The Complete Plays (69 page)

His kingly body was too soon interred.

QUEEN

Weep not, sweet son.

EDWARD III

Forbid not me to weep. He was my father,

And, had you loved him half so well as I,

You could not bear his death thus patiently;

But you, I fear, conspired with Mortimer.

FIRST LORD
[
to
MORTIMER JUNIOR
]

Why speak you not unto my lord the king?

MORTIMER

Because I think scorn to be accused.

40   Who is the man dare say I murdered him?

EDWARD III

Traitor, in me my loving father speaks

And plainly saith 'twas thou that murdered'st him

MORTIMER

But hath your grace no other proof than this?

EDWARD III

Yes, if this be the hand of Mortimer.

[
He shows the letter
.]

MORTIMER
[
aside
]

False Gurney hath betrayed me and himself.

QUEEN
[
aside
]

I feared as much. Murder cannot be hid.

MORTIMER

'Tis my hand. What gather you by this?

EDWARD III

That thither thou didst send a murderer.

MORTIMER

What murderer? Bring forth the man I sent.

EDWARD III

Ah, Mortimer, thou knowest that he is slain,

50       And so shalt thou be too. Why stays he here?

Bring him unto a
hurdle
! Drag him forth,

Hang him
, I say, and set his quarters up,

But bring his head back presently to me.

QUEEN

For my sake, sweet son, pity Mortimer.

MORTIMER

Madam, entreat not. I will rather die

Than sue for life unto a paltry boy.

EDWARD III

Hence with the traitor, with the murderer!

MORTIMER

Base Fortune, now I see that in thy wheel

There is a point to which when men aspire

60       
They tumble headlong down. That point I touched,

And, seeing there was no place to mount up higher,

Why should I grieve at my declining fall?

Farewell, fair queen. Weep not for Mortimer,

That scorns the world, and as a traveller

Goes to discover countries yet unknown.

EDWARD III
[
to his
LORDS
and
ATTENDANTS
]

What, suffer you the traitor to delay?

[
Exit
MORTIMER JUNIOR
,
guarded, with the
FIRST LORD
.]

QUEEN

As thou received'st thy life from me,

Spill not the blood of gentle Mortimer.

EDWARD III

70       This argues that you spilt my father's blood,

Else would you not entreat for Mortimer.

QUEEN

I spill his blood? No.

EDWARD III

Ay, madam, you, for so the rumour runs.

QUEEN

That rumour is untrue; for loving thee

Is this report raised on poor Isabel.

EDWARD III
[
to his
LORDS
]

I do not think her so unnatural.

SECOND LORD

My lord, I fear me it will prove too true.

EDWARD III

Mother, you are suspected for his death,

And therefore we commit you to the Tower

80       Till further
trial
may be made thereof.

If you be guilty, though I be your son,

Think not to find me slack or pitiful.

QUEEN

Nay, to my death, for too long have I lived

Whenas my son thinks to abridge my days.

EDWARD III
[
weeping
]

Away with her! Her words enforce these tears,

And I shall pity her if she speak again.

QUEEN

Shall I not mourn for my belovèd lord,

And with the rest accompany him to his grave?

SECOND LORD

Thus, madam, 'tis the king's will you shall hence.

QUEEN

90        He hath forgotten me. Stay, I am his mother.

SECOND LORD

That boots not. Therefore, gentle madam, go.

QUEEN

Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief.

             [
Exit the
QUEEN
,
attended. Enter the
FIRST LORD
with
MORTIMER'S
head
.]

FIRST LORD

My lord, here is the head of Mortimer.

EDWARD III

Go fetch my father's hearse, where it shall lie,

And bring my funeral robes. Accursèd head,

Could I have ruled thee then as I do now,

Thou hadst not hatched this monstrous treachery!

[
Enter
ATTENDANTS
with hearse
.]

Here comes the hearse. Help me to mourn, my lords.

Sweet father, here unto thy murdered ghost

I offer up this wicked traitor's head;

100    And let these tears
distilling
from mine eyes,

Be witness of my grief and innocency!

[
Exeunt
.]

[Dramatis Personae

KING CHARLES IX
,
King of France
CATHERINE
,
the Queen-Mother of France
KING OF NAVARRE
,
later King Henry IV
PRINCE OF CONDÉ
,
cousin to Navarre
THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL
MARGARET
,
Catherine's daughter, wife to Navarre
DUKE OF GUISE
AN APOTHECARY
A SOLDIER
OLD QUEEN OF NAVARRE
,
mother of Henry
,
King of Navarre
DUKE OF ANJOU
,
Charles IX's
brother
, later King Henry III
DUKE DUMAINE
COSSIN
THE ADMIRAL'S MAN
GONZAGO
RETES
MOUNTSORRELL
LOREINE
,
a Protestant preacher
SEROUNE'S WIFE
SEROUNE
RAMUS
TALEUS
TWO SCHOOLMASTERS
TWO LORDS OF POLAND
TWO SOLDIERS
CARDINAL OF LORRAINE
PROTESTANTS
EPERNOUN
PLESHÉ
DUKE JOYEUX
MUGEROUN
A CUTPURSE
DUCHESS OF GUISE
MAID
to the Duchess of Guise
BARTUS
A MESSENGER
CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
THREE MURDERERS
THE GUISE'S SON
A FRIAR
A SURGEON
AN ENGLISH AGENT
ATTENDANTS
]

Enter
CHARLES
the French King
, [
CATHERINE
]
the

QUEEN-MOTHER
,
the
KING OF NAVARRE
,
the
PRINCE OF

CONDÉ
,
the
LORD HIGH ADMIRAL
,
and
[
MARGARET
]
the

QUEEN OF NAVARRE
,
with others
.

CHARLES

Prince of Navarre, my honourable brother,

Prince Condé, and my good Lord Admiral,

I wish this union and
religious league
,

Knit in these hands, thus joined in nuptial rites,

May not dissolve till death dissolve our lives,

And that the native sparks of princely love,

That kindled first this motion in our hearts,

May still be
fuelled
in our progeny.

NAVARRE

The many favours which your grace hath shown

From time to time, but specially in this,

10    Shall bind me ever to your highness' will,

In what
queen-mother
or your grace commands.

CATHERINE

Thanks, son Navarre, you see we love you well

That link you in marriage with our daughter here;

And, as you know, our difference in religion

Might be a means to cross you in your love.

CHARLES

Well, madam, let that rest.

And now, my lords, the marriage-rites performed,

We think it good to go and consummate

20    The rest with hearing of a holy mass.

Sister, I think yourself will bear us company.

MARGARET
I will, my good lord.

CHARLES

The rest that will not go, my lords, may stay.

Come, mother, let us go to honour this solemnity.

CATHERINE
[
aside
]

Which I'll dissolve with blood and cruelty.

Exeunt the
KING
[
CHARLES
],
the
QUEEN-MOTHER
,
and

the
QUEEN OF NAVARRE
[
with others
];
NAVARRE
,
the

PRINCE OF CONDÉ
,
and the
LORD HIGH ADMIRAL

remain
.

NAVARRE

Prince Condé, and my good Lord Admiral,

Now Guise may storm, but do us little hurt,

Having the king, queen-mother on our sides,

To stop the malice of his envious heart

30    That seeks to murder all the protestants.

Have you not heard of late how he decreed

If that the king had given consent thereto,

That all the protestants that are in Paris

Should have been murderèd the other night?

ADMIRAL

My lord, I marvel that th'aspiring Guise

Dares once adventure, without the king's consent,

To meddle or attempt such dangerous things.

CONDÉ

My lord, you need not marvel at the Guise,

For what he doth the Pope will ratify,

40     In murder, mischief, or in tyranny.

NAVARRE

But He that sits and rules above the clouds

Doth hear and see the prayers of the just,

And will revenge the blood of innocents

That Guise hath slain by treason of his heart,

And brought by murder to their timeless ends.

ADMIRAL

My lord, but did you mark the Cardinal,

The Guise's brother, and the Duke Dumaine,

How they did storm at these your nuptial rites,

Because the
house of Bourbon
now comes in

50     And joins your lineage to the crown of France?

NAVARRE

And that's the cause that Guise so frowns at us

And
beats his brains
to catch us in his trap,

Which he hath
pitched
within his deadly toil.

Come, my lords, let's go to the church, and pray

That God may still defend the right of France

And make His Gospel flourish in this land.

  Exeunt
.

Enter the
DUKE OF GUISE
.

GUISE

If ever
Hymen
loured at marriage-rites,

And had his altars decked with dusky lights;

If ever sun stained heaven with bloody clouds,

And made it look with terror on the world;

If ever day were turned to ugly night,

And night made semblance of the hue of hell;

This day, this hour, this fatal night,

Shall fully show the fury of them all.

Apothecary!

Enter the
APOTHECARY
.

10     
APOTHECARY
My lord?

GUISE

Now shall I
prove and guerdon
to the full

The love thou bear'st unto the house of Guise.

Where are those perfumèd gloves which I sent

To be poisonèd? Hast thou done them? Speak!

Will every savour breed a pang of death?

APOTHECARY

See where they be, my good lord,

And he that smells but to them dies.

GUISE

Then thou remainest resolute?

APOTHECARY

I am, my lord, in what your grace commands,

20     Till death.

GUISE

Thanks, my good friend, I will requite thy love.

Go, then, present them to the Queen Navarre;

For she is that huge blemish in our eye

That makes these upstart heresies in France.

Be gone, my friend, present them to her straight.

    
Exit
APOTHECARY
.

Soldier!

Enter
a
SOLDIER
.

SOLDIER
My lord?

GUISE

Now come thou forth and play thy tragic part.

Stand in some window opening near the street,

30     And when thou see'st the Admiral ride by,

Discharge thy musket and
perform
his death,

And then I'll guerdon thee with store of
crowns
.

SOLDIER
I will, my lord.