The last act opens without delay. The Marquis, offended in the nicest point of Castilian honor,—the very point on which the plots of so many later Spanish dramas turn,—resolves at once to put both of the guilty parties to death, though their offence is no greater than that of having been secretly in the same house together. The lady does not deny her brother’s right, but enters into a long discussion with him about it, part of which is touching and effective, but most of it very tedious; in the midst of all which Hymeneo presents himself, and after explaining who he is and what are his intentions, and especially after admitting, that, under the circumstances of the case, the Marquis might justly have killed his sister, the whole is arranged for a double wedding of masters and servants, and closes with a spirited villancico in honor of Love and his victories.
The two pieces are very different, and mark the extremes of the various experiments Naharro tried in order to produce a dramatic effect. “As to the kinds of dramas,” he says, “it seems to me that two are sufficient for our Castilian language: dramas founded on knowledge, and dramas founded on fancy.”[475] The “Trofea,” no doubt, was intended by him to belong to the first class. Its tone is that of compliment to Manuel, the really great king then reigning in Portugal; and from a passage in the third act it is not unlikely that it was represented in Rome before the Portuguese ambassador, the venerable Tristan d’ Acuña. But the rude and buffoon shepherds, whose dialogue fills so much of the slight and poor action, show plainly that he was neither unacquainted with Enzina and Vicente, nor unwilling to imitate them; while the rest of the drama—the part that is supposed to contain historical facts—is, as we have seen, still worse. The “Hymenea,” on the other hand, has a story of considerable interest, announcing the intriguing plot which became a principal characteristic of the Spanish theatre afterwards. It has even the “Gracioso,” or Droll Servant, who makes love to the heroine’s maid; a character which is also found in Naharro’s “Serafina,” but which Lope de Vega above a century afterwards claimed, as if invented by himself.[476]
What is more singular, this drama approaches to a fulfilment of the requisitions of the unities, for it has but one proper action, which is the marriage of Febea; it does not extend beyond the period of twenty-four hours; and the whole passes in the street before the house of the lady, unless, indeed, the fifth act passes within the house, which is doubtful.[477] The whole, too, is founded on the national manners, and preserves the national costume and character. The best parts, in general, are the humorous; but there are graceful passages between the lovers, and touching passages between the brother and sister. The parody of the servants, Boreas and Doresta, on the passion of the hero and heroine is spirited; and in the first scene between them we have the following dialogue, which might be transferred with effect to many a play of Calderon:—
Boreas. O, would to heaven, my lady dear,
That, at the instant I first looked on thee,
Thy love had equalled mine!
Doresta. Well! that’s not bad!
But still you’re not a bone for me to pick.[478]
Boreas. Make trial of me. Bid me do my best,
In humble service of my love to thee;