The palace banqueting hall
In a dumb show, the possessing of the young duke [Lussurioso] with all his Nobles. Then sounding music, a furnish’d table is brought forth; then enters the duke [Lussurioso] and his [three] Nobles to the banquet. A blazing star appeareth.
[FIRST] NOBLE
Many harmonious hours and choicest pleasures
Fill up the royal numbers of your years.
LUSSURIOSO
My lords, we’re pleas’d to thank you [aside] tho’ we know
’Tis but your duty now to wish it so.
[FIRST] NOBLE
That shine makes us all happy.
THIRD NOBLE
[Aside] His grace frowns?
SECOND NOBLE
[Aside] Yet we must say he smiles.
FIRST NOBLE
[Aside] I think we must.
LUSSURIOSO
[Aside] That foul, incontinent duchess we have banish’d;
The bastard shall not live: after these revels
I’ll begin strange ones; he and the stepsons
Shall pay their lives for the first subsidies.
We must not frown so soon, else ‘t ‘ad been now.
FIRST NOBLE
My gracious lord, please you prepare for pleasure:
The masque is not far off.
LUSSURIOSO
We are for pleasure.
[To the comet] Beshrew thee, what art thou mad’st me start?
Thou hast committed treason: a blazing star!
FIRST NOBLE
A blazing star? Oh, where, my lord?
LUSSURIOSO
Spy out!
SECOND NOBLE
See, see, my lords: a wondrous, dreadful one.
LUSSURIOSO
I am not pleas’d at that ill-knotted fire,
That bushing, flaring star. Am not I duke?
It should not quake me now: had it appear’d
Before it, I might then have justly fear’d;
But yet they say, whom art and learning weds,
When stars [wear] locks, they threaten great men’s heads.
Is it so? You are read, my lords.
FIRST NOBLE
May it please your grace,
It shows great anger.
LUSSURIOSO
That does not please our grace.
SECOND NOBLE
Yet here’s the comfort, my lord: many times
When it seems most, it threatens fardest off.
LUSSURIOSO
Faith, and I think so too.
FIRST NOBLE
Beside, my lord,
You’re gracefully establish’d with the loves
Of all your subjects: and for natural death,
I hope it will be threescore years a-coming.
LUSSURIOSO
True. No more but threescore years?
FIRST NOBLE
Fourscore I hope, my lord.
SECOND NOBLE
And fivescore, I.
THIRD NOBLE
But ’tis my hope, my lord, you shall ne’er die.
LUSSURIOSO
Give me thy hand; these others I rebuke.
He that hopes so is fittest for a duke.
Thou shalt sit next me; take your places, lords:
We’re ready now for sports; let ‘em set on.
[To the comet] You thing, we shall forget you quite anon!
THIRD NOBLE
I hear ‘em coming, my lord.
Enter the Masque of Revengers: the two brothers [Vindici and Hippolito] and two Lords more.
LUSSURIOSO
Ah, ’tis well.
[Aside] Brothers and bastard, you dance next in hell.
The Revengers dance. At the end, steal out their swords and these four kill the four at the table in their chairs. It thunders.
VINDICI
Mark thunder?
Dost know thy cue, thou big-voic’d crier?
Dukes’ groans are thunder’s watchwords.
HIPPOLITO
So, my lords, you have enough.
VINDICI
Come, let’s away, no ling’ring.
HIPPOLITO
Follow, go.
Exeunt [Hippolito and the two lords].
VINDICI
No power is angry when the lustful die;
When thunder claps, heaven likes the tragedy.
Exit Vindici. Enter the other masque of intended murderers: stepsons [Ambitioso, Supervacuo], bastard [Spurio], and a Fourth Man [Ambitioso’s henchman], coming in dancing; the duke [Lussurioso] recovers a little in voice and groans, calls, “A guard, treason,” at which they all start out of their measure, and turning towards the table, they find them all to be murdered.
LUSSURIOSO
Oh, oh!
SPURIO
Whose groan was that?
LUSSURIOSO
Treason, a guard!
AMBITIOSO
How now? All murder’d!
SUPERVACUO
Murder’d!
FOURTH MAN
And those his nobles?
AMBITIOSO
Here’s a labour sav’d:
I thought to have sped him. ‘Sblood, how came this?
[SUPERVACUO]
Then I proclaim myself: now I am duke.
AMBITIOSO
Thou duke! Brother, thou liest.
[Kills Supervacuo.]
SPURIO
Slave, so dost thou!
[Kills Ambitioso.]
FOURTH MAN
Base villain, hast thou slain my lord and master?
[Kills Spurio.] Enter the first men [Vindici, Hippolito, the two Lords].
VINDICI
Pistols, treason, murder! Help, guard my lord the duke!
[Enter Antonio, guards.]
HIPPOLITO
Lay hold upon this traitor!
[The guards seize the Fourth Man.]
LUSSURIOSO
Oh!
VINDICI
Alas, the duke is murder’d!
HIPPOLITO
And the nobles!
VINDICI
Surgeons, surgeons! Heart, does he breathe so long?
ANTONIO
A piteous tragedy, able to [make]
An old man’s eyes bloodshot.
LUSSURIOSO
Oh!
VINDICI
Look to my lord the duke! [Aside] A vengeance throttle him!
[To the Fourth Man] Confess, thou murd’rous and [unhallowed] man,
Didst thou kill all these?
FOURTH MAN
None but the bastard I.
VINDICI
How came the duke slain then?
FOURTH MAN
We found him so.
LUSSURIOSO
Oh, villain!
VINDICI
Hark!
LUSSURIOSO
Those in the masque did murder us.
VINDICI
Law you now, sir.
Oh, marble impudence! Will you confess now?
FOURTH MAN
[‘Sblood], ’tis all false!
ANTONIO
Away with that foul monster,
Dipp’d in a prince’s blood!
FOURTH MAN
Heart, ’tis a lie!
ANTONIO
Let him have bitter execution.
[Exit Fourth Man, guarded.]
VINDICI
[Aside] New marrow! No, I cannot be express’d! —
How fares my lord the duke?
LUSSURIOSO
Farewell to all;
He that climbs highest has the greatest fall.
My tongue is out of office.
VINDICI
Air, gentlemen, air!
[Whispering] Now thou’lt not prate on’t, ’twas [Vindici] murd’red thee —
LUSSURIOSO
Oh!
VINDICI
Murd’red thy father —
LUSSURIOSO
Oh!
VINDICI
And I am he.
Tell nobody. [Lussurioso dies.] So, so, the duke’s departed.
ANTONIO
It was a deadly hand that wounded him.
The rest, ambitious who should rule and sway,
After his death were so made all away.
VINDICI
My lord was unlikely.
HIPPOLITO
Now the hope
Of Italy lies in your reverend years.
VINDICI
Your hair will make the silver age again,
When there was fewer but more honest men.
ANTONIO
The burden’s weighty and will press age down;
May I so rule that heaven [may] keep the crown.
VINDICI
The rape of your good lady has been quitted
With death on death.
ANTONIO
Just is the law above.
But of all things it puts me most to wonder
How the old duke came murd’red.
VINDICI
Oh, my lord!
ANTONIO
It was the strangeliest carried, I not [heard]
Of the like.
HIPPOLITO
’Twas all done for the best, my lord.
VINDICI
All for your grace’s good; we may be bold to speak it now,
’Twas somewhat witty carried, tho’ we say it.
’Twas we two murd’red him.
ANTONIO
You two?
VINDICI
None else, i’faith, my lord; nay, ’twas well manag’d.
ANTONIO
Lay hands upon those villains!
[Guards seize Vindici and Hippolito.]
VINDICI
How? On us?
ANTONIO
Bear ‘em to speedy execution.
VINDICI
Heart, was’t not for your good, my lord?
ANTONIO
My good! Away with ‘em! Such an old man as he!
You that would murder him would murder me.
VINDICI
Is’t come about?
HIPPOLITO
‘Sfoot, brother, you begun.
VINDICI
May not we set as well as the duke’s son?
Thou hast no conscience: are we not reveng’d?
Is there one enemy left alive amongst those?
’Tis time to die when we are ourselves our foes.
When murders shut deeds close, this curse does seal ‘em:
If none disclose ‘em they themselves reveal ‘em!
This murder might have slept in tongueless brass
But for ourselves, and the world died an ass.
Now I remember too, here was Piato
Brought forth a knavish sentence: no doubt, said he,
But time will make the murderer bring forth himself.
’Tis well he died; he was a witch.
And now, my lord, since we are in forever,
This work was ours which else might have been slipp’d,
And if we list, we could have nobles clipp’d
And go for less than beggars, but we hate
To bleed so cowardly; we have enough. I’faith,
We’re well: our mother turn’d, our sister true,
We die after a nest of dukes. Adieu.
Exeunt [Vindici and Hippolito, guarded].
ANTONIO
How subtly was that murder clos’d! Bear up
Those tragic bodies; ’tis a heavy season:
Pray heaven their blood may wash away all treason.
[Exeunt omnes.]
FINIS