A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 05
General
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 05
English drama
My good lord, I know you did not.
CASTILE.
There pause;
And for the satisfaction of the world,
Hieronimo, frequent my homely house,
The Duke of Castile, Cyprian'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.
HIERONIMO.
Ay, 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.
BALTHAZAR.
Why, this is friendly done, Hieronimo.
LORENZO.
And that, I hope, old grudges are forgot.
HIERONIMO.
What else? it were a shame it should not be so.
CASTILE.
Come on, Hieronimo, at my request,
Let us entreat your company to-day. [_Exeunt._
HIERONIMO.
Your lordship's to command. Pha! Keep your way.
_Mi! chi mi fa piu carrezze che non suole,_
_Tradito mi ha, o tradir mi vuole._[265] [_Exit._
_Enter_ GHOST _and_ REVENGE.
GHOST.
Awake, Alecto:[266] Cerberus, awake,
Solicit Pluto, gentle Proserpine,
To combat Acheron and Erebus in hell;
Or near-by Styx and Phlegethon;
Nor ferried Charon to the fiery lakes
Such fearful sights, as poor Andrea sees.
Revenge, awake.
REVENGE.
Awake? for why?[267]
GHOST.
Awake, Revenge; for thou art ill-advis'd
To sleep--awake: what, thou[268] 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 worldlings ground what they have dream'd upon.
Content thyself, Andrea, though I sleep,
Yet is[269] 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,[270]
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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