Act V
Scene I[120][Enter] ANTONIO and DELIOANTONIO. What think you of my hope of reconcilementTo the Arragonian brethren?DELIO. I misdoubt it;For though they have sent their letters of safe-conductFor your repair to Milan, they appearBut nets to entrap you. The Marquis of Pescara,Under whom you hold certain land in cheat,[121]Much 'gainst his noble nature hath been mov'dTo seize those lands; and some of his dependantsAre at this instant making it their suitTo be invested in your revenues.I cannot think they mean well to your lifeThat do deprive you of your means of life,Your living.ANTONIO. You are still an heretic[122]To any safety I can shape myself.DELIO. Here comes the marquis: I will make myselfPetitioner for some part of your land,To know whither it is flying.ANTONIO. I pray, do.[Withdraws.][Enter PESCARA]DELIO. Sir, I have a suit to you.PESCARA. To me?DELIO. An easy one:There is the Citadel of Saint Bennet,With some demesnes, of late in the possessionOf Antonio Bologna,—please you bestow them on me.PESCARA. You are my friend; but this is such a suit,Nor fit for me to give, nor you to take.DELIO. No, sir?PESCARA. I will give you ample reason for 'tSoon in private:—here 's the cardinal's mistress.[Enter JULIA]JULIA. My lord, I am grown your poor petitioner,And should be an ill beggar, had I notA great man's letter here, the cardinal's,To court you in my favour.[Gives a letter.]PESCARA. He entreats for youThe Citadel of Saint Bennet, that belong'dTo the banish'd Bologna.JULIA. Yes.PESCARA. I could not have thought of a friend I could ratherPleasure with it: 'tis yours.JULIA. Sir, I thank you;And he shall know how doubly I am engag'dBoth in your gift, and speediness of givingWhich makes your grant the greater.Exit.ANTONIO. How they fortifyThemselves with my ruin!DELIO. Sir, I amLittle bound to you.PESCARA. Why?DELIO. Because you deni'd this suit to me, and gave 'tTo such a creature.PESCARA. Do you know what it was?It was Antonio's land; not forfeitedBy course of law, but ravish'd from his throatBy the cardinal's entreaty. It were not fitI should bestow so main a piece of wrongUpon my friend; 'tis a gratificationOnly due to a strumpet, for it is injustice.Shall I sprinkle the pure blood of innocentsTo make those followers I call my friendsLook ruddier upon me? I am gladThis land, ta'en from the owner by such wrong,Returns again unto so foul an useAs salary for his lust. Learn, good Delio,To ask noble things of me, and you shall findI 'll be a noble giver.DELIO. You instruct me well.ANTONIO. Why, here 's a man now would fright impudence]From sauciest beggars.PESCARA. Prince Ferdinand 's come to Milan,Sick, as they give out, of an apoplexy;But some say 'tis a frenzy: I am goingTo visit him.Exit.ANTONIO. 'Tis a noble old fellow.DELIO. What course do you mean to take, Antonio?ANTONIO. This night I mean to venture all my fortune,Which is no more than a poor ling'ring life,To the cardinal's worst of malice. I have gotPrivate access to his chamber; and intendTo visit him about the mid of night,As once his brother did our noble duchess.It may be that the sudden apprehensionOf danger,—for I 'll go in mine own shape,—When he shall see it fraight[123]with love and duty,May draw the poison out of him, and workA friendly reconcilement. If it fail,Yet it shall rid me of this infamous calling;For better fall once than be ever falling.DELIO. I 'll second you in all danger; and howe'er,My life keeps rank with yours.ANTONIO. You are still my lov'd and best friend.Exeunt.
Scene II[124][Enter] PESCARA and DOCTORPESCARA. Now, doctor, may I visit your patient?DOCTOR. If 't please your lordship; but he 's instantlyTo take the air here in the galleryBy my direction.PESCARA. Pray thee, what 's his disease?DOCTOR. A very pestilent disease, my lord,They call lycanthropia.PESCARA. What 's that?I need a dictionary to 't.DOCTOR. I 'll tell you.In those that are possess'd with 't there o'erflowsSuch melancholy humour they imagineThemselves to be transformed into wolves;Steal forth to church-yards in the dead of night,And dig dead bodies up: as two nights sinceOne met the duke 'bout midnight in a laneBehind Saint Mark's church, with the leg of a manUpon his shoulder; and he howl'd fearfully;Said he was a wolf, only the differenceWas, a wolf's skin was hairy on the outside,His on the inside; bade them take their swords,Rip up his flesh, and try. Straight I was sent for,And, having minister'd to him, found his graceVery well recover'd.PESCARA. I am glad on 't.DOCTOR. Yet not without some fearOf a relapse. If he grow to his fit again,I 'll go a nearer way to work with himThan ever Paracelsus dream'd of; ifThey 'll give me leave, I 'll buffet his madness out of him.Stand aside; he comes.[Enter FERDINAND, CARDINAL, MALATESTI, and BOSOLA]FERDINAND. Leave me.MALATESTI. Why doth your lordship love this solitariness?FERDINAND. Eagles commonly fly alone: they are crows, daws,and starlings that flock together. Look, what 's that follows me?MALATESTI. Nothing, my lord.FERDINAND. Yes.MALATESTI. 'Tis your shadow.FERDINAND. Stay it; let it not haunt me.MALATESTI. Impossible, if you move, and the sun shine.FERDINAND. I will throttle it.[Throws himself down on his shadow.]MALATESTI. O, my lord, you are angry with nothing.FERDINAND. You are a fool: how is 't possible I should catchmy shadow, unless I fall upon 't? When I go to hell, I meanto carry a bribe; for, look you, good gifts evermore make wayfor the worst persons.PESCARA. Rise, good my lord.FERDINAND. I am studying the art of patience.PESCARA. 'Tis a noble virtue.FERDINAND. To drive six snails before me from this town to Moscow;neither use goad nor whip to them, but let them take their own time;—the patient'st man i' th' world match me for an experiment:—an I 'll crawl after like a sheep-biter.[125]CARDINAL. Force him up.[They raise him.]FERDINAND. Use me well, you were best. What I have done, I havedone: I 'll confess nothing.DOCTOR. Now let me come to him.—Are you mad, my lord? are you outof your princely wits?FERDINAND. What 's he?PESCARA. Your doctor.FERDINAND. Let me have his beard saw'd off, and his eye-browsfil'd more civil.DOCTOR. I must do mad tricks with him, for that 's the only wayon 't.—I have brought your grace a salamander's skin to keepyou from sun-burning.FERDINAND. I have cruel sore eyes.DOCTOR. The white of a cockatrix's[126]egg is present remedy.FERDINAND. Let it be a new-laid one, you were best.Hide me from him: physicians are like kings,—They brook no contradiction.DOCTOR. Now he begins to fear me: now let me alone with him.CARDINAL. How now! put off your gown!DOCTOR. Let me have some forty urinals filled with rosewater:he and I 'll go pelt one another with them.—Now he begins to fearme.—Can you fetch a frisk,[127]sir?—Let him go, let him go, uponmy peril: I find by his eye he stands in awe of me; I 'll make himas tame as a dormouse.FERDINAND. Can you fetch your frisks, sir!—I will stamp him intoa cullis,[128]flay off his skin to cover one of the anatomies[129]this rogue hath set i' th' cold yonder in Barber-Chirurgeon's-hall.—Hence, hence! you are all of you like beasts for sacrifice.[Throws the DOCTOR down and beats him.]There 's nothing left of you but tongue and belly, flattery andlechery.[Exit.]PESCARA. Doctor, he did not fear you thoroughly.DOCTOR. True; I was somewhat too forward.BOSOLA. Mercy upon me, what a fatal judgmentHath fall'n upon this Ferdinand!PESCARA. Knows your graceWhat accident hath brought unto the princeThis strange distraction?CARDINAL. [Aside.] I must feign somewhat.—Thus they say it grew.You have heard it rumour'd, for these many yearsNone of our family dies but there is seenThe shape of an old woman, which is givenBy tradition to us to have been murder'dBy her nephews for her riches. Such a figureOne night, as the prince sat up late at 's book,Appear'd to him; when crying out for help,The gentleman of 's chamber found his graceAll on a cold sweat, alter'd much in faceAnd language: since which apparition,He hath grown worse and worse, and I much fearHe cannot live.BOSOLA. Sir, I would speak with you.PESCARA. We 'll leave your grace,Wishing to the sick prince, our noble lord,All health of mind and body.CARDINAL. You are most welcome.[Exeunt PESCARA, MALATESTI, and DOCTOR.]Are you come? so.—[Aside.] This fellow must not knowBy any means I had intelligenceIn our duchess' death; for, though I counsell'd it,The full of all th' engagement seem'd to grow]From Ferdinand.—Now, sir, how fares our sister?I do not think but sorrow makes her lookLike to an oft-dy'd garment: she shall nowTake comfort from me. Why do you look so wildly?O, the fortune of your master here the princeDejects you; but be you of happy comfort:If you 'll do one thing for me I 'll entreat,Though he had a cold tomb-stone o'er his bones,I 'd make you what you would be.BOSOLA. Any thing;Give it me in a breath, and let me fly to 't.They that think long small expedition win,For musing much o' th' end cannot begin.[Enter JULIA]JULIA. Sir, will you come into supper?CARDINAL. I am busy; leave me[.]JULIA [Aside.] What an excellent shape hath that fellow!Exit.CARDINAL. 'Tis thus. Antonio lurks here in Milan:Inquire him out, and kill him. While he lives,Our sister cannot marry; and I have thoughtOf an excellent match for her. Do this, and style meThy advancement.BOSOLA. But by what means shall I find him out?CARDINAL. There is a gentleman call'd DelioHere in the camp, that hath been long approv'dHis loyal friend. Set eye upon that fellow;Follow him to mass; may be Antonio,Although he do account religionBut a school-name, for fashion of the worldMay accompany him; or else go inquire outDelio's confessor, and see if you can bribeHim to reveal it. There are a thousand waysA man might find to trace him; as to knowWhat fellows haunt the Jews for taking upGreat sums of money, for sure he 's in want;Or else to go to the picture-makers, and learnWho bought[130]her picture lately: some of theseHappily may take.BOSOLA. Well, I 'll not freeze i' th' business:I would see that wretched thing, Antonio,Above all sights i' th' world.CARDINAL. Do, and be happy.Exit.BOSOLA. This fellow doth breed basilisks in 's eyes,He 's nothing else but murder; yet he seemsNot to have notice of the duchess' death.'Tis his cunning: I must follow his example;There cannot be a surer way to traceThan that of an old fox.[Re-enter JULIA, with a pistol]JULIA. So, sir, you are well met.BOSOLA. How Now!JULIA. Nay, the doors are fast enough:Now, sir, I will make you confess your treachery.BOSOLA. Treachery!JULIA. Yes, confess to meWhich of my women 'twas you hir'd to putLove-powder into my drink?BOSOLA. Love-powder!JULIA. Yes, when I was at Malfi.Why should I fall in love with such a face else?I have already suffer'd for thee so much pain,The only remedy to do me goodIs to kill my longing.BOSOLA. Sure, your pistol holdsNothing but perfumes or kissing-comfits.[131]Excellent lady!You have a pretty way on 't to discoverYour longing. Come, come, I 'll disarm you,And arm you thus: yet this is wondrous strange.JULIA. Compare thy form and my eyes together,You 'll find my love no such great miracle.Now you 'll sayI am wanton: this nice modesty in ladiesIs but a troublesome familiarThat haunts them.BOSOLA. Know you me, I am a blunt soldier.JULIA. The better:Sure, there wants fire where there are no lively sparksOf roughness.BOSOLA. And I want compliment.JULIA. Why, ignoranceIn courtship cannot make you do amiss,If you have a heart to do well.BOSOLA. You are very fair.JULIA. Nay, if you lay beauty to my charge,I must plead unguilty.BOSOLA. Your bright eyesCarry a quiver of darts in them sharperThan sun-beams.JULIA. You will mar me with commendation,Put yourself to the charge of courting me,Whereas now I woo you.BOSOLA. [Aside.] I have it, I will work upon this creature.—Let us grow most amorously familiar:If the great cardinal now should see me thus,Would he not count me a villain?JULIA. No; he might count me a wanton,Not lay a scruple of offence on you;For if I see and steal a diamond,The fault is not i' th' stone, but in me the thiefThat purloins it. I am sudden with you.We that are great women of pleasure use to cut offThese uncertain wishes and unquiet longings,And in an instant join the sweet delightAnd the pretty excuse together. Had you been i' th' street,Under my chamber-window, even thereI should have courted you.BOSOLA. O, you are an excellent lady!JULIA. Bid me do somewhat for you presentlyTo express I love you.BOSOLA. I will; and if you love me,Fail not to effect it.The cardinal is grown wondrous melancholy;Demand the cause, let him not put you offWith feign'd excuse; discover the main ground on 't.JULIA. Why would you know this?BOSOLA. I have depended on him,And I hear that he is fall'n in some disgraceWith the emperor: if he be, like the miceThat forsake falling houses, I would shiftTo other dependance.JULIA. You shall not needFollow the wars: I 'll be your maintenance.BOSOLA. And I your loyal servant: but I cannotLeave my calling.JULIA. Not leave an ungratefulGeneral for the love of a sweet lady!You are like some cannot sleep in feather-beds,But must have blocks for their pillows.BOSOLA. Will you do this?JULIA. Cunningly.BOSOLA. To-morrow I 'll expect th' intelligence.JULIA. To-morrow! get you into my cabinet;You shall have it with you. Do not delay me,No more than I do you: I am like oneThat is condemn'd; I have my pardon promis'd,But I would see it seal'd. Go, get you in:You shall see my wind my tongue about his heartLike a skein of silk.[Exit BOSOLA.][Re-enter CARDINAL]CARDINAL. Where are you?[Enter Servants.]SERVANTS. Here.CARDINAL. Let none, upon your lives, have conferenceWith the Prince Ferdinand, unless I know it.—[Aside] In this distraction he may revealThe murder.[Exeunt Servants.]Yond 's my lingering consumption:I am weary of her, and by any meansWould be quit of.JULIA. How now, my lord! what ails you?CARDINAL. Nothing.JULIA. O, you are much alter'd:Come, I must be your secretary, and removeThis lead from off your bosom: what 's the matter?CARDINAL. I may not tell you.JULIA. Are you so far in love with sorrowYou cannot part with part of it? Or think youI cannot love your grace when you are sadAs well as merry? Or do you suspectI, that have been a secret to your heartThese many winters, cannot be the sameUnto your tongue?CARDINAL. Satisfy thy longing,—The only way to make thee keep my counselIs, not to tell thee.JULIA. Tell your echo this,Or flatterers, that like echoes still reportWhat they hear though most imperfect, and not me;For if that you be true unto yourself,I 'll know.CARDINAL. Will you rack me?JULIA. No, judgment shallDraw it from you: it is an equal fault,To tell one's secrets unto all or none.CARDINAL. The first argues folly.JULIA. But the last tyranny.CARDINAL. Very well: why, imagine I have committedSome secret deed which I desire the worldMay never hear of.JULIA. Therefore may not I know it?You have conceal'd for me as great a sinAs adultery. Sir, never was occasionFor perfect trial of my constancyTill now: sir, I beseech you——CARDINAL. You 'll repent it.JULIA. Never.CARDINAL. It hurries thee to ruin: I 'll not tell thee.Be well advis'd, and think what danger 'tisTo receive a prince's secrets. They that do,Had need have their breasts hoop'd with adamantTo contain them. I pray thee, yet be satisfi'd;Examine thine own frailty; 'tis more easyTo tie knots than unloose them. 'Tis a secretThat, like a ling'ring poison, may chance lieSpread in thy veins, and kill thee seven year hence.JULIA. Now you dally with me.CARDINAL. No more; thou shalt know it.By my appointment the great Duchess of MalfiAnd two of her young children, four nights since,Were strangl'd.JULIA. O heaven! sir, what have you done!CARDINAL. How now? How settles this? Think you your bosomWill be a grave dark and obscure enoughFor such a secret?JULIA. You have undone yourself, sir.CARDINAL. Why?JULIA. It lies not in me to conceal it.CARDINAL. No?Come, I will swear you to 't upon this book.JULIA. Most religiously.CARDINAL. Kiss it.[She kisses the book.]Now you shall never utter it; thy curiosityHath undone thee; thou 'rt poison'd with that book.Because I knew thou couldst not keep my counsel,I have bound thee to 't by death.[Re-enter BOSOLA]BOSOLA. For pity-sake, hold!CARDINAL. Ha, Bosola!JULIA. I forgive youThis equal piece of justice you have done;For I betray'd your counsel to that fellow.He over-heard it; that was the cause I saidIt lay not in me to conceal it.BOSOLA. O foolish woman,Couldst not thou have poison'd him?JULIA. 'Tis weakness,Too much to think what should have been done. I go,I know not whither.[Dies.]CARDINAL. Wherefore com'st thou hither?BOSOLA. That I might find a great man like yourself,Not out of his wits, as the Lord Ferdinand,To remember my service.CARDINAL. I 'll have thee hew'd in pieces.BOSOLA. Make not yourself such a promise of that lifeWhich is not yours to dispose of.CARDINAL. Who plac'd thee here?BOSOLA. Her lust, as she intended.CARDINAL. Very well:Now you know me for your fellow-murderer.BOSOLA. And wherefore should you lay fair marble coloursUpon your rotten purposes to me?Unless you imitate some that do plot great treasons,And when they have done, go hide themselves i' th' graveOf those were actors in 't?CARDINAL. No more; there isA fortune attends thee.BOSOLA. Shall I go sue to Fortune any longer?'Tis the fool's pilgrimage.CARDINAL. I have honours in store for thee.BOSOLA. There are a many ways that conduct to seemingHonour, and some of them very dirty ones.CARDINAL. Throw to the devilThy melancholy. The fire burns well;What need we keep a stirring of 't, and makeA greater smother?[132]Thou wilt kill Antonio?BOSOLA. Yes.CARDINAL. Take up that body.BOSOLA. I think I shallShortly grow the common bier for church-yards.CARDINAL. I will allow thee some dozen of attendantsTo aid thee in the murder.BOSOLA. O, by no means. Physicians that apply horse-leechesto any rank swelling use to cut off their tails, that the bloodmay run through them the faster: let me have no train when I goto shed blood, less it make me have a greater when I rideto the gallows.CARDINAL. Come to me after midnight, to help to removeThat body to her own lodging. I 'll give outShe died o' th' plague; 'twill breed the less inquiryAfter her death.BOSOLA. Where 's Castruccio her husband?CARDINAL. He 's rode to Naples, to take possessionOf Antonio's citadel.BOSOLA. Believe me, you have done a very happy turn.CARDINAL. Fail not to come. There is the master-keyOf our lodgings; and by that you may conceiveWhat trust I plant in you.BOSOLA. You shall find me ready.Exit CARDINAL.O poor Antonio, though nothing be so needfulTo thy estate as pity, yet I findNothing so dangerous! I must look to my footing:In such slippery ice-pavements men had needTo be frost-nail'd well, they may break their necks else;The precedent 's here afore me. How this manBears up in blood! seems fearless! Why, 'tis well;Security some men call the suburbs of hell,Only a dead wall between. Well, good Antonio,I 'll seek thee out; and all my care shall beTo put thee into safety from the reachOf these most cruel biters that have gotSome of thy blood already. It may be,I 'll join with thee in a most just revenge.The weakest arm is strong enough that strikesWith the sword of justice. Still methinks the duchessHaunts me: there, there!—'Tis nothing but my melancholy.O Penitence, let me truly taste thy cup,That throws men down only to raise them up!Exit.
Scene III[133][Enter] ANTONIO and DELIO. Echo (from the DUCHESS'S Grave)DELIO. Yond 's the cardinal's window. This fortificationGrew from the ruins of an ancient abbey;And to yond side o' th' river lies a wall,Piece of a cloister, which in my opinionGives the best echo that you ever heard,So hollow and so dismal, and withalSo plain in the distinction of our words,That many have suppos'd it is a spiritThat answers.ANTONIO. I do love these ancient ruins.We never tread upon them but we setOur foot upon some reverend history;And, questionless, here in this open court,Which now lies naked to the injuriesOf stormy weather, some men lie interr'dLov'd the church so well, and gave so largely to 't,They thought it should have canopied their bonesTill dooms-day. But all things have their end;Churches and cities, which have diseases like to men,Must have like death that we have.ECHO. Like death that we have.DELIO. Now the echo hath caught you.ANTONIO. It groan'd methought, and gaveA very deadly accent.ECHO. Deadly accent.DELIO. I told you 'twas a pretty one. You may make itA huntsman, or a falconer, a musician,Or a thing of sorrow.ECHO. A thing of sorrow.ANTONIO. Ay, sure, that suits it best.ECHO. That suits it best.ANTONIO. 'Tis very like my wife's voice.ECHO. Ay, wife's voice.DELIO. Come, let us walk further from t.I would not have you go to the cardinal's to-night:Do not.ECHO. Do not.DELIO. Wisdom doth not more moderate wasting sorrowThan time. Take time for 't; be mindful of thy safety.ECHO. Be mindful of thy safety.ANTONIO. Necessity compels me.Make scrutiny through the passagesOf your own life, you 'll find it impossibleTo fly your fate.ECHO. O, fly your fate!DELIO. Hark! the dead stones seem to have pity on you,And give you good counsel.ANTONIO. Echo, I will not talk with thee,For thou art a dead thing.ECHO. Thou art a dead thing.ANTONIO. My duchess is asleep now,And her little ones, I hope sweetly. O heaven,Shall I never see her more?ECHO. Never see her more.ANTONIO. I mark'd not one repetition of the echoBut that; and on the sudden a clear lightPresented me a face folded in sorrow.DELIO. Your fancy merely.ANTONIO. Come, I 'll be out of this ague,For to live thus is not indeed to live;It is a mockery and abuse of life.I will not henceforth save myself by halves;Lose all, or nothing.DELIO. Your own virtue save you!I 'll fetch your eldest son, and second you.It may be that the sight of his own bloodSpread in so sweet a figure may begetThe more compassion. However, fare you well.Though in our miseries Fortune have a part,Yet in our noble sufferings she hath none.Contempt of pain, that we may call our own.Exeunt.
Scene IV[134][Enter] CARDINAL, PESCARA, MALATESTI, RODERIGO, and GRISOLANCARDINAL. You shall not watch to-night by the sick prince;His grace is very well recover'd.MALATESTI. Good my lord, suffer us.CARDINAL. O, by no means;The noise, and change of object in his eye,Doth more distract him. I pray, all to bed;And though you hear him in his violent fit,Do not rise, I entreat you.PESCARA. So, sir; we shall not.CARDINAL. Nay, I must have you promiseUpon your honours, for I was enjoin'd to 'tBy himself; and he seem'd to urge it sensibly.PESCARA. Let our honours bind this trifle.CARDINAL. Nor any of your followers.MALATESTI. Neither.CARDINAL. It may be, to make trial of your promise,When he 's asleep, myself will rise and feignSome of his mad tricks, and cry out for help,And feign myself in danger.MALATESTI. If your throat were cutting,I 'd not come at you, now I have protested against it.CARDINAL. Why, I thank you.GRISOLAN. 'Twas a foul storm to-night.RODERIGO. The Lord Ferdinand's chamber shook like an osier.MALATESTI. 'Twas nothing put pure kindness in the devilTo rock his own child.Exeunt [all except the CARDINAL].CARDINAL. The reason why I would not suffer theseAbout my brother, is, because at midnightI may with better privacy conveyJulia's body to her own lodging. O, my conscience!I would pray now; but the devil takes away my heartFor having any confidence in prayer.About this hour I appointed BosolaTo fetch the body. When he hath serv'd my turn,He dies.Exit.[Enter BOSOLA]BOSOLA. Ha! 'twas the cardinal's voice; I heard him nameBosola and my death. Listen; I hear one's footing.[Enter FERDINAND]FERDINAND. Strangling is a very quiet death.BOSOLA. [Aside.] Nay, then, I see I must stand upon my guard.FERDINAND. What say to that? Whisper softly: do you agree to 't?So; it must be done i' th' dark; the cardinal would not fora thousand pounds the doctor should see it.Exit.BOSOLA. My death is plotted; here 's the consequence of murder.We value not desert nor Christian breath,When we know black deeds must be cur'd with death.[Enter ANTONIO and Servant]SERVANT. Here stay, sir, and be confident, I pray;I 'll fetch you a dark lantern.Exit.ANTONIO. Could I take him at his prayers,There were hope of pardon.BOSOLA. Fall right, my sword!—[Stabs him.]I 'll not give thee so much leisure as to pray.ANTONIO. O, I am gone! Thou hast ended a long suitIn a minute.BOSOLA. What art thou?ANTONIO. A most wretched thing,That only have thy benefit in death,To appear myself.[Re-enter Servant with a lantern]SERVANT. Where are you, sir?ANTONIO. Very near my home.—Bosola!SERVANT. O, misfortune!BOSOLA. Smother thy pity, thou art dead else.—Antonio!The man I would have sav'd 'bove mine own life!We are merely the stars' tennis-balls, struck and bandedWhich way please them.—O good Antonio,I 'll whisper one thing in thy dying earShall make thy heart break quickly! Thy fair duchessAnd two sweet children——ANTONIO. Their very namesKindle a little life in me.BOSOLA. Are murder'd.ANTONIO. Some men have wish'd to dieAt the hearing of sad tidings; I am gladThat I shall do 't in sadness.[135]I would not nowWish my wounds balm'd nor heal'd, for I have no useTo put my life to. In all our quest of greatness,Like wanton boys whose pastime is their care,We follow after bubbles blown in th' air.Pleasure of life, what is 't? Only the good hoursOf an ague; merely a preparative to rest,To endure vexation. I do not askThe process of my death; only commend meTo Delio.BOSOLA. Break, heart!ANTONIO. And let my son fly the courts to princes.[Dies.]BOSOLA. Thou seem'st to have lov'd Antonio.SERVANT. I brought him hither,To have reconcil'd him to the cardinal.BOSOLA. I do not ask thee that.Take him up, if thou tender thine own life,And bear him where the lady JuliaWas wont to lodge.—O, my fate moves swift!I have this cardinal in the forge already;Now I 'll bring him to th' hammer. O direful misprision![136]I will not imitate things glorious.No more than base; I 'll be mine own example.—On, on, and look thou represent, for silence,The thing thou bear'st.[137]Exeunt.
Scene V[138][Enter] CARDINAL, with a bookCARDINAL. I am puzzl'd in a question about hell;He says, in hell there 's one material fire,And yet it shall not burn all men alike.Lay him by. How tedious is a guilty conscience!When I look into the fish-ponds in my garden,Methinks I see a thing arm'd with a rake,That seems to strike at me.[Enter BOSOLA, and Servant bearing ANTONIO'S body]Now, art thou come?Thou look'st ghastly;There sits in thy face some great determinationMix'd with some fear.BOSOLA. Thus it lightens into action:I am come to kill thee.CARDINAL. Ha!—Help! our guard!BOSOLA. Thou art deceiv'd; they are out of thy howling.CARDINAL. Hold; and I will faithfully divideRevenues with thee.BOSOLA. Thy prayers and proffersAre both unseasonable.CARDINAL. Raise the watch!We are betray'd!BOSOLA. I have confin'd your flight:I 'll suffer your retreat to Julia's chamber,But no further.CARDINAL. Help! we are betray'd![Enter, above, PESCARA, MALATESTI, RODERIGO, and GRISOLAN]MALATESTI. Listen.CARDINAL. My dukedom for rescue!RODERIGO. Fie upon his counterfeiting!MALATESTI. Why, 'tis not the cardinal.RODERIGO. Yes, yes, 'tis he:But, I 'll see him hang'd ere I 'll go down to him.CARDINAL. Here 's a plot upon me; I am assaulted! I am lost,Unless some rescue!GRISOLAN. He doth this pretty well;But it will not serve to laugh me out of mine honour.CARDINAL. The sword's at my throat!RODERIGO. You would not bawl so loud then.MALATESTI.Come, come, let 's go to bed: he told us this much aforehand.PESCARA. He wish'd you should not come at him; but, believe 't,The accent of the voice sounds not in jest:I 'll down to him, howsoever, and with enginesForce ope the doors.[Exit above.]RODERIGO. Let 's follow him aloof,And note how the cardinal will laugh at him.[Exeunt, above, MALATESTI, RODERIGO, and GRISOLAN.]BOSOLA. There 's for you first,'Cause you shall not unbarricade the doorTo let in rescue.Kills the Servant.CARDINAL. What cause hast thou to pursue my life?BOSOLA. Look there.CARDINAL. Antonio!BOSOLA. Slain by my hand unwittingly.Pray, and be sudden. When thou kill'd'st thy sister,Thou took'st from Justice her most equal balance,And left her naught but her sword.CARDINAL. O, mercy!BOSOLA. Now it seems thy greatness was only outward;For thou fall'st faster of thyself than calamityCan drive thee. I 'll not waste longer time; there![Stabs him.]CARDINAL. Thou hast hurt me.BOSOLA. Again!CARDINAL. Shall I die like a leveret,Without any resistance?—Help, help, help!I am slain![Enter FERDINAND]FERDINAND. Th' alarum! Give me a fresh horse;Rally the vaunt-guard, or the day is lost,Yield, yield! I give you the honour of armsShake my sword over you; will you yield?CARDINAL. Help me; I am your brother!FERDINAND. The devil!My brother fight upon the adverse party!He wounds the CARDINAL, and, in the scuffle, gives BOSOLAhis death-wound.There flies your ransom.CARDINAL. O justice!I suffer now for what hath former bin:Sorrow is held the eldest child of sin.FERDINAND. Now you 're brave fellows. Caesar's fortune was harderthan Pompey's; Caesar died in the arms of prosperity, Pompey at thefeet of disgrace. You both died in the field. The pain 's nothing;pain many times is taken away with the apprehension of greater,as the tooth-ache with the sight of a barber that comes to pullit out. There 's philosophy for you.BOSOLA. Now my revenge is perfect.—Sink, thou main causeKills FERDINAND.Of my undoing!—The last part of my lifeHath done me best service.FERDINAND. Give me some wet hay; I am broken-winded.I do account this world but a dog-kennel:I will vault credit and affect high pleasuresBeyond death.BOSOLA. He seems to come to himself,Now he 's so near the bottom.FERDINAND. My sister, O my sister! there 's the cause on 't.Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust,Like diamonds, we are cut with our own dust.[Dies.]CARDINAL. Thou hast thy payment too.BOSOLA. Yes, I hold my weary soul in my teeth;'Tis ready to part from me. I do gloryThat thou, which stood'st like a huge pyramidBegun upon a large and ample base,Shalt end in a little point, a kind of nothing.[Enter, below, PESCARA, MALATESTI, RODERIGO, and GRISOLAN]PESCARA. How now, my lord!MALATESTI. O sad disaster!RODERIGO. How comes this?BOSOLA. Revenge for the Duchess of Malfi murderedBy the Arragonian brethren; for AntonioSlain by this hand; for lustful JuliaPoison'd by this man; and lastly for myself,That was an actor in the main of allMuch 'gainst mine own good nature, yet i' the endNeglected.PESCARA. How now, my lord!CARDINAL. Look to my brother:He gave us these large wounds, as we were strugglingHere i' th' rushes. And now, I pray, let meBe laid by and never thought of.[Dies.]PESCARA. How fatally, it seems, he did withstandHis own rescue!MALATESTI. Thou wretched thing of blood,How came Antonio by his death?BOSOLA. In a mist; I know not how:Such a mistake as I have often seenIn a play. O, I am gone!We are only like dead walls or vaulted graves,That, ruin'd, yield no echo. Fare you well.It may be pain, but no harm, to me to dieIn so good a quarrel. O, this gloomy world!In what a shadow, or deep pit of darkness,Doth womanish and fearful mankind live!Let worthy minds ne'er stagger in distrustTo suffer death or shame for what is just:Mine is another voyage.[Dies.]PESCARA. The noble Delio, as I came to th' palace,Told me of Antonio's being here, and show'd meA pretty gentleman, his son and heir.[Enter DELIO, and ANTONIO'S Son]MALATESTI. O sir, you come too late!DELIO. I heard so, andWas arm'd for 't, ere I came. Let us make noble useOf this great ruin; and join all our forceTo establish this young hopeful gentlemanIn 's mother's right. These wretched eminent thingsLeave no more fame behind 'em, than should oneFall in a frost, and leave his print in snow;As soon as the sun shines, it ever melts,Both form and matter. I have ever thoughtNature doth nothing so great for great menAs when she 's pleas'd to make them lords of truth:Integrity of life is fame's best friend,Which nobly, beyond death, shall crown the end.Exeunt.
1 (return)[ Malfi. The presence-chamber in the palace of the Duchess.]
2 (return)[ Prevent.]
3 (return)[ The same.]
4 (return)[ The reference is to the knightly sport of riding at the ring.]
5 (return)[ At the expense of.]
6 (return)[ Rolls of lint used to dress wounds.]
7 (return)[ Surgeons.]
8 (return)[ A small horse.]
9 (return)[ Ballasted.]
10 (return)[ A lively dance.]
11 (return)[ Throws into the shade.]
12 (return)[ At the point of.]
13 (return)[ Coaches.]
14 (return)[ Spy.]
15 (return)[ Cheats.]
16 (return)[ Spy.]
17 (return)[ Malfi. Gallery in the Duchess' palace.]
18 (return)[ Lustful.]
19 (return)[ Genesis xxxi., 31-42.]
20 (return)[ The net in which he caught Venus and Mars.]
21 (return)[ Housekeepers.]
22 (return)[ Produced.]
23 (return)[ Qq. read STRANGE.]
24 (return)[ Guess.]
25 (return)[ The phrase used to indicate that accounts had been examined and found correct.]
26 (return)[ Using words of present time; i.e., "I take," not "I will take."]
27 (return)[ Knot.]
28 (return)[ More firmly.]
29 (return)[ Of difficult disposition.]
30 (return)[ Malfi. An apartment in the palace of the Duchess.]
31 (return)[ Chief part.]
32 (return)[ Bullies (Hazlitt); lawyers (Vaughan).]
33 (return)[ Royal journey.]
34 (return)[ Turning a boat on its side for repairs.]
35 (return)[ Scabbed.]
36 (return)[ Empty.]
37 (return)[ Face-modeling (Sampson). "There's a plain statement of your practises."]
38 (return)[ Blue like those of a woman with child.]
39 (return)[ Scurf.]
40 (return)[ Person of highest influence.]
41 (return)[ Hysteria.]
42 (return)[ This year.]
43 (return)[ Clearly.]
44 (return)[ Youngster.]
45 (return)[ A hall in the same palace.]
46 (return)[ Crossness.]
47 (return)[ Always.]
48 (return)[ The meaner servants.]
49 (return)[ At once.]
50 (return)[ Cast his horoscope.]
51 (return)[ The court of the same palace.]
52 (return)[ Making an astrological calculation.]
53 (return)[ Going to the root of the matter.]
54 (return)[ Write.]
55 (return)[ i.e., on his handkerchief.]
56 (return)[ Addressing the lantern.]
57 (return)[ "The rest not considered."]
58 (return)[ A piece of news.]
59 (return)[ Cleverly contrived.]
60 (return)[ Rome. An apartment in the palace of the Cardinal.]
61 (return)[ Religious recluse.]
62 (return)[ Experienced.]
63 (return)[ Sick.]
64 (return)[ Medicinal.]
65 (return)[ Strong broth.]
66 (return)[ Another apartment in the same palace.]
67 (return)[ The mandrake was supposed to give forth shrieks when uprooted, which drove the hearer mad.]
68 (return)[ Unchaste.]
69 (return)[ Supposed to be a sign of folly.]
70 (return)[ Throw the hammer.]
71 (return)[ Boil to shreds. (Dyce.) Qq, TO BOIL.]
72 (return)[ Malfi. An apartment in the palace of the Duchess.]
73 (return)[ Wealth.]
74 (return)[ Lampoons.]
75 (return)[ Plowshares.]
76 (return)[ Spying.]
77 (return)[ Deceptions.]
78 (return)[ Soothing.]
79 (return)[ The bed-chamber of the Duchess in the same.]
80 (return)[ Qq. read SLIGHT.]
81 (return)[ Powder of orris-root.]
82 (return)[ Wheels of craft.]
83 (return)[ Certificate that the books were found correct.]
84 (return)[ The badge of a steward.]
85 (return)[ Spies.]
86 (return)[ Lot.]
87 (return)[ For Plutus.]
88 (return)[ Quick steps.]
89 (return)[ Miss.]
90 (return)[ Remains.]
91 (return)[ Profession.]
92 (return)[ An apartment in the Cardinal's palace at Rome.]
93 (return)[ A decorated horse-cloth, used only when the court is traveling.]
94 (return)[ The first quarto has in the margin: "The Author disclaims this Ditty to be his."]
95 (return)[ Near Loretto.]
96 (return)[ Small birds.]
97 (return)[ His vizard.]
98 (return)[ Malfi. An apartment in the palace of the Duchess.]
99 (return)[ Curtain.]