Read The Complete Plays Online
Authors: Christopher Marlowe
His kingly body was too soon interred.
QUEEN
Weep not, sweet son.
EDWARD III
Forbid not me to weep. He was my father,
And, had you loved him half so well as I,
You could not bear his death thus patiently;
But you, I fear, conspired with Mortimer.
FIRST LORD
[
to
MORTIMER JUNIOR
]
Why speak you not unto my lord the king?
MORTIMER
Because I think scorn to be accused.
40Â Â Â Who is the man dare say I murdered him?
EDWARD III
Traitor, in me my loving father speaks
And plainly saith 'twas thou that murdered'st him
MORTIMER
But hath your grace no other proof than this?
EDWARD III
Yes, if this be the hand of Mortimer.
[
He shows the letter
.]
MORTIMER
[
aside
]
False Gurney hath betrayed me and himself.
QUEEN
[
aside
]
I feared as much. Murder cannot be hid.
MORTIMER
'Tis my hand. What gather you by this?
EDWARD III
That thither thou didst send a murderer.
MORTIMER
What murderer? Bring forth the man I sent.
EDWARD III
Ah, Mortimer, thou knowest that he is slain,
50Â Â Â Â Â Â Â And so shalt thou be too. Why stays he here?
Bring him unto a
hurdle
! Drag him forth,
Hang him
, I say, and set his quarters up,
But bring his head back presently to me.
QUEEN
For my sake, sweet son, pity Mortimer.
MORTIMER
Madam, entreat not. I will rather die
Than sue for life unto a paltry boy.
EDWARD III
Hence with the traitor, with the murderer!
MORTIMER
Base Fortune, now I see that in thy wheel
There is a point to which when men aspire
60Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
They tumble headlong down. That point I touched,
And, seeing there was no place to mount up higher,
Why should I grieve at my declining fall?
Farewell, fair queen. Weep not for Mortimer,
That scorns the world, and as a traveller
Goes to discover countries yet unknown.
EDWARD III
[
to his
LORDS
and
ATTENDANTS
]
What, suffer you the traitor to delay?
[
Exit
MORTIMER JUNIOR
,
guarded, with the
FIRST LORD
.]
QUEEN
As thou received'st thy life from me,
Spill not the blood of gentle Mortimer.
EDWARD III
70Â Â Â Â Â Â Â This argues that you spilt my father's blood,
Else would you not entreat for Mortimer.
QUEEN
I spill his blood? No.
EDWARD III
Ay, madam, you, for so the rumour runs.
QUEEN
That rumour is untrue; for loving thee
Is this report raised on poor Isabel.
EDWARD III
[
to his
LORDS
]
I do not think her so unnatural.
SECOND LORD
My lord, I fear me it will prove too true.
EDWARD III
Mother, you are suspected for his death,
And therefore we commit you to the Tower
80Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Till further
trial
may be made thereof.
If you be guilty, though I be your son,
Think not to find me slack or pitiful.
QUEEN
Nay, to my death, for too long have I lived
Whenas my son thinks to abridge my days.
EDWARD III
[
weeping
]
Away with her! Her words enforce these tears,
And I shall pity her if she speak again.
QUEEN
Shall I not mourn for my belovèd lord,
And with the rest accompany him to his grave?
SECOND LORD
Thus, madam, 'tis the king's will you shall hence.
QUEEN
90Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â He hath forgotten me. Stay, I am his mother.
SECOND LORD
That boots not. Therefore, gentle madam, go.
QUEEN
Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief.
             [
Exit the
QUEEN
,
attended. Enter the
FIRST LORD
with
MORTIMER'S
head
.]
FIRST LORD
My lord, here is the head of Mortimer.
EDWARD III
Go fetch my father's hearse, where it shall lie,
And bring my funeral robes. Accursèd head,
Could I have ruled thee then as I do now,
Thou hadst not hatched this monstrous treachery!
[
Enter
ATTENDANTS
with hearse
.]
Here comes the hearse. Help me to mourn, my lords.
Sweet father, here unto thy murdered ghost
I offer up this wicked traitor's head;
100Â Â Â Â And let these tears
distilling
from mine eyes,
Be witness of my grief and innocency!
[
Exeunt
.]
[Dramatis Personae
KING CHARLES IX
,
King of France
CATHERINE
,
the Queen-Mother of France
KING OF NAVARRE
,
later King Henry IV
PRINCE OF CONDÃ
,
cousin to Navarre
THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL
MARGARET
,
Catherine's daughter, wife to Navarre
DUKE OF GUISE
AN APOTHECARY
A SOLDIER
OLD QUEEN OF NAVARRE
,
mother of Henry
,
King of Navarre
DUKE OF ANJOU
,
Charles IX's
brother
, later King Henry III
DUKE DUMAINE
COSSIN
THE ADMIRAL'S MAN
GONZAGO
RETES
MOUNTSORRELL
LOREINE
,
a Protestant preacher
SEROUNE'S WIFE
SEROUNE
RAMUS
TALEUS
TWO SCHOOLMASTERS
TWO LORDS OF POLAND
TWO SOLDIERS
CARDINAL OF LORRAINE
PROTESTANTS
EPERNOUN
PLESHÃ
DUKE JOYEUX
MUGEROUN
A CUTPURSE
DUCHESS OF GUISE
MAID
to the Duchess of Guise
BARTUS
A MESSENGER
CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
THREE MURDERERS
THE GUISE'S SON
A FRIAR
A SURGEON
AN ENGLISH AGENT
ATTENDANTS
]
Enter
CHARLES
the French King
, [
CATHERINE
]
the
QUEEN-MOTHER
,
the
KING OF NAVARRE
,
the
PRINCE OF
CONDÃ
,
the
LORD HIGH ADMIRAL
,
and
[
MARGARET
]
the
QUEEN OF NAVARRE
,
with others
.
CHARLES
Prince of Navarre, my honourable brother,
Prince Condé, and my good Lord Admiral,
I wish this union and
religious league
,
Knit in these hands, thus joined in nuptial rites,
May not dissolve till death dissolve our lives,
And that the native sparks of princely love,
That kindled first this motion in our hearts,
May still be
fuelled
in our progeny.
NAVARRE
The many favours which your grace hath shown
From time to time, but specially in this,
10Â Â Â Â Shall bind me ever to your highness' will,
In what
queen-mother
or your grace commands.
CATHERINE
Thanks, son Navarre, you see we love you well
That link you in marriage with our daughter here;
And, as you know, our difference in religion
Might be a means to cross you in your love.
CHARLES
Well, madam, let that rest.
And now, my lords, the marriage-rites performed,
We think it good to go and consummate
20Â Â Â Â The rest with hearing of a holy mass.
Sister, I think yourself will bear us company.
MARGARET
I will, my good lord.
CHARLES
The rest that will not go, my lords, may stay.
Come, mother, let us go to honour this solemnity.
CATHERINE
[
aside
]
Which I'll dissolve with blood and cruelty.
Exeunt the
KING
[
CHARLES
],
the
QUEEN-MOTHER
,
and
the
QUEEN OF NAVARRE
[
with others
];
NAVARRE
,
the
PRINCE OF CONDÃ
,
and the
LORD HIGH ADMIRAL
remain
.
NAVARRE
Prince Condé, and my good Lord Admiral,
Now Guise may storm, but do us little hurt,
Having the king, queen-mother on our sides,
To stop the malice of his envious heart
30Â Â Â Â That seeks to murder all the protestants.
Have you not heard of late how he decreed
If that the king had given consent thereto,
That all the protestants that are in Paris
Should have been murderèd the other night?
ADMIRAL
My lord, I marvel that th'aspiring Guise
Dares once adventure, without the king's consent,
To meddle or attempt such dangerous things.
CONDÃ
My lord, you need not marvel at the Guise,
For what he doth the Pope will ratify,
40 Â Â Â Â In murder, mischief, or in tyranny.
NAVARRE
But He that sits and rules above the clouds
Doth hear and see the prayers of the just,
And will revenge the blood of innocents
That Guise hath slain by treason of his heart,
And brought by murder to their timeless ends.
ADMIRAL
My lord, but did you mark the Cardinal,
The Guise's brother, and the Duke Dumaine,
How they did storm at these your nuptial rites,
Because the
house of Bourbon
now comes in
50 Â Â Â Â And joins your lineage to the crown of France?
NAVARRE
And that's the cause that Guise so frowns at us
And
beats his brains
to catch us in his trap,
Which he hath
pitched
within his deadly toil.
Come, my lords, let's go to the church, and pray
That God may still defend the right of France
And make His Gospel flourish in this land.
  Exeunt
.
Enter the
DUKE OF GUISE
.
GUISE
If ever
Hymen
loured at marriage-rites,
And had his altars decked with dusky lights;
If ever sun stained heaven with bloody clouds,
And made it look with terror on the world;
If ever day were turned to ugly night,
And night made semblance of the hue of hell;
This day, this hour, this fatal night,
Shall fully show the fury of them all.
Apothecary!
Enter the
APOTHECARY
.
10 Â Â Â Â
APOTHECARY
My lord?
GUISE
Now shall I
prove and guerdon
to the full
The love thou bear'st unto the house of Guise.
Where are those perfumèd gloves which I sent
To be poisonèd? Hast thou done them? Speak!
Will every savour breed a pang of death?
APOTHECARY
See where they be, my good lord,
And he that smells but to them dies.
GUISE
Then thou remainest resolute?
APOTHECARY
I am, my lord, in what your grace commands,
20 Â Â Â Â Till death.
GUISE
Thanks, my good friend, I will requite thy love.
Go, then, present them to the Queen Navarre;
For she is that huge blemish in our eye
That makes these upstart heresies in France.
Be gone, my friend, present them to her straight.
   Â
Exit
APOTHECARY
.
Soldier!
Enter
a
SOLDIER
.
SOLDIER
My lord?
GUISE
Now come thou forth and play thy tragic part.
Stand in some window opening near the street,
30 Â Â Â Â And when thou see'st the Admiral ride by,
Discharge thy musket and
perform
his death,
And then I'll guerdon thee with store of
crowns
.
SOLDIER
I will, my lord.