pale.

1

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60

I view the prince with Aristarchus' eyes,
Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.
They thrust upon me the protectorship,
And sue to me for that that I desire.
While at the council-table, grave enough,
And not unlike a bashful puritan,
First I complain of imbecility,
Saying it is onus quam gravissimum,
Till being interrupted by my friends,
Suscepi that provinciam as they term it;
And to conclude, I am Protector now.
Now is all sure: the queen and Mortimer
Shall rule the realm, the king; and none rule us,
Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance;
And what I list command who dare control?
Major sum quam cui possit fortuna nocere.3
And that this be the coronation-day,
It pleaseth me, and Isabel the queen.

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70

[Trumpets within.] The trumpets sound, I must go take my place. Enter the young KING, QUEEN [ISABELLA,] the ARCHBISHOP [of CANTERBURY,] Champion and Nobles.

A. of Cant. Long live King Edward, by the grace of God

King of England and Lord of Ireland!

Cham. If any Christian, Heathen, Turk, or Jew,

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Dares but affirm that Edward's not true king, And will avouch his saying with the sword, I am the champion that will combat him. Y. Mor. None comes, sound trumpets. [Trumpets sound.] K. Edw. Third. Champion, here's to thee, [Gives a purse.] Q. Isab. Lord Mortimer, now take him to your charge.

80

K. Edw. Third. Sweet mother, if I cannot pardon him,

Entreat my Lord Protector for his life.

Q. Isab. Son, be content; I dare not speak a word.

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K. Edw. Third. Nor I, and yet methinks I should command;

But, seeing I cannot, I'll entreat for him —
My lord, if you will let my uncle live,

I will requite it when I come to age.

Y. Mor. 'Tis for your highness' good, and for the realm's.

100

How often shall I bid you bear him hence? Kent. Art thou king? Must I die at thy com

mand?

Y. Mor. At our command - Once more away with him.

Kent. Let me but stay and speak; I will not go. Either my brother or his son is king,

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And none of both them thirst for Edmund's blood:

And therefore, soldiers, whither will you hale me?

Soldiers hale KENT away, and carry him to be beheaded.

K. Edw. Third. What safety may I look for at his hands,

If that my uncle shall be murdered thus? Q. Isab. Fear not, sweet boy, I'll guard thee from thy foes;

110

Had Edmund liv'd, he would have sought thy death.

Come, son, we 'll ride a-hunting in the park. K. Edw. Third. And shall my uncle Edmund ride with us?

Q. Isab. He is a traitor; think not on him; Exeunt.

come.

[SCENE V.]+

Enter MATREVIS and GURNEY.

Mat. Gurney, I wonder the king dies not, Being in a vault up to the knees in water, To which the channels of the castle run, From whence a damp continually ariseth, That were enough to poison any man, Much more a king brought up so tenderly.

Gur. And so do I, Matrevis: yesternight I opened but the door to throw him meat, And I was almost stifled with the savour. Mat. He hath a body able to endure

Berkeley Castle.

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[Aside.] This villain 's sent to make away the king.

Gur. [Aside.] I thought as much.

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Mat. Aside. And when the murder's done, See how he must be handled for his labour. Pereat iste!2 Let him have the king. What else? Here is the keys, this is the lake,3 Do as you are commanded by my lord.

Light. I know what I must do. Get you away. Yet be not far off, I shall need your help; See that in the next room I have a fire, And get me a spit, and let it be red-hot. Mat. Very well.

30

Gur.
Need you anything besides?
Light. What else? A table and a feather-bed.
Gur. That's all?

Light. O villains!

K. Edw. And there in mire and puddle have I stood

This ten days' space; and, lest that I should sleep,

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One plays continually upon a drum.
They give me bread and water, being a king;
So that, for want of sleep and sustenance,
My mind 's distempered, and my body 's numb'd,
And whether I have limbs or no I know not.
O, would my blood dropp'd out from every vein,
As doth this water from my tattered robes.
Tell Isabel, the queen, I look'd not thus,
When for her sake I ran at tilt in France,
And there unhors'd the Duke of Cleremont.
Light. O speak no more, my lord! this breaks
my heart.

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Lie on this bed, and rest yourself awhile.
K. Edw. These looks of thine can harbour
nought but death:

I see my tragedy written in thy brows.
Yet stay awhile; forbear thy bloody hand,
And let me see the stroke before it comes,
That even then when I shall lose my life.
My mind may be more steadfast on my God.
Light. What means your highness to mistrust
me thus ?

K. Edw. What mean'st thou to dissemble with me thus ?

Light. These hands were never stain'd with

innocent blood,

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One jewel have I left; receive thou this.

[Giring jewel.\ Still fear I, and I know not what's the cause, But every joint shakes as I give it thee. O, if thou harbour'st murder in thy heart, Let this gift change thy mind, and save thy

soul!

Know that I am a king: O, at that name

I feel a hell of grief! Where is my crown? Gone, gone! and do I remain alive?

Light. You're overwatch'd, my lord; lie down

and rest.

K. Edw. But that grief keeps me waking, I should sleep;

For not these ten days have these eye-lids clos'd. Now as I speak they fall, and yet with fear Open again. O wherefore sitt'st thou here? Light. If you mistrust me, I'll begone, my lord.

K. Edw. No, no, for if thou mean'st to mur

der me,

Thou wilt return again, and therefore stay.
Light. He sleeps.

K. Edw. waking.] O let me not die yet!

Stay, O stay a while!

Light. How now, my lord?

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K. Edw. Something still buzzeth in mine

ears,

And tells me if I sleep I never wake;

This fear is that which makes me tremble thus. And therefore tell me, wherefore art thou come?

& Worn out with waking.

K. Edw. 1 am too weak and feeble to resist:

Assist me, sweet God, and receive my soul!
Light. Run for the table.

K. Edw. O spare me, or despatch me in a trice. (MATREVIS brings in a table.] 110 Light. So, lay the table down, and stamp on it, But not too hard, lest that you bruise his body. [KING EDWARD is murdered.]

Mat. I fear me that this cry will raise the town,

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And therefore, let us take horse and away.
Light. Tell me, sirs, was it not bravely done?
Gur. Excellent well: take this for thy reward.
GURNEY stabs LIGHTBORN [who dies].
Come, let us cast the body in the moat,
And bear the king's to Mortimer our lord:
Away!
Exeunt [with the bodies].

My father's murdered through thy treachery;
And thou shalt die, and on his mournful hearse
Thy hateful and accursed head shall lie,
To witness to the world, that by thy means
His kingly body was too soon interr'd.
Isab. Weep not, sweet son!

K. Edw. Third. Forbid me not to weep, he was my father;

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And, had you lov'd him half so well as I, You could not bear his death thus patiently. But you, I fear, conspir'd with Mortimer. 1 Lord. Why speak you not unto my lord the king?

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Y. Mor. Because I think scorn to be accus'd. Who is the man dares say I murdered him? K. Edw. Third. Traitor! in me my loving father speaks,

And plainly saith, 't was thou that murd'redst him.

Y. Mor. But has your grace no other proof than this?

K. Edw. Third. Yes, if this be the hand of Mortimer. [Shewing letter.]

Y. Mor. [Aside.] False Gurney hath betray'd me and himself.

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Q. Isab. [Aside.] I fear'd as much; murder cannot be hid.

Y. Mor. It is my hand; what gather you by this?

K. Edw. Third. That thither thou didst send a murderer.

Y. Mor. What murderer? Bring forth the man I sent.

Q. Isab. He hath forgotten me; stay, I am his mother.

2 Lord. That boots not; therefore, gentle madam, go.

Q. Isab. Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief. [Erit.] [Re-enter 1 Lord, with the head of Young MORTIMER.]

1 Lord. My lord, here is the head of Morti

mer.

K. Edw. Third. Go fetch my father's hearse, where it shall lie;

And bring my funeral robes.

[Exeunt Attendants.] Accursed head, Could I have rul'd thee then, as I do now, Thou had'st not hatch'd this monstrous treachery!

Here comes the hearse; help me to mourn, my lords.

[Re-enter Attendants with the hearse and funeral robes.]

Sweet father, here unto thy murdered ghost
I offer up this wicked traitor's head;
And let these tears, distilling from mine eyes,
Be witness of my grief and innocency.

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[Exeunt.]

[SCENE I: INDUCTION.]

Enter the GHOST OF ANDREA, and with him REVENGE.

Ghost. When this eternal substance of my soul

5

Did live imprison'd in my wanton flesh,
Each in their function serving other's need,
I was a courtier in the Spanish court.
My name was Don Andrea; my descent,
Though not ignoble, yet inferior far
To gracious fortunes of my tender youth:
For there in prime and pride of all my years,
By duteous service and deserving love,
In secret I possess'd a worthy dame,
Which hight sweet Bel-imperia by name.
But in the harvest of my summer joys
Death's winter nipp'd the blossoms of my bliss,
Forcing divorce betwixt my love and me.
For in the late conflict with Portingale
My valour drew me into danger's mouth
Till life to death made passage through my
wounds.

When I was slain, my soul descended straight
To pass the flowing stream of Acheron;
But churlish Charon, only boatman there,
Said that, my rites of burial not perform'd,
I might not sit amongst his passengers.
Ere Sol had slept three nights in Thetis' lap,
And slak'd his smoking chariot in her flood,
By Don Horatio, our knight marshal's son,

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15

20

25

Two Portuguese.

PEDRINGANO, Bel-imperia's servant. CHRISTOPHIL, Bel-imperia's custodian. Lorenzo's Page.

SERBERINE, Balthazar's servant.

Isabella's Maid.

Messenger.

Hangman.

SOLIMAN, Sultan of Turkey (Balthazar),

ERASTUS, Knight of Rhodes (Lorenzo), THE BASHAW (Hieronimo),

PERSEDA (Bel-imperia),

In

Hieronimo's

Play.

Three Kings and three Knights in the first Dumb-show.

.Hymen and two torch-bearers in the second.

BAZARDO, a Painter,

PEDRO and JAQUES, Hieronimo's

servants,

In the additions to

the play.

Army, Royal Suites, Noblemen, Halberdiers, Officers, Three Watchmen, Servants, etc.]

My funerals and obsequies were done.
Then was the ferryman of hell content
To pass me over to the slimy strand,
That leads to fell Avernus' ugly waves.
There, pleasing Cerberus with honey'd speech, 30
I pass'd the perils of the foremost porch.
Not far from hence, amidst ten thousand

souls,

And for his love tried fortune of the wars;
And by war's fortune lost both love and life." 40
Why then," said Aeacus, "convey him hence,
To walk with lovers in our fields of love,
And spend the course of everlasting time
Under green myrtle-trees and cypress shades."
"No, no," said Rhadamanth, "it were not
well,

With loving souls to place a martialist.
He died in war, and must to martial fields,
Where wounded Hector lives in lasting pain,
And Achilles' Myrmidons do scour the plain."
Then Minos, mildest censor of the three,
Made this device to end the difference:
"Send him," quoth he, "to our infernal king,
To doom him as best seems his majesty."
To this effect my passport straight was drawn.
In keeping on my way to Pluto's court,