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For sith, as once you said, within this isle
In Malta here, that I have got my goods,
And in this city still have had success,
And now at length am grown your governor,
Yourselves shall see it shall not be forgot;
For, as a friend not known but in distress,
I'll rear up Malta, now remediless.

Gov. Will Barabas recover Malta's loss?
Will Barabas be good to Christians?

Bar. What wilt thou give me, governor, to pro

cure

A dissolution of the slavish bands

And then, to make provision for the feast, That at one instant all things may be done; My policy detests prevention :

To what event my secret purpose drives,

I know; and they shall witness with their lives.
[Exit:

Enter CALYMATH, Bashaws.

Caly. Thus have we viewed the city, seen the
sack,

And caused the ruins to be new repaired,
Which with our bombards, shot, and basilisk,*

Wherein the Turk hath yoked your land and you? We rent in sunder at our entry:

What will you give me if I render you
The life of Calymath, surprize his men,
And in an out-house of the city shut

His soldiers, till I have consumed them all with fire?

What will you give him that procureth this?
Gov. Do but bring this to pass which thou pre-
tendest;

Deal truly with us as thou intimatest,
And I will send amongst the citizens,
And, by my letters, privately procure
Great sums of money for thy recompence:
Nay more, do this, and live thou governor still.
Bar. Nay, do thou this, Ferneze, and be free:
Governor, I enlarge thee, live with me,
Go walk about the city, see thy friends:
Tush, send not letters to them, go thyself,
And let me see what money thou canst make;
Here is my hand, that I'll set Malta free;
And thus we cast it: To a solemn feast
I will invite young Selim Calymath,
Where be thou present, only to perform
One stratagem that I'll impart to thee,
Wherein no danger shall betide thy life,
And I will warrant Malta free for ever.

Gov. Here is my hand; believe me, Barabas,
I will be there, and do as thou desirest.
When is the time?

Bar. Governor, presently;

For Calymath, when he hath viewed the town, Will take his leave, and sail toward Ottoman.

Gov. Then will I, Barabas, about this coin, And bring it with me to thee in the evening. Bar. Do so, but fail not; now farewell, Fer[Exit Governor. And thus far roundly goes the business: Thus, loving neither, will I live with both, Making a profit of my policy;

neze :

And he from whom my most advantage comes,
Shall be my friend.

This is the life we Jews are used to lead;
And reason too, for Christians do the like.
Well, now about effecting this device;
First, to surprize great Selim's soldiers,

And, now I see the situation,

And how secure this conquered island stands
Enviroued with the Mediterrancan Sea,
Strong countermined with other petty isles;
And toward Calabria backed by Sicily,
Two lofty turrets that command the town,
When Siracusian Dionysius reigned,

I wonder how it could be conquered thus.

Enter a Messenger.

Mes. From Barabas, Malta's governor, I bring A message unto mighty Calymath; Hearing his sovereign was bound for sea, To sail to Turkey, to great Ottoman, He humbly would intreat your majesty To come and see his homely citadel, And banquet. with him ere thou leav'st the isle, Caly. To banquet with him in his citadel? I fear me, messenger, to feast my train Within a town of war so lately pillaged, Will be too costly and too troublesome : Yet would I gladly visit Barabas,

For well has Barabas deserved of us.

Mes. Selim, for that, thus sayeth the governor, That he hath in store a pearl so big, So precious, and withal so orient, As, be it valued but indifferently, The price thereof will serve to entertain Selim and all his soldiers for a month; Therefore he humbly would intreat your highness Not to depart till he has feasted you.

Caly. I cannot feast my men in Malta walls, Except he place his tables in the streets.

Mes. Know, Selim, that there is a monastery, Which standeth as an out-house to the town; There will he banquet them, but thee at home, With all thy bashaws and brave followers.

[Erit:

Caly. Well, tell the governor we grant his suit; We'll in this summer evening feast with him. Mes. I shall, my lord. Caly. And now, bold bashaws, let us to our tents, And meditate how we may grace us best To solemnize our governor's great feast.

[Exeunt.

46 Bombards, basilisk—Different names of pieces of ordnance formerly in use. S.

Enter Governor, Knights, DEL Bosco.
Gov. In this, my countrymen, be ruled by me;
Have special care that no man sally forth
Till you shall hear a culverin discharged

By him that bears the linstock,47 kindled thus:
Then issue out, and come to rescue me;
For happily I shall be in distress,

Or you released of this servitude.

Whence none can possibly escape alive,
Now, as for Calymath and his consorts,
Here have I made a dainty gallery;
The floor whereof, this cable being cut,
Doth fall asunder, so that it doth sink
Into a deep pit past recovery.

Here, hold that knife, and when thou seest he

comes,

And with his bashaws shall be blithely set,

1 Knight. Rather than thus to live as Turkish A warning-piece shall be shot off from the tower,

thralls,

What will we not adventure?

Gov. On then, be gone.

Knights. Farewell, grave governor.

Enter BARABAS with a hammer above, very busy. Bar. How stand the cords? how hang these hinges, fast?

Are all the cranes and pullies sure?

Serv. All fast.

To give thee knowledge when to cut the cord,
And fire the house: say, will not this be brave?
Gov. Oh excellent! here, hold thee, Barabas,
I trust thy word, take what I promised thee.
Thou shalt not live in doubt of any thing.
Bar. No, governor, I'll satisfy thee first;
Stand close, for here they come. Why, is not this
A kingly kind of trade, to purchase towns
By treachery, and sell them by deceit?
Now tell me, worldlings, underneath the sun,

Bar. Leave nothing loose, all levelled to my If greater falsehood ever has been done,

mind.

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Mes. He will; and has commanded all his men To come ashore, and march through Malta strects, That thou mayest feast them in thy citadel.

Bar. Then now are all things as iny wish would have them;

There wanteth nothing but the governor's pelf; And see he brings it.-Now, governor, the sum ? Enter Governor.

Gov. With free consent, a hundred thousand pounds.

Bar. Pounds! sayest thou, governor? well, since it is no more,

I'll satisfy myself with that;-nay, keep it still;
For if I keep not promise, trust not me:
And, governor, now partake my policy;
First, for his army, they are sent before,
Entered the monastery, and underneath,
In several places are field-pieces pitched,
Bombards, whole barrels full of gunpowder,
That on the sudden shall dissever it,

And batter all the stones about their ears,

Enter CALYMATH and Bashaws.
Caly.Come, my companion-bashaws, see, I pray,
How busy Barabas is there above
To entertain us in his gallery;

Let us salute him:-Save thee, Barabas.
Bar. Welcome, great Calymath.
Gov. How the slave jeers at him!
Bar. Will't please thee, mighty Selim Caly-
math,

To ascend our homely stairs?

Caly. Aye, Barabas.-Come, bashaws, attend.
Gov. Stay, Calymath;

For I will shew thee greater courtesy
Than Barabas would have afforded thee,
Knights. Sound a charge there.

[A Charge, the Cable cut, a Caldron dis-
covered.

Caly. How now! what means this?
Bar. Help, help me, Christians, help!
Gov. See, Calymath, this was devised for thee.
Caly, Treason, treason, bashaws! fly.
Gov. No, Selim, do not fly;

See his end first, and fly then if thou canst.
Bar. Oh help me, Selim, help me, Christians!
Governor, why stand you all so pitiless?

Gov. Should I in pity of thy plaints or thee,
Accursed Barabas, base Jew, relent?
No, thus I'll see thy treachery repaid,
But wish thou hadst behaved thee otherwise.
Bar. You will not help me then?

Gov. No, villain, no.

Bar. And, villains, know you cannot help me

now.

Then, Barabas, breathe forth thy latest fate, And in the fury of thy torments strive

To end thy life with resolution.—

47 The linstock-i. e. the long match with which cannon are fired. See note on Shakespeare's King Henry VIII. Vol. VI. p. 67, edit. 1778. S.

Know, governor, 'twas I that slew thy son;

I framed the challenge that did make them meet.
Know, Calymath, I aimed thy overthrow,
And, had Ĭ but escaped this stratagem,

I would have brought confusion on you all,

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Caly. Yes; what of that?

Gov. Why then the house was fired,

Damned Christians, dogs, and Turkish infidels.— | Blown up, and all thy soldiers massacred.

But now begins the extremity of heat

To pinch me with intolerable pangs:

Die life, fly soul, tongue curse thy fill, and die.

[Dies.

Caly. Tell me, you Christians, what doth this portend?

Gov. This train he laid to have entrapped thy

life.

Now, Selim, note the unhallowed deeds of Jews:
Thus he determined to have handled thee,
But I have rather chose to save thy life.

Caly. Was this the banquet he prepared for us?
Let's hence, lest further mischief be pretended.49
Gov. Nay, Selim, stay; for since we have thee
here,

We will not let thee part so suddenly.
Besides, if we should let thee go, all's one,
For with thy gallies couldst thou not get hence,
Without fresh men to rig and furnish them.
Caly Tush, governor, take thou no care for that,
My men are all aboard,

Caly. Oh monstrous treason!

Gov. A Jew's courtesy ;

For he that did by treason work our fall,
By treason hath delivered thee to us:
Know, therefore, till thy father hath made good
The ruins done to Malta and to us,
Thou canst not part; for Malta shall be freed,
Or Selim ne'er return to Ottoman.

In

Caly. Nay rather, Christians, let me go to Turkey,

person there to meditate your peace;

To keep me here will nought advantage you.
Gov. Content thee, Calymath, here thou must

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48 Pretended-i. e. designed. This use of the verb, to pretend, is common in Shakespeare: "What good could they pretend?” “Macbeth.

S.

EDITION.

The famous Tragedy of The Rich Jew of Malta. As it was played before the King and Queene, in his Majesties Theatre, at Whitehall, by her Majesties Servants at the Cock Pit. Written by Christopher Marlow. London, printed by J. B. for Nicholas Vavasour; and are to be sold at his shop in the Inner Templc, neere the church. 1633. 4to.

280

THE WITS.

BY

SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT.

SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT was the younger son of Mr John Davenant, a citizen of Oxford, who kept the Crown Tavern there. He was born in the month of February, 1605, and received the first rudiments of polite learning from Mr Edward Sylvester, who was then master of a grammar school in the parish of All Saints, Oxford. In 1621 he was entered a member of Lincoln College, where he stayed but a short time before he removed to London, and became first page to Frances duchess of Richmond. He afterwards went into the family of sir Fulk Grevile, lord Brooke, where he continued until the unfortunate catastrophe of that nobleman. He spent the next eight years of his life in a constant attendance at court, where he was universally well received, and very highly caressed; and in that period he was so unlucky as to engage in an amour, the consequence of which deprived him of his nose. Upon the death of Ben Jonson, in 1637, he succeeded him as Poet Laureat. On the breaking out of the troubles, he early engaged on behalf of the king; and in May, 1641, was accused to the parliament of a design to bring up the army for the defence of the king's person, and the support of his authority. On this occasion he absconded; but a proclamation being issued out against him, he was stopt at Feversham, sent up to town, and put into the custody of a serjeant at arms. In the month of July he was bailed, and he determined to withdraw into France; but was again seized in Kent, by the mayor of Canterbury. He, however, at last effected his purpose of retiring beyond the seas, and continued there for some time. But the queen sending over some military stores for the use of the earl of Newcastle; sir William was induced to come over with them, and offered his service to that nobleman, who appointed him, very absurdly, to the post of lieutenant general of the ordnance. In September 1643, he received the honour of knighthood at the siege of Gloucester. It does not appear when he quitted the army; but after the king's affairs began to decline, he judged it neces sary to retire into France, where he was well received by the queen; and in the summer 1646, was entrusted with a negociation of importance, while the king was at Newcastle. Before this time he had embraced the Roman Catholic religion, which probably was the reason of his being employed at this period. On his return to Paris, he formed a design of going to Virginia, and ac cordingly embarked at one of the ports at Normandy; but was, almost immediately after he sail ed, taken and carried into the Isle of Wight by one of the parliament ships of war, and committed close prisoner to Cowes Castle. În October 1650, he was ordered to be tried by a high commission court, and for that purpose he was conveyed to the Tower of London. It is generally imagined, he owed his life to the interposition of Milton, who, in return, a few years after, was saved at his intercession. After continuing more than two years a prisoner in the Tower, he was released; and in 1656, obtained leave to open a kind of theatre in Rutland-house, where he performed several dramatic entertainments. Upon the commotions which preceded the restoration, he was again imprisoned, but quickly released. Soon after the restoration, he obtained one of the patents granted for the forming a company of players, and opened the Duke's Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he first introduced painted scenes. He continued to act there until the time of his death; the new and magnificent theatre, built in Dorset Gardens, to which the company afterwards removed, not being finished at the time of his death. He died at his house in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields, April 7, 1668, at the age of 63, and was buried near Chaucer's monument, ip Westminster Abbey; the whole company attending his funeral.

He was the author of

1. Albovine, King of the Lombards, his tragedy. 4to, 1629.

2. The Cruel Brother, a tragedy, acted at the Private House, in Black Fryers. 4to, 1630.

3. The Just Italian, presented at the Private House, in Black Friars. 4to, 1630.

4. The Temple of Love, a masque, presented by the Queen's Majesty, at Whitehall. 4to, 1634. 5. The Triumph, of Prince D'Amour, a masque, presented by his Highness, at his palace in the Middle Temple, the 24 Feb. 1635. 4to, 1635.

6. The Platonic Lovers, a tragi-comedy, presented at the Private House, Black Friars. 4to, 1636. 8vo, 1666.

7. The Wits, a comedy, presented at the Private House, in Black Friars. 4to, 1636. 8vo, 1665. 8. Britannia Triumphans, a masque, presented at Whitehall by the King's Majesty and his Lords, on the Sunday after Twelfth Night, 1637. 4to, 1637.

9. Salmacida Spolia, a masque, presented by the King and Queen's Majesties, at Whitehall, on Tuesday the 21 day of January, 1639. 4to, 1639.

10. The Unfortunate Lovers, a tragedy. 4to, 1643. 4to, 1649.

11. Love and Honour, presented by his Majestics Servants at the Black Friars. 4to, 1649. 12. The First Day's Entertainment at Rutland House, by declamation and music, after the manner of the ancients. 4to, 1656.

13. The Siege of Rhodes, made a representation by the art of prospective in scenes; and the story sung in recitative music, at the back part of Rutland House, in the upper end of Aldersgate-street, London. 4to, 1656.

14. The Siege of Rhodes, the First and Second Part; as they were lately represented at the Duke of York's Theatre, in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. The First Part being lately enlarged. 4to, 1663. 15. The Rivals, a comedy, acted by the Duke of York's Servants. 4to, 1668. This is taken from The Two Noble Kinsmen. By Shakespeare and Fletcher.

16. The Man's the Master, a comedy. 4to, 1669.

The six following plays were first printed in the folio edition of Sir William Davenant's Works,

in 1673.

17. The Fair Favourite, a tragi-comedy.

18. The Law against Love's, a tragi-comedy, taken from Measure for Measure.

19. News from Plymouth, a comedy.

20. The Playhouse to be let, a comedy.

21. The Siege, a tragi-comedy.

22. The Distresses, a tragi-comedy.

23. Macbeth, a tragedy, with all the alterations, amendments, additions, and new songs; as acted at the Duke's Theatre. 4to, 1674.

Downes the prompter, who ascribes this alteration to Sir William Davenant, observes of it, that "being drest in all its finery, as new clothes, new scenes, machines as flyings for the witches, with all the singing and dancing in it. The first composed by Mr Lock, the other by Mr Channell and Mr Joseph Priest; it being all excellently performed, being in the nature of an opera, it recompensed double the expence." In this play, Nat. Lee, the poet, made his unsuccessful attempt in acting. He performed the part of Duncan.

Sir William Davenant joined with Dryden in altering the Tempest; and the names of both those writers are put to an alteration of Julius Cæsar. Printed 12mo, 1719. Sir William Davenant's Works are printed in folio. 1673.

TO THE CHIEFLY BELOVED

OF ALL THAT ARE INGENIOUS AND NOBLE,

ENDYMION PORTER,

OF HIS MAJESTY'S BEDCHAMBER,

SIR, Though you covet not acknowledgments, receive what belongs to you by a double title: your goodness hath preserved life in the author; then rescued his work from a cruel faction, which nothing but the forces of your reason, and your reputation, could subdue. If it become your pleasure now, as when it had the advantage of presentation on the stage, I shall be taught to boast some merit in myself; but with this inference, you still (as in that doubtful day of my trial) endeavour to make shew of so much justice, as may countenance the love you bear to

Your most obliged, and thankful humble servant,

WILLIAM DAVENANT.

2 N

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