[ACT THE FIFTH.]
[SCENE I.]
Enter Duke, Vesuvio, Turq., Alberto: and Fallerio disguised.
Duke. Where is that Syren, that incarnate fiend,
Monster of Nature, spectacle of shame,
Blot and confusion of his familie,
False-seeming semblance of true-dealing trust,
I meane Fallerio, bloody murtherer:
Hath he confest his cursed treacherie,
Or will he stand to proove his innocence?
Vesu. We have attach'de Fallerio, gracious lord,
And did accuse him with Pertillos death;
But he remote will not confesse himselfe
Neither the meanes nor author of the same.
His mightie vowes and protestations
Do almost seeme to pleade integritie,
But that we all do know the contrarie.
Fall.—I know your error stricks your knowledge blinde; His seeming me, doth so delude your minde. [(To the) People.
Duke. Then bring him forth, to answer for himselfe, Since he stands stoutly to denie the deed:
[Alberto and other fetch Alenso.
His sonne can witnesse that the dying man
Accusde Fallerio for his treacherie.—
Stand forth thou close disguised hipocrite,
And speake directlie to these articles:
First, didst thou hire two bloodie murtherers
To massacre Pertillo in a wood?
Alen. I never did suborne such murtherers, But ever lov'd Pertillo as my life.
Duke. Thy sonne can witnesse to the contrarie.
Alen. I have no sonne to testifie so much.
Fal.—No, for his gravitie is counterfeit, Pluck off his beard, and you will sweare it so.
Vesu. Have you no sonne? doth not Alenso live?
Alen. Alenso lives, but is no sonne of mine.
Alber. Indeed his better part had not his source From thy corrupted vice-affecting hart, For vertue is the marke he aimeth at.
Duke. I dare be sworne that Sostrata would blush, Shouldst thou deny Alenso for thy sonne.
Alen. Nay, did she live, she would not challenge me To be the father of that haplesse sonne.
Turq. Nay, then anon you will denie your selfe To be your selfe, unjust Fallerio.
Alen. I do confesse my selfe to be my selfe, But will not answere to Fallerio.
Duke. Not to Fallerio? this is excellent! You are the man was cal'd Fallerio.
Alen. He never breathed yet that cal'd me so, Except he were deceiv'd as you are now.
Duke. This impudence shall not excuse your fault;
You are well knowne to be Fallerio,
The wicked husband of dead Sostrata
And father to the vertuous Alenso;
And even as sure as all these certeinties,
Thou didst contrive thy little Nephewes death.
Alen. True, for I am nor false Fallerio, Husband, nor father, as you do suggest, And therefore did not hire the murtherers; Which to be true acknowledge with your eyes. [Puls off his disguise.
Duke. How now, my Lords! this is a myracle, To shake off thirtie yeares so sodeinlie And turne from feeble age to flourishing youth!
Alb. But he my Lord that wrought this miracle, Is not of power to free himselfe from death, Through the performance of this suddaine change.
Duke. No, were he the chiefest hope of Christendome,
He should not live for this presumption:
Use no excuse, Alenso, for thy life;
My doome of death shall be irrevocable.
Alen. Ill fare his soule that would extenuate
The rigor of your life-confounding doome!
I am prepar'd with all my hart to die,
For thats th' end of humaine miserie.
Duke. Then thus: you shall be hang'd immediately, For your illusion of the Magistrates With borrowed shapes of false antiquitie.
Alen. Thrice-happy sentence, which I do imbrace
With a more fervent and unfained zeale
Then an ambicious rule-desiring man
Would do a Iem-bedecked Diadem,
Which brings more watchfull cares and discontent
Then pompe or honor can remunerate.
When I am dead, let it be said of me,
Alenso died to set his father free.
Fal. That were a freedome worse than servitude
To cruell Turke or damned Infidell.
Most righteous Judge, I do appeale for Iustice,
Justice on him that hath deserved death,
Not on Alenso; he is innocent.
Alen. But I am guiltie of abetting him, Contrarie to his Maiestie's Edict, And therefore death is meritorious.
Fall. I am the wretch that did subborne the slaves, To murther poore Pertillo in the wood. Spare, spare Alenso! he is innocent.
Duke. What strange appeale is this! we know thee not: None but Fallerio is accusde hereof.
Alen. Then, father, get you hence, depart in time, Least being knowne you suffer for the crime.
Fal. Depart, and leave thee clad in horrors cloake,
And suffer death for true affection!
Although my soule be guiltie of more sinne,
Then ever sinfull soule were guiltie of,
Yet fiends of hell would never suffer this.
I am thy father, though unworthy so:
Oh, still I see these weeds do feare your eyes.
I am Fallerio, make no doubt of me, [Put off.
Though thus disguisde, in habite, countenance,
Only to scape the terror of the lawe.
Alen. And I Alenso that did succour him
Gainst your commaundement, mightie Soveraigne.
Ponder your oath, your vowe, as God did live,
I should not live, if I did rescue him.
I did, God lives, and will revenge it home,
If you defer my condigne punishment.
Duke. Assure your selves, you both shall suffer death: But for Fallerio, he shall hang in chaines After he's dead, for he was principall.
Fall. Unsaverie Woormewood, Hemlock, bitter gall,
Brings no such bad, unrelisht, sower taste,
Unto the tongue as this death-boding voice,
Brings to the eares of poore Fallerio,
Not for myselfe but for Allensoes sake,
Whome I have murthered by my trechery.
Ah my dread Lord, if any little sparke
Of melting pittie doth remaine alive,
And not extinguisht by my impious deedes,
Oh kindle it unto a happie flame,
To light Allenso from this miserie
Which through dim death he's like to fall into.
Allen. That were to overthrow my soule and all.
Should you reverse this sentence of my death,
My selfe would play the death-man on my selfe
And overtake your swift and winged soule,
Ere churlish Caron had transported you
Unto the fields of sad Proserpina.
Duke. Cease, cease, Fallerio, in thy bootlesse prayers. I am resolv'd, I am inexorable. Vesuvio, see their judgement be performde, And use Alenso with all clemencie, Provided that the lawe be satisfied.
[Exit Duke and Alberto.
Vesu. It shall be done with all respectivenesse; Have you no doubt of that, my gratious Lord.
Fall. Here is a mercie mixt with equitie, To show him favour but cut off his head.
Alen. My reverend father pacifie yourselfe;
I can, and will, indure the stroake of death,
Were his appearance nere so horrible,
To meete Pertillo in another world.
Fal. Thou shouldst have tarried untill natures course
Had been extinct, that thou oregrowne with age,
Mightst die the death of thy progenitors;
Twas not thy meanes he died so soddenly,
But mine, that causing his, have murthered thee.
Alen. But yet I slew my mother, did I not?
Fal. I, with reporting of my villanie.
The very audit of my wickednesse,
Had force enough to give a sodaine death.
Ah sister, sister, now I call to minde,
Thy dying wordes now prov'd a prophesie,
If you deale ill with this distressed childe,
God will no doubt revenge the innocent.
I have delt ill, and God hath tane revenge.
Allen. Now let us leave remembrance of past deedes, And thinke on that which more concerneth us.
Fal. With all my hart; thou ever wert the spur
Which prict me on to any godlinesse;
And now thou doest indevor to incite
Me make my parting peace with God and men.
I doe confesse, even from my verie soule,
My hainous sinne and grievous wickednesse
Against my maker manie thousand waies:
Ab imo cordis I repent my selfe
Of all my sinnes against his maiestie;
And, heavenly father, lay not to my charge
The death of poore Pertillo and those men
Which I suborn'd to be his murtherers,
When I appeare before thy heavenlie throne
To have my sentence or of life or death.
Vesu. Amen, amen, and God continue still These mercie-moving meditations.
Allen. And thou, great God, which art omnipotent,
Powerful! enough for to redeeme our soules
Even from the verie gates of gaping hell,
Forgive our sinnes and wash away our faults
In the sweete river of that precious blood
Which thy deare sonne did shed in Galgotha,
For the remission of all contrite soules.
Fal. Forgive thy death, my thrice-beloved sonne.
Allen. I doe, and, father, pardon my misdeedes Of disobedience and unthankfullnesse.
Fal. Thou never yet wert disobedient,
Unlesse I did commaund unlawfulnesse.
Ungratefulnesse did never trouble thee;
Thou art too bounteous thus to guerdon me.
Allen. Come, let us kisse and thus imbrace in death.
Even when you will, come, bring us to the place,
Where we may consumate our wretchednesse,
And change it for eternall hapinesse.
[Exeunt omnes.