Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 07 of 10Fletcher, John
General
Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 07 of 10
Fletcher, John
English drama
_Luc._ If not,
Make use of this.
_Lam._ There's anger in his eyes too:
His gesture, voyce, behaviour, all new fashion'd;
Well, if it does endure in act the triall
Of what in show it promises to make good,
_Ulysses_ Cyclops, _Io's_ transformation,
_Eurydice_ fetch from Hell, with all the rest
Of _Ovids_ Fables, I'll put in your Creed;
And for proof, all incredible things may be,
Write down that _Lucio_, the coward _Lucio_,
The womanish _Lucio_ fought.
_Luc._ And _Lamorall_,
The still imploy'd great duellist _Lamorall_,
Took his life from him.
_Lam._ 'Twill not come to that sure:
Methinks the only drawing of my Sword
Should fright that confidence.
_Luc._ It confirms it rather.
To make which good, know you stand now oppos'd
By one that is your Rival, one that wishes
Your name and title greater, to raise his;
The wrong you did, less pardonable than it is,
But your strength to defend it, more than ever
It was when justice friended it. The Lady
For whom we now contend, _Genevora_
Of more desert, (if such incomparable beauty
Could suffer an addition) your love
To Don _Vitelli_ multipli'd, and your hate
Against my father and his house increas'd;
And lastly, that the Glove which you there wear,
To my dishonour, (which I must force from you)
Were dearer to you than your life.
_Lam._ You'l find
It is, and so I'll guard it:
_Luc._ All these must meet then
With the black infamy, to be foyl'd by one
That's not allowd a man: to help your valor,
That falling by your hand, I may, or dye,
Or win in this one single opposition
My Mistriss, and such honor as I may
Inrich my fathers Arms with.
_Lam._ 'Tis said Nobly;
My life with them are at the stake.
_Luc._ At all then. [_Fight._
_Lam._ She's yours, this and my life too follow your fortune,
And give not only back that part, the looser
Scorns to accept of--
_Luc._ What's that?
_Lam._ My poor life,
Which do not leave me as a farther torment,
Having dispoil'd me of my Sword, mine honor,
Hope of my Ladies grace, fame, and all else
That made it worth the keeping.
_Luc._ I take back
No more from you, than what you forc'd from me;
And with a worser title: yet think not
That I'll dispute this, as made insolent
By my success, but as one equal with you,
If so you will accept me; that new courage,
Or call it fortune if you please, that is
Conferr'd upon me by the only sight
Of fair _Genevora_, was not bestow'd on me
To bloody purposes: nor did her command
Deprive me of the happiness to see her
But till I did redeem her favor from you;
Which only I rejoyce in, and share with you
In all you suffer else.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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