Pier.Jaffier!Jaff.Who calls?Pier.A friend, that could have wishedTo have found thee otherwise employed: what, huntA wife on the dull foil! sure a staunch husbandOf all hounds is the dullest. Wilt thou never,Never be weaned from caudles and confections?What feminine tale hast thou been listening toOf unaired shirts, catarrhs and toothache gotBy thin-soled shoes? Damnation! that a fellow,Chosen to be a sharer in the destructionOf a whole people, should sneak thus in cornersTo ease his fulsome lusts, and fool his mind!Jaff.May not a man then trifle out an hourWith a kind woman, and not wrong his calling?Pier.Not in a cause like ours.Jaff.Then, friend, our causeIs in a damned condition: for I'll tell thee,That canker-worm called lechery has touched it;'Tis tainted vilely. Wouldst thou think it, Renault.(That mortified, old, withered, winter-rogue)Loves simple fornication like a priest?I found him out for watering at my wife:He visited her last night, like a kind guardian.Faith, she has some temptations, that's the truth on't.Pier.He durst not wrong his trust?Jaff.'Twas something late, though,To take the freedom of a lady's chamber.Pier.Was she in bed?Jaff.Yes, faith, in virgin sheetsWhite as her bosom, Pierre, dished neatly up,Might tempt a weaker appetite to taste.Oh, how the old fox stunk, I warrant thee,When the rank fit was on him!Pier.Patience guide me!He used no violence?Jaff.No, no! out on't, violence!Played with her neck, brushed her with his gray beard,Struggled and towzed, tickled her till she squeaked a little,May be, or so—but not a jot of violence.Pier.Damn him!Jaff.Ay, so say I: but hush, no more on't;All hitherto is well, and I believeMyself no monster,[71]yet: though no man knowsWhat fate he's born to. Sure 'tis near the hourWe all should meet for our concluding orders.Will the ambassador be here in person?Pier.No; he has sent commission to that villain,Renault, to give the executing charge;I'd have thee be a man, if possible,And keep thy temper; for a brave revengeNe'er comes too late.Jaff.Fear not, I'm cool as patience:Had he completed my dishonour, ratherThan hazard the success our hopes are ripe for,I'd bear it all with mortifying virtue.Pier.He's yonder coming this way through the hall;His thoughts seem full.Jaff.Pr'ythee retire, and leave meWith him alone: I'll put him to some trial,See how his rotten part will bear the touching.Pier.Be careful then.[Exit.Jaff.Nay, never doubt, but trust me.—What, be a devil! take a damning oathFor shedding native blood! can there be a sinIn merciful repentance? O this villain!
Pier.Jaffier!
Jaff.Who calls?
Pier.A friend, that could have wishedTo have found thee otherwise employed: what, huntA wife on the dull foil! sure a staunch husbandOf all hounds is the dullest. Wilt thou never,Never be weaned from caudles and confections?What feminine tale hast thou been listening toOf unaired shirts, catarrhs and toothache gotBy thin-soled shoes? Damnation! that a fellow,Chosen to be a sharer in the destructionOf a whole people, should sneak thus in cornersTo ease his fulsome lusts, and fool his mind!
Jaff.May not a man then trifle out an hourWith a kind woman, and not wrong his calling?
Pier.Not in a cause like ours.
Jaff.Then, friend, our causeIs in a damned condition: for I'll tell thee,That canker-worm called lechery has touched it;'Tis tainted vilely. Wouldst thou think it, Renault.(That mortified, old, withered, winter-rogue)Loves simple fornication like a priest?I found him out for watering at my wife:He visited her last night, like a kind guardian.Faith, she has some temptations, that's the truth on't.
Pier.He durst not wrong his trust?
Jaff.'Twas something late, though,To take the freedom of a lady's chamber.
Pier.Was she in bed?
Jaff.Yes, faith, in virgin sheetsWhite as her bosom, Pierre, dished neatly up,Might tempt a weaker appetite to taste.Oh, how the old fox stunk, I warrant thee,When the rank fit was on him!
Pier.Patience guide me!He used no violence?
Jaff.No, no! out on't, violence!Played with her neck, brushed her with his gray beard,Struggled and towzed, tickled her till she squeaked a little,May be, or so—but not a jot of violence.
Pier.Damn him!
Jaff.Ay, so say I: but hush, no more on't;All hitherto is well, and I believeMyself no monster,[71]yet: though no man knowsWhat fate he's born to. Sure 'tis near the hourWe all should meet for our concluding orders.Will the ambassador be here in person?
Pier.No; he has sent commission to that villain,Renault, to give the executing charge;I'd have thee be a man, if possible,And keep thy temper; for a brave revengeNe'er comes too late.
Jaff.Fear not, I'm cool as patience:Had he completed my dishonour, ratherThan hazard the success our hopes are ripe for,I'd bear it all with mortifying virtue.
Pier.He's yonder coming this way through the hall;His thoughts seem full.
Jaff.Pr'ythee retire, and leave meWith him alone: I'll put him to some trial,See how his rotten part will bear the touching.
Pier.Be careful then.[Exit.
Jaff.Nay, never doubt, but trust me.—What, be a devil! take a damning oathFor shedding native blood! can there be a sinIn merciful repentance? O this villain!
EnterRenault.
Ren.Perverse! and peevish! what a slave is man,To let his itching flesh thus get the better of him!Despatch the tool her husband—that were well—Who's there?Jaff.A man.Ren.My friend, my near ally!The hostage of your faith, my beauteous chargeIs very well.Jaff.Sir, are you sure of that?Stands she in perfect health? beats her pulse even?Neither too hot nor cold?Ren.What means that question?Jaff.Oh, women have fantastic constitutions,Inconstant as their wishes, always wavering,And never fixed. Was it not boldly done,Even at first sight to trust the thing I loved—A tempting treasure too!—with youth so fierceAnd vigorous as thine?—but thou art honest.Ren.Who dares accuse me?Jaff.Cursed be him that doubtsThy virtue! I have tried it, and declare,Were I to choose a guardian of my honour,I'd put it in thy keeping; for I know thee.Ren.Know me?Jaff.Ay, know thee: there's no falsehood in thee,Thou look'st just as thou art: let us embrace.Now wouldst thou cut my throat, or I cut thine?Ren.You dare not do it.Jaff.You lie, sir.Ren.How!Jaff.No more.'Tis a base world, and must reform, that's all.
Ren.Perverse! and peevish! what a slave is man,To let his itching flesh thus get the better of him!Despatch the tool her husband—that were well—Who's there?
Jaff.A man.
Ren.My friend, my near ally!The hostage of your faith, my beauteous chargeIs very well.
Jaff.Sir, are you sure of that?Stands she in perfect health? beats her pulse even?Neither too hot nor cold?
Ren.What means that question?
Jaff.Oh, women have fantastic constitutions,Inconstant as their wishes, always wavering,And never fixed. Was it not boldly done,Even at first sight to trust the thing I loved—A tempting treasure too!—with youth so fierceAnd vigorous as thine?—but thou art honest.
Ren.Who dares accuse me?
Jaff.Cursed be him that doubtsThy virtue! I have tried it, and declare,Were I to choose a guardian of my honour,I'd put it in thy keeping; for I know thee.
Ren.Know me?
Jaff.Ay, know thee: there's no falsehood in thee,Thou look'st just as thou art: let us embrace.Now wouldst thou cut my throat, or I cut thine?
Ren.You dare not do it.
Jaff.You lie, sir.
Ren.How!
Jaff.No more.'Tis a base world, and must reform, that's all.
EnterSpinosa,Theodore,Eliot,Revillido,Durand,Brainville,and the rest of theConspirators.
Ren.Spinosa! Theodore!Spin.The same.Ren.You are welcome!Spin.You are trembling, sir.Ren.'Tis a cold night indeed, I am aged,Full of decay and natural infirmities:We shall be warm, my friend, I hope, to-morrow.
Ren.Spinosa! Theodore!
Spin.The same.
Ren.You are welcome!
Spin.You are trembling, sir.
Ren.'Tis a cold night indeed, I am aged,Full of decay and natural infirmities:We shall be warm, my friend, I hope, to-morrow.
Re-enterPierre.
Pier.[Aside toJaffier.] 'Twas not well done thou shouldst have strokèd him,And not have galled him.Jaff.[Aside toPierre.] Damn him! let him chew on it.Heaven! where am I? beset with cursèd fiends,That wait to damn me. What a devil's man,When he forgets his nature! Hush, my heart!Ren.My friends, 'tis late; are we assembled all?Where's Theodore?Theo.At hand.Ren.Spinosa?Spin.Here.Ren.Brainville?Brain.I'm ready.Ren.Durand and Brabe?Dur.Command us;We are both prepared.Ren.Mezzana, Revillido,Ternon, Retrosi? oh, you're men, I find,Fit to behold your fate, and meet her summons;To-morrow's rising sun must see you allDecked in your honours! Are the soldiers ready?All.All, all.Ren.[72]You, Durand, with your thousand, must possessSt. Mark's; you, captain, know your charge already;'Tis to secure the Ducal Palace; you,Brabe, with a hundred more, must gain the Secque;With the like number, Brainville, to the Procurale.Be all this done with the least tumult possible,Till in each place you post sufficient guards:Then sheathe your swords in every breast you meet.Jaff.[Aside.] O reverend cruelty! Damned bloody villain!Ren.During this execution, Durand, youMust, in the midst, keep your battalia fast;And, Theodore, be sure to plant the cannonThat may command the streets; whilst Revillido,Mezzana, Ternon, and Retrosi guard you.This done, we'll give the general alarm,Apply petards, and force the arsenal gates;Then fire the city round in several places,Or with our cannon, if it dare resist,Batter it to ruin. But, above all, I charge you,Shed blood enough, spare neither sex nor age,Name nor condition; if there live a senatorAfter to-morrow, though the dullest rogueThat e'er said nothing, we have lost our ends;If possible, let's kill the very nameOf senator, and bury it in blood.Jaff.[Aside.] Merciless, horrid slave!—[Aloud.]Ay, blood enough—Shed blood enough, old Renault! how thou charm'st me!Ren.But one thing more, and then farewell till fateJoin us again, or separate us ever:First, let's embrace; Heaven knows who next shall thusWing ye together: but let's all rememberWe wear no common cause upon our swords;Let each man think that on his single virtueDepends the good and fame of all the rest,Eternal honour or perpetual infamy.Let us remember, through what dreadful hazardsPropitious fortune hitherto has led us;How often on the brink of some discoveryHave we stood tottering, yet still kept our groundSo well, the busiest searchers ne'er could followThose subtle tracks which puzzled all suspicion.You droop, sir.Jaff.No; with most profound attentionI've heard it all, and wonder at thy virtue.Ren.Though there be yet few hours 'twixt them and ruin,Are not the Senate lulled in full security,Quiet and satisfied, as fools are always?Never did so profound repose forerunCalamity so great: nay, our good fortuneHas blinded the most piercing of mankind,Strengthened the fearfullest, charmed the most suspectful,Confounded the most subtle: for we live,We live, my friends, and quickly shall our lifeProve fatal to these tyrants. Let's considerThat we destroy oppression, avarice,A people nursed up equally with vicesAnd loathsome lusts, which nature most abhors,And such as without shame she cannot suffer.Jaff.O Belvidera, take me to thy arms,And show me where's my peace, for I have lost it.[Exit.Ren.Without the least remorse, then, let's resolveWith fire and sword to exterminate these tyrants;And when we shall behold those cursed tribunalsStained by the tears and sufferings of the innocent,Burning with flames, rather from Heaven than ours;The raging, furious, and unpitying soldierPulling his reeking dagger from the bosomsOf gasping wretches; death in every quarter,With all that sad disorder can produce,To make a spectacle of horror; then,Then let us call to mind, my dearest friends,That there is nothing pure upon the earth;That the most valued things have most allays,[73]And that in change of all those vile enormities,Under whose weight this wretched country labours,The means are only in our hands to cure them.Pier.And may those powers above that are propitiousTo gallant minds record this cause, and bless it!Ren.Thus happy, thus secure of all we wish for,Should there, my friends, be found amongst us oneFalse to this glorious enterprise, what fate,What vengeance were enough for such a villain?Eliot.Death here without repentance, hell hereafter.Ren.Let that be my lot, if as here I stand,Listed by fate amongst her darling sons,Though I had one only brother, dear by allThe strictest ties of nature; though one hourHad given us birth, one fortune fed our wants,One only love, and that but of each other,Still filled our minds,—could I have such a friendJoined in this cause, and had but ground to fearHe meant foul play, may this right hand drop from me,If I'd not hazard all my future peace,And stab him to the heart before you. Who,Who would do less? wouldst not thou, Pierre, the same?Pier.You've singled me, sir, out for this hard question,As if 'twere started only for my sake.Am I the thing you fear? Here, here's my bosom,Search it with all your swords! Am I a traitor?Ren.No; but I fear your late-commended friendIs little less. Come, sirs, 'tis now no timeTo trifle with our safety. Where's this Jaffier?Spin.He left the room just now in strange disorder.Ren.Nay, there is danger in him: I observed him,During the time I took for explanation.He was transported from most deep attentionTo a confusion which he could not smother;His looks grew full of sadness and surprise,All which betrayed a wavering spirit in him,That laboured with reluctancy and sorrow.What's requisite for safety must be doneWith speedy execution: he remainsYet in our power: I for my own part wearA dagger.Pier.Well.Ren.And I could wish it—Pier.Where?Ren.Buried in his heart.Pier.Away! we're yet all friends;No more of this, 'twill breed ill blood amongst us.Spin.Let us all draw our swords, and search the house,Pull him from the dark hole where he sits broodingO'er his cold fears, and each man kill his share of him.Pier.Who talks of killing? Who's he'll shed the bloodThat's dear to me? Is't you? or you? or you, sir?What, not one speak? how you stand gaping allOn your grave oracle, your wooden god there!Yet not a word. Then, sir—[ToRenault]—I'll tell you a secret;—Suspicion's but at best a coward's virtue!Ren.A coward![Handles his sword.Pier.Put, put up thy sword, old man,Thy hand shakes at it. Come, let's heal this breach,I am too hot; we yet may all live friends.Spin.Till we are safe, our friendship cannot be so.Pier.Again? who's that?Spin.'Twas I.Theo.And I.Rev.And I.Eliot.And all.Ren.Who are on my side?Spin.Every honest sword.Let's die like men, and not be sold like slaves.Pier.One such word more, by Heaven, I'll to the Senate,And hang ye all like dogs in clusters.Why peep your coward swords half out their shells?Why do you not all brandish them like mine?You fear to die, and yet dare talk of killing!Ren.Go to the Senate and betray us; hasten,Secure thy wretched life; we fear to dieLess than thou darest be honest.Pier.That's rank falsehood.Fear'st not thou death? fie! there's a knavish itchIn that salt blood, an utter foe to smarting.Had Jaffier's wife proved kind, he had still been true.Faugh! how that stinks!Thou die! thou kill my friend! or thou, or thou;Or thou, with that lean, withered, wretched face!Away! disperse all to your several charges,And meet to-morrow where your honour calls you;I'll bring that man whose blood you so much thirst for,And you shall see him venture for you fairly.Hence, hence, I say.[ExitRenaultangrily.Spin.I fear we've been to blame,And done too much.Theo.'Twas too far urged against the man you loved.Rev.Here, take our swords, and crush them with your feet.Spin.Forgive us, gallant friend.Pier.Nay, now you've foundThe way to melt and cast me as you will.I'll fetch this friend, and give him to your mercy:Nay, he shall die, if you will take him from me;For your repose, I'll quit my heart's jewel;But would not have him torn away by villainsAnd spiteful villany.Spin.No; may you bothFor ever live, and fill the world with fame!Pier.Now you are too kind. Whence rose all this discord?Oh, what a dangerous precipice have we 'scaped!How near a fall was all we had long been building!What an eternal blot had stained our glories,If one, the bravest and the best of men,Had fallen a sacrifice to rash suspicion!Butchered by those whose cause he came to cherish!Oh, could you know him all as I have known him,How good he is, how just, how true, how brave,You would not leave this place till you had seen him,Humbled yourselves before him, kissed his feet,And gained remission for the worst of follies.Come but to-morrow, all your doubts shall end;And to your loves me better recommend,That I've preserved your fame, and saved my friend.[Exeunt.
Pier.[Aside toJaffier.] 'Twas not well done thou shouldst have strokèd him,And not have galled him.
Jaff.[Aside toPierre.] Damn him! let him chew on it.Heaven! where am I? beset with cursèd fiends,That wait to damn me. What a devil's man,When he forgets his nature! Hush, my heart!
Ren.My friends, 'tis late; are we assembled all?Where's Theodore?
Theo.At hand.
Ren.Spinosa?
Spin.Here.
Ren.Brainville?
Brain.I'm ready.
Ren.Durand and Brabe?
Dur.Command us;We are both prepared.
Ren.Mezzana, Revillido,Ternon, Retrosi? oh, you're men, I find,Fit to behold your fate, and meet her summons;To-morrow's rising sun must see you allDecked in your honours! Are the soldiers ready?
All.All, all.
Ren.[72]You, Durand, with your thousand, must possessSt. Mark's; you, captain, know your charge already;'Tis to secure the Ducal Palace; you,Brabe, with a hundred more, must gain the Secque;With the like number, Brainville, to the Procurale.Be all this done with the least tumult possible,Till in each place you post sufficient guards:Then sheathe your swords in every breast you meet.
Jaff.[Aside.] O reverend cruelty! Damned bloody villain!
Ren.During this execution, Durand, youMust, in the midst, keep your battalia fast;And, Theodore, be sure to plant the cannonThat may command the streets; whilst Revillido,Mezzana, Ternon, and Retrosi guard you.This done, we'll give the general alarm,Apply petards, and force the arsenal gates;Then fire the city round in several places,Or with our cannon, if it dare resist,Batter it to ruin. But, above all, I charge you,Shed blood enough, spare neither sex nor age,Name nor condition; if there live a senatorAfter to-morrow, though the dullest rogueThat e'er said nothing, we have lost our ends;If possible, let's kill the very nameOf senator, and bury it in blood.
Jaff.[Aside.] Merciless, horrid slave!—[Aloud.]Ay, blood enough—Shed blood enough, old Renault! how thou charm'st me!
Ren.But one thing more, and then farewell till fateJoin us again, or separate us ever:First, let's embrace; Heaven knows who next shall thusWing ye together: but let's all rememberWe wear no common cause upon our swords;Let each man think that on his single virtueDepends the good and fame of all the rest,Eternal honour or perpetual infamy.Let us remember, through what dreadful hazardsPropitious fortune hitherto has led us;How often on the brink of some discoveryHave we stood tottering, yet still kept our groundSo well, the busiest searchers ne'er could followThose subtle tracks which puzzled all suspicion.You droop, sir.
Jaff.No; with most profound attentionI've heard it all, and wonder at thy virtue.
Ren.Though there be yet few hours 'twixt them and ruin,Are not the Senate lulled in full security,Quiet and satisfied, as fools are always?Never did so profound repose forerunCalamity so great: nay, our good fortuneHas blinded the most piercing of mankind,Strengthened the fearfullest, charmed the most suspectful,Confounded the most subtle: for we live,We live, my friends, and quickly shall our lifeProve fatal to these tyrants. Let's considerThat we destroy oppression, avarice,A people nursed up equally with vicesAnd loathsome lusts, which nature most abhors,And such as without shame she cannot suffer.
Jaff.O Belvidera, take me to thy arms,And show me where's my peace, for I have lost it.[Exit.
Ren.Without the least remorse, then, let's resolveWith fire and sword to exterminate these tyrants;And when we shall behold those cursed tribunalsStained by the tears and sufferings of the innocent,Burning with flames, rather from Heaven than ours;The raging, furious, and unpitying soldierPulling his reeking dagger from the bosomsOf gasping wretches; death in every quarter,With all that sad disorder can produce,To make a spectacle of horror; then,Then let us call to mind, my dearest friends,That there is nothing pure upon the earth;That the most valued things have most allays,[73]And that in change of all those vile enormities,Under whose weight this wretched country labours,The means are only in our hands to cure them.
Pier.And may those powers above that are propitiousTo gallant minds record this cause, and bless it!
Ren.Thus happy, thus secure of all we wish for,Should there, my friends, be found amongst us oneFalse to this glorious enterprise, what fate,What vengeance were enough for such a villain?
Eliot.Death here without repentance, hell hereafter.
Ren.Let that be my lot, if as here I stand,Listed by fate amongst her darling sons,Though I had one only brother, dear by allThe strictest ties of nature; though one hourHad given us birth, one fortune fed our wants,One only love, and that but of each other,Still filled our minds,—could I have such a friendJoined in this cause, and had but ground to fearHe meant foul play, may this right hand drop from me,If I'd not hazard all my future peace,And stab him to the heart before you. Who,Who would do less? wouldst not thou, Pierre, the same?
Pier.You've singled me, sir, out for this hard question,As if 'twere started only for my sake.Am I the thing you fear? Here, here's my bosom,Search it with all your swords! Am I a traitor?
Ren.No; but I fear your late-commended friendIs little less. Come, sirs, 'tis now no timeTo trifle with our safety. Where's this Jaffier?
Spin.He left the room just now in strange disorder.
Ren.Nay, there is danger in him: I observed him,During the time I took for explanation.He was transported from most deep attentionTo a confusion which he could not smother;His looks grew full of sadness and surprise,All which betrayed a wavering spirit in him,That laboured with reluctancy and sorrow.What's requisite for safety must be doneWith speedy execution: he remainsYet in our power: I for my own part wearA dagger.
Pier.Well.
Ren.And I could wish it—
Pier.Where?
Ren.Buried in his heart.
Pier.Away! we're yet all friends;No more of this, 'twill breed ill blood amongst us.
Spin.Let us all draw our swords, and search the house,Pull him from the dark hole where he sits broodingO'er his cold fears, and each man kill his share of him.
Pier.Who talks of killing? Who's he'll shed the bloodThat's dear to me? Is't you? or you? or you, sir?What, not one speak? how you stand gaping allOn your grave oracle, your wooden god there!Yet not a word. Then, sir—[ToRenault]—I'll tell you a secret;—Suspicion's but at best a coward's virtue!
Ren.A coward![Handles his sword.
Pier.Put, put up thy sword, old man,Thy hand shakes at it. Come, let's heal this breach,I am too hot; we yet may all live friends.
Spin.Till we are safe, our friendship cannot be so.
Pier.Again? who's that?
Spin.'Twas I.
Theo.And I.
Rev.And I.
Eliot.And all.
Ren.Who are on my side?
Spin.Every honest sword.Let's die like men, and not be sold like slaves.
Pier.One such word more, by Heaven, I'll to the Senate,And hang ye all like dogs in clusters.Why peep your coward swords half out their shells?Why do you not all brandish them like mine?You fear to die, and yet dare talk of killing!
Ren.Go to the Senate and betray us; hasten,Secure thy wretched life; we fear to dieLess than thou darest be honest.
Pier.That's rank falsehood.Fear'st not thou death? fie! there's a knavish itchIn that salt blood, an utter foe to smarting.Had Jaffier's wife proved kind, he had still been true.Faugh! how that stinks!Thou die! thou kill my friend! or thou, or thou;Or thou, with that lean, withered, wretched face!Away! disperse all to your several charges,And meet to-morrow where your honour calls you;I'll bring that man whose blood you so much thirst for,And you shall see him venture for you fairly.Hence, hence, I say.[ExitRenaultangrily.
Spin.I fear we've been to blame,And done too much.
Theo.'Twas too far urged against the man you loved.
Rev.Here, take our swords, and crush them with your feet.
Spin.Forgive us, gallant friend.
Pier.Nay, now you've foundThe way to melt and cast me as you will.I'll fetch this friend, and give him to your mercy:Nay, he shall die, if you will take him from me;For your repose, I'll quit my heart's jewel;But would not have him torn away by villainsAnd spiteful villany.
Spin.No; may you bothFor ever live, and fill the world with fame!
Pier.Now you are too kind. Whence rose all this discord?Oh, what a dangerous precipice have we 'scaped!How near a fall was all we had long been building!What an eternal blot had stained our glories,If one, the bravest and the best of men,Had fallen a sacrifice to rash suspicion!Butchered by those whose cause he came to cherish!Oh, could you know him all as I have known him,How good he is, how just, how true, how brave,You would not leave this place till you had seen him,Humbled yourselves before him, kissed his feet,And gained remission for the worst of follies.Come but to-morrow, all your doubts shall end;And to your loves me better recommend,That I've preserved your fame, and saved my friend.[Exeunt.
FOOTNOTES:[68]The character of Antonio is a satire upon Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper (b. 1621), one of the greatest Liberal statesmen of his time, but unscrupulous, machiavellic, and shifty. Mulgrave (Essay on Satire) calls him our little Machiavel; for his was the "fiery soul which, working out its way, Fretted the pigmy body to decay, And o'er-informed the tenement of clay" (Dryden'sAbsalom). He was first a Royalist, then a Parliamentarian, later contributed to the Restoration; after this a Tory, and finally a Whig. He was a member of the "Cabal" administration, and was created by Charles II. first Baron Ashley, and then Earl of Shaftesbury. He was Lord Chancellor in 1672, and to him we owe the Habeas Corpus Act; he also contributed materially to make our judges independent of the Crown. He persecuted the Catholics under pretext of the Popish Plot; promoted the Exclusion Bill against the Duke of York, afterwards James II., as a Catholic; and advocated Monmouth's (son of Charles II. by Lucy Walters) claim to legitimacy. In 1681 he was impeached and sent to the Tower on a charge of high treason, but acquitted. He was, however, forced to retire to Holland, where he died in 1683.[69]This was precisely the age of Lord Shaftesbury. He died in the following year.[70]Judgest.[71]i.e.Cuckold.[72]This scene, particularly the charge of Renault, is closely imitated from Saint-Réal.[73]Alloys.
[68]The character of Antonio is a satire upon Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper (b. 1621), one of the greatest Liberal statesmen of his time, but unscrupulous, machiavellic, and shifty. Mulgrave (Essay on Satire) calls him our little Machiavel; for his was the "fiery soul which, working out its way, Fretted the pigmy body to decay, And o'er-informed the tenement of clay" (Dryden'sAbsalom). He was first a Royalist, then a Parliamentarian, later contributed to the Restoration; after this a Tory, and finally a Whig. He was a member of the "Cabal" administration, and was created by Charles II. first Baron Ashley, and then Earl of Shaftesbury. He was Lord Chancellor in 1672, and to him we owe the Habeas Corpus Act; he also contributed materially to make our judges independent of the Crown. He persecuted the Catholics under pretext of the Popish Plot; promoted the Exclusion Bill against the Duke of York, afterwards James II., as a Catholic; and advocated Monmouth's (son of Charles II. by Lucy Walters) claim to legitimacy. In 1681 he was impeached and sent to the Tower on a charge of high treason, but acquitted. He was, however, forced to retire to Holland, where he died in 1683.
[68]The character of Antonio is a satire upon Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper (b. 1621), one of the greatest Liberal statesmen of his time, but unscrupulous, machiavellic, and shifty. Mulgrave (Essay on Satire) calls him our little Machiavel; for his was the "fiery soul which, working out its way, Fretted the pigmy body to decay, And o'er-informed the tenement of clay" (Dryden'sAbsalom). He was first a Royalist, then a Parliamentarian, later contributed to the Restoration; after this a Tory, and finally a Whig. He was a member of the "Cabal" administration, and was created by Charles II. first Baron Ashley, and then Earl of Shaftesbury. He was Lord Chancellor in 1672, and to him we owe the Habeas Corpus Act; he also contributed materially to make our judges independent of the Crown. He persecuted the Catholics under pretext of the Popish Plot; promoted the Exclusion Bill against the Duke of York, afterwards James II., as a Catholic; and advocated Monmouth's (son of Charles II. by Lucy Walters) claim to legitimacy. In 1681 he was impeached and sent to the Tower on a charge of high treason, but acquitted. He was, however, forced to retire to Holland, where he died in 1683.
[69]This was precisely the age of Lord Shaftesbury. He died in the following year.
[69]This was precisely the age of Lord Shaftesbury. He died in the following year.
[70]Judgest.
[70]Judgest.
[71]i.e.Cuckold.
[71]i.e.Cuckold.
[72]This scene, particularly the charge of Renault, is closely imitated from Saint-Réal.
[72]This scene, particularly the charge of Renault, is closely imitated from Saint-Réal.
[73]Alloys.
[73]Alloys.
EnterJaffierandBelvidera.
Jaff. Where dost thou lead me?Every step I move,Methinks I tread upon some mangled limbOf a racked friend. O my dear charming ruin!Where are we wandering?Belv.To eternal honour;To do a deed shall chronicle thy nameAmong the glorious legends of those fewThat have saved sinking nations: thy renownShall be the future song of all the virgins,Who by thy piety have been preservedFrom horrid violation; every streetShall be adorned with statues to thy honour,And at thy feet this great inscription written,"Remember him that propped the fall of Venice."Jaff.Rather remember him who, after allThe sacred bonds of oaths and holier friendship,In fond compassion to a woman's tears,Forgot his manhood, virtue, truth, and honour,To sacrifice the bosom that relieved him.Why wilt thou damn me?Belv.O inconstant man!How will you promise! how will you deceive!Do, return back, replace me in my bondage;Tell all thy friends how dangerously thou lovest me;And let thy dagger do its bloody office.O, that kind dagger, Jaffier, how 'twill lookStuck through my heart, drenched in my blood to the hilts!Whilst these poor dying eyes shall with their tearsNo more torment thee;—then thou wilt be free.Or if thou think'st it nobler, let me liveTill I'm a victim to the hateful lustOf that infernal devil, that old fiendThat's damned himself, and would undo mankind.Last night, my love!Jaff.Name, name it not again;It shows a beastly image to my fancy,Will wake me into madness. O, the villainThat durst approach such purity as thineOn terms so vile! Destruction, swift destructionFall on my coward head, and make my nameThe common scorn of fools, if I forgive him!If I forgive him! if I not revengeWith utmost rage, and most unstaying fury,Thy suffering, dear darling of my life.Belv.Delay no longer then, but to the Senate;And tell the dismallest story ever uttered;Tell them what bloodshed, rapines, desolations,Have been prepared; how near's the fatal hour;Save thy poor country, save the reverend bloodOf all its nobles, which to-morrow's dawnMust else see shed; save the poor tender livesOf all those little infants which the swordsOf murderers are whetting for this moment;Think thou already hear'st their dying screams,Think that thou seest their sad distracted mothersKneeling before thy feet, and begging pity,With torn dishevelled hair and streaming eyes,Their naked mangled breasts besmeared with blood,And even the milk, with which their fondled babesSoftly they hushed, dropping in anguish from them:Think thou seest this, and then consult thy heart.Jaff.Oh!Belv.Think, too, if thou lose this present minute,What miseries the next day brings upon thee.Imagine all the horrors of that night,Murder and rapine, waste and desolation,Confusedly ranging. Think what then may proveMy lot! The ravisher may then come safe,And, 'midst the terror of the public ruin,Do a damned deed; perhaps too lay a trainMay catch thy life: then where will be revenge,The dear revenge that's due to such a wrong?Jaff.By all Heaven's powers, prophetic truth dwells in thee,For every word thou speak'st strikes through my heartLike a new light, and shows it how it has wandered;Just what thou'st made me, take me, Belvidera,And lead me to the place where I'm to sayThis bitter lesson; where I must betrayMy truth, my virtue, constancy, and friends:—Must I betray my friend? Ah! take me quickly,Secure me well before that thought's renewed;If I relapse once more, all's lost for ever.Belv.Hast thou a friend more dear than Belvidera?Jaff.No; thou'rt my soul itself; wealth, friendship, honour,All present joys and earnest of all future,Are summed in thee: methinks, when in thy armsThus leaning on thy breast, one minute's moreThan a long thousand years of vulgar hours.Why was such happiness not given me pure?Why dashed with cruel wrongs, and bitter wantings?Come, lead me forward now, like a tame lambTo sacrifice. Thus in his fatal garlands,Decked fine and pleased, the wanton skips and plays,Trots by the enticing flattering priestess' side,And, much transported with his little pride,Forgets his dear companions of the plain;Till, by her bound, he's on the altar lain,Yet then too hardly bleats, such pleasure's in the pain.
Jaff. Where dost thou lead me?Every step I move,Methinks I tread upon some mangled limbOf a racked friend. O my dear charming ruin!Where are we wandering?
Belv.To eternal honour;To do a deed shall chronicle thy nameAmong the glorious legends of those fewThat have saved sinking nations: thy renownShall be the future song of all the virgins,Who by thy piety have been preservedFrom horrid violation; every streetShall be adorned with statues to thy honour,And at thy feet this great inscription written,"Remember him that propped the fall of Venice."
Jaff.Rather remember him who, after allThe sacred bonds of oaths and holier friendship,In fond compassion to a woman's tears,Forgot his manhood, virtue, truth, and honour,To sacrifice the bosom that relieved him.Why wilt thou damn me?
Belv.O inconstant man!How will you promise! how will you deceive!Do, return back, replace me in my bondage;Tell all thy friends how dangerously thou lovest me;And let thy dagger do its bloody office.O, that kind dagger, Jaffier, how 'twill lookStuck through my heart, drenched in my blood to the hilts!Whilst these poor dying eyes shall with their tearsNo more torment thee;—then thou wilt be free.Or if thou think'st it nobler, let me liveTill I'm a victim to the hateful lustOf that infernal devil, that old fiendThat's damned himself, and would undo mankind.Last night, my love!
Jaff.Name, name it not again;It shows a beastly image to my fancy,Will wake me into madness. O, the villainThat durst approach such purity as thineOn terms so vile! Destruction, swift destructionFall on my coward head, and make my nameThe common scorn of fools, if I forgive him!If I forgive him! if I not revengeWith utmost rage, and most unstaying fury,Thy suffering, dear darling of my life.
Belv.Delay no longer then, but to the Senate;And tell the dismallest story ever uttered;Tell them what bloodshed, rapines, desolations,Have been prepared; how near's the fatal hour;Save thy poor country, save the reverend bloodOf all its nobles, which to-morrow's dawnMust else see shed; save the poor tender livesOf all those little infants which the swordsOf murderers are whetting for this moment;Think thou already hear'st their dying screams,Think that thou seest their sad distracted mothersKneeling before thy feet, and begging pity,With torn dishevelled hair and streaming eyes,Their naked mangled breasts besmeared with blood,And even the milk, with which their fondled babesSoftly they hushed, dropping in anguish from them:Think thou seest this, and then consult thy heart.
Jaff.Oh!
Belv.Think, too, if thou lose this present minute,What miseries the next day brings upon thee.Imagine all the horrors of that night,Murder and rapine, waste and desolation,Confusedly ranging. Think what then may proveMy lot! The ravisher may then come safe,And, 'midst the terror of the public ruin,Do a damned deed; perhaps too lay a trainMay catch thy life: then where will be revenge,The dear revenge that's due to such a wrong?
Jaff.By all Heaven's powers, prophetic truth dwells in thee,For every word thou speak'st strikes through my heartLike a new light, and shows it how it has wandered;Just what thou'st made me, take me, Belvidera,And lead me to the place where I'm to sayThis bitter lesson; where I must betrayMy truth, my virtue, constancy, and friends:—Must I betray my friend? Ah! take me quickly,Secure me well before that thought's renewed;If I relapse once more, all's lost for ever.
Belv.Hast thou a friend more dear than Belvidera?
Jaff.No; thou'rt my soul itself; wealth, friendship, honour,All present joys and earnest of all future,Are summed in thee: methinks, when in thy armsThus leaning on thy breast, one minute's moreThan a long thousand years of vulgar hours.Why was such happiness not given me pure?Why dashed with cruel wrongs, and bitter wantings?Come, lead me forward now, like a tame lambTo sacrifice. Thus in his fatal garlands,Decked fine and pleased, the wanton skips and plays,Trots by the enticing flattering priestess' side,And, much transported with his little pride,Forgets his dear companions of the plain;Till, by her bound, he's on the altar lain,Yet then too hardly bleats, such pleasure's in the pain.
EnterOfficerand sixGuards.
Offi.Stand; who goes there?Belv.Friends.Jaff.Friends, Belvidera! hide me from my friends.By Heaven, I'd rather see the face of hellThan meet the man I love.Offi.But what friends are you?Belv.Friends to the Senate and the state of Venice.Offi.My orders are, to seize on all I findAt this late hour, and bring them to the Council,Who now are sitting.Jaff.Sir, you shall be obeyed.Hold, brutes! stand off, none of your paws upon me.Now the lot's cast, and, fate, do what thou wilt.[Exeunt.
Offi.Stand; who goes there?
Belv.Friends.
Jaff.Friends, Belvidera! hide me from my friends.By Heaven, I'd rather see the face of hellThan meet the man I love.
Offi.But what friends are you?
Belv.Friends to the Senate and the state of Venice.
Offi.My orders are, to seize on all I findAt this late hour, and bring them to the Council,Who now are sitting.
Jaff.Sir, you shall be obeyed.Hold, brutes! stand off, none of your paws upon me.Now the lot's cast, and, fate, do what thou wilt.[Exeunt.
The Duke ofVenice,Priuli,Antonio,and eightotherSenatorsdiscovered in session.
Duke.Antony, Priuli, senators of Venice,Speak; why are we assembled here this night?What have you to inform us of, concernsThe state of Venice' honour, or its safety?Priu.Could words express the story I've to tell you,Fathers, these tears were useless, these sad tearsThat fall from my old eyes; but there is causeWe all should weep; tear off these purple robes,And wrap ourselves in sackcloth, sitting downOn the sad earth, and cry aloud to Heaven.Heaven knows if yet there be an hour to comeEre Venice be no more!All the Senators.How!Priu.Nay, we standUpon the very brink of gaping ruin.Within this city's formed a dark conspiracyTo massacre us all, our wives and children,Kindred and friends; our palaces and templesTo lay in ashes: nay, the hour too fixed;The swords, for aught I know, drawn even this moment,And the wild waste begun. From unknown handsI had this warning: but, if we are men,Let's not be tamely butchered, but do somethingThat may inform the world in after-agesOur virtue was not ruined, though we were.
Duke.Antony, Priuli, senators of Venice,Speak; why are we assembled here this night?What have you to inform us of, concernsThe state of Venice' honour, or its safety?
Priu.Could words express the story I've to tell you,Fathers, these tears were useless, these sad tearsThat fall from my old eyes; but there is causeWe all should weep; tear off these purple robes,And wrap ourselves in sackcloth, sitting downOn the sad earth, and cry aloud to Heaven.Heaven knows if yet there be an hour to comeEre Venice be no more!
All the Senators.How!
Priu.Nay, we standUpon the very brink of gaping ruin.Within this city's formed a dark conspiracyTo massacre us all, our wives and children,Kindred and friends; our palaces and templesTo lay in ashes: nay, the hour too fixed;The swords, for aught I know, drawn even this moment,And the wild waste begun. From unknown handsI had this warning: but, if we are men,Let's not be tamely butchered, but do somethingThat may inform the world in after-agesOur virtue was not ruined, though we were.
[Voices without] Room, room, make room for some prisoners!2nd Senat.Let's raise the city.
[Voices without] Room, room, make room for some prisoners!
2nd Senat.Let's raise the city.
EnterOfficerandGuard.
Priu.Speak there, what disturbance?Offi.Two prisoners have the guard seized in the streets,Who say they come to inform this reverend SenateAbout the present danger.All.Give them entrance.—
Priu.Speak there, what disturbance?
Offi.Two prisoners have the guard seized in the streets,Who say they come to inform this reverend SenateAbout the present danger.
All.Give them entrance.—
EnterJaffierandBelvidera,guarded.
Well; who are you?Jaff.A villain.Ant.Short and pithy.The man speaks well.Jaff.Would every man that hears meWould deal so honestly, and own his title!Duke.'Tis rumoured that a plot has been contrivedAgainst this state; that you've a share in't too.If you're a villain, to redeem your honour,Unfold the truth, and be restored with mercy.Jaff.Think not that I, to save my life, come hither;I know its value better; but in pityTo all those wretches whose unhappy doomsAre fixed and sealed. You see me here before you,The sworn and covenanted foe of Venice;But use me as my dealings may deserve,And I may prove a friend.Duke.The slave capitulates![74]Give him the tortures.Jaff.That you dare not do;Your fears won't let you, nor the longing itchTo hear a story which you dread the truth of,—Truth, which the fear of smart shall ne'er get from me.Cowards are scared with threatenings; boys are whippedInto confessions: but a steady mindActs of itself, ne'er asks the body counsel.Give him the tortures! Name but such a thingAgain, by Heaven, I'll shut these lips for ever;Not all your racks, your engines, or your wheelsShall force a groan away that you may guess at.Ant.A bloody-minded fellow, I'll warrant; adamned bloody-minded fellow.Duke.Name your conditions.Jaff.For myself full pardon,Besides the lives of two and twenty friends[Delivers a list.Whose names are here enrolled: nay, let their crimesBe ne'er so monstrous, I must have the oathsAnd sacred promise of this reverend council,That in a full assembly of the SenateThe thing I ask be ratified. Swear this,And I'll unfold the secrets of your danger.All.We'll swear.Duke.Propose the oath.Jaff.By all the hopesYe have of peace and happiness hereafter,Swear.All.We all swear.Jaff.To grant me what I've asked,Ye swear?All.We swear.Jaff.And as ye keep the oath,May you and your posterity be blessed,Or cursed for ever!All.Else be cursed for ever!Jaff.Then here's the list, and with it the full discloseOf all that threatens you. Now, fate, thou'st caught me.
Well; who are you?
Jaff.A villain.
Ant.Short and pithy.The man speaks well.
Jaff.Would every man that hears meWould deal so honestly, and own his title!
Duke.'Tis rumoured that a plot has been contrivedAgainst this state; that you've a share in't too.If you're a villain, to redeem your honour,Unfold the truth, and be restored with mercy.
Jaff.Think not that I, to save my life, come hither;I know its value better; but in pityTo all those wretches whose unhappy doomsAre fixed and sealed. You see me here before you,The sworn and covenanted foe of Venice;But use me as my dealings may deserve,And I may prove a friend.
Duke.The slave capitulates![74]Give him the tortures.
Jaff.That you dare not do;Your fears won't let you, nor the longing itchTo hear a story which you dread the truth of,—Truth, which the fear of smart shall ne'er get from me.Cowards are scared with threatenings; boys are whippedInto confessions: but a steady mindActs of itself, ne'er asks the body counsel.Give him the tortures! Name but such a thingAgain, by Heaven, I'll shut these lips for ever;Not all your racks, your engines, or your wheelsShall force a groan away that you may guess at.
Ant.A bloody-minded fellow, I'll warrant; adamned bloody-minded fellow.
Duke.Name your conditions.
Jaff.For myself full pardon,Besides the lives of two and twenty friends[Delivers a list.Whose names are here enrolled: nay, let their crimesBe ne'er so monstrous, I must have the oathsAnd sacred promise of this reverend council,That in a full assembly of the SenateThe thing I ask be ratified. Swear this,And I'll unfold the secrets of your danger.
All.We'll swear.
Duke.Propose the oath.
Jaff.By all the hopesYe have of peace and happiness hereafter,Swear.
All.We all swear.
Jaff.To grant me what I've asked,Ye swear?
All.We swear.
Jaff.And as ye keep the oath,May you and your posterity be blessed,Or cursed for ever!
All.Else be cursed for ever!
Jaff.Then here's the list, and with it the full discloseOf all that threatens you. Now, fate, thou'st caught me.
[Delivers another paper.
Ant.Why, what a dreadful catalogue of cut-throats is here! I'll warrant you, not one of these fellows but has a face like a lion. I dare not so much as read their names over.
Ant.Why, what a dreadful catalogue of cut-throats is here! I'll warrant you, not one of these fellows but has a face like a lion. I dare not so much as read their names over.
Duke.Give order that all diligent search be madeTo seize these men; their characters are public:The paper intimates their rendezvousTo be at the house of a famed Grecian courtesan,Called Aquilina; see that place secured.Ant.What, my Nicky Nacky, hurry durry, NickyNacky in the plot?—I'll make a speech.—Most noble senators,What headlong apprehension drives you on,Right noble, wise, and truly solid senators,To violate the laws and right of nations?The lady is a lady of renown.'Tis true, she holds a house of fair reception,And though I say it myself, as many moreCan say as well as I—2nd Senat.My lord, long speechesAre frivolous here, when dangers are so near us.We all well know your interest in that lady;The world talks loud on't.Ant.Verily, I have done,I say no more.Duke.But, since he has declaredHimself concerned, pray, captain, take great cautionTo treat the fair one as becomes her character,And let her bed-chamber be searched with decency.You, Jaffier, must with patience bear till morningTo be our prisoner.Jaff.Would the chains of deathHad bound me fast ere I had known this minute!I've done a deed will make my story hereafterQuoted in competition with all ill ones:The history of my wickedness shall runDown through the low traditions of the vulgar,And boys be taught to tell the tale of Jaffier.Duke.Captain, withdraw your prisoner.Jaff.Sir, if possible,Lead me where my own thoughts themselves may lose me;Where I may doze out what I've left of life,Forget myself, and this day's guilt and falsehood.Cruel remembrance, how shall I appease thee!
Duke.Give order that all diligent search be madeTo seize these men; their characters are public:The paper intimates their rendezvousTo be at the house of a famed Grecian courtesan,Called Aquilina; see that place secured.
Ant.What, my Nicky Nacky, hurry durry, NickyNacky in the plot?—I'll make a speech.—Most noble senators,What headlong apprehension drives you on,Right noble, wise, and truly solid senators,To violate the laws and right of nations?The lady is a lady of renown.'Tis true, she holds a house of fair reception,And though I say it myself, as many moreCan say as well as I—
2nd Senat.My lord, long speechesAre frivolous here, when dangers are so near us.We all well know your interest in that lady;The world talks loud on't.
Ant.Verily, I have done,I say no more.
Duke.But, since he has declaredHimself concerned, pray, captain, take great cautionTo treat the fair one as becomes her character,And let her bed-chamber be searched with decency.You, Jaffier, must with patience bear till morningTo be our prisoner.
Jaff.Would the chains of deathHad bound me fast ere I had known this minute!I've done a deed will make my story hereafterQuoted in competition with all ill ones:The history of my wickedness shall runDown through the low traditions of the vulgar,And boys be taught to tell the tale of Jaffier.
Duke.Captain, withdraw your prisoner.
Jaff.Sir, if possible,Lead me where my own thoughts themselves may lose me;Where I may doze out what I've left of life,Forget myself, and this day's guilt and falsehood.Cruel remembrance, how shall I appease thee!
[ExeuntJaffierandBelvidera,guarded.