With gift of pardon save unto the chiefe; And that upon condicion that forthwith They yelde the captaines of their enterprise, To beare such guerdon 40 of their traiterous fact As may be both due vengeance to themselves, And holsome terrour to posteritic.
This shall I thinke, scatter the greatest parte, That now are holden with desire of home, Weried in field with cold of winter's nightes, And some, no doubt, striken with dread of law. Whan this is once proclamed, it shall make The captaines to mistrust the multitude, Whose safetie biddes them to betray their heads, And so much more bycause the rascall routes, In thinges of great and perillous attemptes, Are never trustic to the noble race.
And while we treate and stand on termes of grace, We shall both stay their furies rage the while, And eke gaine time, whose onely helpe sufficeth Withouten warre to vanquish rebelles power. In the meane while, make you in redyness Such band of horsemen as ye may prepare: Horsemen, you kno, are not the commons strength, But are the force and store of noble men, Wherby the unchosen and unarmed sort Of skillesse rebelles, whome none other power, But nombre makes to be of dreadfull force, With sodeyne brunt may quickely be opprest; And if this gentle meane of proffered grace With stubborne heartes cannot so farre avayle As to asswage their desperate courages; Then do I wish such slaughter to be made, As present age and eke posteritie May be adrad 42 with horrour of revenge, That justly then shall on these rebelles fall: This is, my lord, the summe of mine advise.
Clot. Neither this case admittes debate at large: And though it did, this speach that hath ben sayd Hath well abridged the tale I would have tolde. Fully with Eubulus do I consent
In all that he hath sayde; and if the same Το you, my lordes, may seeme for best advise, I wish that it should streight be put in ure. Mand. My lordes, then let us presently depart, And follow this that liketh 43 us so well.
Fer. If ever time to gaine a kingdome here Were offred man, now it is offred me: The realme is reft both of their king and queene, The offspring of the prince is slaine and dead, No issue now remaines, the heire unknowen, The people are in armes and mutynies, The nobles they are busied how to cease These great rebellious tumultes and uproares. And Brittayne land now desert left alone
Amyd these broyles uncertayn where to rest, Offers herselfe unto that noble hart That will or dare pursue to beare her crowne: Shall I, that am the duke of Albanye, Discended from that line of noble bloud, Which hath so long flourished in worthy fame Of valiaunt hartes, such as in noble brestes, Of right should rest above the baser sort, Refuse to adventure life to winne a crowne ? Whom shall I finde enemies that will withstand My fact herein, if I attempt by armes To seeke the same now in these times of broyle? These dukes power can hardly well appease The people that already are in armes. But if perhappes my force be once in field, Is not my strength in power above the best Of all these lordes now left in Brittayne land. And though they should match me with power of
Yet doubtfull is the chaunce of battailes joyned. If victors of the field we may depart, Ours is the scepter then of Great Brittayne. If slayne amid the playne this body lye, Mine enemies yet shall not deny me this, But that I dyed geving the noble charge To hazarde life for conquest of a crowne. Forthwith therefore will I in post depart To Albanye, and raise in armour there All power I can: and here my secret frendes By secret practise shall solicite still To secke to wynne to me the people's hartes.
EUBULUS, CLOTYN, MANDUD, GWENARD, AROSTUS, NUNTIUS.
Eub. O Jove, how are these people's harts abusde?
What blind fury thus headlong caries them? That though so many bookes, so many rolles Of auncient time recorde what grevous plagues Light on these rebelles aye, and though so oft Their eares have heard their aged fathers tell What juste reward these traitours still receyve; Yea though themselves have sene depe death and bloud
By strangling cord and slaughter of the sword To such assigned, yet can they not beware, Yet can not stay their lewde rebellious handes, But suffring loe fowle treason to distaine Their wretched myndes, forget their loyall hart, Reject all truth, and rise against their prince. A ruthefull case, that those whom duties bond,
40 Guerdon-reward.
41 Unchosen and unarmed sort-multitude.
42 May be adrad-Adrad is the participle passive of adrede, afraid. S.-So, in Erasmus's Praise of Folie, 1549, Sign. R 4: "-lyke as great princes have wysemen in jelousie and suspicion, as Julius Cæsar bad Brutus and also Cassius, whereas he nothing helde hymselfe adradde of drunken Mark Anthony.” 43 Liketh-pleaseth.
Whom grafted law, by nature, truth and faith Bound to preserve their countrey and their king, Borne to defend their common wealth and prince, Even they should geve consent thus to subvert Thee Brittaine land, and from thy wombe should bring,
O native soile, those that will needs destroy And ruyne thee and eke themselves in fine: For lo, when once the duke had offred grace Of pardon sweete, (the multitude misledde By traiterous fraude of their ungracious heades,) One sort that saw the dangerous successe Of stubborne standing in rebellious warre, And knew the difference of princes power, From headlesse nombre of tumultuous routes, Whom common countries care and private feare Taught to repent the errour of their rage, Layde hands upon the captaines of their band, And brought them bound unto the mightie dukes. And other sort, not trusting yet so well The truth of pardon, or mistrusting more Their owne offence than that they could conceive Sure hope of pardon for so foule misdede, Or for that they their captaines could not yeld, Who fearing to be yelded fled before, Stale home by silence of the secret night. The third unhappy and enraged sort Of desperate hartes, who stained in princes bloud, From trayterous furour could not be withdrawen By love, by law, by grace, ne yet by feare, By proffered life, ne yet by threatened death, With mindes hopelesse of life, dreadlesse of death, Carelesse of countrey, and awelesse of God, Stoode bent to fight as furies did them move With violent death to close their traiterous life: These all by power of horsemen were opprest, And with revenging sworde slayne in the field, Or with the strangling cord hangd on the tree, Where yet the caryen carcases do preach The fruites that rebelles reape of their uproares, And of the murder of their sacred prince. But loe, where do approche the noble dukes, By whom these tumults have ben thus appeasde. Clot. I thinke the world will now at length be-
And feare to put on armes agaynst their prince. Man. If not, those trayterous hartes that dare rebell,
Let them beholde the wide and hugie fieldes With bload and bodies spread of rebelles slayne; The lofty trees clothed with corpses dead, That strangled with the cord do hang thereon. Aros. A just rewarde, such as all times before Have ever lotted to those wretched folkes. Gwen. But what meanes he that commeth here so fast?
Nun. My lordes, as dutie and my trouth doth move,
And of my countrey worke a care in me, That if the spending of my breath availed To do the service that my hart desires, I would not shunne to imbrace a present death, So have I now in that wherein I thought My travayle mought performe some good effect Ventred my life to bring these tydings here. Fergus, the mightie duke of Albanye,
Is nowe in armes, and lodgeth in the fielde With twentie thousand men, hether he bendes His spedy march, and mindes to invade the crowne, Dayly he gathereth strength, and spreads abrode That to this realme no certaine heire remaines, That Brittayne land is left without a guide, That he the scepter seekes, for nothing els But to preserve the people and the land Which now remaine as shippe without a sterne : 4+ Loe this is that which I have here to say.
Clot. Is this his fayth? and shall he falsely thus Abuse the vauntage of unhappie times? O wretched land, if his outragious pride, His cruell and untempred wilfulnesse, His deepe dissembling, shewes of false pretence, Should once attaine the crowne of Brittaine land. Let us, my lordes, with timely force resist The new attempt of this our common foe, As we would quench the flames of common fire. Man. Though we remaine without a certain prince
To weld the realm, or guide the wandring rule, Yet now the common mother of us all, Our native land, our countrey that conteines Our wives, children, kindred, ourselves, and all That ever is or may be deare to man, Cries unto us to helpe ourselves and her: Let us advaunce our powers to represse This growing foe of all our liberties.
Gwen. Yea let us so, my lordes, with hasty speede :
And ye, O goddes, send us the welcome death, To shed our bloud in field, and leave us not In lothesome life to lenger out our dayes, To see the hugie heapes of these unhappes, That now roll downe upon the wretched land, Where emptie place of princely governaunce, No certaine stay now left of doubtlesse heire, Thus leave this guidelesse realme an open pray To endlesse stormes and waste of civill warre.
Aros. That ye, my lordes, do so agrec in one To save your countrcy from the violent reigne And wrongfully usurped tyrannie
Of him that threatens conquest of you all, To save your realme, and in this realme yourselves From forreine thraldome of so proud a prince, Much do I prayse; and I besech the goddes With happy honour to requite it you. But O, my lords, sith now the heavens wrath Hath reft this lande the issue of their prince;
* Without a sterne—A sterne was the antient term for the rudder. See King Henry V. S.
Sith of the body of our late soveraigne lorde Remaines no moe, since the yong kinges be slaine, And of the title of discended crowne, Uncertainly the diverse mindes do thinke Even of the learned sort, and more uncertainly Will parciall fancie and affection deeme : But most uncertainly will climbing pride And hope of reigne withdraw to sundry partes The doubtfull right und hopefull lust to reigne: When once this noble service is atchieved, For Brittaine land, the mother of ye all, When once ye have with armed force represt, The proude attemptes of this Albanian prince, That threatens thraldome to your native land, When ye shall vanquishers returne from field, And find the princely state an open pray, To greedie lust and to usurping power; Then, then, my lordes, if ever kindly care Of auncient honour of your auncesters, Of present wealth and noblesse of your stockes, Yea of the lives and safetie yet to come Of your deare wives, your children, and yourselves, Might move your noble hartes with gentle ruth, Then, then have pitie on the torne estate, Then helpe to salve the wel neare hopelesse sore: Which ye shall do, if ye yourselves withholde The slaying knife from your owne mother's throate, Her shall you save, and you and yours in her, If ye shall all with one assent forbeare Once to lay hand, or take unto yourselves, The crowne by colour of pretended right; Or by what other meanes so ever it be, Till first by common counsell of you all In parliament, the regall diademe
Be set in certaine place of governaunce, In which your parliament and in your choise, Preferre the right, my lordes, without 45 respect Of strength or frendes, or whatsoever cause That may set forward any others part, For right will last, and wrong can not endure. Right meane I his or hers, upon whose name The people rest, by meane of native line, Or by the vertue of some former lawe, Already made their title to advaunce: Such one, my lordes, let be your chosen king, Such one so borne within your native land, Such one preferre, and in no wise admitte, The heavie yoke of forreine governance : Let forreine titles yield to publike wealth, And with that hart wherewith ye now prepare, Thus to withstand the proude invading foe, With that same hart, my lordes, keepe out also Unnaturall thraldome of strangers reigne, Ne suffer you against the rules of kinde, Your mother land to serve a forreine prince. Eub. Loe here the end of Brutus royall line, And loe the entry to the wofull wracke, And utter ruine of this noble realme. The royall king, and eke his sonnes are slaine,
No ruler restes within the regall seate: The heire to whom the scepter longes unknowen; That to eche force of forreine princes power, Whom vauntage of your wretched state may move, By sodeine armes to gaine so riche a realme, And to the proud and gredie minde at home, Whom blinded lust to reigne leades to aspire, Loe Brittaine realme is left an open pray, A present spoyle by conquest to ensue. Who seeth not now, how many rising mindes Do feede their thoughts, with hope to reach a realme?
And who will not by force attempt to winne, So great a gaine that hope perswades to have? A simple colour shall for title serve, Who winnes the royall crowne will want no right, Nor such as shall display by long discent, A lineall race to prove him lawful king. In the meane while these civil armes shall rage, And thus a thousand mischiefes shall unfolde, And farre and neare spread thee, O Brittaine land, All right and lawe shall cease, and he that had Nothing to-day, to-morrowe shall enjoye Great heapes of golde, and he that flowed in wealth, Loe, he shall be bereft of life and all; And happiest he that then possesseth least. The wives shall suffer rape, the maides defloured, And children fatherlesse shall weepe and waile= With fire and sworde thy native folke shall perishe, One kinsman shall bereave an others life, The father shall unwitting slay the sonne, The sonne shall slay the sire and know it not; Women and maides, the cruel souldiers sword Shall perse to death, and sillie children loe, That playing in the streetes and fieldes are found By violent hand shall close their latter day. Whom shall the fierce and bloudy souldier Reserve to life? whom shall he spare from death! Even thou, O wretched mother, halfe alive, Thou shalt beholde thy deare and only childe Slaine with the sworde, while he yet suckes thy
Loe, giltlesse bloud shall thus eche where be shed; Thus shall the wasted soyle yelde forth no fruite, But dearth and famine shall possesse the land. The townes shall be consumed, and burnt with fire; The peopled cities shall waxe desolate, And thou, O Brittaine, whilome in renowne, Whilome in wealth and fame shalt thus be torne. Dismembred thus, and thus be rent in twaine, Thus wasted and defaced, spoyled and destoyed, These be the fruites your civill warres will bring. Hereto it commes when kinges will not consent To grave advise, but follow wilfull will: This is the end, when in fonde princes hartes Flattery prevailes, and sage rede hath no place : These are the plages when murder is the meane, To make new heires unto the royall crowne. Thus wreke the Gods when that the mother's wrath
45 Without-with, edit. 1570.
46 Playing--play. edit. 1570.
Nought but the bloud of her own childe may swage; These mischiefes spring, when rebells will arise, To worke revenge, and judge their prince's fact, This, this ensues when noble men do faile In loyall trouth, and subjectes will be kinges. And this doth growe, when loe unto the prince, Whome death or sodeine happe of life bereaves, No certaine heire remaines, such certain heire, As not all onely is the rightfull heire, But to the realme is so made knowen to be, And trouth therby vested in subjectes hartes, To owe fayth there, where right is knowen to rest. Alas, in parliament what hope can be, When is of parliament no hope at all, Which though it be assembled by consent, Yet is not likely with consent to end: While eche one for himselfe, or for his frend, Against his foe, shall travaile what he may, While now the state left open to the man, That shall with greatest force invade the same, Shall fill ambicious mindes with gaping hope;
When will they once with yelding hartes agree? Or in the while how shall the realme be used? No, no: then parliament should have bene holden, And certaine heires appointed to the crowne To staye the title on established right, And in the people plant obedience,
While yet the prince did live, whose name and power
By lawfull sommons and authoritie, Might make a parliament to be of force, And might have set the state in quiet stay: But now, O happie man, whom speedie death Deprives of life, ne is enforced to see These hugie mischiefes and these miseries, These civil warres, these murders, and these wronges.
Of justice yet must God in fine restore, This noble crowne unto the lawfull heire: For right will alwayes live, and rise at length, But wrong can never take deepe roote to last.
(1.) "The Tragedie of Gorboduc; whereof three Actes were written by Thomas Nortone, and the two laste by Thomas Sackvyle. Settforthe as the same was shewed before the Queenes most excellent Majestie, in her highnes court of Whitehall, the 18 Jan. 1561. By the Gentlemen of Thynner Temple, in London, Sept. 22, 4to." Printed for William Griffith.-See Ames's Typographical Antiquities, p. 316.
This Edition I have not seen. It appears to be the first spurious one complained of by the
(2.) "The Tragedie of Ferrex and Porrex. Setforth without addition or alteration; but altogether as the same was shewed on stage before the Queenes Majestie about nine yeares past, viz. the xviii day of Januarie, 1561, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple. Seen and allowed, &c. Imprinted at London by John Daye, dwelling over Aldersgate. B. L. 8vo."
In the Bodleian Library, and in the possession of Thomas Pearson, Esq.
(3.) "The Tragedie of Gorboduc; whereof three Actes were written by Thomas Norton, and the two last by Thomas Sackvyle. Setforth as the same was shewed before the Queenes most excellent Majesty, in her highnes court of Whitehall, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple. At London, printed by Edward Allde for John Perrin, and are to be sold in Paule's Churchyard, at the signe of the Angell. B. L. 4to, 1590."
In the collection of Thomas Pearson, Esq. and also in that of Mr Garrick. In the last-mentioned copy is a discourse, entitled, The Serpent of Devision.
Publiquely acted by the Students in Saint John's Colledge, in Cambridge.
The Return from Parnassus, or the Scourge of Simony, was publicly acted, as the title-page bears, by the Students of St John's College, Cambridge. It is a most extravagant, but very curious performance. Hawkins, in his Preface to the Origin of the English Drama, says, it is perhaps the most singular composition in the English language. The admirers of Shakespeare will be interested by the mention made of him in the scene where Kempe and Burbage, his fellow actors, discourse of his quarrel with Ben Jonson. It would seem, that Shakespeare had espoused the cause of Decker, in the dispute between him and Jonson; though we may look in vain for the "pill" given to the latter by the Bard of Avon.
Mo. Gentlemen, you that can play at noddy, or rather play upon noddies: you that can set up a jeast, at primero insteed of a rest, laugh at the prologue that was taken away in a voyder.
Defen. What we present I must needs confesse is but slubbered invention: if your wisdome obscure the circumstance, your kindnesse will pardon the substance.
Mo. What is presented here, is an old musty showe, that hath laine this twelfe-moneth in the bottome of a coale-house amongst broomes and old showes, an invension that we are ashamed of, and therefore we have promised the copies to the chandlers to wrappe his candles in.
Defen. It's but a Christenmas toy, and may it please your curtisies to let it passe.
Mom. It's a Christmas toy indeede, as good a conceite as guaging hotcockles, or blinde-man buffe.
Defen. Some humors you shall see aymed at, if not well resembled.
Mom. Humors, indeede; is it not a pretty hu
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