A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 05

English drama

Away, Lorenzo, hinder me no more,
    For thou hast made me bankrupt of my bliss.
    Give me my son; you shall not ransom him.
    Away! I'll rip the bowels of the earth,
                                            [He diggeth with his dagger.
    And ferry over to the Elysian plains,
    And bring my son to show his deadly wounds.
    Stand from about me, I'll make a pickaxe of my poniard,
    And here surrender up my marshalship;
    For I'll go marshal up the[217] fiends in hell,
    To be avenged on you all for this.

                                 KING.

    What means this outrage?
    Will none of you restrain his fury?

                               HIERONIMO.

    Nay, soft and fair, you shall not need to strive:
    Needs must he go, that [all] the devils drive.              [_Exit._

                                 KING.

    What accident hath happ'd[218] Hieronimo?
    I have not seen him to demean him so.

                                LORENZO.

    My gracious lord, he is with extreme pride
    Conceiv'd of young Horatio his son,
    And covetous of having to himself
    The ransom of the young prince Balthazar,
    Distract, and in a manner lunatic.

                                 KING.

    Believe me, nephew, we are sorry for't:
    This is the love that fathers bear their sons.
    But, gentle brother, go give to him this gold,
    The prince's ransom; let him have his due.
    For what he hath, Horatio shall not want,
    Hap'ly Hieronimo hath need thereof.

                                LORENZO.

    But if he be thus helplessly[219] distract,
    'Tis requisite his office be resign'd,
    And given to one of more discretion.

                                 KING.

    We shall increase his melancholy so;
    'Tis best that[220] we see farther in it first:
    Till when ourself will [hold] exempt the place.
    And, brother, now bring in th' ambassador,
    That he may be a witness of the match
    'Twixt Balthazar and Bell'-Imperia;
    And that we may prefix a certain time,
    Wherein the marriage shall be solemnis'd,
    That we may have thy lord the viceroy here.

                              AMBASSADOR.

    Therein your highness highly shall content
    His majesty, that longs to hear from hence.

                                 KING.

    On, then, and hear you,[221] lord ambassador.

                                                              [_Exeunt._

                      _Enter_ JAQUES _and_ PEDRO.

                                JAQUES.

    I wonder, Pedro, why our master thus
    At midnight sends us with our torches light,
    When man and bird, and beast, are all at rest,
    Save those that watch for rape and bloody murder.

                                 PEDRO.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 05

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