The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster (books to read for teens .txt) 📕

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 recover’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 enjoin’d to’t
By himself; and he seem’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 he’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,
I’d not come at you, now I have protested against it.

Cardinal

Why, I thank you.

Grisolan

’Twas a foul storm tonight.

Roderigo

The Lord Ferdinand’s chamber shook like an osier.

Malatesti

’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
Julia’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 serv’d my turn,
He dies.

Exit. Enter Bosala. Bosola

Ha! ’twas the cardinal’s voice; I heard him name
Bosola and my death. Listen; I hear one’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 to’t? So; it must be done i’ th’ dark; the cardinal would not for a thousand pounds the doctor should see it. Exit. Bosola

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

Enter Antonio and Servant. Servant

Here stay, sir, and be confident, I pray;
I’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!⁠—Stabs him.
I’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.⁠—Bosola!

Servant

O, misfortune!

Bosola

Smother thy pity, thou art dead else.⁠—Antonio!
The man I would have sav’d ’bove mine own life!
We are merely the stars’ tennis-balls, struck and banded
Which way please them.⁠—O good Antonio,
I’ll whisper one thing in thy dying ear
Shall make thy heart break quickly! Thy fair duchess
And two sweet children⁠—

Antonio

Their very names
Kindle a little life in me.

Bosola

Are murder’d.

Antonio

Some men have wish’d to die
At the hearing of sad tidings; I am glad
That I shall do’t in sadness.118 I would not now
Wish my wounds balm’d nor heal’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 th’ air.
Pleasure of life, what is’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 seem’st to have lov’d Antonio.

Servant

I brought him hither,
To have reconcil’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.⁠—O, my fate moves swift!
I have this cardinal in the forge already;
Now I’ll bring him to th’ hammer. O direful misprision!119
I will not imitate things glorious.
No more than base; I’ll be mine own example.⁠—
On, on, and look thou represent, for silence,
The thing thou bear’st.120

Exeunt. Scene V

Another apartment in the same.

Enter Cardinal, with a book. Cardinal

I am puzzl’d in a question about hell;
He says, in hell there’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 arm’d with a rake,
That seems to strike at me.

Enter Bosala, and Servant bearing Antonio’s body.

Now, art thou come?
Thou look’st ghastly;
There sits in thy face some great determination
Mix’d with some fear.

Bosola

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

Cardinal

Ha!⁠—Help! our guard!

Bosola

Thou art deceiv’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 betray’d!

Bosola

I have confin’d your flight:
I’ll suffer your retreat to Julia’s chamber,
But no further.

Cardinal

Help! we are betray’d!

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

Listen.

Cardinal

My dukedom for rescue!

Roderigo

Fie upon his counterfeiting!

Malatesti

Why, ’tis not the cardinal.

Roderigo

Yes, yes, ’tis he:
But, I’ll see him hang’d ere I’ll go down to him.

Cardinal

Here’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 sword’s at my throat!

Roderigo

You would not bawl so loud then.

Malatesti

Come, come, let’s go to bed: he told us this much aforehand.

Pescara

He wish’d