[_They wash him with puddle water, and shave his beard away._ Immortal powers! that knows the painful cares That waits upon my poor distressed soul!

O level all your looks upon these daring men, 40 That wrongs their liege and sovereign, England"s king.

O Gaveston, "tis for thee that I am wronged, For me, both thou and both the Spencers died!

And for your sakes a thousand wrongs I"ll take.

The Spencers" ghosts, wherever they remain, Wish well to mine; then tush, for them I"ll die.

_Mat._ "Twixt theirs and yours shall be no enmity.

Come, come away; now put the torches out, We"ll enter in by darkness to Killingworth.

_Enter_ KENT.

_Gur._ How now, who comes there? 50

_Mat._ Guard the king sure: it is the Earl of Kent.

_Enter_ Soldiers.

_Edw._ O gentle brother, help to rescue me!

_Mat._ Keep them asunder; thrust in the king.

_Kent._ Soldiers, let me but talk to him one word.

_Gur._ Lay hands upon the earl for his a.s.sault.

_Kent._ Lay down your weapons, traitors, yield the king.

_Mat._ Edmund, yield thou thyself, or thou shalt die.

_Kent._ Base villains, wherefore do you gripe me thus!

_Gur._ Bind him and so convey him to the court.

_Kent._ Where is the court but here? here is the king; 60 And I will visit him; why stay you me?

_Mat._ The court is where Lord Mortimer remains; Thither shall your honour go; and so farewell.

[_Exeunt_ MATREVIS _and_ GURNEY, _with the_ KING.

KENT _and the_ Soldiers _remain_.

_Kent._ O miserable is that commonweal, Where lords keep courts, and kings are locked in prison?

_Sol._ Wherefore stay we? on, sirs, to the court.

_Kent._ I, lead me whither you will, even to my death, Seeing that my brother cannot be released.

[_Exeunt._

SCENE IV.

_Enter_[322] YOUNG MORTIMER.

_Y. Mor._ The king must die, or Mortimer goes down.

The commons now begin to pity him.

Yet he that is the cause of Edward"s death, Is sure to pay for it when his son"s of age; And therefore will I do it cunningly.

This letter, written by a friend of ours, Contains his death, yet bids them save his life. [_Reads._ _Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonum est Fear not to kill the king "tis good he die._ But read it thus, and that"s another sense: 10 _Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonum est Kill not the king "tis good to fear the worst._ Unpointed as it is, thus shall it go, That, being dead, if it chance to be found, Matrevis and the rest may bear the blame, And we be quit that caused it to be done.

Within this room is locked the messenger, That shall convey it, and perform the rest: And by a secret token that he bears, Shall he be murdered when the deed is done.-- 20 Lightborn, come forth!

_Enter_ LIGHTBORN.

Art thou so resolute as thou wast?

_Light._ What else, my lord? and far more resolute.

_Y. Mor._ And hast thou cast how to accomplish it?

_Light._ I, I, and none shall know which way he died.

_Y. Mor._ But at his looks, Lightborn, thou wilt relent.

_Light._ Relent! ha, ha! I use much to relent.

_Y. Mor._ Well, do it bravely, and be secret.

_Light._ You shall not need to give instructions; "Tis not the first time I have killed a man. 30 I learned in Naples how to poison flowers; To strangle with a lawn thrust through[323] the throat; To pierce the windpipe with the needle"s point; Or whilst one is asleep, to take a quill And blow a little powder in his ears: Or open his mouth and pour quicksilver down.

And yet I have a braver way than these.

_Y. Mor._ What"s that?

_Light._ Nay, you shall pardon me; none shall know my tricks.

_Y. Mor._ I care not how it is, so it be not spied. 40 Deliver this to Gurney and Matrevis.

At every ten mile end thou hast a horse.

Take this, away, and never see me more.

_Light._ No!

_Y. Mor._ No; Unless thou bring me news of Edward"s death.

_Light._ That will I quickly do; farewell, my lord. [_Exit._

_Y. Mor._ The prince I rule, the queen do I command, And with a lowly conge to the ground, The proudest lords salute me as I pa.s.s: 50 I seal, I cancel, I do what I will: Feared am I more than loved--let me be feared; And when I frown, make all the court look pale.

I view the prince with Aristarchus" eyes, Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.

They thrust upon me the protectorship, And sue to me for that that I desire.

While at the council-table, grave enough, And not unlike a bashful puritan, First I complain of imbecility, 60 Saying it is _onus quam gravissimum;_ Till being interrupted by my friends, _Suscepi_ that _provinciam_ as they term it; And to conclude, I am Protector now.

Now is all sure, the queen and Mortimer Shall rule the realm, the king; and none rules us.

Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance; And what I list command who dare control?

_Major sum quam cui possit fortuna nocere._[324]

And that this be the coronation-day, 70 It pleaseth me, and Isabel the queen.

[_Trumpets within._ The trumpets sound, I must go take my place.