The Duchess of Malfi
To ask noble things of me, and you shall find
I 'll be a noble giver.
DELIO. You instruct me well.
ANTONIO. Why, here 's a man now would fright impudence
]From sauciest beggars.
PESCARA. Prince Ferdinand 's come to Milan,
Sick, as they give out, of an apoplexy;
But some say 'tis a frenzy: I am going
To visit him.
Exit.
ANTONIO. 'Tis a noble old fellow.
DELIO. What course do you mean to take, Antonio?
ANTONIO. This night I mean to venture all my fortune,
Which is no more than a poor ling'ring life,
To the cardinal's worst of malice. I have got
Private access to his chamber; and intend
To visit him about the mid of night,
As once his brother did our noble duchess.
It may be that the sudden apprehension
Of danger,--for I 'll go in mine own shape,--
When he shall see it fraight[123] with love and duty,
May draw the poison out of him, and work
A friendly reconcilement. If it fail,
Yet it shall rid me of this infamous calling;
For better fall once than be ever falling.
DELIO. I 'll second you in all danger; and howe'er,
My life keeps rank with yours.
ANTONIO. You are still my lov'd and best friend.
Exeunt.
Scene II[124]
[Enter] PESCARA and DOCTOR
PESCARA. Now, doctor, may I visit your patient?
DOCTOR. If 't please your lordship; but he 's instantly
To take the air here in the gallery
By my direction.
PESCARA. Pray thee, what 's his disease?
DOCTOR. A very pestilent disease, my lord,
They call lycanthropia.
PESCARA. What 's that?
I need a dictionary to 't.
DOCTOR. I 'll tell you.
In those that are possess'd with 't there o'erflows
Such melancholy humour they imagine
Themselves to be transformed into wolves;
Steal forth to church-yards in the dead of night,
And dig dead bodies up: as two nights since
One met the duke 'bout midnight in a lane
Behind Saint Mark's church, with the leg of a man
Upon his shoulder; and he howl'd fearfully;
Said he was a wolf, only the difference
Was, a wolf's skin was hairy on the outside,
His on the inside; bade them take their swords,
Rip up his flesh, and try. Straight I was sent for,
And, having minister'd to him, found his grace
Very well recover'd.
PESCARA. I am glad on 't.
DOCTOR. Yet not without some fear
Of a relapse. If he grow to his fit again,
I 'll go a nearer way to work with him
Than ever Paracelsus dream'd of; if
They 'll give me leave, I 'll buffet his madness out of him.
Stand aside; he comes.
[Enter FERDINAND, CARDINAL, MALATESTI, and BOSOLA]
FERDINAND. Leave me.
MALATESTI. Why doth your lordship love this solitariness?
FERDINAND. Eagles commonly fly alone: they are crows, daws,
and starlings that flock together. Look, what 's that follows me?
MALATESTI. Nothing, my lord.
FERDINAND. Yes.
MALATESTI. 'Tis your shadow.
FERDINAND. Stay it; let it not haunt me.
MALATESTI. Impossible, if you move, and the sun shine.
FERDINAND. I will throttle it.
[Throws himself down on his shadow.]
MALATESTI. O, my lord, you are angry with nothing.
FERDINAND. You are a fool: how is 't possible I should catch
my shadow, unless I fall upon 't? When I go to hell, I mean
to carry a bribe; for, look you, good gifts evermore make way
for the worst persons.
PESCARA. Rise, good my lord.
FERDINAND. I am studying the art of patience.
PESCARA. 'Tis a noble virtue.
FERDINAND. To drive six snails before me from this town to Moscow;
neither use goad nor whip to them, but let them take their own time;
--the patient'st man i' th' world match me for an experiment:--
an I 'll crawl after like a sheep-biter.[125]
CARDINAL. Force him up.
[They raise him.]
FERDINAND. Use me well, you were best. What I have done, I have
done: I 'll confess nothing.
DOCTOR. Now let me come to him.--Are you mad, my lord? are you out
of your princely wits?
FERDINAND. What 's he?
PESCARA. Your doctor.
FERDINAND. Let me have his beard saw'd off, and his eye-brows
fil'd more civil.
DOCTOR. I must do mad tricks with him, for that 's the only way
on 't.--I have brought your grace a salamander's skin to keep
you from sun-burning.
FERDINAND. I have cruel sore eyes.
DOCTOR. The white of a cockatrix's[126] egg is present remedy.
FERDINAND. Let it be a new-laid one, you were best.
Hide me from him: physicians are like kings,--
They brook no contradiction.
DOCTOR. Now he begins to fear me: now let me alone with him.
CARDINAL. How now! put off your gown!
DOCTOR. Let me have some forty urinals filled with rosewater:
he and I 'll go pelt one another with them.--Now he begins to fear
me.--Can you fetch a frisk,[127] sir?--Let him go, let him go, upon
my peril: I find by his eye he stands in awe of me; I 'll make him
as tame as a dormouse.
FERDINAND. Can you fetch your frisks, sir!--I will stamp him into
a cullis,[128] flay off his skin to cover one of the anatomies[129]
this rogue hath set i' th' cold yonder in Barber-Chirurgeon's-hall.
--Hence, hence! you are all of you like beasts for sacrifice.
[Throws the DOCTOR down and beats him.]
There 's nothing left of you but tongue and belly, flattery and
lechery.
[Exit.]
PESCARA. Doctor, he did not fear you thoroughly.
DOCTOR. True; I was somewhat too forward.
BOSOLA. Mercy upon me, what a fatal judgment
Hath fall'n upon this Ferdinand!
PESCARA. Knows your grace
What accident hath brought unto the prince
This strange distraction?
CARDINAL. [Aside.] I must feign somewhat.--Thus they say it grew.
You have heard it rumour'd, for these many years
None of our family dies but there is seen
The shape of an old woman, which is given
By tradition to us to have been murder'd
By her nephews for her riches. Such a figure
One night, as the prince sat up late at 's book,
Appear'd to him; when crying out for help,
The gentleman of 's chamber found his grace
All on a cold sweat, alter'd much in face
And language: since which apparition,
He hath grown worse and worse, and I much fear
He cannot live.
BOSOLA. Sir, I would speak with you.
PESCARA. We 'll leave your grace,
Wishing to the sick prince, our noble lord,
All health of mind and body.
CARDINAL. You are most welcome.
[Exeunt PESCARA, MALATESTI, and DOCTOR.]
Are you come? so.--[Aside.] This fellow must not know
By any means I had intelligence
In our duchess' death; for, though I counsell'd it,
The full of all th' engagement seem'd to grow
]From Ferdinand.--Now, sir, how fares our sister?
I do not think but sorrow makes her look
Like to an oft-dy'd garment: she shall now
Take comfort from me. Why do you look so wildly?
O, the fortune of your master here the prince
Dejects you; but be you of happy comfort:
If you 'll do one thing for me I 'll entreat,
Though he had a cold tomb-stone o'er his bones,
I 'd make you what you would be.
BOSOLA. Any thing;
Give it me in a breath, and let me fly to 't.
They that think long small expedition win,
For musing much o' th' end cannot begin.
[Enter JULIA]
JULIA. Sir, will you come into supper?
CARDINAL. I am busy; leave me[.]
JULIA [Aside.] What an excellent shape hath that fellow!
Exit.
CARDINAL. 'Tis thus. Antonio lurks here in Milan:
Inquire him out, and kill him. While he lives,
Our sister cannot marry; and I have thought
Of an excellent match for her. Do this, and style me
Thy advancement.
BOSOLA. But by what means shall I find him out?
CARDINAL. There is a gentleman call'd Delio
Here in the camp, that hath been long approv'd
His loyal friend. Set eye upon that fellow;
Follow him to mass; may be Antonio,
Although he do account religion
But a school-name, for fashion of the world
May accompany him; or else go inquire out
Delio's confessor, and see if you can bribe
Him to reveal it. There are a thousand ways
A man might find to trace him; as to know
What fellows haunt the Jews for taking up
Great sums of money, for sure he 's in want;
Or else to go to the picture-makers, and learn
Who bought[130] her picture lately: some of these
Happily may take.
BOSOLA. Well, I 'll not freeze i' th' business:
I would see that wretched thing, Antonio,
Above all sights i' th' world.
CARDINAL. Do, and be happy.
Exit.
BOSOLA. This fellow doth breed basilisks in 's eyes,
He 's nothing else but murder; yet he seems
Not to have notice of the duchess' death.
'Tis his cunning: I must follow his example;
There cannot be a surer way to trace
Than that of an old fox.
[Re-enter JULIA, with a pistol]
JULIA. So, sir, you are well met.
BOSOLA. How Now!
JULIA. Nay, the doors are fast enough:
Now, sir, I will make you confess your treachery.
BOSOLA. Treachery!
JULIA. Yes, confess to me
Which of my women 'twas you hir'd to put
Love-powder into my drink?
BOSOLA. Love-powder!
JULIA. Yes, when I was at Malfi.
Why should I fall in love with such a face else?
I have already suffer'd for thee so much pain,
The only remedy to do me good
Is to kill my longing.
BOSOLA. Sure, your pistol holds
Nothing but perfumes or kissing-comfits.[131]
Excellent lady!
You have a pretty way on 't to discover
Your longing. Come, come, I 'll disarm you,
And arm you thus: yet this is wondrous strange.
JULIA. Compare thy form and my eyes together,
You 'll find my love no such great miracle.
Now you 'll say
I am wanton: this nice modesty in ladies
Is but a troublesome familiar
That haunts them.
BOSOLA. Know you me, I am a blunt soldier.
JULIA. The better:
Sure, there wants fire where there are no lively sparks
Of roughness.
BOSOLA. And I want compliment.
JULIA. Why, ignorance
In courtship cannot make you do amiss,
If you have a heart to do well.
BOSOLA. You are very fair.
JULIA. Nay, if you lay beauty to my charge,
I must plead unguilty.
BOSOLA. Your bright eyes
Carry a quiver of darts in them sharper
Than sun-beams.
JULIA. You will mar me with commendation,
Put yourself to the charge of courting me,
Whereas now I woo you.
BOSOLA. [Aside.] I have it, I will work upon this creature.--
Let us grow most amorously familiar:
If the great cardinal now should see me thus,
Would he not count me a villain?
JULIA. No; he might count me a wanton,
Not lay a scruple of offence on you;
For if I see and steal a diamond,
The fault is not i' th' stone, but in me the thief
That purloins it. I am sudden with you.
We that are great women of pleasure use to cut off
These uncertain wishes and unquiet longings,
And in an instant join the sweet delight
And the pretty excuse together. Had you been i' th' street,
Under my chamber-window, even there
I should have courted you.
BOSOLA. O, you are an excellent lady!
JULIA. Bid me do somewhat for you presently
To express I love you.