The Duchess of Malfi John Webster (intellectual books to read TXT) š
- Author: John Webster
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You shall not watch tonight by the sick prince;
His grace is very well recoverād.
Good my lord, suffer us.
CardinalO, by no means;
The noise, and change of object in his eye,
Doth more distract him. I pray, all to bed;
And though you hear him in his violent fit,
Do not rise, I entreat you.
So, sir; we shall not.
CardinalNay, I must have you promise
Upon your honours, for I was enjoinād toāt
By himself; and he seemād to urge it sensibly.
Let our honours bind this trifle.
CardinalNor any of your followers.
MalatestiNeither.
CardinalIt may be, to make trial of your promise,
When heās asleep, myself will rise and feign
Some of his mad tricks, and cry out for help,
And feign myself in danger.
If your throat were cutting,
Iād not come at you, now I have protested against it.
Why, I thank you.
GrisolanāTwas a foul storm tonight.
RoderigoThe Lord Ferdinandās chamber shook like an osier.
MalatestiāTwas nothing put pure kindness in the devil
To rock his own child.
The reason why I would not suffer these
About my brother, is, because at midnight
I may with better privacy convey
Juliaās body to her own lodging. O, my conscience!
I would pray now; but the devil takes away my heart
For having any confidence in prayer.
About this hour I appointed Bosola
To fetch the body. When he hath servād my turn,
He dies.
Ha! ātwas the cardinalās voice; I heard him name
Bosola and my death. Listen; I hear oneās footing.
Strangling is a very quiet death.
BosolaAside. Nay, then, I see I must stand upon my guard.
Ferdinand What say to that? Whisper softly: do you agree toāt? So; it must be done iā thā dark; the cardinal would not for a thousand pounds the doctor should see it. Exit. BosolaMy death is plotted; hereās the consequence of murder.
We value not desert nor Christian breath,
When we know black deeds must be curād with death.
Here stay, sir, and be confident, I pray;
Iāll fetch you a dark lantern.
Could I take him at his prayers,
There were hope of pardon.
Fall right, my sword!ā āStabs him.
Iāll not give thee so much leisure as to pray.
O, I am gone! Thou hast ended a long suit
In a minute.
What art thou?
AntonioA most wretched thing,
That only have thy benefit in death,
To appear myself.
Where are you, sir?
AntonioVery near my home.ā āBosola!
ServantO, misfortune!
BosolaSmother thy pity, thou art dead else.ā āAntonio!
The man I would have savād ābove mine own life!
We are merely the starsā tennis-balls, struck and banded
Which way please them.ā āO good Antonio,
Iāll whisper one thing in thy dying ear
Shall make thy heart break quickly! Thy fair duchess
And two sweet childrenā ā
Their very names
Kindle a little life in me.
Are murderād.
AntonioSome men have wishād to die
At the hearing of sad tidings; I am glad
That I shall doāt in sadness.118 I would not now
Wish my wounds balmād nor healād, for I have no use
To put my life to. In all our quest of greatness,
Like wanton boys whose pastime is their care,
We follow after bubbles blown in thā air.
Pleasure of life, what isāt? Only the good hours
Of an ague; merely a preparative to rest,
To endure vexation. I do not ask
The process of my death; only commend me
To Delio.
Break, heart!
AntonioAnd let my son fly the courts to princes. Dies.
BosolaThou seemāst to have lovād Antonio.
ServantI brought him hither,
To have reconcilād him to the cardinal.
I do not ask thee that.
Take him up, if thou tender thine own life,
And bear him where the lady Julia
Was wont to lodge.ā āO, my fate moves swift!
I have this cardinal in the forge already;
Now Iāll bring him to thā hammer. O direful misprision!119
I will not imitate things glorious.
No more than base; Iāll be mine own example.ā ā
On, on, and look thou represent, for silence,
The thing thou bearāst.120
Another apartment in the same.
Enter Cardinal, with a book. CardinalI am puzzlād in a question about hell;
He says, in hell thereās one material fire,
And yet it shall not burn all men alike.
Lay him by. How tedious is a guilty conscience!
When I look into the fishponds in my garden,
Methinks I see a thing armād with a rake,
That seems to strike at me.
Now, art thou come?
Thou lookāst ghastly;
There sits in thy face some great determination
Mixād with some fear.
Thus it lightens into action:
I am come to kill thee.
Ha!ā āHelp! our guard!
BosolaThou art deceivād; they are out of thy howling.
CardinalHold; and I will faithfully divide
Revenues with thee.
Thy prayers and proffers
Are both unseasonable.
Raise the watch!
We are betrayād!
I have confinād your flight:
Iāll suffer your retreat to Juliaās chamber,
But no further.
Help! we are betrayād!
Enter, above, Pescara, Malatesti, Roderigo, and Grisolan. MalatestiListen.
CardinalMy dukedom for rescue!
RoderigoFie upon his counterfeiting!
MalatestiWhy, ātis not the cardinal.
RoderigoYes, yes, ātis he:
But, Iāll see him hangād ere Iāll go down to him.
Hereās a plot upon me; I am assaulted! I am lost,
Unless some rescue!
He doth this pretty well;
But it will not serve to laugh me out of mine honour.
The swordās at my throat!
RoderigoYou would not bawl so loud then.
MalatestiCome, come, letās go to bed: he told us this much aforehand.
PescaraHe wishād
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