You're half undone already; do not wind And utterly destroy thee, fair Evanthe! Eran. Use it to your bawds; To me use cruelty, it best becomes you, And shews more kingly! I contemn your mercy! It is a coz'ning and a bawdy mercy. Can any thine hop'd for to relieve me? My tears of love unto my dear Valerio, you, (With maiden curses, that Heaven crowns with horrors) [tyranny. My heart set round with hate against thy Oh! 'would my hands could hold the fire of Heav'n, [with, Wrapt in the thunder that the gods revenge That like stern justice I might fling it on thee! Thou art a king of monsters, not of men, And shortly thou wilt turn this land to devils! Fred. I'll make you one first, and a wretched devil. Come, who will have her? Law. I, an't like your majesty, I am a lawyer, I can make her a jointure of any man's land in Naples. [it. And she shall keep it too; I have a trick for Tony. Canst thou make her a jointure of thine honesty, Or thy ability, thou lewd abridgment? I dare accept her; and tho' old I seeni, lady, Tony. In a powdering-tub [en; Stew thyself tender again, like a cock-chickThe broth may be good, but the flesh is not fit for dogs, sure. Capt. Lady, take me, and I'll maintain thine honour: You're every one a new death, and an odious! The earth will purify corrupted bodies ; You'll make us worse, and stink eternally. Go home, go home, and get good nurses for Dream not of wives. Fred. You shall have one of 'em, If they dare venture for you. [you; Exan. They are dead already, Crawling diseases that must creep into The next grave they find open: Are these fit husbands [now, For her you've lov'd, sir? Tho' you hate me And hate me mortally, as I hate you, Your nobleness (in that you have done otherwise, [tress) And nam'd Evanthe once as your poor mis Might offer worthier choice. Fred. Speak, who dare take her Fred. Ay, die, sir! Phy. One Month is too little For me to repent in for my former pleasure, To go still on, unless I were sure she'd kill And kill me delicately before my day. [me, Make it up a year; for by that time I must die, My body will hold out no longer. Fred. No, sir; It must be but a Month. Law. Then farewell, madam 46; This is like to be a great year of dissention Among good people, and I dare not lose it; There will be money got. 46 Law. Then farewell, madam.] This farewell line is most probably the Physician's. The three that follow I would give to the Lawyer, as they are mighty well adapted to a sly quirking practitioner, who would rather empty the pockets of his clients of their money, for one Capt. Bless your good ladyship! In taverns there's good wine, and excellent Cutpurse. Adieu, sweet lady! And mischiefs of all sorts, yet those they fear None of your valiant men dare venture on me; To die at the time prefix'd? That I must know Fred. What if I did, wench? Evan. On that condition, if I had it certain, [me. I'd be your any thing, and you should enjoy However in my nature I abhor you, one whole year longer, than fill a grave for his pleasure, in a twelfth part of the time Sympson. There is no doubt the three last lines belong to the Lawyer; but no authority, nor indeed foundation, to assign the first hemistich to the Physician. It might be spoken by either; but, on attending to the whole context, the Poet (we think) intended the words for the Lawyer. The Physician first declares off; then all the three other suitors severally take leave of her: A Month's a dangerous Fred. Away with her, Law. Farewell, madam! Capt. Bless your good ladyship! thing. Let her die instantly. Enter Valerio disguised. Evan. Will you then be willing, &c.] There certainly are some speeches wanting between Frederick's order in the fourth line, and Evanthe's question in the fifth; the reader cannot but perceive a want of connexion here, and as such I have marked an hiatus, which I fear we shall never be able to fill up. Sympson. 6 We much doubt whether there are some speeches wanting' here, but believe that 'Frederick's order,' which occurs again very soon, should not be inserted in this place. It is plain from the whole tenor of the scene, that he has given Evanthe the alternative of the sentence of death and marriage, or submission to his will and pardon. The suitors having all refused to accept her, like Valerio, as a Wife for a Month, she calls on Frederick to pronounce sentence of death on her. He then, as may be gathered from her answer, proposes himself to her; and if (as is not improbable) the Poet meant this proposal should be supposed to be made in a whisper, no speech is wanting. She then asks him, if he will accept her on the terms allotted to other suitors; and continuing her scorn, provokes him to cons demn her, and cry out, Away with her! let her die instantly!' The entrance of Valerio immediately on those words, confirms the above conjecture. He certainly enters just as Evanthe is condemned, but certainly not till three speeches later than he has hitherto been introduced; which makes it still more probable that the line should not have place till that moment. In the first instance, it destroys the connexion of the dialogue, which is restored by the omission; and in the second, it adds peculiar grace and force to the scene, by making the entrance of Valerio arrest the execution of sentence of death upon Evanthe. VOL. II. 2 I Evan. Thou'rt a brave gentleman, and bravely speak'st him! Val. The vessel dancing under him for joy, And the rough whistling winds becalm'd to view him, I saw the child of honour, for he was young, The meagre thief grew wanton in his mis- For I shall ne'er deny him, he's so noble ! And fresh supplies flew on upon this gentle- (In a tall ship I had) to view the fight; Val. Imade this voyage to behold my friend, I know your doom; 'tis for a Month you give If you accept the offer, free you from it. Val. I not desire it; I have cast the worst, And ev'n that worst to me is many blessings. I lov'd my friend, not measur'd out by time, Nor hir'd by circumstance of place and ho[him, nour; But for his wealthy self and worth I lov'd of him, The only relick that he left behind, sir, Evan. Am I still hated? Hast thou no end, oh, Fate, of my affliction? Eran. I do accept the gentleman. [Aside. 48 Deal such an alms amongst the spiteful Pagans, His tow'ring sword flew like an eager falcon, And round about his reach invade the Turks He had intrench'd himself.] The construction of the verb in the second line is manifestly wrong, and an addition to the fourth is as manifestly wanting. I read the whole so: • Deal such an alms amongst the spiteful Pagans, His tow'ring sword fly like an eager falcon, And round about his reach invade the Turks, • Till he had intrench'd himself in his dead quarries.' Simpson. It is more in the style of our Authors, to preserve the connexion by putting the second line in a parenthesis. Mr. Sympson's reading is prosaick. My tongue shall study both.] i, e. shall talk of both. Sympson. Fred. I stop it! none shall have her! Convey is stranger hence. Val. I am no stranger!-Hark to the bell that rings! Hark, hark, proud Fred'rick, that was king of mischief! [sentence? Hark, thou abhorr'd man! dost thou hear thy Does not this bell ring in thine ears thy ruin? Fred. What bell is this? Cam. The castle-bell. Stand sure, sir, And move not; if you do, you perish. Men. It rings your knell ! king Alphonso! All. Alphonso! king Alphonso! Lock fast the palace. Alphonso! Cum. We have all the keys, sir, [cence. And no door here shall shut without our liCle. D' you shake now, lord Sorano? no new trick? Nor speedy poison to prevent this business? [sir; And we have found the traitor in your shape, We'll keep him fast too. Enter Alphonso, Rugio, Marco, Castruccio, und Queen, with guard. Fred. Recover'd! Then I'm gone; The sun of all my pomp is set and vanish'd. Alph. Have you not forgot this face of mine, king Frederick? [brought Brother, I'm come to see you, and have A banquet, to be merry with your Grace: I pray sit down, I do beseech your majesty, And eat, eat freely, sir. Why do you start? Have you no stomach to the meat I bring you? Dare you not taste? have ye no antidotes? You need not fear; Sorano's a good apothecary. [for him, Methinks you look not well; some fresh wine Some of the same he sent me by Sorano; I thank you for't, it sav'd my life, I'm bound [lordship to you; But how 'twill work on you-I hope your Will pledge him too; methinks you look but scurvily, And would be put into a better colour; So it were down, and I out of this fear once! Fred. Sir, thus low, as my duty now compels me, I do confess my unbounded sins, my errors, tam. Alph. Sorano, you shallSor. How he studies for it! Hanging's the least part of my penance cer[Evanthe kneels. Alph. What lady's that that kneels? Cast. The chaste Evanthe. Aiph. Sweet, your petition? Evan. 'Tis for this bad man, sir, Abominable bad, but yet my brother. Alph. The bad man shall attend as bad a master, [nastery: And both shall be confin'd within the moHis rank flesh shall be pull'd with daily fasting; [surfeit else) But once a-week he shall smell meat, (he'll And his immodest mind compell'd to prayer; On the bare boards he shall lie, (to remember The wantonness he did commit in beds) And drink fair water; that will ne'er enflame him: [me, He sav'd my life, tho' he purpos'd to destroy For which I'll save his, tho' I make it miserable. Madam, at court I shall desire your company; You're wise and virtuous; when you please [licence. to visit 50 Rise, madam.] A speech of the Queen might have past here; but here, as in many other instances, our Author most probably supplied the place of words by dumb-show, the nature of which the next speaker commonly explains: A circumstance to which the reader of these dramas should always attend. |