brat of woe and sad defame Although a Kings he cannot hide the shame Exit Ent. King Earle of Wiltshire Bishop Lutius and Emma King Thus Royall Lords we are in Justice plac't And by the assistance of the all-seeing heaven To search forth murther Are the suspected persons Yet brought Wilt. They are my Leige King Speak woman and remember as thou speakest That thou art before heaven as well as we Who them with all thy cunning caust not blind What knowst thou of the murther Em. I doe beseech bring forth my accusers VVilt I am the first yet free from spot of envy And thus I ground my feare if your white hands Have tane no tincture from the bloody wounds Of our late murdred Prince why is your Lord Against his oath alleageance and command Fled thus preposterously in the self-same hour In which he should have done his Country-service Em. The Law whiâ—h did â—nite my Lord and me In one firm body never did impart The freedome of his thoughts into my boosome Neither doth that or any English custome Impose on wives their husbands blemishes I pray my Lord accuse me for my self King 'T is from your self if you be foul in him Wilt. Besides it is affirm'd by solemn oath The self same night the King forsook the World You and your Lord did never come in bed So that in common sence you either were Or chief or aiding to the murderer Em. Our busy care to entertain the King Did make us leave our beds to vertuous ends Oh! my good Lord you would disgrace my goodness But my poor innocence is so cleare from blemish No filths of any tongue can sully it And here before your Master I wish If I be guilty or in thought or action May I be made a warning to all women And branded with most black damnation oh oh Wilt. Defend us heaven Look to the Lady there Bish. Are you hurt Madam Em. No but amazed at this dreadful thunder Bish. Oh! be advised in time and tempt not heaven Scarce had deniall issued from your lips Bâ—t thunder cryes aloud that you reueal What else heaven will speak in miracles King Doe woman tell the truth Em. You mad me wiâ—h your vaine suggestions Your actions are unjust and terrible I doe defie what ever can accuse me Though it be wrested in loud peales of thunder Yet with a breath more noble then your slander I throw defiance at your envious boosoms What doe you think to work upon my weakness Tush I am armed with better fortitude My Lords I aske a husband at your hands A Noble Prince which you have murdered And now with these suggestions would overwhelme My life and fortunes making me confess A crime of which I am more innocent Then you your selves or babes new born this hour A blasing star appeares Bish. Se se my Lord a blasing star appears And hangs directly o're this fatall house Edm. Angels proâ—ect us Em. Ha what art thou Thou dost amaze me with thy curled fires Why doth thy flaming train thus point at me oh oh Bish. How fare you Lady Em. Oh hide thy branded fire whose flaming beams Are shot into my brain it flames and burnes And all the waters that o'rewhelme the King Can never quench it till his body come oh oh King Doth water then o'rewhelme his body VVilt Perhap 't is cast into some River Sir Em. Spare me oh spare me gentle heaven be dumb Call not so loud let me unload my boosom Of this eternall waight of sin and murder Then let thy winged lightning split my breast That all the World may know my Lord and I Contriv'd the King's most bloody tragedy King It is confest Em. Oh! Royall Sir I am inforst to speak Frowning heavens and that almighty fire Hath thrust it from my mouth and I confess My Lord and I did hire two desperate men And they by our command did kill the King King Where are those men Em. The murder done they fled to find out safety But whither by my soul 's sicke estate I know not King What did you with the body of the King Em. Hard by the Castle stands an old grown oake Close by whose side a little River runnes Whose quiet streams we stopt and turn'd hâ—s course Up to his head till in his sandy bottom We dig'd a pit and therein laid the body Which done we cover'd it with earth stones And turnd the water to his former passage That running over it none might see Or find the author of this tragedy King Unheard of stratagem take pitty on thy soul Thou barbarous woman call to the powers above For to be mercifull Em. False World farwell let me example be A warning to our sex from blood to flee Dies King Go home and see the body be brought before the Judge Wilt. I shall my Lord performe it carefully Enter some with Sibert and Murderers Wilt. Come bring him before the King Sib. Let me not see the King nor be examin'd That cursed which did bewitch my sence And made me hire the slaves to murder him King Discourse to us the manner of their taking Sib. I 'le tell the tale my self hear me O noble Iudge When in disguise loaden with desperate thoughts I meant to pass to Ireland by the Seas The angry heavens call'd up the mounting waves And bad them in their hollow murmurs say They would not beare a Kings base murtherer My passage thus denied by raging stormes Like a distracted out-cast forth I went Into strange paths careless and negligent And there I met these damned Murtherers Mad as my self and horrour with dispair They hollowed still for mudering the King We all are damn'd to eternall tortering Which when the people heard they us surprised And brought us thus a bloody sacrifice King The Gods are ever just oh Coventry Thou art the bloody Subject of our curses Thy bloody hand hath bath'd the anoynted King In his own blood for which we will be swift In vengeance take these three and by their heeles hang Them upon stakes let ravens mastives worry them to death That when they sâ—rick their hideous fearfull cryes May draw the Land to see their miseries Sib. and Murd The doom is Royall just and mercifull King For this vile woman see her senceless body Be on a pile of faggots burnt to earth And scatter'd before the blustring wind That on their winged convayes they may flye To the Worlds furthest verge or memory See it perform'd they thus to death are sent The Heaven I hope will pease her punishment Bish. Take comfort Princely Sir the worst is past The sacred powers are pleas'd with this your justice For with the Traitors deaths the stormes are ceast The air is clear and all the thunders past And see the Sun and Moon give blessed light And quite abolisht our diurnall night King Now the news Ent. with the body Wilt. The body 's found my Lord. King Bring it in Wilt. 'T is here my Leige
I a King's Son Mother An. I dare not say thou art yet heaven weâ— knowes it Wilt. Our good King 's fair soul hath confest it An. My duty on my knees I render him Beseeching you to assure his Majesty That if the holy vows of faithfull hearts Witnest by heaven may make a marriage lawfull Without this earthly ceremonious state This câ—ild is onely hiâ— legâ—t mate Edm. I can forbear no longer I believe thee Come to my soul thou best of women Within this small circumference of my armes I hold a jâ—wel That which â— prise more then my diadem Come my dear love An. Oh my dear Lord Abb. The King turn'd Friar Edm. Come I must take away your Votariâ— Abb. Your Highness may command so she be pleas'd I could my self change states to be so rais'd Edm. Dry up these tears all grief is overthrown An. Content be yours I am no more my own But Oh! my Father Edm. Has lost himself in grief but when he hears Our sacred union he 'll find new joys Come my fair Queen set forward to our Court Where we 'l espouse thee On Reverend Bishop Thy hand shall joyn us let all people sing Anne Thorny's wife unto Great Englands King Exit Ent. Old Thorny led by an Angel Th. Oh! stay thou Minister yet speak to me Why hast thou led me all this silent night 'Bout this large building as if y 'ould survey Their workmanship and statelinesse I did not for my self erect this pile I have a Pallace for my proper use Ang. From the white path of blest Eternitie I 'me sent to comfort thy mortality Persevere Thorny as thou hast begun Thou shalt be made a bright-Celestiall Sun And with a quire of Angels thou shalt sing Thy pilgrimage and toyl is almost ended And now arriv'd whither thy steps have tended Leaving the world and her abortive race And sit as King in an immaculate place Exit Thor. Into what Sphear is my transcending soul Climb'd from the earth me thinks even now I see How death comes in to part this world and me I 'le hast me to my tombe and meet thee there What ho my man wake Sirrah rise and leave My silent tomb I 'le now go sleep my self Lob. I can never rest sleeping nor waking· This 't is to serve a Master that 's troubled with Chollimolly Some talk of taking pleasure in their bed I 'm sure I take none there for I am almost asleep before I go to bed and I am call'd up before I wake And this my masters bed that he sayes shall be his grave is none of the softest and surely none of the easiest neither for if it were he would not talk so much of it He thinks says and speaks of nothing else but of that and his dying two things I can't abide to hear of If he would mention good provision as plum-PUDDING good pouder'd beef mutton or veal turkies or capons pasties or tarts there were some comfort towards the keeping up of this poor frail flesh But he 's alwayes peeping on a bare deadman's head talking of grim death of an hourglasse run out and of tapers that are burnt and such like heavy stuffe that my weak stomack can't digest Well I 'le walk easily home and see what â—oan hath provided for us for unlesse I do look after all we shall have nothing Exit Thorney awakes and enters Thus thus my joyes are quite extinguisht never To be reviv'd thus gon thus gon for ever Oh world what art thou naught but discontent A Chaos of confusion making man repent All his delight and pleasure he hath past That bringeth naught but misery at last Oh heaven how much unto thee am I bound That I an end of this my grief have found And through this pilgrimage of life at last Wiâ—h patience through it I have gone and past But oh the sad remembrance of my child Has drawn back my grief that now was quite exil'd Still gripes my heart but being now to die All dying men should end in charity I doe forgive her now doe thou so heaven And then the debt of her defame is even Enter Young Edmund Wiltshire and Woodford Young Edm Good Sir where where 's my grandfather Pray shew him me That I may ask his blessing on my knee Thorn Ha! what apparition's this I was awake even now Why doe you kneel or thus stand bare about me You doe not worship me I 'me sure I am no Idol You hear me speak I hope VVood. We think no less but that you are a man And living This Mr. Thorney is the Royal Prince Thorn Pray pardon me I doe not come at Court You see good Sir what doting age can doe It is my duty then to kneel to you VVood. Stand up good Sir alas why doe you kneel Why doe you turn aside Thorn Stand up my Daughters Son And tempt no more my resolution I 'le ne're more see thee nor thy worthy Mother Queen Though trap't with all the ornaments of state And for her memory even Thee I hate Yet though I see thee not thus on thy head I 'le backward lay my hand and bend my knee With sighs and tears to pull a blessing down Shall be more pretious then thy fathers Crown Let heaven and holy Angels ever spread Their blest beatitudes upon thy head Peace crown thy days all graces thee attend And to thy race let thy race never end Live long in virtue let thy good o'regrow thee Or die before thy bad shall overthrow thee Nay rise my Child thy face ne're more I 'le see But pray to send thee blest eternitie Commend me to thy Mother say that I Freely forgive her and to heavens doe pray To wipe her deep insculped sins away And though on earth she now is placed high Oh! let her ne're transcend Humility My starrs burn dim my times sand-glass is run Record what for a daughter I have done And to the King my Royal Son say thus That his baâ—e Father dy'd ambitious For when his fainting body thus sunk down His soul flew up to heav'n to gain a Crown Young Edm. O my Grandsire Dyes VVood. I want tears to lament his misery VVilt Where 's the Reverend man VVood. He 's dead he 's dead My good Lord of Wiltshire Before the gasp of his last breath was gon His speech being usher'd with a deep fetcht groan Through the sad confluence and mistie throng Of his distracted thoughts his feeble tongue Dropt forth these words Thus fleet thus transitory Is mans delight and all that painted glory Poor earth can give Nor wealth nor bloud nor beauty Can quit the debt that necessary duty They owe to change and time but like a flow'r They flourish now and fade within an hour Wilt. The world is like a Play his glass is run Death acts the Epilogue and thus his dayes are done The King and Queen are come to comfort him VVood. They come too late Whirlewinds of grief has overwhelm'd lifes state VVilt He is then dead Alas this suddain death Will strike the Court with grief and heaviness But hark they come Ent. King Queen and Attendants King Where 's aged Thorny Quee. Where 's my displeased Father VVoodf Here 's his Effigies drawn unto the life By the grave workman of mortality All dreading death this doth prefigurate Man's pilgrimage on earth whose steps do tend To bring his life unto his journyes end Queâ—n O me unhappie eyes rain down bring drops And with them here embalme my Father's Corps Had I but got his blessing e'â—e he died I had bin happy Young Edm. You want not that Mother For in his blessing me he did name you And sent to you a blest Beatitude Queen Heaven quit him for 't let all the Court In black lament his death And let 's in sighes chaunt forth his requiem And to express my love unto the Hearse From whence I came the Nuns I 'le freely give Five hundred pounds a year whiles that I live King And I 'le make sure thy gift And now His old lamented Corps let be convai'd Upon a Chariot lin'd and oâ—erlaid With Sables then to receive the Crown Prepar'd for Virtue and deserv'd Renown Where now we leave him to be full pâ—sâ—est Of endlesse peace and everlasting Rest. Set on to Court 'till a fit time doth call To solemnize this mournfull Funeral And while the world shall last old Thorny's name Shall live recorded in the book of Fame FINIS ⸫ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ⸫ Here the Candles are putting out
attend your grace Edm. Lead on I 'le follow you Exit Gaufreid 't is thou must make me fortunate Thou seest you Ceature go to her by this ring I blush to speak the rest harke in thy ear You know the purpose Sir Gauf Perfectly my Lord and I 'le practize it Edm. Oh! that we should not feare to doe those things We shame to speak of but the fire is kindled With once supprest flames with the greater force Silence containes more passion then can be Exprest in any rapsody of words Deep floods run still when those that murmur Are of a shallow slight profoundity I know that my desire is ill yet cannot I Desist from my foul purpose for my bounded course Of humane reason overflowes their banks And runs disorderedly through all my vaines Frail flesh is weak and reason stept aside Our spring of goodness needs must puddled glide Exit Gauf Faire greetings beauteous Virgin By his commandes your father thus salutes you An. It was my mothers ring I know it Sir And his commends is a command to me What his pleasure pray you Gauf That you accompany me unto him self To whom I am charg'd to conduct you presently An. My duty is oblig'd to his command Nay I 'le not question but attend his pleasure Go Sirs get home your clothes let your cares Be diligent in house till my return Io. Will you dispatch Lob. Yes Joane and you 'le take up your clothes once the baskets are ready Io. You shall carry it then Lob. I warrant the wench I have a carriage That will carry home i faith if it be discharg'd once Io. I have heard so Lob. Never fear that faith wench You had not best make too much haste Mris Doe you here you Courtier shee 's the flower of the City And therefore use her well I pray and 't were not For this Porters office I would trust none of you all Exit With her Go forward Joane here 's a fine world When the cart must go afore the horse A man to come poking thus behind a woman My M ris is gone before Ioane you shall go behinde I 'le put you in before another time Exit Ent. Emma and Sibert Em. The night grows old we must dispatch and kill him Sib. True Emma for ere to morrow's breath Our lives doe hang in fearfull hazard Em. Think then what follows Sib. Nothing but this that thou observe my vow Which this night here I make in sight of heaven And call the powers both good bad to heare it By Sibert's soul I 'le never see the Sun Till the King die and this black deed be done Let hell record my vow the King shall die This night concludes his horrid tragedy Em. Enough I 'le shew thee then these instrumental hands That shall perform it see Sibert here they are Ent. Two Murderers With resolution more strongly armed then with their hands 1 Murd That 's worth a thousand weapons Sib. I like their looks they have no signe of pity 2 Murd Pity a pox of pity pitty's for babies Say but the word and I 'le wipe out pity sheath this weapon in your side Sib. The deed once done I 'le load you both with gold But where will you hide the body when hee 's dead Em. Know this my Lord here by the uncouth cavern of a wall A solitary brook doth glide along Which we have turn'd from forth his proper course And in the mid'st o' th channel digg'd a pit Where when the murdred King is once intomb'd The nimble current shall be brought again And overrun the royall Sepulchre This being done what bloud-hound or what art Can finde the body some fifty fathom layd Beneath the river 1 Murd This is brave my Lord. Sib. Beyond comparison I admire thee Emma Goe conduct them to the chamber secretly And when the King 's asleep 2 Murd He never wakes Sib. Follow my Lady then Both Murd We 'l bear her company Ex. unt Sib. So so ha ha he sleep Lord secure Untill the horrid shreekes of a Kings murder wake thee Night yet thou art smooth and lookst upon us with a Smiling eye keep still thy golden cheek Be not thou sick for under casualities The Eclips is past that was the Herald to this fatall hour Some twelf months since or if thou wilt frown on us We can not be out dared who 's there Ent. Emma My Emma speak is all prepared Em. All to the life my love The murderers plac't the King 's a bed His first sleep is his last Sib. Excellent sentence Hast thou the Postern key to convey them forth To bear the body to the place appointed Em. Think you that any thing I could forget That houlds dependance on so deep an action Sib. Good obscure your self untill the watch be past Whose company I 'le keep to night hear you See you remember still to urge the murderers When all 's dispatcht to flie the Land with speed Till wonder be worne out Em. Till fear be under foot I 'le forget nothing Exit The Gard's upon the round I hear them coming Ent. Wiltshire and Garde Gard. Stand who 's there Sib. A friend and your kind fellow Gentlemen The Lord of this poor mansion whose watchfull duty cannot sleep to night Gard. My Lord of Coventry Sib. Nay lay by all Titles I 'le pertake your travels I 'le tell you Sirs it is my honor's test That nothing doe disturbe the quiet sleep Of my most Royall Leige you shall accept me a companion Wilt. Your Honor doe express your self most noble To give attendance in a personall duty Sib. 'T is fit it should be so 't is my Castle And I can guide you through all the turnes And angles of the Court and as you finde my care So make report VVilt I shall attend your Lordship another with the lights Exeunt Ent. Murderers with the body Emma meeting them 1 Murd Tread softly you slave Em. O happy sight is 't done 2 Murd This does confirm it Em. Did he not shrick 1 Murd Sfoot doe you think we gave him warning 2 Mard. No we took him unnawares he prayd devoutly When he went to bed as if he ment never to Wake again no sooner was he laid but ere his eyes Had closed their fleshy windows of their light But we stept in and with the pillow stopt his mouth Lest with his clamorous cries he should have raysed the house Or by his prayers wan us to pitty Him then with these poniards Yet reeking with his blood we pierc't his heart Cut off his tedious prayer Em. Here take this key and by the Postern bear it to the pit Digg'd in the river bottom which being cover'd Wee 'l turn the water to his former course Then make for safety till the storm be past And we are all secure Here 's more gold for you 2 Murd Look you be silent and ne're fear our safety 1 Murd It shall never be reveald for us Em. Was