Venice Preserved: A Tragedy

by Thomas Otway

ACT THE THIRD.

SCENE I.A CHAMBER.

Enter Belvidera.
Bel. I'm sacrific'd! I'm sold! betray'd to shame!
Inevitable ruin has enclos'd me!
He that should guard my virtue has betray'd it;
Left me! undone me! Oh, that I could hate him!
Where shall I go? Oh, whither, whither, wander?
Enter Jaffier.
Jaf. Can Belvidera want a resting-place,
When these poor arms are ready to receive her?
There was a time——
Bel. Yes, yes, there was a time,
When Belvidera's tears, her cries, and sorrows,
Were not despis'd; when, if she chanc'd to sigh,
Or look'd but sad—there was indeed a time,
When Jaffier would have ta'en her in his arms,
Eas'd her declining head upon his breast,
And never left her till he found the cause.
Jaf. Oh, Portia, Portia! what a soul was thine!
Bel. That Portia was a woman; and when Brutus,
Big with the fate of Rome, (heav'n guard thy safety!)
Conceal'd from her the labours of his mind;
She let him see her blood was great as his,
Flow'd from a spring as noble, and a heart
Fit to partake his troubles as his love.
Fetch, fetch that dagger back, the dreadful dower,
Thou gav'st last night in parting with me; strike it
Here to my heart; and, as the blood flows from it,
Judge if it run not pure, as Cato's daughter's.
Jaf. Oh! Belvidera!
Bel. Why was I last night deliver'd to a villain?
Jaf. Ha! a villain?
Bel. Yes, to a villain! why at such an hour
Meets that assembly, all made up of wretches?
Why, I in this hand, and in that a dagger,
Was I deliver'd with such dreadful ceremonies?
To you, sirs, and to your honours, I bequeath her,
And with her this: whene'er I prove unworthy—
You know the rest—then strike it to her heart.
Oh! why's that rest conceal'd from me? must I
Be made the hostage of a hellish trust?
For such I know I am; that's all my value.
But, by the love and loyalty I owe thee,
I'll free thee from the bondage of the slaves;
Straight to the senate, tell 'em all I know,
All that I think, all that my fears inform me.
Jaf. Is this the Roman virtue; this the blood
That boasts its purity with Cato's daughter?
Would she have e'er betrayed her Brutus?
Bel. No:
For Brutus trusted her. Wert thou so kind,
What would not Belvidera suffer for thee?
Jaf. I shall undo myself, and tell thee all.
Yet think a little, ere thou tempt me further;
Think I've a tale to tell will shake thy nature,
Melt all this boasted constancy thou talk'st of,
Into vile tears and despicable sorrows:
Then if thou shouldst betray me!—
Bel. Shall I swear!
Jaf. No, do not swear: I would not violate
Thy tender nature, with so rude a bond:
But as thou hop'st to see me live my days,
And love thee long, lock this within thy breast:
I've bound myself, by all the strictest sacraments,
Divine and human——
Bel. Speak!
Jaf. To kill thy father——
Bel. My father!
Jaf. Nay, the throats of the whole senate
Shall bleed, my Belvidera. He amongst us,
That spares his father, brother, or his friend,
Is damn'd.
Bel. Oh!
Jaf. Have a care, and shrink not even in thought.
For if thou dost——
Bel. I know it; thou wilt kill me.
Do, strike thy sword into this bosom: lay me
Dead on the earth, and then thou wilt be safe.
Murder my father! though his cruel nature
Has persecuted me to my undoing;
Driven me to basest wants; can I behold him,
With smiles of vengeance, butcher'd in his age?
The sacred fountain of my life destroy'd?
And canst thou shed the blood that gave me being?
Nay, be a traitor too, and sell thy country?
Can thy great heart descend so vilely low,
Mix with hir'd slaves, bravoes, and common stabbers,
Nose-slitters, alley-lurking villains! join
With such a crew, and take a ruffian's wages,
To cut the throats of wretches as they sleep?
Jaf. Thou wrong'st me, Belvidera! I've engaged
With men of souls; fit to reform the ills
Of all mankind: there's not a heart among them
But's stout as death, yet honest as the nature
Of man first made, ere fraud and vice were fashion.
Bel. What's he, to whose curs'd hands last night thou gav'st me?
Was that well done? Oh! I could tell a story,
Would rouse thy lion heart out of its den,
And make it rage with terrifying fury.
Jaf. Speak on, I charge thee.
Bel. O my love! If e'er
Thy Belvidera's peace deserv'd thy care,
Remove me from this place. Last night, last night!
Jaf. Distract me not, but give me all the truth.
Bel. No sooner wert thou gone, and I alone,
Left in the pow'r of that old son of mischief;
No sooner was I lain on my sad bed,
But that vile wretch approach'd me, loose, unbutton'd,
Ready for violation. Then my heart
Throbb'd with its fears: Oh, how I wept and sigh'd,
And shrunk and trembled! wish'd in vain for him
That should protect me! Thou, alas! wert gone.
Jaf. Patience, sweet heav'n, 'till I make vengeance sure.
Bel. He drew the hideous dagger forth, thou gav'st him,
And with upbraiding smiles, he said, Behold it:
This is the pledge of a false husband's love:
And in my arms then press'd, and would have clasp'd me;
But with my cries I scar'd his coward heart,
'Till he withdrew, and mutter'd vows to hell.
These are thy friends! with these thy life, thy honour,
Thy love, all stak'd, and all will go to ruin.
Jaf. No more: I charge thee keep this secret close.
Clear up thy sorrows; look as if thy wrongs
Were all forgot, and treat him like a friend,
As no complaint were made. No more; retire,
Retire, my life, and doubt not of my honour;
I'll heal its failings, and deserve thy love.
Bel. Oh! should I part with thee, I fear thou wilt
In anger leave me, and return no more.
Jaf. Return no more! I would not live without thee
Another night, to purchase the creation.
Bel. When shall we meet again?
Jaf. Anon, at twelve
I'll steal myself to thy expecting arms:
Come like a travell'd dove, and bring thee peace.
Bel. Indeed!
Jaf. By all our loves.
Bel. 'Tis hard to part:
But sure no falsehood ever look'd so fairly.
Farewell; remember twelve.[exit.
Jaf. Let heav'n forget me,
When I remember not thy truth, thy love.
Enter Pierre.
Pier. Jaffier!
Jaf. Who calls?
Pier. A friend, that could have wish'd
T' have found thee otherwise employ'd. What, hunt
A wife, on the dull soil! Sure a staunch husband
Of all hounds is the dullest. Wilt thou never,
Never, be wean'd from caudles and confections?
What feminine tales hast thou been list'ning to,
Of unair'd shirts, catarrhs, and tooth-ache, got
By thin-sol'd shoes? Damnation! that a fellow,
Chosen to be a sharer in the destruction
Of a whole people, should sneak thus into corners
To ease his fulsome lusts, and fool his mind.
Jaf. May not a man then trifle out an hour
With a kind woman, and not wrong his calling?
Pier. Not in a cause like ours.
Jaf. Then, friend, our cause
Is in a damn'd condition: for I'll tell thee,
That cankerworm, call'd lechery, has touch'd it;
'Tis tainted vilely. Wouldst thou think it? Renault
(That mortify'd, old, wither'd, winter rogue,)
He visited her last night, like a kind guardian:
Faith! she has some temptation, that's the truth on't.
Pier. He durst not wrong his trust.
Jaf. 'Twas something late, though,
To take the freedom of a lady's chamber.
Pier. Was she in bed?
Jaf. Yes, faith, in virgin sheets,
White as her bosom, Pierre, dish'd neatly up,
Might tempt a weaker appetite to taste.
Oh! how the old fox stunk, I warrant thee,
When the rank fit was on him!
Pier. Patience guide me!
He us'd no violence?
Jaf. No, no; out on't, violence!
Play'd with her neck; brush'd her with his grey beard;
But not a jot of violence.
Pier. Damn him.
Jaf. Ay, so say I: but hush, no more on't.
All hitherto is well, and I believe
Myself no monster yet. Sure it is near the hour
We all should meet for our concluding orders:
Will the ambassador be here in person?
Pier. No, he has sent commission to that villain, Renault,
To give the executing charge:
I'd have thee be a man, if possible,
And keep thy temper; for a brave revenge
Ne'er comes too late.
Jaf. Fear not, I am cool as patience.
Pier. He's yonder, coming this way through the hall;
His thoughts seem full.
Jaf. Pr'ythee retire, and leave me
With him alone: I'll put him on some trial;
See how his rotten part will bear the touching.
Pier. Be careful, then.[exit.
Jaf. Nay, never doubt, but trust me.
What! be a devil, take a damning oath
For shedding native blood! Can there be a sin
In merciful repentance? Oh, this villain!
Enter Renault.
Ren. Perverse and peevish! What a slave is man
To let his rebel passions master him!
Despatch the tool her husband—that were well.
Who's there?
Jaf. A man.
Ren. My friend, my near ally,
The hostage of your faith, my beauteous charge, is very well.
Jaf. Sir, are you sure of that?
Stands she in perfect health? Beats her pulse even;
Neither too hot nor cold?
Ren. What means that question?
Jaf. Oh! women have fantastic constitutions,
Inconstant in their wishes, always wavering,
And never fix'd. Was it not boldly done,
Even at first sight, to trust the thing I lov'd
(A tempting treasure too) with youth so fierce
And vigorous as thine? but thou art honest.
Ren. Who dares accuse me?
Jaf. Curs'd be he that doubts
Thy virtue! I have try'd it, and declare,
Were I to choose a guardian of my honour,
I'd put it in thy keeping: for I know thee.
Ren. Know me!
Jaf. Ay, know thee. There's no falsehood in thee.
Thou look'st just as thou art. Let us embrace.
Now would'st thou cut my throat, or I cut thine.
Ren. You dare not do't.
Jaf. You lie, sir.
Ren. How!
Jaf. No more,
'Tis a base world, and must reform, that's all.
Enter Spinosa, Theodore, Elliott, Revillido, Durand, Bramveil, and the rest of the Conspirators.
Ren. Spinosa! Theodore!
Spin. The same.
Ren. You are welcome.
Spin. You are trembling, sir.
Ren. 'Tis a cold night, indeed, and I am aged;
Full of decay and natural infirmities:
Re-enter Pierre.
We shall be warm, my friends, I hope, to-morrow.
Pier. 'Twas not well done; thou shouldst have strok'd him,
And not have gall'd him.
Jaf. Damn him, let him chew on't.
Heav'n! where am I? beset with cursed fiends,
That wait to damn me! What a devil's man,
When he forgets his nature——hush, my heart.
Ren. My friends, 'tis late; are we assembled all?
To-morrow's rising sun must see you all
Deck'd in your honours. Are the soldiers ready?
Pier. All, all.
Ren. You, Durand, with your thousand, must possess
St. Mark's; you, captain, know your charge already,
'Tis to secure the ducal palace.
Be all this done with the least tumult possible,
'Till in each place you post sufficient guards;
Then sheathe your swords in every breast you meet.
Jaf. Oh! reverend cruelty! damn'd bloody villain!
Ren. During this execution, Durand, you
Must in the midst keep your battalia fast;
And, Theodore, be sure to plant the cannon
That they may command the streets;
This done, we'll give the general alarm,
Apply petards, and force the ars'nal gates;
Then fire the city round in several places,
Or with our cannon (if it dare resist)
Batter to ruin. But above all I charge you,
Shed blood enough; spare neither sex nor age,
Name nor condition; if there live a senator
After to-morrow, though the dullest rogue
That e'er said nothing, we have lost our ends.
If possible, let's kill the very name
Of senator, and bury it in blood.
Jaf. Merciless, horrid slave! Ay, blood enough!
Shed blood enough, old Renault! how thou charm'st me!
Ren. But one thing more, and then farewell, till fate
Join us again, or sep'rate us for ever.
First let's embrace. Heav'n knows who next shall thus
Wing ye together; but let's all remember,
We wear no common cause upon our swords:
Let each man think that on his single virtue
Depends the good and fame of all the rest;
Eternal honour, or perpetual infamy.
You droop, sir.
Jaf. No; with most profound attention
I've heard it all, and wonder at thy virtue.
Oh, Belvidera! take me to thy arms,
And show me where's my peace, for I have lost it.[exit.
Ren. Without the least remorse then, let's resolve
With fire and sword t' exterminate these tyrants,
Under whose weight this wretched country labours;
The means are only in our hands to crown them.
Pier. And may those pow'rs above that are propitious
To gallant minds, record this cause and bless it.
Ren. Thus happy, thus secure of all we wish.
Should there, my friends, be found among us one
False to this glorious enterprise, what fate,
What vengeance, were enough for such a villain?
Ell. Death here without repentance, hell hereafter.
Ren. Let that be my lot, if as here I stand,
Listed by fate among her darling sons,
Though I had one only brother, dear by all
The strictest ties of nature; could I have such a friend
Join'd in this cause, and had but ground to fear
He meant foul play; may this right hand drop from me,
If I'd not hazard all my future peace,
And stab him to the heart before you: who,
Who would do less? Wouldst thou not, Pierre, the same?
Pier. You've singled me, sir, out for this hard question,
As if it were started only for my sake!
Am I the thing you fear? Here, here's my bosom,
Search it with all your swords. Am I a traitor?
Ren. No: but I fear your late commended friend
Is little less. Come, sirs, 'tis now no time
To trifle with our safety. Where's this Jaffier?
Spin. He left the room just now, in strange disorder.
Ren. Nay, there is danger in him. I observ'd him;
During the time I took for explanation,
He was transported from most deep attention
To a confusion which he could not smother;
His looks grew full of sadness and surprise,
All which betray'd a wavering spirit in him,
That labour'd with reluctancy and sorrow.
What's requisite for safety, must be done
With speedy execution; he remains
Yet in our power: I, for my own part, wear
A dagger——
Pier. Well.
Ren. And I could wish it——
Pier. Where?
Ren. Buried in his heart.
Pier. Away; we're yet all friends,
No more of this, 'twill breed ill blood among us.
Spin. Let us all draw our swords, and search the house,
Pull him from the dark hole where he sits brooding
O'er his cold fears, and each man kill his share of him.
Pier. Who talks of killing? Who's he'll shed the blood
That's dear to me? is't you, or you, or you, sir?
What, not one speak! how you stand gaping all
On your grave oracle, your wooden god there!
Yet not a word! Then, sir, I'll tell you a secret;
Suspicion's but at best a coward's virtue.[to Ren.
Ren. A coward![handles his sword.
Pier. Put up thy sword, old man;
Thy hand shakes at it. Come, let's heal this breach;
I am too hot, we yet may all live friends.
Spin. Till we are safe, our friendship cannot be so.
Pier. Again! Who's that?
Spin. 'Twas I.
Theo. And I.
Ren. And I.
Omnes. And all.
Ren. Who are on my side?
Spin. Every honest sword.
Let's die like men, and not be sold like slaves.
Pier. One such word more, by heaven I'll to the senate,
And hang ye all, like dogs, in clusters.
Why weep your coward swords half out their shells?
Why do you not all brandish them like mine?
You fear to die, and yet dare talk of killing.
Ren. Go to the senate, and betray us! haste!
Secure thy wretched life; we fear to die
Less than thou dar'st be honest.
Pier. That's rank falsehood.
Fear'st not thou death! Fie, there's a knavish itch
In that salt blood, an utter foe to smarting.
Had Jaffier's wife prov'd kind, he'd still been true.
Faugh, how that stinks! thou die, thou kill my friend!
Or thou! or thou! with that lean wither'd face.
Away, disperse all to your several charges,
And meet to-morrow where your honour calls you.
I'll bring that man, whose blood you so much thirst for,
And you shall see him venture for you fairly—
Hence! hence, I say.[exit Renault, angrily.
Spin. I fear we've been to blame,
And done too much.
Theo. 'Twas too far urg'd against the man you lov'd.
Rev. Here, take our swords, and crush them with your feet.
Spin. Forgive us, gallant friend.
Pier. Nay, now you've found
The way to melt, and cast me as you will.
Whence rose all this discord?
Oh, what a dangerous precipice have we 'scap'd!
How near a fall was all we'd long been building!
What an eternal blot had stain'd our glories,
If one, the bravest and the best of men,
Had fall'n a sacrifice to rash suspicion,
Butcher'd by those, whose cause he came to cherish!
Come but to-morrow, all your doubts shall end,	}
And to your loves, me better recommend,
That I've preserv'd your fame, and sav'd my friend.
[exeunt.

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