Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois Part 51

_Char._ I care not much if twere Against thy selfe; thy sister would have sham'd To have thy brothers wreake with any man In single combat sticke so in her fingers. 95

_Cler._ My sister! know you her?

_Tam._ I, sir, shee sent him With this kinde letter, to performe the wreake Of my deare servant.

_Cler._ Now, alas! good sir, Thinke you you could doe more?

_Char._ Alas! I doe; And wer't not I, fresh, sound, should charge a man 100 Weary and wounded, I would long ere this Have prov'd what I presume on.

_Cler._ Y'have a minde Like to my sister, but have patience now; If next charge speede not, Ile resigne to you.

_Mont._ Pray thee, let him decide it.

_Cler._ No, my lord, 105 I am the man in fate; and since so bravely Your lords.h.i.+p stands mee, scape but one more charge, And, on my life, Ile set your life at large.

_Mont._ Said like a D'Ambois, and if now I die, Sit joy and all good on thy victorie! 110

_Fights, and fals downe._

_Mont._ Farewell! I hartily forgive thee; wife, And thee; let penitence spend thy rest of life.

_Hee gives his hand to Cler[mont] and his wife._

_Cler._ n.o.ble and Christian!

_Tam._ O, it breakes my heart.

_Cler._ And should; for all faults found in him before These words, this end, makes full amends and more. 115 Rest, worthy soule; and with it the deare spirit Of my lov'd brother rest in endlesse peace!

Soft lie thy bones; Heaven be your soules abode; And to your ashes be the earth no lode!

_Musicke, and the Ghost of Bussy enters, leading the Ghost[s] of the Guise, Monsieur, Cardinall Guise, and Shattilion; they dance about the dead body, and exeunt._

_Cler._ How strange is this! The Guise amongst these spirits, 120 And his great brother Cardinall, both yet living!

And that the rest with them with joy thus celebrate This our revenge! This certainely presages Some instant death both to the Guise and Cardinall.

That the Shattilions ghost to should thus joyne 125 In celebration of this just revenge With Guise that bore a chiefe stroke in his death, It seemes that now he doth approve the act; And these true shadowes of the Guise and Cardinall, Fore-running thus their bodies, may approve 130 That all things to be done, as here wee live, Are done before all times in th'other life.

That spirits should rise in these times yet are fables; Though learnedst men hold that our sensive spirits A little time abide about the graves 135 Of their deceased bodies, and can take, In colde condenc't ayre, the same formes they had When they were shut up in this bodies shade.

_Enter Aumall._

_Aumale._ O sir, the Guise is slaine!

_Cler._ Avert it heaven!

_Aum._ Sent for to Councill by the King, an ambush 140 (Lodg'd for the purpose) rusht on him, and tooke His princely life; who sent (in dying then) His love to you, as to the best of men.

_Cler._ The worst and most accursed of things creeping On earths sad bosome. Let me pray yee all 145 A little to forbeare, and let me use Freely mine owne minde in lamenting him.

Ile call yee straight againe.

_Aum._ We will forbeare, And leave you free, sir. _Exeunt._

_Cler._ Shall I live, and hee Dead, that alone gave meanes of life to me? 150 Theres no disputing with the acts of Kings; Revenge is impious on their sacred persons.

And could I play the worldling (no man loving Longer then gaine is reapt or grace from him) I should survive; and shall be wondred at 155 Though (in mine owne hands being) I end with him: But friends.h.i.+p is the s.e.m.e.nt of two mindes, As of one man the soule and body is, Of which one cannot sever but the other Suffers a needfull separation. 160

_Ren._ I feare your servant, madame: let's descend.

_Descend Ren[el] & Coun[tess]._

_Cler._ Since I could skill of man, I never liv'd To please men worldly, and shall I in death Respect their pleasures, making such a jarre Betwixt my death and life, when death should make 165 The consort sweetest, th'end being proofe and crowne To all the skill and worth wee truely owne?

Guise, O my lord, how shall I cast from me The bands and coverts hindring me from thee?

The garment or the cover of the minde 170 The humane soule is; of the soule, the spirit The proper robe is; of the spirit, the bloud; And of the bloud, the body is the shrowd.

With that must I beginne then to unclothe, And come at th'other. Now, then, as a s.h.i.+p 175 Touching at strange and farre removed sh.o.r.es, Her men a sh.o.r.e goe, for their severall ends, Fresh water, victuals, precious stones, and pearle, All yet intentive, when the master cals, The s.h.i.+p to put off ready, to leave all 180 Their greediest labours, lest they there be left To theeves or beasts, or be the countries slaves: So, now my master cals, my s.h.i.+p, my venture All in one bottome put, all quite put off, Gone under saile, and I left negligent 185 To all the horrors of the vicious time, The farre remov'd sh.o.r.es to all vertuous aimes, None favouring goodnesse, none but he respecting Pietie or man-hood--shall I here survive, Not cast me after him into the sea, 190 Rather then here live, readie every houre To feede theeves, beasts, and be the slave of power?

I come, my lord! Clermont, thy creature, comes.

_Hee kils himselfe._

_Enter Aumal, Tamyra, Charlotte._

_Aum._ What! lye and languish, Clermont! Cursed man, To leave him here thus! hee hath slaine himselfe. 195

_Tam._ Misery on misery! O me wretched dame, Of all that breath! all heaven turne all his eyes In harty envie thus on one poore dame.

_Char._ Well done, my brother! I did love thee ever, But now adore thee: losse of such a friend 200 None should survive, of such a brother [none.]

With my false husband live, and both these slaine!

Ere I returne to him, Ile turne to earth.

_Enter Renel leading the Countesse._

_Ren._ Horror of humane eyes! O Clermont D'Ambois!

Madame, wee staid too long, your servant's slaine. 205

_Coun._ It must be so; he liv'd but in the Guise, As I in him. O follow life mine eyes!

_Tam._ Hide, hide thy snakie head; to cloisters flie; In pennance pine; too easie tis to die.

_Char._ It is. In cloisters then let's all survive. 210 Madame, since wrath nor griefe can helpe these fortunes, Let us forsake the world in which they raigne, And for their wisht amends to G.o.d complaine.

_Count._ Tis fit and onely needfull: leade me on; In heavens course comfort seeke, in earth is none. _Exeunt._ 215

_Enter Henry, Espernone, Soissone, and others._

_Henry._ Wee came indeede too late, which much I rue, And would have kept this Clermont as my crowne.

Take in the dead, and make this fatall roome (The house shut up) the famous D'Ambois tombe. _Exeunt._

_FINIS._

LINENOTES:

_opens_. Emended by ed.; Q, opes.

25 _n.o.bleman_. Two words in Q.