[Scæna Secunda
A Room in Montsurry’s house.]
Tamyra sola.
Tamyra. Revenge, that ever red sitt’st in the eyes
Of injur’d ladies, till we crowne thy browes
With bloudy lawrell, and receive from thee
Justice for all our honours injurie;
Whose wings none flye that wrath or tyrannie5
Have ruthlesse made and bloudy, enter here,
Enter, O enter! and, though length of time
Never lets any scape thy constant justice,
Yet now prevent that length. Flye, flye, and here
Fixe thy steele foot-steps; here, O here, where still10
Earth (mov’d with pittie) yeelded and embrac’d
My loves faire figure, drawne in his deare bloud,
And mark’d the place, to show thee where was done
The cruell’st murther that ere fled the sunne.
O Earth! why keep’st thou not as well his spirit,15
To give his forme life? No, that was not earthly;
That (rarefying the thinne and yeelding ayre)
Flew sparkling up into the sphære of fire
Whence endlesse flames it sheds in my desire.
Here be my daily pallet; here all nights20
That can be wrested from thy rivals armes,
O my deare Bussy, I will lye, and kisse
Spirit into thy bloud, or breathe out mine
In sighes, and kisses, and sad tunes to thine. She sings.
Enter Montsurry.
Montsurry. Still on this hant? Still shall adulterous bloud25
Affect thy spirits? Thinke, for shame, but this,
This bloud, that cockatrice-like thus thou brood’st,
To dry is to breede any quench to thine.
And therefore now (if onely for thy lust
A little cover’d with a vaile of shame)30
Looke out for fresh life, rather then witch-like
Learne to kisse horror, and with death engender.
Strange crosse in nature, purest virgine shame
Lies in the bloud as lust lyes; and together
Many times mixe too; and in none more shamefull35
Then in the shamefac’t. Who can then distinguish
Twixt their affections; or tell when hee meetes
With one not common? Yet, as worthiest poets
Shunne common and plebeian formes of speech,
Every illiberall and affected phrase,40
To clothe their matter, and together tye
Matter and forme with art and decencie;
So worthiest women should shunne vulgar guises,
And though they cannot but flye out for change,
Yet modestie, the matter of their lives,45
Be it adulterate, should be painted true
With modest out-parts; what they should doe still
Grac’d with good show, though deedes be ne’er so ill.
Tamy. That is so farre from all yee seeke of us
That (though your selves be common as the ayre)50
We must not take the ayre, wee must not fit
Our actions to our owne affections:
But as geometricians (you still say)
Teach that no lines, nor superficies,
Doe move themselves, but still accompanie55
The motions of their bodies; so poore wives
Must not pursue, nor have their owne affections,
But to their husbands earnests, and their jests,
To their austerities of lookes, and laughters,
(Though ne’er so foolish and injurious)60
Like parasites and slaves, fit their disposures.
Mont. I usde thee as my soule, to move and rule me.
Tamy. So said you, when you woo’d. So souldiers tortur’d
With tedious sieges of some wel-wall’d towne,
Propound conditions of most large contents,65
Freedome of lawes, all former government;
But having once set foote within the wals,
And got the reynes of power into their hands,
Then doe they tyrannize at their owne rude swindges,
Seaze all their goods, their liberties, and lives,70
And make advantage, and their lusts, their lawes.
Mont. But love me, and performe a wifes part yet,
With all my love before, I sweare forgivenesse.
Tamy. Forgivenesse! that grace you should seeke of mee:
These tortur’d fingers and these stab’d-through armes75
Keepe that law in their wounds yet unobserv’d,
And ever shall.
Mont. Remember their deserts.
Tam. Those with faire warnings might have beene reform’d,
Not these unmanly rages. You have heard
The fiction of the north winde and the sunne,80
Both working on a traveller, and contending
Which had most power to take his cloake from him:
Which when the winde attempted, hee roar’d out
Outragious blasts at him to force it off,
That wrapt it closer on: when the calme sunne85
(The winde once leaving) charg’d him with still beames,
Quiet and fervent, and therein was constant,
Which made him cast off both his cloake and coate;
Like whom should men doe. If yee wish your wives
Should leave dislik’d things, seeke it not with rage,90
For that enrages; what yee give, yee have:
But use calme warnings, and kinde manly meanes,
And that in wives most prostitute will winne
Not onely sure amends, but make us wives
Better then those that ne’er led faultie lives.95
Enter a Souldier.
Soldier. My lord.
Mont. How now; would any speake with me?
Sold. I, sir.
Mont. Perverse, and traiterous miscreant!
Where are your other fellowes of my guard?
Have I not told you I will speake with none
But Lord Renel?
Sold. And it is hee that stayes you. 100
Mont. O, is it he? Tis well: attend him in. [Exit Soldier.]
I must be vigilant; the Furies haunt mee.
Doe you heare, dame?
Enter Renel, with the Souldier.
Renel [aside, to the Soldier]. Be true now, for your ladies injur’d sake,
Whose bountie you have so much cause to honour:105
For her respect is chiefe in this designe,
And therefore serve it; call out of the way
All your confederate fellowes of his guard,
Till Monsieur Baligny be enter’d here.
Sold. Upon your honour, my lord shall be free110
From any hurt, you say?
Ren. Free as my selfe. Watch then, and cleare his entrie.
Sold. I will not faile, my lord. Exit Souldier.
Ren. God save your lordship!
Mont. My noblest Lord Renel! past all men welcome!
Wife, welcome his lordship. Osculatur.
Ren. [to Tam.] I much joy 115
In your returne here.
Tamy. You doe more then I.
Mont. Shee’s passionate still, to thinke we ever parted
By my too sterne injurious jelousie.
Ren. Tis well your lordship will confesse your errour
In so good time yet.
Enter Baligny, with a challenge.
Mont. Death! who have wee here? 120
Ho! Guard! Villaines!
Baligny. Why exclaime you so?
Mont. Negligent trayters! Murther, murther, murther!
Bal. Y’are mad. Had mine entent beene so, like yours,
It had beene done ere this.
Ren. Sir, your intent,
And action too, was rude to enter thus.125
Bal. Y’are a decaid lord to tell me of rudenesse,
As much decaid in manners as in meanes.
Ren. You talke of manners, that thus rudely thrust
Upon a man that’s busie with his wife!
Bal. And kept your lordship then the dore?
Ren. The dore! 130
Mont. Sweet lord, forbeare. Show, show your purpose, sir,
To move such bold feete into others roofes.
Bal. This is my purpose, sir; from Clermont D’Ambois
I bring this challenge.
Mont. Challenge! Ile touch none.
Bal. Ile leave it here then.
Ren. Thou shall leave thy life first. 135
Mont. Murther, murther!
Ren. Retire, my lord; get off.
They all fight and Bal[igny] drives in Mont[surry].
Hold, or thy death shall hold thee. Hence, my lord!
Bal. There lye the chalenge. Exit Mon[tsurry].
Ren. Was not this well handled?
Bal. Nobly, my lord. All thankes. Exit Bal[igny].
Tamy. Ile make him reade it. Exit Tamy[ra].
Ren. This was a sleight well maskt. O what is man,140
Unlesse he be a politician! Exit.
Finis Actus primi.
Linenotes
4 honours. Emended by Phelps; Q, humors.
Enter Montsurry. Emended by all editors; Q, Monsieur.
28 dry. Emended by all editors; Q, dye.
52 affections. Q, affectons.
100 it is. Ed.; Q, tis.
115-16. Broken in Q at lordship, here, I.
123 Y’are. Emended by Shepherd, Phelps; Q, Ye’are.
134-36. Broken in Q at first challenge, then, murther, get off.
Notes
62 Mont. Emended here, and in the stage-directions to the end of the Scene, by Shepherd, Phelps; Q, Mons.