finger in the hearts of kings Which whilelome grew into a goodly tree Bright Angels sat and sung vpon the twigs And royall branches for the heads of Kings Were twisted of them but since squint-ey'd enuye And pale suspicion dasht the heads of kingdomes One gainst another two abhorred twins With two foule tayles sterne Warre and Libertie Entred the world The tree that grew from heauen Is ouerrunne with mosse the cheerfull musique That heeretofore hath sounded out of it Beginnes to cease and as she casts her leaues By small degrees the kingdomes of the earth Decline and wither and looke whensoeuer That the pure sap in her is dried vp quite The lamp of all authoritie goes out And all the blaze of Princes is extinkt Thus as the Poet sends a messenger Out to the stage to shew the summe of all That followes after so are Kings reuolts And playing both waies with religion Fore-runners of afflictions imminent Which like a Chorus subiects must lament D' Au. My Lord I stand not on these deepe discourses To settle my course to your fortunes mine Are freely and inseperablie linckt And to your loue my life Byr. Thankes Princely friend And whatsoeuer good shall come of me Pursu'd by al the Catholike Princes aydes With whom I ioyne and whose whole states proposde To winne my valure promise me a throne All shall be equall with my selfe thine owne La Brun. My Lord here is D'escuris sent from the King Desires accesse to you Enter D'escuris Byr. Attend him in Desc. Helth to my Lord the Duke Byr. Welcome D'escuris In what helth rests our royall Soueraigne Desc. In good helth of his bodie but his minde Is something troubled with the gathering stormes Of forreigne powres that as he is inform'd Addresse themselues into his frontier townes And therefore his intent is to maintaine The body of an armie on those parts And yeeld their worthie conduct to your valure Byr. From whence heares he that any stormes are rising D'esc. From Italy and his intelligence No doubt is certaine that in all those partes Leuies are hotly made for which respect He sent to his Ambassador De Vic To make demand in Switzerland for the raising With vtmost dilligence of sixe thousand men All which shall bee commanded to attend On your direction as the Constable Your honord Gossip gaue him in aduice And hee sent you by wrighting of which letters He would haue answere and aduice from you By your most speedie presence Byr. This is strange That when the enimie is t' attempt his frontiers He calls me from the frontiers does he thinke It is an action worthie of my valure To turne my back to an approching foe Desc. The foe is not so nere but you may come And take more strickt directions from his highnesse Then he thinkes fit his letters should containe Without the least attainture of your valure And therefore good my Lord forbeare excuse And beare your selfe on his direction Who well you know hath neuer made designe For your most worthy seruice where he saw That any thing but honour could succede Byr. I will not come I sweare Des. I know your grace Will send no such vnsauorie replie Byr. Tell him that I beseech his Maiesty To pardon my repaire till th' end be knowne Of all these leuies now in Italie Des. My Lord I know that tale will neuer please him And wish you as you loue his loue and pleasure To satisfie his summons speedily And speedily I know he will returne you Byr. By heauen it is not fit if all my seruice Makes me know any thing beseech him therefore To trust my iudgement in these doubtfull charges Since in assur'd assaults it hath not faild him Des. I would your Lordship now would trust his iudgement Byr. Gods precious y' are importunate past measure And I know further then your charge extends I le satisfie his highnesse let that serue For by this flesh and bloud you shall not beare Any replie to him but this from me Des. T is nought to me my Lord I wish your good And for that cause haue beene importunate Exit Desc Brunel By no meanes goe my Lord but with distrust Of all that hath beene said or can be sent Collect your friends and stand vpon your gard The Kings faire letters and his messages Are onely Golden Pills and comprehend Horrible purgatiues Byr. I will not goe For now I see th' instructions lately sent me That something is discouerd are too true And my head rules none of those neighbor Nobles That euery Pursiuant brings beneath the axe If they bring me out they shall see I le hatch Like to the Black-thorne that puts forth his leafe Not with the golden fawnings of the Sunne But sharpest showers of haile and blackest frosts Blowes batteries breaches showers of steele and bloud Must be his doun-right messengers for me And not the misling breath of policie He he himselfe made passage to his Crowne Through no more armies battailes massacres Then I will aske him to arriue at me He takes on him my executions And on the demolitions that this arme Hath shaken out of forts and Citadells Hath he aduanc't the Tropheys of his valor Where I in those assumptions may skorne And speake contemptuously of all the world For any equal yet I euer found And in my rising not the Syrian Starre That in the Lyons mouth vndaunted shines And makes his braue ascension with the Sunne Was of th' Egiptians with more zeale beheld And made a rule to know the circuite And compasse of the yeare then I was held When I appeard from battaile the whole sphere And full sustainer of the state we beare I haue Alcides-like gone vnder th' earth And on these showlders borne the weight of France And for the fortunes of the thankles King My father all know set him in his throne And if he vrge me I may pluck him out Enter Mess: Mes. Here is the president Ianin my Lord Sent from the King and vrgeth quick accesse Byr. Another Pursiuant and one so quick He takes next course with me to make him stay But let him in let 's here what he importunes Enter Ianin Ianin Honor and loyall hopes to Duke Byron Byr. No other tooch me say how fares the King Ian. Farely my Lord the cloud is yet farre off That aimes at his obscuring and his will Would gladly giue the motion to your powers That should disperse it but the meanes himselfe Would personally relate in your direction Byr. Still on that hante Ian. Vpon my life my Lord He much desires to see you and your sight Is now growne necessarie to suppresse As with the glorious splendor of the Sunne The rude windes that report breaths in his eares Endeuoring to blast your loialtie Byr. Sir if my loyaltie stick in him no faster But that the light breath of report may loose it So I rest still vnmoou'd let him be shaken Ian. But these aloofe abodes my Lord bewray That there
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
other forreigne King Should quite against the streame of all religion Honor and reason take a course so foule And neither keepe his Oth nor saue his Soule Can the poore keeping of a Citadell Which I denyed to be at his disposure Make him forgoe the whole strength of his honours It is impossible though the violence Of his hot spirit made him make attempt Vpon our person for denying him Yet well I found his loyall iudgment seru'd To keepe it from effect besides being offer'd Two hundred thousand crownes in yearely pention And to be Generall of all the forces The Spaniards had in France they found him still As an vnmatcht Achilles in the warres So a most wise Vlisses to their words Stopping his eares at their enchanted sounds And plaine he tould them that although his blood Being mou'd by Nature were a very fire And boyld in apprehension of a wrong Yet should his mind hold such a scepter there As would containe it from all act and thought Of treachery or ingratitude to his Prince Yet do I long me thinkes to see La Fin Who hath his heart in keeping since his state Growne to decay and he to discontent Comes neere the ambitious plight of Duke Byron My Lord Vidame when does your Lordship thinke Your vnckle of La Fin will be arriu'd Vid. I thinke my Lord he now is neere ariuing For his particular iourny and deuotion Voud to the holy Lady of Loretto Was long since past and he vpon returne Hen. In him as in a christall that is charm'd I shall descerne by whome and what designes My rule is threatenede and that sacred power That hath enabled this defensiue arme When I enioyd but in an vnequall Nooke Of that I now possesse to front a King Farre my Superiour And from twelue set battailes March home a victor ten of them obtaind VVithout my personall seruice will not see A traitrous subiect foile me and so end VVhat his hand hath with such successe begunne Enter a Ladie and a Nursse bringing the Daulphine Esp. See the yong Daulphin brought to cheere your highnes Hen. My royall blessing and the King of heauen Make thee an aged and a happie King Helpe Nurse to put my sword into his hand Hold Boy by this and with it may thy arme Cut from thy tree of rule all traitrous branches That striue to shadow and eclips thy glories Haue thy old fathers angell for thy guide Redoubled be his spirit in thy brest VVho when this State ranne like a turbulent sea In ciuill hates and bloudy enmity Their wrathes and enuies like so many windes Setled and burst and like the Halcions birth Be thine to bring a calme vpon the shore In which the eyes of warre may euer sleepe As ouermacht with former massacres VVhen gultie made Noblesse feed on Noblesse All the sweete plentie of the realme exhausted VVhen the nak't merchant was pursude for spoile VVhen the pore Pezants frighted neediest theeues VVith their pale leanenesse nothing left on them But meager carcases sustaind with ayre Wandring like Ghosts affrighted from their graues VVhen with the often and incessant sounds The very beasts knew the alarum bell And hearing it ranne bellowing to their home From which vnchristian broiles and homicides Let the religious sword of iustice free Thee and thy kingdomes gouern'd after me O heauen or if th' vnsettled bloud of France VVith ease and welth renew he ciuill furies Let all my powers be emptied in my Sonne To curb and end them all as I haue done Let him by vertue quite out of from fortune Her fetherd shoulders and her winged shooes And thrust from her light feete her turning stone That she may euer tarry by his throne And of his worth let after ages say He fighting for the land and bringing home Iust conquests loden with his enimies spoiles His father past all France in martiall deeds But he his father twenty times exceedes Enter the Duke of Byron D'Avuergne and Laffin Byr. My deare friends D'Avuergne and Laffin We neede no coniurations to conceale Our close intendments to aduance our states Euen with our merits which are now neclected Since Britaine is reduc't and breathlesse warre Hath sheath'd his sword and wrapt his Ensignes vp The King hath now no more vse of my valure And therefore I shall now no more enioy The credite that my seruice held with him My seruice that hath driuen through all extreames Through tempests droughts and through the deepest floods Winters of shot and ouer rockes so high That birds could scarce aspire their ridgy toppes The world is quite inuerted vertue throwne At Vices feete and sensuall peace confounds Valure and cowardise Fame and Infamy The rude and terrible age is turnd againe When the thicke ayre hid heauen and all the starres Were drown'd in humor tough and hard to peirse When the red Sunne held not his fixed place Kept not his certaine course his rise and set Nor yet distinguisht with his definite boundes Nor in his firme conuersions were discernd The fruitfull distances of time and place In the well varyed seasons of the yeare When th' incomposd incursions of floods Wasted and eat the earth and all things shewed Wilde and disordred nought was worse then now Wee must reforme and haue a new creation Of State and gouernment and on our Chaos Will I sit brooding vp another world I who through all the dangers that can siege The life of man haue forcst my glorious way To the repayring of my countries ruines Will ruine it againe to re-aduance it Romaine Camyllus safte the State of Rome With farre lesse merite then Byron hath France And how short of this is my recompence The king shall know I will haue better price Set on my seruices in spight of whome I will proclaime and ring my discontents Into the farthest eare of all the world Laff: How great a spirit he breaths how learnd how wise But worthy Prince you must giue temperate ayre To your vnmatcht and more then humaine winde Else will our plots be frost-bit in the flowre D'Au: Betwixt our selues we may giue liberall vent To all our fiery and displeas'd impressions Which nature could not entertaine with life Without some exhalation A wrongd thought Will breake a rib of steele Byr. My Princely friend Enough of these eruptions our graue Councellor Well knowes that great affaires will not be forg'd But vpon Anuills that are linde with wooll We must ascend to our intentions toppe Like Clowdes that be not seene till they be vp Laff: O you do too much rauish And my soule Offer to Musique in your numerous breath Sententious and so high it wakens death It is for these parts that the Spanish King Hath sworne to winne them to his side At any price or perrill That great Sauoy Offers his princely daughter and a dowry Amounting to fiue hundred thousand crownes With full transport of all the Soueraigne rights Belonging to the State of Burgondie Which marriage will be made the
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