The Complete Plays
Page 47
But can my air of life continue long
When all my senses are annoyed with stench?
Within a dungeon England’s king is kept,
Where I am starved for want of sustenance;
20 My daily diet is heart-breaking sobs
That almost rents the closet of my heart.
Thus lives old Edward, not relieved by any,
And so must die, though pitièd by many.
O, water, gentle friends, to cool my thirst
And clear my body from foul excrements!
[Ditch water is brought onstage.]
MATREVIS
Here’s channel water, as our charge is given.
Sit down, for we’ll be barbers to your grace.
EDWARD
Traitors, away! What, will you murder me,
30 Or choke your sovereign with puddle water?
GURNEY
No, but wash your face and shave away your beard,
Lest you be known and so be rescuèd.
MATREVIS
Why strive you thus? Your labour is in vain.
EDWARD
The wren may strive against the lion’s strength,
But all in vain, so vainly do I strive
To seek for mercy at a tyrant’s hand.
They wash him with puddle water, and shave his beard away.
Immortal powers, that knows the painful cares
That waits upon my poor distressèd soul,
O, level all your looks upon these daring men
40 That wrongs their liege and sovereign, England’s king.
O Gaveston, it is for thee that I am wronged;
For me, both thou and both the Spencers died,
And for your sakes a thousand wrongs I’ll take.
The Spencers’ ghosts, wherever they remain,
Wish well to mine. Then, tush, for them I’ll die.
MATREVIS
’Twixt theirs and yours shall be no enmity.
Come, come, away. Now put the torches out,
We’ll enter in by darkness to Killingworth.
[They put out their torches.]
Enter EDMUND [EARL OF KENT].
GURNEY
How now, who comes there?
[They draw their swords.]
MATREVIS
50 Guard the king sure, it is the earl of Kent.
EDWARD
O gentle brother, help to rescue me!
MATREVIS
Keep them asunder! Thrust in the king.
KENT
Soldiers, let me but talk to him one word.
GURNEY
Lay hands upon the earl for this assault.
KENT
Lay down your weapons, traitors. Yield the king.
MATREVIS
Edmund, yield thou thyself, or thou shalt die.
[KENT is seized.]
KENT
Base villains, wherefore do you grip me thus?
GURNEY [to the SOLDIERS]
Bind him and so convey him to the court.
KENT
Where is the court but here? Here is the king,
60 And I will visit him. Why stay you me?
MATREVIS
The court is where Lord Mortimer remains.
Thither shall your honour go, and so farewell.
Exeunt MATREVIS and GURNEY with the KING.
EDMUND [EARL OF KENT] and the SOLDIERS remain.
KENT
O, miserable is that commonweal
Where lords keep courts and kings are locked in prison!
SOLDIER
Wherefore stay we? On, sirs, to the court.
KENT
Ay, lead me whither you will, even to my death,
Seeing that my brother cannot be released.
Exeunt [,KENT guarded].
[Scene 24]
Enter MORTIMER [JUNIOR] alone [with a letter].
MORTIMER
The king must die, or Mortimer goes down.
The commons now begin to pity him;
Yet he that is the cause of Edward’s death
Is sure to pay for it when his son is of age,
And therefore will I do it cunningly.
This letter, written by a friend of ours,
Contains his death, yet bids them save his life.
‘Edwardum occidere nolite timere, bonum est’,
‘Fear not to kill the king, ’tis good he die.’
10 But read it thus, and that’s another sense:
‘Edwardum occidere nolite, timere bonum est’,
‘Kill not the king, ’tis good to fear the worst.’
Unpointed as it is, thus shall it go,
That, being dead, if it chance to be found,
Matrevis and the rest may bear the blame
And we be quit that caused it to be done.
Within this room is locked the messenger
That shall convey it and perform the rest,
And by a secret token that he bears
20 Shall he be murdered when the deed is done.
Lightborne, come forth.
[Enter LIGHTBORNE.]
Art thou as resolute as thou wast?
LIGHTBORNE
What else, my lord? And far more resolute.
MORTIMER
And hast thou cast how to accomplish it?
LIGHTBORNE
Ay, ay, and none shall know which way he died.
MORTIMER
But at his looks, Lightborne, thou wilt relent.
LIGHTBORNE
Relent? Ha, ha! I use much to relent.
MORTIMER
Well, do it bravely and be secret.
LIGHTBORNE
You shall not need to give instructions;
’Tis not the first time I have killed a man.
I learned in Naples how to poison flowers,
30 To strangle with a lawn thrust through the throat,
To pierce the windpipe with a needle’s point,
Or, whilst one is asleep, to take a quill
And blow a little powder in his ears,
Or open his mouth and pour quicksilver down;
But yet I have a braver way than these.
MORTIMER What’s that?
LIGHTBORNE
Nay, you shall pardon me, none shall know my tricks.
MORTIMER
I care not how it is, so it be not spied.
[Giving the letter]
Deliver this to Gurney and Matrevis.
40 At every ten miles’ end thou hast a horse.
[Giving a token]
Take this. Away, and never see me more.
LIGHTBORNE No?
MORTIMER No,
Unless thou bring me news of Edward’s death.
LIGHTBORNE
That will I quickly do. Farewell, my lord.
[Exit LIGHTBORNE.]
MORTIMER
The prince I rule, the queen do I command;
And, with a lowly congé to the ground,
The proudest lords salute me as I pass.
I seal, I cancel, I do what I will.
50 Feared am I more than loved. Let me be feared,
And when I frown, make all the court look pale.
I view the prince with Aristarchus’ eyes,
Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.
They thrust upon me the protectorship
And sue to me for that that I desire,
While at the council table, grave enough,
And not unlike a bashful Puritan,
First I complain of imbecility,
60 Saying it is onus quam gravissimum,
Till, being interrupted by my friends,
Suscepi that provinciam, as they term it,
And, to conclude, I am Protector now.
Now is all sure. The queen and Mortimer
Shall rule the realm, the king, and none rule us;
Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance,
And what I list command, who dare control?
Maior sum quam cui possit fortuna nocere;
And that this be the coronation day
70 It pleaseth me and Isabel the queen.
[Trumpets sound offstage.]
The trumpets sound. I must go take my place.
Enter the young KING, [ARCH]BISHOP [OF CANTERBURY],
CHAMPION, NOBLES, QUEEN [and ATTENDANTS].
CANTERBURY
Long live King Edward, by the grace of God,
King of England and Lord of Ireland!
CHAMPION
If any Christian, Heathen, Turk, or Jew
Dares but affirm that Edward’s not true king,
And will avouch his saying with the sword,
I am the champion that will combat him.
MORTIMER None comes. Sound, trumpets!
[The trumpets sound.]
EDWARD III Champion, here’s to thee.
QUEEN
80 Lord Mortimer, now take him to your charge.
Enter SOLDIERS with the EARL OF KENT prisoner.
MORTIMER
What traitor have we there, with blades and bills?
SOLDIER
Edmund, the earl of Kent.
EDWARD III What hath he done?
SOLDIER
’A would have taken the king away perforce
As we were bringing him to Killingworth.
MORTIMER
Did you attempt his rescue, Edmund? Speak.
KENT
Mortimer, I did; he is our king,
And thou compell’st this prince to wear the crown.
MORTIMER
Strike off his head! He shall have martial law.
KENT
Strike off my head? Base traitor, I defy thee.
EDWARD III [to MORTIMER JUNIOR]
90 My lord, he is my uncle and shall live.
MORTIMER
My lord, he is your enemy and shall die.
[The SOLDIERS seize KENT.]
KENT Stay, villains!
EDWARD III
Sweet mother, if I cannot pardon him,
Entreat my Lord Protector for his life.
QUEEN
Son, be content. I dare not speak a word.
EDWARD III
Nor I, and yet methinks I should command;
But seeing I cannot, I’ll entreat for him.
My lord, if you will let my uncle live,
I will requite it when I come of age.
MORTIMER
100 ’Tis for your highness’ good, and for the realm’s.
[To SOLDIERS]
How often shall I bid you bear him hence?
KENT
Art thou king? Must I die at thy command?
MORTIMER
At our command. Once more, away with him.
KENT
Let me but stay and speak; I will not go.
Either my brother or his son is king,
And none of both them thirst for Edmund’s blood.
And therefore, soldiers, whither will you hale me?
They hale EDMUND [EARL OF KENT] away, and carry him to be beheaded.
EDWARD III
What safety may I look for at his hands
If that my uncle shall be murdered thus?
QUEEN
110 Fear not, sweet boy, I’ll guard thee from thy foes.
Had Edmund lived, he would have sought thy death.
Come, son, we’ll ride a-hunting in the park.
EDWARD III
And shall my uncle Edmund ride with us?
QUEEN
He is a traitor. Think not on him. Come.
Exeunt.
[Scene 25]
Enter MATREVIS and GURNEY [with lights. A bed is thrust onstage].
MATREVIS
Gurney, I wonder the king dies not,
Being in a vault up to the knees in water
To which the channels of the castle run,
From whence a damp continually ariseth
That were enough to poison any man –
Much more a king brought up so tenderly.
GURNEY
And so do I, Matrevis. Yesternight
I opened but the door to throw him meat,
And I was almost stifled with the savour.
MATREVIS
10 He hath a body able to endure
More than we can inflict, and therefore now
Let us assail his mind another while.
GURNEY
Send for him out thence, and I will anger him.
MATREVIS
But stay, who’s this?
Enter LIGHTBORNE.
LIGHTBORNE [giving them the letter]
My Lord Protector greets you.
[MATREVIS and GURNEY read the letter.]
GURNEY [aside to MATREVIS]
What’s here? I know not how to conster it.
MATREVIS [aside to GURNEY]
Gurney, it was left unpointed for the nonce.
‘Edwardum occidere nolite timere’,
That’s his meaning.
LIGHTBORNE [showing the token]
Know you this token? I must have the king.
MATREVIS
Ay, stay a while, thou shalt have answer straight.
20 [Aside to GURNEY] This villain’s sent to make away the king.
GURNEY [aside to MATREVIS]
I thought as much.
MATREVIS [aside to GURNEY] And when the murder’s done,
See how he must be handled for his labour:
‘Pereat iste.’ Let him have the king.
What else?
[To LIGHTBORNE] Here is the keys, this is the lake.
[He points to the door of EDWARD’S dungeon.]
Do as you are commanded by my lord.
LIGHTBORNE
I know what I must do. Get you away.
Yet be not far off, I shall need your help.
See that in the next room I have a fire,
30 And get me a spit, and let it be red hot.
MATREVIS Very well.
GURNEY Need you anything besides?
LIGHTBORNE What else? A table and a featherbed.
GURNEY That’s all?
LIGHTBORNE Ay, ay, so; when I call you, bring it in.
MATREVIS Fear not you that.
GURNEY [giving a light]
Here’s a light to go into the dungeon.
LIGHTBORNE So.
[Exeunt MATREVIS and GURNEY.]
Now must I about this gear. Ne’er was there any
40 So finely handled as this king shall be.
[LIGHTBORNE opens the door to the dungeon.]
Foh! Here’s a place indeed, with all my heart.
[Enter KING EDWARD.]
EDWARD
Who’s there? What light is that? Wherefore comes thou?
LIGHTBORNE
To comfort you and bring you joyful news.
EDWARD
Small comfort finds poor Edward in thy looks.
Villain, I know thou com’st to murder me.
LIGHTBORNE
To murder you, my most gracious lord?
Far is it from my heart to do you harm.
The queen sent me to see how you were used,
For she relents at this your misery.
50 And what eyes can refrain from shedding tears
To see a king in this most piteous state?
EDWARD
Weep’st thou already? List a while to me,
And then thy heart, were it as Gurney’s is,
Or as Matrevis’, hewn from the Caucasus,
Yet will it melt ere I have done my tale.
This dungeon where they keep me is the sink
Wherein the filth of all the castle falls.
LIGHTBORNE O, villains!
EDWARD
And there in mire and puddle have I stood
60 This ten days’ space, and, lest that I should sleep,
One plays continually upon a drum.
They give me bread and water, being a king,
So that
for want of sleep and sustenance
My mind’s distempered and my body’s numbed,
And whether I have limbs or no I know not.
O, would my blood dropped out from every vein
As doth this water from my tattered robes!
Tell Isabel the queen I looked not thus,
When for her sake I ran at tilt in France,
70 And there unhorsed the duke of Cleremont.
LIGHTBORNE
O, speak no more, my lord! This breaks my heart.
Lie on this bed and rest yourself a while.
EDWARD
These looks of thine can harbour nought but death;
I see my tragedy written in thy brows.
Yet stay a while; forbear thy bloody hand,
And let me see the stroke before it comes,
That, even then when I shall lose my life,
My mind may be more steadfast on my God.
LIGHTBORNE
What means your highness to mistrust me thus?
EDWARD
80 What means thou to dissemble with me thus?
LIGHTBORNE
These hands were never stained with innocent blood,
Nor shall they now be tainted with a king’s.
EDWARD
Forgive my thought for having such a thought.
One jewel have I left; receive thou this.
[He gives a jewel.]
Still fear I, and I know not what’s the cause,
But every joint shakes as I give it thee.
O, if thou harbour’st murder in thy heart,
Let this gift change thy mind and save thy soul.
Know that I am a king. O, at that name
I feel a hell of grief. Where is my crown?
90 Gone, gone, and do I remain alive?
LIGHTBORNE
You’re overwatched, my lord. Lie down and rest.
EDWARD
But that grief keeps me waking, I should sleep,
For not these ten days have these eyes’ lids closed;
Now as I speak they fall, and yet with fear
Open again. [LIGHTBORNE sits on the bed.]
O, wherefore sits thou here?
LIGHTBORNE
If you mistrust me, I’ll be gone, my lord.
EDWARD
No, no, for if thou mean’st to murder me
Thou wilt return again, and therefore stay.
100 LIGHTBORNE He sleeps.
EDWARD
O, let me not die yet! Stay, O, stay a while!
LIGHTBORNE How now, my lord?
EDWARD
Something still buzzeth in mine ears
And tells me if I sleep I never wake;
This fear is that which makes me tremble thus.
And therefore tell me: wherefore art thou come?
LIGHTBORNE
To rid thee of thy life. Matrevis, come!
[Enter MATREVIS and GURNEY.]
EDWARD
I am too weak and feeble to resist.
Assist me, sweet God, and receive my soul!
110 LIGHTBORNE Run for the table.
EDWARD