lightnesse Againe they are aduanc't and by the Sunne Made fresh and glorious and since clowdes are rapt With these vncertainties now vp now downe Am I to flit so with his smile or froune Esp. I wish your comforts and incoradgments May spring out of your saftie but I heare The King hath reasond so against your life And made your most friends yeeld so to his reasons That your estate is fearefull Byr. Yeeld t' his reasons O how friends reasons and their freedomes stretch When powre sets his wide tenters to their sides How like a cure by mere opinion It workes vpon our bloud like th' antient Gods Are Moderne Kings that liu'd past bounds themselues Yet set a measure downe to wretched men By many Sophismes they made good deceipt And since they past in powre surpast in right When Kings wills passe the starres winck and the Sunne Suffers eclips rude thunder yeelds to them His horrid wings sits smoothe as glasse engazd And lightning sticks twixt heauen and earth amazd Mens faiths are shaken and the pit of truth O'reflowes with darkenesse in which Iustice sits And keepes her vengeance tied to make it fierce And when it comes th' encreased horrors showe Heauens plague is sure though full of state and slowe Sist. O my deare Lord and brother O the Duke Byr. What sounds are these my Lord hark hark me thinks I heare the cries of people Esp. T is for one Wounded in fight here at Saint Anthonies Gate Byr. Sfoote one cried the Duke I pray harken Againe or burst your selues with silence no What contriman 's the common headsman here Soiss. He 's a Bourgonian Byr. The great deuill he is The bitter wizerd told me a Burgonian Should be my headsman strange concurrences S'death whos 's here Enter 4. Vshers bare Chanc Har Pol Fleur Vit Pralin with others O then I am but dead Now now ye come all to pronounce my sentence I am condemn'd vniustly tell my kinsfolkes I die an innocent If any friend pittie the ruine of the States sustainer Proclaime my innocence ah Lord Chancelor Is there no pardon will there come no mercie I put your hat on and let me stand bare Showe your selfe right a Lawier Chan. I am bare What would you haue me do Byr. You haue not done Like a good iustice and one that knew He sat vpon the precious bloud of vertue Y 'aue pleasd the cruell King and haue not borne As great regard to saue as to condemne You haue condemn'd me my Lord Chancelor But God acquites me he will open lay All your close treasons against him to collour Treasons layd to his truest images And you my Lord shall answere this iniustice Before his iudgement seate to which I summon In one yeare and a daie your hot apparanse I goe before by mens corrupted domes But they that caus'd my death shall after come By the imaculate iustice of the highest Chan. Well good my Lord commend your soule to him And to his mercie thinke of that I pray Byr. Sir I haue thought of it and euery howre Since my affliction askt on naked knees Patience to beare your vnbeleeu'd Iniustice But you nor none of you haue thought of him In my euiction y' are come to your benches With plotted iudgements your linckt eares so lowd Sing with preiudicate windes that nought is heard Of all pore prisoners vrge gainst your award Har. Passion my Lord transports your bitternes Beyond all collour and your propper iudgement No man hath knowne your merits more then I And would to God your great misdedes had beene As much vndone as they haue beene concealde The cries of them for iustice in desert Haue beene so lowd and piersing that they deafned The eares of mercie and haue labord more Your Iudges to compresse then to enforce them Pot. We bring you here your sentence will you reade it Byr. For heauens sake shame to vse me with such rigor I know what it imports and will not haue Mine eare blowne into flames with hearing it Haue you beene one of them that haue condemn'd me Flen. My Lord I am your Orator God comfort you Byr. Good Sir my father lou'd you so entirely That if you haue beene one my soule forgiues you It is the King most childish that he is That takes what he hath giuen that iniures me He gaue grace in the first draught of my fault And now restaines it grace againe I aske Let him againe vouchsafe it send to him A post will soone returne the Queene of England Told me that if the wilfull Earle of Essex Had vsd submission and but askt her mercie She would haue giuen it past resumption She like a gratious Princesse did desire To pardon him euen as she praid to God He would let doune a pardon vnto her He yet was guiltie I am innocent He still refusd grace I importune it Chan. This askt in time my Lord while he besought it And ere he had made his seuerity knowne Had with much ioye to him I know beene granted Byr. No no his bountie then was misery To offer when he knew t would be refusde He treads the vulgar pathe of all aduantage And loues men for his vices nor for their vertues My seruice would haue quickn'd gratitude In his owne death had he beene truely royall It would haue stirr'd the image of a King Into perpetuall motion to haue stood Neere the conspiracie restraind at Mantes And in a danger that had then the Woulfe To flie vpon his bosome had I onely held Intelligence with the conspirators Who stuck at no check but my loyaltie Nor kept life in their hopes but in my death The seege of Amiens would haue softned rocks Where couer'd all in showers of shot and fire I seem'd to all mens eyes a fighting flame With bullets cut in fashion of a man A sacrifize to valure impious King Which he will needes extinguish with my bloud Let him beware iustice will fall from heauen In the same forme I serued in that seege And by the light of that he shall decerne What good my ill hath brought him it will nothing Assure his State the same quench he hath cast Vpon my life shall quite put out his fame This day he looseth what he shall not finde By all daies he suruiues so good a seruant Nor Spaine so great a foe with whom ahlas Because I treated am I put to death T is put a politique glose my courage rais'd me For the deare price of fiue and thirtie skarres And that hath ruin'd me I thanke my Starres Come I le goe where yee will yee shall not lead me Chan. I feare his frenzie Neuer saw I man of such a spirit so amaz'd at death Har. He alters euery minute what a vapor The strongest minde is to a storme of crosses Exeunt Manent Esper Soisson Ianin Vidame D'escures Esp: O of what contraries consists a man Of what impossible mixtures vice and vertue Corruption and eternnesse at one time And in
heart If it but thinke of doing any good Thou witchest with thy smiles suckst bloud with praises Mock'st al humanitie society poisonst Coosinst with vertue with religion Betrayst and massacrest so vile thy selfe That thou suspectst perfection in others A man must thinke of all the villanies He knowes in all men to descipher thee That art the centre to impietie Away and tempt me not Laf. But you tempt me To what thou Sunne be iudge and make him see Exit Sau. Now by my dearest Marquisate of Salusses Your Maiestie hath with the greatest life Describ'd a wicked man or rather thrust Your arme downe through him to his very feete And pluckt his inside out that euer yet Mine eares did witnesse or turnd eares to Eies And those strange Characters writ in his face which at first sight were hard for me to reade The Doctrine of your speech hath made so plaine That I run through them like my naturall language Nor do I like that mans Aspect me thinkes Of all lookes where the Beames of Starres haue caru'd Their powrefull influences And O rare What an heroicke more than royall Spirite Bewraide you in your first speech that defies Protection of vile droanes that eate the honny Swette from laborious vertue and denies To giue those of Nauarre though bred with you The benefites and dignities of Fraunce When little Riuers by their greedy currants Farre farre extended from their mother springs Drinke vp the forraine brookes still as they runne And force their greatnesse when they come to Sea And iustle with the Ocean for a roome O how he roares and takes them in his mouth Digesting them so to his proper streames That they are no more seene hee nothing raisde Aboue his vsuall bounds yet they deuour'd That of themselues were pleasant goodly flouds Hen. I would doe best for both yet shall not be secure Till in some absolute heires my Crowne be setled There is so little now betwixt Aspirers And their great obiect in my onely selfe That all the strength they gather vnder me Tempts combate with mine owne I therefore make Meanes for some issue by my marriage Which with the great Dukes neece is now concluded And she is comming I haue trust in heauen I am not yet so olde but I may spring And then I hope all traitrous hopes will fade Sau. Else may their whole estates flie rooted vp To Ignominie and Obliuion And being your neighbor seruant and poore kinsman I wish your mighty Race might multiply Euen to the Period of all Emperie Hen. Thankes to my princely coozen this your loue And honour shewne me in your personall presence I wish to welcome to your full content The peace I now make with your brother Archduke By Duke Byron our Lord Ambassadour I wish may happily extend to you And that at his returne we may conclude it Sau. It shall be to my heart the happiest day Of all my life and that life all employd To celebrate the honour of that day Exeunt Enter Roiseau Rois. The wondrous honour doone our Duke Byron In his Ambassage heere in th' Archdukes Court I feare will taint his loyaltie to our King I will obserue how they obserue his humour And glorifie his valure and how he Accepts and stands attractiue to their ends That so I may not seeme an idle spot In traine of this ambassage but returne Able to giue our King some note of all Worth my attendance And see heere 's the man Who though a French man and in Orleance borne Seruing the Arch-duke I doe most suspect Is set to be the tempter of our Duke I le goe where I may see all though not heare Enter Picoté with two other spreading a Carpet Pic. Spreade heere this historie of Cateline That Earth may seeme to bring forth Roman Spirites Euen to his Geniall feete and her darke breast Be made the cleare Glasse of his shining Graces Wee le make his feete so tender they shall gall In all paths but to Empire and therein I le make the sweete Steppes of his State beginne Exit Lowde Musique and enter Byron Byr. What place is this what ayre what rhegion In which a man may heare the harmony Of all things moouing Hymen marries heere Their ends and vses and makes me his Temple Hath any man beene blessed and yet liu'd The bloud turnes in my veines I stand on change And shall dissolue in changing t is so full Of pleasure not to be containde in flesh To feare a violent Good abuseth Goodnes T is Immortallitie to die aspiring As if a man were taken quicke to heauen What will not holde Perfection let it burst What force hath any Cannan not being chargde Or being not dischargde To haue stuffe and forme And to lie idle fearefull and vnus'd Nor forme nor stuffe shewes happy Semele That died comprest with Glorie Happinesse Denies comparison of lesse or more And not at most is nothing like the shaft Shot at the Sunne by angry Hercules And into shiuers by the thunder broken Will I be if I burst And in my heart This shall be written yet t was high and right Musique againe Heere too they follow all my steppes with Musique As if my feete were numerous and trode sounds Out of the Center with Apolloes vertue That out of euery thing his ech-part toucht Strooke musicall accents wheresoe're I goe They hide the earth from me with couerings rich To make me thinke that I am heere in heauen Enter Picote in haste Pic. This way your Highnesse Byr. Come they Pic. I my Lord Exeunt Enter the other Commissioners of Fraunce Belieure Brulart Aumall Orenge Bel. My Lord d' Aumall I am exceeding sorie That your owne obstinacie to hold out Your mortall enmitie against the King When Duke du Maine and all the faction yeelded Should force his wrath to vse the rites of treason Vpon the members of your sencelesse Statue Your Name and House when he had lost your person Your loue and duety Bru. That which men enforce By their owne wilfulnesse they must endure With willing patience and without complaint D'Aum. I vse not much impatience nor complaint Though it offends me much to haue my name So blotted with addition of a Traitor And my whole memory with such despight Markt and begun to be so rooted out Bru. It was despight that held you out so long Whose penance in the King was needfull iustice Bel Come let vs seeke our Duke and take our leaues Of th' Archdukes grace Exeunt Enter Byron and Pycotè Byr. Here may we safely breathe Py. No doubt my Lord no stranger knowes this way Onely the Arch-duke and your friend Count Mansfield Perhaps may make their generall scapes to you To vtter some part of their priuate loues Ere your departure Byr. Then I well perceiue To what th' intention of his highnesse tends For whose and others here most worthy Lords I will become with all my worth their seruant In any office but disloyaltie But that
is most eloquent Your Empire is so amply absolute That euen your Theaters show more comely rule True noblesse royaltie and happinesse Then others courts you make all state before Vtterly obsolete all to come twice sod And therefore doth my royall Soueraigne wish Your yeares may proue as vitall as your virtues That standing on his Turrets this way turn'd Ordring and fixing his affaires by yours He may at last on firme grounds passe your Seas And see that Maiden-sea of Maiestie In whose chaste armes so many kingdomes lye D' Au. When came she to her touch of his ambition Cre. In this speech following which I thus remember If I hold any merit worth his presence Or any part of that your Courtship giues me My subiects haue bestowd it some in counsaile In action some and in obedience all For none knowes with such proofe as you my Lord How much a subiect may renowne his Prince And how much Princes of their subiects hold In all the seruices that euer subiect Did for his Soueraigne he that best deseru'd Must in comparison except Byron And to winne this prise cleere without the maimes Commonly giuen men by ambition When all their parts lye open to his view Showes continence past their other excellence But for a subiect to affect a kingdome Is like the Cammell that of Ioue begd hornes And such mad-hungrie men as well may eate Hote coles of fire to feede their naturall heate For to aspire to competence with your king What subiect is so grose and Gyantly He hauing now a Daulphine borne to him Whose birth ten dayes before was dreadfully Vsherd with Earth-quakes in most parts of Europe And that giues all men cause enough to feare All thought of competition with him Commend vs good my Lord and tell our Brother How much we ioy in that his royall issue And in what prayers we raise our heart to heauen That in more terror to his foes and wonder He may drinke Earthquakes and deuoure the thunder So we admire your valure and your vertues And euer will contend to winne their honor Then spake she to Crequie and Prince D' Auergne And gaue all gracious farewels when Byron Was thus encountred by a Councellor Of great and eminent name and matchlesse merit I thinke my Lord your princely Daulphin beares Arion in his Cradle through your kingdome In the sweete Musique ioy strikes from his birth He answerd and good right the cause commands it But said the other had we a fift Henry To claime his ould right and one man to friend Whom you well know my Lord that for his friendship Were promist the Vice-royaltie of France We would not doubt of conquest in despight Of all those windy Earth-quakes He replyed Treason was neuer guide to English conquests And therefore that doubt shall not fright our Daulphine Nor would I be the friend to such a foe For all the royalties in Christendome Fix there your foote sayd he I onely giue False fire and would be lothe to shoote you of He that winnes Empire with the losse of faith Out-buies it and will banck-route you haue layde A braue foundation by the hand of victorie Put not the roofe to fortune foolish statuaries That vnder little Saints suppose great bases Make lesse to sence the Saints and so where fortune Aduanceth vile mindes to states great and noble She much more exposeth them to shame Not able to make good and fill their bases With a conformed structure I haue found Thankes to the blesser of my searche that counsailes Held to the lyne of Iustice still produce The surest states and greatest being sure Without which fit assurance in the greatest As you may see a mighty promontorie More digd and vnder-eaten then may warrant A safe supportance to his hanging browes All passengers auoide him shunne all ground That lyes within his shadow and beare still A flying eye vpon him so great men Corrupted in their ground and building out Too swelling fronts for their foundations When most they should be propt are most forsaken And men will rather thrust into the stormes Of better grounded States then take a shelter Beneath their ruinous and fearefull weight Yet they so ouersee their faultie bases That they remaine securer in conceipt And that securitie doth worse presage Their nere distructions then their eaten grounds And therefore heauen it selfe is made to vs A perfect Hierogliphick to expresse The Idlenesse of such securitie And the graue labour of a wise distrust In both sorts of the all-enclying starres Where all men note this difference in their shyning As plaine as they distinguish either hand The fixt starres mauer and the erring stand D' Aum. How tooke he this so worthy admonition Cre. Grauely applied said he and like the man Whome all the world saies ouerrules the starres Which are diuine bookes to vs and are read By vnderstanders onely the true obiects And chiefe companions of the truest men And though I need it not I thanke your counsaile That neuer yet was idle But spherelike Still mooues about and is the continent To this blest I le ACT. 5. SCEN. 1. Enter Byron D' Auergne Laffin Byr. The Circkle of this ambassie is closde For which I long haue long'd for mine owne ends To see my faithfull and leaue courtly friends To whom I came me thought with such a spirit As you haue seene a lusty courser showe That hath beene longe time at his manger tied High fead alone and when his headstall broken Hee runnes his prison like a trumpet neighs Cuts ayre in high curuets and shakes his head With wanton stopings twixt his forelegs mocking The heauy center spreds his flying crest Like to an Ensigne hedge and ditches leaping Till in the fresh meate at his naturall foode He sees free fellowes and hath met them free And now good friend I would be faine inform'd What our right Princely Lord the duke of Sauoy Hath thought on to employ my comming home Laf. To try the Kings trust in you and withall How hot he trailes on our conspiracie He first would haue you begge the gouernment Of the important Citadell of Bourg Or to place in it any you shall name VVhich wil be wondrous fit to march before His other purposes and is a fort Hee rates in loue aboue his patrimonie To make which fortresse worthie of your suite He vowes if you obtaine it to bestowe His third faire daughter on your excellence And hopes the King will not deny it you Byr. Denie it me deny me such a suite VVho will he grant if he deny it me Laf. He 'le finde some politique shift to do 't I feare Bir. VVhat shift or what euasion can he finde VVhat one patch is there in all policies shop That botcher vp of Kingdomes that can mend The brack betwixt vs any way denying D' Au. That 's at your perill Byr. Come he dares not do 't D' Au. Dares not presume not so you know good duke That all things hee
in the world deserue respect Hee should be borne grey-headed that will beare The sword of Empire Iudgement of the life Free state and reputation of a man If it be iust and worthy dwells so darke That it denies accesse to Sunne and Moone The soules eye sharpned with that sacred light Of whome the Sunne it selfe is but a beame Must onely giue that iudgement O how much Erre those Kings then that play with life and death And nothing put into their serious States But humor and their lusts For which alone Men long for kingdomes whose huge counterpoise In cares and dangers could a foole comprise He would not be a King but would be wise Enter Byron talking with the Queene Esp D' Entragues D' Av: with another Lady others attending Hen: Heere comes the man with whose ambitious head Cast in the way of Treason we must stay His full chace of our ruine and our Realme This houre shall take vpon her shady winges His latest liberty and life to Hell D'Av: We are vndone Queene What 's that Byr: I heard him not Hen: Madam y' are honord much that Duke Byron Is so obseruant Some to cardes with him You foure as now you come sit to Primero And I will fight a battayle at the Chesse Byr. A good safe fight beleeue me Other warre Thirsts blood and wounds and his thirst quencht is thankles Esp: Lift and then cut Byr: T is right the end of lifting When men are lifted to their highest pitch They cut of those that lifted them so high Qu Apply you all these sports so seriously Byr: They first were from our serious acts deuis'd The best of which are to the best but sports I meane by best the greatest for their ends In men that serue them best are their owne pleasures Qu So in those best mens seruices their ends Are their owne pleasures passe Byr: I vy't Hen: I see 't And wonder at his frontles impudence Exit Hen Chan How speedes your Maiestie Qu Well the Duke instructs me With such graue lessons of mortallitie Forc't out of our light sport that if I loose I cannot but speed well Byr. Some idle talke For Courtship sake you know does not amisse Chan. Would we might heare some of it Byr. That you shall I cast away a card now makes me thinke Of the deceased worthy King of Spaine Chan. What card was that Byr. The King of hearts my Lord Whose name yeelds well the memorie of that King Who was indeed the worthy King of hearts And had both of his subiects hearts and strangers Much more then all the Kings of Christendome Chan. He wun them with his gold Byr. He wun them chiefely With his so generall Pietie and Iustice And as the little yet great Macedon Was sayd with his humane philosophy To teach the rapefull Hyrcans mariage And bring the barbarous Sogdians to nourish Not kill their aged Parents as before Th' incestuous Persians to reuerence Their mothers not to vse them as their wiues The Indians to adore the Grecian Gods The Scythians to inter not eate their Parents So he with his diuine Philosophy Which I may call his since he chiefely vsd it In Turky India and through all the world Expell'd prophane idolatry and from earth Raisd temples to the highest whom with the word He could not winne he iustly put to sword Chan. He sought for gold and Empire Byr. T was Religion And her full propagation that he sought If gold had beene his end it had beene hoorded When he had fetcht it in so many fleetes Which he spent not on Median Luxurie Banquets and women Calidonian wine Nor deare Hyrcanian fishes but emploid it To propagate his Empire and his Empire Desird t' extend so that he might withall Extend Religion through it and all nations Reduce to one firme constitution Of Pietie Iustice and one publique weale To which end he made all his matchles subiects Make tents their castles and their garisons True Catholikes contrimen and their allies Heretikes strangers and their enemies There was in him the magnanimity Montig. To temper your extreame applause my Lord Shorten and answere all things in a word The greatest commendation we can giue To the remembrance of that King deceast Is that he spar'd not his owne eldest sonne But put him iustly to a violent death Because hee sought to trouble his estates Byr. I st so Chan. That bit my Lord vpon my life T was bitterly replied and doth amaze him The King sodainely enters hauing determined what to doe Hen. It is resolud A worke shall now be done Which while learnd Atlas shall with starres be crownd While th' Ocean walkes in stormes his wauy round While Moones at full repaire their broken rings While Lucifer fore-shewes Auroras springs And Arctos stickes aboue the Earth vnmou'd Shall make my realme be blest and me beloued Call in the count D' Auuergne Enter D'Au A word my Lord Will you become as wilfull as your friend And draw a mortall iustice on your heads That hangs so blacke and is so loth to strike If you would vtter what I knowe you knowe Of his inhumaine treason on Stronge Barre Betwixt his will and duty were dissolud For then I know he would submit himselfe Thinke you it not as stronge a point of faith To rectifie your loyalties to me As to be trusty in ech others wrong Trust that deceiues our selues in treachery And Truth that truth conceales an open lie D'Au. My Lord if I could vtter any thought Instructed with disloyalty to you And might light any safty to my friend Though mine owne heart came after it should out Hen. I knowe you may and that your faith 's affected To one another are so vaine and faulce That your owne Strengths will ruine you ye contend To cast vp rampiers to you in the sea And striue to stop the waues that runne before you D'Au. All this my Lord to me is misery Hen. It is I le make it plaine enouge Beleeue me Come my Lord Chancellor let vs end our mate Enter Varennes whispering to Byron Var. You are vndone my Lord Exit Byr: Is it possible Que. Play good my Lord whom looke you for Esp. Your mind Is not vpon your Game Byr. Play pray you play Hen. Enough t is late and time to leaue our play On all hands all forbeare the roome my Lord Stay you with me yet is your will resolued To dewty and the maine bond of your life I sweare of all th' Intrusions I haue made Vpon your owne good and continew'd fortunes This is the last informe me yet the truth And here I vow to you by all my loue By all meanes showne you euen to this extreame When all men else forsake you you are safe What passages haue slipt twixt count Fuentes You and the Duke of Sauoye Byr. Good my Lord This nayle is driuen already past the head You much haue ouerchargd an honest man And I beseech you yeeld my Inocence iustice But
faith I scarce can thinke That his gold was so bounteously employd Without his speciall counsaile and command These faint proceedings in our Royall faiths Make subiects proue so faithlesse If because We sit aboue the danger of the lawes We likewise lift our Armes aboue their iustice And that our heauenly Soueraigne bounds not vs In those religious confines out of which Our iustice and our true lawes are inform'd In vaine haue we expectance that our subiects Should not as well presume to offend their Earthly As we our Heauenly Soueraigne And this breach Made in the Forts of all Society Of all celestiall and humane respects Makes no strengths of our bounties counsailes armes Hold out against their treasons and the rapes Made of humanitie and religion In all mens more then Pagan liberties Atheismes and slaveries will deriue their springs From their base Presidents copied out of kings But all this shall not make me breake the commerce Authorisde by our treaties let your Armie Take the directest passe it shall goe safe Amb. So rest your highnesse euer and assurde That my true Soueraigne lothes all opposite thoughts Hen. Are our dispatches made to all the kings Princes and Potentates of Christendome Ambassadors and Prouince gouernors T' enforme the truth of this conspiracie Ian. They all are made my Lord and some giue out That 't is a blow giuen to religion To weaken it in ruining of him That said he neuer wisht more glorious title Then to be call'd the scourge of Hugenots Soiss. Others that are like fauourers of the fault Said 't is a politique aduise from England To breake the feared Iauelins both together Hen. Such shut their eyes to truth we can but set His lights before them and his trumpet sound Close to their eares their partiall wilfulnesse In resting blinde and deafe or in peruerting What their most certaine sences apprehend Shall naught discomfort our impartiall Iustice Nor cleere the desperat fault that doth enforce it Enter Vyt Vyt. The Peeres of France my Lord refuse t' appeare At the arraignement of the Duke Byron Hen. The Court may yet proceed and so command it 'T is not their slacknesse to appeare shall serue To let my will t' appeare in any fact Wherein the bouldest of them tempts my iustice I am resolu'd and will no more endure To haue my subiects make what I command The subiect of their oppositions Who euer-more slack their allegiance As kings forbeare their pennance how sustaine Your prisoners their strange durance Vit. One of them Which is the Count D'Avuergne hath merry spirits Eates well and sleepes and neuer can imagine That any place where he is is a prison Where on the other part the Duke Byron Enterd his prison as into his graue Reiects all food sleepes not nor once lyes downe Furie hath arm'd his thoughts so thick with thornes That rest can haue no entry he disdaines To grace the prison with the slendrest show Of any patience least men should conceiue He thought his sufferance in the best sort fit And holds his bands so worthlesse of his worth That he empaires it to vouchsafe to them The best part of the peace that freedom owes it That patience therein is a willing slauerie And like the Cammell stoopes to take the load So still he walkes or rather as a Byrde Enterd a Closet which vnwares is made His desperate prison being pursude amazd And wrathfull beates his brest from wall to wall Assaults the light strikes downe himselfe not our And being taken struggles gaspes and bites Takes all his takers strokings to be strokes Abhorreth food and with a sauadge will Frets pines and dyes for former libertie So fares the wrathfull Duke and when the strength Of these dumbe rages breake out into sounds He breaths defiance to the world and bids vs Make our selues drunke with the remaining bloud Of fiue and thirty wounds receiud in fight For vs and ours for we shall neuer brag That we haue made his spirits check at death This rage in walkes and words but in his lookes He cements all and prints a world of bookes Hen. Let others learne by him to curb their spleenes Before they be curbd and to cease their grudges Now I am setled in my Sunne of height The circulare splendor and full Sphere of State Take all place vp from enuy as the sunne At height and passiue ore the crownes of men His beames diffusd and downe-right pourd on them Cast but a little or no shade at all So he that is aduanc'd aboue the heads Of all his Emulators with high light Preuents their enuies and depriues them quite Exeunt Enter the Chancellor Harlay Potiers Fleury in scarlet gownes Laffin Descures with other officers of state Cha. I wonder at the prisoners so long stay Har I thinke it may be made a question If his impacience will let him come Pot. Yes he is now well stayd Time and his Iudgment Haue cast his passion and his feuer of Fleu. His feuer may be past but for his passions I feare me we shall find it spic'd to hotly With his ould poulder Des. He is sure come forth The Carosse of the Marquis of Rhosny Conducted him along to th' Arcenall Close to the Riuer-side and there I saw him Enter a barge couered with Tapistry In which the kings gards waited and receiued him Stand by there cleere the place Cha. The prisoner comes My Lord Laffin forbeare your sight a while It may incense the prisoner who will know By your attendance nere vs that your hand Was chiefe in his discouery which as yet I thinke he doth not doubt Laf. I will forbeare Till your good pleasures call me Exit Laf. Hen. When he knowes And sees Laffin accuse him to his face The Court I thinke will shake with his distemper Enter Vitry Byron with others and a guarde Vit. You see my Lord 't is in the golden chamber Byr. The golden chamber where the greatest Kings Haue thought them honor'd to receiue a place And I haue had it am I come to stand In ranke and habite here of men arraignd Where I haue sat assistant and beene honord With glorious title of the chiefest vertuous Where the Kings chiefe Solicitor hath said There was in France no man that euer liu'd Whose parts were worth my imitation That but mine owne worth I could imitate none And that I made my selfe inimitable To all that could come after whom this Court Hath seene to sit vpon the Flower de Lice In recompence of my renowned seruice Must I be sat on now by petty Iudges These Scarlet robes that come to sit and fight Against my life dismay my valure more Then all the bloudy Cassocks Spaine hath brought To field against it Vit. To the barre my Lord He salutes and stands to the barre Har. Read the inditement Chan. Stay I will inuert For shortnesse sake the forme of our proceedings And out of all the points the processe holds Collect fiue principall with which
was giuen the 22. of this month condemning the said Duke of Byron of heigh treason for his direct conspiracies against the kings person enterprises against his state Byr. That is most false let me for euer be Depriued of heauen as I shall be of earth If it be true knowe worthy country-men These two and twenty moneths I haue bene clere Of all atempts against the king and state Har. Treaties and trecheries with his Enemies being marshall of the Kings army for reparation of which crimes they depriued him of all his estates honors and dignities and condemned him to lose his head vpon a Scaffold at the Greaue Byr. The Greaue had that place stood for my dispatch I had not yeelded all your forces should not Stire me one foote wild horses should haue drawne My body peece-meale eare you all had brought me Har. Declaring all his goods moueable and inmoueable whatsoeuer to be confiscate to the King the Signeury of Byron to loose the title of Duchy and Peere for euer Byr. Now is your forme contented Cha. I my Lord And I must now entreat you to deliuer Your order vp the king demands it of you Byr. And I restore it with my vow of safty In that world where both he and I are one I neuer brake the oth I tooke to take it Cha. We 'l now my Lord wee 'l take our latest leaues Beseeching heauen to take as clere from you All sence of torment in your willing death All loue and thought of what you must leaue here As when you shall aspire heauens highest sphere Byr. Thankes to your Lordship and let me pray to That you will hold good censure of my life By the cleere witnesse of my soule in death That I haue neuer past act gainst the King Which if my faith had let me vndertake They had bene three yeares since amongst the dead Harl: Your soule shall finde his safety in her owne Call the executioner Byr: Good sir I pray Go after and beseech the Chancellor That he will let my body be interrd Amongst my predecessors at Byron Desc: I go my Lord Exit Byr: Go go can all go thus And no man come with comfort farewell world He is at no end of his actions blest Whose ends will make him greatest and not best They tread no ground but ride in ayre on stormes That follow State and hunt their empty formes Who see not that the Valleys of the world Make euen right with the Mountains that they grow Greene and lye warmer and euer peacefull are When Clowdes spit fire as Hilles and burne them bare Not Valleys part but we should imitate Streames That run below the Valleys and do yeeld To euery Mole-hill euery Banke imbrace That checks their Currants and when Torrents come That swell and raise them past their naturall height How madde they are and trubl'd like low straines With Torrents crownd are men with Diademes Vit: My Lord t is late wilt please you to go vp Byr. Vp t is a faire preferment ha ha ha There should go showtes to vp-shots not a breath Of any mercy yet come since we must Whos 's this Pral: The executioner my Lord Byr: Death slaue downe or by the blood that moues me I le plucke thy throat out goe I le call you straight Hold boy and this Hang Soft boy I le barre you that Byr: Take this then yet I pray thee that againe I do not ioy in sight of such a Pageant As presents death Though this life haue a cursse T is better then another that is worse Arch My Lord now you are blinde to this worlds sight Looke vpward to a world of endles light Byr: I I you talke of vpward still to others And downwards looke with headlong eyes your selues Now come you vp sir But not touch me yet Where shall I be now Hang Heere my Lord Byr: Where 's that Hang There there my Lord Byr: And where slaue is that there Thou seest I see not yet I speake as I saw Well now i st fit Hang Kneele I beseech your Grace That I may do mine office with most order Byr: Do it and if at one blow thou art short Giue one and thirty I le indure them all Hold stay a little comes there yet no mercy High Heauen curse these exemplarie proceedings When Iustice failes they sacrifize our example Hang Let me beseech you I may cut your haire Byr: Out vgly Image of my cruell Iustice Yet wilt thou be before me stay my will Or by the will of Heauen I le strangle thee Vit: My Lord you make to much of this your body Which is no more your owne Byr: Nor is it yours I le take my death with all the horride rites And representments of the dread it merits Let tame Nobilitie and nummed fooles That apprehend not what they vndergo Be such exemplarie and formall sheepe I will not haue him touch me till I will If you will needs racke me beyond my reason Hell take me but I le strangle halfe that 's here And force the rest to kill me I le leape downe If but once more they tempt me to dispaire You wish my quiet yet giue cause of fury Thinke you to set rude windes vpon the Sea Yet keepe it calme or cast me in a sleepe With shaking of my chaines about myne eares O honest Soldiers you haue seene me free From any care of many thousand deathes Yet of this one the manner doth amaze me View view this wounded bosome how much bound Should that man make me that would shoote it through Is it not pitty I should lose my life By such a bloody and infamous stroake Soldi Now by thy spirit and thy better Angell If thou wert cleere the Continent of France Would shrinke beneath the burthen of thy death Ere it would beare are it Vit: Whos 's that Soldi I say well And cleere your Iustice here is no ground shrinks If he were cleere it would And I say more Clere or not cleere If he with all his foulenesse Stood here in one Skale and the Kings chiefe Mynion Stood in another here Put here a pardon Here lay a royall gift this this in merit Should hoyse the other Mynion into ayre Vit: Hence with that franticke Byr: This is some poore witnes That my desert might haue out-weighed my forfeyt But danger hauntes desert when he is Greatest His hearty ills are prou'd out of his glaunces And Kings suspicions needes no Ballances So her 's a most decreetall end of me VVhich I desire in me may end my wrongs Commend my loue I charge you to my brothers And by my loue and misery command them To keepe their faiths that bind them to the King And proue no stomakers of my misfortunes Nor come to Court till time hath eaten out The blots and skarres of my opprobrious death And tell the Earle my deare friend of D'Auergne That my death vtterly were free from griefe But for the sad losse of his worthy friendship And if I had beene made for longer life I would haue more deseru'd him in my seruice Beseeching him to know I haue not vsde One word in my arraignement that might touch him Had I no other want then so ill meaning And so farewell for euer neuer more Shall any hope of my reuiuall see mee Such is the endlesse exile of dead men Summer succeeds the spring Autumne the Summer The Frosts of Winter the falne leaues of Autumne All these and all fruites in them yearely fade And euery yeare returne but cursed man Shall neuer more renew his vanisht face Fall on your knees then Statists ere yee fall That you may rise againe knees bent too late Stick you in earth like statues see in me How you are powr'd downe from your cleerest heauens Fall lower yet mixt with th' vnmoued center That your owne shadowes may no longer mocke yee Stricke stricke O stricke Flie flie commanding soule And on thy wings for this thy bodies breath Beare the eternall victory of death FINIS