The Complete Plays (39 page)

An if she be so fair as you report,

'Twere time well spent to go and visit her.

How say you, shall we?

MATHIAS

I must and will, sir, there's no remedy.

LODOWICK
[
aside
]

And so will I too,
or it shall go hard
.

Farewell, Mathias.

MATHIAS
         Farewell, Lodowick.

Exeunt [at different doors].

Enter
BARABAS,
with a light
.

BARABAS

Thus like the sad
presaging raven
that tolls

The sick man's
passport
in her hollow beak,

And in the shadow of the silent night

Doth shake contagion from her sable wings,

Vexed and tormented runs poor Barabas

With fatal curses towards these Christians.

The incertain pleasures of swift-footed time

Have ta'en their flight and left me in despair,

And of my former riches rests no more

10   But bare remembrance – like a soldier's scar,

That has no further comfort for his maim.

O Thou
, that with a fiery pillar led'st

The sons of Israel through the dismal shades,

Light Abraham's offspring, and direct the hand

Of Abigall this night! Or let the day

Turn to eternal darkness after this.

No sleep can fasten on my watchful eyes,

Nor quiet enter my distempered thoughts,

Till I have answer of my Abigall.

Enter
ABIGALL,
above
[with gold and jewels].

ABIGALL

20   Now have I happily espied a time

To search the plank my father did appoint.

And here, behold, unseen, where I have found

The gold, the pearls, and jewels which he hid.

BARABAS

Now I remember those old women's words,

Who in my
wealth
would tell me
winter's tales
,

And speak of spirits and ghosts that glide by night

About the place where treasure hath been hid.

And now methinks that I am one of those,

For whilst I live here lives my soul's sole hope,

30   And when I die here shall my spirit walk.

ABIGALL

Now that
my father's fortune were so good

As but to be about this happy place!

'Tis not so happy; yet when we parted last,

He said he would attend me in the morn.

Then, gentle sleep, where'er his body rests,

Give charge to Morpheus that he may dream

A golden dream, and of the sudden wake,

Come, and receive the treasure I have found.

BARABAS

Bueno
para todos mi ganado no era.

40   As good go on as sit so sadly thus.

But stay, what star shines yonder in the east?

The lodestar of my life, if Abigall.

Who's there?

ABIGALL
                      Who's that?

BARABAS
                                           Peace, Abigall, ‘tis I.

ABIGALL

Then, father, here receive thy happiness.

BARABAS

Hast thou't?

ABIGALL
                   Here. (
Throws down bags
) Hast thou't?

There's more, and more, and more.

BARABAS
                         
O my girl
,

My gold, my fortune, my felicity,

Strength to my soul, death to mine enemy!

Welcome, the first beginner of my bliss!

50   O Abigall, Abigall, that I had thee here too!

Then my desires were fully satisfied.

But I will
practise thy enlargement
thence.

O girl, O gold, O beauty, O my bliss!

(
Hugs his bags
)

ABIGALL

Father, it draweth towards midnight now,

And 'bout this time the nuns begin to wake;

To shun suspicion, there
for
e, let us part.

BARABAS

Farewell, my joy, and by my fingers take

A kiss from him that sends it from his soul.

[
Exit
ABIGALL
above
.]

Now, Phoebus, ope the eyelids of the day,

60   And for the raven wake the morning lark,

That I may hover with her in the air, Singing o'er these, as she does o'er her young,

[
sings
]

Hermoso
placer de los dineros.

Exit.

Enter
FERNEZE, MARTIN DEL BOSCO,
the
KNIGHTS
[
and
OFFICERS].

FERNEZE

Now, captain, tell us whither thou art bound?

Whence is thy ship that anchors in our road?

And why thou cam'st ashore without our leave?

DEL BOSCO

Governor of Malta, hither am I bound;

My ship, the
Flying Dragon,
is of Spain,

And so am I. Del Bosco is my name,

Vice-admiral unto the
Catholic king
.

FIRST KNIGHT
[
to
FERNEZE]

'Tis true, my lord. Therefore entreat him well.

DEL BOSCO

Our fraught is Grecians, Turks, and Afric Moors.

10   
For, late upon the coast of Corsica,

Because we vailed not to the
Turkish
fleet,

Their creeping galleys had us in the chase;

But suddenly the wind began to rise,

And then we
luffed and tacked
, and fought at ease.

Some have we
fired
, and many have we sunk,

But one amongst the rest became our prize.

The captain's slain, the rest remain our slaves,

Of whom we would make sale in Malta here.

FERNEZE

Martin del Bosco, I have heard of thee.

20   Welcome to Malta, and to all of us.

But to admit a sale of these thy Turks

We may not, nay, we dare not give consent,

By reason of a
tributary league
.

FIRST KNIGHT

Del Bosco, as thou lov'st and honour'st us,

Persuade our governor against t
he
Turk.

This truce we have is but in hope of gold,

And with that sum he craves might we wage war.

DEL BOSCO

Will Knights of Malta be in league with Turks,

And buy it basely too for sums of gold?

30   My lord, remember that, to Europe's shame,

The Christian
isle of Rhodes, from whence you came,

Was lately lost, and you were stated here

To be at deadly enmity with Turks.

FERNEZE

Captain, we know it, but our force is small.

DEL BOSCO

What is the sum that Calymath requires?

FERNEZE

A hundred thousand crowns.

DEL BOSCO

My lord and king hath title to this isle,

And he means quickly to expel
them
hence;

Therefore be ruled by me, and keep the gold.

40   I'll write unto his majesty for aid,

And not depart until I see you free.

FERNEZE

On this condition shall thy Turks be sold.

Go, officers, and set them straight in show.

[
Exeunt
OFFICERS.]

Bosco, thou shalt be Malta's general;

We and our warlike knights will follow thee

Against these barbarous, misbelieving Turks.

DEL BOSCO

So shall you imitate those you succeed;

For when their hideous force environed Rhodes,

Small though the number was that kept the town,

50   They fought it out, and not a man survived

To bring the hapless news to Christendom.

FERNEZE

So will we fight it out. Come, let's away.

Proud-daring Calymath, instead of gold,

We'll send thee bullets wrapped in smoke and fire.

Claim tribute where thou wilt, we are resolved,

Honour is bought with blood and not with gold.

Exeunt.

Enter
OFFICERS
with
[ITHAMORE
and other
]
SLAVES.

FIRST OFFICER

This is the marketplace. Here let 'em stand.

Fear not their sale, for they'll be quickly bought.

SECOND OFFICER

Every one's price is written on his back,

And so much must they yield or not be sold.

Enter
BARABAS.

FIRST OFFICER.

Here comes the Jew. Had not his goods been seized,

He'd give us
present money
for them all.

BARABAS
[
aside
]

In spite of these swine-eating Christians,

(Unchosen nation, never circumcised,

Such as, poor villains, were ne'er thought upon

10   Till Titus and Vespasian conquered us)

Am I become as wealthy as I was.

They hoped my daughter would ha' been a nun,

But she's at home, and I have bought a house

As great and fair as is the governor's;

And there in spite of Malta will I dwell,

Having
Ferneze's hand
, whose heart I'll have–

Ay, and his son's, too, or it shall go hard.

I am not of
the tribe of Levi
, I,

That can so soon forget an injury.

20   We Jews can fawn like spaniels when we please,

And when we grin, we bite; yet are our looks

As innocent and harmless as a lamb's.

I learned in
Florence
how to kiss my hand,

Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog,

And
duck
as low as any barefoot friar,

Hoping to see them starve upon a
stall
,

Or else
be gathered for
in our synagogue,

That when the offering basin comes to me,

Even for charity I may spit into't.

30   Here comes Don Lodowick, the governor's son,

One that I love for his good father's sake.

Enter
LODOWICK.

LODOWICK

I hear the wealthy Jew walked this way.

I'll seek him out and so
insinuate

That I may have a sight of Abigall,

For Don Mathias tells me she is fair.

BARABAS
[
aside
] Now will I
show myself
to have more of the serpent than the dove – that is, more knave than fool.

LODOWICK
Yond' walks the Jew. Now for fair Abigall.

BARABAS
[
aside
] Ay, ay, no doubt but she's at your command.

40 
LODOWICK
Barabas, thou know'st I am the governor's son.

BARABAS
I would you were
his father too
, sir; that's all the
harm I wish you. [
Aside
] The slave looks like a
hog's cheek new singed
.

[BARABAS
turns away
.]

LODOWICK

Whither walk'st thou, Barabas?

BARABAS

No further. 'Tis a
custom
held with us

That, when we speak with gentiles like to you,

We turn into the air to purge ourselves;

For unto us
the promise
doth belong.

LODOWICK

Well, Barabas, canst help me to a diamond?

BARABAS

50   O, sir, your father had my diamonds.

Yet I have one left that will serve your turn.

(
Aside
) I mean my daughter– but ere he shall have her,

I'll sacrifice
her on a pile of wood.

I ha' the
poison of the city
for him,

And the
white leprosy
.

LODOWICK

What sparkle does it give without
a foil
?

BARABAS

The diamond that I talk of ne'er was
foiled
.

[
Aside
] But when he touches it, it will be
foiled
.

[
To him
] Lord Lodowick, it sparkles bright and fair.

LODOWICK

60   Is it square or
pointed
? Pray let me know.

BARABAS

Pointed
it
is, good sir – (
aside
) but not for you.

LODOWICK

I like it much the better.

BARABAS
                      So do I, too.

LODOWICK

How shows it by night?

BARABAS
                    Outshines Cynthia's rays.

(
Aside
) You'll like it better far a-nights than days.

LODOWICK

And what's the price?

BARABAS
[
aside
]                  Your life, an if you have it.

[
To him
] O, my lord, we will not jar about the price; come to my house and I will give't your honour – (
aside
) with a vengeance.

LODOWICK

No, Barabas, I will deserve it first.