that all the City-Gates be shut Except but two for bringing in Provisions And these my Lord of Rhetz see strictly Guarded Left that the Murderer escape Q. M. You bear it bravely Now to the wounded Admiral be there As you are now seem soft and pitiful Fond him with tears cry out with your impatience To be reveng'd upon the Murderer King You that are made of Artifice instruct me Exeunt SCENE II. The Admiral Dressing with all the Hugonots about him Adm. A finger and an arm what all this noise About the shattering of a Limb Away And in a Cause so great so glorious too Nay let 'em burn the other to the shoulder Or let that Badger Queen grind every Bone Betwixt her teeth and grin to hear 'em crack Cav Let 's instantly resolve to bear him forth Adm. No with this mangled flesh held to Heav'n This horrid mash of Blood and Bone and Marrow Upon my knees I beg the Power Divine T' establish thus the Protestant Religion To plant it in the Blood of lost Coligni If that Alas may satisfy their Fury Cav Take heart Sir hope one day for full Revenge Enter Antramont Ant. 'T is well my Lord 't is well my Cato well You call'd this Paris Vtica at first The Stars of Great men have a cast Divine And when they mould with second thought the Spirit The Air the Life the Golden Vapour 's gone Langoiran O Langoiran Adm. Fate my Martia There is a Providence that over-rules Therefore submit haste for thy life away I beg thee fly my Martia to Geneva My little ones shall with Teligny follow Ant. What Sir is 't possible Is a planck in this great Vessel rived Is 't necessary that a Wreck should follow Adm. O Antramont there is no going forth If the King be not in th' Assassination Fear not I shall have Justice If he be Farewel for ever I 'll ne're see thee more Ant. You shall you shall why burst you not away There are at least ten thousand your Adherents Will clear your passage to Chastillon Why do you drag then when your Fate cryes on Adm. Once more I say my Fate is in the King Therefore away If things go right you come To me again if not there 's one preserv'd T'embalm my Bowels O my Antramont I mean my Babes that thus have force to thaw me That Power whose most unsearchable Decree Thus dooms our parting give thee strength to bear it To bear my Death perhaps thou 'lt hear it shortly Yet thou shalt hear nothing unworthy me Nothing that 's faint and flagging at the Goal But my last Gasp like my first start of Glory Ant. What leave thee Gaspar e're I kiss thy wound O let we touch the Batt'ry of his Arm Forgive me thus far I will be a Roman There 's Virtue here in this most Sacred Relict I swear I think there is to save a Soul Adm. Be gone I say I cannot bear thy Kindness Force her away and bear her to St. Germain Ant. I go For thee this Prayer I leave behind me When-e're thou dy'st the Arms of Angels wast thee To those smooth Joys that have no gritty moments For her that brought thee to this barbarous end The Whips of Conscience drive her to Despair Conscience Sh' has none why then the stings of Pleasure Sores and Diseases Disappointments plague her May all her Life be one continu'd Torment And that more Racking than a Mother's labour In meeting Death may her least trouble be As great as now my parting is with thee Exit Enter Alberto Gondi Alb. My Lord his Majesty the Queen his Mother Approach to mourn your Chance and give you Justice Enter King Queen Anjou Lorrain King My Lord I come to pour the Balm of Tears Into your Wound I come to threaten death To that bold Villain who durst act this outrage And by my Soul I swear my Father shall Have such Revenge as if a King were kill'd Adm. I thank your Majesty and humbly crave Your leave Sir to retire home to Chastillon Where from these tumultuous Parisians I may my Lord recover this Misfortune Q. M. What take a Journey Sir in this condition Your Death must follow but alas I fear I fear the truth with tears I must avow it My Lord you dare not trust the King and Me. Adm. O do not tax me with the least Suspicion I must believe the Royal Majesty But all my fear is for my dear Companions And these lov'd Princes whom the Heav'ns defend King Therefore my Brother Streight shall draw the Guards Within the City while for present Safety I order Monsieur Cosen's Company To keep your Quarters from all fear of Tumult O Father Father do not wound my Soul By a distrust unworthy of us both Q. M. Ah my Lord Admiral can you imagine That we are past all fear or hope of Mercy That there 's no Conscience no regard of Vows No Grace no Reverence fear of Heav'n nor Hell Nor common Care of Fame ev'n in this World King To Bed to Bed let me intreat you rest Q. M. Nay you shall go my Lord supported thus Betwixt your Bosom-Friends believe me Sir This is not seign'd there are not two alive That love you more than those that now sustain you Adm. Is 't possible Why if it were dissembled The very Counterfeit of such a Friendship Were worth a dying for Alas my Lord O Madam Why why must this trouble be But lead me lead your poor old Admiral Blind with his Tears and faint with his Blood If I do well again I 'll thank you Sir I 'll thank you in the Field O grant it Heav'n That I may end where no Assassins are And fall a Victim in the Glorious War Exeunt SCENE III. Guise Aumale Elbeuf Angolesme with Parisians Gui. Look you my Lords this is this is the Royal Order The Dukes of Nevers and Monpensier Must wait to guard the Person of the King With all the Royal Regiment in Arms Haste for the day begins to wear apace An. El. We obey Exeunt ambo Gui. President Charton Provost de Marchand The Head of the Parisians Pros. Here my Lord. Gui. Provide two thousand men compleatly arm'd Let each particular man on his left arm Wear a Shirt-sleeve and a white Cross in 's Hat That upon notice given all may be ready To execute his Majesty's Commands The Eschevins of every several Ward See in just order and precisely set That upon ringing the Palace-bell Lights may be put directly on the instant In every Window all throughout the Town Pros. It shall be done Exit Gui. My Lord Grand Prior With what Commanders we can rise be ready To take the Admiral 's life But see the Queen Enter Queen Mother Cardinal Anjou Q. M. Come come my Lords let 's lose no longer time The Hugonots proceed not to a Tumult But only vent their Fury in high words Therefore away My Lord of Guise your Father Looks from the Clouds
Majesty He sharp and short Retorted thus He did not need my Service Car. 'T is plain you must resolve my Lord to quit her For I am charg'd to tell you she 's design'd To be the Wife of Henry OF Navarre 'T is the main Beam in all that Mighty Engin Which now begins to move so dreadfully Against the Heads of the Rebellious Faction Gui. I have it and methinks it looks like D'Alva I see the very motion of his Beard His opening Nostrils and his dropping Lids I hear him Croak too to the King and Queen In Biscays Bay at Bayonne Fish for the Great fish take no care for Frogs Cut off the Poppy-heads lay the Winds fast And streight the Waves the People will be still Car. Then you will leave her Gui. Hurl her to the Sea The Air the Earth or Elemental fire So I may see Chastilion in the Net Oh that Whale-Admiral might I but view him After his thousand Fetches Plots and Plunges Struck on those Scouring Shallows which await him Furies and Hell and I stand by to gall him Were Marguerite all one World of Pleasure I 'de sell her and my Soul for such Revenge Car. Speak lower Gui. What upon my Father's Death O glorious Guise be calm upon thy Murder No I will hollow my Revenge so loud That his great Ghost shall hear me up to Heav'n In height of Honours oh to fall so basely When Orleance was blockt up and Conquest Crown'd thee By damn'd Poltrot so villainously slain Poltrot by Beza and this curs'd Admiral Set on with hopes of Infinite Rewards Here and hereafter so to blast thy Glory O I could pull my bursting Eye-balls forth But that they may one day prove Basilisks To that detested Head of all these Brolls Then Tortures Racks and Death shall close thy wound Kill him in Riots Pride and Lust of Pleasures That I may add Damnation to the rest And foil his Soul and Body both together Car. Behold your Brother and the Duke Delbeuf Mercour too comes this outrage will undo us Gui. No not at all for 't is in general terms O my good Lords what if the Admiral Stood here before you should he scope our Justice I see by each man's laying of his hand Upon his Sword you vow the like Revenge For me I wish that both mine may rot off Car. No more away my Lords the King calls for you Gui. I go That Vermin may devour my limbs That I may dy like the late puling King Under the Barber's hands Imposthumes choak me If while alive I cease to chew his ruin To hang him in Effigie nay to tread Drag stamp and grind him after he is dead Exeunt SCENE II. The Cabinet Council Table with Lights on it A Chamber beyond it Queen Mother Anjou asleep Q. M. O my Anjou the Wheels of this New Ruin Go wrong for want of one that knows to drive He sits too light upon the whirling Throne And totters with the dismal prospect down Young Charles a smart suspicious doubtful Boy But Charles you must be rul'd in this dark Road Or with the Lightning of my Fatal Power Which never cracks nor claps I 'le melt thee down For ever lost amongst the Mass of Things That thou the Darling of my doating Soul The Price of my Eternal thought may'st mount Like Nero tho' at Agrippina's Ruin But see the King with the new Count of Rhetz Let us withdraw it may be worth our hearing Enter King with Alberto Gondi King Alberto Gondi Alb. Sir King I think thou lov'st me Alb. More than my life King That 's much yet I believe thee My Mother has the Judgment of the World And all things move by that but my Alberto She has cruel Wit and let me tell thee Thus to destroy the Souldiers of the Kingdom Famous as ever fought for Rome or Greece Under a shadow of a thousand Oaths 'T is Barbarous Alberto is it not And seems to me unworthy of a King Alb. The Provocation Sir King I know it well But it thou d'st have my heart within thy hand I swear Conspiracies of that foul Nature For ever blot the Memory of Kings What Honours Interest with the World to buy him Shall make a brave Man smile and do a Murder Therefore I hate the Treachery of Brutus I mean the latter so cry'd up in Story Whom none but Cowards and White-Liver'd-Knaves Would dare commend lagging behind his Fellows His Dagger in his Stab'd his Father This is a Blot the Ciceronian Stile Could ne're wipe off tho' the Man Mistaken in his Love for Brutus scorn'd him Makes bold to call those Traytors Men Divine Alb. Tully was Wise but wanted Constancy King He did Alberto Heark but one thing more For much I love thee and would fain unburden My Soul of half her Cares on such a Man So good Alb. My ever Dear and Honour'd Master King No more of that I 'le tell thee then last night As I lay tossing in a Feverish Dream I call'd for Drink when streight my Mother brought it But as she reach'd it to my trembling Lips Methought her Eyes roll'd gastly upon me A Palsey shook her hand yet I resolv'd Took off the Draught when streight a fainting seiz'd me My Eyes wept Blood my Ears my Nose and Mouth Pour'd forth whole Streams and all my Sweat was Blood My Hair and Nails dropt off as Autumn Leaves When Tempests rise fall from the wither'd Trees But oh the Fancy seems so much unnatural I 'll think no more on 't yet I thought to tell thee Because she is a Woman whom no Art Nor Wisdom of the World can ever fathom Alb. O my Gracious Lord Judge not the Queen by Dreams and vain Chimaera's Remember Sir how often in your Nonage She manag'd with her Wit the weight of Empire Contending with th' Effects of blind Religion The Contumacy of Rebellious Subjects The deep dissimulation of the Court The want of Treasure bassling with her Prudence The utmost strength Ambition rais'd to gain her King O Count of Rhetz thou lead'st me through the Garden Of every Grace but darest not point her Weeds Is she not of a most deceitful Soul Perfidious even to violating Vows Is she not greedy too of Human Blood A Wit wasteful in destroying Lives That she will turn a City to a Wild Qu. M. Good Morrow Sir 'T is just the time you order'd I think the second Watch and we are met To wait on your Decrees King O Mother Mother You have imbark'd me in a Sea of Blood And sure so damnable an Enterprise Was never form'd by Man Qu. M. If Sir you fear it Why give it o're and let the Admiral Reign Call in the Hugonots and drive your Friends Banish your Blood and the Establish'd Peers Forget the long Succession of your Fathers The Throne of Kings forget the Laws Religion Cut off the Noble Spirits from your Council And from the Dregs of this Heretical Faction Compose a Bastard Cabinet-Election Let
With my Cavagnes Ant. I am commanded Sir Yet for the safety of your innocent Babes Beware my Lord be cautious O prevent Exit Antramont Adm. Fear not Farewel be gone I will beware Why should I fear Cavagnes when the King Inclines his heart to the Reform'd Religion When the whole management of Home-affairs With all Confederacies made abroad Are left to me as Judge and Arbitrator The Genius and the Oracle of France But if the Will of Heav'n has set it down That all this trust is deep dissimulation That there 's no Faith nor Credit to be given To the inviolable Royal Word O my Cavagnes if 't is possible If this be so I yield I yield to die I am contented for the Protestant Faith Here to be hewn into a thousand pieces And made the Martyr of so good a Cause Lang. My Lord I take my leave and am resolv'd To leave the Court Adm. Cavagnes prethee speak It is not worth our smile But why Langoiran Why dost thou leave the Maker of thy Fortune Is it not worth the hazard Lang. No my Lord. I 'm sorry Sir to see you made so much of And so Farewel For my part I 'm content To save my self with Fools rather than perish With those that are too wise Exit Enter a Servant Serv. My Lord the Duke of Guise Enter Guise Exeunt Cavag Serv. and all Gui. The King my Lord commanded me to wait you And bid you welcome to the Court Adm. The King Still loads me with new Honours but none greater Than this the last Gui. There is one greater yet Your high Commission for the War with Spain I and my Family are charg'd to serve you And 't will be glorious work Adm. If you are there There must be Action Gui. O your pardon Sir I 'm but a Stripling in the Trade of War But you whose life is one continu'd Battel What will not your Triumphant Arms accomplish Who as your self confess'd or Fame is false Have quite out-gone the memory of the Ancients Of Alexander and of Iulius Caesar For they in all their Actions had success But you in spite of your malicious Fortune After the loss of four most signal Battels Still rose more fierce and dreadful to your Foes And last when all men thought you had no way To save your life but wander through the World You forc'd the King to grant your own Conditions More proper for a Conquerour than one That was o'recome Adm. No more of that my Lord. Gui. But Sir since I must make a little one In this great Business let me understand What 't is you mean and why you put the King Upon so dangerous an Expedition Adm. Know I intend the Greatness of the King The Greatness of all France whom it imports To make their Arms their Aim and Occupation Since then the Genius of the Kingdom 's rouz'd I 'll turn the Fever of those Civil Broils To wholesom Exercise to war with Strangers Gui. Stor'd Arsenals and Armories and Fields of Horse Ordnance Ammunition and the Nerve of War Sound Infantry not harrass'd and diseas'd To meet a Veteran Army should be thought of Nor ought you to rely on Protestants Those Mercenaries that must come for he Who thus resolv'd depends on such shall spread His Feathers now but mew 'em all to morrow Adm. I find my Lord the Argument grows warm Therefore thus much and I have done The King Intends to send an Army into Flanders A powerful one and under my Command First then altho' the Wars of later Ages Are in respect of former made i' th' dark Chastillon will not steal a Victory Gui. The Phrase of Alexander at Arbela Adm. No place of Honour Office or Command Through the whole Series of this glorious War For Profit Favour or for Interest Not of the greatest shall be bought or sold Whereas too for th' incouragement of Fighters There are degrees promiscuously conferr'd On Souldiers and no Souldiers this man Knighted Because he charg'd a Troop before his dinner And sculk'd behind a hedge in th' afternoon I will have strict Examination made Betwixt the meritorious and the base And since I am entrusted as I wish I 'll spoil the Traffick of this Brandy Court And vye Rewards for Merit with old Rome Gui. You will my good Lord Admiral Adm. Sir I will Upon the very Spot of Victory For Gallant Men Erect their Tropies Funeral Laudatives And Monuments for those that dy'd in War Crowns of distinction Garland Personal All but the Stile of Emperour which the King Of the whole Universe did after borrow That for my Master and perhaps for me The Triumph of their Generals on return Gui. You have mouth'd it bravely and there is no doubt Your deeds would answer well such haughty words Yet let me tell you Sir there was a man Curse on the hand that sped him that would better Better than you or all the bragging Generals That when he shone in Arms and sun'd the Field That better would become the great Battallion Mov'd spoke and fought and was himself a War Adm. The Noble Guise your Father Sir you mean But yet my Lord Gui. No yet my Lord no yet By Arms I bar you that For never was his like nor shall again Till murder'd by Poltrot curs'd damn'd Poltrot Whose Soul now gluts the Maw of Lucifer Adm. Speak with more Charity Gui. Ha! Charity Damnation on the Soul that harbours it Were I in Heav'n and saw him scorch'd in Flames I would not spit my Indignation down Lest I should cool his Tongue For Beza too That set him on with the Rewards of Heav'n To act so black so deep so damn'd a Murder O why will Charles thus sheath the Sword of Justice Till he has rooted up this Sect of Villains And collar'd to the Stake that canting Slave That preach'd my God-like Father from the World Adm. Come come my Lord hear with a little patience And you shall find 't is not the Protestant way To stab and beat the Brains out in the dark Look home my Lord go to the Vatican See if in all those Politick Discourses There be not one Red-letter'd Page for killing Gui. Ha Admiral then dur'st thou justify The Villain whom my Vengeance marks for death Adm. My Lord I will not justify a Villain More than your self But if you thus proceed If that a great Man's breath can puff away On every Pet the Lives of Free-born People What need that awful General Convocation Th' Assembly of the States nay let me urge If thus you threat the Venerable Beza What may the rest expect Gui. What if I could They should be certain of whole Piles of Fire Adm. 'T is very well my Lord I know your mind Which without fear or flatt'ry to your Person I 'll tell the King and then with his Permission Proclaim it for a Warning to our People Gui. Come you 're a Murd'rer your self Adm. Away Gui. You were Complotter with that Villian Beza
and cryes Revenge Revenge I think 't were better too while you kill the Admiral The King 's Grand Provost should pursue his Wife Gui. The old gray Sire the Dam and little Babes I 'le take 'em all together in the Nest And pash 'em till they Sprawl You and the Cardinal Haste to the Louvre when the Gates are shut Call the Chief Hugonots down and cut their Throats My Lord the Duke of Anjou to your Care The King commits the City So Farewell There wants no more but ringing of the Bell. Exeunt Severally SCENE The City Lights in the Windows The President Marches his Men over the Stage the Bell of the Palace rings out Enter Admiral in his Night-Gown Adm. The Palace Bell rings out loud Cries of Murder Guns fir'd and groans of dying men below The King has giv'n his Warrant for my last His Vows his Oaths and Altar-Obligations Are lost the Wax of all those Sacred Bonds Runs at the Queens Revenge the Fire that melts ' em They are no more the Admiral 's no more Enter Cavagnes bleeding Cav My Lord God calls us Death is in the Court Fate in the shape of Guise all over Blood I saw your Son in Law Teligny dye Roura the Son of Baron des Atrets With Colonel Montaumar Gallant Guerchy Wrapping his Cloak about his Arm fought on Till he was all one wound and so Expir'd But hark they come Adm. Why let 'em let 'em come We shall e're long my Friend be worth their Envy To dye thus for Religion O Cavagnes It puts the Soul in everlasting Tune And sounds already in the Ears of Angels And O what cause had ever such Foundation I tell thee that the Root shall reach the Center Spread to the Poles and with her top touch Heav'n But see they come stand fixt and look on Death With such Contempt so Masterly an Eye As if he were thy Slave Enter Besnie Sartabons 4 Souldiers Besn. See where he stands ha Slaves what makes you pause 1 Sould. Kill him your self for my part I 'le not touch him 2 Sould. Nor I for my part I am sorry for what is done already Adm. Cowards indeed thus to be terrified Ev'n with the shadow of th' Admiral Besn. It goes against me yet I must obey Sheath all your Daggers in the Traytor 's Breast Adm. Young Man thou oughtest to reverence these gray hairs But I command thee do as thou art order'd Thou 'lt cut but little from the Line of Life Besn. Dye then dye both now for his Wife and Children Stabs both and Exeunt Adm. Heard'st thou Cavagnes said they not my Children Cavag I know not what you say the stroak of Death Has stun'd my sense of Hearing Adm. Yet let 's crawl With all our Wounds into each others Arms And hand in hand go Martyr'd thus to Heaven Cavag I am gone farewel Dyes Adm. Why dost thou shudder thus And gasp upon my Bosom 'T was his last My Soul so likes her house she 's loth to part But O what Builder can repair the ruines The Lights are choak'd the Windows are damn'd up The main Beams crack and the Foundation sinks Besides the Lordly Owner warns me forth I come great Master of the World and me And O revenge revenge thy Peoples blood A hundred thousand Souls for Justice call Let not the guiltless without Vengeance fall Dyes Enter the Duke of Guise and Souldiers Gui. So fling him down down with him to the Court Expose his Carcass to the Peoples mercy Drag him away and hurl him from the Window See all his Bastards strangled on the spot There 's Orders for 't The Hostel de Chastillon Be raz'd for ever his Posterity Be made incapable of bearing Office Or being Noble burn his Statue haste There 's a Commission granted for the deed Nay kill as if 't were Sport to see 'em bleed Exeunt SCENA ULTIMA The LOVVRE Queen Mother Cardinal Duke of Anjou Colonel D'O Q. M. Here Colonel bring forth your Prisoners And let me see these Leaders of the Faction The Scene draws showing the Commanders standing with their hands ty'd behind 'em betwixt the Souldiers in a rank The Count de Rochfaucalt Marquis de Renel Piles Pluvialt Pardillan and Lavardin Give the Word Colonel D'O Fire on 'em all Shoot The Scene draws and shews the Admiral 's Body burning Gui. I saw the Master Villain dragg'd along To Execution by the Common People Who from the Shoulders tore the mangled Head Cut off his Hands and at Mountfaucon hung him Half burning by one Leg upon the Gallows Enter King Princes Alberto Gondi King O horror horror O thou cruel Guise O Mother Brother and thou Murd'ring Priest Dost thou not blush to fail in Seas of ruin To hang the Flag of a Damn'd Pyrat forth Yet call thy bloody Bark the Christian Church Or tell me Canst thou lay the Furies here Pale Hugonots that haunt me up and down Through Chambers into Closets Beds and Couches Or dar'st thou shield me when the Admiral 's Ghost Claps to my Heart the Dagger of my Word Q. M. Why are you thus King The Angel's words are true And Charles is near his end O Mother Mother Hear my last words and take my dying Counsel Stop the vast Murder that you have begun For know all Churches by Decree and Doctrine Kings by their Sword and Balance of their Justice All Learning Christian Moral and Prophane Shall by the virtue of their Mercury Rod For ever damn to Hell those curs'd Designs That with Religion's Face to ruin tend And go by Heav'n to reach the blackest end Exeunt Omnes FINIS EPILOGUE By Mr. Powell HOW Wise are they that can with patienc ebear And just Reflections moderately hear Vnmov'd by Passion as unsway'd by Fear To them we Dedicate this Play to night That having long been Banish'd from the Light Hush'd and Imprison'd close as in the Tow'r Half prest to Death by a Dispensing Pow'r To take a lawful Tryal for each Fact Is just come out by th' Habeas Corpus Act. Rome's Friends no doubt suppos'd there might be shown Iust such an Entertainment of their own The Plot the Protestants the Stage the Town But no such fear our Hugonots allarm'd True English Hearts are always better arm'd For if the Valliant in a little Town Batter'd and Starving their brave Cause durst own If Peasants scorning Death can Guard our Walls And the mild Priesthood turn to Generals Britains stand firm and in short time you 'l see Your own and Neighbouring Realms serene and free Clear'd from the choaking Fogs of Popery No Massacres nor Revolutions fear Affairs are strangely alter'd since last year Infallibility himself does run The Garden 's weeded and the Moles are gone Not Gold to Lawyers to th' Ambitious Power Not lusty Switzer to a lustful Whore To Gamesters luck to Beauty length of days Nor to a wrinkled wither'd Widdow praise Can give such Ioy as to behold once more An English Army on the