The Complete Plays (59 page)

And promiseth as much as we can wish,

Freely enjoy that vain, light-headed earl,

400  For riper years will wean him from such toys.

MORTIMER

Uncle, his wanton humour grieves not me,

But this I scorn, that one so basely born

Should by his sovereign's favour grow so pert

And riot it with the treasure of the realm.

While soldiers mutiny for want of pay,

He wears
a lord's revenue on his back,

And
Midas-like
he jets it in the court

With base outlandish cullions at his heels,

Whose proud fantastic liveries make such show

410  As if that Proteus, god of shapes, appeared.

I have not seen a dapper jack so brisk.

He wears a short Italian hooded cloak,

Larded with pearl, and in his Tuscan cap

A jewel of more value than the crown.

Whiles
other
walk below, the king and he

From out a window laugh at such as we,

And flout our train, and jest at our attire.

Uncle, 'tis this that makes me impatient.

MORTIMER SENIOR

But, nephew, now you see the king is changed.

MORTIMER

420  Then so am I, and live to do him service.

But whiles I have a sword, a hand, a heart,

I will not yield to any such upstart.

You know my mind. Come, uncle, let's away.

Exeunt.

Enter
SPENCER
[
JUNIOR
]
and
BALDOCK
.

BALDOCK

Spencer,

Seeing that our lord th'earl of Gloucester's dead,

Which of the nobles dost thou mean to serve?

SPENCER

Not Mortimer, nor any of his side,

Because the king and he are enemies.

Baldock, learn this of me: a factious lord

Shall hardly do himself good, much less us,

But he that hath the favour of a king

May with one word advance us while we live.

The liberal earl of Cornwall is the man

10       On whose good fortune Spencer's hope depends.

BALDOCK

What, mean you then to be his follower?

SPENCER

No, his companion, for he loves me well,

And would have once
preferred
me to the king.

BALDOCK

But he is banished; there's small hope of him.

SPENCER

Ay, for a while. But, Baldock, mark the end:

A friend of mine told me in secrecy

That he's repealed and sent for back again,

And even now a post came from the court

With letters to
our lady
from the king,

20     And as she read, she smiled, which makes me think

It is about her lover Gaveston.

BALDOCK

'Tis like enough, for since he was exiled

She neither walks abroad nor comes in sight.

But I had thought the match had been broke off

And that his banishment had changed her mind.

SPENCER

Our lady's first love is not wavering.

My life for thine, she will have Gaveston.

BALDOCK

Then hope I by her means to be preferred,

30       Having
read unto her
since she was a child.

SPENCER

Then, Baldock, you must cast the scholar off

And learn to
court it
like a gentleman.

'Tis not a
black coat
and a little
band
,

A velvet-caped cloak faced before with
serge
,

And smelling to a nosegay all the day,

Or holding of a napkin in your hand,

Or saying a long grace at a table's end,

Or
making low legs
to a nobleman,

Or looking downward with your eyelids close,

40       And saying, ‘Truly, an't may please your honour',

Can get you any favour with great men;

You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute,

And now and then stab as occasion serves.

BALDOCK

Spencer, thou knowest I hate such
formal toys
,

And use them but of mere hypocrisy.

Mine old lord, while he lived, was so precise

That he would take exceptions at my buttons,

And, being like pins' heads, blame me for the bigness,

Which made me curate-like in mine attire,

50       Though inwardly licentious enough

And apt for any kind of villainy.

I am none of these common pedants, I,

That cannot speak without
‘
propterea quod
'.

SPENCER

But one of those that saith ‘
quandoquidem
'.

And hath a special gift to
form
a verb.

BALDOCK

Leave off this jesting, here my lady comes.

Enter the
LADY
[
the
KING'S NIECE
,
with letters
].

NIECE
[
to herself
]

The grief for his exile was not so much

As is the joy of his returning home.

This letter came from my sweet Gaveston.

What need'st thou, love, thus to excuse thyself?

60       I know thou couldst not come and visit me.

[
She reads.
]

‘I will not long be from thee, though I die.'

This argues the entire love of my lord.

[
She reads.
]

‘When I forsake thee, death seize on my heart.'

But rest thee here where Gaveston shall sleep.

[
She places the letter in her bosom.
]

Now to the letter of my lord the king.

[
She reads from another letter.
]

He wills me to repair unto the court

And meet my Gaveston. Why do I stay,

Seeing that he talks thus of my marriage day?

Who's there? Baldock?

70       See that my
coach
be ready, I must hence.

BALDOCK
It shall be done, madam.

Exit.

NIECE

And meet me at the park pale presently.

Spencer, stay you and bear me company,

For I have joyful news to tell thee of:

My lord of Cornwall is a-coming over

And will be at the court as soon as we.

SPENCER

I knew the king would have him home again.

NIECE

If all things sort out as I hope they will,

80     Thy service, Spencer, shall be thought upon.

SPENCER

I humbly thank your ladyship.

NIECE

Come, lead the way, I long till I am there.

[
Exeunt.
]

Enter
EDWARD
,
the
QUEEN, LANCASTER, MORTIMER
[
JUNIOR
],
WARWICK, PEMBROKE, KENT, ATTENDANTS
.

EDWARD

The wind is good, I wonder why he stays;

I fear me he is wracked upon the sea.

QUEEN
[
aside to
LANCASTER
]

Look, Lancaster, how passionate he is,

And still his mind runs on his minion.

LANCASTER
[
to the
KING
] My lord –

EDWARD

How now, what news? Is Gaveston arrived?

MORTIMER

Nothing but ‘Gaveston'! What means your grace?

You have matters of more weight to think upon;

The King of France sets foot in Normandy.

EDWARD

10       A trifle. We'll expel him when we please.

But tell me, Mortimer, what's thy
device

Against the stately triumph we decreed?

MORTIMER

A homely one, my lord, not worth the telling.

EDWARD
Prithee let me know it.

MORTIMER

But seeing you are so desirous, thus it is:

A lofty cedar tree, fair flourishing,

On whose top branches kingly eagles perch,

And by the bark a canker creeps me up.

And gets unto the highest bough of all.

20       The motto:
Aeque tandem
.

EDWARD

And what is yours, my lord of Lancaster?

LANCASTER

My lord, mine's more obscure than Mortimer's.

Pliny reports there is a flying fish

Which all the other fishes deadly hate,

And therefore, being pursued, it takes the air;

No sooner is it up, but there's a fowl

That seizeth it. This fish, my lord, I bear;

The motto this:
Undique mors est
.

EDWARD

Proud Mortimer! Ungentle Lancaster!

Is this the love you bear your sovereign?

30       Is this the fruit your reconcilement bears?

Can you in words make show of amity,

And in your shields display your rancorous minds?

What call you this but private libelling

Against the earl of Cornwall and
my brother
?

QUEEN

Sweet husband, be content, they all love you.

EDWARD

They love me not that hate my Gaveston.

I am that cedar. Shake me not too much.

      [
To the
NOBLES
]

And you the eagles, soar ye ne'er so high,

I have the
jesses
that will pull you down,

And
Aeque tandem
shall that canker cry

40         Unto the proudest peer of
Britainy
.

      [
To
LANCASTER]

Though thou compar'st him to a flying fish,

And threatenest death whether he rise or fall,

'Tis not the hugest monster of the sea

Nor foulest harpy that shall swallow him.

MORTIMER
[
to the
NOBLES
]

If in his absence thus he favours him,

What will he do whenas he shall be present?

LANCASTER

That shall we see. Look where his lordship comes.

Enter
GAVESTON
.

EDWARD

My Gaveston!

50     Welcome to Tynemouth, welcome to thy friend.

Thy absence made me droop and pine away;

For, as the lovers of fair Danaë,

When she was locked up in a brazen tower,

Desired her more and waxed outrageous,

So did it sure with me; and now thy sight

Is sweeter far than was thy parting hence

Bitter and irksome to my sobbing heart.

GAVESTON

Sweet lord and king, your speech preventeth mine,

60           Yet have I words left to express my joy.

The shepherd nipped with biting winter's rage

Frolics not more to see the
painted
spring

Than I do to behold your majesty.

EDWARD

Will none of you salute my Gaveston?

LANCASTER

Salute him? Yes. Welcome, Lord Chamberlain.

MORTIMER

Welcome is the good earl of Cornwall.

WARWICK

Welcome, Lord Governor of the Isle of Man.

PEMBROKE

Welcome, Master Secretary.

KENT

Brother, do you hear them?

EDWARD

70           Still will these earls and barons use me thus?

GAVESTON

My lord, I cannot brook these injuries.

QUEEN

Ay me, poor soul, when these begin to jar.

EDWARD
[
to
GAVESTON
]

Return
it to their throats, I'll be thy warrant.

GAVESTON

Base leaden earls
, that glory in your birth,

Go sit at home and
eat
your tenants' beef,

And come not here to scoff at Gaveston,

Whose mounting thoughts did never creep so low

As to bestow a look on such as you.

LANCASTER

Yet I disdain not to do this for you.

[
He draws his sword,
MORTIMER JUNIOR
and
GAVESTON
also draw.
]

EDWARD

80        Treason, treason! Where's the traitor?

PEMBROKE
Here, here
.

EDWARD

Convey hence Gaveston! They'll murder him.

GAVESTON
[
to
MORTIMER JUNIOR
]

The life of thee shall salve this foul disgrace.

MORTIMER

Villain, thy life, unless I miss mine aim.

[
He wounds
GAVESTON
.]

QUEEN

Ah, furious Mortimer, what hast thou done?

MORTIMER

No more than I would answer, were he slain.

[
Exit
GAVESTON
,
attended
.]

EDWARD

Yes, more than thou canst answer, though he live.

Dear shall you both aby this riotous deed.

Out of my presence! Come not near the court!

MORTIMER

I'll not be barred the court for Gaveston.

90   

LANCASTER

We'll hale him by the ears unto the block.