Con. Some courtier, belike, would have it | Once more into your favour.
You are ignorant in the nature of his fault, Which, when you understand, (as we'll instruct you)
Your pity will appear a charity,
(It being conferred on an unthankful man,) To be repented. He's a traitor, madam, To you, to us, to gratitude; and in that All crimes are comprehended.
Fio. If his offence
Aimed at me only, whatsoe'er it is, Tis freely pardoned.
Coz. This compassion in you
Must make the colour of his guilt more ugly. The honours we have hourly heaped upon him, The titles, the rewards, to the envy of The old nobility, as the common people, We now forbear to touch at, and will only Insist on his gross wrongs to you. You were pleased,
Forgetting both yourself and proper greatness, To favour him, nay, to court him to embrace A happiness, which, on his knees, with joy He should have sued for. Who repined not at The grace you did him! Yet, in recompense Of your large bounties, the disloyal wretch Makes you a stale; and, that he might be by
Move us again, if your reason will allow it, His treachery known. And then, if you continue An advocate for him, we, perhaps, because We would deny you nothing, may awake Our sleeping mercy. Carolo!
[They whisper. Fio. To endure a rival, that were equal to me, Cannot but speak my poverty of spirit; But an inferior, more: Yet true love must not Know or degrees, or distances. Lydia may be As far above me in her form, as she
Is in her birth beneath me; and what I In Sanazarro liked, he loves in her. But if I free him now, the benefit Being done so timely, and confirming too My strength and power, my soul's best faculties being
Bent wholly to preserve him, must supply me With all I am defective in, and bind him My creature ever. It must needs be so, Nor will I give it o'er thus.
Coz. Does our nephew Bear his restraint so constantly as you Deliver it to us?
Car. In my judgment, sir,
He suffers more for his offence to you, Than in his fear of what can follow it. For he is so collected and prepared To welcome that you shall determine of him, As if his doubts and fears were equal to him. And sure he's not acquainted with much guilt, That more laments the telling one untruth, Under your pardon still, (for 'twas a fault, sir,) Than others, that pretend to conscience, do Their crying secret sins.
Coz. No more; this gloss
Defends not the corruption of the text; Urge it no more.
[CAROLO and the others whisper. Fio. I once more must make bold, sir, To trench upon your patience. I have Considered my wrongs duly: Yet that cannot Divert my intercession for a man,
Your grace, like me, once favoured. I am still A suppliant to you, that you would vouchsafe The hearing his defence, and that I may, With your allowance, see, and comfort him, Then, having heard all that he can alledge In his excuse for being false to you, Censure him as you please.
Coz. You will o'ercome;
There's no contending with you. Pray you, enjoy What you desire, and tell him, he shall have A speedy trial, in which we'll forbear
To sit as judge, because our purpose is To rise up his accuser,
Fio. All increase
Of happiness wait on Cozimo.
[Exeunt FIORINDA and CALAMINTA.
Alph. Was it no more?
Car. My honour's pawned for it. Con. I'll second you.
Lod. Since it is for the service and the safety Of the hopeful prince, fall what can fall, I'll run The desperate hazard.
Hie. He's no friend to virtue That does decline it.
Coz. Ha! what sue you for? Shall we be ever troubled? Do not tempt That anger may consume you,
Such happiness, what would we not dispense with?
Alph. Lod. Hie. We all kneel for the prince. Con. Nor can it stand
With your mercy, that are gracious to strangers, To be cruel to your own.
Coz. But art thou certain I shall behold her at the best? Car. If ever
She was handsome, as it fits not me to say so, She is now much bettered.
Coz. Rise; thou art but dead
If this prove otherwise. Lydia, appear, And feast an appetite, almost pined to death With longing expectation to behold
Thy excellencies: Thou, as beauty's queen, Shalt censure the detractors. Let my nephew Be led in triumph under her command; We'll have it so; and Sanazarro tremble
To think whom he hath slandered. We'll retire Ourselves a little, and prepare to meet
A blessing, which, imagination tells us, We are not worthy of, and then come forth; But with such reverence, as if I were Myself the priest, the sacrifice, my heart, To offer at the altar of that goodness, That must or kill or save me.
Car. Are not these Strange gambols in the duke? Alph. Great princes have,
Like meaner men, their weakness. Lod. And may use it
Without controul or check.
Con. 'Tis fit they should;
Their privilege were less else than their subjects. Hie. Let them have their humours; there's no crossing them. [Exeunt.
Enter FIORINDA, SANAZARRO, and CALAMINTA.
Sqn. And can it be your bounties should fall down
In showers on my ingratitude? Or the wrongs Your greatness should revenge, teach you to pity? What retribution can I make? what service Pay to your goodness, that in some proportion, May to the world express I would be thankful? Since my engagements are so great, that all My best endeavours to appear your creature, Can but proclaim my wants, and what I owe To your magnificence.
Fio. All debts are discharged
In this acknowledgment: Yet, since you please, I shall impose some terms of satisfaction For that, which you profess yourself obliged for: They shall be gentle ones, and such as will not, I hope, afilict you.
San. Make me understand, Great princess, what they are, and my
Shall, with all cheerful willingness, subscribe
To what you shall command. Fio. I will bind you to
Make good your promise. First, I then enjoin When he beholds you as you are, he cannot
To love a lady, that a noble way
Truly affects you; and that you would take To your protection and care, the dukedom Of Urbin, which no more is mine, but yours; And that, when you have full possession of My person, as my fortunes, you would use me, Not as a princess, but instruct me in The duties of an humble wife; for such, The privilege of my birth no more remembered, I will be to you. This consented to,
All injuries forgotten, on your lips
I thus sign your quietus.
San. I am wretched
In having but one life to be employed
As you please to dispose it: And, believe it, If it be not already forfeited
To the fury of my prince, as 'tis your gift, With all the faculties of my soul I'll study, In what I may, to serve you.
Fio. I am happy
Enter GIOVANNI and LYDIA.
In this assurance.-What
Sweet lady's this?
San. 'Tis Lydia, madam, she
Fio. I understand you.
Nay, blush not; by my life, she is a rare one! And, if I were your judge, I would not blame
To like and love her.-But, sir, you are mine
And I presume so on your constancy, That I dare not be jealous.
San. All thoughts of her
Are in your goodness buried. Lyd. Pray you, sir,
Be comforted; your innocence should not know What 'tis to fear, and if you but look on
The guards, that you have in yourself, you can
The duke's your uncle, sir; and though a little Incensed at you, when he sees your sorrow, He must be reconciled. What rugged Tartar, Or cannibal, though bathed in human gore, But, looking on your sweetness, would forget His cruel nature, and let fall his weapon, Though then aimed at your throat ? Giov. O Lydia,
Of maids the honour, and your sex's glory! It is not fear to die, but to lose you, That brings this fever on me. I will now Discover to you that, which, till this minute, I durst not trust the air with. Ere you knew What power the magic of your beauty had, I was enchanted by it, liked, and loved it, My fondness still encreasing with my years; And, flattered by false hopes, I did attend
Some blessed opportunity to move The duke, with his consent, to make you But now, such is my star-crossed destiny, Deny himself the happiness to enjoy you. And I as well in reason may entreat him To give away his crown, as to part from A jewel of more value, such you are: Yet, howsoever, when you are his dutchess, And I am turned unto forgotten dust, Pray you, love my memory. I should say more, But I am cut off.
Enter COZIMO, CAROLO, CONTARINO, and others.
San. The duke! that countenance, once, When it was cloathed in smiles, shewed like an angel's;
But, now 'tis folded up in clouds of fury,
'Tis terrible to look on.
[The DUKE admiring LYDIA.
Coz. A while Silence your musical tongue, and let me feast My eyes with the most ravishing object that They ever gazed on. There's no miniature In her fair face, but is a copious theme Which would (discoursed at large of) make a volume.
What clear arched brows! What sparkling eyes! The lilies
Contending with the roses in her cheeks, Who shall most set them off! What ruby lips! Or unto what can I compare her neck, But to a rock of crystal! Every limb Proportioned to love's wish, and in their neat-
Add lustre to the richness of her habit, Not borrow from it.
Lyd. You are pleased to shew, sir, The fluency of your language, in advancing A subject much uuworthy.
Coz. How unworthy?
By all the vows which lovers offer at The Cyprian goddess' altars, eloquence. Itself, presuming as you are to speak you, Would be struck dumb. And what have you de- served, then,
(Wretches, you kneel too late) that have endcavoured
To spout the poison of your black detraction On this immaculate whiteness! Was it malice To her perfections? Or—
Fio. Your highness promised
A gracious hearing to the count.. Lyd. And prince too;
Do not make void such a grant. Coz. We will not;
Yet, since their accusation must be urged, And strongly, ere their weak defence have hear- ing, [Seats the ladies. We scat you here, as judges, to determine
Of your gross wrongs and ours. And now, re- Than rhetorick, to make good his accusation,
Whose deputies we are, be neither swayed, Or with particular spleen or foolish pity; For neither can become you.
Car. There's some hope yet, Since they have such gentle judges. Coz. Rise, and stand forth, then, And hear with horror to your guilty souls
What we will prove against you. Could this princess
(Thou enemy to thyself!) stoop her high flight Of towering greatness, to invite thy lowness To look upon it, and with nimble wings
Of gratitude, couldst thou forbear to meet it? Were her favours boundless in a noble way, And warranted by our allowance, yet, In thy acceptation, there appeared no sign Of a modest thankfulness?
Pass over it, and briefly touch at that,
Which does concern ourself; in which, both being
Equal offenders, what we shall speak, points Indifferently at either. How we raised thee, Forgetful Sanazarro, of our grace,
To a full possession of power and honours, It being too well known, we'll not remember. And what thou wert (rash youth) in expectation, (And from which, headlong, thou hast thrown thyself)
Not Florence, but all Tuscany, can witness With admiration. To assure thy hopes, We did keep constant to a widowed bed, And did deny ourself those lawful pleasures, Our absolute power and height of blood allowed
you, in recompense of this, to him
And now expect your sentence.
[The ladies descend from the state. Lydia. In your birth, sir,
You were marked out the judge of life and death, And we, that are your subjects, to attend With trembling fear
This chair, as only proper to yourself.
Giov. And, since in justice we are lost, we fly Unto your saving mercy. [All kneeling.
Sun. Which sets off
A prince much more than rigour. Car. And becomes him,
When 'tis expressed to such as fell by weakness, That being a twin-born brother to affection, Better than wreaths of conquest.
Hier. Lod. Con. Alph. We all speak
Their language, mighty sir.
Coz. You know our temper,
And, therefore, with more boldness venture on
And, would not our consent to your demands Deprive us of a happiness, hereafter Ever to be despaired of, we, perhaps, Might hearken nearer to you, and could wish, With some qualification or excuse,
You might make less the mountains of your crimes,
And so invite our clemency to feast with you. But you, that know with what impatience Of grief, we parted from the fair Clarinda, Our dutchess, (let her memory still be sacred!} And with what imprecations on ourself We vowed, not hoping e'er to see her equal, Ne'er to make trial of a second choice, If nature framed not one that did excel her, (As this maid's beauty prompts us that she does) And yet, with oaths then mixed with tears, upon Her monument we swore our eye should never Again be tempted; 'tis true, and those vows Are registered above; something here tells me. Carolo, thou heardst us swear.
Car. And swear so deeply,
That gave you all, to whom you owed your be- That if all women's beauties were in this
With treacherous lies endeavoured to conceal This jewel from our knowledge, which ourself Could only lay just claim to.
Giov. 'Tis most true.
Sun. We both confess a guilty cause. Coz. Look on her;
Is this a beauty fit to be embraced By any subject's arms? Can any tire Become that forehead, but a diadem ? Or, should we grant your being false to us Could be excused, your treachery to her, In seeking to deprive her of that greatness, (Her matchless form considered), she was born to, Must ne'er find pardon! We have spoken, la- dies,
Like a rough orator, that brings more truth
(As she's not to be named with the dead dutch
Of what's presented, worthy of your love And favour, as was aimed; and we have all
In the giving vein, they are so loud. Come on, That can, in compass of our wishes, fall. spouse,
« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó » |