_Gui._ But this thy brothers spirit startles mee, These spirits seld or never hanting men But some mishap ensues.

_Cler._ Ensue what can; Tyrants may kill but never hurt a man; All to his good makes, spight of death and h.e.l.l. 140

_Enter Aumall._

_Aumale._ All the desert of good renowne your Highnesse!

_Gui._ Welcome, Aumall!

_Cler._ My good friend, friendly welcome!

How tooke my n.o.blest mistresse the chang'd newes?

_Aum._ It came too late sir, for those loveliest eyes (Through which a soule look't so divinely loving, 145 Teares nothing uttering her distresse enough) She wept quite out, and, like two falling starres, Their dearest sights quite vanisht with her teares.

_Cler._ All good forbid it!

_Gui._ What events are these!

_Cler._ All must be borne, my lord; and yet this chance 150 Would willingly enforce a man to cast off All power to beare with comfort, since hee sees In this our comforts made our miseries.

_Gui._ How strangely thou art lov'd of both the s.e.xes; Yet thou lov'st neyther, but the good of both. 155

_Cler._ In love of women my affection first Takes fire out of the fraile parts of my bloud; Which, till I have enjoy'd, is pa.s.sionate Like other lovers; but, fruition past, I then love out of judgement, the desert 160 Of her I love still sticking in my heart, Though the desire and the delight be gone, Which must chance still, since the comparison Made upon tryall twixt what reason loves, And what affection, makes in mee the best 165 Ever preferd, what most love, valuing lest.

_Gui._ Thy love being judgement then, and of the minde, Marry thy worthiest mistresse now being blinde.

_Cler._ If there were love in mariage, so I would; But I denie that any man doth love, 170 Affecting wives, maides, widowes, any women: For neither flyes love milke, although they drowne In greedy search thereof; nor doth the bee Love honey, though the labour of her life Is spent in gathering it; nor those that fat 175 On beasts, or fowles, doe any thing therein For any love: for as when onely nature Moves men to meate, as farre as her power rules, Shee doth it with a temperate appet.i.te, The too much men devoure abhorring nature, 180 And in our most health is our most disease: So, when humanitie rules men and women, Tis for societie confinde in reason.

But what excites the beds desire in bloud, By no meanes justly can be construed love; 185 For when love kindles any knowing spirit, It ends in vertue and effects divine, And is in friendship chaste and masculine.

_Gui._ Thou shalt my mistresse be; me thinkes my bloud Is taken up to all love with thy vertues. 190 And howsoever other men despise These paradoxes strange and too precise, Since they hold on the right way of our reason, I could attend them ever. Come, away; Performe thy brothers thus importun'd wreake; 195 And I will see what great affaires the King Hath to employ my counsell which he seemes Much to desire, and more and more esteemes. _Exeunt._

LINENOTES:

53 _doth oft like_. Emended by ed.; Q, doth of like.

58 _Lorraine_. Emended by ed.; Q, Soccaine; see note on 55-61.

90 Repunctuated by ed.; Q has (;) at the end of the line.

141 _All . . . renowne_. Q, All the desert of good, renowne your Highnesse.

176 _On_. Shepherd, Phelps; Q, Or.

[SCaeNA SECUNDA.

_A Room at the Court._]

_Enter Henry, Baligny, with sixe of the guard._

_Henry._ Saw you his sawcie forcing of my hand To D'Ambois freedome?

_Baligny._ Saw, and through mine eyes Let fire into my heart, that burn'd to beare An insolence so giantly austere.

_Hen._ The more Kings beare at subjects hands, the more 5 Their lingring justice gathers; that resembles The waightie and the goodly-bodied eagle, Who (being on earth) before her shady wings Can raise her into ayre, a mightie way Close by the ground she runnes; but being aloft, 10 All shee commands, she flyes at; and the more Death in her seres beares, the more time shee stayes Her thundry stoope from that on which shee preyes.

_Bal._ You must be then more secret in the waight Of these your shadie counsels, who will else 15 Beare (where such sparkes flye as the Guise and D'Ambois) Pouder about them. Counsels (as your entrailes) Should be unpierst and sound kept; for not those Whom you discover you neglect; but ope A ruinous pa.s.sage to your owne best hope. 20

_Hen._ Wee have spies set on us, as we on others; And therefore they that serve us must excuse us, If what wee most hold in our hearts take winde; Deceit hath eyes that see into the minde.

But this plot shall be quicker then their twinckling, 25 On whose lids Fate with her dead waight shall lie, And confidence that lightens ere she die.

Friends of my Guard, as yee gave othe to be True to your Soveraigne, keepe it manfully.

Your eyes have witnest oft th'ambition 30 That never made accesse to me in Guise But treason ever sparkled in his eyes; Which if you free us of, our safetie shall You not our subjects but our patrons call.

_Omnes._ Our duties binde us; hee is now but dead. 35

_Hen._ Wee trust in it, and thanke ye. Baligny, Goe lodge their ambush, and thou G.o.d, that art Fautor of princes, thunder from the skies Beneath his hill of pride this gyant Guise. _Exeunt._

[SCaeNA TERTIA.

_A Room in Montsurry's House._]

_Enter Tamyra with a letter, Charlotte in mans attire._

_Tamyra._ I see y'are servant, sir, to my deare sister, The lady of her loved Baligny.

_Charlotte._ Madame, I am bound to her vertuous bounties For that life which I offer, in her service, To the revenge of her renowned brother. 5

_Tam._ She writes to mee as much, and much desires That you may be the man, whose spirit shee knowes Will cut short off these long and dull delayes. .h.i.therto bribing the eternall Justice: Which I beleeve, since her unmatched spirit 10 Can judge of spirits that have her sulphure in them.

But I must tell you that I make no doubt Her living brother will revenge her dead, On whom the dead impos'd the taske, and hee, I know, will come t'effect it instantly. 15

_Char._ They are but words in him; beleeve them not.

_Tam._ See; this is the vault where he must enter; Where now I thinke hee is.

_Enter Renel at the vault, with the Countesse being blinde._

_Renel._ G.o.d save you, lady!

What gentleman is this, with whom you trust The deadly waightie secret of this houre? 20

_Tam._ One that your selfe will say I well may trust.

_Ren._ Then come up, madame. _He helps the Countesse up._ See here, honour'd lady, A Countesse that in loves mishap doth equall At all parts your wrong'd selfe, and is the mistresse Of your slaine servants brother; in whose love, 25 For his late treachrous apprehension, She wept her faire eyes from her ivory browes, And would have wept her soule out, had not I Promist to bring her to this mortall quarrie, That by her lost eyes for her servants love 30 She might conjure him from this sterne attempt, In which (by a most ominous dreame shee had) Shee knowes his death fixt, and that never more Out of this place the sunne shall see him live.

_Char._ I am provided, then, to take his place 35 And undertaking on me.