The Complete Plays (44 page)

FRIAR JACOMO

But, Barabas, who shall be your godfathers?

For presently you shall be shrived.

BARABAS

Marry,
the Turk
shall be one of my godfathers.

But not a word to any of your convent.

FRIAR JACOMO

I warrant thee, Barabas.

Exit
[
FRIAR JACOMO
].

BARABAS

So, now the fear is past, and I am safe,

For he that shrived her is within my house.

120   What if I murdered him ere Jacomo comes?

Now I have such a plot for both their lives,

As never Jew nor Christian knew the like.

One
turned
my daughter, therefore he shall die;

The other knows enough to have my life,

Therefore 'tis not requisite he should live.

But are not both these wise men to suppose

That I will leave my house, my goods, and all,

To fast and be well whipped? I'll none of that.

Now, Friar Barnardine, I come to you.

130   I'll feast you, lodge you, give you fair words,

And after that, I and my trusty Turk –

No more but so. It must and shall be done.

Enter
ITHAMORE.

Ithamore, tell me, is the friar asleep?

ITHAMORE

Yes, and I know not what the reason is,

Do what I can, he will not strip himself,

Nor go to bed, but sleeps in his own clothes.

I fear me he mistrusts what we intend.

BARABAS

No, 'tis an
order
which the friars use.

Yet if he knew our meanings, could he 'scape?

ITHAMORE

140   No, none can hear him, cry he ne'er so loud.

BARABAS

Why, true. Therefore did I place him there.

The other chambers open towards the street.

ITHAMORE

You loiter, master. Wherefore stay we thus?

O, how I long to
see him
shake his heels!

[FRIAR BARNARDINE
is discovered asleep
.]

BARABAS

Come on, sirrah,

Off with your
girdle
, make a handsome noose.

[
They secure the
FRIAR'S
belt around his neck
.]

Friar, awake!

FRIAR BARNARDINE

What, do you mean to strangle me?

ITHAMORE

Yes, 'cause you use to
confess
.

BARABAS

150  Blame not us but the proverb, ‘Confess and be hanged.'

Pull hard!

FRIAR BARNARDINE

What, will you
have
my life?

BARABAS

Pull hard, I say! You would have had my goods.

ITHAMORE

Ay, and our lives too. Therefore, pull amain.

[
They strangle him
.]

'Tis neatly done, sir. Here's no
print
at all.

BARABAS

Then is it as it should be. Take him up.

ITHAMORE
Nay, master, be ruled by me a little. So, let him lean upon his staff.

[
He props up the body
.]

Excellent! He stands as if he were begging of bacon.

BARABAS

160  Who would not think but that this friar lived?

What time o' night is't now, sweet Ithamore?

ITHAMORE

Towards one.

BARABAS

Then will not Jacomo be long from hence.

[
They hide themselves
.]

Enter
[FRIAR] JACOMO.

FRIAR JACOMO

This is the hour

Wherein I shall
proceed
. O happy hour,

Wherein I shall convert an infidel

And bring his gold into our treasury!

But soft, is not this Barnardine? It is;

And, understanding I should come this way,

170  Stands here o' purpose, meaning me some wrong,

And intercept my going to the Jew.

Barnardine!

Wilt thou not speak? Thou think'st I see thee not.

Away, I'd wish thee, and let me go by.

No, wilt thou not? Nay then, I'll force my way.

And see, a staff stands ready for the purpose.

As thou lik'st that, stop me another time.

[FRIAR JACOMO
seizes
FRIAR BARNARDINE'S
staff and]

strike[s] him;
[BARNARDINE]
falls. Enter
BARABAS
[
and
ITHAMORE
from hiding].

BARABAS

Why, how now, Jacomo, what hast thou done?

FRIAR JACOMO

Why, stricken him that would have struck at me.

BARABAS
Who is it? Barnadine? Now out, alas, he is slain!

180  

ITHAMORE
Ay, master, he's slain. Look how his brains drop out on's nose.

FRIAR JACOMO
Good sirs, I have done't, but nobody knows it but you two, I may escape.

BARABAS
So might my man and I hang with you for company.

ITHAMORE

No, let us bear him to the magistrates.

[
They seize
FRIAR JACOMO.]

FRIAR JACOMO

Good Barabas, let me go.

BARABAS

No, pardon me, the law must have his course.

I must be forced to give in evidence

190  That, being importuned by this Barnardine

To be a Christian, I shut him out,

And there he sat. Now I, to keep my word,

And give my goods and substance to your house,

Was up thus early with intent to go

Unto your friary, because you stayed.

ITHAMORE

Fie upon 'em, master, will you turn Christian,

When holy friars turn devils and murder one another?

BARABAS

No, for this example I'll remain a Jew.

Heaven bless me! What, a friar a murderer?

200  When shall you see a Jew commit the like?

ITHAMORE

Why, a Turk could ha' done no more.

BARABAS

Tomorrow is the sessions; you shall to it.

Come, Ithamore, let's help to take him hence.

FRIAR JACOMO

Villains, I am a sacred person, touch me not.

BARABAS

The law shall touch you, we'll but lead you, we.

'Las, I could weep at your calamity.

Take in the staff too, for that must be shown;

Law wills that each
particular
be known.

Exeunt.

Enter
[BELLAMIRA
the] Courtesan and
PILIA-BORZA.

BELLAMIRA
Pilia-Borza, didst thou meet with Ithamore?

PILIA-BORZA
I did.

BELLAMIRA
And didst thou deliver my letter?

PILIA-BORZA
I did.

BELLAMIRA
A nd what think'st thou, will he come?

PILIA-BORZA
I think so, and yet I cannot tell, for at the reading of the letter he looked like a
man of another world
.

BELLAMIRA
Why so?

PILIA-BORZA
That such a base slave as he should be saluted by
such a tall man as I am, from such a beautiful dame as you.

10             

BELLAMIRA
And what said he?

PILIA-BORZA
Not a wise word, only gave me a nod, as who should say, ‘Is it even so?' And so I left him, being driven to a nonplus at the
critical aspect
of my terrible countenance.

BELLAMIRA
And where didst meet him?

PILIA-BORZA
Upon mine own
freehold
, within forty foot of the
gallows,
conning
his
neck-verse
, I take it, looking of a
friar's
execution
, whom I saluted with an old
hempen
proverb,
‘
Hodie
tibi, cras mihi',
and so I left him to the mercy of the
hangman. But the
exercise
being done, see where he comes

20      

Enter
ITHAMORE.

ITHAMORE
I never knew a man take his death so patiently as
this friar. He was ready to leap off ere the halter was about
his neck, and when the hangman had put on his
hempen
tippet
he made such haste to his prayers as if he had had
another
cure
to serve. Well, go whither he will, I'll be none of
his followers in haste. And now I think on't, going to the
execution, a fellow met me with a muschatoes like a raven's
wing and a dagger with a hilt like a warming-pan, and he
gave me a letter from one Madam Bellamira, saluting me in
such sort as if he had meant to make clean my boots with his

30        

lips; the effect was that I should come to her house. I wonder
what the reason is. It may be she sees more in me than I can
find in myself, for she writes further that she loves me ever
since she saw me, and who would not requite such love?
Here's her house, and here she comes, and now would I were
gone. I am not worthy to look upon her.

PILIA-BORZA
This is the gentleman you writ to.

ITHAMORE
[
aside
] ‘Gentleman'! He flouts me. What gentry can be in a poor
Turk of tenpence
? I'll be gone.

40 
BELLAMIRA
Is't not a sweet-faced youth, Pilia?

ITHAMORE
[
aside
] Again, ‘sweet youth'! [
To
PILIA-BORZA]
Did not you, sir, bring the sweet youth a letter?

PILIA-BORZA
I did, sir, and from this gentlewoman, who, as myself and the rest of the
family
,
stand or fall
at your service.

BELLAMIRA

Though woman's modesty should hale me back,

I can withhold no longer. Welcome, sweet love.

[
She kisses him
.]

ITHAMORE
[
aside
] Now am I clean, or rather
foully
, out of the way.

[
He starts to leave
.]

BELLAMIRA
Whither so soon?

50 
ITHAMORE
[
aside
] I'll go steal some money from my master, to make me handsome. [
Aloud
] Pray pardon me, I must go see a ship discharged.

BELLAMIRA
Canst thou be so unkind to leave me thus?

PILIA-BORZA
An ye did but know how she loves you, sir!

ITHAMORE
Nay, I care not how much she loves me. Sweet

Bellamira, would I had my master's wealth for thy sake.

PILIA-BORZA
And you can have it, sir, an if you please.

ITHAMORE
If 'twere above ground I could and would have it,
but he hides and buries it up as
partridges
do their eggs, under

60         

the earth.

PILIA-BORZA
And is't not possible to find it out?

ITHAMORE
By no means possible.

BELLAMIRA
[
aside to
PILIA-BORZA]

What shall we do with this base villain, then?

PILIA-BORZA
[
aside to
BELLAMIRA]

Let me alone, do but you speak him fair.

[
To
ITHAMORE
]

But you know some secrets of the Jew,

Which if they were revealed would do him harm.

ITHAMORE
Ay, and such as - Go to, no more, I'll make him send me half he has, and glad he 'scapes so too. Pen and ink!

I'll write unto him; we'll have money straight.

PILIA-BORZA
[
giving pen and ink
] Send for a hundred crowns

70        

at least.

ITHAMORE
Ten hundred thousand crowns. (
He writes
) ‘Master Barabas – '

PILIA-BORZA
Write not so submissively, but threat'ning him.

ITHAMORE
‘Sirrah Barabas, send me a hundred crowns.'

PILIA-BORZA
Put in two hundred at least.

ITHAMORE
'I charge thee send me three hundred by this bearer, and this shall be your warrant. If you do not, no more but so.'

PILIA-BORZA
Tell him you will confess.

80 
ITHAMORE
‘Otherwise I'll confess all.' Vanish, and return in a twinkle.

PILIA-BORZA
Let me alone. I'll
use him in his kind
.

                                                       [
Exit
PILIA-BORZA.
]

ITHAMORE
Hang him, Jew!

BELLAMIRA

Now, gentle Ithamore, lie in my lap.

Where are my maids? Provide a running banquet;

Send to the merchant, bid him bring me silks.

Shall Ithamore my love go in such rags?

ITHAMORE

And bid the jeweller come hither too.

BELLAMIRA

I have no husband, sweet, I'll marry thee.

90   
ITHAMORE

Content
, but we will leave this paltry land,

And sail from hence to Greece, to lovely Greece.

I'll be thy Jason, thou my golden fleece;