ACT III.
SCENE I.—A great room in DON MANUEL'S house.
HIPPOLITO solus.
My master bid me speak for him to Julia:
Hard fate, that I am made a confident
Against myself!
Yet, though unwillingly I took the office,
I would perform it well: But how can I
Prove lucky to his love, who to my own
Am so unfortunate? he trusts his passion
Like him, that ventures all his stock at once
On an unlucky hand.
Enter AMIDEO.
Amid. Where is the lady Julia?
Hip. What new treason Against my master's love have you contrived With her?
Amid. I shall not render you account.
Enter JULIA.
Jul. I sent for him; yet if he comes, there's danger;
Yet if he does not, I for ever lose him.
What can I wish? and yet I wish him here,
Only to take the care of me from me.
Weary with sitting out a losing hand,
Twill be some ease to see another play it.
Yesterday I refused to marry him,
To-day I run into his arms unasked;
Like a mild prince encroached upon by rebels,
Love yielded much, till honour asked for all.
How now, where's Roderick? [Sees AMIDEO.
I mean Gonsalvo. [Sees HIPPOLITO.
Hip. You would do well to meet him—
Amid. Meet him! you shall not do't: I'll throw myself,
Like a young fawning spaniel, in your way
So often, you shall never move a step,
But you shall tread on me.
Jul. You need not beg me: I would as soon meet a syren, as see him.
Hip. His sweetness for those frowns no subject finds:
Seas are the field of combat for the winds:
But when they sweep along some flowery coast,
Their wings move mildly, and their rage is lost.
Jul. 'Tis that which makes me more unfortunate;
Because his sweetness must upbraid my hate.
The wounds of fortune touch me not so near;
I can my fate, but not his virtue, bear.
For my disdain with my esteem is raised;
He most is hated when he most is praised:
Such an esteem, as like a storm appears,
Which rises but to shipwreck what it bears.
Hip. Infection dwells upon my kindness, sure, Since it destroys even those whom it would cure.
[Cries, and exit.
Amid. Still weep, Hippolito; to me thy tears
Are sovereign, as those drops the balm-tree sweats.—
But, madam, are you sure you shall not love him?
I still fear.—
Jul. Thy fear will never let thee be a man.
Amid. Indeed I think it won't.
Jul. We are now Alone; what news from Roderick?
Amid. Madam, he begs you not to fear; he has A way, which, when you think all desperate, Will set you free.
Jul. If not, I will not live A moment after it.
Amid. Why? there's some comfort.
Jul. I strongly wish, for what I faintly hope:
Like the day-dreams of melancholy men,
I think and think on things impossible,
Yet love to wander in that golden maze.
Enter DON MANUEL, HIPPOLITO, and company.
Amid. Madam, your brother's here.
Man. Where is the bridegroom?
Hip. Not yet returned, sir, from his ship.
Man. Sister, all this good company is met, To give you joy.
Jul. While I am compassed round
With mirth, my soul lies hid in shades of grief,
Whence, like the bird of night, with half shut eyes,
She peeps, and sickens at the sight of day. [Aside.
Enter Servant.
Serv. Sir, some gentlemen and ladies are without, Who, to do honour to this wedding, come To present a masque.
Man. Tis well; desire them They would leave put the words, and fall to dancing. The poetry of the foot takes most of late.
Serv. The poet, sir, will take that very ill; He's at the door, with the argument o'the masque In verse.
Man. Which of the wits is it that made it?
Serv. None of the wits, sir; 'tis one of the poets.
Man. What subject has he chose?
Serv. The rape of Proserpine.
Enter GONSALVO.
Man. Welcome, welcome, you have been long expected.
Gons. I staid to see the unlading of some rarities, Which are within— Madam, your pardon that I was so long absent.
Jul. You need not ask it for your absence, sir.
Gons. Still cruel, Julia?
Jul. The danger's here, and Roderick not here: I am not grieved to die; but I am grieved To think him false. [Aside.
Man. Bid him begin. [The music plays.
A Cupid descends in swift motion, and speaks these verses.
Cup. Thy conquests, Proserpine, have stretched too far;
Amidst heavens peace thy beauty makes a war:
For when, last night, I to Jove's palace went,
(The brightest part of all the firmament)
Instead of all those gods, whose thick resort
Filled up the presence of the thunderers court;
There Jove and Juno all forsaken sate,
Pensive, like kings in their declining state:
Yet (wanting power) they would preserve the show,
By hearing prayers from some few men below:
Mortals to Jove may their devotions pay;
The gods themselves to Proserpine do pray.
To Sicily the rival powers resort;
'Tis Heaven wherever Ceres keeps her court.
Phoebus and Mercury are both at strife,
The courtliest of our gods who want a wife.
But Venus, whate'er kindness she pretends,
Yet (like all females envious of their friends),
Has, by my aid, contrived a black design,
The god of hell should ravish Proserpine:
Beauties, beware; Venus will never bear
Another Venus shining in her sphere.
After Cupid's speech, Venus and Ceres descend in the slow machines;
Ceres drawn by dragons, Venus by swans.
After them Phoebus and Mercury descend in swift motion. Then Cupid turns to Julia, and speaks.
Cup. The rival deities are come to woo
A Proserpine, who must be found below:
Would you, fair nymph, become, this happy hour,
In name a goddess, as you are in power?
Then to this change the king of shades will owe
A fairer Proserpine than heaven can show.
[Julia, first whispered by AMIDEO, goes into the dance, performed by Cupid, Phoebus, Mercury, Ceres, Venus, and JULIA. Towards the end of the dance, RODORICK, in the habit of Pluto, rises from below in a black chariot, all flaming, and drawn by black horses; he ravishes Julia, who personated Proserpine, and as he is carrying her away, his vizard fails off: HIPPOLITO first discovers him.
Hip. A rape, a rape! 'tis Roderick, 'tis Roderick!
Rod. Then I must have recourse to this. [Draws.
Jul. O heavens!
[DON MANUEL and GONSALVO draw, and a Servant; the two that acted Phoebus and Mercury return to assist RODORICK, and are beat back by MANUEL and a Servant, while GONSALVO attacks RODORICK.
Gons. Unloose thy hold, foul villain.
Rod. No, I'll grasp her Even after death.
Jul. Spare him, or I'll die with him.
Gons. Must ravishers and villains live, while I In vain implore her mercy?
[Thrusts at him, and hurts JULIA in the arm.
Jul. Oh, I am murdered!
Gons. Wretched that I am,
What have I done? To what strange punishment
Will you condemn this guilty hand? And yet
My eyes were guilty first—For they could look
On nothing else but you; and my unlucky hand
Too closely followed them!—
Enter MANUEL again.
Man. The powers above are just, that thou still livest, For me to kill.
Rod. You'll find no easy task on't
Alone; come both together, I defy you!
Curse on this disguise, that has betrayed me
Thus cheaply to my death.—
Man. Under a devil's shape, thou could'st not be Disguised.
Jul. Then, must he die?— Yet, I'll not bid my Roderick farewell; For they take leave, who mean to be long absent.
Gons. Hold, sir! I have had blood enough already; And must not murder Julia again In him she loves. Live, sir; and thank this lady.
Rod. Take my life, and spare my thanks.
Man. Though you Forgive him, let me take my just revenge.
Gons. Leave that distinction to our dull divines: That ill, I suffer to be done, I do.
Hip. My heart bleeds for him: to see his virtue O'ercome so fatally, against such odds Of fortune, and of love!—
Man. Permit his death, and Julia will be yours.
Jul. Permit it not, and Julia will thank you.
Gons. Who e'er could think, that one kind word from Julia
Should be preferred to Julia herself?
Could any man think it a greater good
To save a rival, than possess a mistress?
Yet this I do! these are thy riddles, love!—
What fortune gives me, I myself destroy;
And feed my virtue, but to starve my joy.
Honour sits on me like some heavy armour,
And with its stiff defence, encumbers me;
And yet, when I would put it off, it sticks
Like Hercules's shirt; heats me at once;
And poisons me!
Man. I find myself grow calm by thy example;
My panting heart heaves less and less, each pulse;
And all the boiling spirits scatter from it.
Since thou desirest he should not die, he shall not,
'Till I on nobler terms can take his life.
Rod. The next turn may be yours.—Remember, I owed this danger to your wilfulness: Once, you might easily have been mine, and would not. [Exit RODORICK.
Man. Lead out my sister, friend; her hurt's so
small,
'Twill scarce disturb the ceremony.
Ladies, once more your pardons.
[Leads out the Company. Exeunt.
Manent JULIA, GONSALVO, AMIDEO, and HIPPOLITO. GONSALVO offers his hand, JULIA pulls back hers.
Jul. This hand would rise in blisters, should'st
thou touch it!—
My Roderick's displeased with me, and thou,
Unlucky man, the cause. Dare not so much
As once to follow me. [Exit JULIA.
Gons. Not follow her! Alas, she need not bid me! Oh, how could I presume to take that hand, To which mine proved so fatal! Nay, if I might, should I not fear to touch it?— murderer's touch would make it bleed afresh!
Amid. I think, sir, I could kill her for your sake.
Gons. Repent that word, or I shall hate thee
Strangely:
Harsh words from her, like blows from angry kings,
Though they are meant affronts, are construed favours.
Hip. Her inclinations and aversions Are both alike unjust; and both, I hope, Too violent to last: Chear up yourself; for if I live, (I hope I shall not long) [Aside. She shall be yours.
Amid. 'Twere much more noble in him,
To make a conquest of himself, than her.
She ne'er can merit him; and, hadst not thou
A mean low soul, thou wouldst not name her to him.
Hip. Poor child, who would'st be wise above thy years!
Why dost thou talk, like a philosopher,
Of conquering love, who art not yet grown up,
To try the force of any manly passion?
The sweetness of thy mother's milk is yet
Within thy veins, not soured and turned by love.
Gons. Thou hast not field enough in thy young breast, To entertain such storms to struggle in.
Amid. Young as I am, I know the power of love;
Its less disquiets, and its greater cares,
And all that's in it, but the happiness.
Trust a boy's word, sir, if you please, and take
My innocence for wisdom; Leave this lady;
Cease to persuade yourself you are in love,
And you will soon be freed. Not that I wish
A thing, so noble as your passion, lost
To all the sex: Bestow it on some other;
You'll find many as fair, though none so cruel.—
Would I could be a lady for your sake!
Hip. If I could be a woman, with a wish, You should not be without a rival long.
Amid. A cedar, of your stature, would not cause Much jealousy.
Hip. More than a shrub of yours.
Gons. How eagerly these boys fall out for nothing!— Tell me, Hippolito, wert thou a woman, Who would'st thou be?
Hip. I would be Julia, sir, Because you love her.
Amid. I would not be she, Because she loves not you. Hip. True, Amideo; And, therefore, I would wish myself a lady, Who, I am sure, does infinitely love him.
Amid. I hope that lady has a name?
Hip. She has:
And she is called Honoria, sister to
This Julia, and bred up at Barcelona;
Who loves him with a flame so pure and noble,
That, did she know his love to Julia,
She would beg Julia to make him happy.
Gons. This startles me!
Amid. Oh, sir, believe him not: They love not truly, who, on any terms, Can part with what they love.
Gons. I saw a lady
At Barcelona, of what name I know not,
Who, next to Julia, was the fairest creature
My eyes did e'er behold: But, how camest thou
To know her?
Hip. Sir, some other time I'll tell you.
Amid. It could not be Honoria, whom you saw;
For, sir, she has a face so very ugly,
That, if she were a saint for holiness,
Yet no man would seek virtue there.
Hip. This is the lyingest boy, sir;—I am sure
He never saw Honoria; for her face,
'Tis not so bad to frighten any man—
None of the wits have libelled it.
Amid. Don Roderick's sister, Angelina, does
So far exceed her, in the ornaments
Of wit and beauty, though now hid from sight,
That, like the sun, (even when eclipsed) she casts
A yellowness upon all other faces.
Hip. I'll not say much of her, but only this,
Don Manuel saw not with my eyes, if e'er
He loved that Flanders shape; that lump of earth,
And phlegm together.
Amid. You have often seen her,
It seems, by your description of her person:
But I'll maintain on any Spanish ground,
Whate'er she be, yet she is far more worthy
To have my lord her servant, than Honoria.
Hip. And I'll maintain Honoria's right against her, In any part of all the world.
Gons. You go Too far, to quarrel on so slight a ground.
Hip. O pardon me, my lord, it is not slight: I must confess, I am so much concerned, I shall not bear it long.
Amid. Nor I, assure you.
Gons. I will believe what both of you have said, That Honoria, and Angelina, Both equally are fair.
Amid. Why did you name Honoria first?
Gons. And, since you take their parts so eagerly
Henceforth I'll call you by those ladies' names:
You, my Hippolito, shall be Honoria;
And you, my Amideo, Angelina.
Amid. Then all my services, I wish, may make You kind to Angelina, for my sake.
Hip. Put all my merits on Honoria's score, And think no maid could ever love you more.
[Exeunt.
ACT IV. SCENE I.
MANUEL solus.
Man. Thus I provide for others' happiness,
And lose my own. 'Tis true, I cannot blame
Thy hatred, Angelina, but thy silence.
Thy brother's hatred made thine just; but yet
'Twas cruel in thee not to tell me so.
Conquest is noble, when an heart stands out;
But mine, which yielded, how could'st thou betray?
That heart, of which thou could'st not be deprived
By any force or power, beside thy own;
Like empires, to that fatal height arrived,
They must be ruined by themselves alone.
My guarded freedom cannot be a prize
To any scornful face a second time;
For thy idea, like a ghost, would rise,
And fright my thoughts from such another crime.
Enter a Servant, with a letter.
Man. From whom?
Serv. Sir, the contents will soon resolve you.
[He read.
Man. Tell Roderick, he has prevented me
In my design of sending to him first.
I'll meet him, single, at the time and place;
But, for my friend, tell him, he must excuse me:
I'll hazard no man in my quarrel, but
Myself alone.—[Exit Servant.
Who's within there?
Enter a Servant.
Go, call my sister, and Gonsalvo, hither.
[Exit Servant.
'Twas pushed so far, that, like two armies, we
Were drawn so closely up, we could not part
Without engagement.—But they must not know it.
Enter JULIA, GONSALVO, and AMIDEO.
I have some business calls me hence, and know not
When I shall return: But, ere I go,
That power I have, by my dead father's will,
Over my sister, I bequeath to you: [To GONS.
She, and her fortunes, both be firmly yours;
And this when I revoke, let cowardice
Blast all my youth, and treason taint my age.
Gons. Sir—
Man. Nay, good, no thanks; I cannot stay— [Exit MANUEL.
Gons. There's something more than ordinary in this; Go, Amideo, quickly follow him, And bring me word which way he takes.
Amid. I go, sir. [Exit AMID. JULIA kneels.
Gons. Madam, when you implore the powers divine, You have no prayers in which I will not join, Though made against myself. [Kneels with her.
Jul. In vain I sue, Unless my vows may be conveyed by you.
Gons. Conveyed by me! My ill success in love
Shews me, too sure, I have few friends above.
How can you fear your just desires to want?
When the gods pray, they both request and grant.
Jul. Heaven has resigned my fortune to your hand, If you, like heaven, the afflicted understand.
Gons. The language of the afflicted is not new; Too well I learned it, when I first saw you.
Jul. In spite of me, you now command my fate;
And yet the vanquished seeks the victor's hate;
Even in this low submission, I declare,
That, had I power, I would renew the war.
I'm forced to stoop, and 'twere too great a blow
To bend my pride, and to deny me too.
Gons. You have my heart; dispose it to your will; If not, you know the way to use it ill.
Jul. Cruel to me, though kind to your desert,
My brother gives my person, not my heart;
And I have left no other means to sue,
But to you only, to be freed from you.
Gons. From such a suit how can you hope success, Which, given, destroys the giver's happiness?
Jul. You think it equal you should not resign
That power you have, yet will not leave me mine;
Yet on my will I have the power alone,
And, since you cannot move it, move your own.
Your worth and virtue my esteem may win,
But women's passions from themselves begin;
Merit may be, but force still is, in vain.
Gons. I would but love you, not your love constrain; And though your brother left me to command, He placed his thunder in a gentle hand.
Jul. Your favour from constraint has set me free,
But that secures not my felicity;
Slaves, who, before, did cruel masters serve,
May fly to deserts, and in freedom starve.
The noblest part of liberty they lose,
Who can but shun, and want the power to chuse.
Gons. O whither would your fatal reasons move! You court my kindness, to destroy my love.
Jul. You have the power to make my happiness, By giving that, which you can ne'er possess.
Gons. Give you to Roderick? there wanted yet That curse, to make my miseries complete.
Jul. Departing misers bear a nobler mind;
They, when they can enjoy no more, are kind;
You, when your love is dying in despair,
Yet want the charity to make an heir.
Gons. Though hope be dying, yet it is not dead; And dying people with small food are fed.
Jul. The greatest kindness dying friends can have, Is to dispatch them, when we cannot save.
Gons. Those dying people, could they speak' at all,
That pity of their friends would murder call:
For men with horror dissolution meet;
The minutes even of painful life are sweet.
Jul. But I'm by powerful inclination led; And streams turn seldom to their fountain head.
Gons. No; 'tis a tide which carries you away; And tides may turn, though they can never stay.
Jul. Can you pretend to love, and see my grief Caused by yourself, yet give me no relief?
Gons. Where's my reward?
Jul. The honour of the flame.
Gons. I lose the substance, then, to gain the name.
Jul. I do too much mistress' power betray;
Must slaves be won by courtship to obey?
Thy disobedience does to treason rise,
Which thou, like rebels, would'st with love disguise.
I'll kill myself, and, if thou can'st deny
To see me happy, thou shalt see me die.
Gons. O stay! I can with less regret bequeath My love to Roderick, than you to death: And yet—
Jul. What new objection can you find?
Gons. But are you sure you never shall be kind?
Jul. Never.
Gons. What! never?
Jul. Never to remove.
Gons. Oh fatal never to souls damned in love!
Jul. Lead me to Roderick.
Gons. If it must be so—
Jul. Here, take my hand, swear on it thou wilt go.
Gons. Oh balmy sweetness! but 'tis lost to me,
[He kisses her hand.
Like food upon a wretch condemned to die:
Another, and I vow to go:—Once more;
If I swear often, I shall be foreswore.
Others against their wills may haste their fate;
I only toil to be unfortunate:
More my own foe than all my stars could prove;
They give her person, but I give her love.
I must not trust myself—Hippolito!
Enter HIPPOLITO.
Hip. My lord!
Gons. Quickly go find Don Roderick out:
Tell him, the lady Julia will be walking
On the broad rock, that lies beside the port,
And there expects to see him instantly.
In the mean time I'll call for Amideo.
Jul. You'll keep your promise to Don Roderick?
Gons. Madam, since you bring death, I welcome it; But to his fortune, not his love, submit. [Exit GONSALVO.
Hip. I dare not ask what I too fain would hear: But, like a tender mother, hope and fear, My equal twins, my equal care I make, And keep hope quiet, lest that fear should wake. [Aside. Exit HIPPOLITO.
Jul. So, now I'm firmly at my own dispose; And all the lets, my virtue caused, removed: Now, Roderick, I come—
Enter GONSALVO again.
Gons. Madam, my boy's not yet returned.
Jul. No matter, we'll not stay for him.
Gon. Pray make not too much haste.
[Exeunt JUL. and GONS.
SCENE II.
Enter DON RODORICK, and a Servant.
Rod. Have you bespoke a vessel, as I bid you?
Serv. I have done better; for I have employed
Some, whom I know, this day to seize a ship;
Which they have done, clapping the men within her
All under hatches, with such speed and silence,
That, though she rides at anchor in the port
Among the rest, the change is not discovered.
Rod. Let my best goods and jewels be embarked With secrecy: We'll put to sea this night. Have you yet found my sister, or her woman?
Serv. Neither, sir; but in all probability She is with Manuel.
Rod. Would God the meanest man in Alicant
Had Angelina, rather than Don Manuel!
I never can forgive, much less forget,
How he (the younger soldier) was preferred
To that command of horse, which was my due.
Serv. And, after that, by force disseized you of Your quarters—
Rod. Should I meet him seven years hence
At the altar, I would kill him there:—I had
Forgot to tell you, the design we had,
To carry Julia by force away,
Will now be needless: she'll come to the rock
To see me; you, unseen, shall stand behind,
And carry her into the vessel.
Serv. Shall I not help you to dispatch Don Manuel?
Rod. I neither doubt my valour nor my fortune:
But if I die, revenge me: Presently
About your business; I must to the rock,
For fear I come too late. [Exeunt severally.
SCENE III.—Through a rock is discovered a navy of ships riding at a distance.
Enter AMIDEO.
Amid. Thus far, unseen by Manuel, I have traced him; He can be gone no farther than the walk Behind the rock: I'll back, and tell my master.
Enter HIPPOLITO at the other end.
Hip. This is the place, where Roderick must expect His Julia:—How! Amideo here!
Amid. Hippolito!
Hip. This were so fit a time
For my revenge, had I the courage, now!
My heart swells at him, and my breath grows short;
But whether fear or anger choaks it up,
I cannot tell.
Amid. He looks so ghastfully,
Would I were past him; yet I fear to try it,
Because my mind misgives me he will stop me.
By your leave, Hippolito.
Hip. Whither so fast?
Amid. You'll not presume to hinder my lord's business? He shall know it.
Hip. I'll make you sure, before,
For telling any tales: Do you remember,
Since you defended Angelina's beauty
Against Honoria's; nay, and would maintain it.
Amid. And so I will do still; (I must feign courage, There is no other way.) [Aside.
Hip. I'll so revenge That injury! (if my heart fails me not.)
Amid. Come, confess truly, for, I know, it fails you. What would you give to avoid fighting now?
Hip. No, 'tis your heart that fails.
Amid. I scorn the danger;
Yet, what compassion on your youth might do,
I cannot tell; and, therefore, do not work
Upon my pity; for I feel already
My stout heart melts.
Hip. Oh! Are you thereabout? Now I am sure you fear; and you shall fight.
Amid. I will not fight.
Hip. Confess, then, Angelina Is not so fair as is Honoria.
Amid. I do confess; now are you satisfied?
Hip. There's more behind; confess her not so worthy To be beloved, nor to possess Gonsalvo, As fair Honoria is.
Amid. That's somewhat hard.
Hip. But you must do't, or die.
Amid. Well, life is sweet; She's not so worthy: Now, let me be gone.
Hip. No, never to my master; swear to quit His service, and no more to see his face.
Amid. I fain would save my life, but that, which you Propose, is but another name to die. I cannot live without my master's sight.
Hip. Then you must fight with me for him.
Amid. I would Do any thing with you, but fighting for him.
Hip. Nothing but that will serve.
Amid. Lay by our swords, And I'll scratch with you for him.
Hip. That's not manly.
Amid. Well, since it must be so, I'll fight:—Unbutton.
[HIPPOLITO unbuttons slowly.
How many buttons has he? I'll be one
Behind him still. [Aside.
[Unbuttons one by one after him. HIPPOLITO makes more haste.
You are so prodigal! if you loved my master,
You would not tear his doublet so:—How's this!
Two swelling breasts! a woman, and my rival!
The stings of jealousy have given me courage,
Which nature never gave me:
Come on, thou vile dissembler of thy sex;
Expect no mercy; either thou or I
Must die upon this spot: Now for Gonsalvo—
Sa—Sa—
Hip. This courage is not counterfeit; ah me! What shall I do? for pity, gentle boy—
Amid. No pity; such a cause as ours Can neither give nor take it: If thou yieldest, I will not spare thee; therefore, fight it out. [Tears open his doublet.
Hip. Death to my hopes! a woman! and so rare
A beauty, that my lord must needs doat on her.
I should myself, if I had been a man:
But, as I am, her eyes shoot death at me.
Amid. Come, have you said your prayers?
Hip. For thy confusion,—
Thou ravenous harpy, with an angel's face,—
Thou art discovered, thou too charming rival;
I'll be revenged upon those fatal eyes.
Amid. I'll tear out thine.
Hip. I'll bite out hungry morsels From those plump cheeks, but I will make them thinner.
Amid. I'd beat thee to the blackness of a Moor.
But that the features of thy face are such,
Such damnable, invincible good features,
That as an Ethiop thou would'st still be loved.
Hip. I'll quite unbend that black bow o'er thine eyes; I'll murder thee, and Julia shall have him, Rather than thou.
Amid. I'll kill both thee and her, Rather than any one but I shall have him.
Hip. Come on, thou witch.
Amid. Have at thy heart, thou Syren.
[They draw and fight awkwardly, not coming near one another.
Amid. I think I paid you there.
Hip. O stay a little, And tell me in what corner of thy heart Gonsalvo lies, that I may spare that place.
Amid. He lies in the last drop of all my blood, And never will come out, but with my soul.
Hip. Come, come, we dally; Would one of us were dead, no matter which! [They fight nearer.
Enter Don MANUEL.
Man. The pretty boys, that serve Gonsalvo, fighting! I come in time to save the life of one.
[HIPPOLITO gets AMIDEO down in closing:
MANUEL takes away their swords.
Hip. For goodness' sake, hinder not my revenge.
Amid. The noble Manuel has saved my life: Heavens, how unjustly have I hated him. [Aside.
Man. What is it, gentle youths, that moves you thus?
I cannot tell what causes you may find;
But, trust me, all the world, in so much sweetness,
Would be to seek where to begin a quarrel:
You seem the little Cupids in the song,
Contending for the honey-bag.
Hip. 'Tis well You're come; you may prevent a greater mischief: Here 'tis Gonsalvo has appointed Roderick—
Man.To fight?
Hip. What's worse: to give your sister to him.
Won by her tears, he means to leave her free,
And to redeem her misery with his:
At least so I conjecture.
Man. 'Tis a doubtful Problem; either he loves her violently, Or not at all.
Amid. You have betrayed my master:—
[To HIPPOLITO. Aside.
Hip. If I have injured you, I mean to give you The satisfaction of a gentlewoman.
Enter GONSALVO and JULIA.
Man. Oh, they are here; now I shall be resolved.
Jul. My brother Manuel! what fortune's this!
Man. I'm glad I have prevented you.
Gons. With what
Variety my fate torments me still!
Never was man so dragged along by virtue;
But I must follow her.
Jul. Noble Gonsalvo, Protect me from my brother.
Gons. Tell me, sir, When you bestowed your sister on me, did not You give her freely up to my dispose?
Man. 'Tis true, I did; but never with intent You should restore her to my enemy.
Gons. 'Tis past; 'tis done: She undermined my soul With tears; as banks are sapped away by streams.
Man. I wonder what strange blessing she expects From the harsh nature of this Rodorick; A man made up of malice and revenge.
Jul. If I possess him, I may be unhappy;
But if I lose him, I am surely so.
Had you a friend so desperately sick,
That all physicians had forsook his cure;
All scorched without, and all parched up within,
The moisture that maintained consuming nature
Licked up, and in a fever fried away;
Could you behold him beg, with dying eyes,
A glass of water, and refuse it him,
Because you knew it ill for his disease?
When he would die without it, how could you
Deny to make his death more easy to him?
Man. Talk not to me of love, when honour suffers. The boys will hiss at me.
Gons. I suffer most:
Had there been 'choice, what would I not have chose?
To save my honour I my love must lose:
But promises, once made, are past debate,
And truth's of more necessity than fate.
Man. I scarce can think your promise absolute; There might some way be thought on, if you would, To keep both her and it.
Gons. No, no; my promise was no trick of state: I meant to be made truly wretched first, And then to die; and I'll perform them both.
Man. Then that revenge, I meant on Rodorick, I'll take on you. [Draws.
Gons.—I draw with such regret, As merchants throw their wealth into the sea, To save their sinking vessels from a wreck.
Man. I find I cannot lift my hand against thee: Do what thou wilt; but let not me behold it. [Goes off a little way. I'll cut this gordian knot I cannot loose: To keep his promise, Rodorick shall have her, But I'll return and rescue her by force; Then giving back what he so frankly gave, At once my honour and his love I'll save. [Exit MANUEL.
Enter RODORICK.
Rod. How! Julia brought by him?—Who sent for me?
Gons. 'Twas I.
Rod. I know your business then; 'tis fighting.
Gons. You're mistaken; 'tis something that I fear.
Rod. What is't?
Gons. Why,—'twill not out: Here, take her;
And deserve her: but no thanks;
For fear I should consider what I give,
And call it back.—
Jul. O my dear Rodorick!
Gons. O cruel Julia!
For pity shew not all your joy before me;
Stifle some part of it one minute longer,
'Till I am dead.
Jul. My Rodorick shall know, He owes his Julia to you; thank him, love; In faith I take it ill you are so slow.
Rod. You know he has forbid me; and, beside, He'll take it better from your mouth than mine; All that you do must needs be pleasing to him.
Jul. Still sullen and unkind!
Rod. Why, then, in short, I do not understand the benefit.
Gons. Not to have Julia in thy free possession?
Rod. Not brought by you; not of another's leaving.
Jul. Speak softly, Rodorick: Let not these hear thee; But spare my shame for the ill choice I made, In loving thee.
Rod. I will speak loud, and tell thee,
Thou com'st, all cloyed and tired with his embraces,
To proffer thy palled love to me; his kisses
Do yet bedew thy lips; the very print,
His arms made round thy body, yet remains.
Gons. O barbarous jealousy!
Jul. 'Tis an harsh word: I am too pure for thee; but yet I love thee.
[Offers to take his hand.
Rod. Away, foul impudence.
Gons. Madam, you wrong Your virtue, thus to clear it by submission.
Jul. Whence grows this boldness, sir? did I ask you To be my champion?
Rod. He chose to be your friend, and not your husband: Left that dull part of dignity to me; As often the worst actors play the kings.
Jul. This jealousy is but excess of passion, Which grows up, wild, in every lover's breast; But changes kind when planted in an husband.
Rod. Well, what I am, I am; and what I will be, When you are mine, my pleasure shall determine. I will receive no law from any man.
Jul. This strange unkindness of my Rodorick
I owe to thee, and thy unlucky love;
Henceforth go lock it up within thy breast;
'Tis only harmless while it is concealed,
But, opened, spreads infection like a vault.
Go, and my curse go with thee!—
Gons. I cannot go 'till I behold you happy:—
—Here, Rodorick, receive her on thy knees;
Use her with that respect, which thou would'st pay
Thy guardian angel, if he could be seen.
—Do not provoke my anger by refusing.—
I'll watch thy least offence to her; each word,
Nay, every sullen look;—
And, as the devils, who are damned to torments,
Yet have the guilty souls their slaves to punish;
So, under me, while I am wretched, thou
Shalt be tormented.—
Rod. Would'st thou make me the tenant of thy lust,
To toil, and for my labour take the dregs,
The juicy vintage being left for thee?
No: she's an infamous, lewd prostitute:
I loath her at my soul.
Gons. I can forbear No longer: swallow down thy lie, foul villain.
[They fight off the stage. Exeunt.
Jul. Help, help!
Amid. Here is that witch, whose fatal beauty Began the mischief; she shall pay for all.
[Goes to kill JULIA.
Hip. I hate her for it more than thou canst do; But cannot see her die, my master loves.
[Goes between with her sword.
Enter GONSALVO, following RODORICK, who falls.
Rod. So, now I am at rest:—
I feel death rising higher still, and higher,
Within my bosom; every breath I fetch
Shuts up my life within a shorter compass,
And, like the vanishing sound of bells, grows less
And less each pulse, 'till it be lost in air.
[Swoons away.
Gons. Down at your feet, much injured innocence, I lay that sword, which—
Jul. Take it up again;
It has not done its work 'till I am killed:
For ever, ever, thou hast robbed me of
That man, that only man, whom I could love:
Dost thou thus court thy mistress? thus oblige her?
All thy obligements have been fatal yet,
Yet the most fatal now would most oblige me.
Kill me:—yet I am killed before in him.
I lie there on the ground; cold, cold, and pale:
That death, I die in Roderick, is far
More pleasant than that life, I live in Julia.—
—See how he stands—when he is bid dispatch me!
How dull! how spiritless! that sloth possest
Thee not, when thou didst kill my Roderick.
Gons. I'm too unlucky to converse with men:
I'll pack together all my mischiefs up,
Gather with care each little remnant of them,
That none of them be left behind: Thus loaded,
Fly to some desert, and there let them loose,
Where they may never prey upon mankind.
But you may make my journey shorter:—Take
This sword; 'twill shew you how:—
Jul.I'll gladly set you on your way:— [Takes his sword.
Enter three of RODORICK'S servants.
1 Serv. Make haste; he's now unarmed, we may with ease Revenge my master's death.
Jul. Now these shall do it.
Gons. I'll die by none but you.—
Hip. O here, take my sword, sir.
Amid. He shall have mine.
[Both give their swords to GONSALVO.
Enter MANUEL.
Man. Think not of death. We'll live and conquer.
[They beat them off.
Man. These fellows, though beat off, will strait return With more; we must make haste to save ourselves.
Hip. 'Tis far to the town, And, ere you reach it, you will be discovered.
Gons. My life's a burden to me, were not Julia's Concerned; but, as it is, she, being present, Will be found accessary to his death.
Man. See where a vessel lies, not far from shore;
And near at hand a boat belonging to her;
Let's haste aboard, and what with prayers and gifts
Buy our concealment there:—Come, Julia.
Gons. Alas, she swoons away upon the body.
Man. The night grows on apace; we'll take her in Our arms, and bear her hence.
[Exeunt GONSALVO, and the boys, with MANUEL, carrying JULIA.
The Servants enter again.
1 Serv. They are all gone, we may return with safety: Help me to bear the body to the town.
2 Serv. He stirs, and breathes a little; there may be Some hope.
3 Serv. The town's far off, and the evening cold. Let's carry him to the ship.
1 Serv. Haste then away: Things, once resolved, are ruined by delay.
[Exeunt.
ACT V. SCENE I.
The Scene lying in a Carrack.
Enter a Pirate and the Captain.
Pir. Welcome a ship-board, captain; you staid long.
Capt. No longer than was necessary for shifting trades; to change me from a robber to a pirate.
Pir. There's a fair change wrought in you since yesterday morning; then you talked of nothing but repentance, and amendment of life.
Capt. 'Faith, I have considered better on't: for, conversing a whole day together with honest men, I found them all so poor and beggarly, that a civil person would be ashamed to be seen with them:—but you come from Don Roderick's cabin; what hopes have you of his life?
Pir. No danger of it, only loss of blood had made him faint away; he called for you.
Capt. Well, are his jewels and his plate brought in?
Pir. They are.—When hoist we sails?
Capt. At the first break of day: When we are got out clear, we'll seize on Roderick and his men: They are not many, but fear may make them desperate.
Pir. We may take them, when they are laid to sleep.
Capt. 'Tis well advised.
Pir. I forgot to tell you, sir, that a little before Don Roderick was brought in, a company of gentlemen (pursued it seems by justice) procured our boat to row them hither. Two of them carried a very fair lady betwixt them, who was either dead, or swooned.
Capt. We'll sell them altogether to the Turk,—at least I'll tell them so. [Aside.
Pir. Pray, sir, let us reserve the lady to our own uses; it were a shame to good catholicks to give her up to infidels.
Capt. Don Roderick's door opens; I'll speak to him.
The Scene draws, and discovers the Captains cabin; RODORICK on a bed, and two Servants by him.
Capt. How is it with the brave Don Roderick? Do you want any thing?
Rod. I have too much
Of that I would not, love;
And what I would have, that I want, revenge.
I must be set ashore.
Capt. That you may, sir; But our own safety must be thought on first.
[One enters, and whispers the Captain.
Capt. I come:—Seignior, think you are lord here, and command all freely.
[Exeunt Captain and Pirates.
Rod. He does well to bid me think so: I am of opinion We are fallen into huckster's hands.
1 Serv. Indeed he talked suspiciously enough; He half denied to land us.
Rod. These, Pedro, are your confiding men—
2 Serv. I think them still so.
Rod. Would I were from them.
2 Serv. 'Tis impossible To attempt it now; you have not strength enough To walk.
Rod. That venture must be mine: We're lost, If we stay here to-morrow.
2 Serv. I hope better.
1 Serv. One whom I saw among 'em, to my knowledge, Is a notorious robber.
2 Serv. He looked so like a gentleman, I could not know him then.
Rod. What became of Julia when I fell?
1 Serv. We left her weeping over you, till we Were beaten off; but she, and those with her, Were gone when we returned.
Rod. Too late I find,
I wronged her in my thoughts. I'm every way
A wretched man:—
Something we must resolve on, ere we sleep;
Draw in the bed, I feel the cold.
[Bed drawn in. Exeunt.
SCENE II.
Enter GONSALVO, MANUEL, HIPPOLITO and AMIDEO.
Hip. Nay, 'tis too true; for, peeping through a chink,
I saw Don Roderick lying on a bed,
Not dead, as we supposed, but only hurt;
So waited on as spoke him master here.
Man. Was there ever so fatal an adventure!
To fly into that very ship, for refuge,
Where the only person, we would shun, commands!
This mischief is so strange, it could not happen,
But was the plot and juggle of our fate,
To free itself, and cast the blame on us.
Gons. This is not yet our fortune's utmost malice;
The gall remains behind. This ship was that,
Which yesterday was mine; I can see nothing
Round me, but what's familiar to my eyes;
Only the persons new: Which makes me think,
Twas seized upon by Roderick, to revenge
Himself on me.
Man. Tis wonderful indeed.
Amid. The only comfort is, we are not known; For when we entered it was dark.
Hip. That comfort Is of as short continuance as the night; The day will soon discover us.
Man. Some way must be invented to get out.
Hip. Fair Julia, sadly pining by herself.
Sits on her bed; tears falling from her eyes,
As silently as dews in dead of night.
All we consult of must be kept from her:
That moment, that she knows of Roderick's life,
Dooms us to certain death.
Man. 'Tis well considered.
Gons. For my part, were not you and she concerned,
I look upon my life, like an estate,
So charged with debts, it is not worth the keeping.
We cannot long be undiscovered by them;
Let us then rush upon them on the sudden,
(All hope of safety placed in our despair)
And gain quick victory, or speedy death.
Man. Consider first, the impossibility
Of the attempt; four men, and two poor boys,
(Which, added to our number, make us weaker)
Against ten villains, more resolved for death,
Than any ten among our holiest priests.
Stay but a little longer, till they all
Disperse to rest within their several cabins;
Then more securely we may set upon them,
And kill them half, before the rest can wake:
By this means too, the boys are useful for us,
For they can cut the throats of sleeping men.
Hip. Now have I the greatest temptation in the world to reveal, Thou art a woman. [To AMIDEO.
Amid. If 'twere not for thy beauty, my master should know, What a man he keeps. [To HIPPOLITO.
Hip. Why should we have recourse to desperate ways,
When safer may be thought on?
'Tis like giving the extreme unction.
In the beginning of a sickness;
Can you imagine to find all asleep?
The wicked joy, of having such a booty
In their possession, will keep some awake;
And some, no doubt, will watch with wounded
Roderick.
Amid. What would your wisdom now propose?
Hip. To say
That some of us are sea-sick; (your complexion
Will make the excuse for us who are less fair:)
So, by good words and promises, procure
We may be set ashore, ere morning come.
Amid. O, the deep reasons of the grave Hippolito!—
As if 'twere likely, in so calm a season,
We should be sick so soon; or, if we were,
Whom should we chuse among us to go tell it?
For whoe'er ventures out must needs be known:
Or, if none knew us, can you think that pirates
Will let us go upon such easy terms,
As promising rewards?—Let me advise you.
Hip. Now, we expect an oracle.
Amid. Here are bundles,
Of canvas and of cloth, you see lie by us;
In which one of us shall sew up the rest,
Only some breathing place, for air, and food:
Then call the pirates in, and tell them, we,
For fear, had drowned ourselves: And when we come
To the next port, find means to bring us out.
Hip. Pithily spoken!—
As if you were to bind up marble statues,
Which only bore the shapes of men without,
And had no need of ever easing nature.
Gons. There's but one way left, that's this;—
You know the rope, by which the cock-boat's tied,
Goes down by the stern, and now, we are at anchor,
There sits no pilot to discover us;
My counsel is, to go down by the ladder,
And, being once there, unloose, and row to shore.
Man. This, without doubt, were best; but there lies ever Some one, or more, within the boat, to watch it.
Gons. I'll slide down first, and run the venture of it; You shall come after me, if there be need, To give me succour.
Man. 'Tis the only way.
Gons. Go in to Julia, then, and first prepare her, With knowledge of the pirates, and the danger Her honour's in, among such barbarous people.
Man. Leave it to me.
Amid. Hippolito and Julia, My rivals, like two pointed rocks appear; And I, through both, must to Gonsalvo steer. [Aside.
[Exeunt all but HIPPOLITA.
Hip. As from some steep and dreadful precipice
The frighted traveller casts down his eyes,
And sees the ocean at so great a distance,
It looks as if the skies were sunk below him;
Yet if some neighbouring shrub (how weak soe'er)
Peeps up, his willing eyes stop gladly there,
And seem to ease themselves, and rest upon it:
So, in my desperate state, each little comfort
Preserves me from despair. Gonsalvo strove not
With greater care to give away his Julia,
Than I have done to part with my Gonsalvo;
Yet neither brought to pass our hateful wish.
Then, we may meet, since different ways we move,
Chasing each other in the maze of love.
[Exit.
SCENE III.
Enter Don RODORICK, carried by two Servants.
1 Serv. It was the only way that could be thought on, To get down by the ladder to the boat.
2 Serv. You may thank me for that invention.
Rod. What a noise is here, when the least breath's As dangerous as a tempest.
2 Serv. If any of those rogues should hear him talk, In what a case were we?
Rod. O, patience! patience!— This ass brays out for silence.
Enter, at the other end, MANUEL, leading JULIA, GONSALVO, HIPPOLITO, and AMIDEO.
Gons. Hark! what noise is that? go softly.
[They meet on the middle of the stage.
Rod. Who's here? I am betrayed! and nothing grieves me, But I want strength to die with honour.
Jul. Roderick!
Is it thy voice, my love?—Speak, and resolve me,
Whether thou livest, or I am dead with thee?
Man. Kill him, and force our way.
Rod. Is Manuel there? Hold up my arm, that I may make one thrust At him, before I die.
Gons. Since we must fall, We'll sell our lives as dearly as we can.
1 Serv. And we'll defend our master to the last. [Fight.
Enter Pirates, without their Captain.
1 Pirate. What's the meaning of this uproar?—Quarrelling Amongst yourselves at midnight?
2 Pirate. We are come in a fit time to decide the difference.
Man. Hold, gentlemen! we're equally concerned. [To RODORICK'S Servants. We for our own, you for your master's safety; If we join forces, we may then resist them, If not, both sides are ruined.
1 Serv. We agree.
Gons. Come o'er on our side then. [They join.
1 Pirate. A mischief on our captain's drowsiness; We're lost, for want of him! [They fight.
Gons. Dear madam, get behind; while you are safe, We cannot be o'ercome. [To JULIA.
[They drive off the Pirates, and follow them off. RODORICK remains on the ground.
Rod. I had much rather my own life were lost, Than Manuel's were preserved.
Enter the Pirates, retreating before GONSALVO, &c.
1 Pirate. All's lost! they fight like devils, and our captain Yet sleeping in his bed.
2 Pirate. Here lies Don Roderick; If we must die, we'll not leave him behind.
[Goes to kill him.
Jul. O, spare my Roderick's life; and, in exchange, Take mine! I put myself within your power, To save or kill.
1 Pirate. So, here's another pawn, For all our safeties.
Man. Heaven! what has she done?
Gons. Let go the lady, or expect no mercy!—The least drop of her blood is worth all yours. And mine together.
1 Pirate. I am glad you think so:— Either deliver up your sword, or mine Shall pierce her heart this moment.
Gons. Here, here, take it.
Man. You are not mad, to give away all hopes
[MANUEL holds him
Of safety and defence, from us, from her,
And from yourself, at once!
Gons. When she is dead, What is there worth defending?
Man. Will you trust A pirate's promise, sooner than your valour?
Gons. Any thing, rather than see her in danger.
1 Pirate. Nay, if you dispute the matter!—
[Holds his sword to her breast.
Gons. I yield, I yield!—Reason to love must bow: Love, that gives courage, can make cowards too!
[Gives his sword.
Jul. O, strange effect of a most generous passion!
Rod. His enemies themselves must needs admire it.
Man. Nay, if Gonsalvo makes a fashion of it, 'Twill be valour to die tamely. [Gives his.
Hip. I am for dying too with my dear master.
Amid. My life will go as easily as a fly's; The least fillip does it in this fright.
1 Pirate. One call our captain up: Tell him, he deserves little of the booty.
Jul. It has so much prevailed upon my soul, I ever must acknowledge it. [To GONS.
Rod. Julia has reason, if she love him; yet, I find I cannot bear it. [Aside.
Gons. Say but, you love me; I am more than paid.
Jul. You ask that only thing, I cannot give;—
Were I not Roderick's first, I should be yours;
My violent love for him, I know, is faulty;
Yet passion never can be placed so ill,
But that to change it is the greater crime.
Inconstancy is such a guilt, as makes
That very love suspected, which it brings;
It brings a gift, but 'tis of ill-got wealth,
The spoils of some forsaken lover's heart.
Love, altered once, like blood let out before,
Will lose its virtue, and can cure no more.
Gons. In those few minutes which I have to live,
To be called yours, is all I can enjoy.
Roderick receives no prejudice by that;
I would but make some small acquaintance here,
For fear I never should enquire you out
In that new world, which we are going to.
Amid. Then, I can hold no longer;—You desire, In death, to be called hers; and all I wish, Is, dying, to be yours.
Hip. You'll not discover? [Aside.
Amid. See here the most unfortunate of women,
That Angelina, whom you all thought lost;
And lost she was indeed, when she beheld
Gonsalvo first.
All. How?—Angelina!
Rod. Ha! My sister!
Amid. I thought to have fled love in flying Manuel,
But love pursued me in Gonsalvo's shape:
For him, I ventured all that maids hold dear;
The opinion of my modesty, and virtue,
My loss of fortune, and my brother's love.
For him, I have exposed myself to dangers,
Which, great themselves, yet greater would appear,
If you could see them through a woman's fear.
But why do I my right by dangers prove?
The greatest argument for love is love:
That passion, Julia, while he lives, denies,
He should refuse to give her when he dies:
Yet grant he did his life to her bequeath,
May I not claim my share of him in death?
I only beg, when all the glory's gone,
The heatless beams of a departing sun.
Gons. Never was passion, hid so modestly, So generously revealed.
Man. We're now a chain of lovers linked in death;
Julia goes first, Gonsalvo hangs on her,
And Angelina holds upon Gonsalvo,
As I on Angelina.
Hip. Nay, here's Honoria too:—You look on me with wonder in your eyes, To see me here, and in this strange disguise.
Jul. What new miracle is this? Honoria!
Man. I left you with my aunt at Barcelona, And thought, ere this, you had been married to The rich old man, Don Estevan de Gama.
Hip. I ever had a strange aversion for him:
But when Gonsalvo landed there, and made
A kind of courtship, (though, it seems, in jest,)
It served to conquer me; which Estevan
Perceiving, pressed my aunt to haste the marriage.
What should I do? My aunt importuned me
For the next day: Gonsalvo, though I loved him,
Knew not my love; nor was I sure his courtship
Was not the effect of a bare gallantry.
Gons. Alas! how grieved I am, that slight address Should make so deep impression on your mind, In three days time!
Hip. That accident, in which
You saved my life, when first you saw me, caused it,
Though now the story be too long to tell.
Howe'er it was, hearing that night, you lay
Aboard your ship, thus, as you see, disguised,
In clothes belonging to my youngest nephew,
I rose ere day, resolved to find you out,
And, if I could, procure to wait on you
Without discovery of myself: but fortune
Crossed all my hopes.
Gons. It was that dismal night
Which tore my anchor up, and tossed my ship,
Past hope of safety, many days together,
Until at length it threw me on this port.
Hip. I will not tell you what my sorrows were,
To find you gone; but there was now no help.
Go back again, I durst not; but, in fine,
Thought best, as fast as my weak legs would bear me,
To come to Alicant, and find my sister,
Unknown to any else: But, being near
The city, I was seized upon by thieves,
From whom you rescued me.—The rest you know.
Gons. I know too much indeed for my repose.
Enter Captain.
Capt. Do you know me?
Gons. Now I look better on thee, Thou seemest a greater villain than I thought thee.
Jul 'Tis he!
Hip. That bloody wretch, that robbed us in The woods.
Gons. Slave! darest thou lift thy hand against me?
Darest thou touch any one whom he protects,
Who gave thee life? But I accuse myself,
Not thee: The death of all these guiltless persons
Became my crime, that minute when I spared thee.
Capt. It is not all your threats can alter me From what I have resolved.
Gons. Begin, then, first With me.
Capt. I will, by laying here my sword. [Lays his sword at Gonsalvo's feet.
All. What means this sudden change?
Capt. Tis neither new, nor sudden.—From that time
You gave me life, I watched how to repay it;
And Roderick's servant gave me speedy means
To effect my wish: For, telling me, his master
Meant a revenge on you, and on Don Manuel,
And then to seize on Julia, and depart,
I proffered him my aid to seize a vessel;
And having, by enquiry, found out yours,
Acquainted first the captain with my purpose,
To make a seeming mastery of the ship.
Man. How durst he take your word?
Capt. That I secured,
By letting him give notice to the ships
That lay about: This done, knowing the place
You were to fight on was behind the rock,
Not far from thence, I, and some chosen men,
Lay out of sight, that, if foul play were offered,
We might prevent it:
But came not in; because, when there was need,
Don Manuel, who was nearer, stepped before me.
Gons. Then the boat, which seemed To lie by chance, hulling not far from shore, Was placed by your direction there?
Capt. It was.
Gons. You're truly noble; and I owe much more Than my own life and fortunes to your worth.
Capt. 'Tis time I should restore their liberty To such of yours, as yet are seeming prisoners. I'll wait on you again. [Exit Captain.
Rod. My enemies are happy; and the storm, Prepared for them, must break upon my head.
Gons. So far am I from happiness, heaven knows
My griefs are doubled!
I stand engaged in hopeless love to Julia;
In gratitude to these:—
Here I have given my heart, and here I owe it.
Hip. Dear master, trouble not yourself for me;
I ever made your happiness my own;
Let Julia witness with what faith I served you.
When you employed me in your love to her,
I gave your noble heart away, as if
It had been some light gallant's, little worth:
Not that I loved you less than Angelina,
But myself less than you.
Gons. Wonder of honour!
Of which my own was but a fainter shadow.
When I gave Julia, whom I could not keep,
You fed a fire within, with too rich fuel,
In giving it your heart to prey upon;
The sweetest offering that was ever burnt
Since last the Phoenix died.
Hip. If Angelina knew, like me, the pride
Of noble minds, which is to give, not take,
Like me she would be satisfied, her heart
Was well bestowed, and ask for no return.
Amid. Pray, let my heart alone; you'll use it as The gipsies do our money; If they once touch it, they have power upon't.
Enter the Servant, who appeared in the first act with GONSALVO.
Serv. O, my dear lord, Gonsalvo de Peralta!
Rod. De Peralta, said you? You amaze me!
Gons. Why?—Do you know that family in Seville?
Rod. I am myself the elder brother of it.
Gons. Don Rodorick de Peralta!
Rod. I was so,
Until my mother died, whose name, de Sylva,
I chose, (our custom not forbidding it)
Three years ago, when I returned from Flanders:
I came here to possess a fair estate,
Left by an aunt, her sister; for whose sake
I take that name; and liked the place so well,
That never since have I returned to Seville.
Gons. 'Twas then that change of name, which caused my letters
All to miscarry. What an happy tempest
Was this, which would not let me rest at Seville,
But blew me farther on, to see you here!
Amid. Brother, I come to claim a sister's share: But you're too near me, to be nearer now.
Gons. In my room, let me beg you to receive Don Manuel.
Amid. I take it half unkindly,
You give me from yourself so soon: Don Manuel,
I know, is worthy, and, but yesterday,
Preserved my life; but, it will take some time
To change my heart.
Man. I'll watch it patiently, as chemists do
Their golden birth; and, when 'tis changed, receive it
With greater care than they their rich elixir,
Just passing from one vial to another.
Rod. Julia is still my brother's, though I lose her.
Gons. You shall not lose her; Julia was born
For none but you;
And I for none but my Honoria:
Julia is yours by inclination;
And I, by conquest, am Honoria's.
Hon. 'Tis the most glorious one that e'er was made: And I no longer will dispute my happiness.
Rod. Julia, you know my peevish jealousies; I cannot promise you a better husband Than you have had a servant.
Jul. I receive you With all your faults.
Rod. And think, when I am froward,
My sullen humour punishes itself:
I'm like a day in March, sometimes o'ercast
With storms, but then the after clearness is
The greater. The worst is, where I love most,
The tempest falls most heavy.
Jul. Ah! what a little time to love is lent! Yet half that time is in unkindness spent.
Rod. That you may see some hope of my amendment, I give my friendship to Don Manuel, ere My brother asks, or he himself desires it.
Man. I'll ever cherish it.
Gons. Since, for my sake, you become friends, my care
Shall be to keep you so. You, captain, shall
Command this carrack, and, with her, my fortunes.
You, my Honoria, though you have an heart
Which Julia left, yet think it not the worse;
'Tis not worn out, but polished by the wearing.
Your merit shall her beauty's power remove;
Beauty but gains, obligement keeps our love.
[Exeunt.