Classic Poem

[SCENE II]

Enter Old M ONTFERRERS and C HARLEMONT . Mont .

I prithee, let this current of my teares
Diuert thy inclination from the warre,
For of my children thou art onely left
To promise a succession to my house.
And all the honour thou canst get by armes
Will giue but vaine addition to thy name;
Since from thy auncestours thou dost deriue
A dignitie sufficient, and as great
As thou hast substance to maintaine and beare.
I prithee, stay at home. Charl .

My noble Father,
The weakest sigh you breathe hath power to turne
My strongest purpose, and your softest teare
To melt my resolution to as soft
Obedience; but my affection to the warre
Is as hereditary as my bloud
To eu'ry life of all my ancestry.
Your predecessours were your presidents,
And you are my example. Shall I serue
For nothing but a vaine Parenthesis.
I' th' honour'd story of your Familie?
Or hang but like an emptie Scutcheon
Betweene the trophees of my predecessours,
And the rich Armes of my posteritie?
There's not a French-man of good bloud and youth,
But either out of spirit or example
Is turn'd a Souldier. Onely Charlemont
Must be reputed that same heartlesse thing
That Cowards will be bold to play upon.

Enter D' AMVILLE , R OUSARD , and S EBASTIAN . D'am .

Good morrow, my Lord. Mont .

Morrow, good brother. Charl .

Good morrow, Uncle. D'am .

Morrow, kinde Nephew.
What, ha' you washed your eyes wi' teares this morning?
Come, by my soule, his purpose does deserue
Your free consent; — your tendernesse disswades him.
What to the Father of a Gentleman
Should be more tender then the maintenance.
And the increase of honour to his house?
My Lord, here are my Boyes. I should be proud
That either this were able, or that inclin'd
To be my Nephewe's braue competitor. Mont .

Your importunities haue ouercome.
Pray God my forc'd graunt proue not ominous! D'am .

We haue obtain'd it — Ominous! in what?
It cannot be in any thing but death.
And I am of a confident beliefe.
That eu'n the time, place, manner of our deathes
Doe follow Fate with that necessitie
That makes us sure to dye. And in a thing
Ordain'd so certainly unalterable,
What can the use of prouidence preuaile?

Enter B ELFOREST , L EUIDULCIA , C ASTABELLA , attended . Bel .

Morrow, my Lord Montferrers, Lord D'amville.
Good morrow, Gentlemen. Couzen Charlemont,
Kindly good morrow. Troth, I was afear'd
I should ha' come too late to tell you that
I wish your undertakings a successe
That may deserue the measure of their worth. Char .

My Lord, my dutie would not let me goe
Without receiuing your commandiments. Bel .

Accomplements are more for ornament
Then use. Wee should imploy no time in them
But what our serious businesse will admit. Mont .

Your fauour had by his duty beene preuented,
If we had not with-held him in the way. D'am .

Hee was a coming to present his seruice;
But now no more. The booke inuites to breakfast.
Wilt please your Lordship enter? — Noble Lady!

Manent C HARLEMONT and C ASTABELLA . Charl .

My noble Mistresse, this accomplement
Is like an elegant and mouing speech,
Compos'd of many sweete perswasiue points,
Which second one another, with a fluent
Increase and confirmation of their force,
Reseruing still the best untill the last,
To crowne the strong impulsion of the rest
With a full conquest of the hearer's sense:
Because th' impression of the last we speake
Doth alwayes longest and most constantly
Possesse the entertainment of remembrance;
So all that now salute my taking leaue
Haue added numerously to the loue
Wherewith I did receiue their courtesie.
But you, deare Mistresse, being the last and best
That speakes my farewell, like th' imperious close
Of a most sweete Oration, wholy haue
Possess'd my liking, and shall euer liue
Within the soule of my true memory.
So, Mistresse, with this kisse I take my leaue. Casta .

My worthy Seruant, you mistake th' intent
Of kissing. 'Twas not meant to separate
A paire of Louers, but to be the seale
Of Loue; importing by the joyning of
Our mutuall and incorporated breaths,
That we should breathe but one contracted life.
Or stay at home, or let me goe with you. Charl .

My Castabella, for my selfe to stay,
Or you to goe, would either taxe my youth
With a dishonourable weakenesse, or
Your louing purpose with immodestie.

Enter L ANGUEBEAU S NUFFE .

And, for the satisfaction of your loue,
Heere comes a man whose knowledge I haue made
A witnesse to the contract of our vowes,
Which my returne, by marriage, shall confirme. Lang .

I salute you both with the spirit of copulation, already informed of your matrimoniall purposes, and will testimonie to the integritie — Casta .

O the sad trouble of my fearefull soule!
My faithfull seruant, did you neuer heare
That when a certaine great man went to th' warre,
The louely face of heauen was masqu'd with sorrow,
The sighing windes did moue the breast of earth,
The heauie cloudes hung downe their mourning heads,
And wept sad showers the day that hee went hence;
As if that day presag'd some ill successe
That fatallie should kill his happinesse.
And so it came to passe. Me thinkes my eyes
(Sweet Heau'n forbid!) are like those weeping cloudes,
And as their showers presag'd, so doe my teares.
Some sad euent will follow my sad feares. Charl .

Fie, superstitious! Is it bad to kisse? Casta .

May all my feares hurt me no more then this Lang .

Fie, fie, fie! these carnall kisses doe stirre up the Concupiscences of the flesh.

Enter B ELFOREST and L EUIDULCIA . Leuid .

O! here's your daughter under her seruant's lips. Charl .

Madame, there is no cause you should mistrust
The kisse I gaue; 'twas but a parting one. Leuid .

A lustie bloud! Now by the lip of Loue,
Were I to choose your joyning one for mee — Bel .

Your Father stayes to bring you on the way.
Farewell. The great Commander of the warre
Prosper the course you undertake! Farewell. Charl .
My Lord, I humbly take my leaue. — Madame,
I kisse your hand. — And your sweet lip. — Farewell.

Manent C HARLEMONT and L ANGUEBEAU .

Her power to speake is perish'd in her teares.
Something within me would perswade my stay,
But Reputation will not yeeld unto't.
Dear Sir, you are the man whose honest trust
My confidence hath chosen for my friend.
I feare my absence will discomfort her.
You haue the power and opportunitie
To moderate her passion. Let her griefe
Receiue that friendship from you, and your Loue
Shall not repent itselfe of courtesie. Lang .

Sir, I want words and protestation to insinuate into your credit; but in plainnesse and truth, I will qualifie her griefe with the spirit of consolation. Charl .

Sir, I will take your friendship up at use,
And feare not that your profit shall be small;
Your interest shall exceede your principall.

Enter D 'AMVILLE and B ORACHIO . D'am .

Monsieur Languebeau! happily encountered. The honestie of your conuersation makes me request more int'rest in your familiaritie. Lang .

If your Lordship will be pleased to salute me without ceremonie, I shall be willing to exchange my seruice for your fauour; but this worshipping kinde of entertainment is a superstitious vanitie; in plainnesse and truth, I loue it not. D'am .

I embrace your disposition, and desire to giue you as liberall assurance of my loue as my Lord Belforest, your deserued fauourer. Lang .

His Lordship is pleased with my plainnesse and truth of conuersation. D'am .

It cannot displease him. In the behauiour of his noble daughter Castabella a man may read her worth and your instruction. Lang .

That Gentlewoman is most sweetly modest, faire, honest, handsome, wise, well-borne, and rich. D'am .

You haue giuen me her picture in small. Lang .

She's like your Dyamond; a temptation in euery man's eye, yet not yeelding to any light impression her selfe. D'am .

The praise is hers, but the comparison your owne. Lang .

You shall forgiue me that, Sir. D'am .

I will not doe so much at your request as forgiue you it. I will onely giue you it, Sir. By — — You will make me sweare. Lang .

O! by no meanes. Prophane not your lippes with the foulnesse of that sinne. I will rather take it. To saue your oath, you shall lose your Ring — Verily, my Lord, my praise came short of her worth. She exceedes a Jewell. This is but onely for ornament: she both for ornament and use. D'am .

Yet unprofitably kept without use. Shee deserues a worthy Husband, Sir. I haue often wish'd a match betweene my elder sonne and her. The marriage would joyne the houses of Belforest and D'amville into a noble alliance. Lang .

And the unitie of Families is a worke of loue and charitie. D'am .

And that worke an imployment well becomming the goodnesse of your disposition. Lang .

If your Lordship please to impose it upon mee, I will carry it without any second end; the surest way to satisfie your wish. D'am .

Most joyfully accepted — Rousard! Here are Letters to my Lord Belforest, touching my desire to that purpose.

Enter R OUSARD sickely .

Rousard, I send you a suitor to Castabella. To this Gentleman's discretion I commit the managing of your suite. His good successe shall be most thankefull to your trust. Follow his instructions; he will be your leader. Lang .

In plainnesse and truth. Rous .

My leader! Does your Lordship thinke mee too weake to giue the on set my selfe? Lang .

I will onely assist your proceedings. Rous .

To say true, so I thinke you had neede; for a sicke man can hardly get a woman's good will without help. Lang .

Charlemont, thy gratuitie and my promises were both
But words, and both, like words, shall vanish into ayre.
For thy poore empty hand I must be mute;
This giues me feeling of a better suite.

Exeunt L ANGUEBEAU and R OUSARD . D'am .

Barochio, didst precisely note this man? Bor .

His owne profession would report him pure. D'am .

And seemes to knowe if any benefit
Arises of religion after death.
Yet but compare 's profession with his life; —
They so directly contradict themselues,
As if the end of his instructions were
But to diuert the world from sinne, that hee
More easily might ingrosse it to himselfe.
By that I am confirm'd an Atheist.
Well! Charlemont is gone; and here thou seest
His absence the foundation of my plot. Bor .

Hee is the man whom Castabella loues. D'am .

That was the reason I propounded him
Employment, fix'd upon a forraine place,
To draw his inclination out o' th' way. Bor .

'Thas left the passage of our practise free. D'am .
This Castabella is a wealthy heire;
And by her marriage with my elder Sonne
My house is honour'd and my state increas'd.
This worke alone deserues my industry;
But if it prosper, thou shalt see my braine
Make this but an induction to a point
So full of profitable policie,
That it would make the soule of honestie.
Ambitious to turne villaine. Bor .

I bespeake
Employment in 't. I'le be an instrument
To grace performance with dexteritie. D'am .

Thou shalt. No man shall rob thee of the honour.
Goe presently and buy a crimson Scarfe
Like Charlemont's: prepare thee a disguise
I' th' habite of a Soldiour, hurt and lame;
And then be ready at the wedding feast,
Where thou shalt haue imployment in a worke
Will please thy disposition. Bor .

As I vow'd,
Your instrument shall make your project proud. D'am .

This marriage will bring wealth. If that succeede,
I will increase it though my Brother bleed.