68-75. _I urg'd . . . graces_. Printed as prose in Qq.

76 _'Save you, ladyes_! A omits.

87-90 _Marke . . . extremity_. A omits.

_Enter . . . Pyrhot_. After l. 146 in A.

100-114 _Soft . . . gamester_. A omits.

124 _Duke_. A, Sir.

125 _princely mistresse_. A, madam.

126 _Another riddle_. A omits.

129 _young_. A, good.

132-139, and an additional line: "_Gui._ So, sir, so,"

inserted after l. 146 in A.

141-145 Set as verse in B, the lines ending in _many_, _of_, _owne_, _talk_.

145-146 _Another riddle_. A, More courtship, as you love it.

178 _Their heat_. A, Ardor.

204 _braying_. A, roaring.

227 _miraculous jealousie_. A, strange credulitie.

229 _the matter of_. A omits.

227-231 _O . . . you_. Printed as three lines of verse, ending in _selfe_, _into_, _you_.

235 _in_. A, with.

241 _else_. A omits.

ACTUS SECUND[i.] SCENA PRIMA.

[_A Room in the Court._]

_Henry, Guise, Montsurry, and Attendants._

_Henry._ This desperate quarrell sprung out of their envies To D'Ambois sudden bravery, and great spirit.

_Guise._ Neither is worth their envie.

_Henr._ Lesse than either Will make the gall of envie overflow; She feeds on outcast entrailes like a kite: 5 In which foule heape, if any ill lies hid, She sticks her beak into it, shakes it up, And hurl's it all abroad, that all may view it.

Corruption is her nutriment; but touch her With any precious oyntment, and you kill her. 10 Where she finds any filth in men, she feasts, And with her black throat bruits it through the world Being sound and healthfull; but if she but taste The slenderest pittance of commended vertue, She surfets of it, and is like a flie 15 That pa.s.ses all the bodies soundest parts, And dwels upon the sores; or if her squint eie Have power to find none there, she forges some: She makes that crooked ever which is strait; Calls valour giddinesse, justice tyrannie: 20 A wise man may shun her, she not her selfe; Whither soever she flies from her harmes, She beares her foe still claspt in her own armes: And therefore, cousen Guise, let us avoid her.

_Enter Nuncius._

_Nuncius._ What Atlas or Olympus lifts his head 25 So farre past covert, that with aire enough My words may be inform'd, and from their height I may be seene and heard through all the world?

A tale so worthy, and so fraught with wonder, Sticks in my jawes, and labours with event. 30

_Henr._ Com'st thou from D'Ambois?

_Nun._ From him, and the rest, His friends and enemies; whose sterne fight I saw, And heard their words before, and in the fray.

_Henr._ Relate at large what thou hast seene and heard.

_Nun._ I saw fierce D'Ambois and his two brave friends 35 Enter the field, and at their heeles their foes; Which were the famous souldiers, Barrisor, L'Anou, and Pyrrhot, great in deeds of armes.

All which arriv'd at the evenest peece of earth The field afforded, the three challengers 40 Turn'd head, drew all their rapiers, and stood ranck't; When face to face the three defendants met them, Alike prepar'd, and resolute alike.

Like bonfires of contributorie wood Every mans look shew'd, fed with eithers spirit; 45 As one had beene a mirror to another, Like formes of life and death each took from other; And so were life and death mixt at their heights, That you could see no feare of death, for life, Nor love of life, for death: but in their browes 50 Pyrrho's opinion in great letters shone: That life and death in all respects are one.

_Henr._ Past there no sort of words at their encounter?

_Nun._ As Hector, twixt the hosts of Greece and Troy, (When Paris and the Spartane King should end 55 The nine yeares warre) held up his brasen launce For signall that both hosts should cease from armes, And heare him speak; so Barrisor (advis'd) Advanc'd his naked rapier twixt both sides, Ript up the quarrell, and compar'd six lives 60 Then laid in ballance with six idle words; Offer'd remission and contrition too, Or else that he and D'Ambois might conclude The others dangers. D'Ambois lik'd the last; But Barrisors friends (being equally engag'd 65 In the maine quarrell) never would expose His life alone to that they all deserv'd.

And for the other offer of remission D'Ambois (that like a lawrell put in fire Sparkl'd and spit) did much much more than scorne 70 That his wrong should incense him so like chaffe, To goe so soone out, and like lighted paper Approve his spirit at once both fire and ashes.

So drew they lots, and in them Fates appointed, That Barrisor should fight with firie D'Ambois; 75 Pyrhot with Melynell, with Brisac L'Anou; And then, like flame and powder, they commixt So spritely, that I wisht they had beene spirits, That the ne're shutting wounds they needs must open Might, as they open'd, shut, and never kill. 80 But D'Ambois sword (that lightned as it flew) Shot like a pointed comet at the face Of manly Barrisor, and there it stucke: Thrice pluckt he at it, and thrice drew on thrusts From him that of himselfe was free as fire, 85 Who thrust still as he pluckt; yet (past beliefe!) He with his subtile eye, hand, body, scap't.

At last, the deadly bitten point tugg'd off, On fell his yet undaunted foe so fiercely, That (only made more horrid with his wound) 90 Great D'Ambois shrunke, and gave a little ground; But soone return'd, redoubled in his danger, And at the heart of Barrisor seal'd his anger.

Then, as in Arden I have seene an oke Long shooke with tempests, and his loftie toppe 95 Bent to his root, which being at length made loose (Even groaning with his weight), he gan to nodde This way and that, as loth his curled browes (Which he had oft wrapt in the skie with stormes) Should stoope: and yet, his radicall fivers burst, 100 Storme-like he fell, and hid the feare-cold earth-- So fell stout Barrisor, that had stood the shocks Of ten set battels in your Highnesse warre, 'Gainst the sole souldier of the world, Navarre.

_Gui._ O pitious and horrid murther!

[_Montsurry._] Such a life 105 Me thinks had mettall in it to survive An age of men.

_Henr._ Such often soonest end.-- Thy felt report cals on; we long to know On what events the other have arriv'd.

_Nun._ Sorrow and fury, like two opposite fumes 110 Met in the upper region of a cloud, At the report made by this worthies fall, Brake from the earth, and with them rose Revenge, Entring with fresh powers his two n.o.ble friends; And under that ods fell surcharg'd Brisac, 115 The friend of D'Ambois, before fierce L'Anou; Which D'Ambois seeing, as I once did see, In my young travels through Armenia, An angrie unicorne in his full cariere Charge with too swift a foot a jeweller, 120 That watcht him for the treasure of his brow, And, ere he could get shelter of a tree, Naile him with his rich antler to the earth: So D'Ambois ranne upon reveng'd L'Anou, Who eying th'eager point borne in his face, 125 And giving backe, fell back; and, in his fall, His foes uncurbed sword stopt in his heart: By which time all the life strings of th'tw'other Were cut, and both fell, as their spirit flew, Upwards, and still hunt Honour at the view. 130 And now (of all the six) sole D'Ambois stood Untoucht, save only with the others bloud.

_Henr._ All slaine outright?

_Nun._ All slaine outright but he, Who kneeling in the warme life of his friends, (All freckled with the bloud his rapier raind) 135 He kist their pale lips, and bade both farewell: And see the bravest man the French earth beares!

[_Exit Nuntius._]

_Enter Monsieur, D'Amb[ois] bare._

_Bussy._ Now is the time; y'are princely vow'd my friend; Perform it princely, and obtaine my pardon.

_Monsieur._ Else Heaven forgive not me! Come on, brave friend! 140 If ever Nature held her selfe her owne, When the great triall of a King and subject Met in one bloud, both from one belly springing, Now prove her vertue and her greatnesse one, Or make the t'one the greater with the t'other, 145 (As true Kings should) and for your brothers love (Which is a speciall species of true vertue) Doe that you could not doe, not being a King.

_Henr._ Brother, I know your suit; these wilfull murthers Are ever past our pardon.