The Complete Plays (73 page)

And then determine of this enterprise.

Exeunt.

Enter the
DUCHESS OF GUISE
and her
MAID
.

DUCHESS

Go fetch me pen and ink.

MAID
                           I will, madam.

Exit
MAID
.

DUCHESS

That I may write unto my dearest lord.

Sweet
Mugeroun
, 'tis he that hath my heart,

And Guise usurps it 'cause I am his wife.

Fain would I find some means to speak with him,

But cannot, and therefore am enforced to write

That he may come and meet me in some place

Where we may one enjoy the other's sight.

Enter the
MAID
,
with
[
pen
,]
ink, and paper.

So, set it down and leave me to myself.

[
Exit
MAID
.]

She writes.

O would to God this quill that here doth write

10     Had late been plucked from out fair Cupid's wing,

That it might print these lines within his heart!

Enter the
GUISE
.

GUISE

What, all alone, my love, and writing too?

I prithee, say to whom thou writes?

DUCHESS

To such a one, my lord, as when she reads my lines

Will laugh, I fear me, at their
good array
.

GUISE

I pray thee, let me see.

DUCHESS

O no, my lord, a woman only must

Partake the secrets of my heart.

GUISE

20      But, madam, I must see.

Are these your secrets that no man must know?

DUCHESS

O pardon me, my lord!

GUISE

Thou
trothless and unjust
, what lines are these?

Am I grown old, or is thy lust grown young,

Or hath
my love been so obscured in thee,

That others needs to comment on my text?

Is all my love forgot which held thee dear,

Ay, dearer than the apple of mine eye?

Is Guise's glory but a cloudy mist,

30     In sight and judgement of thy lustful eye?

Mort dieu!
Were't not
the fruit within thy womb,

Of whose increase I set some longing hope,

This wrathful hand should strike thee to the heart!

Hence, strumpet, hide thy head for shame,

And fly my presence, if thou look to live.

Exit
[
DUCHESS
].

O wicked sex, perjurèd and unjust,

Now do I see that from the very first

Her eyes and looks sowed seeds of perjury.

But, villain, he to whom these lines should go

40     Shall buy her love even with his dearest blood.

Exit.

Enter the
KING OF NAVARRE, PLESHÉ
and
BARTUS
,
and their train, with drums and trumpets.

NAVARRE

My lords, sith in a quarrel just and right

We undertake to manage these our wars

Against the proud disturbers of the faith,

I mean the Guise, the Pope, and King of Spain,

Who set themselves to tread us under foot,

And rent our true religion from this land;

But for you know our quarrel is no more

But to
defend
their strange inventions,

Which they will put us to with sword and fire;

10     We must with resolute minds resolve to fight,

In honour of our God and country's good.

Spain is the council-chamber of the Pope,

Spain is the place where he makes peace and war:

And Guise for Spain hath now incensed the king

To send his power to meet us in the field.

BARTUS

Then in this bloody
brunt
they may behold

The sole endeavour of your princely care,

To plant the true succession of the faith

In spite of
Spain
and all his heresies.

NAVARRE

20     
The power
of vengeance now encamps itself

Upon the haughty mountains of my breast,

Plays with her gory colours of revenge,

Whom I respect as leaves of boasting green

That change their colour when the winter comes,

When I shall vaunt as victor in revenge.

Enter a
MESSENGER
.

How now, sirrah, what news?

MESSENGER

My lord, as by our scouts we understand,

A mighty army comes from France with speed,

Which are already mustered in the land,

30     And means to meet your highness in the field.

NAVARRE

In God's name, let them come!

This is the Guise that hath incensed the king

To levy arms and make these civil broils.

But canst thou tell who is their general?

MESSENGER

Not yet, my lord, for
thereon do they stay;

But, as report doth go, the duke of Joyeux

Hath made great suit unto the king therefore.

NAVARRE

It will not
countervail
his pains, I hope.

I would the Guise in his stead might have come,

40     But he doth lurk within his drowsy couch

And makes
his footstool on security;

So he be safe, he cares not what becomes

Of king or country – no, not for them both.

But come, my lords, let us away with speed

And place ourselves in order for the fight.

Exeunt.

Enter the
KING OF FRANCE, DUKE OF GUISE, EPERNOUN
and
DUKE JOYEUX
.

HENRY

My sweet Joyeux, I make thee general

Of all my army, now in readiness

To march against the rebellious King Navarre.

At thy request I am content thou go,

Although my love to thee can hardly
suffer't
,

Regarding still the danger of thy life.

JOYEUX

Thanks to your majesty, and so I take my leave.

Farewell to my lord of Guise and Epernoun.

GUISE

Health and hearty farewell to my lord Joyeux.

Exit
JOYEUX
.

HENRY

10     So kindly, cousin of Guise, you and your wife

Do both salute our lovely minions.

Remember you the letter, gentle sir,

Which your wife writ to my dear minion

And her chosen friend?

He makes horns at the
GUISE
.

GUISE

How now, my lord? Faith, this is more than need.

Am I thus to be jested at and scorned?

'Tis more than kingly or imperious;

And sure, if all the proudest kings in Christendom

Should bear me such derision, they should

20     Know how I scorned them and their mocks.

I love your minions? Dote on them yourself!

I know none else but holds them in disgrace.

And here by all the saints in heaven I swear,

That villain for whom I bear this deep disgrace –

Even for your words that have incensed me so –

Shall buy that strumpet's favour with his blood,

Whether he have dishonoured me or no!

Par
la mort Dieu, il mourra!

Exit.

HENRY

Believe me, this jest bites sore.

EPERNOUN

30     My lord, 'twere good to make them friends,

For his oaths are seldom spent in vain.

Enter
MUGEROUN
.

HENRY
How now, Mugeroun? Met'st thou not the Guise at the door?

MUGEROUN
Not I, my lord; what if I had?

HENRY

Marry, if thou hadst, thou mightst have had the stab,

For he hath solemnly sworn thy death.

MUGEROUN

I
may
be stabbed and live till he be dead.

But wherefore bears he me such deadly hate?

HENRY

Because his wife bears thee such kindly love.

MUGEROUN

40     If that be all, the next time that I meet her

I'll make her
shake off
love with her heels.

But which way is he gone? I'll go make a walk

On purpose from the court to meet with him.

Exit.

HENRY

I like not this. Come, Epernoun,

Let's go seek the duke and make them friends.

            
Exeunt.

Alarums, within
.
The
DUKE JOYEUX
slain
.
Enter the
KING

OF NAVARRE
, [
with
BARTUS
,]
and his train.

NAVARRE

The duke is slain and all his power dispersed,

And we are graced with wreaths of victory.

Thus God, we see, doth ever guide the right

To make his glory great upon the earth.

BARTUS

The terror of this happy victory,

I hope will make the king surcease his hate,

And either never manage army more,

Or else employ them in some better cause.

NAVARRE

How many noble men have lost their lives

10     In prosecution of these cruel arms,

Is ruth and almost death to call to mind.

But God, we know, will always put them down

That lift themselves against the perfect truth,

Which I'll maintain so long as life doth last,

And with the Queen of England join my force

To beat the papal monarch from our lands,

And keep those
relics
from our countries' coasts.

Come, my lords, now that this storm is overpast,

Let us away with triumph to our tents.

Exeunt.

Enter a
SOLDIER
[
with a musket
]

SOLDIER
Sir, to you, sir, that dares make the duke a cuckold,
and use a
counterfeit
key to his privy-chamber door; and
although you take out nothing but your own, yet you put in
that which displeaseth him, and so
forestall
his market and
set up your standing where you should not; and whereas he
is your
landlord
, you will take upon you to be his, and till the
ground that he himself should
occupy
, which is his own free
land – if it be not too free, there's the question. And though I
come not to take possession (as I would I might), yet I mean
to keep you out, which I will, if this
gear
hold. What, are ye
10           come so soon? Have at ye, sir!

Enter
MUGEROUN
.
He shoots at him and kills him. Enter

the
GUISE
[
and
ATTENDANTS
].

GUISE

Hold thee, tall soldier, take thee
this
and fly.

Exit
SOLDIER
.

Lie there, the king's delight and Guise's scorn.

Revenge it, Henry, as thou list or dare,

I did it only in despite of thee.

[
ATTENDANTS
]
take him away.

Enter the
KING
[
HENRY
]
and
EPERNOUN.

HENRY

My lord of Guise, we understand that you

Have gathered a power of men:

What your intent is yet we cannot learn,

But we presume it is not for our good.

GUISE

20     Why, I am no traitor to the crown of France;

What I have done, 'tis for the Gospel sake.

EPERNOUN

Nay, for the Pope's sake, and thine own benefit.

What peer in France but thou, aspiring Guise,

Durst be in arms without the king's consent?

I challenge thee for treason
in the cause
.

GUISE

Ah, base Epernoun, were not his highness here,

Thou shouldst perceive the duke of Guise is moved.

HENRY

Be patient, Guise, and threat not Epernoun,

Lest thou perceive the King of France be moved.

GUISE

30     Why,
I am
a prince of the Valois' line,

Therefore an enemy to the
Bourbonites;

I am a
juror
in the Holy League,

And therefore hated of the Protestants.

What should I do but stand upon my guard?

And, being
able
, I'll keep a host in pay.

EPERNOUN

Thou able to maintain a host in pay,

That livest by
foreign exhibition
!

The Pope and King of Spain are thy good friends,

Else all France knows how poor a duke thou art.

HENRY

40     Ay, those are they that feed him with their gold,

To countermand our will and check our friends.

GUISE

My lord, to speak more plainly, thus it is:

Being animated by religious zeal,

I mean to muster all the power I can,