha.
O thou damn'd in thy creation!
What cause could'st
thou shape to hurt the Princess?
Bell.
Then I am betrayed.
Di.
Betrayed! no, apprehended.
Bell.
I confess;
Urge it no more,
that big with evil thoughts
I set upon her,
and did take my aim
Her death. For charity
let fall at once
The punishment you
mean, and do not load
This weary flesh
with tortures.
Pha.
I will know who hir'd thee to this deed?
Bell.
Mine own revenge. Pha.
Revenge, for what?
Bell.
It pleas'd her to receive
Me as her Page,
and when my fortunes ebb'd,
That men strid o're
the carelesly, she did showr
Her welcome graces
on me, and did swell
My fortunes, till
they overflow'd their banks,
Threatning the men
that crost 'em; when as swift
As storms arise
at sea, she turn'd her eyes
To burning Suns
upon me, and did dry
The streams she
had bestowed, leaving me worse
And more contemn'd
than other little brooks,
Because I had been
great: In short, I knew
I could not live,
and therefore did desire
To die reveng'd.
Pha.
If tortures can be found,
Long as thy natural
life, resolve to feel
The utmost rigour.
[Philaster creeps out of a bush.
Cle.
Help to lead him hence.
Phi.
Turn back you ravishers of Innocence,
Know ye the price
of that you bear away so rudely?
Pha.
Who's that? Di.
'Tis the Lord Philaster.
Phi.
'Tis not the treasure of all Kings in one,
The wealth of Tagus,
nor the Rocks of Pearl,
That pave the Court
of Neptune, can weigh down
That vertue. It
was I that hurt the Princess.
Place me, some god,
upon a Piramis,
Higher than hills
of earth, and lend a voice
Loud as your Thunder
to me, that from thence,
I may discourse
to all the under-world,
The worth that dwells
in him. Pha.
How's this?
Bell.
My Lord, some man
Weary of life, that
would be glad to die.
Phi.
Leave these untimely courtesies Bellario.
Bell.
Alas he's mad, come will you lead me on?
Phi.
By all the Oaths that men ought most to keep:
And Gods do punish
most, when men do break,
He toucht her not.
Take heed Bellario,
How thou dost drown
the vertues thou hast shown
With perjury. By
all that's good 'twas I:
You know she stood
betwixt me and my right.
Pha.
Thy own tongue be thy judge.
Cle.
It was Philaster.
Di. Is't not a brave boy?
Well Sirs, I fear
we were all deceived.
Phi.
Have I no friend here? Di.
Yes. |
Phi.
Then shew it;
Some good body lend
a hand to draw us nearer.
Would you have tears
shed for you when you die?
Then lay me gentle
on his neck that there
I may weep flouds,
and breath out my spirit:
'Tis not the wealth
of Plutus, nor the gold
Lockt in the heart
of earth, can buy away
This arm-full from
me, this had been a ransom
To have redeem'd
the great Augustus Cæsar,
Had he been taken:
you hard-hearted men,
More stony than
these Mountains, can you see
Such clear pure
bloud drop, and not cut your flesh
To stop his life?
To bind whose better wounds,
Queens ought to
tear their hair, and with their tears, (laster.
Bath 'em. Forgive
me, thou that art the wealth of poor Phi
Enter
King, Arethusa and a Guard.
King.
Is the villain ta'ne?
(laster
Pha.
Sir, here be two confess the deed, but say it was
Phi
Phi.
Question it no more, it was.
King.
The fellow that did fight with him will tell us.
Are.
Ay me, I know he will.
King.
Did not you know him?
Are.
Sir, if it was he, he was disguised.
Phi.
I was so. Oh my stars! that I should live still
King.
Thou ambitious fool;
Thou that hast laid
a train for thy own life;
Now I do mean to
do, I'le leave to talk, bear him to prison
Are.
Sir, they did plot together to take hence
This harmless life;
should it pass unreveng'd,
I should to earth
go weeping grant me then
(By all the love
a Father bears his Child)
Their custodies,
and that I may appoint
Their tortures and
their death.
Di.
Death? soft, our Law will not reach that, for this
fault.
King.
'Tis granted, take 'em to you, with a Guard.
Come Princely Pharamond,
this business past,
We may with more
security go on to your intended match.
Cle.
I pray that this action lose not Philaster
the hearts of
the people.
Di.
Fear it not, their overwise heads will think it but
a trick.
[Exeunt Omnes.
Actus
Quintus. Scena Prima.
Enter
Dion, Cleremont, and Thrasiline.
| Thra. |
H
|
AS
the King sent for him to death?
Di.
Yes, but the King must know, 'tis not in |
his power to war
with Heaven.
Cle.
We linger time; the King sent for Philaster
and the
Headsman an hour
ago.
Thra.
Are all his wounds well?
Di.
All they were but scratches; but the loss of bloud
made him faint.
Cle.
We dally Gentlemen.
Thra.
Away.
Di.
We'l scuffle hard before he perish. [Exeunt.
Enter
Philaster, Arethusa, and Bellario. [5.2]
Are.
Nay dear Philaster grieve not, we are well.
Bell.
Nay good my Lord forbear, we are wondrous well.
Phi.
Oh Arethusa! O Bellario! leave to be
kind.
I shall be shot
from Heaven, as now from Earth,
If you continue
so, I am a man,
False to a pair
of the most trusty ones
That ever earth
bore, can it bear us all?
Forgive and leave
me, but the King hath sent
To call me to
my death, Oh shew it me,
And then forget
me. And for thee my boy,
I shall deliver
words will mollifie
The hearts of
beasts, to spare thy innocence.
Bell.
Alas my Lord, my life is not a thing
Worthy
|
|
|
| © Twilight
Pictures, April
2001. This text
is freely available for educational, non-profit uses only. Please
report any errors or suggestions to
Drew Whitehead. |
|
