Act III, Scene 14

[Enter KING OF SPAIN, the DUKE, VICEROY, and LORENZO, BALTHAZAR, DON PEDRO, and BEL-IMPERIA.]

KING.
Go, brother, 'tis the Duke of Castile's cause;
Salute the viceroy in our name.

CASTILE.
I go.

VICE.
Go forth, Don Pedro, for thy nephew's sake,
And greet the Duke of Castile.

PEDRO.
It shall be so.

KING.
And now to meet these Portuguese;
For, as we now are, so sometimes were these,
Kings and commanders of the western Indies.
Welcome, brave viceroy, to the court of Spain!
And welcome, all his honourable train!
'Tis not unknown to us for why you come,
Or have so kingly cross'd the seas.
Sufficeth it, in this we note the troth
And more than common love you lend to us.
So is it that mine honourable niece,
For it beseems us now that it be known,
Already is betroth'd to Balthazar;
And, by appointment and our condescent,
Tomorrow are they to be married.
To this intent we entertain thyself,
Thy followers, their pleasure, and our peace.
Speak, men of Portingal, shall it be so?
If aye, say so; if not, say so flatly.

VICE.
Renowned king, I come not, as thou think'st,
With doubtful followers, unresolved men,
But such as have upon thine articles
Confirm'd thy motion and contented me.
Know, sovereign, I come to solemnize
The marriage of thy beloved niece,
Fair Bel-imperia, with my Balthazar,--
With thee, my son, whom sith I live to see,
Here, take my crown, I give it to her and thee,
And let me live a solitary life,
In ceaseless prayers,
To think how strangely heav'n hath thee preserved.

KING.
See, brother, see, how nature strives in him!
Come, worthy viceroy, and accompany
Thy friend, to strive with thine extremities:
A place more private fits this princely mood.

VICE.
Or here or where your Highness thinks it good.

[Exeunt all but CASTILE and LORENZO.]

CAS.
Nay, stay, Lorenzo; let me talk with you.
See'st thou this entertainment of these kings?

LOR.
I do, my lord, and joy to see the same.

CAS.
And know'st thou why this meeting is?

LOR.
For her, my lord, whom Balthazar doth love,
And to confirm their promis'd marriage.

CAS.
She is thy sister.

LOR.
Who? Bel-imperia?
Aye, my gracious lord, and this is the day
That I have long'd so happily to see.

CAS.
Thou wouldst be loath that any fault of thine
Should intercept her in her happiness?

LOR.
Heav'ns will not let Lorenzo err so much.

CAS.
Why then, Lorenzo, listen to my words:
It is suspected, and reported too,
That thou, Lorenzo, wrong'st Hieronimo,
And in his suits toward his Majesty
Still keep'st him back and seek'st to cross his suit.

LOR.
That I, my lord?

CAS.
I tell thee, son, myself have heard it said,
When to my sorrow I have been asham'd
To answer for thee, though thou art my son.
Lorenzo, know'st thou not the common love
And kindness that Hieronimo hath won
By his deserts within the court of Spain?
Or see'st thou not the king my brother's care
In his behalf and to procure his health?
Lorenzo, should'st thou thwart his passions,
And he exclaim against thee to the king,
What honour were't in this assembly,
Or what a scandal were't among the kings,
To hear Hieronimo exclaim on thee!
Tell me,--and look thou tell me truly too,--
Whence grows the ground of this report in court?

LOR.
My lord, it lies not in Lorenzo's power
To stop the vulgar, liberal of their tongues:
A small advantage makes a water-breach;
And no man lives that long contenteth all.

CAS.
Myself have seen thee busy to keep back
Him and his supplications from the king.

LOR.
Yourself, my lord, hath seen his passions,
That ill beseem'd the presence of a king;
And, for I pitied him in his distress,
I held him thence with kind and courteous words,
As free from malice to Hieronimo
As to my soul, my lord.

CAS.
Hieronimo, my son, mistakes thee then.

LOR.
My gracious father, believe me, so he doth;
But what's a silly man, distract in mind,
To think upon the murder of his son?
Alas, how easy is it for him to err!
But, for his satisfaction and the world's,
'Twere good, my lord, that Hieronimo and I
Were reconcil'd, if he misconstrue me.

CAS.
Lorenzo, that hast said; it shall be so!
Go, one of you, and call Hieronimo.

[Enter BALTHAZAR and BEL-IMPERIA.]

BAL.
Come, Bel-imperia, Balthazar's content,
My sorrow's ease, and sovereign of my bliss,--
Sith heav'n hath ordain'd thee to be mine,
Disperse those clouds and melancholy looks,
And clear them up with those thy sun-bright eyes,
Wherein my hope and heav'n's fair beauty lies!

BEL.
My looks, my lord, are fitting for my love,
Which, new begun, can show no brighter yet.

BAL.
New kindled flames should burn as morning sun.

BEL.
But not too fast, least heat and all be done.
I see my lord my father.

BAL.
True, my love;
I will go salute him.

CAS.
Welcome, Balthazar,
Welcome, brave prince, the pledge of Castile's peace!
And welcome Bel-imperia! How now, girl?
Why com'st thou sadly to salute us thus?
Content thyself, for I am satisfied.
It is not now as when Andrea liv'd;
We have forgotten and forgiven that,
And thou art graced with a happier love.
But, Balthazar, here comes Hieronimo;
I'll have a word with him.

[Enter HIERONIMO and a SERVANT.]

HIERO.
And where's the duke?

SER.
Yonder.

HIERO.
Even so.
What new device have they devised, trow?
Pocas palabras! Mild as the lamb!
Is't I will be reveng'd? No, I am not the man.

CAS.
Welcome, Hieronimo!

LOR.
Welcome, Hieronimo!

BAL.
Welcome, Hieronimo!

HIERO.
My lords, I thank you for Horatio.

CAS.
Hieronimo, the reason that I sent
To speak with you is this--

HIERO.
What? so short?
Then I'll be gone; I thank you for't!

CAS.
Nay, stay, Hieronimo; go call him, son.

LOR.
Hieronimo, my father craves a word with you.

HIERO.
With me, sir? Why, my lord, I thought you
had done.

LOR.
No; would he had!

CAS.
Hieronimo, I hear
You find yourself aggrieved at my son,
Because you have not access unto the king,
And say 'tis he that intercepts your suits.

HIERO.
Why, is not this a miserable thing, my lord?

CAS.
Hieronimo, I hope you have no cause,
And would be loath that one of your deserts
Should once have reason to suspect my son,
Considering how I think of you myself.

HIERO.
Your son Lorenzo? whom, my noble lord?
The hope of Spain? mine honourable friend?
Grant me the combat of them, if they dare!

Draws out his sword.

I'll meet them face-to-face to tell me so!
These be the scandalous reports of such
As love not me, and hate my lord too much.
Should I suspect Lorenzo would prevent
Or cross my suit, that lov'd my son so well?
My lord, I am asham'd it should be said.

LOR.
Hieronimo, I never gave you cause.

HIERO.
My good lord, I know you did not.

CAS.
There then pause,
And, for the satisfaction of the world,
Hieronimo, frequent my homely house,
The Duke of Castile Ciprian's ancient seat;
And when thou wilt, use me, my son, and it.
But here before Prince Balthazar and me
Embrace each other, and be perfect friends.

HIERO.
Aye, marry, my lord, and shall!
Friends, quoth he? See, I'll be friends with you all!
Especially with you, my lovely lord;
For divers causes it is fit for us
That we be friends. The world is suspicious,
And men may think what we imagine not.

BAL.
Why this is freely done, Hieronimo.

LOR.
And I hope old grudges are forgot.

HIERO.
What else? it were a shame it should not
be so!

CAS.
Come on, Hieronimo, at my request;
Let us entreat your company today!

[Exeunt.]

CHORUS.

[Enter GHOST and REVENGE.]

GHOST.
Awake Erictho! Cerberus, awake!
Solicit Pluto, gentle Proserpine!
To combat, Acheron and Erebus in hell!
For ne'er by Styx and Phlegeton there came,
Nor ferried Charon to the fiery lakes,
Such fearful sights, as poor Andrea sees!
Revenge awake!

REVENGE.
Awake? For why?

GHOST.
Awake, Revenge! for thou art ill advis'd
To sleep away what thou art warn'd to watch!

REVENGE.
Content thyself, and do not trouble me.

GHOST.
Awake, Revenge, if love, as love hath had,
Have yet the power of prevalence in hell!
Hieronimo with Lorenzo is join'd in league,
And intercepts our passage to revenge.
Awake, Revenge, or we are woe-begone!

REVENGE.
Thus worldings ground what they have dream'd upon!
Content thyself, Andrea; though I sleep,
Yet is my mood soliciting their souls.
Sufficeth thee that poor Hieronimo
Cannot forget his son Horatio.
Nor dies Revenge although he sleep awhile;
For in unquiet, quietness is feign'd,
And slumb'ring is a common worldly wile.
Behold, Andrea, for an instance how
Revenge hath slept; and then imagine thou
What 'tis to be subject to destiny.

[Enter a Dumb-show.]

GHOST.
Awake, Revenge! reveal this mystery!

REVENGE.
The two first do the nuptial torches bear,
As brightly burning as the midday's sun;
But after them doth Hymen hie as fast,
Clothed in sable and a saffron robe,
And blows them out and quencheth them with blood,
As discontent that things continue so.

GHOST.
Sufficeth me; thy meanings understood,
And thanks to thee and those infernal powers
That will not tolerate a lover's woe.
Rest thee; for I will sit to see the rest.

REVENGE.
Then argue not; for thou hast thy request.

[Exeunt.]