17.0.11259Enter Sueno, King of Denmark, with Rosilio, 1260and other attendants. Rosilio, is this the place whereas
17.2The Duke William
1262should meet me?
The Duke William should meet me? It is, and like your grace.
Go, captain, away; regard the charge I gave:
17.41265See all our men be marshalled for the fight,
17.51266Dispose the wards as lately was devised,
17.61267And let the prisoners under several guards
17.71268Be kept apart until you hear from us.
17.81269Let this suffice, you know my resolution.
17.91270If William, Duke of Saxon, be the man
17.101271That by his answer sent us, he would send
17.111272Not words but wounds. Not parleys, but alarums
17.121273Must be decider of this controversy.
17.131274Rosilio, stay with me; the rest begone.
17.13.1Exeunt [all but Sueno and Rosilio]. 17.13.21275Enter William, and Demarch, with other attendants. All but Demarch go shroud you out of sight,
17.151277For I will go parley with the prince myself.
Should Sueno by this parley call you forth
No, no, Demarch,
17.20That were a breach
1282against the law of arms.
17.21[To attendants] Therefore begone,
1283and leave us here alone.
17.221284I see that Sueno is master of his word.
17.231285Sueno, William of Saxony greeteth thee,
17.241286Either well or ill, according to thy intent.
17.251287If well thou wish to him and Saxony,
17.261288He bids thee friendly well as he can;
17.281290He must withstand thy malice as he may.
William,
17.30For other name and title give I none
17.311292To him, who, were he worthy of those honours
17.321293That Fortune and his predecessors left,
17.331294I ought by right and humane courtesy
17.341295To grace his style with ‘Duke of Saxony始,
17.351296But, for I find a base, degenerate mind,
17.361297I frame my speech according to the man,
17.371298And not the state that he unworthy holds.
Herein, Sueno, dost thou abase thy state:
17.391300To break the peace which by our ancestors
17.401301Hath heretofore been honourably kept.
And should that peace forever have been kept,
17.421303Had not thyself been author of the breach.
17.431304Nor stands it with the honour of my state,
17.451306That I should so be robbèd of my daughter,
Is this the colour of your quarrel, Sueno?
17.491310I well perceive the wisest men may err.
17.501311And think you I conveyed away your daughter Blanche?
Art thou so impudent to deny thou didst,
17.521313When that the proof thereof is manifest?
What proof is there?
1315Thine own confession is sufficient proof.
Did I confess I stole your daughter Blanche?
Thou didst confess thou hadst a lady hence.
I have and do.
Why, that was Blanche, my daughter.
1320Nay, that was Mariana,
17.601321Who wrongfully thou detain始st prisoner.
Shameless, persisting in thy ill,
17.621323Thou dost maintain a manifest untruth,
17.631324As she shall justify unto thy teeth.
17.641325Rosilio, fetch her and the Marquis hither.
17.64.11326Exit Rosilio for Mariana [and Marquis Lübeck]. It cannot be I should be so deceived!
I heard this night among the soldiers
17.671329That in their watch they took a pensive lady,
17.681330Who, at th始appointment of the Lord Dirot
17.69Is yet in keeping.
1331What she is I know not;
17.701332Only thus much I overheard by chance.
And what of this?
It may be Blanche, the King of Denmark始s daughter.
1335It may be so, but on my life, it is not!
17.741336Yet, Demarch, go and fetch her straight.
17.74.21337Enter Rosilio with the Marquis [and Mariana]. Pleaseth your highness,
17.76Here is the Marquis and Mariana.
See here, Duke William, your competitors
17.781340That were consenting to my daughter始s 始scape.
17.791341Let them resolve you of the truth herein.
17.801342And here I vow and solemnly protest,
17.811343That in thy presence they shall lose their heads
17.821344Unless I hear whereas my daughter is.
1345Oh, Marquis Lübeck, how it grieveth me
17.841346That for my sake thou shouldst endure these bonds.
17.851347Be judge, my soul, that feels the martyrdom.
Duke William, you know it is for your cause
17.871349It pleaseth thus the King to misconceive of me,
17.881350And for his pleasure doth me injury.
May it please your highness,
Away, Demarch, what tell始st thou me of ladies?
17.921355I so detest the dealing of their sex,
17.931356As that I count a lover始s state to be
17.94The base
1357and vilest slavery in the world.
[Aside] What humours are these? Here始s a strange alteration!
See, Duke William, is this Blanche or no?
17.971360You know her if you see her, I am sure.
Sueno, I was deceived, yea, utterly deceived.
17.991362Yet this is she: the same is Lady Blanche.
17.1031366The man which loved and honoured thee with his heart.
When first I came into your highness始 court,
17.107To ease the grief your daughter did sustain:
17.1081370She should meet Sir William masked, as it were.
17.1091371This put in proof, did take so good effect,
17.1101372As yet it seems his grace is not resolved
May this be true? It cannot be but true.
17.1131375Was it Lady Blanche which I conveyed away?
17.115With him which meant to thee nought but faith.
[Kneeling] Pardon, dear father, my follies that are past,
17.1181380Which I in reverence ought to show your grace.
17.1191381For, led by love, I thus have gone astray,
Stand up, dear daughter, though thy fault deserves
17.1221384For to be punished in the extremest sort,
17.1241386Makes love in parents wink at children始s faults.
17.1251387Sufficeth, Blanche, thy father loves thee so,
17.1261388Thy follies past he knows but will not know.
17.1271389And here, Duke William, take my daughter to thy wife,
17.1281390For well I am assured she loves thee well.
A proper conjunction!
17.130As who should say,
1392lately come out of the fire,
17.1311393I would go thrust myself into the flame.
17.1321394Let Mistress Nice go Saint it where she list,
17.1331395And coyly quaint it with dissembling face.
17.1341396I hold in scorn the fooleries that they use –
17.1351397I, being free, will never subject myself
17.1361398To any such as she is underneath the sun.
Refuseth thou to take my daughter to thy wife?
17.139More mischief on thee than thou canst avoid.
Conceit hath wrought such general dislike
17.1431405They are all disloyal, unconstant, all unjust.
17.1451408Will say there始s no such creatures on the ground.
Unconstant knight, though some deserve no trust,
17.1471410There始s others faithful, loving, loyal, and just.
17.147.11411Enter to them Valingford, with Em and [Goddard] the Miller, 1412and Mountney, and Manville, and Elinor. How now, Lord Valingford, what makes these women here?
Here be two women, may it please your grace,
17.151In strife whether shall have him to their husband.
Stand forth, women, and say
17.1531418To whether of you did he first give his faith.
To me, forsooth.
To me, forsooth. To me, my gracious lord.
Speak, Manville, to whether didst thou give thy faith?
[Indicating Em] To say the truth, this maid had first my love.
Yea, Manville, but there was no witness by.
Thy conscience, Manville, a hundred witnesses!
1425She hath stolen a conscience to serve her own turn.
1426But you are deceived, i始faith he will none of you.
Indeed, dread lord, so dear I held her love,
17.1621429But some impediments, which at that instant happen始d,
17.1641431For which I had her father始s frank consent.
What were the impediments?
Why, she could neither hear nor see.
Now she doth both. Maiden, how were you cured?
1435Pardon, my lord, I始ll tell your grace the truth,
17.1701437I loved this Manville so much that still my thought
17.1721439The form and feature of that countenance,
17.1731440Which I did shrine an idol in mine heart.
17.1751442That equaled Manville in my partial eye.
17.1771444But that I held the same in high regard,
17.1811448To hear them speak, or saw them when they came.
17.1821449On which I straight took order with myself
17.1841451By counterfeiting that I neither saw nor heard, –
17.1861453All this I did to keep my Manville始s love,
1455And did my Em, to keep her faith with me,
17.1891456Dissemble that she neither heard nor saw?
17.1901457Pardon me, sweet Em, for I am only thine.
Lay off thy hands, disloyal as thou art!
17.1921459Nor shalt thou have possession of my love
17.1931460That canst so finely shift thy matters off.
17.1941461Put case I had been blind and could not see,
17.1961463That pleaseth God, which all things doth dispose:
17.1971464Shouldst thou forsake me in regard of that?
17.199Hadst thou been blind,
1466or deaf, or dumb, or else
17.201Em would have loved, and kept,
1468and honoured thee,
17.202Yea, begged if wealth had failed
1469for thy relief.
1470Forgive me, sweet Em.
I do forgive thee with my heart,
17.2051472And will forget thee too, if case I can.
17.2061473But never speak to me, nor seem to know me.
Then farewell, Frost,
1475well fare a wench that will!
Mine, Manville? Thou never shalt be mine!
17.211I live I will abhor thy company.
1480Is it come to this? Of late I had choice of twain
17.2131481On either side to have me to her husband,
17.2141482And now am utterly rejected of them both.
My lord,
17.216This gentleman, when time was
1484stood something
17.217In our light,
1485and now I think it not amiss
17.2181486To laugh at him that some time scorned at us.
Content, my lord, invent the form.
Content, my lord, invent the form. Then thus:—
I see that women are not general evils.
17.2241493Not as thy friend, but as thy son-in-law,
1495I joy to see your grace so tractable.
17.2281497And after my decease, the Denmark crown.
[To Manville] Now, sir, how stands the case with you?
I partly am persuaded, as your grace is,
17.2311500My lord, he is best at ease that meddleth least.
Sir, may a man be so bold
1502as to crave
A word with you? Yea, two or three. What are they?
I say, this maid will have thee to her husband.
1505And I say this: and thereof will I lay
And I say this: whereon I will lay as much.
And I say neither: what say you to that?
If that be true, then are we both deceived.
Why, it is true, and you are both deceived.
1510In mine eyes, this is the proper始st wench.
17.2421511Might I advise thee, take her unto thy wife.
It seems to me she hath refusèd him.
Why, there始s the spite.
If one refuse him, yet may he have the other.
1515He will ask but her good will, and all her friends始.
Might I advise thee, let them both alone.
Yea, that始s the course, and thereon will I stand.
17.2491518Such idle love henceforth I will detest.
The fox will eat no grapes, and why?
1520I know full well, because they hang too high.
And may it be a miller始s daughter by her birth?
Sir Thomas Goddard hight this reverend man,
17.2551524Famed for his virtues and his good success,
17.2561525Whose fame hath been renownèd through the world.
Sir Thomas Goddard, welcome to thy prince,
17.2581527And fair Em, frolic with thy good father.
17.2601529As good Sir Edmund Trafford on the plains,
17.2611530He like a shepherd, and thou our country miller.
And longer let not Goddard live a day
But say, Sir Thomas, shall I give thy daugher?
Goddard and all that he hath
1535doth rest at the pleasure of your majesty.
And what says Em to lovely Valingford?
Em rests at the pleasure of your highness,
Then here, Lord Valingford,
1542receive fair Em.
17.2721543Here take her, make her thy espousèd wife.
17.2731544Then go we in, that preparation may be made
17.2741545To see these nuptials solemnly performed.