[Dialogue from the 1618, 1623, and 1633 editions.]
HIERO. Who? You, my lord?
I reserue your favour for a greater honour;
This is a very toy, my lord, a toy.
LOR. All's one, Hieronimo; acquaint me with it.
HIERO. Y faith, my lord, tis an idle thing.
I must confesse I ha bin too slacke, too tardy,
To remisse vnto your Honour.
LOR. How now, Hieronimo?
HIERO. In troth, my lord, it is a thing of nothing:
The murder of a sonne or so, my lord,—
A thing of nothing.
[End of insertion.]
LOR. Why then, farewell!
HIERO. My griefe in hart, my thoughts no tung can tell.
Exit.
LOR. Come hither, Pedringano; seest thou this?
PED. My lord, I see it, and suspect it too.
LOR. This is that damned villain Serberine,
That hath, I feare, reuealde Horatios death.
PED. My lord, he could not; twas so lately done,
And since he hath not left my company.
LOR. Admit he haue not; his conditions such
As feare or flattering words may make him false.
I know his humour, and there-with repent
That ere I vsde him in this enterprise.
But, Pedringano, to preuent the worst,
And cause I know thee secret as my soule,
Heere, for thy further satisfaction, take thou this!
Giues him more golde.
And harken to me; thus it is deuisde:
This night thou must—and prithee so resoule—
Meet Serberine at St. Luigis Parke,—
Thou knowest tis heere hard by behinde the house;
There take thy stand, and see thou strike him sure,
For dye he must, if we do meane to liue.
PED. But how shall Serberine be there, my lord?
LOR. Let me alone, Ile send him to meet
The prince and me where thou must doe this deed.
PED. It shalbe done, my l[ord]; it shall be done;
And Ile goe arme my-selfe to meet him there.
LOR. When things shall alter, as I hope they wil,
Then shalt thou mount for this, thou knowest my minde.
Exit PED[RINGANO].
Che le Ieron!
Enter PAGE.
PAGE. My lord.
LOR. Goe, sirra,
To Serberine, and bid him forthwith meet
The prince and me at S. Luigis Parke,
Behinde the house, this euening, boy.
PAGE. I goe, my lord.
LOR. But, sirra, let the houre be eight a-clocke.
Bid him not faile.
PAGE. I flye, my lord.
Exit.
LOR. Now to confirme the complot thou hast cast
Of all these practices, Ile spread the watch,
Vpon precise commandement from the king
Strongly to guard the place where Pedringano
This night shall murder haples Serberine.
Thus must we worke that will auoide distrust,
Thus must we practice to preuent mishap,
And thus one ill another must expulse.
This slie enquiry of Hieronimo
For Bel-imperia, breeds suspition;
And [thus] suspition boads a further ill.
As for my-selfe, I know my secret fault,
And so doe they, but I haue dealt for them.
They that for coine their soules endangered
To saue my life, for coyne shall venture theirs;
And better tis that base companions dye
Then by their life to hazard our good haps.
Nor shall they liue for me to feare their faith;
Ile trust my-selfe, my-selfe shall be my freend;
For dye they shall,—
Slaues are ordein[e]d to no other end.
Exit.
[ACT III. SCENE 3.]
[San Luigi's Park.]
Enter PEDRINGANO with a pistoll.
PED. Now, Pedringano, bid thy pistoll holde;
And holde on, Fortune! Once more fauour me!
Giue but successe to mine attempting spirit,
And let me shift for taking of mine aime.
Heere is the golde! This is the golde proposde!
It is no dreame that I aduenture for,
But Pedringano is possest thereof.
And he that would not straine his conscience
For him that thus his liberall purse hath sretcht,
Vnworthy such a fauour may he faile,
And, wishing, want when such as I preuaile!
As for the feare of apprehension,
I know, if need should be, my noble lord
Will stand betweene me and ensuing harmes.
Besides, this place is free from all suspect.
Heere 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 expresly chargd to watch.
II WATCH. This by commandement in the kings own
name.
III WATCH. But we were neuer wont to watch and ward
So neere the duke his brothers house before.
II WATCH. Content your-selfe, stand close, theres somewhat
int.
Enter SERBERINE.
SER. [aside] Heere, Serberine, attend and stay thy pace;
For heere did Don Lorenzos page appoint
That thou by his command shouldst meet with him.
How fit a place, if one were so disposde,
Me thinks this corner is to close with one.
PED. [aside] Heere comes the bird that I must ceaze vpon;
Now, Pedringano, or neuer play the man!
SER. [aside] I wonder that his lordship staies so long,
Or wherefore should he send for me so late.
PED. For this, Serberine; and thou shalt ha'te!
Shootes the dagge.
So, there he lyes; my promise is performde.
The WATCH.
I WATCH. Harke, gentlemen, this is a pistol shot!
II WATCH. And heeres one slaine; stay the murderer!
PED. Now, by the sorrowes of the soules in hell,
He striues with the WATCH.
Who first laies hands on me, Ile be his priest!
III WATCH. Sirra, confesse, and therein play the priest.
Why hast thou thus vnkindely kild the man?
PED. Why, because he walkt abroad so late.
III WATCH. Come sir, you had bene better kept your bed
Then haue committed this misdeed so late.
II WATCH. Come to the marshalls with the murderer!
I WATCH. On to Hieronimos! helpe me heere
To bring the murdred body with vs too.
PED. Hieronimo? Carry me before whom you will;
What ere he be, Ile answere him and you.
And doe your worst, for I defie you all!
Exeunt.
[ACT III. SCENE 4.]
[The DUKE's castle]
Enter LORENZO and BALTHAZAR.
BAL. How now, my lord? what makes you rise so soone?
LOR. Feare of preuenting our mishaps too late.
BAL. What mischiefe is it that we not mistrust?
LOR. Our greatest ils we least mistrust, my lord,
And [unexpected] harmes do hurt vs most.
BAL. Why, tell me, Don Lorenz,—tell me, man,
If ought concernes our honor and your owne!
LOR. Nor you nor me, my lord, but both in one;
But I suspect—and the presumptions great—
That by those base confederates in our fault
Touching the death of Don Horatio
We are all betraide to olde Hieronimo.
BAL. Betraide, Lorenzo? tush! it cannot be.
LOR. A guiltie conscience vrged with the thought
Of former euils, easily cannot erre:
I am perswaded—and diswade me not—
That als reuealed to Hieronimo.
And therefore know that I haue cast it thus—
[Enter PAGE.]
But heeres the page. How now? what newes with thee?
PAGE. My lord, Serberine is slaine.
BAL. Who? Serberine, my man?
PAGE. Your Highnes man, my lord.
LOR. Speak, page: who murdered him?
PAGE. He that is apprehended for the fact.
LOR. Who?
PAGE. Pedringano.
BAL. Is Serberine slaine, that lou'd his lord so well?
Iniurious villaine! murderer of his freend!
LOR. Hath Pedringano murdered Serberine?
My lord, let me entreat you to take the paines
To exasperate and hasten his reuenge
With your complaints vnto my l[ord] the king.
This their dissention breeds a greater doubt.
BAL. Assure thee, Don Lorenzo, he shall dye,
Or els his Highnes hardly shall deny.
Meane-while, Ile haste the marshall sessions,
For die he shall for this damned deed.
Exit BALT[HAZAR].
LOR. [aside] Why, so! this fits our former pollicie;
And thus experience bids the wise and deale.
I lay the plot, he prosecutes the point;
I set the trap, he breakes the worthles twigs,
And sees not that wherewith the bird was limde.
Thus hopefull men, that means to holde their owne,
Must look, like fowlers, to their dearest freends.
He runnes to kill whome I haue hope to catch,
And no man knowes it was my reaching [fetch].
Tis hard to trust vnto a multitude,—
Or any one, in mine opinion,
When men themselues their secrets will reueale.
Enter a MESSENGER with a letter.
LOR. Boy.
PAGE. My lord.
LOR. Whats he?
MES. I haue a letter to your lordship.
LOR. From whence?
MES. From Pedringanos that's imprisoned.
LOR. So he is in prison then?
MES. I, my good lord.
LOR. What would he with vs?
[Reads the letter.]
He writes vs heere
To stand good l[ord] and help him in distres.
Tell him I haue his letters, know his minde;
And what we may, let him assure him of.
Fellow, be gone; my boy shall follow thee.
Exit MES[SENGER].
[Aside] This works like waxe! Yet once more try thy wits.—
Boy, goe conuay this purse to Pedringano,—
Thou knowest the prison,—closely giue it him,
And be aduisde that none here there-about.
Bid him be merry still, but secret;
And, though the marshall sessions be to-day,
Bid him not doubt of his deliuerie.
Tell him his pardon is already signde,
And thereon bid him boldely be resolued;
For, were he ready to be turned off,—
As tis my will the vttermost be tride,—
Thou with his pardon shalt attend him still.
Shew him this boxe, tell him his pardons int;
But opent not, and if thou louest thy life,
But let him wisely keepe his hopes vnknowne.
He shall not want while Don Lorenzo liues.
Away!
PAGE. I goe, my lord, I runne!
LOR. But, sirra, see that this be cleanely done.
Exit PAGE.
Now stands our fortune on a tickle point,
And now or neuer ends Lorenzos doubts.
One only thing is vneffected yet,
And thats to see the executioner,—
But to what end? I list not trust the aire
With vtterance of our pretence therein,
For feare the priuie whispring of the winde
Conuay our words amongst vnfreendly eares,
That lye too open to aduantages.
Et quel che voglio io, nessun lo sa,
Intendo io quel [che] mi bastera.
Exit.