The Spanish Tragedy

by Thomas Kyd

[ACT II. SCENE 4.]

[HORATIO's garden.]

Enter HORATIO, BEL-IMPERIA, and PEDRINGANO.

HOR. Now that the night begins with sable wings
To over-cloud the brightness of the sun,
And that in darkness pleasures may be done,
Come, Bel-imperia, let us to the bower,
And there is safety pass a pleasant hour.

BEL. I follow thee, my love, and will not back,
Although my fainting heart controls my soul.

HOR. Why, make you doubt of Pedringano's faith?

BEL. No; he is as trusty as my second self.
Go, Pedringano, watch without the gate,
And let us know if any make approach.

PED. [aside] Instead of watching, I'll deserve more gold
By fetching Don Lorenzo to this match.

Exit PEDRINGANO.

HOR. What means my love?

BEL. I know not what, myself;
And yet my heart foretells me some mischance.

HOR. Sweet, say not so; fair Fortune is our friend,
And heav'ns have shut up day to pleasure us.
The stars, thou see'st, hold back their twinkling shine
And Luna hides herself to pleasure us.

BEL. Thou hast prevail'd! I'll conquer my misdoubt,
And in thy love and counsel drown my fear.
I fear no more; love now is all my thoughts!
Why sit we not? for pleasure asketh ease.

HOR. The more thou sitt'st within these leafy bowers,
The more will Flora deck it with her flowers.

BEL. Aye; but, if Flora spy Horatio here,
Her jealous eye will think I sit too near.

HOR. Hark, madame, how the birds record by night,
For joy that Bel-imperia sits in sight!

BEL. No; Cupid counterfeits the nightingale,
To frame sweet music to Horatio's tale.

HOR. If Cupid sing, then Venus is not far,—
Aye, thou art Venus, or some fairer star!

BEL. If I be Venus, thou must needs be Mars;
And where Mars reigneth, there must needs be wars.

HOR. Then thus begin our wars: put forth thy hand,
That it may combat with my ruder hand.

BEL. Set forth thy foot to try the push of mine.

HOR. But, first, my looks shall combat against thee.

BEL. Then ward thyself! I dart this kiss at thee.

HOR. Thus I return the dart thou throwest at me!

BEL. Nay then, to gain the glory of the field,
My twining arms shall yoke and make thee yield.

HOR. Nay then, my arms are large and strong withal:
Thus elms by vines are compass'd till they fall.

BEL. O, let me go, for in my troubled eyes
Now may'st thou read that life in passion dies!

HOR. O, stay a-while, and I will die with thee;
So shalt thou yield, and yet have conquer'd me.

BEL. Who's there? Pedringano? We are betray'd!

Enter LORENZO, BALTHAZAR, SERBERINE,
PEDRINGANO, disguised.

LOR. My lord, away with her! take her aside!
O sir, forbear, your valour is already tried.
Quickly dispatch, my masters.

They hang him in the arbor.

HOR. What, will you murder me?

LOR. Aye; thus! and thus! these are the fruits of love!

They stab him.

BEL. O, save his life, and let me die for him!
O, save him, brother! save him, Balthazar!
I lov'd Horatio, but he lov'd not me.

BAL. But Balthazar loves Bel-imperia.

LOR. Although his life were still ambitious, proud,
Yet is he at the highest now he is dead.

BEL. Murder! murder! help! Hieronimo, help!

LOR. Come, stop her mouth! away with her!

Exeunt.

Enter HIERONIMO in his shirt, &c.

HIERO. What outcries pluck me from my naked bed,
And chill my throbbing heart with trembling fear,
Which never danger yet could daunt before?
Who calls Hieronimo? speak; hear I am!
I did not slumber; therefore 'twas no dream.
No, no; it was some woman cried for help.
And here within this garden did she cry,
And in this garden must I rescue her.
But stay! what murderous spectacle is this?
A man hang'd up, and all the murderers gone!
And in the bower, to lay the guilt on me!
This place was made for pleasure not for death.

He cuts him down.

Those garments that he wears I oft have seen,—
Alas! it is Horatio, my sweet son!
O, no; but he that whilome was my son!
O, was it thou that call'dst me from my bed?
O, speak, if any spark of life remain!
I am thy father. Who hath slain my son?
What savage monster, not of human kind,
Hath here been glutted with thy harmless blood,
And left thy bloody corpse dishonour'd here,
For me amidst these dark and dreadful shades
To drown thee with an ocean of my tears?
O heav'ns, why made you night, to cover sin?
By day this deed of darkness had not been.
O earth, why didst thou not in time devour
The vile profaner of this sacred bower?
O poor Horatio, what hadst thou misdone
To leese thy life ere life was new begun?
O wicked butcher, whatsoe'er thou wert,
How could thou strangle virtue and desert?
Ay me, most wretched! that have lost my joy
In leesing my Horatio, my sweet boy!

Enter ISABELL.

ISA. My husband's absence makes my heart to throb.
Hieronimo!

HIERO. Here, Isabella. Help me to lament;
For sighs are stopp'd, and all my tears are spent.

ISA. What world of grief—my son Horatio!
O where's the author of this endless woe?

HIERO. To know the author were some ease of grief,
For in revenge my heart would find relief.

ISA. Then is he gone? and is my son gone too?
O, gush out, tears! fountains and floods of tears!
Blow, sighs, and raise an everlasting storm;
For outrage fits our cursed wretchedness.

HIERO. Sweet lovely rose, ill pluck'd before thy time!
Fair, worthy son, not conquer'd, but betray'd!
I'll kiss thee now, for words with tears are stay'd.

ISA. And I'll close up the glasses of his sight;
For once these eyes were only my delight.

HIERO. See'st thou this handkerchief besmear'd with blood?
It shall not from me till I take revenge;
See'st thou those wounds that yet are bleeding fresh?
I'll not entomb them till I have reveng'd:
Then will I joy amidst my discontent,
Till then, my sorrow never shall be spent.

ISA. The heav'ns are just, murder cannot be hid;
Time is the author of both truth and right,
And time will bring this treachery to light.

HIERO. Meanwhile, good Isabella, cease thy plaints,
Or, at the least, dissemble them awhile;
So shall we sooner find the practise out,
And learn by whom all this was brought about.
Come, Isabell, now let us take him up.

They take him up.

And bear him in from out this cursed place.
I'll say his dirge,—singing fits not this case.
O aliquis mihi quas pulchrum ver educat herbas

HIERONIMO sets his breast unto his sword.

Misceat, et nostro detur medicina dolori;
Aut, si qui faciunt annorum oblivia, succos
Praebeat; ipse metam magnum quaecunque per orbem
Gramina Sol pulchras effert in luminis oras.
Ipse bibam quicquid meditatur saga veneni,
Quicquid et herbarum vi caeca nenia nectit.
Omnia perpetiar, lethum quoque, dum semel omnis
Noster in extincto moriatur pectore sensus.
Ergo tuos oculos nunquam, mea vita videbo,
Et tua perpetuus sepelivit lumina somnus?
Emoriar tecum: sic, sic juvat ire sub umbras!
Attamen absistam properato cedere letho,
Ne mortem vindicta tuam tam nulla sequatur.

Here he throws it from him and bears the
body away.

[CHORUS.]

ANDREA. Brought'st thou me hither to increase my pain?
I look'd that Balthazar should have been slain;
But 'tis my friend Horatio that is slain,
And they abuse fair Bel-imperia,
On whom I doted more then all the world,
Because she lov'd me more then all the world.

REVENGE. Thou talk'st of harvest, when the corn is green;
The end is crown of every work well done;
The sickle comes not till the corn be ripe.
Be still, and, ere I lead thee from this place,
I'll show thee Balthazar in heavy case.

ACTUS TERTIUS.

[ACT III. SCENE 1.]

[The Portuguese court.]

Enter VICEROY OF PORTINGAL, NOBLES, ALEXANDRO, VILLUPPO.

VICEROY. Infortunate condition of kings,
Seated amidst so many helpless doubts!
First, we are plac'd upon extremest height,
And oft supplanted with exceeding hate,
But ever subject to the wheel of chance;
And at our highest never joy we so
As we doubt and dread our overthrow.
So striveth not the waves with sundry winds
As fortune toileth in the affairs of kings,
That would be fear'd, yet fear to be belov'd,
Sith fear and love to kings is flattery.
For instance, lordings, look upon your king,
By hate deprived of his dearest son,
The only hope of our successive line.

NOB. I had not thought that Alexandro's heart
Had been envenom'd with such extreme hate;
But now I see that words have several works,
And there's no credit in the countenance.

VIL. No, for, my lord, had you beheld the train
That feigned love had colour'd in his looks
When he in camp consorted Balthazar,
Far more inconstant had you thought the sun,
That hourly coasts the center of the earth,
Then Alexandro's purpose to the prince.

VICE. No more, Villuppo! thou hast said enough,
And with thy words thou slay'st our wounded thoughts.
Nor shall I longer dally with the world,
Procrastinating Alexandro's death.
Go, some of you, and fetch the traitor forth,
That, as he is condemned, he may die.

Enter ALEXANDRO, with a NOBLE-MAN and
HALBERTS.

NOB. In such extremes will nought but patience serve.

ALEX. But in extremes what patience shall I use?
Nor discontents it me to leave the world,
With whom there nothing can prevail but wrong.

NOB. Yet hope the best.

ALEX. 'Tis heav'n is my hope:
As for the earth, it is too much infect
To yield me hope of any of her mould.

VICE. Why linger ye? bring forth that daring fiend,
And let him die for his accursed deed.

ALEX. Not that I fear the extremity of death—
For nobles cannot stoop to servile fear—
Do I, O king, thus discontented live;
But this, O this, torments my labouring soul,
That thus I die suspected of a sin
Whereof, as Heav'ns have known my secret thoughts,
So am I free from this suggestion!

VICE. No more, I say; to the tortures! when?
Bind him, and burn his body in those flames,

They bind him to the stake.

That shall prefigure those unquenched fires
Of Phlegethon prepared for his soul.

ALEX. My guiltless death will be aveng'd on thee!
On thee, Villuppo, that hath malice'd thus,
Or for thy meed hast falsely me accus'd!

VIL. Nay, Alexandro, if thou menace me,
I'll lend a hand to send thee to the lake
Where those thy words shall perish with thy works,
Injurious traitor, monstrous homicide!

Enter AMBASSADOR.

AMBASS. Stay! hold a-while!
And here, with pardon of his Majesty,
Lay hands upon Villuppo!

VICE. Ambassador,
What news hath urg'd this sudden enterance?

AMBASS. Know, sovereign lord, that Balthazar doth live.

VICE. What say'st thou? liveth Balthazar, our son?

AMBASS. Your Highness' son, Lord Balthazar doth live,
And, well entreated in the court of Spain,
Humbly commends him to your Majesty.
These eyes beheld; and these my followers,
With these, the letters of the king's commends,

Gives him letters.

Are happy witnesses of his Highness' health.

The KING looks on the letters, and proceeds.

VICE. [reads] "Thy son doth live; your tribute is receiv'd;
Thy peace is made, and we are satisfied.
The rest resolve upon as things propos'd
For both our honours and thy benefit."

AMBASS. These are his Highness' farther articles.

He gives him more letters.

VICE. Accursed wretch to intimate these ills
Against the life and reputation
Of noble Alexandro! come, my lord, unbind him!
[To ALEXANDRO] Let him unbind thee that is bound to death,
To make acquittal for thy discontent.

They unbind him.

ALEX. Dread lord, in kindness you could do no less,
Upon report of such a damned fact;
But thus we see our innocence hath sav'd
The hopeless life which thou, Villuppo, sought
By thy suggestions to have massacred.

VICE. Say, false Villuppo, wherefore didst thou thus
Falsely betray Lord Alexandro's life?
Him whom thou know'st that no unkindness else
But even the slaughter of our dearest son
Could once have mov'd us to have misconceiv'd.

ALEX. Say, treacherous Villuppo; tell the King!
Or wherein hath Alexandro us'd thee ill?

VIL. Rent with remembrance of so foul a deed,
My guilty soul submits me to thy doom,
For, not for Alexandro's injuries,
But for reward and hope to be prefer'd,
Thus have I shamelessly hazarded his life.

VICE. Which, villain, shall be ransom'd with thy death,
And not so mean a torment as we here
Devis'd for him who thou said'st slew our son,
But with the bitterest torments and extremes
That may be yet invented for thine end.

ALEXANDRO seems to entreat.

Entreat me not! Go, take the traitor hence!

Exit VILLUPPO.

And, Alexandro, let us honour thee
With public notice of thy loyalty.
To end those things articulated here
By our great lord, the mighty king of Spain,
We with our council will deliberate.
Come, Alexandro, keep us company.

Exeunt.

[ACT III. SCENE 2.]

[Spain: near the DUKE's castle.]

Enter HIERONIMO.

HIERO. Oh eyes! no eyes but fountains fraught with tears;
Oh life! no life, but lively form of death;
Oh world! no world, but mass of public wrongs,
Confus'd and fill'd with murder and misdeeds;
Oh sacred heav'ns, if this unhallow'd deed,
If this inhuman and barbarous attempt,
If this incomparable murder thus
Of mine, but now no more my son shall pass,
Unreveal'd and unrevenged pass,
How should we term your dealings to be just,
If you unjustly deal with those that in your justice trust?
The night, sad secretary to my moans,
With direful visions wake my vexed soul,
And with the wounds of my distressful son
Solicit me for notice of his death;
The ugly fiends do sally forth of hell,
And frame my heart with fierce inflamed thoughts;
The cloudy day my discontents records,
Early begins to register my dreams
And drive me forth to seek the murderer.
Eyes, life, world, heav'ns, hell, night and day,
See, search, show, send, some man, some mean, that may—

A letter falleth.

What's here? a letter? Tush, it is not so!
A letter for Hieronimo.
[Reads] "For want of ink receive this bloody writ.
Me hath my hapless brother hid from thee.
Revenge thyself on Balthazar and him,
For these were they that murdered thy son.
Hieronimo, revenge Horatio's death,
And better fare then Bel-imperia doth!"—
What means this unexpected miracle?
My son slain by Lorenzo and the prince?
What cause had they Horatio to malign?
Or what might move thee, Bel-imperia,
To accuse thy brother, had he been the mean?
Hieronimo, beware! thou art betray'd,
And to entrap thy life this train is laid.
Advise thee therefore, be not credulous:
This is devised to endanger thee,
That thou, by this, Lorenzo should'st accuse.
And he, for thy dishonour done, should draw
Thy life in question and thy name in hate.
Dear was the life of my beloved son,
And of his death behooves me be aveng'd:
Then hazard not thine own, Hieronimo,
But live t'effect thy resolution!
I therefore will by circumstances try
What I can gather to confirm this writ,
And, harken near the Duke of Castile's house,
Close if I can with Bel-imperia,
To listen more, but nothing to bewray.

Enter PEDRINGANO.

Now, Pedringano!

PED. Now, Hieronimo!

HIERO. Where's thy lady?

PED. I know not; here's my lord.

Enter LORENZO.

LOR. How now, who's this? Hieronimo?

HIERO. My lord.

PED. He asketh for my lady Bel-imperia.

LOR. What to do, Hieronimo? Use me.

HIERO. Oh, no, my lord, I dare not, it must not be;
I humbly thank your lordship.

LOR. Why then, farewell!

HIERO. My grief no heart, my thoughts no tongue can tell.

Exit.

LOR. Come hither, Pedringano; see'st thou this?

PED. My lord, I see it, and suspect it too.

LOR. This is that damned villain Serberine,
That hath, I fear, reveal'd Horatio's death.

PED. My lord, he could not; 'twas so lately done,
And since he hath not left my company.

LOR. Admit he have not; his conditions such
As fear or flattering words may make him false.
I know his humour, and therewith repent
That e'er I us'd him in this enterprise.
But, Pedringano, to prevent the worst,
And 'cause I know thee secret as my soul,
Here, for thy further satisfaction, take thou this!

Gives him more gold.

And hearken to me; thus it is devis'd:
This night thou must—and prithee so resolve—
Meet Serberine at St. Luigi's Park,—
Thou knowest 'tis here hard by behind the house;
There take thy stand, and see thou strike him sure,
For die he must, if we do mean to live.

PED. But how shall Serberine be there, my lord?

LOR. Let me alone, I'll send him to meet
The prince and me where thou must do this deed.

PED. It shall be done, my lord; it shall be done;
And I'll go arm myself to meet him there.

LOR. When things shall alter, as I hope they will,
Then shalt thou mount for this, thou knowest my mind.

Exit PEDRINGANO.

Che le Ieron!

Enter PAGE.

PAGE. My lord.

LOR. Go, sirrah,
To Serberine, and bid him forthwith meet
The prince and me at S. Luigi's Park,
Behind the house, this evening, boy.

PAGE. I go, my lord.

LOR. But, sirrah, let the hour be eight o'clock.
Bid him not fail.

PAGE. I fly, my lord.

Exit.

LOR. Now to confirm the complot thou hast cast
Of all these practices, I'll spread the watch,
Upon precise commandment from the king
Strongly to guard the place where Pedringano
This night shall murder hapless Serberine.
Thus must we work that will avoid distrust,
Thus must we practice to prevent mishap,
And thus one ill another must expulse.
This sly enquiry of Hieronimo
For Bel-imperia breeds suspicion;
And this suspicion bodes a further ill.
As for myself, I know my secret fault,
And so do they, but I have dealt for them.
They that for coin their souls endangered
To save my life, for coin shall venture theirs;
And better 'tis that base companions die
Than by their life to hazard our good haps.
Nor shall they live for me to fear their faith;
I'll trust myself, myself shall be my friend;
For die they shall,—
Slaves are ordain'd to no other end.

Exit.

[ACT III. SCENE 3.]

[San Luigi's Park.]

Enter PEDRINGANO with a pistol.

PED. Now, Pedringano, bid thy pistol hold;
And hold on, Fortune! Once more favour me!
Give but success to mine attempting spirit,
And let me shift for taking of mine aim.
Here is the gold! This is the gold propos'd!
It is no dream that I adventure for,
But Pedringano is posses'd thereof.
And he that would not strain his conscience
For him that thus his liberal purse hath stretch'd,
Unworthy such a favour, may he fail,
And, wishing, want, when such as I prevail!
As for the fear of apprehension,
I know, if need should be, my noble lord
Will stand between me and ensuing harms.
Besides, this place is free from all suspect.
Here therefore will I stay and take my stand.

Enter the WATCH.

I WATCH. I wonder much to what intent it is
That we are thus expressly charg'd to watch.

II WATCH. This by commandment in the king's own
name.

III WATCH. But we were never wont to watch and ward
So near the duke his brother's house before.

II WATCH. Content yourself, stand close, there's somewhat
in't.

Enter SERBERINE.

SER. [aside] Here, Serberine, attend and stay thy pace;
For here did Don Lorenzo's page appoint
That thou by his command shouldst meet with him.
How fit a place, if one were so dispos'd,
Methinks this corner is to close with one.

PED. [aside] Here comes the bird that I must seize upon;
Now, Pedringano, or never play the man!

SER. [aside] I wonder that his lordship stays so long,
Or wherefore should he send for me so late.

PED. For this, Serberine; and thou shalt ha't!

Shoots.

So, there he lies; my promise is perform'd.

The WATCH.

I WATCH. Hark, gentlemen, this is a pistol shot!

II WATCH. And here's one slain; stay the murderer!

PED. Now, by the sorrows of the souls in hell,

He strives with the WATCH.

Who first lays hands on me, I'll be his priest!

III WATCH. Sirrah, confess, and therein play the priest.
Why hast thou thus unkindly kill'd the man?

PED. Why, because he walk'd abroad so late.

III WATCH. Come sir, you had been better kept your bed
Then have committed this misdeed so late.

II WATCH. Come to the marshall's with the murderer!

I WATCH. On to Hieronimo's! help me here
To bring the murder'd body with us too.

PED. Hieronimo? Carry me before whom you will;
What e'er he be, I'll answer him and you.
And do your worst, for I defy you all!

Exeunt.