Essex.Forgive, thou injured majesty, thou bestOf Queens, this seeming disobedience. See,I bend submissive in your royal presence,With soul as penitent, as if beforeThe all-searching eye of Heaven. But, oh, that frown!My queen's resentment wounds my inmost spirit,Strikes me like death, and pierces through my heart.
Qu. Eliz.You have obey'd, my lord! you've served me well!My deadly foes are quell'd! and you come homeA conqueror! Your country bids you welcome!And I, your queen, applaud!—Triumphant man!What! is it thus that Essex gains his laurels?What! is it thus you've borne my high commission?How durst you disregard your trusted duty,Desert your province, and betray your queen?
Essex.I came to clear my injured name from guilt,Imputed guilt, and slanderous accusations.My shame was wafted in each passing gale,Each swelling tide came loaded with my wrongs;And echo sounded forth, from faction's voice,The traitor Essex.—Was't not hard, my queen,That, while I stood in danger's dreadful front,Encountering death in every shape of terror,And bleeding for my country—Was't not hard,My mortal enemies at home, like cowards,Should in my absence basely blast my fame?
Qu. Eliz.It is the godlike attribute of kings,To raise the virtuous, and protect the brave.I was the guardian of your reputation;What malice, or what faction, then, could reach you?My honour was exposed, engaged for yours:But you found reason to dislike my care,And to yourself assumed the wrested office.
Essex.If aught disloyal in this bosom dwells,If aught of treason lodges in this heart,May I to guilt and lasting shame be wedded,The sport of faction, and the mark of scorn,The world's derision, and my queen's abhorrence.Stand forth the villain, whose envenom'd tongueWould taint my honour, and traduce my name,Or stamp my conduct with a rebel's brand!Lives there a monster in the haunts of men,Dares tear my trophies from their pillar'd base,Eclipse my glory, and disgrace my deeds?
Qu. Eliz.This ardent language, and this glow of soul,Were nobly graceful in a better cause;Where virtue warrants, and where truth inspires:But injured truth, with brow invincible,Frowns stern reproof upon the false assertion,And contradicts it with the force of facts.From me you have appeal'd, ungrateful man!The laws, not I, must listen to your plea.Go, stand the test severe, abide the trial,And mourn, too late, the bounty you abused.[ExeuntQueen Elizabeth, Southampton, &c.
Essex.Is this the just requital, then, of allMy patriot toils, and oft-encounter'd perils,Amidst the inclemencies of camps and climes?Then be it so.——Unmoved and dauntless, let meThis shock of adverse fortune firmly stand.
EnterSouthampton.
South.Alas, my lord! the queen's displeasure kindlesWith warmth increasing; whilst Lord Burleigh laboursT'inflame her wrath, and make it still burn fiercer.
Essex.I scorn the blaze of courts, the pomp of kings;I give them to the winds, and lighter vanity;Too long they've robb'd me of substantial bliss,Of solid happiness, and true enjoyments.But lead me to my mourning love; alas!She sinks beneath oppressing ills; she fades,She dies for my afflicting pangs, and seeksMe, sorrowing, in the walks of woe.—Distraction!Oh, lead me to her, to my soul's desire.
South.Let caution guide you in this dangerous step.Consider well, my lord, the consequence—For should the queen (forbid it, Heaven!) discoverYour private loves, your plighted hands, no powerOn earth could step between you and destruction.
EnterBurleigh.
Bur.My lord of Essex, 'tis the queen's command,That you forthwith resign your staff of office;And further, she confines you to your palace.
Essex.Welcome, my fate! Let fortune do her utmost;I know the worst, and will confront her malice,And bravely bear the unexpected blow.
Bur.The queen, my lord, demands your quick compliance.
Essex.Go, then, thou gladsome messenger of ill,And, joyful, feast thy fierce rapacious soulWith Essex' sudden and accomplish'd fall.The trampled corse of all his envy'd greatness,Lies prostrate now beneath thy savage feet;But still th' exalted spirit moves above thee.Go, tell the queen thy own detested story:Full in her sight disclose the snaky labyrinths,And lurking snares, you plant in virtue's path,To catch integrity's unguarded step.
Bur.Your country has impeach'd, your queen accused you;To these address your best defence, and clearYour question'd conduct from disloyal guilt.What answer to the queen shall I return?
Essex.My staff of office I from her received,And will to her, and her alone, resign it.
Bur.This bold refusal will incense the queen,This arrogance will make your guilt the stronger.[Exit.
South.Sustain, my noble friend, thy wonted greatness;Collect thy fortitude, and summon allThy soul, to bear with strength this crushing weight,Which falls severe upon thee; whilst my friendshipShall lend a helping hand, and share the burden.I'll hence with speed, and to the queen repair,And all the power of warmest words employ,To gain you yet one audience more, and bringHer majesty to milder thoughts. Farewell.[Exit.
Essex.As newly waked from all my dreams of glory,Those gilded visions of deceitful joys,I stand confounded at the unlook'd-for change,And scarcely feel this thunderbolt of fate.The painted clouds, which bore my hopes aloft,Alas, are now vanish'd to yielding air,And I am fall'n indeed!—How weak is reason, when affection pleads!How hard to turn the fond, deluded heartFrom flatt'ring toys, which sooth'd its vanity!The laurell'd trophy, and the loud applause,The victor's triumph, and the people's gaze;The high-hung banner, and recording gold,Subdue me still, still cling around my heart,And pull my reason down.
EnterLady Rutland.
Rut.Oh, let me fly,To clasp, embrace, the lord of my desires,My soul's delight, my utmost joy, my husband!Once more I hold him in my eager arms,Behold his face, and lose my soul in rapture!
Essex.Transporting bliss! my richest, dearest treasure!My mourning turtle, my long-absent peace,Oh, come yet nearer, nearer to my heart!My raptured soul springs forward, to receive thee:Thou heaven on earth, thou balm of all my woe!
Rut.Oh, shall I credit, then, each ravish'd sense?Has pitying Heaven consented to my prayer?It has, it has; my Essex is return'd!But language poorly speaks the joys I feel;Let passion paint, and looks express my soul.
Essex.With thee, my sweetest comfort, I'll retireFrom splendid palaces, and glitt'ring throngs,To live embosom'd in the shades of joy,Where sweet content extends her friendly arms,And gives increasing love a lasting welcome.With thee, I'll timely fly from proud oppression.Forget our sorrows, and be bless'd for ever.
Rut.Oh! let us hence, beyond the reach of power,Where fortune's hand shall never part us more!In this calm state of innocence and joy,I'll press thee to my throbbing bosom close.Ambition's voice shall call in vain; the world,The thankless world, shall never claim thee more,And all thy business shall be love and me.
Essex.The queen, incensed at my return, abandons meTo Cecil's malice, and the rage of faction.I'm now no more the fav'rite child of fortune:My enemies have caught me in the toil,And life has nothing worth my wish but thee.
Rut.Delusive dream of fancied happiness!And has my fatal fondness then destroy'd thee?Oh, have I lured thee to the deadly snareThy cruel foes have laid?I dreaded Cecil's malice, and my heart,Longing to see thee, with impatience listen'dTo its own alarms; and prudence sunk beneathThe force of love.
Essex.Forbear, my only comfort;Oh, tell me not of danger, death, and Burleigh;Let every star shed down its mortal baneOn my unshelter'd head: whilst thus I foldThee in my raptured arms, I'll brave them all,Defy my fate, and meet its utmost rigour.
Rut.Alas, my lord! consider where we are.Oh, 'tis the queen's apartment;Each precious moment is by fate beset,And time stands trembling whilst we thus confer.
Essex.Then, let us hence from this detested place;My rescued soul disdains the house of greatness,Where humble honesty can find no shelter.From hence we'll fly, where love and greatness call;Where happiness invites—that wish of all:With sweet content enjoy each blissful hour,Beyond the smiles of fraud, or frowns of power.[Exeunt.
An Apartment in the Palace.
EnterBurleighandLady Nottingham.
Not.My lord, I've sought you out with much impatience.You've had an audience of the queen: what follow'd?
Bur.Soon as I told her, Essex had refusedTo yield his dignities, and staff of office,Against her high command, pronounced by me,She seem'd deprived of reason for a moment;Her working mind betray'd contending passions;She paused, like thunder in some kindling cloud,Then instant burst with dreadful fury forth:"And has th' ungrateful wretch defy'd my mandate?The proud, audacious traitor, scorn'd my power?He dares not, sure?—He dies—the villain dies!"I instantly withdrew,But soon was countermanded, and desiredTo bring the Earl of Essex to her presence.I like it not; and much I fear she'll standBetween this high offender and the laws.
Not.Is Essex then secured?
Bur.Madam, he is;And now comes guarded to the court.
EnterGentleman.
Gent.Madam, the queenIs in her closet, and desires to see you.[Exit.
Not.I attend her.
Bur.She wants, no doubt, to be advised by you.Improve this fair occasion, urge it home.
Not.I know her foible. Essex long has hadAn interest in her heart, which nothing canO'erturn, except his own ungovern'd spirit:It is, indeed, the instrument by whichWe work, and cannot fail, if rightly used.
Bur.Madam, the queen expects you instantly.I must withdraw, and wait the earl's arrival.[Exeunt severally.
The Queen's Closet.
Queen Elizabethdiscovered.
Qu. Eliz.Ill-fated, wretched man! perverse and obstinate!He counterworks my grace, and courts destruction.He gives his deadly foes the dagger toDestroy him, and defeats my friendly purpose,Which would, by seeming to abandon, save him.Nor will he keep the mask of prudence onA moment's space.—What! must I bear this scorn!No: let me all the monarch re-assume;Exert my power, and be myself again.Oh, ill-performing, disobedient, heart!Why shrink'st thou, fearful, from thy own resolve?
EnterLady Nottingham.
Thou comest in time; I'm much disturb'd, abused,My Nottingham, and would complain to theeOf insolence, neglect, and high contempt.Essex presumed to dictate laws withinMy palace gates. How say'st thou, Nottingham?
Not.Surely, my gracious queen, it cannot be!His heat and passion never could impel himTo take so bold a step, to such rash guilt:Methinks his very honour should prevent it.
Qu. Eliz.This haughty man has wanton'd with my grace,Abused my bounty, and despised my favours.
Not.His conduct has, I fear, been too unguarded:His hasty temper knows not where to stop.Ambition is the spur of all his actions,Which often drives him o'er his duty's limits;(At least his enemies would have it so.)But malice, madam, seldom judges right.
Qu. Eliz.Oh, Nottingham! his pride is past enduring;This insolent, audacious man, forgetsHis honour and allegiance;—and refusedTo render up his staff of office, here,Beneath my very eye.
Not.Presumptuous man!Your faithful subjects will resent this pride,This insolence, this treason to their queen;They must, my gracious sovereign. 'Tis not safeTo shield him longer from their just resentment.Then give him up to justice and the laws.
Qu. Eliz.You seem well pleased to urge severity.Offended majesty but seldom wantsSuch sharp advisers—Yet no attributeSo well befits the exalted seat supreme,And power's disposing hand, as clemency.Each crime must from its quality be judged;And pity there should interpose, where maliceIs not the aggressor.
Not.Madam, my sentiments were well intended;Justice, not malice, moved my honest zeal.My words were echoes of the public voice,Which daily rises, with repeated criesOf high complaint against this haughty lord.I pity, from my heart, his rash attempts,And much esteem the man.
Qu. Eliz.Go, Nottingham,My mind's disturbed, and send me Rutland hither.[ExitLady Nottingham.O vain distinction of exalted state!No rank ascends above the reach of care,Nor dignity can shield a queen from woe.Despotic nature's stronger sceptre rules,And pain and passion in her right prevails.Oh, the unpity'd lot, severe condition,Of solitary, sad, dejected grandeur!Alone condemn'd to bear th' unsocial throbOf heartfelt anguish, and corroding grief;Deprived of what, within his homely shed,The poorest peasant in affliction finds,The kind, condoling, comfort of a dearPartaking friend.
EnterLady Rutland.
Rutland, I want thy timelyCounsel. I'm importuned, and urged to punish—But justice, sometimes, has a cruel sound.Essex has,No doubt, provoked my anger, and the laws;His haughty conduct calls for sharp reproof,And just correction. Yet I think him guiltlessOf studied treasons, or design'd rebellion.Then, tell me, Rutland, what the world reports,What censure says of his unruly deeds.
Rut.The world, with envy's eye, beholds his merit;Madam, 'tis malice all, and false report.I know his noble heart, 'tis fill'd with honour;No trait'rous taint has touch'd his generous soul;His grateful mind still glows with pure affection;And all his thoughts are loyalty and you.
Qu. Eliz.I grant you, Rutland, all you say; and thinkThe earl possess'd of many splendid virtues.What pity 'tis, he should afford his foesSuch frequent, sad occasions to undo him!
Rut.What human heart can, unafflicted, bearSuch manly merit in distress, besetBy cruel foes, and faction's savage cry?My good, my gracious mistress, stretch, betimes,Your saving arm, and snatch him from destruction,From deadly malice, treachery, and Cecil.Oh, let him live, to clear his conduct up!My gracious queen, he'll nobly earn your bounty,And with his dearest blood deserve your mercy.
Qu. Eliz.Her words betray a warm, unusual, fervour;Mere friendship never could inspire this transport.[Aside.I never doubted but the earl was brave;His life and valiant actions all declare it:I think him honest too, but rash and headstrong.I gladly would preserve him from his foes,And therefore am resolved once more to see him.
Rut.Oh, 'tis a godlike thought, and Heav'n itselfInspires it. Sure some angel moves your heart,Your royal heart, to pity and forgiveness.This gracious deed shall shine in future story,And deck your annals with the brightest virtue;Posterity shall praise the princely act,And ages yet to come record your goodness.
Qu. Eliz.I'll hear no more—Must I then learn from youTo know my province, and be taught to move,As each designing mind directs?—Leave me.
Rut.Her frowns are dreadful, and her eye looks terror.I tremble for my Essex. Save him, Heav'n![Exit.
Qu. Eliz.Her warmth has touch'd me home. My jealous heart,My fearful and suspicious soul's alarm'd.
EnterBurleigh,Raleigh, andGentlemen.
Bur.The Earl of Essex waits your royal will.
Qu. Eliz.Let him approach—And now once more supportThy dignity, my soul; nor yield thy greatnessTo strong usurping passion—But he comes.
EnterEssexandSouthampton.
Essex.Permitted thus to bend, with prostrate heart,[Kneels.Before your sacred majesty; I come,With every grateful sense of royal favourDeeply engraved within my conscious soul.
Qu. Eliz.I sent my orders for your staff of office.
Essex.Madam, my envy'd dignities and honours,I first from your own royal hand received,And therefore justly held it far beneath meTo yield my trophies, and exalted power,So dearly purchased in the field of glory,To hands unworthy. No, my gracious queen,I meant to lay them at your royal feet;Where life itself a willing victim falls,If you command.
Qu. Eliz.High swelling words, my lord, but ill supplyThe place of deeds, and duty's just demand.In danger's onset, and the day of trial,Conviction still on acting worth attends;Whilst mere professions are by doubts encumber'd.
Essex.My deeds have oft declared in danger's frontHow far my duty and my valour lead me.Allegiance still my thirst of glory fired,And all my bravely gather'd, envy'd laurelsWere purchased only to adorn my queen:
Qu. Eliz.Your guilty scorn of my entrusted power,When with my mortal foes you tamely dally'd,By hardy rebels braved, you poorly soughtA servile pause, and begg'd a shameful truce.Should Essex thus, so meanly compromise,And lose the harvest of a plenteous glory,In idle treaties, and suspicious parley?
Essex.O, deadly stroke! My life's the destined mark.The poison'd shaft has drank my spirits deep.—Is't come to this? Conspire with rebels! Ha!I've served you, madam, with the utmost peril,And ever gloried in th' illustrious danger,Where famine faced me with her meagre mien,And pestilence and death brought up her train.I've fought your battles, in despite of nature,Where seasons sicken'd, and the clime was fate.My power to parley, or to fight, I hadFrom you; the time and circumstance did callAloud for mutual treaty and condition;For that I stand a guarded felon here; a traitor,Hemm'd in by villains, and by slaves surrounded.
Qu. Eliz.Shall added insolence, with crest audacious,Her front uplift against the face of power?Think not that injured majesty will bearSuch arrogance uncheck'd, or unchastised.No public trust becomes the man, who treads,With scornful steps, in honour's sacred path,And stands at bold defiance with his duty.
Essex.Away with dignities and hated trust,With flattering honours, and deceitful power!Invert th' eternal rules of right and justice;Let villains thrive, and outcast virtue perish;Let slaves be raised, and cowards have command.Take, take your gaudy trifles back, those baitsOf vice, and virtue's bane. 'Tis clear, my queen,My royal mistress, casts me off; nay, joinsWith Cecil to destroy my life and fame.
Qu. Eliz.Presuming wretch! Audacious traitor!
Essex.Traitor!
Qu. Eliz.Hence from my sight, ungrateful slave, and learnAt distance to revere your queen!
Essex.Yes; letMe fly beyond the limits of the world,And nature's verge, from proud oppression far,From malice, tyranny, from courts, from you.
Qu. Eliz.Traitor! villain![Strikes him.
Essex.Confusion! what, a blow!Restrain, good Heaven! down, down, thou rebel passion,And, judgment, take the reins. Madam, 'tis well—Your soldier falls degraded;His glory's tarnish'd, and his fame undone.O, bounteous recompence from royal hands!But you, ye implements, beware, beware,What honour wrong'd, and honest wrath can act.
Qu. Eliz.What would th' imperious traitor do?My lifeBeyond thy wretched purpose stands secure.Go, learn at leisure what your deeds deserve,And tremble at the vengeance you provoke.[Exeunt all butEssexandSouthampton.
Essex.Disgraced and struck! Damnation! Death were glorious!Revenge! revenge!
South.Alas, my friend! what wouldThy rage attempt? Consider well the greatAdvantage now your rash, ungovern'd temperAffords your foes. The queen, incensed, will letTheir fury loose.—I dread the dire event!
Essex.Has honest pride no just resentment left?Nor injured honour, feeling?—Not revenge!High Heaven shall hear, and earth regret, my wrongs.Hot indignation burns within my soul.I'll do some dreadful thing!—I know not what;Some deeds, as horrid as the shame I feel,Shall startle nature, and alarm the world.Then hence, like lightning, let me furious fly,To hurl destruction at my foes on high;Pull down oppression from its tyrant seat,Redeem my glory, or embrace my fate.[Exeunt.
The Palace.
EnterQueen ElizabethandNottingham.
Qu. Eliz.Not taken yet?
Not.No, madam: for the EarlOf Essex, leagued with desperate friends, made strongAnd obstinate resistance; till, at length,O'erpower'd by numbers, and increasing force,He fled for shelter to a small retreat,A summer-house, upon the Thames; resolvedTo perish, rather than submit to power.
Qu. Eliz.Oh, where shall majesty bestow its favours,Since Essex has a traitor proved to me,Whose arm hath raised him up to power and greatness;Whose heart has shared in all his splendid triumphs,And feels, ev'n now, his trait'rous deeds with pity?But hence with pity, and the woman's pangs:Resentment governs, and the queen shall punish.
EnterBurleigh.
Bur.Illustrious queen! the traitors all are seized.Their black debatesWere held at Drury House. The dire resultWas this: that Essex should alarm the citizensTo open mutiny, and bold rebellion.Their purpose was to seize your royal palace,And sacred person; but your faithful people,As by one mind inform'd, one zeal inspired,Rose up at once, and with their virtue quell'd them.
Qu. Eliz.Thanks to their honest, to their loyal hearts!But say, were any persons else concern'd,Of high distinction, or of noted rank?
Bur.Yes, madam, many more;'Mong whom the bold Southampton foremost stands.They're now our prisoners, and are safe secured;But Essex, with Southampton, and the restOf greater note, I would not dare dispose ofWithout your royal mandate; and they nowAttend without, to know your final pleasure.
Qu. Eliz.Is this the just return of all my care?My anxious toilsome days, and watchful nights?Have I sent forth a wish, that went not freightedWith all my people's good? Or have I life,Or length of days desired, but for their sake?The public good is all my private care!Then could I think this grateful isleContain'd one traitor's heart? But, least of all,That Essex' breast should lodge it? Call the monster,And let me meet this rebel face to face!Do you withdraw, and wait within our call.[ExeuntBurleighandNottingham.
EnterEssex.
You see, we dare abide your dangerous presence,Though treason sits within your heart enthroned,And on that brow rebellion lours, where onceSuch boasted loyalty was said to flourish.How low the traitor can degrade the soldier!Guilt glares in conscious dye upon thy cheek,And inward horror trembles in thine eye.How mean is fraud! How base ingratitude!
Essex.Forbear reproach, thou injured majesty,Nor wound with piercing looks, a heart alreadyWith anguish torn, and bleeding with remorse.Your awful looks, alone, are arm'd with death,And justice gives them terror.