And had his altars deck'd with dusky lights; And night made semblance of the hue of hell; * This day, this hour, this fatal night, Shall fully shew the fury of them all.- Enter Apothecary. Apoth. My lord? Guise. Now shall I prove, and guerdon to the The love thou bear'st unto the house of Guise. Oft have I levell'd, and at last have learn'd Apoth. See where they be, my good lord; and Contrives, imagines, and fully executes, he that smells But to them, dies. Guise. Then thou remain'st resolute ? Apoth. I am, my lord, in what your grace commands, Till death. Matters of import aimèd at by many, For this, hath heaven engender'd me of earth; Guise. Thanks, my good friend: I will requite For this, from Spain the stately Catholics Go, then, present them to the Queen Navarre; Soldier! Sold. My lord? Enter a Soldier. Send Indian gold to coin me French ecues;* A pension, and a dispensation too; Fie, I am asham'd, however that I seem, To think a word of such a simple sound, Of so great matter should be made the ground! Guise. Now come thou forth, and play thy The gentle king, whose pleasure uncontroll'd tragic part: Stand in some window, opening near the street, Guise. Now, Guise, begin those deep-engen- To burst abroad those never-dying flames *This day, &c.] Something wanting in this line. Qy. "and this fatal night,”—“hour" being, as it very often is, a dissyllable? t which I sent] The modern editors, for the metre, print, "which late I sent." Enter a Soldier, &c.] "L'assassin fut bientôt trouvé. On choisit le fameux Maurevel, qui se cacha dans une maison devant laquelle l'amiral passoit tous les jours en revenant du Louvre," &c. Anquetil,-Hist. de France, t. v. 226, ed. 1817. Weakeneth his body, and will waste his realin, To supply my wants and necessity. Five hundred fat Franciscan friars and priests: *ecues] i. e. crowns. All this, and more, if more may be compris'd, Since thou hast all the cards within thy hands, That hinder our possession to the crown. That those which do behold them † may become [Exit. Enter the KING OF NAVARRE, QUEEN MARGARET, the OLD QUEEN OF NAVARRE, the PRINCE OF CONDE, and the ADMIRAL; they are met by the Apothecary with the gloves, which he gives to the OLD QUEEN. Apoth. Madam, I beseech your grace to accept this simple gift. Old Q. of Nav. Thanks, my good friend. Hold, take thou this reward. [Gives a purse. Apoth. I humbly thank your majesty. [Exit. Old Q. of Nav. Methinks the gloves have a very strong perfume, The scent whereof doth make my head to ache. Nav. Doth not your grace know the man that gave them you? Old Q of Nav. Not well; but do remember such a man. Adm. Your grace was ill-advis'd to take them, then, Considering of these dangerous times. Old Q. of Nav. Help, son Navarre! I am poison'd! Mar. The heavens forbid your highness such mishap! Nav. The late suspicion of the Duke of Guise Might well have mov'd your highness to beware How you did meddle with such dangerous gifts. * Navarre] Old ed. "Nauarre, Nauarre." them] Old ed. "they." Enter the King of Navarre, &c.] Scene, a street. Mar. Too late it is, my lord, if that be true, To blame her highness; but I hope it be Only some natural passion makes her sick. Old Q. of Nav. O, no, sweet Margaret! the fatal poison Works within my head; my brain-pan breaks; My heart doth faint; I die! [Dies. Nav. My mother poison'd here before my face! O gracious God, what times are these! O, grant, sweet God, my days may end with hers, That I with her may die and live again! Mar. Let not this heavy chance, my dearest lord, (For whose effects my soul is massacrèd,) Infect thy gracious breast with fresh supply To aggravate our sudden misery. Adm. Come, my lords, let us bear her body hence, And see it honoured with just solemnity. [As they are going out, the Soldier dischargeth his musket at the ADMIRAL. Con. What, are you hurt, my Lord High Admiral? Adm. Ay, my good lord, shot through the arm. And let us go tell the king of this. The cursed Guisians, that do seek our death. [Exeunt, bearing out the body of the OLD QUEEN OF Enter KING CHARLES, CATHERINE the Queen-Mother, GUISE, ANJOU, and DUMAINE. Cath. My noble son, and princely Duke of Now have we got the fatal, straggling deer Char. Madam, it will be noted through the world An action bloody and tyrannical; *Works] The modern editors print, for the metre, "Doth work."-Qy. "Worketh"? the body of the Old Queen of Navarre] "La reine de Navarre arriva à la cour au milieu du mois de mai [1572], et le 9 juin elle étoit morte. Un cri se fit entendre par toute la France qu'elle avoit été empoisonnée; cependant, malgré les recherches les plus exactes, on ne lui trouva aucune trace de poison. Mais que ne pouvoit-on pas présumer, après les exemples trop sûrs qu'on avoit des morts aussi nécessaires, procurées par différents moyens?" Anquetil,-Hist. de France, t. v. 220, ed. 1817. Enter King Charles, &c.] Scene, an apartment in the Louvre. Besides, my heart relents that noblemen, Ladies of honour, knights, and gentlemen, Should, for their conscience, taste such ruthless ends. Anj. Though gentle minds should pity others' pains, Yet will the wisest note their proper griefs, Your highness to consider of the thing, And rather choose to seek your country's good Than pity or relieve these upstart heretics. Cath. I hope these reasons may serve my princely son To have some care for fear of enemies. Char. Well, madam, I refer it to your majesty, And to my nephew here, the Duke of Guise: What you determine, I will ratify. Cath. Thanks to my princely son. Then tell me, Guise, What order will you set down for the massacre? That shall be actors in this massacre, have of heresy, Then I'll Cath. Your majesty were best go visit him, And make a show as if all were well. Char. Content; I will go visit the Admiral. Guise. And I will go take order for his death. [Exeunt CATHERINE and GUISE. The ADMIRAL discovered in bed.* Char. How fares it with my Lord High Hath he been hurt with villains in the street? That seek to massacre our guiltless lives! Char. Assure yourself, my good Lord Admiral, I deeply sorrow for your treacherous wrong; And that I am not more secure myself Than I am careful you should be preserv'd.Cousin, take twenty of our strongest guard, And, under your direction, see they keep All treacherous violence from our noble friend; Repaying all attempts with present death Upon the cursed breakers of our peace.— And so be patient, good Lord Admiral, And every hour I will visit you. Adm. I humbly thank your royal majesty. [Exeunt CHARLES, &c. Scene closes. Enter GUISE, ANJOU, DUMAINE, GONZAGO, RETES, § MOUNTSORRELL, and Soldiers, to the massacre. Guise. Anjou, Dumaine, Gonzago, Retes, swear, By the argent crosses in your burgonets, To kill all that you suspect of heresy. Dum. I swear by this, to be unmerciful. *The Admiral discovered in bed] Old ed. "Enter the Admirall in his bed." Sometimes such stage-directions meant that a bed, containing the sleeper, was to be thrust upon the stage; but we may conclude from a subsequent scene (p. 231, first col.) that here, a curtain having been drawn, the Admiral was discovered on a bed, upon what was called the upper-stage. The audience were now to suppose that they beheld the Admiral's sleeping apartment. The old ed. does not mark the exit of Catherine; but it is evident that our poet intended her to go out here. We are told, however, by historians that she accompanied the king when he visited the wounded Admiral: see note on Mem. de Sully, t. i. 48, ed. 1747, Loudres. this] Old ed. "their." Enter Guise, &c.] Scene, a street. § Gonzago, Retes] i. e. Louis de Gonzague, Duc de Nevers; and Albert de Gondi, Duc de Retz. Anj. I am disguis'd, and none knows who I am, And therefore mean to murder all I meet. Gon. And so will I. Retes. And I. Guise. Away, then! break into the Admiral's Retes. Ay, let the Admiral be first despatch'd. Chief standard-bearer to the Lutherans, Gonzago, conduct them thither; and then Anj. That charge is mine.-Switzers, keep you And at each corner shall the king's guard stand. [Exit GONZAGO with others. Guise. Then throw him down. [The body of the ADMIRAL is thrown down. See where my soldier shot him through the arm; now. Ah, base Chatillon and degenerate, The Duke of Guise stamps on thy lifeless bulk! hands,* And send them for a present to the Pope; Anj. Cousin, the captain of the Admiral's Shall, being dead, be hang'd thereon in chains. guard, [The ADMIRAL discovered in bed; Gonzago and Anj. In lucky time: come, let us keep this And slay his servants that shall issue out. Gon. Where is the Admiral? Adm. O, let me pray before I die! Gon. Then pray unto our Lady; kiss this So in Heywood's Four Prentises of London, the Soldier, having captured "Take them to guard: this entrance to our warres Sig. G. 4. ed. 1615. The Admiral discovered in bed: Gonzago and others in the house] Old ed. "Enter into the Admirals house, and he in his bed." Here, we must suppose that, a curtain having been drawn (as before, p. 230, sec. col.), the Admiral was discovered in bed,-on the upper-stage, as it appears from what Guise presently says, "Then throw him down."-The Admiral's body was thrown out of the window see Mezeray's Hist. de France, t. ii. 1095, ed. 1646. It would seem that the audience were now to suppose that they saw at once both the interior of the Admiral's dwelling, and the street or court before it !"L'Amiral étoit logé dans la rue Betify, dans une Auberge qui est aujourd'hui l'Hôtel S. Pierre." Note on Mem. de Sully, t. i. 55, ed. 1747, Londres. Guise. Anjou, Gonzago, Retes, if that you three Will be as resolute as I and Dumaine, *cut off his head and hands, &c.] "Vn Italien de sa garde [of the Chevalier's guard] luy coupa la teste, et la porta incontinent à la Reyne mere, qui l'ayant enbaumée, à ce que disent les Huguenots, l'enuoya à Rome." Mezeray, ubi supra. ↑ Mount Faucon] So the old ed.; and so indeed our early authors usually wrote the name; "O, may they once as high as Haman mount, p. 517, ed. 1641. "La populace s'attache à ce malheureux corps sans teste, et lui fait toutes les indignitez imaginables: premierement ils luy coupent les mains et les parties honteuses, et e laissent sur le fumier d'vne escurie; puis l'apredisnée, ils le reprennent, le traisnent trois iours durant par es boules, et le iettent dans l'eau; après l'en ayant retiré, ils le portent à Montfaucon, où le pendant les pieds en haut auec vne chaisne de fer, ils allument du feu dessous pour le brusler: mais il n'en est que grillé seulement, et non pas consumé. Ainsi leur vengeance s'acharnant sur celuy qu'ils auoient tant apprehendé viuant, le tourmenta par tous les elemens, iusqu'à tant que le Mareschal de Montmorency fit desrober durant vne nuit obscure ces miserables restes, et leur donna repos dans sa Chappelle de Chantilly." Mezeray, ubi supra.—“A little on this side Paris, euen at the towns end, there is the fayrest Gallowes that euer I saw, built vpon a little hillocke called Mount Falcon, which consisteth of fourteene faire pillars of free-stone: this gallowes was made in the time of the Guisian massacre, to hang the Admirall of France Chatillion, who was a Protestant, Anno Dom. 1572." Coryat's Crudities, &c. p. 20, ed. 1611.-I may just observe that the treatment of the Admiral's body in a later scene (p. 234, sec. col.) is at variance with the present speech of Anjou. Anj. I swear by this cross, we'll not be partial, Without the intercession of some saint? But slay as many as we can come near. Guise. Mountsorrell, go shoot the ordnance off, That they, which have already set the street, May know their watchword; then toll the bell, And so let's forward to the massacre. Sanctus Jacobus, he's † my saint; pray to him. [Stabs SEROUNE, who dies; and then exit. Enter RAMUS, in his study. Ramus. What fearful cries come from the river Seine,+ That fright poor Ramus sitting at his book! Enter TALEUS. § Tal. Fly, Ramus, fly, if thou wilt save thy life! Ramus. Tell me, Talæus, wherefore should I fly? Tal. The Guisians are Hard at thy door, and mean to murder us: window. Ramus. Sweet Talæus, stay. Enter GONZAGO and RETES. Gon. Who goes there? Retes. 'Tis Talæus, Ramus' bedfellow. Tal. I am, as Ramus is, a Christian. [Exit TALEUS. Gon. Come, Ramus, more gold, or thou shalt have the stab. Ramus. Alas, I am a scholar! how should I All that I have is but my stipend from the king, Enter GUISE, ANJOU, DUMAINE, MOUNTSORRELL, and Anj. Who have you there? Retes. "Tis Ramus, the king's Professor of Ramus. O, good my lord, Wherein hath Ramus been so offensious? Guise. Marry, sir, in having a smack in all, And yet didst never sound anything to the depth. * Sanctus] Old ed. "Sancta," t he's] Old ed. "he was." Seine] Old ed. "Rene." Talaus] i. e. Audomarus Talæus. |