Enter theKing of Navarre,[357]Queen Margaret,theOld Queen of Navarre,thePrince of Condé,and theAdmiral;they are met by theApothecarywith the gloves, which he gives to theOld Queen.Apoth.Madam,I beseech your grace to accept this simple gift.Old Q. of Nav.Thanks, my good friend.Hold, takethou this reward. [Gives a purse.Apoth.I humbly thank your majesty. [Exit.Old Q. of Nav.Methinks the gloves have a very strong perfume,The scent whereof doth make my head to ache.Nav.Doth not your grace know the man that gave them you?Old Q. of Nav.Not well; but do remember such a man.Adm.Your grace was ill-advised to take them, then,Considering of these dangerous times.10Old Q. of Nav.Help, son Navarre! I am poisoned!Mar.The heavens forbid your highness such mishap!Nav.The late suspicion of the Duke of GuiseMight well have moved your highness to bewareHow you did meddle with such dangerous gifts.Mar.Too late it is, my lord, if that be true,To blame her highness; but I hope it beOnly some natural passion makes her sick.Old Q. of Nav.O no, sweet Margaret! the fatal poisonWorks within my head; my brain-pan breaks;20My heart doth faint; I die! [Dies.Nav.My mother poisoned here before my face!O gracious God, what times are these!O grant, sweet God, my days may end with hers,That I with her may die and live again!Mar.Let not this heavy chance, my dearest lord(For whose effects my soul is massacrèd),Infect thy gracious breast with fresh supplyTo aggravate our sudden misery.Adm.Come, my lords, let us bear her body hence,30And see it honoured with just solemnity.[As they are going out, theSoldierdischargeth hismusket at theAdmiral.Con.What, are you hurt, my Lord High Admiral?Adm.I, my good lord, shot through the arm.Nav.We[358]are betrayed! Come, my lords,And let us go tell the king of this.Adm.These areThe cursèd Guisians, that do seek our death.O fatal was this marriage to us all![Exeunt, bearing out the body of theOld Queen of Navarre.
Enter theKing of Navarre,[357]Queen Margaret,theOld Queen of Navarre,thePrince of Condé,and theAdmiral;they are met by theApothecarywith the gloves, which he gives to theOld Queen.
Apoth.Madam,I beseech your grace to accept this simple gift.
Old Q. of Nav.Thanks, my good friend.Hold, takethou this reward. [Gives a purse.
Apoth.I humbly thank your majesty. [Exit.
Old Q. of Nav.Methinks the gloves have a very strong perfume,The scent whereof doth make my head to ache.
Nav.Doth not your grace know the man that gave them you?
Old Q. of Nav.Not well; but do remember such a man.
Adm.Your grace was ill-advised to take them, then,Considering of these dangerous times.10
Old Q. of Nav.Help, son Navarre! I am poisoned!
Mar.The heavens forbid your highness such mishap!
Nav.The late suspicion of the Duke of GuiseMight well have moved your highness to bewareHow you did meddle with such dangerous gifts.
Mar.Too late it is, my lord, if that be true,To blame her highness; but I hope it beOnly some natural passion makes her sick.
Old Q. of Nav.O no, sweet Margaret! the fatal poisonWorks within my head; my brain-pan breaks;20My heart doth faint; I die! [Dies.
Nav.My mother poisoned here before my face!O gracious God, what times are these!O grant, sweet God, my days may end with hers,That I with her may die and live again!
Mar.Let not this heavy chance, my dearest lord(For whose effects my soul is massacrèd),Infect thy gracious breast with fresh supplyTo aggravate our sudden misery.
Adm.Come, my lords, let us bear her body hence,30And see it honoured with just solemnity.[As they are going out, theSoldierdischargeth hismusket at theAdmiral.
Con.What, are you hurt, my Lord High Admiral?
Adm.I, my good lord, shot through the arm.
Nav.We[358]are betrayed! Come, my lords,And let us go tell the king of this.
Adm.These areThe cursèd Guisians, that do seek our death.O fatal was this marriage to us all![Exeunt, bearing out the body of theOld Queen of Navarre.
Enter[359]King Charles,Catherinethe Queen-Mother,Guise,Anjou,andDumaine.Cath.My noble son, and princely Duke of Guise,Now have we got the fatal, straggling deerWithin the compass of a deadly toil,And, as we late decreed, we may perform.Char.Madam, it will be noted through the worldAn action bloody and tyrannical;Chiefly, since under safety of our wordThey justly challenge their protection:Besides, my heart relents that noblemen,Only corrupted in religion,10Ladies of honour, knights, and gentlemen,Should, for their conscience, taste such ruthless ends.Anj.Though gentle minds should pity others' pain,Yet will the wisest note their proper griefs,And rather seek to scourge their enemiesThan be themselves base subjects to the whip.Guise.Methinks my Lord Anjou hath well advisedYour highness to consider of the thing,And rather choose to seek your country's goodThan pity or relieve these upstart heretics.20Cath.I hope these reasons may serve my princely sonTo have some care for fear of enemies.Char.Well, madam, I refer it to your majesty,And to my nephew here, the Duke of Guise:What you determine, I will ratify.Cat.Thanks to my princely son.—Then tell me,Guise,What order will you set down for the massacre?Guise.Thus, madam. TheyThat shall be actors in this massacre,Shall wear white crosses on their burgonets,30And tie white linen scarfs about their arms:He that wants these, and is suspect[360]of heresy,Shall die, be he king or emperor. Then I'll haveA peal of ordnance shot from the tower, at whichThey all shall issue out, and set[361]the streets;And then,The watch-word being given, a bell shall ring,Which when they hear, they shall begin to kill,And never cease until that bell shall cease;Then breathe a while.40Enter theAdmiral'sServing-Man.Char.How now, fellow! what news?Serv.-M.An it please your grace, the Lord High Admiral,Riding the streets, was traitorously shot;And most humbly[362]entreats your majestyTo visit him, sick in his bed.Char.Messenger, tell him I will see him straight. [ExitServ.-M.What shall we do now with the Admiral?Cath.Your majesty were best go visit him,And make a show as if all were well.Char.Content; I will go visit the Admiral.50Guise.And I will go take order for his death.[Exeunt.[363]
Enter[359]King Charles,Catherinethe Queen-Mother,Guise,Anjou,andDumaine.
Cath.My noble son, and princely Duke of Guise,Now have we got the fatal, straggling deerWithin the compass of a deadly toil,And, as we late decreed, we may perform.
Char.Madam, it will be noted through the worldAn action bloody and tyrannical;Chiefly, since under safety of our wordThey justly challenge their protection:Besides, my heart relents that noblemen,Only corrupted in religion,10Ladies of honour, knights, and gentlemen,Should, for their conscience, taste such ruthless ends.
Anj.Though gentle minds should pity others' pain,Yet will the wisest note their proper griefs,And rather seek to scourge their enemiesThan be themselves base subjects to the whip.
Guise.Methinks my Lord Anjou hath well advisedYour highness to consider of the thing,And rather choose to seek your country's goodThan pity or relieve these upstart heretics.20
Cath.I hope these reasons may serve my princely sonTo have some care for fear of enemies.
Char.Well, madam, I refer it to your majesty,And to my nephew here, the Duke of Guise:What you determine, I will ratify.
Cat.Thanks to my princely son.—Then tell me,Guise,What order will you set down for the massacre?
Guise.Thus, madam. TheyThat shall be actors in this massacre,Shall wear white crosses on their burgonets,30And tie white linen scarfs about their arms:He that wants these, and is suspect[360]of heresy,Shall die, be he king or emperor. Then I'll haveA peal of ordnance shot from the tower, at whichThey all shall issue out, and set[361]the streets;And then,The watch-word being given, a bell shall ring,Which when they hear, they shall begin to kill,And never cease until that bell shall cease;Then breathe a while.40
Enter theAdmiral'sServing-Man.
Char.How now, fellow! what news?
Serv.-M.An it please your grace, the Lord High Admiral,Riding the streets, was traitorously shot;And most humbly[362]entreats your majestyTo visit him, sick in his bed.
Char.Messenger, tell him I will see him straight. [ExitServ.-M.What shall we do now with the Admiral?
Cath.Your majesty were best go visit him,And make a show as if all were well.
Char.Content; I will go visit the Admiral.50
Guise.And I will go take order for his death.[Exeunt.[363]
The[364]Admiraldiscovered in bed.EnterKing Charles.Char.How fares it with my Lord High Admiral?Hath he been hurt with villain's in the street?I vow and swear, as I am king of France,To find and to repay the man with death,With death delayed and torments never us'd,That durst presume, for hope of any gain,To hurt the nobleman their[365]sovereign loves.Adm.Ah, my good lord, these are the Guisians,That seek to massacre our guiltless lives!Char.Assure yourself, my good Lord Admiral,10I deeply sorrow for your treacherous wrong;And that I am not more secure myselfThan I am careful you should be preserv'd.—Cousin, take twenty of our strongest guard,And, under your direction, see they keepAll treacherous violence from our noble friend;Repaying all attempts with present deathUpon the cursèd breakers of our peace.—And so be patient, good Lord Admiral,And every hour I will visit you.20Adm.I humbly thank your royal majesty.[ExitCharles.The bed is drawn in.
The[364]Admiraldiscovered in bed.EnterKing Charles.
Char.How fares it with my Lord High Admiral?Hath he been hurt with villain's in the street?I vow and swear, as I am king of France,To find and to repay the man with death,With death delayed and torments never us'd,That durst presume, for hope of any gain,To hurt the nobleman their[365]sovereign loves.
Adm.Ah, my good lord, these are the Guisians,That seek to massacre our guiltless lives!
Char.Assure yourself, my good Lord Admiral,10I deeply sorrow for your treacherous wrong;And that I am not more secure myselfThan I am careful you should be preserv'd.—Cousin, take twenty of our strongest guard,And, under your direction, see they keepAll treacherous violence from our noble friend;Repaying all attempts with present deathUpon the cursèd breakers of our peace.—And so be patient, good Lord Admiral,And every hour I will visit you.20
Adm.I humbly thank your royal majesty.[ExitCharles.The bed is drawn in.
Enter[366]Guise,Anjou,Dumaine,Gonzago,Retes,Mountsorrell,andSoldiers,to the massacre.Guise.Anjou, Dumaine, Gonzago, Retes, swear,By the argent crosses in your burgonets,To kill all that you suspect of heresy.Dum.I swear by this, to be unmerciful.Anj.I am disguis'd, and none knows who I am,And therefore mean to murder all I meet.Gon.And so will I.Retes.And I.Guise.Away, then! break into the Admiral's house.Retes.I, let the Admiral be first despatch'd.Guise.The Admiral,10Chief standard-bearer to the Lutherans,Shall in the entrance[367]of this massacreBe murder'd in his bed.Gonzago, conduct them thither; and thenBeset his house, that not a man may live.Anj.That charge is mine.—Switzers, keep you the streets;And at each corner shall the king's guard stand.Gon.Come, sirs, follow me. [ExitGonzagowith others.Anj.Cousin, the captain of the Admiral's guard,Plac'd by my brother, will betray his lord.20Now, Guise, shall Catholics flourish once again;The head being off, the members cannot stand.Retes.But look, my lord, there's some in the Admiral's house.Gonzagoand others enter theAdmiral'shouse;theAdmiraldiscovered in bed.Anj.In lucky time: come, let us keep this lane,And slay his servants that shall issue out.Gon.Where is the Admiral?Adm.O let me pray before I die!Gon.Then pray unto our Lady; kiss this cross. [Stabs him.Adm.O God, forgive my sins! [Dies.Guise.Gonzago, what, is he dead?Gon.I, my lord.30Guise.Then throw him down.[368][The body of theAdmiralis thrown down.Anj.Now, cousin, view him well:It maybe 'tis some other, and he escap'd.Guise.Cousin, 'tis he; I know him by his look:See where my soldier shot him through the arm;He miss'd him near, but we have struck him now.—Ah, base Chatillon and degenerate,Chief Standard-bearer to the Lutherans,Thus, in despite of thy religion,The Duke of Guise stamps on thy lifeless bulk!Anj.Away with him! cut off his head and hands,40And send them for a present to the Pope;[369]And, when this just revenge is finishèd,Unto Mount Falcon[370]will we drag his corse;And he, that living hated so the Cross,Shall, being dead, be hanged thereon in chains.Guise.Anjou, Gonzago, Retes, if that you threeWill be as resolute as I and Dumaine,There shall not a Huguenot breathe in France.Anj.I swear by this cross, we'll not be partial,But slay as many as we can come near.50Guise.Mountsorrell, go shoot the ordnance off,That they, which have already set the street,May know their watchword; then toll the bell,And so let's forward to the massacre.Mount.I will, my lord. [Exit.Guise.And now, my lords, let's closely to our business.Anj.Anjou will follow thee.Dum.And so will Dumaine. [The ordnance being shot off, the bell tolls.Guise.Come, then, let's away.[Exeunt.
Enter[366]Guise,Anjou,Dumaine,Gonzago,Retes,Mountsorrell,andSoldiers,to the massacre.
Guise.Anjou, Dumaine, Gonzago, Retes, swear,By the argent crosses in your burgonets,To kill all that you suspect of heresy.
Dum.I swear by this, to be unmerciful.
Anj.I am disguis'd, and none knows who I am,And therefore mean to murder all I meet.
Gon.And so will I.
Retes.And I.
Guise.Away, then! break into the Admiral's house.
Retes.I, let the Admiral be first despatch'd.
Guise.The Admiral,10Chief standard-bearer to the Lutherans,Shall in the entrance[367]of this massacreBe murder'd in his bed.Gonzago, conduct them thither; and thenBeset his house, that not a man may live.
Anj.That charge is mine.—Switzers, keep you the streets;And at each corner shall the king's guard stand.
Gon.Come, sirs, follow me. [ExitGonzagowith others.
Anj.Cousin, the captain of the Admiral's guard,Plac'd by my brother, will betray his lord.20Now, Guise, shall Catholics flourish once again;The head being off, the members cannot stand.
Retes.But look, my lord, there's some in the Admiral's house.
Gonzagoand others enter theAdmiral'shouse;theAdmiraldiscovered in bed.
Anj.In lucky time: come, let us keep this lane,And slay his servants that shall issue out.
Gon.Where is the Admiral?
Adm.O let me pray before I die!
Gon.Then pray unto our Lady; kiss this cross. [Stabs him.Adm.O God, forgive my sins! [Dies.
Guise.Gonzago, what, is he dead?
Gon.I, my lord.30
Guise.Then throw him down.[368][The body of theAdmiralis thrown down.
Anj.Now, cousin, view him well:It maybe 'tis some other, and he escap'd.
Guise.Cousin, 'tis he; I know him by his look:See where my soldier shot him through the arm;He miss'd him near, but we have struck him now.—Ah, base Chatillon and degenerate,Chief Standard-bearer to the Lutherans,Thus, in despite of thy religion,The Duke of Guise stamps on thy lifeless bulk!
Anj.Away with him! cut off his head and hands,40And send them for a present to the Pope;[369]And, when this just revenge is finishèd,Unto Mount Falcon[370]will we drag his corse;And he, that living hated so the Cross,Shall, being dead, be hanged thereon in chains.
Guise.Anjou, Gonzago, Retes, if that you threeWill be as resolute as I and Dumaine,There shall not a Huguenot breathe in France.
Anj.I swear by this cross, we'll not be partial,But slay as many as we can come near.50
Guise.Mountsorrell, go shoot the ordnance off,That they, which have already set the street,May know their watchword; then toll the bell,And so let's forward to the massacre.
Mount.I will, my lord. [Exit.
Guise.And now, my lords, let's closely to our business.
Anj.Anjou will follow thee.
Dum.And so will Dumaine. [The ordnance being shot off, the bell tolls.
Guise.Come, then, let's away.[Exeunt.
Enter[371]Guiseand the rest with their swords drawn, chasing the Protestants.Guise.Tuez, tuez, tuez!Let none escape! murder the Huguenots!Anj.Kill them! kill them! [Exeunt.EnterLoreinerunning;Guiseand the rest pursuing him.Guise.Loreine, Loreine! follow Loreine!—Sirrah,Are you a preacher of these heresies?Lor.I am a preacher of the word of God;And thou a traitor to thy soul and him.Guise."Dearly belovèd brother,"—thus 'tis written.[StabsLoreine,who dies.Anj.Stay, my lord, let me begin the psalm.Guise.Come, drag him away, and throw him in a ditch.10[Exeunt with the body.
Enter[371]Guiseand the rest with their swords drawn, chasing the Protestants.
Guise.Tuez, tuez, tuez!Let none escape! murder the Huguenots!
Anj.Kill them! kill them! [Exeunt.
EnterLoreinerunning;Guiseand the rest pursuing him.
Guise.Loreine, Loreine! follow Loreine!—Sirrah,Are you a preacher of these heresies?
Lor.I am a preacher of the word of God;And thou a traitor to thy soul and him.
Guise."Dearly belovèd brother,"—thus 'tis written.[StabsLoreine,who dies.
Anj.Stay, my lord, let me begin the psalm.
Guise.Come, drag him away, and throw him in a ditch.10[Exeunt with the body.
Enter[372]Mountsorrell,and knocks atSeroune'sdoor.Seroune's Wife[within]. Who is that which knocks there?Mount.Mountsorrell, from the Duke of Guise.Seroune's Wife[within]. Husband, come down; here's one would speak with youFrom the Duke of Guise.EnterSerounefrom the house.Ser.To speak with me, from such a man as he?Mount.I, I, for this, Seroune; and thou shalt ha't. [Showing his dagger.Ser.O, let me pray, before I take my death!Mount.Despatch, then, quickly.Ser.O Christ, my Saviour!Mount.Christ, villain!Why, darest thou presume to call on Christ,10Without the intercession of some saint?Sanctus[373]Jacobus, he's[374]my saint; pray to him.Ser.O let me pray unto my God!Mount.Then take this with you.[StabsSeroune,who dies; and then exit.
Enter[372]Mountsorrell,and knocks atSeroune'sdoor.
Seroune's Wife[within]. Who is that which knocks there?
Mount.Mountsorrell, from the Duke of Guise.
Seroune's Wife[within]. Husband, come down; here's one would speak with youFrom the Duke of Guise.
EnterSerounefrom the house.
Ser.To speak with me, from such a man as he?
Mount.I, I, for this, Seroune; and thou shalt ha't. [Showing his dagger.
Ser.O, let me pray, before I take my death!
Mount.Despatch, then, quickly.
Ser.O Christ, my Saviour!
Mount.Christ, villain!Why, darest thou presume to call on Christ,10Without the intercession of some saint?Sanctus[373]Jacobus, he's[374]my saint; pray to him.
Ser.O let me pray unto my God!
Mount.Then take this with you.[StabsSeroune,who dies; and then exit.
EnterRamus,in his study.Ramus.What fearful cries come from the river Seine,[375]That fright poor Ramus sitting at his book!I fear the Guisians have pass'd the bridge,And mean once more to menace me.EnterTalæus.Tal.Fly, Ramus, fly, if thou wilt save thy life!Ramus.Tell me, Talæus, wherefore should I fly?Tal.The Guisians areHard at thy door, and mean to murder us:Hark, hark, they come! I'll leap out at the window.Ramus. Sweet Talæus, stay.10EnterGonzagoandRetes.Gon.Who goes there?Retes.'Tis Talæus, Ramus' bedfellow.Gon.What art thou?Tal.I am, as Ramus is, a Christian.Retes.O, let him go; he is a Catholic. [ExitTalæus.Gon.Come, Ramus, more gold, or thou shall have the stab.Ramus.Alas, I am a scholar! how should I have gold?All that I have is but my stipend from the king,Which is no sooner receiv'd but it is spent.EnterGuise,Anjou,Dumaine,Mountsorrell,andSoldiers.Anj.Who have you there?Retes.'Tis Ramus, the king's Professor of Logic.20Guise.Stab him.Ramus.O, good my lord,Wherein hath Ramus been so offensious?Guise.Marry, sir, in having a smack in all,And yet didst never sound anything to the depth.Was it not thou that scoff'dst[376]theOrganon,And said it was a heap of vanities?He that will be a flat dichotomist,And seen in nothing but epitomes,Is in your judgment thought a learnèd man;And he, forsooth, must go and preach in Germany,30Excepting against doctors' axioms,[377]Andipse dixiwith this quiddity,Argumentum testimonii est inartificiale.[378]To contradict which, I say, Ramus shall die:How answer you that? yournego argumentumCannot serve, sirrah.—Kill him.Ramus.O, good my lord, let me but speak a word!Anj.Well, say on.Ramus.Not for my life do I desire this pause;But in my latter hour to purge myself,40In that I know the things that I have wrote,Which, as I hear, one Scheckius[379]takes it ill,Because my places,[380]being but three, contain all his.I knew theOrganonto be confus'd,And I reduc'd it into better form:And this for Aristotle will I say,That he that despiseth him can ne'erBe good in logic or philosophy;And that's because the blockish Sorbonnists[381]Attribute as much unto their [own] works50As to the service of the eternal God.Guise.Why suffer you that peasant to declaim?Stab[382]him, I say, and send him to his friends in hell.Anj.Ne'er was there collier's[383]son so full of pride.[StabsRamus,who dies.Guise.My Lord of Anjou, there are a hundred ProtestantsWhich we have chased into the river Seine,[384]That swim about, and so preserve their lives:How may we do? I fear me they will live.Dum.Go place some men upon the bridge,With bows and darts, to shoot at them they see,60And sink them in the river as they swim.Guise.'Tis well advis'd, Dumaine; go see it straight be done. [ExitDumaine.And in the meantime, my lord, could we deviseTo get those pedants from the King Navarre,That are tutors to him and the Prince of Condé—Anj.For that, let me alone: cousin, stay you here,And when you see me in, then follow hard.[385]Anjouknocketh at the door: and enter theKing of Navarreand thePrince of Condé,[386]with their twoSchoolmasters.How now, my lords! how fare you?Nav.My lord, they sayThat all the Protestants are massacred.Anj.I, so they are; but yet, what remedy?70I have done what I could to stay this broil.Nav.But yet, my lord, the report doth runThat you were one that made this massacre.Anj.Who, I? you are deceiv'd; I rose but now.[Guiseand the others come forward[387]from the back of the stage.Guise.Murder the Huguenots! take those pedants hence!Nav.Thou traitor, Guise, lay off thy bloody hands!Con.Come, let us go tell the king. [Exit with theKing of Navarre.Guise.Come, sirs,I'll whip you to death with my poniard's point. [Stabs theSchoolmasters,who die.Anj.Away with them both! [ExeuntAnjouandSoldierswith the bodies.Guise.And now, sirs, for this night let our fury stay.Yet will we not that the massacre shall end:81Gonzago, post you to Orleans,Retes to Dieppe, Mountsorrell unto Rouen,And spare not one that you suspect of heresy.And now stayThat bell, that to the devil's matins rings.Now every man put off his burgonet,And so convey him closely to his bed.[Exeunt.
EnterRamus,in his study.
Ramus.What fearful cries come from the river Seine,[375]That fright poor Ramus sitting at his book!I fear the Guisians have pass'd the bridge,And mean once more to menace me.
EnterTalæus.
Tal.Fly, Ramus, fly, if thou wilt save thy life!
Ramus.Tell me, Talæus, wherefore should I fly?
Tal.The Guisians areHard at thy door, and mean to murder us:Hark, hark, they come! I'll leap out at the window.
Ramus. Sweet Talæus, stay.10
EnterGonzagoandRetes.
Gon.Who goes there?
Retes.'Tis Talæus, Ramus' bedfellow.
Gon.What art thou?
Tal.I am, as Ramus is, a Christian.
Retes.O, let him go; he is a Catholic. [ExitTalæus.
Gon.Come, Ramus, more gold, or thou shall have the stab.
Ramus.Alas, I am a scholar! how should I have gold?All that I have is but my stipend from the king,Which is no sooner receiv'd but it is spent.
EnterGuise,Anjou,Dumaine,Mountsorrell,andSoldiers.
Anj.Who have you there?
Retes.'Tis Ramus, the king's Professor of Logic.20
Guise.Stab him.
Ramus.O, good my lord,Wherein hath Ramus been so offensious?
Guise.Marry, sir, in having a smack in all,And yet didst never sound anything to the depth.Was it not thou that scoff'dst[376]theOrganon,And said it was a heap of vanities?He that will be a flat dichotomist,And seen in nothing but epitomes,Is in your judgment thought a learnèd man;And he, forsooth, must go and preach in Germany,30Excepting against doctors' axioms,[377]Andipse dixiwith this quiddity,Argumentum testimonii est inartificiale.[378]To contradict which, I say, Ramus shall die:How answer you that? yournego argumentumCannot serve, sirrah.—Kill him.
Ramus.O, good my lord, let me but speak a word!
Anj.Well, say on.
Ramus.Not for my life do I desire this pause;But in my latter hour to purge myself,40In that I know the things that I have wrote,Which, as I hear, one Scheckius[379]takes it ill,Because my places,[380]being but three, contain all his.I knew theOrganonto be confus'd,And I reduc'd it into better form:And this for Aristotle will I say,That he that despiseth him can ne'erBe good in logic or philosophy;And that's because the blockish Sorbonnists[381]Attribute as much unto their [own] works50As to the service of the eternal God.
Guise.Why suffer you that peasant to declaim?Stab[382]him, I say, and send him to his friends in hell.
Anj.Ne'er was there collier's[383]son so full of pride.[StabsRamus,who dies.
Guise.My Lord of Anjou, there are a hundred ProtestantsWhich we have chased into the river Seine,[384]That swim about, and so preserve their lives:How may we do? I fear me they will live.
Dum.Go place some men upon the bridge,With bows and darts, to shoot at them they see,60And sink them in the river as they swim.
Guise.'Tis well advis'd, Dumaine; go see it straight be done. [ExitDumaine.And in the meantime, my lord, could we deviseTo get those pedants from the King Navarre,That are tutors to him and the Prince of Condé—
Anj.For that, let me alone: cousin, stay you here,And when you see me in, then follow hard.[385]
Anjouknocketh at the door: and enter theKing of Navarreand thePrince of Condé,[386]with their twoSchoolmasters.
How now, my lords! how fare you?
Nav.My lord, they sayThat all the Protestants are massacred.
Anj.I, so they are; but yet, what remedy?70I have done what I could to stay this broil.
Nav.But yet, my lord, the report doth runThat you were one that made this massacre.
Anj.Who, I? you are deceiv'd; I rose but now.[Guiseand the others come forward[387]from the back of the stage.
Guise.Murder the Huguenots! take those pedants hence!
Nav.Thou traitor, Guise, lay off thy bloody hands!
Con.Come, let us go tell the king. [Exit with theKing of Navarre.
Guise.Come, sirs,I'll whip you to death with my poniard's point. [Stabs theSchoolmasters,who die.
Anj.Away with them both! [ExeuntAnjouandSoldierswith the bodies.
Guise.And now, sirs, for this night let our fury stay.Yet will we not that the massacre shall end:81Gonzago, post you to Orleans,Retes to Dieppe, Mountsorrell unto Rouen,And spare not one that you suspect of heresy.And now stayThat bell, that to the devil's matins rings.Now every man put off his burgonet,And so convey him closely to his bed.[Exeunt.
Enter[388]Anjou,with twoLords of Poland.Anj.My lords of Poland, I must needs confess,The offer of your Prince Elector's farBeyond the reach of my deserts;For Poland is, as I have been inform'd,A martial people, worthy such a kingAs hath sufficient counsel in himselfTo lighten doubts, and frustrate subtle foes;And such a king, whom practice long hath taughtTo please himself with manage of the wars,The greatest wars within our Christian bounds,—10I mean our wars against the Muscovites,And, on the other side, against the Turk,Rich princes both, and mighty emperors.Yet, by my brother Charles, our King of France,And by his grace's council, it is thoughtThat, if I undertake to wear the crownOf Poland, it may prejudice their hopeOf my inheritance to the crown of France;For, if th' Almighty take my brother hence,By due descent the regal seat is mine.20With Poland, therefore, must I covenant thus,—That if, by death of Charles, the diademOf France be cast on me, then, with your leaves,I may retire me to my native home.If your commission serve to warrant this,I thankfully shall undertake the chargeOf you and yours, and carefully maintainThe wealth and safety of your kingdom's right.First Lord.All this, and more, your highness shall command,For Poland's crown and kingly diadem.30Anj.Then, come, my lords, let's go.[Exeunt.
Enter[388]Anjou,with twoLords of Poland.
Anj.My lords of Poland, I must needs confess,The offer of your Prince Elector's farBeyond the reach of my deserts;For Poland is, as I have been inform'd,A martial people, worthy such a kingAs hath sufficient counsel in himselfTo lighten doubts, and frustrate subtle foes;And such a king, whom practice long hath taughtTo please himself with manage of the wars,The greatest wars within our Christian bounds,—10I mean our wars against the Muscovites,And, on the other side, against the Turk,Rich princes both, and mighty emperors.Yet, by my brother Charles, our King of France,And by his grace's council, it is thoughtThat, if I undertake to wear the crownOf Poland, it may prejudice their hopeOf my inheritance to the crown of France;For, if th' Almighty take my brother hence,By due descent the regal seat is mine.20With Poland, therefore, must I covenant thus,—That if, by death of Charles, the diademOf France be cast on me, then, with your leaves,I may retire me to my native home.If your commission serve to warrant this,I thankfully shall undertake the chargeOf you and yours, and carefully maintainThe wealth and safety of your kingdom's right.
First Lord.All this, and more, your highness shall command,For Poland's crown and kingly diadem.30
Anj.Then, come, my lords, let's go.[Exeunt.
Enter[389]twoMen,with theAdmiral'sbody.First Man.Now, sirrah, what shall we do with the Admiral?Sec. Man.Why, let us burn him for an heretic.First Man.O no! his body will infect the fire, andthe fire the air, and so we shall be poisoned with him.Sec. Man.What shall we do, then?First Man.Let's throw him into the river.Sec. Man.O, 'twill corrupt the water, and the waterthe fish, and the[390]fish ourselves when we eat them!First Man.Then throw him into a ditch.10Sec. Man.No, no. To decide all doubts, be ruled by me:let's hang him here upon this tree.First Man.Agreed. [They hang up the body on a tree, and then exeunt.EnterGuise,Catherinethe Queen-Mother, and theCardinal of Lorraine,withAttendants.Guise.Now, madam, how like you our lusty Admiral?Cath.Believe me, Guise, he becomes the place so wellAs I could long ere this have wish'd him there.But come,Let's walk aside; the air's not very sweet.Guise.No, by my faith, madam.—Sirs, take him away, and throw him in some ditch.20[TheAttendantsbear off theAdmiral'sbody.And now, madam, as I understand,There are a hundred Huguenots and more,Which in the woods do hold their synagogue,And daily meet about this time of day;And thither will I, to put them to the sword.Cath.Do so, sweet Guise; let us delay no time;For, if these stragglers gather head again,And disperse themselves throught the realm of France,It will be hard for us to work their deaths.Be gone; delay no time, sweet Guise.Guise.Madam,30I go as whirlwinds rage before a storm. [Exit.Cath.My Lord of Lorraine, have you marked of late,How Charles our son begins for to lamentFor the late night's work which my Lord of GuiseDid make in Paris among the Huguenots?Card.Madam, I have heard him solemnly vow,With the rebellious King of Navarre,To revenge their deaths upon us all.Cath.I, but, my lord, let me alone for that;For Catherine must have her will in France.40As I do live, so surely shall he die,And Henry then shall wear the diadem;And, if he grudge or cross his mother's will,I'll disinherit him and all the rest;For I'll rule France, but they shall wear the crown,And, if they storm, I then may pull them down.Come, my lord, let us go.[Exeunt.
Enter[389]twoMen,with theAdmiral'sbody.
First Man.Now, sirrah, what shall we do with the Admiral?
Sec. Man.Why, let us burn him for an heretic.
First Man.O no! his body will infect the fire, andthe fire the air, and so we shall be poisoned with him.
Sec. Man.What shall we do, then?
First Man.Let's throw him into the river.
Sec. Man.O, 'twill corrupt the water, and the waterthe fish, and the[390]fish ourselves when we eat them!
First Man.Then throw him into a ditch.10
Sec. Man.No, no. To decide all doubts, be ruled by me:let's hang him here upon this tree.
First Man.Agreed. [They hang up the body on a tree, and then exeunt.
EnterGuise,Catherinethe Queen-Mother, and theCardinal of Lorraine,withAttendants.
Guise.Now, madam, how like you our lusty Admiral?
Cath.Believe me, Guise, he becomes the place so wellAs I could long ere this have wish'd him there.But come,Let's walk aside; the air's not very sweet.
Guise.No, by my faith, madam.—Sirs, take him away, and throw him in some ditch.20[TheAttendantsbear off theAdmiral'sbody.And now, madam, as I understand,There are a hundred Huguenots and more,Which in the woods do hold their synagogue,And daily meet about this time of day;And thither will I, to put them to the sword.
Cath.Do so, sweet Guise; let us delay no time;For, if these stragglers gather head again,And disperse themselves throught the realm of France,It will be hard for us to work their deaths.Be gone; delay no time, sweet Guise.
Guise.Madam,30I go as whirlwinds rage before a storm. [Exit.
Cath.My Lord of Lorraine, have you marked of late,How Charles our son begins for to lamentFor the late night's work which my Lord of GuiseDid make in Paris among the Huguenots?
Card.Madam, I have heard him solemnly vow,With the rebellious King of Navarre,To revenge their deaths upon us all.
Cath.I, but, my lord, let me alone for that;For Catherine must have her will in France.40As I do live, so surely shall he die,And Henry then shall wear the diadem;And, if he grudge or cross his mother's will,I'll disinherit him and all the rest;For I'll rule France, but they shall wear the crown,And, if they storm, I then may pull them down.Come, my lord, let us go.[Exeunt.
Enter[391]five or sixProtestants,with books, and kneel together. Then enterGuiseand others.Guise.Down with the Huguenots! murder them!First Pro.O Monsieur de Guise, hear me but speak!Guise.No, villain; that tongue of thine,That hath blasphem'd the holy Church of Rome,Shall drive no plaints into the Guise's ears,To make the justice of my heart relent.—Tuez, tuez, tuez!let none escape. [They kill theProtestants.So drag them away.[Exeunt with the bodies.
Enter[391]five or sixProtestants,with books, and kneel together. Then enterGuiseand others.
Guise.Down with the Huguenots! murder them!
First Pro.O Monsieur de Guise, hear me but speak!
Guise.No, villain; that tongue of thine,That hath blasphem'd the holy Church of Rome,Shall drive no plaints into the Guise's ears,To make the justice of my heart relent.—Tuez, tuez, tuez!let none escape. [They kill theProtestants.So drag them away.[Exeunt with the bodies.
Enter[392]King Charles,supported by theKing of NavarreandEpernoun;Catherinethe Queen-Mother, theCardinal of Lorraine,Pleshé,[393]andAttendants.Char.O, let me stay, and rest me here awhile!A griping pain hath seiz'd upon my heart;A sudden pang, the messenger of death.Cath.O, say not so! thou kill'st thy mother's heart.Char.I must say so; pain forceth me complain.Nav.Comfort yourself, my lord, and have no doubtBut God will sure restore you to your health.Char.O no, my loving brother of Navarre!I have deserved a scourge, I must confess;Yet is their[394]patience of another sort10Than to misdo the welfare of their king:God grant my nearest friends may prove no worse!O, hold me up, my sight begins to fail,My sinews shrink, my brains turn upside down;My heart doth break: I faint and die. [Dies.Cath.Art thou dead, sweet son? speak to thy mother!O no, his soul is fled from out his breast,And he nor hears nor sees us what we do!My lords, what resteth there now to be done,But that we presently despatch ambassadors20To Poland, to call Henry back again,To wear his brother's crown and dignity?Epernoun, go see it presently be done,And bid him come without delay to us.Eper.Madam, I will. [Exit.Cath.And now,My lords, after these funerals be done,We will, with all the speed we can, provideFor Henry's coronation from Polony.Come, let us take his body hence.30[The body ofKing Charlesis borne out; and exeunt all except theKing of NavarreandPleshé.Nav.And now, Pleshé,[395]whilst that these broils do last,My opportunity may serve it fitTo steal from France, and hie me to my home,For there's no safety in this realm for me:And now that Henry is call'd from Poland,It is my due, by just succession;And therefore, as speedily as I can perform,I'll muster up an army secretly,For fear that Guise, join'd with the king of Spain,Might seek[396]to cross me in mine enterprise.40But God, that always doth defend the right,Will show his mercy, and preserve us still.Pleshé.The virtues of our true religionCannot but march, with many graces more,Whose army shall discomfort all your foes,And, at the length, in Pampelonia[397]crown(In spite of Spain, and all the popish power,That holds it from your highness wrongfully)Your majesty her rightful lord and sovereign.Nav.Truth, Pleshé; and God so prosper me in all,50As I intend to labour for the truth,And true profession of his holy word!Come, Pleshé, let's away whilst time doth serve.[Exeunt.
Enter[392]King Charles,supported by theKing of NavarreandEpernoun;Catherinethe Queen-Mother, theCardinal of Lorraine,Pleshé,[393]andAttendants.
Char.O, let me stay, and rest me here awhile!A griping pain hath seiz'd upon my heart;A sudden pang, the messenger of death.
Cath.O, say not so! thou kill'st thy mother's heart.
Char.I must say so; pain forceth me complain.
Nav.Comfort yourself, my lord, and have no doubtBut God will sure restore you to your health.
Char.O no, my loving brother of Navarre!I have deserved a scourge, I must confess;Yet is their[394]patience of another sort10Than to misdo the welfare of their king:God grant my nearest friends may prove no worse!O, hold me up, my sight begins to fail,My sinews shrink, my brains turn upside down;My heart doth break: I faint and die. [Dies.
Cath.Art thou dead, sweet son? speak to thy mother!O no, his soul is fled from out his breast,And he nor hears nor sees us what we do!My lords, what resteth there now to be done,But that we presently despatch ambassadors20To Poland, to call Henry back again,To wear his brother's crown and dignity?Epernoun, go see it presently be done,And bid him come without delay to us.
Eper.Madam, I will. [Exit.
Cath.And now,My lords, after these funerals be done,We will, with all the speed we can, provideFor Henry's coronation from Polony.Come, let us take his body hence.30[The body ofKing Charlesis borne out; and exeunt all except theKing of NavarreandPleshé.
Nav.And now, Pleshé,[395]whilst that these broils do last,My opportunity may serve it fitTo steal from France, and hie me to my home,For there's no safety in this realm for me:And now that Henry is call'd from Poland,It is my due, by just succession;And therefore, as speedily as I can perform,I'll muster up an army secretly,For fear that Guise, join'd with the king of Spain,Might seek[396]to cross me in mine enterprise.40But God, that always doth defend the right,Will show his mercy, and preserve us still.
Pleshé.The virtues of our true religionCannot but march, with many graces more,Whose army shall discomfort all your foes,And, at the length, in Pampelonia[397]crown(In spite of Spain, and all the popish power,That holds it from your highness wrongfully)Your majesty her rightful lord and sovereign.
Nav.Truth, Pleshé; and God so prosper me in all,50As I intend to labour for the truth,And true profession of his holy word!Come, Pleshé, let's away whilst time doth serve.[Exeunt.