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in the residence of the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Enter Cardinal, Pescara, Malatesti, Roderigo, and Grisolan. Cardinal

You shall not watch tonight by the sick prince;
His grace is very well recoverā€™d.

Malatesti

Good my lord, suffer us.

Cardinal

O, 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.

Pescara

So, sir; we shall not.

Cardinal

Nay, I must have you promise
Upon your honours, for I was enjoinā€™d toā€™t
By himself; and he seemā€™d to urge it sensibly.

Pescara

Let our honours bind this trifle.

Cardinal

Nor any of your followers.

Malatesti

Neither.

Cardinal

It may be, to make trial of your promise,
When heā€™s asleep, myself will rise and feign
Some of his mad tricks, and cry out for help,
And feign myself in danger.

Malatesti

If your throat were cutting,
Iā€™d not come at you, now I have protested against it.

Cardinal

Why, I thank you.

Grisolan

ā€™Twas a foul storm tonight.

Roderigo

The Lord Ferdinandā€™s chamber shook like an osier.

Malatesti

ā€™Twas nothing put pure kindness in the devil
To rock his own child.

Exeunt all except the Cardinal. Cardinal

The reason why I would not suffer these
About my brother, is, because at midnight
I may with better privacy convey
Juliaā€™s 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 servā€™d my turn,
He dies.

Exit. Enter Bosala. Bosola

Ha! ā€™twas the cardinalā€™s voice; I heard him name
Bosola and my death. Listen; I hear oneā€™s footing.

Enter Ferdinand. Ferdinand

Strangling is a very quiet death.

Bosola

Aside. Nay, then, I see I must stand upon my guard.

Ferdinand What say to that? Whisper softly: do you agree toā€™t? So; it must be done iā€™ thā€™ dark; the cardinal would not for a thousand pounds the doctor should see it. Exit. Bosola

My death is plotted; hereā€™s the consequence of murder.
We value not desert nor Christian breath,
When we know black deeds must be curā€™d with death.

Enter Antonio and Servant. Servant

Here stay, sir, and be confident, I pray;
Iā€™ll fetch you a dark lantern.

Exit. Antonio

Could I take him at his prayers,
There were hope of pardon.

Bosola

Fall right, my sword!ā ā€”Stabs him.
Iā€™ll not give thee so much leisure as to pray.

Antonio

O, I am gone! Thou hast ended a long suit
In a minute.

Bosola

What art thou?

Antonio

A most wretched thing,
That only have thy benefit in death,
To appear myself.

Re-enter Servant with a lantern. Servant

Where are you, sir?

Antonio

Very near my home.ā ā€”Bosola!

Servant

O, misfortune!

Bosola

Smother thy pity, thou art dead else.ā ā€”Antonio!
The man I would have savā€™d ā€™bove mine own life!
We are merely the starsā€™ tennis-balls, struck and banded
Which way please them.ā ā€”O good Antonio,
Iā€™ll whisper one thing in thy dying ear
Shall make thy heart break quickly! Thy fair duchess
And two sweet childrenā ā€”

Antonio

Their very names
Kindle a little life in me.

Bosola

Are murderā€™d.

Antonio

Some men have wishā€™d to die
At the hearing of sad tidings; I am glad
That I shall doā€™t in sadness.118 I would not now
Wish my wounds balmā€™d nor healā€™d, 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 isā€™t? 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.

Bosola

Break, heart!

Antonio

And let my son fly the courts to princes. Dies.

Bosola

Thou seemā€™st to have lovā€™d Antonio.

Servant

I brought him hither,
To have reconcilā€™d him to the cardinal.

Bosola

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 ā€”O, my fate moves swift!
I have this cardinal in the forge already;
Now Iā€™ll bring him to thā€™ hammer. O direful misprision!119
I will not imitate things glorious.
No more than base; Iā€™ll be mine own example.ā ā€”
On, on, and look thou represent, for silence,
The thing thou bearā€™st.120

Exeunt. Scene V

Another apartment in the same.

Enter Cardinal, with a book. Cardinal

I am puzzlā€™d in a question about hell;
He says, in hell thereā€™s 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 armā€™d with a rake,
That seems to strike at me.

Enter Bosala, and Servant bearing Antonioā€™s body.

Now, art thou come?
Thou lookā€™st ghastly;
There sits in thy face some great determination
Mixā€™d with some fear.

Bosola

Thus it lightens into action:
I am come to kill thee.

Cardinal

Ha!ā ā€”Help! our guard!

Bosola

Thou art deceivā€™d; they are out of thy howling.

Cardinal

Hold; and I will faithfully divide
Revenues with thee.

Bosola

Thy prayers and proffers
Are both unseasonable.

Cardinal

Raise the watch!
We are betrayā€™d!

Bosola

I have confinā€™d your flight:
Iā€™ll suffer your retreat to Juliaā€™s chamber,
But no further.

Cardinal

Help! we are betrayā€™d!

Enter, above, Pescara, Malatesti, Roderigo, and Grisolan. Malatesti

Listen.

Cardinal

My dukedom for rescue!

Roderigo

Fie upon his counterfeiting!

Malatesti

Why, ā€™tis not the cardinal.

Roderigo

Yes, yes, ā€™tis he:
But, Iā€™ll see him hangā€™d ere Iā€™ll go down to him.

Cardinal

Hereā€™s a plot upon me; I am assaulted! I am lost,
Unless some rescue!

Grisolan

He doth this pretty well;
But it will not serve to laugh me out of mine honour.

Cardinal

The swordā€™s at my throat!

Roderigo

You would not bawl so loud then.

Malatesti

Come, come, letā€™s go to bed: he told us this much aforehand.

Pescara

He wishā€™d

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