Lust's Dominion, or The Lascivious Queen 
 
A Tragedy 
 
(Anonymous)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CONTENTS
 
 
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………….3
 
AUTHORSHIP AND DATE…..………………………………………………………………. 5
 
MAIN THEMES…………………………………………………………………………………6
 
THE MOORS IN SPAIN.………………………………………………………………………8
 
EDITORIAL PROCEDURES………………………………………………………………….9
 
CHARACTERS…………………………………………………………………………………10
 
THE LASCIVIOUS QUEEN…………………………………………………………………...11
 
COMMENTARY………………………………………………………………………………..114
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  INTRODUCTION
 
 The Lascivious Queen or The Spanish Moor’s Tragedy, as it was once identified by Collier[1], is a tragedy full of political strategies, revenge and lust. It revolves around the rise and fall of the Moor Eleazar and the Queen Mother, the Lascivious Queen.
 
Eleazar, the Moor, Prince of Fess and Barbary, has high ambitions and aspires to  the Spanish throne. His excuse for all his deeds is that he is seeking revenge against the Spanish royals who, according to him, are tyrants because they made his father lose his empire and held him captive, as we can see on the passage below extracted from the play:
 
 There goes old man my father 

 Who with his empire, lost his life, 

 And left me captive to a Spanish tyrant, (p. 16)
 
To get to the throne of Spain he manipulates the Queen Mother or the Lascivious Queen, with whom he has an affair, the Catholic Church and the lords. There are only a few people whom he does not get to manipulate: Prince Phillip the Queen’s son, who later on in the play gets accused of being a bastard; 
 
the King of Portugal; Hortenzo; and Isabella, the Infanta of Spain. Those that are not with him are against him so he will do anything to destroy them.
 
In the play nearly all characters betray and are betrayed. When you think their actions have settled down and come to a conclusion, another strategy appears to give the story another twist. 
 
This is certainly a play full of ups and downs where characters rise and fall and nothing until the end of the play is ever resolved or static.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 AUTHORSHIP AND DATE
 
 
The author of the play is unknown although the first copies of this publication name Christopher Marlowe as the play writer. Until the nineteenth century this authorship was accepted, but when J. P. Collier found out about its original performance date, which was in February 1600, and that it was  first published in 1657, a long time after Marlowe’s death, this acceptance lost its credit. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 MAIN THEMES
 
Racism 
 
Although the Moor is a prince and at some point of the play is fully accepted by the people and the court, his enemies refer to him with disdain because of his race and colour, as we can see in the King of Portugal’s speech:
  Poor Spain! How is the body of thy peace 
 Mangled and torn by an ambitious Moor?

 How is thy Prince and Counsellors abused, 

 And trodden under the base foot of scorn? 

 Wronged Lords, Emanuel of Portugal partakes 

 A falling share in all your miseries; 

 And though the tardy-hand of slow delay 

 Withheld us from preventing your mishaps; 

 Yet shall revenge dart black confusion 

 Into the bosom of that damned fiend. (p. 65)
 
There are many other references like that to Eleazar, and even if we do agree with the King, his words are not very politically correct; in fact, if this play had been written today it would probably be banned.
 
Gender
The feminine gender in the play accords with stereotype. The three women in  the play are weak, fragile, gullible, and at the same time, manipulative.
 
 
The Queen Mother, the Moor’s concubine, although at times she can be very manipulative,  is very weak and gullible as well. Eleazar pits her against her own son, uses her to kill people and to get to the throne, calls her a beldam and a strumpet and she is still there begging him for his love and in the end of the play, she is forgiven because all she did was under the influence of the Moor; after all she is a woman.
Maria, the Moor’s wife, is as fragile and sweet as a saint. He also uses her to help him in executing one of his greatest plots, which was to kill her and the  king at the same time.
Isabella, the Infanta of Spain, is a sweet and sensitive woman, but unlike her mother she is not gullible; even though the Moor tries to tempt her, she does not fall for him. She also manipulates Eleazar’s soldiers to release Hortenzo and Phillip from the prison.
 
Betrayal 
Nearly everybody in this play either betrays, is betrayed, or both. The Queen betrays her King by having an affair with Eleazar; she betrays her sons by plotting against them both; she also betrays the Cardinal by accusing him of being the father of her son Phillip; but in the end, Eleazar also betrays her. The Cardinal betrays Phillip, but Eleazar and the Queen also betray him. Most of these betrayals happen for power and lust.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE MOORS IN SPAIN
 
According to the Oxford dictionary a Moor is a member of a Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent, inhabiting NW Africa.
Spain was a Catholic country until the invasion of the Moors around 700 A. D. which started from the tip of the Iberian Peninsula going to the North. They gave a great contribution to the Spanish culture; we can see their trace in Spanish dancing, cuisine and other things. They had about 800 years of hegemony in Spain, but the Catholic Church started to win Spain back around 1492 when Granada, the main Moorish city in Spain, surrendered to Ferdinand V and Isabella. It was only around 1600 that they were really expelled from Spain. 
By 1582 an official expulsion was proposed by Philip II Council of State and it was effectively done in 1609 by Philip III.
The play tells us about the fall of the Moor Eleazar who is representing the fall of the Moors in Spain. Coincidentally, the first King of Spain to appear in the play is called Philip and the Moor Eleazar calls him a tyrant because he has made his father lose his kingdom. The final King of Spain to appear in the play is also called Philip and he is the one who banishes the Moors from Spain in the final scene:
 
 And for this Barbarous Moor, and his black train, 

 Let all the Moors be banished from Spain! (p. 113)




 
 
 
 EDITORIAL PROCEDURES 
 
  
What is important to say about the editorial procedures used to edit this play is that I tried to keep the original words as much as possible. 
 
I corrected misspellings and punctuation; for instance, in the case of 'finde' which is the old spelling for 'find', I dropped the final e.
 
 I also changed a few words that did not make sense in the context, but I have commented on these changes individually. 
 
I decided to keep the conjugation of the verbs in the second person of the singular preceded by thou, for instance thou hath, thou believ’st, thou laugh’st, I decided not to alter them and leave them with their old spelling. 
 
I have silently adjusted lineation in order to make the text clearer and easier to understand.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHARACTERS
 
Eleazar, the Moor, Prince of Fess[1] and Barbary[2]
 
Philip, King of Spain, father to Fernando, Philip and Isabella
 
 Fernando King of Spain, son to Philip
 
Philip Prince of Spain, son to Philip
 
Alvero, a Nobleman, Father in Law to Eleazar, and Father to Hortenzo and Maria
 
Mendoza, the Cardinal
 
Christofero, nobleman of Spain
 
Roderigo, nobleman of Spain
 
 Hortenzo, lover to Isabella and son to Alvero
 
Zarack, Moor attending Eleazar
 
Baltazar, Moor attending Eleazar
 
Friar Cole
 
Friar Crab
 
Emmanuel King of Portugal
 
Captain, soldiers, cum aliis[3]
 
Two pages attending the Queen
 
The Queen Mother of Spain, wife of King Philip
 
 Isabella the Infanta[4] of Spain
 
 Maria, wife to Eleazar and daughter of Alvero
 
 Act I 
  Scene I
 
 
Enter Zarack, Baltazar, two Moors taking tobacco, music sounding 
within. Enter Queen Mother of Spain with two Pages, Eleazar sitting on a chair 
suddenly draws the curtain. 
 
Eleazar On me? Does music spend this sound on me
 That hate all unity! Hah Zarack, Baltazar? 
 
Queen Mother  My gracious Lord. 
 
Eleazar  Are you there with your beagles? Hark you slaves:
 Did not I bind you on your lives to watch that none disturbed us? 
 
Queen Mother Gentle Eleazar…
 
Eleazar There, off! Is it you that deafen me with this noise? 
  
Exit two Moors.
 
Queen Mother  Why is my love’s aspect so grim and horrid? 
 Look smoothly on me, 
 Chime out your softest strains of harmony, 
 And on delicious music’s silken wings 
 Send ravishing delight to my love’s ears, 
 That he may be enamoured of your tunes. 
 Come, let's kiss. 
 
Eleazar Away, away! 
 
Queen Mother No, no, says I; and twice away says stay: 
 Come, come, I’ll have a kiss, but if you strive 
 For one denial you shall forfeit five. 
 
Eleazar  Nay prithee[5] good Queen leave me;
 I am now sick, heavy, and dull as lead. 
 
Queen Mother  I'll make thee lighter by taking something from thee. 
 
Eleazar Do, take from me this ague and these fits, that hanging on me 
 Shake me in pieces, and set all my blood 
 A boiling with the fire of rage: away, away! 
 Thou believ'st[6] I jest and laugh'st, to see my wrath wear antic shapes.
 Begone, begone.





Queen Mother  What means my love? Burst all those wires! Burn all those instruments!
For they displease my Moor. Art thou now pleased, 

Or wert thou now disturbed? I'll wage all Spain 

To one sweet kiss; this is some new device 

To make me fond and long. Oh! You men 

Have tricks to make poor women die for you. 
 
Eleazar What? Die for me? Away! 
 
Queen Mother  Away? What way? I prithee speak more kindly. 

Why dost thou frown? At whom? 
 
Eleazar  At thee! 
 
Queen Mother At me? Oh why at me? For each contracted frown 

A crooked wrinkle interlines my brow. 

Spend but one hour in frowns and I shall look 

Like to a beldam[7] of one hundred years.

I prithee speak to me and chide me not, 

I prithee chide if I have done amiss, 
 
Kiss



But let my punishment be this, and this. 

I prithee smile on me, if but a while, 

Then frown on me, I'll die. I prithee smile. 

Smile on me, and these two wanton boys, 

These pretty lads that do attend on me, 

Shall call thee Jove[8], shall wait upon thy cup 

And fill thee nectar; their enticing eyes 

Shall serve as crystal, wherein thou maist[9] see 

To dress thyself, if thou wilt smile on me. 

Smile on me, and with coronets of pearl, 

And bells of gold, circling their pretty arms 

In a round ivory fount these two shall swim, 

And dive to make thee sport. 

Bestow one smile, one little, little smile, 

And in a net of twisted silk and gold 

In my all-naked arms, thyself shalt lie. 
 
Eleazar  Why, what to do? Lust’s arms do stretch so wide 

That none can fill them; I'll lie there, away. 
 
Queen Mother  Where hast thou learned this language? That can say 

No more, but two rude words: away, away.

Am I grown ugly now? 
 
Eleazar  Ugly as hell! 
 
Queen Mother Thou lovedst me once. 
 
Eleazar That can thy bastards tell. 




Queen Mother  What is my sin? I will amend the same. 
 
Eleazar  Hence strumpet, use of sin makes thee past shame. 
 
Queen Mother  Strumpet? 
 
Eleazar Aye, strumpet. 
 
Queen Mother Too true 'tis, woe is me. 

I am a strumpet, but made so by thee. 






Eleazar By me? No, not by these young bawds; fetch thee a glass 

  And thou shalt see the balls of both thine eyes 

 Burning in fire of lust; by me? There's here

 Within this hollow cistern of thy breast 

 A spring of hot blood, have not I to cool it 

 Made an extraction to the quintessence 

 Even of my soul, melted all my spirits, 

 Ravished my youth, deflowered my lovely cheeks. 

 And dried this, this to anatomy 

 Only to feed your lust, (these boys have ears) 

 Yet wouldst thou murder me. 



Queen Mother   I murder thee?

 

Eleazar I cannot ride through the Castilian streets 

 But thousand eyes through windows, and through doors 

 Throw killing looks at me, and every slave 

  At Eleazar darts a finger out, 

 And every hissing tongue cries, there's the Moor, 

 That's he that makes a cuckold of our King, 

 There goes the minion of the Spanish Queen; 

 That's the black prince of devils, there goes he

 That on smooth boys on masks and revelling 

 Spends the revenues of the King of Spain.

 Who arms this many headed beast but you?

 Murder and lust are twins, and both are thine; 

 Being weary of me thou wouldst worry me

  Because some new love makes thee loathe thine old. 



Queen Mother Eleazar! 



Eleazar Harlot! I'll not hear thee speak. 



Queen Mother I'll kill myself unless thou hear'st me speak. 

  My husband King upon his death-bed lies, 

 Yet have I stolen from him to look on thee.

 A Queen hath made herself thy concubine, 

  Yet do'st thou now abhor me? Hear me speak! 

 Else shall my sons plague thy adulterous wrongs, 

 And tread upon thy heart for murdering me, 

 Thy tongue hath murdered me (cry murder boys!) 



2 Boys Murder! The Queen's murdered! 



Eleazar  Love? Slave’s peace.



2 Boys Murder! The Queen's murdered! 



Eleazar Stop your throats.

 Hark, hush your squalls; dear love, look up, 

 Our chamber window stares into the court, 

 And every wide mouthed ear, hearing this news, 

  Will give alarum to the cuckold King. 

 I did dissemble when I chid my love, 

 And that dissembling was to try my love. 



Queen Mother Thou call’dst me strumpet. 



Eleazar I'll tear out my tongue 

 From this black temple for blaspheming thee. 



Queen Mother And when I wooed thee, but to smile on me, 

  Thou cri'dst, away, away, and frown'dst upon me. 



Eleazar Come now I'll kiss thee, now I'll smile upon thee; 

 Call to thy ashy cheeks their wonted red: 

 Come frown not, pout not, smile, smile, but upon me 

 And with my poniard will I stab my flesh, 

 And quaff carouses to thee of my blood, 

 Whil'st in moist nectar kisses thou dost pledge me. 

 How now, why star'st thou thus? 
 
Knock, enter Zarack. 

Zarack The King is dead.

Eleazar Ha! Dead! You hear this? Is it true? Is it true? The King dead!
Who dares knock thus?

Zarack It is the Cardinal making inquiry if the Queen were here.

Eleazar See? She's here, tell him. And yet, Zarack, stay.

Enter Baltazar.

Baltazar Don Roderigo is come to seek the Queen.

Eleazar Why should Roderigo seek her here?

Baltazar The King hath swooned[10] thrice and being recovered,
Sends up and down the court to seek her grace.

Eleazar The King was dead with you? Run, and with a voice
Erected high as mine, say thus, thus threaten
To Roderigo and the Cardinal,
Seek no Queen here; I'll broach them, if they do,
Upon my falchion's point; again, more knocking!

Knock again

Zarack Your father is at hand, my gracious lord.

Eleazar Lock all the chambers, bar him out, you apes.
Hither a vengeance; stir, Eugenia,
You know your old walk under ground, away!
So down bye to the King, quick, quick, you squalls;
Crawl with your dame, in the dark; dear love, farewell,
One day I hope to shut you up in hell.

Eleazar shuts them in.

Scene II

Enter Alvero.

Alvero Son Eleazar, saw you not the Queen?

Eleazar Hah!

Alvero Was not the Queen here with you?

Eleazar Queen with me? Because, my Lord, I'm married to your daughter,
You (like your daughter) will grow jealous;
The Queen with me? A Moor, a devil,
A slave of Barbary, a dog; for so
Your silken courtiers christen me, but, father,
Although my flesh be tawny, in my veins
Runs blood as red and royal as the best
And proudest in Spain. There goes old man my father
Who with his empire lost his life,
And left me captive to a Spanish tyrant, Oh!
Go tell him! Spanish tyrant! Tell him, do,
He that can lose a kingdom and not rave,
He's a tame jade; I am not: tell old Philip
I call him tyrant here's a sword and arms,
A heart, a head, and so pish! [11] 'tis but death
Old fellow, she's not here. But ere[12] I die,
Sword I'll bequeath thee a rich legacy.

Alvero Watch fitter hours to think on wrongs than now;
Death’s frozen hand holds royal Philip's heart,
Half of his body lies within a grave;
Then do not now by quarrels shake that state
Which is already too much ruined.
Come and take leave of him before he dies.

Exit.

Eleazar I'll follow you now; purple villainy,
Sit like an imperial robe on my back,
That under thee I closely may contrive
My vengeance. Foul deeds hid do sweetly thrive,
Mischief erect thy throne and sit in state
Here, here upon this head; let fools fear fate.
Thus I defy my stars: I care not I
How low I tumble down, so I mount high.
Old time, I'll wait bare-headed at thy heels,
And be a foot-boy to thy winged hours;
They shall not tell one minute out in sands,
But I'll set down the number; I'll still wake,
And waste these balls of sight by tossing them
In base observations upon thee.
Sweet opportunity, I'll bind myself
To thee in base apprenticehood so long,
Till on thy naked scalp grow hair as thick
As mine; and all hands shall lay hold on thee,
If thou wilt lend me but thy rusty scythe,
To cut down all that stand within my wrongs,
And my revenge. Love dances in twenty forms
Upon my beauty, that this Spanish dame
May be bewitched and dote; her amorous flames
Shall blow up the old King, consume his Sons,
And make all Spain a bonfire.
This tragedy being acted here does begin:
To shed a harlot’s blood can be no sin.

Exit.

Scene III

The curtains being drawn there appears in his bed King Phillip, with his Lords, the Princess Isabella, at the feet Mendoza, Alvero, Hortenzo, Fernando, Roderigo, and to them enter Queen in haste [13] .

Queen Mother Whose was that screech-owl’s voice, that like the sound
Of a hell-tortured soul rang through mine ears
Nothing but horrid shrieks, nothing but death?
Whilst I, vailing my knees to the cold earth,
Drowning my withered cheeks in my warm tears,
And stretching out my arms to pull from heaven
Health for the Royal Majesty of Spain,
All cried, the Majesty of Spain is dead:
That last word dead struck through the echoing air,
Rebounded on my heart, and smote me down
Breathless to the cold earth, and made me leave
My prayers for Philip’s life, but thanks to heaven
I see him alive, and lives I hope to see
Unnumbered years to guide this empery.

King Phillip The number of my years ends in one day,
Ere this sun's down all a King's glory sets,
For all our lives are but death's counterfeits.
Father Mendoza and you peers of Spain,
Dry your wet eyes, for sorrow wanted force
To inspire a breathing soul in a dead corse;
Such is your King: where's Isabel our Daughter?

Mendoza At your bed's feet confounded in her tears.

King Phillip She of your grief the heaviest burthen bears;
You can but lose a King, but she a father.

Queen Mother She bear the heaviest burthen? [14] ; oh say rather

I bear, and am borne down; my sorrowing
Is for a husband’s loss, loss of a King.

King Phillip No more, Alvero! Call the Princess hither[15].

Alvero Madam, his majesty does call for you.

King Phillip Come hither, Isabella, reach a hand;
Yet now it shall not need; instead of thine
Death, shoving thee back, clasps his hands in mine,
And bids me come away, I must, I must;
Though Kings be gods on earth, they turn to dust.
Is not Prince Philip come from Portugal?

Roderigo The Prince as yet is not returned, my Lord.

King Phillip Commend me to him, if I ne'er [16] behold him:
This tells the order of my funeral;
Do it as 'tis set down: embalm my body;
Though worms do make no difference of flesh,
Yet Kings are curious here to dig their graves,
Such is man's frailty; when I am embalmed,
Apparel me in a rich royal robe,
According to the custom of the land;
Then place my bones within that brazen shrine
Which death hath[17] built for my ancestors:
I cannot name death, but he straight steps in,
And pulls me by the arm.

Fernando His grace doth faint.

Help me, my lords, softly to raise him up.

Enter Eleazar and stands sadly by.

King Phillip Lift me not up, I shortly must go down,
When a few dribbling minutes have run out;
Mine hour is ended: King of Spain, farewell:
You all acknowledge him your Sovereign.

All When you are dead we will acknowledge him.

King Phillip Govern this kingdom well. To be a King
Is given to many, but to govern well is
Granted to few. Have care to Isabel;
Her virtue was King Philip’s looking-glass.
Reverence the Queen your mother. Love your sister,
And the young Prince your brother; even that day
When Spain shall solemnize my obsequies,
And lay me up in earth, let them crown you.
Where's Eleazar, Don Alvero's son?

Fernando Yonder with crossed arms stands he malcontent [18] .

King Phillip I do commend him to thee for a man
Both wise and warlike, yet beware of him;
Ambition wings his spirit: keep him down;
What will not men attempt to win a crown?
Mendoza is protector of thy realm;
I did elect him for his gravity,
I trust he'll be a father to thy youth:
Call help, Fernando! Now I faint indeed.

Fernando My Lords.

King Phillip Let none with a distracted voice
Shriek out and trouble me in my departure.
Heaven’s hands, I see, are beckoning for my soul
I come, I come; thus do the proudest die;
Death hath no mercy, life no certainty.

Mendoza As yet his soul's not from her temple gone,
Therefore forbear loud lamentation.

Queen Mother Oh he is dead, he's dead! Lament and die,
In her King's end, begins Spain’s misery

Isabella He shall not end so soon; father, dear father!

Fernando Forbear, sweet Isabella, shrieks are vain.

Isabella You cry forbear; you by his loss of breath
Have won a kingdom, you may cry forbear,
But I have lost a father, and a King;
And no tongue shall control my sorrowing.

Hortenzo Whither, [19] good Isabella?

Isabella I will go where I will languish in eternal woe.

Hortenzo Nay, gentle love.

Isabella Talk not of love to me.
The world and the world’s pride henceforth I'll scorn.

Exit.

Hortenzo My love shall follow thee; if thou deny'st
To live with poor Hortenzo as his wife,
I'll never change my love, but change my life.

Enter Philip hastily.

Phillip I know he is not dead, I know proud death
Durst not behold such sacred majesty.
Why stand you thus distracted? Mother, brother,
My Lord Mendoza, where's my Royal father?

Queen Mother Here lies the temple of his royal soul.

Fernando Here's all that's left of Philip’s majesty.
Wash you his tomb with tears; Fernando’s moan,
Hating a partner, shall be spent alone.
Exit.

Phillip Oh happy father, miserable son!
Philip is gone to joy; Philip's forlorn.
He dies to live; my life with woe is torn.

Queen Mother Sweet son.

Phillip Sweet mother, oh! How I now do shame
To lay on one so foul so fair a name.
Had you been a true mother, a true wife,
This King had not so soon been robbed of life.

Queen Mother What means this rage, my son?

Phillip Call not me your son!
My father whilst he lived tired his strong arms
In bearing Christian armour against the Turks
And spent his brains in warlike stratagems
To bring confusion on damned Infidels;
Whilst you that snorted here at home betrayed
His name to everlasting infamy;
Whilst you at home suffered his bed-chamber
To be a brothel, whilst you at home
Suffered his Queen to be a concubine,
And wanton red-cheeked boys to be her bawds
Whilst she reeking in that lecher’s [20] arms -

Eleazar Me!

Phillip Villain, 'tis thee; thou hell-begotten fiend, at thee I stare.

Queen Mother Philip, thou art a villain to dishonour me.

Phillip Mother, I am no villain; 'tis this villain
Dishonours you and me, dishonours Spain,
Dishonours all these Lords; this devil is he, that---

Eleazar What! Oh, pardon me: I must throw off
All chains of duty; wert thou ten King’s sons,
Had I as many souls as I have sins,
As this from hence, so they from this should fly
In just revenge of this indignity.

Phillip Give way, or I'll make way upon your bosoms.

Eleazar Did my dear sovereign live, sirrah that tongue -

Queen Mother Did but King Philip live, traitor I'd tell ---

Phillip A tale that should rid both your souls to hell.
Tell Philip's ghost, that Philip tells his Queen,
That Philip's Queen is a Moor's Concubine,
Did the King live I’d tell him how you two
Ripped up the entrails of his treasury
With masques and antic revelling.

Eleazar Words insupportable; dost hear me boy?

Queen Mother Stand you all still, and see me thus trod down?

Philllip Stand you all still, yet let this devil stand here?

Mendoza Forbear, sweet Prince; Eleazar, I am now
Protector to Fernando, King of Spain:
By that authority and by consent
Of all these peers, I utterly deprive thee
Of all those royalties thou hold'st in Spain.

Queen Mother Cardinal, who lends thee this commission?

Eleazar Cardinal, I'll shorten thee by the head for this.

Phillip Forward, my Lord Mendoza, damn the fiend!

Eleazar Princes of Spain, consent you to this pride?

All We do.

Queen Mother For what cause? Let his faith be tried.

Mendoza His treasons need no trial, they're too plain;
Come not within the court, for if you do,
To beg with Indian slaves I'll banish you.

Exit all but Alvero, Queen and Eleazar.

Scene IV

Alvero Why should my son be banished?

Enter Maria.

Queen Mother Of that dispute not now, Alvero;
I'll to the King my son; it shall be tried
If Castile’s King can cool a Cardinal's pride.

Exit Queen and Alvero.

Eleazar If I digest this gall - oh, my Maria,
I am whipped, and racked, and torn upon the wheel
Of giddy fortune. She and her minions
Have got me down and treading on my bosom,
They cry, lie still. The Cardinal
(Oh! rare) would ban me away from Spain,
And banish me to beg; aye, beg with slaves.

Maria Conquer with patience these indignities.

Eleazar Patience? Ha, ha: yes, yes an honest Cardinal!

Maria Yet smoother the grief and seek revenge.

Eleazar Hah! Banish me, s'foot [21] , why say he do;
There's Portugal, a good air, and France, a fine country;
Or Barbary, rich and has Moors; the Turk
Pure devil and allows enough to fat
The sides of villainy; good living there:
I can live there, and there, and there,
Troth 'tis a villain can live any where:
But say I go from hence, I leave behind me
A Cardinal, that will laugh, I leave behind me
A Philip, that will clap his hands for joy;
And dance through the Castile Court.
But the deepest wound of all is this, I leave
My wrongs, dishonours, and my discontents,
Oh! unrevenged; my bedrid enemies
Shall never be raised up by the strong physical,
Curing of my sword, therefore stay still:
Many have hearts to strike, that dare not kill.
Leave me, Maria! Cardinal, this disgrace
Shall dye thy soul as inky as my face:
Pish [22] , hence, Maria.

Enter Alvero.


Maria To the King I'll fly.
He shall revenge my lord's indignity.                                         

Exit.

Alvero Mendoza woos the King to banish thee;
Startle thy wonted spirits, awake thy soul
And on thy resolution fasten wings
Whose golden feathers may out-strip their hate,

Eleazar I'll tie no golden feathers to my wings.

Alvero Shall they thus tread thee down which once were glad
To lackey by thy conquering Chariot wheels?

Eleazar I care not! I can swallow more sour wrongs:

Alvero If they triumph o'er [23] thee; they spurn me down.

Eleazar Look, spurn again.

Alvero What ice hath cooled that fire
Which sometimes made thy thoughts to heaven aspire?
This patience had not wont to dwell with thee.

Enter Fernando and Maria.

Eleazar It is right, but now the world's changed, you see;
Though I seem dead to you, here lives a fire.
No more, here comes the King and my Maria;
The Spaniard loves my wife; she swears to me,
She's chaste as the white moon, well if she be,
Well too if she be not; I care not:
I'll climb up by that love to dignity.

Fernando Thou woo'st me to revenge thy husband’s wrong,
I woo thy fair self not to wrong thy self;
Swear but to love me, and to thee I'll swear
To crown thy husband with a diadem.

Maria Such love as I dare yield, I'll not deny.

Fernando When in the golden arms of majesty -
I am broke off; yonder thy husband stands.
I'll set him free, if thou untie my bands;
So much for that. Durst then the Cardinal,
Put on such insolence? Tell me, fair madam,
Where’s your most valiant husband?

Eleazar He sees me and yet inquires for me.

Maria Yonder, my Lord.

Fernando Eleazar, I have in my breast written down
From her report your late received disgrace:
My father loved you dearly, so will I.

Eleazar True, for my wife's sake.

Aside.

Fernando This Indignity will I have Interest in for being your King;

You shall perceive I'll curb my underling.
This morning is our coronation
And father's funeral solemnized.
Be present, step into your wonted place;
We'll guild your dim disgraces with our grace.

Exit.

Eleazar I thank my sovereign that you love my wife;
I thank thee, wife, that thou wilt lock my head
In such strong armour, to bear off all blows;
Who dares say such wives are their husbands' foes?
Let's see now, by her falling I must rise.
Cardinal, you die, if the King bid me live;
Philip, you die for railing at me. Proud Lord, you die,
That with Mendoza cried, banish the Moor
And you my loving liege, you're best sit fast
If all these live not, you must die at last.

Act II

Scene I.

Enter two Lords, Philip his brother, Mendoza, Eleazar with him, the King Crowned, Queen mother,

Alvero, Zarack, Baltazar, and attendants.

Mendoza Why stares this devil thus, as if pale death
Had made his eyes the dreadful messengers
To carry black destruction to the world.
Was he not banished Spain?

Phillip                                         Your sacred mouth
                        Pronounced the sentence of his banishment:
Then spurn the villain forth.

Eleazar                                         Who spurns the Moor
                          Were better set his foot upon the devil.
Do, spurn me, and this confounding arm of wrath
Shall like a thunderbolt breaking the clouds
Divide his body from his soul. Stand back.
Spurn Eleazar?

Roderigo Shall we bear his pride?

Alvero Why not? He underwent much Injury.



Mendoza What injury have we performed, proud Lord?

Eleazar Proud Cardinal, my unjust banishment.

Mendoza It was we that did it; and our words are laws.

King Fernando It was we repealed him, and our words are laws.

Baltazar If not these are.

All the Moors draw.

Phillip How, threatened and out-dared?

King Fernando Shall we give arm to hostile violence?
Sheath your swords, sheath them; it's we command.

Eleazar Grant Eleazar justice, my dread liege.

Mendoza Eleazar hath had justice from our hands,
And he stands banished from the Court of Spain,

King Have you done justice? Why, Lord Cardinal,
From whom do you derive authority
To banish him the Court without our leave?

Mendoza From this, the staff of our protectorship;
From this, which the last will of your dear father
Committed to our trust; from this high place
Which lifts Mendoza's spirits beyond the pitch
Of ordinary honour, and from this.

King Fernando Which too much over-weening insolence
takes the staff from Mendoza and gives it to Eleazar
Hath quite ta'en from you; Eleazar, up,
And from us sway this staff of regency.

All How's this?

Phillip Dare sons presume to break their father's will?

King Fernando Dare subjects counter-check their sovereign's will?
'Tis done, and who gainsays it is a traitor.

Phillip I do, Fernando, yet I am no traitor.

Mendoza Fernando, I am wronged; by Peter’s chair,
Mendoza vows revenge. I'll lay aside
My Cardinal’s hat, and in a wall of steel,
The glorious livery of a soldier, fight for my late lost honour

King Fernando Cardinal -

Mendoza King, thou shalt be no King for wronging me.
The Pope shall send his bulls through all thy realm,
And pull obedience from thy subjects' hearts,
To put on armour of the mother church;
Curses shall fall like lightning on your heads,
Bell, book and candle, holy water, prayers,
Shall all chime vengeance to the Court of Spain
Till they have power to conjure down that fiend,
That damned Moor, that devil, that Lucifer,
That dares aspire the staff, the Cardinal said.

Eleazar Ha, ha, ha, I laugh yet that the Cardinal's vexed [24] .

Phillip Laughst thou base slave? The wrinkles of that scorn
Thine own heart blood shall fill; Brother, farewell,
Since you disprove the will our father left,
For base lust of a loathed concubine.

Eleazar Ha, concubine, who does Prince Philip mean?

Phillip Thy wife, thy daughter, base aspiring Lords,
Who to buy honour, are content to sell
Your names to infamy, your souls to hell,
And stamp you now? Do, do, for you shall see,
I go for vengeance, and she'll come with me.

Eleazar Stay, for she's here already, see proud boy.

They both draw.

Queen Mother Hold, stay this fury; if you long for blood,
Murder me first. Dear son you are a King:
Then stay the violent tempest of their wrath.

King Fernando Shall Kings be overswayed in their desires?

Roderigo Shall subjects be oppressed by tyranny?

Queen Mother No state shall suffer wrong; then hear me speak:
Mendoza, you have sworn your love to the Queen,
Then by that love I charge you leave these arms;
Eleazar, for those favours I have given you,
Embrace the Cardinal, and be friends with him.

Eleazar And have my wife called strumpet to my face?

Queen Mother It was rage made his tongue err[25], do you not know
The violent love Mendoza bears the Queen?
Then speak him fair, for in that honeyed breath
I'll lay bait shall train him to his death.
Come, come, I see your looks give way to peace;
Lord Cardinal, begin, and for reward,
Ere this fair setting sun behold his bride,
Be bold to challenge love, yet be denied

Aside.

Mendoza That promise makes me yield; my gracious lord,
Although my disgrace hath graven its memory
On every Spaniard's eye, yet shall the duty
I owe your sacred Highness, and the love
My country challenges, make me lay by
Hostile intendments, and return again
To the fair circle of obedience.

King Fernando Both pardon and our favour bids you welcome,
And for some satisfaction for your wrongs,
We here create you Salamanca’s Duke.
But first, as a true sign all grudges die,
Shake hands with Eleazar and be friends;
This union pleases us; now, brother Philip,
You are included in this league of love,
So is Roderigo. To forget all wrongs
Your castle for a while shall bid us welcome,
Eleazar, shall it not? It is enough,
Lords, lead the way, that whilst you feast yourselves,
Fernando may find time all means to prove
To compass fair Maria for our love.

Exeunt omnes [26] .

Scene II

Enter Queen Mother and Eleazar.

Eleazar Madam, a word now. Have you wit or spirit?

Queen Mother Both.

Eleazar Set them both to a most gainful task;
Our enemies are in my castle - work.

Queen Mother Aye, but the King's there too, it's dangerous pride
To strike at those that couch by a lion’s side.

Eleazar Remove them.

Queen Mother How?

Eleazar How? A thousand ways:
By poison, or by this, but every groom
Has skill in such base traffic; no, our policies
Must look more strange, must fly with loftier wings.
Vengeance the higher it falls, more horror brings:
But you are cold, you dare not do.

Queen Mother I dare.

Eleazar You have a woman’s heart; look you, this hand,
Oh! It’s too little to strike home.

Queen Mother At whom?

Eleazar Your son.

Queen Mother Which son? The King?

Eleazar Angels of heaven, stand like his guard about him, how the King?
Not for so many worlds as here be stars
Sticking upon the embroidered firmament.
The King? He loves my wife and should he die?
I know none else would love her, let him live
(In heaven) good Lord Philip.

Aside

Queen Mother He shall die.

Eleazar How? Good God.

Queen Mother By this hand.

Eleazar When, good God? When?

Queen Mother This night, if Eleazar gives consent.

Eleazar Why then this night Philip shall not live
To see you kill him. Is he not your son?

A mother be the murderer of a brat
That lived within her; hah!

Queen Mother It is for thy sake.

Eleazar Puh! What excuses cannot dammed sin make
To save itself? I know you love him well,
But that he has an eye, an eye, an eye.
To others our two hearts seem to be locked
Up in a case of steel; upon our love others
Dare not look, or if they dare, they cast
Squint purblind glances; who care though all see all,
So long as none dare speak, but Philip
Knows that the iron ribs of our villain[ie]s
Are thin; he laughs to see them, like this hand,
With chinks, and crevices; how, a villainous eye,
A stabbing desperate tongue? The boy dare speak;
A mouth, a villainous mouth; let's muzzle him.

Queen Mother How?

Eleazar Thus:
Go you, and with a face well set do
In good sad colours, such as paint out
The cheek of that fool penitence and with a tongue
Made clean and glib, cull from their lazy swarm
Some honest friars, whom that damnation gold,
Can tempt to lay their souls to the stake;
Seek such: they are rank and thick.

Queen Mother What then, I know such, what's the use?

Eleazar This is excellent.
Hire these to write books, preach and proclaim abroad,
That your son Philip is a bastard.

Queen Mother How?

Eleazar A bastard, do you know a bastard? Do it!
Say conscience spoke with you, and cried out, do it;
By this means shall you thrust him from all hopes
Of wearing Castile’s diadem, and that spur
Galling his sides, he will fly out, and fling,
And grind the Cardinal’s heart to a new edge
Of discontent; from discontent grows treason,
And on the stalk of treason death; he's dead
By this blow, and by you, yet no blood shed.
Do it then; by this trick, he gone,
We stand more sure in climbing high;
Care not who fall, 'tis real policy;
Are you armed to do this, hah?

Queen Mother Sweet Moor, it's done.

Eleazar Away then, work with boldness and with speed;
On greatest actions greatest dangers feed.

Exit Queen Mother.

Ha, ha! I thank thee, provident creation,
That seeing in moulding me thou did'st intend
I should prove villain, thanks to thee and nature
That skilful workman; thanks for my face,
Thanks that I have not wit to blush.
What, Zarack! Ho, Baltazar!

Enter the two Moors.

Both My Lord.

Eleazar Nearer, so; silence;
Hang both your greedy ears upon my lips,
Let them devour my speech, suck in my breath;
And in who lets it break prison, here's his death.
This night the Cardinal shall be murdered.

Both Where?

Eleazar And to fill up a grave Philip dies.

Both Where?

Eleazar Here.

Both By whom?

Eleazar By thee! And, slave, by thee.
Have you hearts and hands to execute?

Both Here's both.

1 Moor He dies, were he my father.

Eleazar Ho away?
Stay, go, go, stay, see me no more till night;
Your cheeks are black, let not your souls look white.

Both Till night.

Eleazar Till night; a word: the Mother Queen
Is trying if she can with fire of gold
Warp the green consciences of two covetous friars,
To preach abroad Philip's bastardy.

1 Moor His bastardy? Who was his father?

Eleazar Who?
Search for these friars, hire them to work with you;
Their holy callings will approve the fact
Most good and meritorious, sin shines clear,
When her black face religions mask doth wear.

Aside.

Here comes the Queen and the friars.

Scene III

Enter two friars, Crab and Cole, and Queen Mother.

Cole Your son a bastard? Say we do,
But how then shall we deal with you?
I tell you as I said before;
His being a bastard, you are so poor
In honour and in name, that time
Can never take away the crime.

Queen Mother I grant that, friar, yet rather I'll endure
The wound of infamy, to kill my name,
Than to see Spain bleeding with civil swords.
The boy is proud, ambitious, he woos greatness;
He takes up Spanish hearts on trust, to pay them
When he shall finger Castile’s crown; Oh then
Were it not better my disgrace were known,
Then such a base aspirer fill the throne?

Cole Ha brother Crab, what think you?

Crab As you, dear brother Cole.

Cole Then we agree:
Cole’s judgment is as Crab’s, you see.
Lady, we swear to speak and write
What you please, so all go right.

Queen Mother Then as we gave directions, spread abroad,
In Cales, Madrid, Granado and Medina
And all the royal cities of the realm
The ambitious hopes of that proud bastard Philip,
And sometimes as you see occasion,
Tickle the ears of the rude multitude,
With Eleazar’s praises, guild his virtues,
Naples' recovery and his victories
Achieved against the Turkish Ottoman[27],
Will you do this for us?

Eleazar Say, will you?

Both Aye.

Eleazar Why start you back and stare? Ha, are you afraid?

Cole Oh, no Sir! No, but truth to tell;
Seeing your face, we thought of hell.

Eleazar Hell is a dream.

Cole But none do dream in hell.

Eleazar Friars, stand to her and me, and by your sin
I'll shoulder out Mendoza from his seat
And of two friars create you Cardinals;
Oh! How would Cardinals' hats on these heads fit?

Cole This face would look most well under it.
Friar Crab and Cole do swear,
In those circles still to appear
In which she or you do charge us rise;
For you, our lives we'll sacrifice.
Valete, Gaudete;
Spereamus flete;
Orate pro nobis,
Oramus pro vobis.[28]
Cole will be burnt, and Crab be presto[29];
Ere they prove knaves, thus are you crossed and blessed.                                     

Exit Friars.

Eleazar Away! You know now, Madam none shall throw
Their leaden envy in an opposite scale,
To weigh down our true golden happiness.

Queen Mother Yes, there is one.

Eleazar One who? Give me his name and I will
Turn it to a magic spell,
To bind him here, here, who?

Queen Mother Your wife Maria.

Eleazar Hah! My Maria.

Queen Mother She's the hell’s point divides my love and me,
She being cut off -

Eleazar Stay, stay, cut off; let's think upon it; my wife?
Humph! Kill her too!

Queen Mother Does her love make thee cold?

Eleazar Had I a thousand wives down go them all!
She dies! I'll cut her off now. Baltazar!

Enter Baltazar.

Baltazar Madam, the king entreats your company.

Queen Mother His pleasure be obeyed, dear love, farewell;
Remember your Maria.

Exit Queen Mother

Eleazar Here, adieu!
With this I'll guard her, whilst it stabs at you.

Baltazar My Lord! The friars are won to join with us.

Eleazar Be prosperous about it, Baltazar.

Baltazar The watchword?

Eleazar Oh! The word let it be treason;
When we cry treason, break open chamber doors,
Kill Phillip and the Cardinal hence.

Baltazar I fly.

Exit.

Eleazar Murder, now ride in triumph, darkness, horror;
Thus I invoke your aid, your act begin;
Night is a glorious robe for the ugliest sin.

Exit.

Scene IV

Enter Cole and Crab in trousers, the Cardinal in one of their weeds and Philip putting on the other.

Both Friars Put on my Lord, and fly or else you die.

Phillip I will not, I will die first; Cardinal
Prithee, good Cardinal, pluck off, friars, slave,
Murder us two? He shall not by this sword.

Cardinal My Lord, you will endanger both our lives.

Phillip I care not; I'll kill some before I die,
Away, s’heart, [30] take your rags; Moor, devil, come.

2. Friars. My Lord, put on, or else.

Phillip God’s foot come help.

Cardinal Ambitious villain! Philip, let us fly
Into the chamber of the Mother Queen.

Phillip Thunder beat down the lodgings.

Cardinal Else let's break into the chamber of the King:

Phillip Agreed,
A pox upon those lousy gabardines.
Agreed, I am for you Moor; stand side by side,
Come, hands off, leave your ducking, hell cannot fright
Their spirits that do desperately fight.

Cole You are too rash, you are too hot,
Wild desperateness doth valour blot;
The lodging of the King's beset
With staring faces black as jet,
And hearts of Iron; your deaths are vowed
If you fly that way, therefore shroud
Your body in Friar Cole’s grey weed,
For is it not madness, man, to bleed
When you may escape untouched away?
Here's hell, here's heaven, here if you stay
You're gone, you're gone; Friar Crab and I
Will here dance frisking whilst you fly.
Gag us, bind us, come put on -
The gag's too wide - so gone, gone, gone.

Phillip Oh! Well, I'll come again, Lord Cardinal
Take you your castle; I'll go to Portugal
I vow I'll come again, and if I do…

Cardinal Nay good my Lord!

Phillip Black devil, I'll conjure you.

Exeunt

Scene V

To the Friars making a noise, gagged and bound, enter Eleazar, Zarack, Baltazar, and other Moors, all with their swords drawn.

Eleazar Guard all the passages. Zarack, stand there,
There Baltazar, there you; the Friars,
Where have you placed the Friars?

Alvero My Lord, a noise.

Baltazar The Friars are gagged and bound.

Eleazar It is Philip and the Cardinal, shoot; hah, stay!
Unbind them; where's Mendoza and the Prince?

Cole Sancta Maria, who can tell?
By Peter’s keys they bound us well,
And having cracked our shaven crowns,
They have escaped you in our gowns.

Eleazar Escaped, escaped away? I am glad, it's good,
I would their arms may turn to eagles' wings,
To fly us swift as time; sweet air, give way,
Winds, leave your two and thirty palaces,
And meeting all in one, join all your might,
To give them speedy and a prosperous flight.
Escaped, Friars, which way?

Both This way.

Eleazar Good. Alas! What sin is it to shed innocent blood;
For look you, holy men, it is the King;
The King, the King! See, Friars, sulphuric wrath
Having once entered into royal breasts,
Mark how it burns. The Queen, Philip's mother
(Oh! Most unnatural) will have you to
Divulge abroad that he's a bastard; o,
Will you do it?

Crab What says my brother Friar?

Cole A Prince’s love is balm, their wrath a fire.

Crab It is true, but yet I'll publish no such thing;
What fool would lose his soul to please a King?

Eleazar Keep there, good there, yet for it wounds my soul
To see the miserablest wretch to bleed.
I counsel you (in care unto your lives)
To obey the mother Queen, for by my life
I think she has been pricked; her conscience -
Oh! It has stung her, for some fact misdone;
She would not else disgrace her self and son.
Do it therefore, hark, she'll work your deaths else; hate
Bred in a woman is insatiate.
Do it, Friars.

Crab Brother Cole? Zeal sets me in a flame,
I'll do it.

Cole And I:
His baseness we'll proclaim.

Exit Friars.

Eleazar Do, and be damned. Zarack and Baltazar,
Dog them at the heels, and when their poisonous breath
Hath scattered this infection on the hearts
Of credulous Spaniards, here reward them thus;
Slaves too much trusted do grow dangerous;
Why this shall feed
And fat suspicion, and my policy.
I'll ring through all the court this loud alarum:
That they contrived the murder of the King,
The Queen and me; and being undermined,
To escape the blowing up, they fled. Oh God!
There, there, thou there, cry treason; each one take
A several door; your cries my music make.

Baltazar Where's the King? Treason pursues him:

Enter Alvero in his shirt, his sword drawn.

Eleazar Where's the sleepy Queen? Rise, rise, and arm against the hand of treason.

Alvero Whence comes this sound of treason?

Enter King in his shirt, his sword drawn.

King Fernando Who frights our quiet slumbers
With this heavy noise?

Enter Queen in her night attire.

Queen Mother Was it a dream? Or did the sound
Of monster treason call me from my rest?

King Fernando Who raised this rumour, Eleazar? You?

Eleazar I did, my Liege, and still continue it,
Both for your safety and mine own discharge.

King Fernando Whence comes the ground then?

Eleazar From the Cardinal,
And the young Prince, who bearing in his mind
The true Idea of his late disgrace
In putting him from the Protectorship,
And envying the advancement of the Moor,
Determined this night to murder you;
And for your highness lodged within my castle,
They would have laid the murder on my head.

King Fernando The Cardinal and my brother? Bring them forth;
Their lives shall answer this ambitious practice.

Eleazar Alas, my Lord, it is impossible,
For when they saw I had discovered them,
They trained two harmless Friars to their lodgings,
Disrobed them, gagged them, bound them to two posts,
And in their habits did escape the Castle.

King Fernando That Cardinal is all ambition,
And from him doth our brother gather heart.

Queen Mother The ambition of the one infects the other,
And in a word they are both dangerous;
But might your mother’s counsel stand in force,
I would advise you send the trusty Moor
To fetch them back, before they had seduced
The squint-eyed multitude from true allegiance,
And drawn them to their dangerous faction.

King Fernando It shall be so; therefore, my state’s best prop,
Within whose bosom I durst trust my life,
Both for my safety and thine own discharge,
Fetch back those traitors and, till your return
Ourself will keep your castle.

Eleazar My Liege, the tongue of true obedience
Most not gainsay his sovereign’s impose;
By heaven, I will not kiss the cheek of sleep
Till I have fetched those traitors to the court.

King Fernando Why, this sorts right: he gone, his beauteous wife
Shall sail into the naked arms of love.

Queen Mother Why, this is as it should be. He once gone,
His wife, that keeps me from his marriage bed,
Shall by this hand of mine be murdered.

King Fernando This storm is well night past; the swelling clouds,
That hang so full of treason by the wind,
In awful majesty are scattered,
Then each man to his rest. Good night, sweet friend,
Whilst thou pursu'st the traitors that are fled,
Fernando means to warm thy marriage bed.

Exit

Eleazar Many good nights consume and damn your souls.
I know he means to cuckold me this night;
Yet do I know no means to hinder it.
Besides, who knows whether the lustful King
Having my wife and castle at command,
Will ever make surrender back again?
But if he do not, with my falchion's point
I'll lance those swelling veins in which hot lust
Does keep his revels, and with that warm blood
Where Venus's bastard cooled his sweltering spleen,
Wash the disgrace from Eleazar’s brows.

Scene VI

Enter Maria.

Maria Dear Eleazar -

Eleazar If they lock the gates
I'll toss a ball of wild-fire over the walls.

Maria Husband, sweet husband -

Eleazar Or else swim over the moat,
And make a breach through the flinty sides
Of the rebellious walls.

Maria Hear me, dear heart.

Eleazar Or undermine the chamber where they lie,
And by the violent strength of gunpowder
Blow up the castle and the incestuous couch,
In which lust wallows; but my labouring thoughts,
Wading too deep in bottomless extremes,
Do drown themselves in their own stratagems.

Maria Sweet husband! Dwell not upon circumstance,
When weeping sorrow, like an advocate,
Importunes you for aid. Look in mine eyes:
There you shall see dim grief swimming in tears,
Invocating succour, oh succour![31]

Eleazar Succour? Zounds, for what?

Maria To shield me from Fernando's unchaste love,
Who with incessant prayers importuned me.

Eleazar To lie with you, I know it.

Maria Then seek some means how to prevent it.

Eleazar 'Tis possible; for to the end that his unbridled lust
Might have more free access unto thy bed,
This night he hath enjoined me
To fetch back Philip and the Cardinal.

Maria Then this ensuing night shall give an end
To all my sorrows, for before foul lust
Shall soil the fair complexion of mine honour,
This hand shall rob Maria of her life.

Eleazar Not so, dear soul, for in extremities
Choose out the least, and ere the hand of death
Should suck this ivory palace of thy life,
Embrace my counsel and receive this poison
Which in the instant he attempts thy love,
Then, give it him, do, do,
Do; poison him; he gone, thou art next;
Be sound in resolution and farewell;
By one, and one, I'll ship you all to hell.
Spain, I will drown thee with thine own proud blood,
Then make an ark of carcasses. Farewell.
Revenge and I will sail in blood to hell.

Exit.

Maria Poison the King? Alas, my trembling hand
Would let the poison fall, and through my cheeks
Fear suited in a bloodless livery,
Would make the world acquainted with my guilt,
Both to preserve my royal sovereign’s life,
And keep myself a true and loyal wife.

Exit.

Act. III

Scene I

Enter Queen Mother, with a torch, sola [32] .

Queen Mother Fair eldest child of love, thou spotless night,
Empress of silence, and the Queen of sleep;
Who with thy black cheek's pure complexion
Mak'st lovers' eyes enamoured of thy beauty:
Thou art like my Moor, therefore will I adore thee,
For lending me this opportunity,
Oh with the soft skinned Negro! Heavens keep back
The saucy staring day from the world’s eye
Until my Eleazar make return;
Then in his castle shall he find his wife
Transformed into a strumpet by my son;
Then shall he hate her whom he would not kill?
Then shall I kill her whom I cannot love?
The King is sporting with his concubine.
Blush not, my boy; be bold like me thy mother,
But their delights torture my soul like devils,
Except her shame be seen, wherefore awake
Christophero, Verdugo, raise the court,
Arise you Peers of Spain, Alvaro rise,
Preserve your country from base infamies.

Enter severally at several doors with lights and rapiers drawn, Alvero, Roderigo, and Christophero, with others.

All Who raised these exclamations through the court?

Queen Mother Sheath up your swords, you need not swords, but eyes
To intercept this treason.

Alvero                                    What's the treason?
Who are traitors? Ring the alarum bell;
Cry 'arm' through all the city once before
The horrid sound of treason did affright
Our sleeping spirits.

Queen Mother                Stay, you need not cry arm
For this black deed
Works treason to your King, to me, to you,
To Spain and all that shall in Spain ensue.
This night Maria, Eleazar’s wife,
Hath drawn the King by her lascivious looks
Privately to a banquet; I unseen
Stood and beheld him in him in her lustful arms.
Oh God! Shall bastards wear Spain’s diadem?
If you can kneel to baseness, vex them not;
If you disdain to kneel, wash off this blot.

Roderigo Let’s break into the chamber and surprise her.

Alvero Oh miserable me! Do, do, break in:
My country shall not blush at my child’s sin.

Queen Mother Delay is nurse to danger; follow me;
Come you and witness to her villainy.

Alvero Hapless Alvero, how art thou undone,
In a light daughter and a stubborn son?

Exeunt omnes.

Scene II

Enter King with his rapier drawn in one hand, leading Maria, seeming affrighted, in the other.

Maria Oh! Kill me ere you stain my chastity.

King Fernando My hand holds death, but love sits in mine eye;
Exclaim not, dear Maria; do but hear me:
Though thus in dead of night, as I do now
The lustful Tarquin[33] stole to the chaste bed
Of Collatine's fair wife, yet shalt thou be
No Lucrece, nor thy King a Roman slave,
To make rude villainy thine honour's grave.

Maria Why from my bed have you thus frighted me?

King Fernando To let thee view a bloody horrid tragedy.

Maria Begin it then, I'll gladly lose my life,
Rather than be an emperor’s concubine.

King Fernando By my high birth I swear thou shalt be none.
The tragedy I'll write with my own hand:
A King shall act it, and a King shall die,
Except sweet mercy's beam shine from thine eye.
If this affrights thee it shall sleep for ever,
If still thou hate me, thus this blade
This royal purple temple shall invade.

Maria My husband is from hence, for his sake spare me.

King Fernando Thy husband is no Spaniard; thou art one,
So is Fernando; then for country's sake
Let me not spare thee. On thy husband's face
Eternal night in gloomy shades doth dwell;
But I'll look on thee like the guilded sun,
When to the west his fiery horses run.

Maria True, true, you look on me with Sun-set eyes,
For by beholding you my glory dies.

King Fernando Call me thy morning then, for like the morn,
In pride Maria shall through Spain be borne.
This music I prepared thine ears.
music plays within.
Love me and thou shalt hear no other sounds.
Love, here's a banquet set with mine own hands;
A banquet brought in.
Love me, and thus I'll feast thee like a Queen.
I might command thee, being thy sovereign;
But love me and I'll kneel and sue to thee,
And circle this white forehead with the crown
Of Castile, Portugal and Aragon,
And all those petty kingdoms which do bow
Their tributary knees to Philip's heir.

Maria I cannot love you whilst my husband lives.

King Fernando I'll send him to the wars and in the front
Of some main army shall he nobly die.

Maria I cannot love you if you murder him.

King Fernando For thy sake then, I'll call a Parliament
And banish by a law all Moors from Spain.

Maria I'll wander with him into banishment.

King Fernando It shall be death for any negro’s hand
To touch the beauty of a Spanish dame.
Come, come, what needs such cavils with a King?
Night blinds all jealous eyes and we may play,
Carouse that bowl to me, I'll pledge all this;
Being down, we'll make it more sweet with a kiss.
Begin, I'll lock all doors, begin Spain’s Queen:
Locks the doors.
Love’s banquet is most sweet, when 'tis least seen.

Maria Oh thou conserver of my honour’s life!
Instead of poisoning him, drown him in sleep;
Because I'll quench the flames of wild desire,
I'll drink this off, let fire conquer love’s fire.

King Fernando Were love himself in real substance here
Thus would I drink him down; let your sweet strings
Speak louder; pleasure is but a slave to Kings,
In which love swims. Maria, kiss thy King,
Circle me in this ring of Ivory.
Oh! I grow dull, and the cold hand of sleep
Hath thrust his icy fingers in my breast,
And made a frost within me; sweet, one kiss
To thaw this deadness that congeals my soul.

Maria Your majesty hath over-watched yourself.
He sleeps already, not the sleep of death
But a sweet slumber, which the powerful drug
Instilled through all his spirits. Oh! Bright day,
Bring home my dear Lord, ere his King awake,
Else of his unstained bed he'll shipwreck make.
Offers to go.

Enter Oberon, and fairies dancing before him and music with them.

Maria Oh me! What shapes are these?

Oberon Stay, stay, Maria.

Maria My sovereign lord awake, save poor Maria.

Oberon He cannot save thee, save that pain,
Before he wakes thou shalt be slain;
His mother's hand shall stop thy breath,
Thinking her own son is done to death:
And she that takes away thy life,
Does it to be thy husband’s wife.
Adieu Maria, we must hence,

Embrace thine end with patience;
Elves and fairies make no stand,
Till you come in Fairy Land.

Exit dancing and singing.

Maria Fairies or devils, whatsoever you be,
Thus will I hide me from your company.
Offers to be gone.

Scene III

To her enter Queen Mother suddenly, with Alvaro and Roderigo with rapiers.

Queen Mother Lay hold upon the strumpet, where's the King?
Fernando, son, ah me your King is dead!
Lay hand upon the murderess.

Maria Imperious Queen, I am as free from murder as thyself,
Which I will prove, if you will hear me speak:
The King is living.

Roderigo If he lived, his breath would beat within his breast.

Queen Mother The life he leads, Maria, thou shalt soon participate.

Maria

Oh father, save me!

Alvero Thou art no child of mine; hadst thou been owner of Alvero's spirit,
Thy heart would not have entertained a thought
That had convert with murder, yet mine eyes                                                                                                                            
                          (Howe'er my tongue wants words) brim full with tears.
Entreat her further trial!

Verdugo To what end? Here lies her trial; from this royal breast
Hath she stol'n all comfort, all the life
Of every bosom in the realm of

Spain.
Roderigo She's both a traitor and murderess.

Queen Mother I'll have her forthwith strangled.

Alvero Hear her speak.

Queen Mother To heaven let her complain if she have wrong,
I murder but the murderess of my son.

All We murder the murderess of our King.

Alvero Ah me, my child oh! Oh cease your torturing!

Maria Heaven, ope the windows that my spotless soul,
Riding upon the wings of innocence,
May enter paradise; fairies, farewell;
Fernando’s death in mine you did foretell.
She dies. King wakes.

King Fernando Who calls Fernando? Love, Maria, speak
Oh! Whither art thou fled? Whence flow these waters
That falls like winter storms from thy drowned eyes?

Alvero From my Maria's death!

King Fernando                     My Maria dead?
Damned be the soul to hell that stopped her breath;
Maria, Oh me; who durst murder her?

Queen Mother I thought my dear Fernando had been dead,
And in my indignation murdered her.

King Fernando I was not dead until you murdered me
By killing fair Maria.

Queen Mother Gentle son.

King Fernando Ungentle mother, you a deed have done
Of so much ruth that no succeeding age
Can ever clear you off; Oh my dear love,
Yet heavens can witness thou wert never mine,
Spain’s wonder was Maria.

Queen Mother Sweet, have done.

King Fernando Have done for what? For shedding zealous tears
Over the tomb of virtue's chastity?
You cry have done, now I am doing good,
But cried do on, when you were shedding blood,
Have you done mother? Yes, yes, you have done
That which will undo your unhappy son.

Roderigo These words become you not, my gracious Lord.

King Fernando These words become not me, no more it did
Become you, Lords, to be mute standers by
When lustful fury ravished chastity.
It will become me to lament her death,
But it became you well to stop her breath;
Had she been fair and not so virtuous,
This deed had not been half so impious.

Alvero But she was fair in virtue, virtuous fair, oh me!

King Fernando Oh me! She was true honour’s heir.
Hence, beldam, from my presence, all fly hence;
You are all murderers; come poor innocence,
Clasp thy cold hand in mine, for here I'll lie,
And since I lived for her, for her I'll die.

Scene IV

Enter Eleazar with a torch and rapier drawn.

Eleazar Bar up my castle gates; fire and confusion
Shall girt these Spanish curs. Was I for this
Sent to raise power against a fugitive,
To have my wife deflowered? Zounds, where's my wife?
My slaves cry out, she's dallying with the King,
Stand by, where is your King? Eleazar’s bed shall
Scorn to be an emperor’s brothelry.

Queen Mother Be patient Eleazar, here's the King.

Eleazar Patience and I am foe, where's my Maria?

Alvero Here is her hapless corse that was Maria.

King Fernando Here lies Maria's body, here her grave,
Her dead heart in my breast a tomb shall have.

Eleazar Now by the proud complexion of my cheeks,
Ta'en from the kisses of the amorous sun;
Were he ten thousand Kings that slew my love,
Thus should my hand, plumed with revenge’s wings,
Requite mine own dishonour and her death.

Stabs the King.

Queen Mother Ah me! My son.

All The King is murdered, lay hold on the damned traitor.

Eleazar In his breast that dares but dart a finger at the Moor
I'll bury this sharp steel, yet reeking warm
With the unchaste blood of that lecher King
That threw my wife in an untimely grave.

Alvero She was my daughter and her timeless grave
Did swallow down my joys as deep as yours:
But thus -

Eleazar But what? Bear injuries that can;
I'll wear no forked crest.

Roderigo Damn this black fiend; cry treason through the court.
The King is murdered.

Eleazar He that first opens his lips, I'll drive his words
Down his wide throat upon my rapier's point.
The King is murdered and I'll answer it;
I am dishonoured, and I will revenge it.
Bend not your dangerous weapons at my breast,
Think where you are: this castle is the Moor’s;
You are environed with a wall of flint.
The gates are locked, portcullises let down;
If Eleazar spend one drop of blood,
Zarack and Baltazar above with claviers
On those high turret tops my slaves stand armed,
And shall confound your souls with murdering shot.
Or if you murder me, yet under ground
A villain that for me will dig to hell
Stands with a burning limstock in his fist,
Who firing gunpowder up in the air
Shall fling your torn and mangled carcasses.

Queen Mother Oh! Sheathe your weapons; though my son be slain,
Yet save yourselves: choose a new sovereign.

All Prince Philip is our sovereign, choose him King.

Eleazar Prince Philip shall not be my sovereign.
Philip's a bastard, and Fernando's dead;
Mendoza sweats to wear Spain’s diadem,
Philip hath sworn confusion to this realm.
They both are up in arms; war's flames do shine
Like lightning in the air, wherefore, my Lords,
Look well on Eleazar; value me not by my sun-burnt
Cheek, but by my birth; nor by
My birth, but by my loss of blood,
Which I have sacrificed in Spain’s defence.
Then look on Philip, and the Cardinal:
Look on those gaping curs, whose wide throats
Stand stretched wide open like the gates of death,
To swallow you, your country, children, wives.
Philip cries fire and blood, the Cardinal
Cries likewise fire and blood, I'll quench those flames,
The Moor cries blood and fire and that shall burn
Till Castile like proud Troy to cinders turn.

Roderigo Lay by these umbrages, what seeks the Moor?

Eleazar A kingdom, Castile’s crown.

Alvero Peace, devil, for shame.

Queen Mother Peace, doting lord, for shame; oh misery
When Indian slaves thirst after empery.
Princes and peers of Spain, we are beset
With horror on each side; you deny him,
Death stands at all our backs, we cannot fly him.
Crown Philip King, the crown upon his head,
Will prove a fiery meteor, war and vengeance
And desolation will invade our land;
Besides Prince Philip is a bastard born.
Oh! Give me leave to blush at mine own shame;
But I for love to you, love to fair Spain,
Choose rather to rip up a Queen’s disgrace,
Then by concealing it to set the crown
Upon a bastard's head. Wherefore, my Lords,
By my consent crown that proud Black Moor,
Since Spain’s bright glory must so soon grow dim;
Since it must end, let it end all in him.

All Eleazar shall be King.

Alvero Oh treachery! Have you so soon razed out Fernando's love;
So soon forgot the duty of true peers;
So soon, so soon buried a mother’s name,
That you will crown him King that slew your King?

Eleazar Will you hear him or me? Who shall be King?

All Eleazar shall be Castile’s sovereign.

Alvero Do, do, make haste to crown him! Lords, adieu.
Here hell must be when the devil governs you.

Exit.

Eleazar By heaven’s great star, which Indians do adore,
But that I hate to hear the giddy word
Shame that I waded to a crown through blood,
I'd not digest his pills; but since, my Lords,
You have chosen Eleazar for your King,
Invest me with a general applause.

All Live Eleazar, Castile’s Royal King.

Roderigo A villain and a base born fugitive.
Aside.

Christofero A bloody tyrant, a usurping slave.

Aside.


Eleazar Thanks to you all; 'tis not the Spanish Crown
That Eleazar strives for, but Spain’s peace.
Amongst you I'll divide her Empery;
Christofero shall wear Granado's crown;

To Roderigo I'll give Aragon,
Naples, Navarre and fair Jerusalem,
I'll give to other three, and then our viceroys
Shall shine about our bright Castilian crown
As stars about the Sun. Cry all, arm, arm;
Prince Philip and the Cardinal do ride
Like Jove in thunder, in a storm we'll meet them.
Go levy powers; if any man must fall,
My death shall first begin the funeral.

Exit.

Scene V

Enter Zarack and Baltazar with calivers.

Baltazar Is thy cock ready, and thy powder dry?

Zarack My cock stands perching, like a cock on the game;
With a red coal for his crest instead of a comb;
And for my powder, 'tis but touch and take.

Baltazar I have tickling gear too, anon[34] I'll cry here I have it,
And yonder I see it; but, Zarack, is it policy for us
To kill these bald-pates?

Zarack Is it policy for us to save ourselves?
If they live, we die. Is it not wisdom then
To send them to heaven, rather than be sent ourselves?
Come, you black slave, be resolute. This way they come;
Here they will stand, and yonder will I stand.

Baltazar And in yonder hole I.

Zarack Our amiable faces cannot be seen if we keep close;
Therefore hide your cock’s head, lest his burning cocks-comb betray us.
But soft, which of the two shall be thy white?

Baltazar That black villain, Friar Cole.

Zarack I shall have a sharp piece of service.
Friar Crab shall be my man.
Farewell and be resolute.

Baltazar Zounds, Zarack, I shall never have the heart to do it.

Zarack You rogue, think who commands: Eleazar.
Who shall rise? Baltazar.
Who shall die? A lousy Friar.
Who shall live our good Lord and Master?
The Negro King of Spain.

Baltazar Cole, thou art but a dead man,
And shall turn to ashes.

Exit.

Zarack Crab, here's that shall make vinegar of thy carcase.

Exit.

Enter Crab and Cole, two Friars with a rout of stinkards following them.

Friar Crab Aye, brother, 'tis best; so, now we have drawn them to a head,
We'll begin here in the market place.
Tut, so long as we be commanded by the Mother Queen
We'll say her son is a bastard, an he was ten Philips.

Friar Cole Take you one market form, I'll take another.

Friar Crab No, Gods, so; we must both keep one form.

Friar Cole Aye, in oration, but not in station; mount, mount.

1 Well my masters, you know him not so well as I; on my word
Friar Crab is a sour fellow.

2 Yet he may utter sweet doctrine by your leave; but what
Think you of Friar Cole?

1 He’s all fire an he be kindled once - a hot Catholic.

3 An you mark him, he has a zealous nose,
And richly inflamed.

1 Peace you rogues now they begin.
Crab Incipe frater?

Cole Non ego Domine.

Crab Nec ego.

Cole Quare?

Crab Quia?

Cole Quæso, [35]

All Here's a queasy beginning me thinks. Silence, silence.

Crab Brethren citizens and market-folks of Seville -

Cole Well beloved and honoured Castilians.

Crab It is not unknown to you!

Cole I am sure you are not ignorant.

Crab How villainous and strong -

Cole How monstrous and huge -

Crab The faction of Prince Philip is;

Cole Philip that is a bastard.

Crab Philip that is a bastard.

Cole Philip that killed your King.

Crab Only to make himself King.

Cole And by God’s blessed Lady you are all damned an you suffer it.


1 Friar Cole says true, he speaks out of the heat of his zeal;
Look how he glows.

2 Well Friar Crab for my money, he has set my teeth an edge
Against this bastard.

1 Oh! His words are like vergis, to whet a man’s stomach.

All Silence, silence.

Crab Now contrariwise…

Cole Your noble King the Moor.

Crab Is a valiant gentleman.

Cole A noble gentleman.

Crab An honourable gentleman.

Cole A fair black gentleman.

Crab A friend to Castilians.

Cole A champion for Castilians.

Crab A man fit to be King.

Cole If he were not borne down by him that would be King,
Who (as I said before) is a bastard and no King.

1 What think you my masters? Do you mark his words well?

Crab Further compare them together.

All 'Sblood, there's no comparison between them.

Cole Nay, but hear us, good countrymen.

All Hear Friar Cole, hear Friar Cole.

Cole Set that bastard and Eleazar together:

1 How? Mean you by the ears?

Crab No, but compare them.

Cole Do but compare them.

2 Zounds, we say again comparisons are odious.

1 But say on, say on.
Pieces go off, Friars die.

All Treason, treason, every man shifts for himself.
This is Philip’s treason. Arm, arm, arm.                                       

Exeunt.

Scene VI.

Enter Eleazar, Zarack, and Baltazar.

Eleazar Zarack and Baltazar, are they dispatched?

Zarack We saw them sprawl and turn up the white of the eye.

Eleazar So shall they perish that lay countermines
To cross our high designments; by their habits
The Cardinal and Philip escaped our nets.
And by your hands they tasted our revenge.

Enter Queen Mother.

Here comes the Queen, away! Under our wings
You shall stand safe, and brave the proudest Kings.

Exit.

Queen Mother Oh! Fly, my Eleazar, save thy life.
Else point a guard about thee, the mad people
Tempestuous like the Sea run up and down,
Some crying kill the bastard, some the Moor;
Some cry, God save King Philip; and some cry,
God save the Moor; some others, he shall die.

Eleazar Are these your fears? Thus blow them into air.
I rushed amongst the thickest of their crowds,
And with a countenance majestical,
Like the imperious sun dispersed their clouds;
I have perfumed the rankness of their breath,
And by the magic of true eloquence,
This pigment chameleon, this beast multitude,
Whose power consists in number, pride in threats,
Yet melt like snow when majesty shines forth
This heap of fools, who crowding in huge, swarms,
Stood at our court gates like a heap of dung,
Racking and shouting out contagious breath
Of power to poison all the elements,
This wolf I held by the ears and made him tame,
And made him tremble at the Moor’s great name.
No, we must combat with a grimmer foe:
That damned Mendoza over-turns our hopes.
He loves you dearly.

Queen Mother By his secret letters he hath entreated
Me in some disguise to leave the  

Court, and fly into his arms.

Eleazar The world cannot devise a stratagem
Sooner to throw confusion on his pride;
Subscribe to his desires and in dead night
Steal to his castle, swear to him his love
Hath drawn you thither; undermine his soul,
And learn what villainies are there laid up,
Then for your pleasure walk to take the air:
Near to the castle I'll in ambush lie,
And stern by force to take you prisoner;
This done, I have a practice plotted here,
Shall rid him of his life, and us of fear:
About it madam, this is all in all;
We cannot stand unless Mendoza fall.

Act. IV.

Scene I.

Enter Emanuel King of Portugal, Prince Philip, Mendoza, Alvero with drums and soldiers marching.

King of Portugal Poor Spain, how is the body of thy peace
Mangled and torn by an ambitious Moor!
How is thy Prince and Counsellors abused,
And trodden under the base foot of scorn!
Wronged Lords, Emanuel of Portugal partakes
A falling share in all your miseries;
And though the tardy-hand of slow delay
With held us from preventing your mishaps,
Yet shall revenge dart black confusion
Into the bosom of that damned fiend.

Phillip But is it possible our Mother Queen
Should countenance his ambition?

Alvero Her advice is as a steers-man to direct his course.
Besides, as we by circumstance have learnt,
She means to marry him.

Phillip Then here upon my knees
I pluck allegiance from her; all that love
Which by in native duty I did owe her,
Shall henceforth be converted into hate.
This will confirm the world’s opinion
That I am base born, and the damned Moor
Had interest in my birth, this wrong alone
Gives new fire to the cinders of my rage:
I may be well transformed from what I am,
When a black devil is husband to my dam.

King of Portugal Prince, let thy rage give way to patience,
And set a velvet brow upon the face
Of wrinkled anger, our keen swords
Must right these wrongs, and not light airy words.

Phillip Yet words may make the edge of rage more sharp,
And whet a blunted courage with revenge.

Alvero Here's none wants whetting, for our keen resolves
Are steeled unto the back with double wrongs;
Wrongs that would make a handless man take arms;
Wrongs that would make a coward resolute.

Cardinal Why then join all our several wrongs in one?
And from these wrongs assume a firm resolve,
To send this devil to damnation.

Drums afar off.

Phillip I hear the sound of his approaching march.
Stand fair;Saint Jacques for the right of Spain.

To them, enter the Moor, Roderigo, Christofero, with drums, colours and soldiers, marching bravely.

Eleazar Bastard of Spain?

Phillip Thou true stamped son of hell,
Thy pedigree is written in thy face.

Alarum, and a battle, the Moor prevails. All exit.

Scene II.

Enter Philip and Cardinal.

Phillip Move forward, with your main battalion,
Or else all is lost.

Cardinal I will not move a foot.

Phillip S'heart, will you lose the day?

Cardinal You lose your wits,
You're mad, it is no policy.

Phillip You lie.

Cardinal Lie?

Phillip Lie; a pox upon it, Cardinal: come on,
Second the desperate vanguard which is mine,
And where I'll die or win, follow my sword
The bloody way I lead it or, by heaven,
I'll play the devil and mar all, we'll turn our backs
Upon the Moors and set on thee; aye, thee,
Thee Cardinal, s'heart thee.

Cardinal Your desperate arm
Hath almost thrust quite through the heart of hope;
Our fortunes lie a bleeding by your rash and violent
Onset.

Phillip Oh! Oh! s'life, s'foot, will you fight?

Cardinal We will not hazard all upon one cast.

Phillip You will not?

Cardinal No.

Philllip Coward.

Cardinal By deeds I'll try
Whether your venomous tongue says true; farewell.
Courage shines both, in this and policy.

Exit.

Phillip To save thy skin whole, that's thy policy;
You whoreson fat-chopped guts. I'll melt away
That larded body by the heat of fight,
Which I'll compel thee to or else by flying;
To work which I'll give way to the proud foe,
Whilst I stand laughing to behold thee run.
Cardinal I'll do it, I'll do it, a Moor, a Moor,
Philip cries a Moor, holla[36]! Ha! Who!

Enter King of Portugal.

King of Portugal Prince Philip, Philip!

Phillip Here; plague, where's the Moor?

King of Portugal The Moor's a devil; never did horrid fiend,
Compelled by some magician's mighty charm,
Break through the prisons of the solid earth,
With more strange horror than this Prince of hell,
This damned Negro, lion-like doth rush
Through all, and spite of all knit opposition.

Phillip Puh! Puh! Where? Where? I'll meet him, where? You mad me.
'Tis not his arm that acts such wonders,

But our cowardice.
This Cardinal, oh! This Cardinal is a slave.

Enter Captain.

Captain Sound a retreat, or else the day is lost;

Phillip I'll beat that dog to death, that sounds retreat.

King of Portugal Philip -

Phillip I'll tear his heart out that dares name but sound.

King of Portugal Sound a retreat.

Phillip Who's that? You tempt my sword, Sir.
Continue this alarum, fight pell-mell!
Fight, kill, be damned! This fat-back coward Cardinal
Lies heavy on my shoulders; this, aye this
Shall fling him off: Sound a retreat! Zounds, you mad me.
Ambition plumes the Moor, whilst black despair
Offering to tear from him the diadem
Which he usurps, makes him to cry at all,
And to act deeds beyond astonishment;
But Philip is the knight that darks his glories.
This sword, yet reeking with his Negro's blood,
Being grasped by equity and this strong arm
Shall through and through.

All Away then.

Phillip From before me;
Stay, stand, stand fast, fight? A Moor, a Moor.

Scene III.

To them enter Eleazar, Zarack, Baltazar, Roderigo, Christofero and others. They fight, Moors are all beat in. Exit omnes, manet [37] Eleazar weary . [He] stays a Moor [who] lies slain.

Eleazar Oh for more work, more souls to post to hell;
That I might pile up Charon’s boat so full,
Until it topple over, oh it would be sport
To see them sprawl through the black slimy lake.
Ha, ha, there's one going thither, sirrah, you,
You slave, who killed thee? How he grins! This breast,
Had it been tempered and made proof like mine,
It never would have been a mark for fools
To hit afar off with their bastard bullets.
But thou didst well, thou knew'st I was thy lord;
And out of love and duty to me here,
Where I fell weary, thou laidst down thy self
To bear me up, thus God a mercy slave.
A King for this shall give thee a rich grave

As he sits down, enter Philip with a broken sword.

Phillip I'll wear thee to the pommel, but I'll find
The subject of mine honour and revenge.
Moor 'tis for thee I seek; come now, now take me
At good advantage. Speak, where art thou?

Eleazar Here.

Phillip Fate and revenge, I thank you; rise.

Eleazar Leave and live.

Phillip Villain, it is Phillip that bids rise.

Eleazar It had been good for thee to have hid thy name.
For the discovery, like to a dangerous charm,
Hurts him that finds it, wherefore do those bloodhounds,
Thy rage and valour, chase me?

Phillip Why? To kill thee!

Eleazar With that? What a blunt axe! Think'st thou I'll let
Thy fury take a full blow at this head
Having these arms? Be wise! Go, change thy weapon.

Phillip Oh, sir!

Eleazar I'll stay thy coming.

Phillip Thou'lt be damned first.

Eleazar By all our Indian Gods.
Phillip Puh, never swear;
Thou know'st 'tis for a kingdom which we fight;
And for that who'll not venture to hell-gates.
Come Moor, I am armed with more than complete steel,
The justice of my quarrel, when I look
Upon my father’s wrongs, my brother’s wounds,
My mother’s infamy, Spain’s misery,
And lay my finger here. Oh! 'tis too dull,
To let out blood enough to quench them all.
But when I see your face, and know what fears
Hang on thy troubled soul, like leaden weights,
To make it sink, I know this finger’s touch
Has strength to throw thee down, I know this iron
Is sharp and long enough to reach that head.
Fly not dive; if thou do -

Eleazar How fly? Oh bastard!

Phillip Come then.

Eleazar Stay Philip, whosoe'r [38] begat thee.

Phillip Why, slave, a King begat me.

Eleazar May e so.
But I'll be sworn thy mother was a Queen;
For her sake will I kill thee nobly.
Fling me thy sword; there's mine; I scorn to strike
A man disarmed.

Phillip For this dishonouring me
I'll give thee one stab more.

Eleazar I'll run away,
Unless thou change that weapon or take mine.

Phillip Neither.

Eleazar Farewell.
Phillip S'heart, stay, and if you dare,
Do as I do, oppose thy naked breast
Against this poniard. See, here's this for thine.

Eleazar I am for thee, Philip.

Phillip Come, nay take more ground,
That with a full career thou maist strike home.

Eleazar Thou wouldst run away then.

Phillip Hah!

Eleazar Thou wouldst run away then.

Phillip Faith, I will, but first on this I'll bear
Thy panting heart, thy head upon thy spear.

Eleazar Come.

Enter on both sides Cardinal, and King of Portugal on the one side and Moors on the other side.

Cardinal Side upon the Moors.

Moor Side upon the Cardinal.

Phillip Hold Cardinal, strike not any of our side.

Eleazar Hold Moors, strike not any of our side,

Phillip We two will close this battle.

Eleazar Come, agreed.
Stand armies and give aim, whilst we two bleed.

Cardinal With poniards 'tis too desperate, dear Philip.

Phillip Away, have at the Moor, s'heart let me come.

King of Portugal Be armed with manly weapons; 'tis for slaves
To dig their own and such unworthy graves.

Eleazar I am for thee anyway, thus, or see thus;
Here, try the vigour of thy sinewy arm.
The day is ours already, brainless heads
And bleeding bodies like a crown do stand
About the temples of our victory.
Yet, Spaniards, if you dare we'll fight it out,
Thus man to man alone, I'll first begin,
And conquer, or in blood wade up to the chin.

Phillip Let not a weapon stir, but his and mine.

Eleazar Nor on this side, conquest in blood shall shine.

Alarum. They fight a combat, the Moor is struck down, which his side seeing, step all in and rescue him; the rest join and drive in the Moors. Alarum continuing, Spaniards and Moors with drums and colours fly over the stage, pursued by Philip, Cardinal, King of Portugal and others. Enter Zarack Christofero, and Eleazar at several doors.

Christofero Where is my lord?

Zarack Where is our sovereign?

Eleazar What news brings Zarack and Christofero?

Zarack Oh fly my Lord! Fly for the day is lost.

Eleazar There are three hundred and odd days in a year,
And cannot we lose one of them? Come, fight.

Christofero The lords have left us and the soldiers fainted,
You are round beset with proud fierce enemies;
Death cannot be prevented but by flight.

Eleazar He shall, Christofero. I have yet left
One stratagem that, in despite of fate,
Shall turn the wheel of war about once more:
The Mother Queen hath all this while sate sadly
Within our tent, expecting to whose bosom,
White winged peace and victory will fly.
Her have I used as a fit property
To stop this dangerous current; her have I sent,
Armed with love’s magic, to enchant the Cardinal
And bind revenge down with resistless charms.
By this time does she hang about his neck,
And by the witchcraft of a cunning kiss,
Has she disarmed him, hark, they sound  retreat.
She has prevailed; a woman’s tongue and eye
Are weapons stronger than artillery.

Exit.

Scene IV.

Enter Cardinal, Queen Mother, soldiers, drums and colours.

Queen Mother By all those sighs which thou (like passionate tunes)
Hast often to my dull ears offered,
By all thy hopes to enjoy my royal bed;
By all those mourning lines which thou hast sent,
Weeping in black to tell thy languishment,
By love’s best richest treasure, which I swear,
I will bestow and which none else shall wear,
As the most prized jewel, but thyself.
By that bright fire which flaming through thine eyes;
From thy love scorched bosom does arise.
I do conjure thee, let no churlish sound,
With war's lewd horror my desires confound;
Dear, dear Mendoza, thus I do entreat,
That still thou wouldst continue this retreat;
I'll hang upon thee till I hear thee say,
Woman, prevail; or chiding, cry away.

Cardinal Is there no trick in this forged by the Moor?


Queen Mother I would the Moor’s damnation were the ransom
Of all that innocent blood that has been shed
In this black day; I care not for the Moor;
Love to my kingdom's peace makes me put on
This habit of a suppliant; shall I speed?

Cardinal You shall, were it to have my bosom bleed.
I have no power to spare the Negro’s head,
When I behold the wounds which his black hand
Has given mine honour, but when I look on you,
I have no power to hate him, since your breath
Dissolves my frozen heart, being spent for him;
In you my life must drown itself or swim;
You have prevailed. Drum, swiftly hence! Call back
Our fierce pursuing troops that run to catch
The laurel wreath of conquest. Let it stand
A while untouched by any soldier's hand.

Exit drum.

Away! Stay you and guard us, where's the Moor?
I'll lose what I have got, a victor’s prize,
Yielding myself a prisoner to your eyes.

Queen Mother Mine eyes shall quickly grant you liberty,
The Moor stays my return, I'll put on wings,
And fetch him to make peace belongs to Kings.

As she goes out, enter Eleazar, Zarack, Baltazar, and soldiers well armed; at sight of each other all draw.

Cardinal Soldiers, call back the drum, we are betrayed.

Eleazar Moors, stand upon your guard, avoid, look back.

Queen Moor What means this jealousy? Mendoza, Moor,
Lay by your weapons and embrace the sight
Of this and this. Begets suspicion
Eleazar? By my birth, he comes in peace;

Mendoza, by mine honour, so comes he.

Cardinal Discharge these soldiers then.

Eleazar And these.

Soldiers stand aloof.

Cardinal Away.

Eleazar Go.

Queen Mother So, rejoice to see this glorious day.

She joins them together; they embrace.

Cardinal Your virtues work this wonder. I have met
At her most dear command; what’s your desires?

Eleazar Peace and your honoured arms, how loathingly
I sounded the alarums, witness heaven
It was not to strike your breast, but to let out
The rank blood of ambition. That Philip
Makes you his ladder, and being climbed so high
As he may reach a diadem, there you lie.
He's base begotten, that's his mother’s sin.

Queen Mother God pardon it.

Eleazar Aye, amen, but he's a bastard,
And rather than I'll kneel to him, I'll saw
My legs off by the thighs, because I'll stand
In spite of reverence, he's a bastard, he is!
And to beat down his usurpation
I have thrown about this thunder; but, Mendoza,
The people hate him for his birth.
He only leans on you, you are his pillar;
You gone, he walks on crutches, or else falls;
Then shrink from under him. Are not they
Fools that bearing others up themselves, seem low,
Because they above sit high, why you do so?

Cardinal It is true.

Queen Mother Behold this error with fixed eyes.

Cardinal It is true, well.

Eleazar Oh! Have you found it? Have you smelt
The train of powder that must blow you up?
Up into air, what air! Why this? A breath,
Look you, in this time may a King meet death;
An eye to it, check it, check it.

Cardinal How?

Eleazar How thus?
Steal from the heat of that incestuous blood
Where ravished honour and Philippo lies;
Leave him, divide this huge and monstrous body
Of armed Spaniards into limbs thus big;
Part man from man, send every soldier home,
I'll do the like; Peace with an olive branch
Shall fly with dove-like wings about all Spain.
The crown which I as a good husband keep,
I will lay down upon the empty chair;
Marry you the Queen and fill it, for my part;
These knees are yours, Sir.

Cardinal Is this sound?

Eleazar From my heart.

Cardinal If you prove false?

Eleazar If I do, let fire fall…

Cardinal Amen.

Eleazar Upon thy head - and so it shall.

Cardinal All of my self is yours. Soldiers, be gone.

Eleazar And that way you.

Cardinal The rest I will divide;
The Lords shall be converted.

Eleazar Good.

Cardinal Let's meet.

Queen Mother Where?

Eleazar Here, anon, this is thy winding-sheet.

Exit Cardinal. The Moor walks up and down musing.

Queen Mother What shape will this prodigious womb bring forth?
Which groans with such strange labour?

Eleazar Excellent.

Queen Mother Why, Eleazar, art thou wrapped with joys?
Or does thy sinking policy make to shore?

Eleazar Ha!

Queen Mother Eleazar, mad man! Hear'st thou, Moor?

Eleazar Well, so, you turn my brains, you mar the face
Of my attempts i'th' making; for this chaos,
This lump of projects, ere it be licked over,
It is like a bear’s conception; stratagems
Being but begot, and not got out, are like
Charged cannons not discharged; they do no harm,
Nor good; true policy breeding in the brain
Is like a bar of iron, whose ribs being broken,
And softened in the fire, you then may forge it
Into a sword to kill, or to a helmet, to defend life, .

                         It is therefore wit to try
All fashions, ere you apparel villainy.
But, but I have suited him, fit, fit, oh fit!

Queen Mother How? Prithee, how?

Eleazar Why thus - yet no, let's hence;
My heart is nearest of my counsel, yet
I scarce dare trust my heart with it; what I do,
It shall look old, the hour wherein 'tis born;
Wonders twice seen are garments over worn.

Exit.

Scene V.

Enter Cardinal at one door, Philip half armed and two soldiers following him with the rest of the armour; the Cardinal seeing him, turns back again.

Phillip Sirrah, you Cardinal, coward, run away.
So, ho, ho, what Cardinal?

Cardinal I am not for your lure.

Exit.

Phillip For that then, Oh! That it had nailed thy heart
Up to the pommel to the earth; come, arm me,
Ha! S'foot, when all our swords were royally gilt with blood,
When with red sweat that trickled from our wounds,
We had dearly earned a victory! When hell
Had from their hinges heaved off her iron gates
To bid the damned Moor and the devils enter;
Then to lose all, then to sound base retreat;
Why, soldiers, ha!

1. Soldier I am glad of it, my lord.

Phillip Ha, glad? Art thou glad I am dishonoured?
That thou and he dishonoured?

1. Soldier Why, my Lord, I am glad that you so cleanly did come off.   

Phillip Thou hast a lean face and a carrion heart.
A plague on him and thee too then; s'heart then,
To crack the very heart’s strings of our army,
To quarter it in pieces, I could tear my hair,
And in cursing spend my soul.
Cardinal, what, Judas! Come, we'll fight
Till there be left but one; if I be he,
I'll die a glorious death.

1. Soldier So will I, I hope in my bed.  

2. Soldier Till there be but one left, my lord?

Why that's now, for all our fellows are crawled home

,                          Some with one leg, some with ne'er [39] an arm,

Some with their brains beaten out and glad they escaped so.

Phillip But my dear countrymen, you'll stick to me? 

1. Soldier Stick? Aye, my Lord, stick like bandogs, till we be pulled off.

Phillip That's nobly said, I'll lead you but to death,
Where I'll have greatest share, we shall win fame,
For life and that doth crown a soldier’s name.

1. Soldier How to death, my Lord? Not I, by God’s lid,

I have a poor wife and children at home,

And if I die they beg.

And do you think I'll see her go up and down the wide universal world?

Phillip For every drop of blood which thou shalt lose,
Coward, I'll give thy wife a wedge of gold.

2. Soldier Hang him, my lord,

  Arm yourself; I'll fight for you,

Till I have not an eye to see the fire in my touchhole. 

Phillip Be thou a King's companion; thou and I

Will dare the Cardinal and the Moor to fight
In single combat, shall we? Hah!

2. Soldier Agreed.  

Phillip We'll beat them to hell’s gate, shall we? Hah!

2. Soldier Hell’s gate's somewhat too hot, the Porter's a knave.

I'd be loath to be damned for my conscience; I'll knock anybody's costard, [40] ,

So I knock not there, my Lord, hell’s gates! 

Phillip A pox upon such slaves.   

1. Soldier Hang him, a peasant, my lord; 

You see I am but a scrag, my lord;

My legs are not of the biggest, nor the least,

 Nor the best that e'er[41] were stood upon, 

Nor the worst, but they are of God's making;  

And for your sake, if ever we put our enemies to flight again,

By God's lid if I run not after them like a tiger, huff me.   

Phillip But wilt thou stand to it e'er they fly? Ha! Wilt thou?

1. Soldier Will I, quotha? By this hand and the honour of a soldier -

Phillip And by a soldier’s honour I will load thee
With Spanish pistolets[42] to have this head, (a foreign (esp. Span. gold coin)
Thy face, and all thy body, stuck with scars,
Why 'tis a sight more glorious than to see
A lady hung with diamonds. If thou lose
A hand, I'll send this after, if an arm,
I'll lend thee one of mine. Come then, let’s fight.
A mangled lame true soldier is a gem
Worth Caesar’s empire, though fools spurn at them.

1. Soldier Yet, my lord, I have seen lame soldiers

Not worth the crutches they leant upon, 

Hands and arms, quotha? Zounds, not I; 

I'll double my files or stand sentry, or so;

But I'll be hanged and quartered,

Before I'll have my members cut off.

2 Soldier And I too; hold thee there.   

Beats them both in.

Phillip Hold you both there; away, you rogues, you dirt!
Thus do I tread upon you. Out, be gone!
One valiant is a host, fight them alone.

Enter Cardinal, Alvero, Christofero and soldiers.

Cardinal Prince Philip.

Phillip                 For the crown of Spain, come all.

Cardinal We come in love and peace.

Phillip                                            But come in war.
Bring naked swords, not laurel boughs, in peace.
Plague on your rank peace, will you fight and cry
Down with the Moor, and then I'm yours, I'll die.
I have a heart, two arms, a soul, a head,
I'll lay that down, I'll venture all; s'foot all
Come tread upon me, so that Moor may fall.

Cardinal By heaven that Moor shall fall.

Phillip Thy hand and thine;
Flings down his weapons.
Give me but half your hearts, you have all mine,
By heaven, shall he fall?

Cardinal                                      Yes, upon thee
Like to the ruins of a tower, to grind

Thy body into dust, traitor and bastard,
I do arrest thee of high treason.

Phillip Hah!
Traitor and bastard, and by thee? My weapons?

Cardinal Lay hands upon him.

Phillip Aye, you're best do so.

Cardinal Alvero, there's the warrant to your hands.
The prisoner is committed, lords; let’s part.
Look to him on your life.

Exit Cardinal and companions; manent Philip and Alvero.

Phillip Heart, heart, heart, heart. Tears the warrant.
The devil and his dam, the Moor, and my mother,
Their warrant? I will not obey, old grey beard,
Thou shalt not be my jailer, there's no prison,
No dungeon deep enough, no grates so strong
That can keep in a man so mad with wrong.
What, dost thou weep?

Alvero I would fain shed a tear,
But from mine eyes so many showers are gone.
Grief drinks my tears so fast, that here's not one;
You must to prison.

Phillip Dost thou speak to me?

Alvero You must to prison.

Phillip And from thence to death;
I thought I should have had a tomb hung round
With tattered colours, broken spears; I thought
My body should have fallen down, full of wounds.
But one can kill an emperor, fool them, why
Would'st thou have many curses? Be mad and die.

Exit.

.

Act. V.

Scene I.

Enter Roderigo and Christofero [and] two bare-headed, before them, Alvero, Cardinal alone, Zarack, and Baltazar bearing the crown on a cushion, Eleazar next, Queen Mother after him other lords after her; Alvero, sad, meets them.

Cardinal Alvero, 'tis the pleasure of the King,
Of the Queen Mother and these honoured States,
To ease you of Philip, there's a warrant
Sent to remove him to a stronger guard.

Alvero I thank you! You shall rid me of much care.

Eleazar Sit down and take your place!

Alvero If I might have the place I like best, it should be my grave.
Sits down.

The Moors stand aside with the crown; Eleazar, rising, takes it.

Eleazar Stand in voice, reach away!

Both Moors We are gone.
Exit.

Eleazar Princes of Spain, if in this royal court,
There sit a man that having laid his hold
So fast on such a jewel and dare wear it,
In the contempt of envy as I dare,
Yet uncompelled (as freely as poor pilgrims,
Bestow their prayers) would give such wealth away,
Let such a man step forth; what, do none rise?
No, no, for Kings indeed are deities.
And who'd not (as the sun) in brightness shine?
To be the greatest, is to be divine.
Who among millions would not be the mightiest?
To sit in God-like state, to have all eyes
Dazzled with admiration, and all tongues
Shouting loud prayers, to rob every heart
Of love, to have the strength of every arm.
A sovereign’s name - why 'tis a sovereign charm.
This glory round about me hath thrown beams;
I have stood upon the top of fortune’s wheel,
And backward turned the iron screw of fate,
The destinies have spun a silken thread
About my life; yet, noble Spaniards, see?
Hoc tantum tacti [43] ; thus I cast aside
The shape of Majesty and on my knee,

Kneels; the Cardinal fetches the Crown and sets it on the chair.

To this Imperial state lowly resign,
This usurpation, wiping off your fears,
Which stuck so hard upon me, let a hand
A right and royal hand take up this wreath,
And guard it; right is of it self most strong,
No kingdom got by cunning can stand long.

Cardinal Proceed to new election of a King.

All Agreed.

Eleazar Stay, peers of Spain; if young Philip,
Be Philip’s son, then is he Philip’s heir,
Then must his royal name be set in gold,
Philip is then the diamond to that ring;
But if he be a bastard, here's his seat,
For baseness has no gall till it grows great.
First therefore let him blood, if he must bleed,
Yet in what vein you strike him, best take heed:
The Portugal's his friend; you saw he came
At holding up a finger, armed; this peace
Rid hence his dangerous friendship, he's at home,
But when he hears that Philip is tied up,
Yet hears not why, he'll catch occasion’s lock,
And on that narrow bridge make shift to lead
A scrambling army through the heart of Spain;
Look to it; being in, he'll hardly out again.
Therefore first prove and then proclaim him bastard.

Alvero How shall we prove it?

Eleazar He that put him out to making
I am sure can tell; if not,
Then she that shaped him can; here's the Queen Mother,
Being pricked in conscience and preferring Spain,
Before her own respect will name the man.
If he be noble and a Spaniard born, he'll hide
The apparent scars of their infamies
With the white hand of marriage; that in time
Will eat the blemish off; say, Shall it?

All No.

Cardinal Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die.

Hortenzo Death is too easy for such villainy.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die.
I would he might; I know myself am clear
As is the new born Infant. Madam, stand forth.
Behold, to speak shame in the grave wants sense.
Heaven with sin’s greatest forfeits can dispense.

Queen Mother Would I were covered with the veil of night,
You might not see red shame sit on my check;
But being Spain’s common safety stands for truth,
Hiding my weeping eyes, I blush, and say:
Philip's father sits here.

Roderigo Here? Name him!

Queen Mother The Lord Mendoza did beget that son;
Oh! Let not this dishonour further run.

Alvero What? Cardinal Mendoza?

Queen Mother Yes, yes, even him.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die.

Cardinal I Philip’s father? Comes down; the rest talk.

Queen Mother Nay! Deny me not;
Now may a kingdom and my love be got.

Cardinal Those eyes and tongue bewitch me, shame lie here;
That love has sweetest taste that is bought dear.

Christofero What answers Lord Mendoza to the Queen?

Cardinal I confess, guilty: Philip is my son;
Her Majesty hath named the time and place.

Alvero To you, but not to us; go forward, Madam.

Queen Mother Within the circle of twice ten years since,
Your deceased King made war in Barbary,
Won Tunis, conquered Fess and hand to hand,
Slew great Abdela, King of Fess, and father
To that Barbarian Prince.

Eleazar I was but young, but now methinks
I see my father’s wounds - poor Barbary!
No more.

Queen Mother In absence of my lord, mourning his want,
To me alone, being in my private walk,
I think at Salamanca; aye, 'twas there;
Enters Mendoza under show of shrift,
Threatens my death if I denied his lust;
In fine by force he won me to his will,
I wept, and cried for help, but all in vain;
Mendoza there abused the bed of Spain.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, that saucy slave shall die.

Alvero Why did not you complain of this vile act?

Queen Mother Alas! I was alone, young, full of fear,
Bashful, and doubtful of my own defame;
Knowing King Philip rash and jealous,
I hid his sins, thinking to hide my shame.

Hortenzo What says the Cardinal?

Cardinal Such a time there was;
'Tis past, I'll make amends with marriage,
And satisfy with trentals, dirges, prayers,
The offended spirit of the wronged King.
Queen and they talk.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, that saucy slave shall die;
Oh! It would seem best, it should be thus Mendoza,
She to accuse, I urge, and both conclude,
Your marriage like a comic interlude.
Lords, will you hear this hateful sin confessed
And not impose upon the ravisher death,
The due punishment? O, it must be so.

Alvero What does the Queen desire?

Queen Mother Justice, revenge
On vile Mendoza for my ravishment!
I kiss the cold earth with my humbled knees,
From whence I will not rise, till some just hand
Cast to the ground the traitor Cardinal.

All Stand forth, Mendoza.

Eleazar Swells your heart so high?
Down Lecher, if you will not stand, then lie.

Cardinal You have betrayed me by my too much trust;
I never did this deed of rape and lust.

Roderigo Your tongue confessed it.

Cardinal True, I was enticed.

Eleazar Enticed? Do you believe that?

Queen Mother Justice, Lords! Sentence the Cardinal for
His hateful sin.

Alvero We will assemble all the States of Spain,
And as they Judge, so Justice shall be done.

Eleazar A guard! To prison with the Cardinal!

Cardinal Damned slave, my tongue shall go at liberty
To curse thee, ban that strumpet; dogs, keep off.

Enter Zarack, Baltazar and others.

Eleazar Hist, hist[44], on, on.

Queen Mother I cannot brook his sight.

Alvero You must to prison, and be patient.
Cardinal Weep'st thou, Alvero? All struck dumb? My fears
Are that those drops will change to bloody tears.
This woman and this serpent!

Queen Mother Drag him hence.

Cardinal Who dares lay hands upon me? Lords of Spain
Let your swords bail me, this false Queen did lie.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die.

Cardinal I'll fight with thee, damned hellhound, for my life.

Eleazar Spaniard or Moor, the saucy slave shall die.

Cardinal I’ll prove upon thy head.

Eleazar The slave shall die.

Cardinal Lords, stop this villain’s throat.

Eleazar Shall die, shall die.

Cardinal Hear me, but speak.

Eleazar Away.

Alvero Words are ill spent
Where wrong sits judge; you're armed if innocent.

Cardinal Well, then I must to prison. Moor, no more.
Heavens thou art just, Prince Philip I betrayed,
And now myself fall, guile with guile is paid.                                         

Exit.

Queen Mother Philip being proved a bastard, who shall sit
Upon this empty throne?

Eleazar Strumpet, not you.
Queen Mother Strumpet? And if I not sit there, who then?

Eleazar Down back! If she touches it, she’ll bewitch the chair;
This throne belongs to Isabel the fair,
Bring forth the Princess in royal robes,
The true affecter of Alvero's son,
Virtuous Hortenzo. Lords, behold your Queen.

Scene II

Enter Isabella led in, in royal robes, and Hortenzo.

Queen Mother Thou villain! What intendst thou, savage slave?

Eleazar To advance virtue thus, and thus to tread
On lust, on murder, on adultery’s head
Look, Lords, upon your sovereign Isabel,
Though all may doubt the fruits of such a womb,
Is she not like King Philip? Let her rule.

Queen Mother She rule?

Eleazar                           She rule? Aye she.

Queen Mother A child to sway an empire? I am her protectress;
I’ll pour black curses on thy damned head,
If thou wrongst me. Lords, Lords!

Eleazar Princes of Spain,
Be deaf, be blind, hear not, behold her not,
She killed my virtuous wife.

Queen Mother He killed your King.

Eleazar It was in my just wrath.

Queen Mother It was to get his crown.

Eleazar His crown! Why here 'tis: thou slewst him, Maria,
To have access to my unstained bed.
Queen Mother Oh heaven!

Eleazar It is true, how often have I stopped
Thy unchaste songs from passing through mine ears?
How often, when thy luxurious arms have twinned
About my jetty neck, have I cried out
Away, those scalding veins burn me? 'Tis true.

Queen Mother Devil, 'tis a lie!

Eleazar Thou slewst my sweet Maria;
Alvero, 'twas thy daughter, 'twas; Hortenzo,
She was thy sister. Justice, Isabella!
This serpent poisoned thy dear father’s bed,
Setting large horns on his imperial head[45].

Queen Mother Hear me.

Eleazar Hah! Why?

Alvero Madam, you shall be heard,
Before the courts, before the courts of Spain

Eleazar A guard, a guard.

Enter two Moors and others.

Queen Mother A guard for what? For whom?

Hortenzo To wait on you,
So many great sins must not wait with few.

Queen Mother Keep me in prison! Dare you, Lords?

Alvero Oh no!
Were your cause strong, we would not arm you so;
But honour fainting needs many hands,
Kingdoms stand safe, when mischief lies in bands.
You must to prison.

Exit.

Queen Mother Must I? Must I, slave!
I’ll damn thee, ere thou triumph'st over my grave.

Exit with a guard.

Scene III

Manet Eleazar.

Eleazar Do, do! My jocund spleen;
It does, it will, it shall; I have at one throw
Rifled away the diadem of Spain;
It is gone, and there's no more to set, but this
At all; then at this last cast I’ll sweep up
My former petty losses, or lose all
Like to a desperate gamester; hah! How, fast?

Enter Zarack.

Zarack Except their bodies turn to airy spirits,
And fly through windows, they are fast, my Lord
If they can eat through locks and bars of iron,
They may escape, if not, then not.

Eleazar Ho! Zarack!
Wit is a thief, there's pick lock police,
To whom all doors fly open, therefore go,
In our name charge the keeper to resign
His office, and if he has tricks of cruelty,
Let him bequeath them at his death, for kill him;
Turn all thy body into eyes, and watch them!

Let those eyes like fiery comets
Sparkle out nothing but the death of kings.
And ah! Now thus thou know'st I did invent
A torturing iron chain.

Zarack Oh! For necks my lord?.

Eleazar Aye! That, that, that, away and yoke them - stay,

Enter Baltazar.

Here's Baltazar. Go both, teach them to preach,
Through an iron pillory; I’ll spread a net
To catch Alvero. O, he is old and wise;
They are unfit to live, that have sharp eyes. Hortenzo, Roderigo, to’t, to't all:
They have supple knees slacked brows, but hearts of gall:
Their bitterness shall be washed off with blood,
Tyrants swim safest in a crimson flood.

Baltazar I come to tell your grace that Isabella
Is with Hortenzo arm in arm at hand.
Zarack and I may kill them; now with ease
Is it done, and then 'tis done.

Zarack Murder thou the man,
And I’ll stab her.

Eleazar No, I’ll speed her myself;
Arm in arm, so, so, look upon this ring:
Who ever brings this token to your hands
Regard not for what purpose, seize on them,
And chain them to the rest; they come, away.
Murder be proud, and tragedy laugh on,
I’ll seek a stage for thee to jest upon.

Enter Isabella and Hortenzo, seeing the Moor, turn back.

Eleazar My Lord, My Lord Hortenzo?

Hortenzo Hah! Is it you?
Trust me I saw you not.

Eleazar What makes your grace so sad?

Hortenzo She grieves for the imprisoned Queen, her mother,
And for Philip. In the sandy heap,
That wait upon an hour, there are not found
So many little bodies as those sighs
And tears, which she hath every minute spent,
Since her loved brother felt Imprisonment.

Eleazar Pity, great pity; would it lay in me
To give him liberty.

Isabel It does.

Eleazar In me?
Free him, your Mother Queen, and Cardinal too.
In me? Alas! Not me, no, no, in you,
Yet, for I’ll have my conscience white and pure.
Here, madam, take this ring, and if my name
Can break down castle walls and open gates,
Take it, and do’t, fetch them all forth - and yet
It is unfit you should go.

Hortenzo That happy office I’ll execute myself.

Eleazar Will you? Would I
Stood gracious in their sight. Well, go,
Do what you will, Hortenzo, if this charm
Unbinds them, here it is. Lady, you and I
Aloof will follow him, and when we meet,
Speak for me, for I’ll kiss Philip's feet.

Hortenzo I shall be proud to see all reconciled.                                       

Exit.

Eleazar Alas! My Lord, why true, go, go.

Isabel Make haste, dear love.

Eleazar Hortenzo is a man
Composed of sweet proportion, has a foot,
A leg, a hand, a face, an eye, a wit,
The best Hortenzo in the Spanish Court.
Oh! He's the nonpareil[46].

Isabel Your tongue had wont
To be more sparing in Hortenzo’s praise.

Eleazar Aye, I may curse his praises, rather ban
Mine own nativity. Why did this colour
Dart in my flesh so far? Oh, would my face
Were of Hortenzo's fashion, else would yours
Were as black as mine is.

Isabel Mine like yours, why?

Eleazar Hark! I love you, yes faith, I said this, I love you;
I do; leave him.

Isabel Damnation, vanish from me.

Eleazar Coy? Were you as hard as flint, o, you should yield
Like softened wax; were you as pure as fire,
I’ll touch you, yes, I’ll taint you, see you this,
I’ll bring you to this lure.

Isabel If I want hands
To kill myself, before thou dost it, do.

Eleazar I’ll cut away your hands; well, my desire
Is raging as the sea, and mad as fire;
Will you?

Isabel Torment me not, good devil!

Eleazar Will you?

Isabel I’ll tear mine eyes out if they tempt thy lust.

Eleazar Do.

Isabel Touch me not, these knives -

Eleazar Aye, aye, kill yourself!
Because I jest with you, I wrong Hortenzo?
Settle your thoughts, 'twas but a trick to try
That which few women have, true constancy.

Isabel If then, my speeches taste of gall.

Eleazar Nay, faith,
You are not bitter, no, you should have railed,
Have spit upon me, spurned me, you are not bitter;
Why, do you think that I'd nurse a thought,
To hurt your honour? If that thought had brains,
I'd beat them out, but come, by this, Hortenzo is fast.

Isabel Hah! Fast?

Eleazar Aye, fast in Philip's arms,
Wrestling together for the price of love;
By this, they're on the way; I’ll be your guard.
Come, follow me, I’ll lead you in the van [47] ,
Where thou shalt see four chins upon one chain.                                         

Exit.

Scene IV

Enter Hortenzo, Queen Mother, Cardinal and Philip chained by the necks, Zarack, and Baltazar busy about fastening Hortenzo.

Hortenzo You damned ministers of villainy,
Sworn to damnation by the book of hell;
You maps of night, you element of devils,
Why do you yoke my neck with iron chains?

Baltazar Many do borrow chains, but you have this
Gratis, for nothing.

Cardinal Slaves, unbind us!

Both No!

Exit two Moors.

Phillip I am impatient! Veins, why crack you not
And tilt your blood into the face of heaven
To make red clouds like ensigns in the sky,
Displaying a damned tyrant's cruelty?
Yet can I laugh in my extremest pangs
Of blood and spirit to see the Cardinal,
Keep rank with me and my vile Mother Queen,
To see herself, where she would have me seen.
Good fellowship i'faith.

Hortenzo And I can tell,
True misery, love’s a companion well.

Phillip Thou left'st me to the mercy of a Moor,
That hath damnation dyed upon his flesh;
It was well; thou, Mother, did'st unmotherly
Betray thy true son to false bastardy;
Thou left'st me then, now thou art found, and staid,
And thou who did'st betray me, art betrayed.
A plague upon you all!

Cardinal Thou cursest them;
Whom may I curse? First may I curse myself,
Too credulous of loyalty and love;
Next, may I curse the Moor, more than a devil;
And last thy mother, mother of all evil.

Queen Mother All curses and all crosses light on thee,
What need I curse myself when all curse me?
I have been deadly impious, I confess;
Forgive me and my sin will seem the less;
This heavy chain, which now my neck assaults,
Weighs ten times lighter than my heavy faults.

Phillip Hortenzo, I commend myself to thee;
Thou that art nearest, stand'st furthest off from me.

Hortenzo That mould of hell, that Moor has chained me here.
It is not myself, but Isabel I fear.

Scene V

Enter Eleazar, Zarack and Baltazar.

Eleazar It's strange! Will not Prince Philip come with Hortenzo?

Zarack He swears he'll live and die there.

Eleazar Marry and shall.
I pray, persuade him you to leave the place;
A prison, why it’s hell. Alas, here they be;
Hah! They are they i'faith, see, see, see, see.

All Moor, devil, toad, serpent.

Eleazar Oh sweet airs, sweet voices.

Isabel Oh my Hortenzo!

Eleazar Do not these birds sing sweetly, Isabella?
Oh! How their spirits would leap aloft and spring,
Had they their throats at liberty to sing.

Phillip Damnation dog thee.

Cardinal Furies follow thee.

Queen Mother Comets confound thee.

Hortenzo And hell swallow thee.

Eleazar Sweeter and sweeter still, oh! Harmony,
Why there's no music like to misery.

Isabel Hast thou betrayed me thus?

Eleazar Not I, not I.

Phillip Sirrah[48] hedgehog.

Eleazar Hah! I’ll hear thee presently.

Isabel Hear me then, hellhound; slaves, unchain my love!
Or by -

Eleazar By what? Is it not rare walking here?
Methinks this stage shows like a tennis court,
Does it not, Isabel? I’ll show thee how:
Suppose that iron chain to be the line,
The prison doors the hazard and their heads
Scarce peeping ore the line suppose the balls;
Had I a racket now of burnished steel,
How smoothly could I bandy every ball,
Over this globe of earth, win set and all.

Phillip How brisk the villain jests in villainy!

Eleazar Prating? He's proud because he wears a chain
Take it off Baltazar, and take him hence.

They unbind him.

Phillip And whither[49] then you, dog?

Isabel Pity my brother.

Eleazar Pity him? No; away, aye, come, do, come.

Phillip I pray thee, kill me! Come?

Eleazar I hope to see thy own hands do that office;

Down with him.

Phillip Is there another hell?

2 Moors Try, try, he's gone.

Eleazar So him next, he next and next him; and then?

All Worse than damnation, fiend, monster of men.

Eleazar Why, when? Down, down.

Cardinal Slave, as thou thrusts me down,
Into this dungeon, so sink thou to hell.

Queen Mother Amen, Amen.

Eleazar Together so and you.

Isabel O pity my Hortenzo!

Hortenzo Farewell, sweet Isabel, my life adieu!

All Mischief and horror let the Moor pursue.

Eleazar A consort, that amain, plays that amain,
Amain, Amain. Not so soon fallen asleep?
Nay I’ll not lose this music; sirrah! sirrah!
Take thou a drum, a trumpet thou, and hark;
Mad them with villainous sounds.

Zarack Rare sport, let's go.

Exit Zarack and Baltazar.

Eleazar About it, music will do well in woe;
How like you this?
Isabel Set my Hortenzo free,
And I’ll like anything.

Eleazar A fool, a fool?
Hortenzo free, why look you, he free? No!
Then must he marry you, you must be Queen,
He in a manner King; these dignities
Like poison make men swell; this rat’s bane honour
O 'tis so sweet, they'll lick it till all burst.
He will be proud, and pride you know must fall.
Come, come, he shall not; no, no; 'tis more meet
To keep him down, safe standing on his feet.

Isabel Eleazar -

Eleazar Mark, the imperial chair of Spain,
Is now as empty as a miser’s alms;
Be wise; I yet dare sit in it; it's for you,
If you will be for me, there's room for two.
Do, meditate, muse on it: it's best for thee
To love me, live with me, and lie with me.

Isabel Thou knowst I’ll first lie in the arms of death.
My meditations are how to revenge,
Thy bloody tyrannies; I fear thee not
Inhuman slave, but to thy face defy
Thy lust, thy love, thy barbarous villainy.

Eleazar Zarack.

Enter Zarack.

Zarack My Lord!

Eleazar Where's Baltazar?

Zarack A drumming.

Eleazar I have made them rave and curse, and
So, guard her.
Your Court shall be this prison; guard her, slaves,
With open eyes. Defy me? See my veins
Strucked out, being over heated with my blood,
Boiling in wrath: I’ll tame you.

Isabel Do, do.

Eleazar Hah!
I will, and once more fill a kingdom’s throne.
Spain, I’ll new-mould thee: I will have a chair
Made all of dead men’s bones, and the ascents
Shall be the heads of Spaniards set in ranks;
I will have Philip's head, Hortenzo's head,
Mendoza's head, thy mother’s head, and this,
This head that is so crossed, I’ll have it.
The scene wants actors, I’ll fetch more, and clothe it
In rich cothurnal pomp. A tragedy
Ought to be grave, graves this shall beautify.
Moor, execute to the life my dread commands;
Vengeance awake, thou hast much work in hand.

Exit.

Zarack I'm weary of this office and this life,
It is too thirsty and I would your blood
Might escape the filling out. By heaven I swear,
I scorn these blows and his rebukes to bear.

Isabel Oh! Zarack, pity me, I love thee well;
Love deserves pity, pity Isabel.

Zarack What would you have me do?

Isabel To kill this Moor.

Zarack I’ll cast an eye of death upon my face.
I’ll be no more his slave; swear to advance me;
And by yon setting sun, this hand, and this
Shall rid you of a tyrant.

Isabel By my birth;
No Spaniard's honoured place shall equal thine.

Zarack I’ll kill him then.

Isabel And Baltazar.

Zarack And he.

Isabel I pray thee first, fetch Philip and Hortenzo
Out of that hell; they two will be most glad
To aid thee in this execution.

Zarack My Lord Philip and Hortenzo, rise;
Your hands; so, talk to her; at my return
This sword shall reek with blood of Baltazar.

Exit.

Phillip Three curses, like three commendations
To their three souls, I send. Thy tortured brother
Does curse the Cardinal, the Moor and thy Mother.

Isabel Curse not at all, dear souls; revenge is hot,
And boils in Zarack’s brains; the plot is craft,
Into the mould of hell. You free men are;
Zarack will kill the Moor and Baltazar.

Hortenzo How can that relish?

Isabel Why? I’ll tell you how.
I did profess I, and protested too,
I loved him well, what will not sorrow do?
Then he professed, I, and protested too
To kill them both, what will not devils do?

Phillip Then I profess; I, and protest it too,
That here's for him; what will not Philip do?

Hortenzo See where he comes.

Enter the two Moors.

Baltazar Zarack, what do I see?
Hortenzo and Philip, who did this?

Zarack I, Baltazar.

Baltazar Thou art half damned for It, I’ll do my Lord.

Zarack I’ll stop you on your way, lie there!
Thy tongue shall tell no tales today.

Stabs him.

Phillip Nor thine tomorrow, his revenge was well.

Stabs him.

                              By this time both the slaves shake hands in hell.

Isabel Philip and Hortenzo, stand you still;

What do you both? Cannot you see your play?

Well fare a woman then to lead the way.

Once rob the dead, put the Moors'

Habits on and paint your faces with the oil of hell,

So waiting on the Tyrant.

Philip Come, no more; It is here and here;  

Room there below, stand wide, and bury them  

  Well since they so goodly did.  

Hortenzo Away then, fate now let revenge be placed. 

Philip Here.  

Hortenzo And here, a tyrant’s blood does sweetly taste.

Exit.

Scene VI

Enter Eleazar, Alvero, Roderigo, Christofero and other lords.

Eleazar Why I imprison? Who?

All Philip and Hortenzo.

Eleazar Philip and Hortenzo, ha, ha, ha.

Roderigo Why laughs the Moor?

Eleazar I laugh because you jest;

Laugh at a jest. Who I, imprison them?

I prize their lives with weights, their necks with chains,

                                       Their hands with manacles. I do all this

                                       Because my face is in night’s colour dyed.

Think you my conscience and my soul is so,
Black faces may have hearts as white as snow
And 'tis a general rule in moral rules[50],
The whitest faces have the blackest souls.

Alvero But touching my Hortenzo -

Eleazar Good old man, I never touched him,

Do not touch me then with thy Hortenzo.

Christofero Where's Philip too?

Eleazar And where's Philip too?

I pray, I pray is Philip a tame Spaniard?

What can Philip him hither, hither make him fly?

First where's Hortenzo, where's Philip too?

Roderigo And where is Isabel? She was with you.

Eleazar And where is Isabel? She was with me,

Enter Philip and Hortenzo like Moors.

And so are you, yet are you

  Well you see but in good time, see where their keepers come.

Come hither Zarack,  

Baltazar, come hither;

Zarack, old Lord Alvero asks of thee, where young Hortenzo is.   

Hortenzo My lord, set free.  

Eleazar Oh! Is he so? Come hither Baltazar,
Lord Christofero here would ask of thee

Where Prince Philip is.

Phillip My Lord, set free.

Eleazar Oh is he so? Roderigo asks me for Isabel.

Philip I say my Lord, she's free.

Eleazar Oh! Is she so?

Phillip Believe me, lords.

Hortenzo And me.

Philip I set Philip -

Hortenzo I set Hortenzo free.

Eleazar My lords, because you shall believe me too,
Go to the Castle, I will follow you.

Alvero Thanks to the mighty Moor and for his fame,
Be more in honour than thou art in name;
But let me wish the other prisoners well,
The Queen and Cardinal, let all have right,
Let law absolve them or dissolve them quite.

Eleazar Grave man, thy grey hairs paint out gravity,
Thy counsel’s wisdom, thy wit policy.
There, let us meet and with a general brain,
Erect the peace of spirit and of Spain.

Alvero Then will Spain flourish?

Eleazar Aye, when it is mine.

Roderigo O heavenly meeting!

Eleazar We must part in hell.

Christofero True peace of joy.

Exit; manent Eleazar Phillip and Hortenzo.

Eleazar It is a dissembling knell.
Farewell my lords, meet there so ha, ha, ha.

Draws his rapier.
Now tragedy, thou minion of the night,
Rhamnusias' pew-fellow, to thee I’ll sing
Upon an harp made of dead Spanish bones,
The proudest instrument the world affords;
When thou in crimson jollity shalt bath,

Thy limbs as black as mine, in springs of blood;

Still gushing from the conduit head of Spain.

To thee that never blushed,

Though thy cheeks are full of blood.

O, Saint Revenge, to thee

I consecrate my murders,

All my stabs, my bloody labours, tortures, stratagems,

The volume of all wounds that wound from me;

Mine is the stage, thine is the tragedy.

Where am I now? O, at the prison?

True, Zarack and Baltazar, come hither, see,

Survey my library. I study, whilst you two sleep,

Marry, it is villainy.

Here's a good book,

Zarack, behold it well,

It's deeply written for 'twas made in hell.

Now Baltazar, a better book for thee,

But for myself, this, this,

The best of all;

And therefore do I chain it every day,

For fear the readers steal the art away.

Where thou stand'st now?

There must Hortenzo hang,

Like Tantalus [51] in a maw [52] -eating pang;

There, Baltazar must Prince Philip stand,

Like damned Prometheus [53] and, to act his part,

Shall have a dagger sticking at his heart.

But in my room I’ll set the cardinal, and he shall preach

Repentance to them all, ha, ha, ha.

Phillip Damnation tickles him, he laughs again.

  Philip must stand there and bleed to death.

Well, villain, I only laugh to see,

That we shall live to out laugh him and thee.

Eleazar Oh! Fit, fit, fit, stay a rare jest, rare jest.

Zarack, suppose thou art Hortenzo now

I pray thee stand in passion of a pang,

To see by thee how quaintly he would hang.

Hortenzo I am Hortenzo, tut-tut,

Fear not man, thou lookest like Zarack.

Eleazar I Hortenzo; here, he shall hang here,

I'faith; come, Zarack, come and Baltazar, take thou Phillip’s room.

First let me see you placed

Phillip We're placed.

Eleazar Slaves, ha, ha, ha, you are, but players,

They must end the play,

How like Hortenzo and Philip stand my two slaves,

Were they as black as you!

Well, Zarack, I’ll unfix thee

First of all, thou shalt help me to play the Cardinal,

This iron engine on his head I’ll clap,

Like a pope’s mitre or a cardinal’s cap, Then manacle [54] his hands as thou dost mine.

So, so, I pray thee, Zarack, set him free,

That both of you may stand and laugh at me.

Phillip It is fin,e i'faith, call in more company:
Alvero, Roderigo and the rest,
Who will not laugh at Eleazar’s jest?

Eleazar What? Zarack, Baltazar.

Phillip Aye, anon, anon, we have not laughs enough, it's but begun. 

Who knocks?

Eleazar Unmanacle my hands, I say!

Phillip Then shall we mar our mirth and spoil the play?
                                       Who knocks within?

Alvero Alvero.

Phillip Let Alvero in.

Eleazar And let me out.

Enter all below.

Phillip I thank you for that flout,
To let Alvero in and let you out.

Eleazar Villains, slaves, am I not your lord the Moor and Eleazar? 

Queen Mother And the devil of hell,
And more than that, and Eleazar too.

Eleazar And devil’s dam, what do I here with you.

Queen Mother My tongue shall torture thee.

Eleazar I know thee then;

All women’s tongues are tortures unto men.

Queen Mother Spaniards, this was the villain,

This is he who through enticements of alluring lust

And glory which makes silly women proud,

And men malicious, did incense my spirit

Beyond the limits of a woman’s mind,

To wrong myself and that lord Cardinal;  

And that which sticks more near unto my blood,

He that was nearest to my blood,

My son, to dispossess him of his right by wrong;

Oh! That I might embrace him on these breasts,

Which did enclose him when he first was born.

No greater happiness can heaven show upon me

Than to circle in these arms of mine,

That son whose royal blood I did defame,

To crown with honour an ambitious Moor.

Phillip Thus then thy happiness is complete,
Embraces her.
Behold thy Philip ransomed from that prison
In which the Moor had cloistered him.

Hortenzo And here's Hortenzo.

Eleazar Then am I betrayed and cozened in my own designs?

I did contrive their ruin,

But their subtle policy hath blasted my ambitious thoughts.

Villains! Where's Zarack? Where's Baltazar?

What have you done with them?

Phillip They're gone to Pluto's kingdom[55]

To provide a place for thee and to attend thee there;

But least they should be tired with too long expecting hopes.

Come, brave spirits of Spain,

This is the Moor, the actor of these evils,

Thus thrust him down to act amongst the devils. 

Stabs him.

Eleazar And am I thus dispatched?

Had I but breathed the space of one hour longer, 

I would have fully acted my revenge.

But oh! Now pallid death bids me prepare,

And haste to Charon [56] for to be his fare. 

I come, but ere my glass is run,

I’ll curse you all, and cursing end my life.

Maist thou, Lascivious Queen whose damned charms,

Bewitched me to the circle of thy arms,

Unpitied die, consumed with loathed lust,

Which thy venomous mind hath basely nurst.

And for you, Philip, may your days be long,

But clouded with perpetual misery.

May thou Hortenzo, and thy Isabel,

Be fetched alive by furies into hell,

There to be damned forever!

Oh! I faint, devils, come claim your right,

And when I am confined within your kingdom

Then shall out-act you all in perfect villainy.  

Dies.

Phillip Take down his body while his blood streams forth,

His acts are past and our last act is done.

Now do I challenge my hereditary right

To the royal Spanish throne, usurped by him.

In which, in all your sights, I thus do plant myself.

Lord Cardinal and you the Queen, my mother,

I pardon all those crimes you have committed.  

Queen Mother I’ll now repose myself in peaceful rest,
And fly unto some solitary residence;
Where I’ll spin out the remnant of my life,
In true contrition for my past offences.

Phillip And now, Hortenzo, to close up your wound,
I here contract my sister unto thee,
With comic joy to end a tragedy.
And for this Barbarous Moor, and his black train,
Let all the Moors be banished from Spain!

Exit.

The end of the fifth act.

Back matter

FINIS.

COMMENTARY

---

[1] J. P. Collier, ed., Dodsley’s A Select Collection of Old Plays, vol. II (London: 1825-1827), 311. p. 264

---

[1] Fess is now known as Fez and it was one of the ancient capitals of Morocco.

[2] Barbary probably from Barbary States which were the North African states of Tripolitania, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

[3] Cum aliis Latin expression which means with others.

[4] Infanta a daughter of the ruling monarch of Spain or Portugal, usually the eldest daughter who is not heir to the throne.

[5] Prithee Contracted form of pray for thee, archaic for please.

[6] The st termination shows the verb is in the singular second person, this is only used with the pronoun thou, e.g. thou believ’st.

[7] Beldam an old woman.

[8] Jove one of the most Gods from Roman mythology.

[9] Maist archaic form for must.

[10] The original word in the text was swounded which I decided to change to swooned which means fainted.

[11] Pish a dismissive exclamation.

[12] Ere before

[13] Haste urgency of movement or action, excessive hurry.

[14] Burthen archaic for burden, an oppressive duty.

[15] Hither nearer

[16] Ne’re never

[17] Hath has

[18] Male content unhappy

[19] Whither archaic to what place

[20] Lecher a debauchee.

[21] S’foot abbreviation for his foot

[22] Pish an expression of contempt, impatience, or disgust.

[23] O’re archaic for over.

[24] Vex archaic for grieve, afflict.

[25] Err make a mistake.

[26] Omnis Latin for all.

[27] Ottoman a great Muslim empire that had its halcyon days in the sixteenth century

[28] Valete, Gaudete; Sipereamus flete; Orate pro nobis, Oramus pro vobis, from Latin, means in free translation: Farewell, be glad; If we die, cry; Pray for us, we pray for you.

[29] Presto from Latin quick

[30] S’heart abbreviation for his heart

[31] Succour help

[32] Solus Latin for alone

[33] Sextus Tarquinius was the son of a tyrannical Roman Emperor. He raped Lucretia, Collatine’s wife, who committed suicide. The Republicans used Lucretia’s death as an opportunity to raise a rebellion against the Tarquinius’ rule and depose them.

[34] Anon archaic for soon

[35] From Latin: incipe frater, begin brother; non ego domine, not I Lord; nec ego, nor I; quare? How; Quia?, why; quaese, I beg.

[36] Holla an exclamation

[37] Manet from Latin, it remains

[38] Whosoe’re whosoever

[39] Ne’re never

[40] Costard head.

[41] E’re archaic for ever.

[42] Pistolets Spanish gold coins.

[43] Hoc tantum tacti from Latin, this of such size

[44] Hist archaic expression used to call attention.

[45] Large horns on someone’s head means to make someone a cuckold, this expression is still in use in Latin languages.

[46] Nonpareil, from French unrivalled or unique.

[47] Van front line, advance guard

[48] Sirrah archaic for sir

[49] Whither archaic to what place or position

[50] The original word in the text was rowel, but I decided to change it to rule because it seems to make more sense in the context.

[51] Tantalus a character in Greek mythology who was 'tantalised' by the constant sight of food and drink which he could never reach.

[52] Maw the stomach of an animal; the jaws or throat of a voracious animal; or the stomach of a greedy person

[53] Prometheus this is a reference to Prometheus who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the mortals. As a punishment, Zeus condemned him to hang from a mountain where each day an eagle would appear and eat a part of his liver.

[54] To manacle, to handcuff.

[55] Pluto’s kingdom Hades or the underworld

[56] Charon, in Greek mythology, is the ferryman of the dead