John Fletcher - Beggars Bush: A Comedy

Mer. Is he then taken?

Her. And brought back even now, Sir.

Mer. He was not in disgrace?

Her. No man more lov'd,
Nor more deserv'd it, being the only man
That durst be honest in this Court.

Mer. Indeed
We have heard abroad, Sir, that the State hath suffered
A great change, since the Countesses death.

Her. It hath, Sir.

Mer. My five years absence hath kept me a stranger
So much to all the occurents of my Country,
As you shall bind me for some short relation
To make me understand the present times.

Her. I must begin then with a War was made
And seven years with all cruelty continued
Upon our Flanders by the Duke of Brabant,
The cause grew thus: during our Earls minority,

Wolfort, (who now usurps) was employed thither
To treat about a match between our Earl
And the Daughter and Heir of Brabant: during which treaty
The Brabander pretends, this Daughter was
Stoln from his Court, by practice of our State,
Though we are all confirm'd, 'twas a sought quarrel
To lay an unjust gripe upon this Earldom,
It being here believ'd the Duke of Brabant
Had no such loss. This War upon't proclaimed,
Our Earl, being then a Child, although his Father
Good Gerrard liv'd, yet in respect he was
Chosen by the Countesses favour, for her Husband,
And but a Gentleman, and Florez holding
His right unto this Country from his Mother,
The State thought fit in this defensive War,
Wolfort being then the only man of mark,
To make him General.

Mer. Which place we have heard
He did discharge with ho[n]our.

Her. I, so long,
And with so blest successes, that the Brabander
Was forc't (his treasures wasted, and the choice
Of his best men of Armes tyr'd, or cut off)
To leave the field, and sound a base retreat
Back to his Country: but so broken both
In mind and means, er'e to make head again,
That hitherto he sits down by his loss,
Not daring, or for honour, or revenge
Again to tempt his fortune. But this Victory
More broke our State, and made a deeper hurt
In Flanders, than the greatest overthrow
She ever receiv'd: For Wolfort, now beholding
Himself, and actions, in the flattering glass
Of self-deservings, and that cherish't by
The strong assurance of his power, for then
All Captains of the Army were his creatures,
The common Souldier too at his devotion,
Made so by full indulgence to their rapines
And secret bounties, this strength too well known
And what it could effect, soon put in practice,
As further'd by the Child-hood of the Earl:
And their improvidence, that might have pierc't
The heart of his designs, gave him occasion
To seize the whole, and in that plight you find it.

Mer. Sir, I receive the knowledge of thus much,
As a choice favour from you.

Her. Only I must add, Bruges holds out.

Mer. Whither, Sir, I am going,
For there last night I had a ship put in,
And my Horse waits me. [Exit.

Her. I wish you a good journey.

Wol. What? Hubert stealing from me? who disarm'd him?
It was more than I commanded; take your sword,
I am best guarded with it in your hand,
I have seen you use it nobly.

Hub. And will turn it
On my own bosom, ere it shall be drawn
Unworthily or rudely.

Wol. Would you leave me
Without a farewel, Hubert? flie a friend
Unwearied in his study to advance you?
What have I e're possess'd which was not yours?
Or either did not court you to command it?
Who ever yet arriv'd to any grace,
Reward or trust from me, but his approaches
Were by your fair reports of him prefer'd?
And what is more I made my self your Servant,
In making you the Master of those secrets
Which not the rack of Conscience could draw from me,
Nor I, when I askt mercy, trust my prayers with;
Yet after these assurances of love,
These tyes and bonds of friendship, to forsake me?
Forsake me as an enemy? come you must
Give me a reason.

Hub. Sir, and so I will, If I may do't in private: and you hear it.

Wol. All leave the room: you have your will, sit down
And use the liberty of our first friendship.

Hub. Friendship? when you prov'd Traitor first, that vanish'd,
Nor do I owe you any thought, but hate,
I know my flight hath forfeited my head;
And so I may make you first understand
What a strange monster you have made your self,
I welcome it.

Wol. To me this is strange language.

Hub. To you? why what are you?

Wol. Your Prince and Master, The Earl of Flanders.
Hub. By a proper title!
Rais'd to it by cunning, circumvention, force,
Blood, and proscriptions.

Wol. And in all this wisdom,
Had I not reason? when by Gerrards plots
I should have first been call'd to a strict accompt
How, and which way I had consum'd that mass
Of money, as they term it, in the War,
Who underhand had by his Ministers
Detracted my great action, made my faith
And loyalty suspected, in which failing
He sought my life by practice.

Hub. With what fore-head
Do you speak this to me? who (as I know't)
Must, and will say 'tis false.

Wol. My Guard there.

Hub. Sir, you bad me sit, and promis'd you would hear,
Which I now say you shall; not a sound more,
For I that am contemner of mine own,
Am Master of your life; then here's a Sword
Between you, and all aids, Sir, though you blind
The credulous beast, the multitude, you pass not
These gross untruths on me.

Wol. How? gross untruths?

Hub. I, and it is favourable language,
They had been in a mean man lyes, and foul ones.

Wol. You take strange Licence.

Hub. Yes, were not those rumours
Of being called unto your answer, spread
By your own followers? and weak Gerrard wrought
(But by your cunning practice) to believe
That you were dangerous; yet not to be
Punish'd by any formal course of Law,
But first to be made sure, and have your crimes
Laid open after, which your quaint train taking
You fled unto the Camp, and [there] crav'd humbly
Protection for your innocent life, and that,
Since you had scap'd the fury of the War,
You might not fall by treason: and for proof,
You did not for your own ends make this danger;
Some that had been before by you suborn'd,
Came forth and took their Oaths they had been hir'd
By Gerrard to your Murther. This once heard,
And easily believ'd, th'inraged Souldier
Seeing no further than the outward-man,
Snatch'd hastily his Arms, ran to the Court,
Kill'd all that made resistance, cut in pieces
Such as were Servants, or thought friends to Gerrard,
Vowing the like to him.

Wol. Will you yet end?

Hub. Which he foreseeing, with his Son, the Earl,
Forsook the City; and by secret wayes
As you give out, and we would gladly have it,
Escap'd their fury: though 'tis more than fear'd
They fell amongst the rest; Nor stand you there
To let us only mourn the impious means
By which you got it, but your cruelties since
So far transcend your former bloody ills,
As if compar'd, they only would appear
Essays of mischief; do not stop your ears,
More are behind yet.

Wol. O repeat them not,
'Tis Hell to hear them nam'd.

Hub. You should have thought,
That Hell would be your punishment when you did them,
A Prince in nothing but your princely lusts,
And boundless rapines.

Wol. No more I beseech you.

Hub. Who was the Lord of house or land, that stood
Within the prospect of your covetous eye?

Wol. You are in this to me a greater Tyrant,
Than e're I was to any.

Hub. I end thus
The general grief: now to my private wrong;
The loss of Gerrards Daughter Jaqueline:
The hop'd for partner of my lawful Bed,
Your cruelty hath frighted from mine arms;
And her I now was wandring to recover.
Think you that I had reason now to leave you,
When you are grown so justly odious,
That ev'n my stay here with your grace and favour,
Makes my life irksome? here, surely take it,
And do me but this fruit of all your friendship,
That I may dye by you, and not your Hang-man.

Wol. Oh Hubert, these your words and reasons have
As well drawn drops of blood from my griev'd heart,
As these tears from mine eyes;
Despise them not.
By all that's sacred, I am serious, Hubert,
You now have made me sensible, what furies,
Whips, Hangmen, and Tormentors a bad man
Do's ever bear about him: let the good
That you this day have done, be ever number'd
The first of your best actions;
Can you think,
Where Goswin is or Gerrard, or your love,
Or any else, or all that are proscrib'd?
I will resign, what I usurp, or have
Unjustly forc'd; the dayes I have to live
Are too too few to make them satisfaction
With any penitence: yet I vow to practise
All of a man.

Hub. O that your heart and tongue
Did not now differ!

Wol. By my griefs they do not.
Take the good pains to search them out: 'tis worth it,
You have made clean a Leper: trust me you have,
And made me once more fit for the society,
I hope of good men.

Hub. Sir, do not abuse My aptness to believe.

Wol. Suspect not you
A faith that's built upon so true a sorrow,
Make your own safetys: ask them all the ties
Humanity can give, Hemskirk too shall
Along with you to this so wish'd discovery,
And in my name profess all that you promise;
And I will give you this help to't: I have
Of late receiv'd certain intelligence,
That some of them are in or about Bruges
To be found out: which I did then interpret,
The cause of that Towns standing out against me;
But now am glad, it may direct your purpose
Of giving them their safety, and me peace.

Hub. Be constant to your goodness, and you have it. [Exeunt.