Itha. Well, master, go.

Bara. Stay; first let me stir it, Ithamore.
As fatal be it to her as the draught

Of which great Alexander drunk, and died;
And with her let it work like Borgia's wine,
Whereof his sire the Pope was poisoned!
In few,* the blood of Hydra, Lerna's bane,
The juice of hebon,† and Cocytus' breath,
And all the poisons of the Stygian pool,
Break from the fiery kingdom, and in this
Vomit your venom, and envenom her
That, like a fiend, hath left her father thus !

Itha. What a blessing has he given't! was ever pot of rice-porridge so sauced? [Aside].-What shall I do with it?

Bara. O my sweet Ithamore, go set it down; And come again so soon as thou hast done, For I have other business for thee.

Itha. Here's a drench to poison a whole stable of Flanders mares: I'll carry't to the nuns with a powder.

Bara. And the horse-pestilence to boot: away! Itha. I am gone :

Pay me my wages, for my work is done.

[Brit with the pot. Bara. I'll pay thee with a vengeance, Ithamore! [Brit.

Enter FERNEZE, MARTIN DEL Bosco, Knights,

and Basso.

Bas. To you of Malta thus saith Calymath: The time you took for respite is at hand For the performance of your promise pass'd; And for the tribute-money I am sent.

Fern. Basso, in brief, shalt have no tribute

here,

Nor shall the heathens live upon our spoil:
First will we raze the city-walls ourselves,
Lay waste the island, hew the temples down,
And, shipping off our goods to Sicily,
Open an entrance for the wasteful sea,
Whose billows, beating the resistless banks,*
Shall overflow it with their refluence.

Bas. Well, governor, since thou hast broke the league

By flat denial of the promis'd tribute,
Talk not of razing down your city-walls;
You shall not need trouble yourselves so far,
For Selim Calymath shall come himself,
And with brass bullets batter down your towers,
And turn proud Malta to a wilderness,
For these intolerable wrongs of yours:
And so, farewell.

* In few] i. e. in a few words, in short.

thebon] i.e. ebony, which was formerly supposed to be a deadly poison.

Enter Ferneze, &c.] The scene is the interior of the Council-house.

§ basso] Old ed. "Bashaws" (the printer having added ans by mistake), and in the preceding stage-direction, and in the fifth speech of this scene, "Bashaw" but in an earlier scene (see p. 148, first col.) we have "bassoes" (and see our author's Tamburlaine, passim).

And naught is to be look'd for now but wars, And naught to us more welcome is than wars.

[Exeunt.

Enter FRIAR JACOMO and FRIAR BARNARDINE. Friar Jac. O brother, brother, all the nuns are sick,

And physic will not help them! they must die. Friar Barn. The abbess sent for me to be

confess'd:

O, what a sad confession will there be !

Friar Jac. And so did fair Maria send for me: I'll to her lodging; hereabouts she lies. [Exit.

Enter ABIGAIL.

Friar Barn. What, all dead, save only Abigail! Abig. And I shall die too, for I feel death coming.

Where is the friar that convers'd with me ?ş

* the resistless banks] i.e. the banks not able to resist. + basilisks] See note †, p. 25.

Enter Friar Jacomo, &c.] Scene, the interior of the Nunnery.

$ convers'd with me] She alludes to her conversation with Jacomo, p. 162, sec. col.

Friar Barn. O, he is gone to see the other

nuns.

Abig. I sent for him; but, seeing you are

come,

Be you my ghostly father: and first know,
That in this house I liv'd religiously,

Chaste, and devout, much sorrowing for my sins;
But, ere I came-

Friar Barn. What then?

Abig. I did offend high heaven so grievously As I am almost desperate for my sins;

And one offence torments me more than all.
You knew Mathias and Don Lodowick?

Friar Barn. Yes; what of them?

Abig. My father did contract me to 'em both; First to Don Lodowick: him I never lov'd; Mathias was the man that I held dear, And for his sake did I become a nun.

Friar Barn. So say how was their end? Abig. Both, jealous of my love, envied* each other;

And by my father's practice,† which is there

[Gives writing. Set down at large, the gallants were both slain. Friar Barn. O, monstrous villany!

Abig. To work my peace, this I confess to thee: Reveal it not; for then my father dies.

Friar Barn. Know that confession must not be reveal'd;

Bara. There is no music to a Christian's knell :

How sweet the bells ring, now the nuns are dead,
That sound at other times like tinkers' pans !
I was afraid the poison had not wrought,

Or, though it wrought, it would have done no good,

For every year they swell, and yet they live:
Now all are dead, not one remains alive.

Itha. That's brave, master: but think you it will not be known?

Bara. How can it, if we two be secret?

envied] i.e. hated.

t practice] i.e. artful contrivance, stratagem. Enter Barabas, &c.] Scene a street.

§ to] Which the Editor of 1826 deliberately altered to "like," means-compared to, in comparison of.

Itha. For my part, fear you not. Bara. I'd cut thy throat, if I did.

Itha. And reason too.

But here's a royal monastery hard by;
Good master, let me poison all the monks.
Bara. Thou shalt not need; for, now the nuns
are dead,

They'll die with grief.

Itha. Do you not sorrow for your daughter's death?

Bara. No, but I grieve because she liv'd so long,

* crucified a child] A crime with which the Jews were often charged. "Tovey, in his Anglia Judaica, has given the several instances which are upon record of these charges against the Jews; which he observes they were never accused of, but at such times as the king was manifestly in great want of money." REED (apud Dodsley's 0. P.).

An Hebrew born, and would become a Christian : Cazzo, diabolo

Itha. Look, look, master; here come two religious caterpillars.

Enter FRIAR JACOMO and FRIAR BARNARDINE.

Bara. I smelt 'em ere they came.
Itha. God-a-mercy, nose! + Come, let's begone.
Friar Barn. Stay, wicked Jew; repent, I say,
and stay.

Friar Jac. Thou hast offended, therefore must be damn'd.

Bara. I fear they know we sent the poison'd broth.

Itha. And so do I, master; therefore speak 'em

fair.

Friar Barn. Barabas, thou hast

Friar Jac. Ay, that thou hast

Bara. True, I have money; what though I have?

Friar Barn. Thou art a

Friar Jac. Ay, that thou art, a—

Bara. What needs all this? I know I am a Jew.
Friar Barn. Thy daughter-
Friar Jac. Ay, thy daughter-

Bara. O, speak not of her! then I die with grief.

Friar Barn. Remember that

Friar Jac. Ay, remember that

Bara. I must needs say that I have been a great usurer.

Friar Barn. Thou hast committed

Bara. Fornication: but that was in another

country;

And besides, the wench is dead.

Friar Barn. Ay, but, Barabas, Remember Mathias and Don Lodowick.

Bara. Why, what of them?

Friar Barn. I will not say that by a forged challenge they met.

Bara. She has confess'd, and we are both undone,

My bosom inmate ! but I must dissemble.-
[Aside to ITHAMORE.
O holy friars, the burden of my sins
Lie heavy § on my soul! then, pray you, tell me,

Cazzo] Old ed. "Catho."-See Florio's Worlde of Wordes (Ital. and Engl. Dict.) ed. 1598, in v.-"A petty oath, a cant exclamation, generally expressive, among the Italian populace, who have it constantly in their mouth, of defiance or contempt." Gifford's note on Jonson's Works, ii. 48.

Is't not too late now to turn Christian?
I have been zealous in the Jewish faith,
Hard-hearted to the poor, a covetous wretch,
That would for lucre's sake have sold my soul;
A hundred for a hundred I have ta'en;
And now for store of wealth may I compare
With all the Jews in Malta: but what is wealth?
I am a Jew, and therefore am I lost.
Would penance serve [to atone] for this my sin,
I could afford to whip myself to death,—

Itha. And so could I; but penance will not

serve.

Bara. To fast, to pray, and wear a shirt of hair, And on my knees creep to Jerusalem. Cellars of wine, and sollars* full of wheat, Warehouses stuff'd with spices and with drugs, Whole chests of gold in bullion and in coin, Besides, I know not how much weight in pearl Orient and round, have I within my house; At Alexandria merchandize untold; + But yesterday two ships went from this town, Their voyage will be worth ten thousand crowns; In Florence, Venice, Antwerp, London, Seville, Frankfort, Lubeck, Moscow, and where not, Have I debts owing; and, in most of these, Great sums of money lying in the banco; All this I'll give to some religious house, So I may be baptiz'd, and live therein.

Friar Jac. O good Barabas, come to our house! Friar Barn. O, no, good Barabas, come to our house !

And, Barabas, you know

Bara. I know that I have highly sinn'd: You shall convert me, you shall have all my wealth.

Friar Jac. O Barabas, their laws are strict!

Bara. I know they are; and I will be with you. Friar Barn. They wear no shirts, and they go bare-foot too.

Bara. Then 'tis not for me; and I am resolv'd You shall confess me, and have all my goods. Friar Jac. Good Barabas, come to me. Bara. You see I answer him, and yet he stays; Rid him away, and go you home with me.

Friar Jac. I'll be with you to-night. Bara. Come to my house at one o'clock this night.

to "Lies" but examples of similar phraseology,-of a nominative singular followed by a plural verb when a plural genitive intervenes,-are common in our early writers; see notes on Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, vol. v. 7, 94, vol. ix. 185, ed. Dyce.

Friar Barnardine, go you with Ithamore:
You know my mind; let me alone with him.

Friar Jac. Why does he go to thy house? let him be gone.*

Bara. I'll give him something, and so stop his mouth.

[Exit ITHAMORE with FRIAR Barnardine,

I never heard of any man but he
Malign'd the order of the Jacobins:

But do you think that I believe his words?

Why, brother, you converted Abigail;
And I am bound in charity to requite it,
And so I will. O Jacomo, fail not, but come.
Friar Jac. But, Barabas, who shall be your
godfathers?

For presently you shall be shriv’d.

Bara. Marry, the Turk + shall be one of my godfathers,

But not a word to any of your covent.‡

Friar Jac. I warrant thee, Barabas.

[Exit.

Bara. So, now the fear is past, and I am safe; For he that shriv'd her is within my house: What, if I murder'd him ere Jacomo comes! Now I have such a plot for both their lives, As never Jew nor Christian knew the like: One turn'd my daughter, therefore he shall die; The other knows enough to have my life, Therefore 'tis not requisite he should live.§

Bara. This is mere frailty: brethren, be content.-
Friar Barnardine, go you with Ithamore:
You know my mind; let me alone with him.

Friar Jac. Why does he go to thy house? let him be gone] Old ed. thus;

"Bar. This is meere frailty, brethren, be content. Fryar Barnardine goe you with Ithimore.

Ith. You know my mind, let me alone with him; Why does he goe to thy house, let him begone."

the Turk] "Meaning Ithamore." COLLIER (apud Dodsley's 0. P.). Compare the last line but one of Barabas's next speech.

t covent] i. e. convent.

§ Therefore 'tis not requisite he should live] Lest the reader should suspect that the author wrote,

"Therefore 'tis requisite he should not live,"

I may observe that we have had before (p. 152, first col.)

a similar form of expression,

"It is not necessary I be seen."

167

But are not both these wise men, to suppose
That I will leave my house, my goods, and all,
To fast and be well whipt? I'll none of that.
Now, Friar Barnardine, I come to you:
I'll feast you, lodge you, give you fair * words,
And, after that, I and my trusty Turk-
No more, but so: it must and shall be done.+

Enter ITHAMORE.

Ithamore, tell me, is the friar asleep?
Itha. Yes; and I know not what the reason is,
Do what I can, he will not strip himself,
Nor go to bed, but sleeps in his own clothes:
I fear me he mistrusts what we intend.
Bara. No; 'tis an order which the friars use:
Yet, if he knew our meanings, could he scape?
Itha. No, none can hear him, cry he ne'er so
loud.

Bara. Why, true; therefore did I place him
there :

The other chambers open towards the street. Itha. You loiter, master; wherefore stay we thus?

O, how I long to see him shake his heels!
Bara. Come on, sirrah :

Off with your girdle; make a handsome noose.[ITHAMORE takes off his girdle, and ties a noose on it. Friar, awake!

[They put the noose round the Friar's neck. Friar Barn. What, do you mean to strangle me?

Itha. Yes, 'cause you use to confess. Bara. Blame not us, but the proverb,-Confess and be hanged.-Pull hard.

Friar Barn. What, will you have § my life? Bara. Pull hard, I say.-You would have had my goods.

amain.

Itha. Ay, and our lives too:-therefore pull [They strangle the Friar. "Tis neatly done, sir; here's no print at all. Bara. Then is it as it should be. Take him