A King, and No King by Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher (ebook smartphone .txt) 📕

Rather than follow it: Know that I have lost, The only difference betwixt man and beast, My reason.

Pan.

Heaven forbid.

Arb.

Nay 'tis gone; And I am left as far without a bound, As the wild Ocean, that obeys the winds; Each sodain passion throwes me where it lists, And overwhelms all that oppose my will: I have beheld thee with a lustfull eye; My heart is set on wickedness to act Such sins with thee, as I have been afraid To think of, if thou dar'st consent to this, Which I beseech thee do not, thou maist gain Thy liberty, and yield me a content; If not, thy dwelling must be dark and close, Where I may never see thee; For heaven knows That laid this punishment upon my pride, Thy sight at some time will enforce my madness To make a start e'ne to thy ravishing; Now spit upon me, and call all reproaches Thou canst devise together, and at once Hurle'em against me: for I am a sickness As killing as the plague, ready to seize thee.

Pan.

Far be it from me to revile the King: But it is true, that I shall rather choose To search out death, that else would search out me, And in a grave sleep with my innocence, Than welcome such a sin: It is my fate, To these cross accidents I was ordain'd, And must have patience; and but that my eyes Have more of woman in 'em than my heart, I would not weep: Peace enter you again.

Arb.

Farwell, and good Panthea pray for me, Thy prayers are pure, that I may find a death However soon before my passions grow That they forget what I desire is sin; For thither they are tending: if that happen, Then I shall force thee tho' thou wert a Virgin By vow to Heaven, and shall pull a heap Of strange yet uninvented sin upon me.

Pan.

Sir, I will pray for you, yet you shall know It is a sullen fate that governs us, For I could wish as heartily as you I were no sister to you, I should then Imbrace your lawfull love, sooner than health.

Arb.

Couldst thou affect me then?

Pan.

So perfectly, That as it is, I ne're shall sway my heart, To like another.

Arb.

Then I curse my birth, Must this be added to my miseries That thou art willing too? is there no stop To our full happiness, but these meer sounds Brother and Sister?

Pan.

There is nothing else, But these alas will separate us more Than twenty worlds betwixt us.

Arb.

I have liv'd To conquer men and now am overthrown Only by words Brother and Sister: where Have those words dwelling? I will find 'em out, And utterly destroy 'em; but they are Not to be grasp'd: let 'em be men or beasts, And I will cut 'em from the Earth, or Towns, And I will raze 'em, and the[n] blow 'em up: Let 'em be Seas, and I will drink 'em off, And yet have unquencht fire left in my breast: Let 'em be any thing but meerly voice.

Pan.

But 'tis not in the power of any force, Or policy to conquer them.

Arb.

Panthea, What shall we do? Shall we stand firmly here, and gaze our eyes out?

Pan.

Would I could do so, But I shall weep out mine.

Arb.

Accursed man, Thou bought'st thy reason at too dear a rate, For thou hast all thy actions bounded in With curious rules, when every beast is free: What is there that acknowledges a kindred But wretched man? Who ever saw the Bull Fearfully leave the Heifer that he lik'd Because they had one Dam?

Pan.

Sir, I disturb you and my self too; 'Twere better I were gone.

Arb.

I will not be so foolish as I was, Stay, we will love just as becomes our births, No otherwise: Brothers and Sisters may Walk hand in hand together; so will we, Come nearer: is there any hurt in this?

Pan.

I hope not.

Arb.

Faith there is none at all: And tell me truly now, is there not one You love above me?

Pan.

No by Heaven.

Arb.

Why yet you sent unto Tigranes, Sister.

Pan.

True, but for another: for the truth--

Arb.

No more, I'le credit thee, thou canst not lie, Thou art all truth.

Pan.

But is there nothing else, That we may do, but only walk? methinks Brothers and Sisters lawfully may kiss.

Arb.

And so they may Panthea, so will we, And kiss again too; we were too scrupulous, And foolish, but we will be so no more.

Pan.

If you have any mercy, let me go To prison, to my death, to any thing: I feel a sin growing upon my blood, Worse than all these, hotter than yours.

Arb.

That is impossible, what shou'd we do?

Pan.

Flie Sir, for Heavens sake.

Arb.

So we must away, Sin grows upon us more by this delay.

[Exeunt several wayes.



Actus Quintus.

Enter Mardonius And Lygones.

Mar.

Sir, the King has seen your Commission, and believes it, and freely by this warrant gives you power to visit Prince Tigranes, your Noble Master.

Lygr.

I thank his Grace and kiss his hand.

Mar.

But is the main of all your business ended in this?

Lyg.

I have another, but a worse, I am asham'd, it is a business.

Mar.

You serve a worthy person, and a stranger I am sure you are; you may imploy me if you please without your purse, such Offices should ever be their own rewards.

Lyg.

I am bound to your Nobleness.

Mar.

I may have need of you, and then this courtesie, If it be any, is not ill bestowed; But may I civilly desire the rest? I shall not be a hurter if no helper.

Lyg.

Sir you shall know I have lost a foolish Daughter, And with her all my patience, pilfer'd away By a mean Captain of your Kings.

Mar.

Stay there Sir: If he have reacht the Noble worth of Captain, He may well claim a worthy Gentlewoman, Though she were yours, and Noble.

Lyg.

I grant all that too: but this wretched fellow Reaches no further than the empty name That serves to feed him; were he valiant, Or had but in him any noble nature That might hereafter promise him a good man, My cares were so much lighter, and my grave A span yet from me.

Mar.

I confess such fellows Be in all Royal Camps, and have and must be, To make the sin of Coward more detested In the mean souldier that with such a foil Sets off much valour. By description I should now guess him to you, it was Bessus, I dare almost with confidence pronounce it.

Lyg.

'Tis such a scurvie name as Bessus, and now I think 'tis he.

Mar.

Captain do you call him? Believe me Sir, you have a misery Too mighty for your age: A pox upon him, For that must be the end of all his service: Your Daughter was not mad Sir?

Lyg.

No, would she had been, The fault had had more credit: I would do something.

Mar.

I would fain counsel you, but to what I know not, he's so below a beating, that the Women find him not worthy of their Distaves, and to hang him were to cast away a Rope; he's such an Airie, thin unbodyed Coward, that no revenge can catch him: I'le tell you Sir, and tell you truth; this Rascal fears neither God nor man, he has been so beaten: sufferance has made him Wainscot: he has had since he was first a slave, at least three hundred Daggers set in's head, as little boys do new Knives in hot meat, there's not a Rib in's body o' my Conscience that has not been thrice broken with dry beating: and now his sides look like two Wicker Targets, every way bended; Children will shortly take him for a Wall, and set their Stone-bows in his forehead, he is of so base a sense, I cannot in a week imagine what shall be done to him.

Lyg.

Sure I have committed some great sin That this fellow should be made my Rod, I would see him, but I shall have no patience.

Mar.

'Tis no great matter if you have not: if a Laming of him, or such a toy may do you pleasure Sir, he has it for you, and I'le help you to him: 'tis no news to him to have a Leg broken, or Shoulder out, with being turn'd o'th' stones like a Tansie: draw not your Sword if you love it; for on my Conscience his head will break it: we use him i'th' Wars like a Ram to shake a wall withal. Here comes the very person of him, do as you shall find your temper, I must leave you: but if you do not break him like a Bisket, you are much to blame Sir.

[Exit Mar.

Enter Bessus And the Sword men.

Lyg.

Is your name Bessus?

Bes.

Men call me Captain Bessus.

Lyg.

Then Ca[p]tain Bessus, you are a rank rascall, without more exordiums, a durty frozen slave; and with the favor of your friends here I will beat you.

2 Sword.

Pray use your pleasure Sir, You seem to be a Gentleman.

Lyg.

Thus Captain Bessus, thus; thus twing your nose, thus kick, thus tread you.

Bes.

I do beseech you yield your cause Sir quickly.

Lyg.

Indeed I should have told that first.

Bes.

I take it so.

1 Sword.

Captain, he should indeed, he is mistaken.

Lyg.

Sir, you shall have it quickly, and more beating, you have stoln away a Lady, Captain coward, and such an one.

beats him.

Bes.

Hold, I beseech you, hold Sir, I never yet stole any living thing that had a tooth about it.

Lyg.

I know you dare lie.

Bes.

With none but Summer Whores upon my life Sir, my means and manners never could attempt above a hedge or hay-cock.

Lyg.

Sirra, that quits not me, where is this Lady?