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[Scene iii]
Enter the King of Navar and Queen [Margaret], and his [olde] Mother Queen [of Navarre], the Prince of Condy, the Admirall, and the Pothecary with the gloves, and gives them to the olde Queene.
POTHECARIE. Maddame, I beseech your grace to except this simple gift.
OLD QUEENE. Thanks my good freend, holde, take thou this reward.
POTHECARIE. I humbly thank your Majestie.
Exit Pothecary.
OLD QUEENE. Me thinkes the gloves have a very strong perfume,
The sent whereof doth make my head to ake.
NAVARRE. Doth not your grace know the man that gave them you?
OLD QUEENE. Not wel, but do remember such a man.
ADMIRALL. Your grace was ill advisde to take them then,
Considering of these dangerous times.
OLD QUEENE. Help sonne Navarre, I am poysoned.
QUEENE MARGARET. The heavens forbid your highnes such mishap.
NAVARRE. The late suspition of the Duke of Guise,
Might well have moved your highnes to beware
How you did meddle with such dangerous giftes.
QUEENE MARGARET. Too late it is my Lord if that be true
To blame her highnes, but I hope it be
Only some naturall passion makes her sicke.
OLD QUEENE. O no, sweet Margaret, the fatall poyson
Doth work within my heart, my brain pan breakes,
My heart doth faint, I dye.
She dyes.
NAVARRE. My Mother poysoned heere before my face:
O gracious God, what times are these?
O graunt sweet God my daies may end with hers,
That I with her may dye and live againe.
QUEENE MARGARET. Let not this heavy chaunce my dearest Lord,
(For whose effects my soule is massacred)
Infect thy gracious brest with fresh supply,
To agravate our sodaine miserie.
ADMIRALL. Come my Lords let us beare her body hence,
And see it honoured with just solemnitie.
As they are going, [enter] the Souldier [above, who] dischargeth his musket at the Lord Admirall [and exit].
CONDY. What are you hurt my Lord high Admiral?
ADMIRALL. I my good Lord, shot through the arme.
NAVARRE. We are betraide, come my Lords, and let us goe tell
the King of this.
ADMIRALL. These are the cursed Guisians that doe seeke our death.
Oh fatall was this mariage to us all.
They beare away the [olde] Queene [of Navarre] and goe out.
[Scene iv]
Enter [Charles] the King, [Catherine] the Queene Mother, Duke of Guise, Duke Anjou, Duke Demayne [and Cossin, Captain of the Kings Guard].
QUEENE MOTHER. My noble sonne, and princely Duke of Guise,
Now have we got the fatall stragling deere,
Within the compasse of a deadly toyle,
And as we late decreed we may perfourme.
CHARLES. Madam, it wilbe noted through the world,
An action bloudy and tirannicall:
Cheefely since under safetie of our word,
They justly challenge their protection:
Besides my heart relentes that noble men,
Onely corrupted in religion,
Ladies of honor, Knightes and Gentlemen,
Should for their conscience taste such rutheles ends.
ANJOY. Though gentle minces should pittie others paines,
Yet will the wisest note their proper greefes:
And rather seeke to scourge their enemies,
Then be themselves base subjects to the whip.
GUISE. Me thinkes my Lord, Anjoy hath well advisde
Your highnes to consider of the thing,
And rather chuse to seek your countries good,
Then pittie or releeve these upstart hereticks.
QUEENE MOTHER. I hope these reasons mayserve my princely, Sonne,
To have some care for feare of enemies.
CHARLES. Well Madam, I referre it to your Majestie,
And to my Nephew heere the Duke of Guise:
What you determine, I will ratifie.
QUEENE MOTHER. Thankes to my princely sonne, then tell me Guise,
What order wil you set downe for the Massacre?
GUISE. Thus Madame.
They that shalbe actors in this Massacre,
Shall weare white crosses on their Burgonets,
And tye white linnen scarfes about their armes.
He that wantes these, and is suspect of heresie,
Shall dye, or be he King or Emperour.
Then Ile have a peale of ordinance shot from the tower,
At which they all shall issue out and set the streetes.
And then the watchword being given, a bell shall ring,
Which when they heare, they shall begin to kill:
And never cease untill that bell shall cease,
Then breath a while.
Enter the Admirals man.
CHARLES. How now fellow, what newes?
MAN. And it please your grace the Lord high Admirall,
Riding the streetes was traiterously shot,
And most humbly intreates your Majestie
To visite him sick in his bed.
CHARLES. Messenger, tell him I will see him straite.
Exit Messenger.
What shall we doe now with the Admirall?
QUEENE MOTHER. Your Majesty had best goe visite him,
And make a shew as if all were well.
CHARLES. Content, I will goe visite the Admirall.
GUISE. And I will goe take order for his death.
Exit Guise.
Enter the Admirall in his bed.
CHARLES. How fares it with my Lord high Admiral,
Hath he been hurt with villaines in the street?
I vow and sweare as I am King of France,
To finde and to repay the man with death:
With death delay'd and torments never usde,
That durst presume for hope of any gaine,
To hurt the noble man his sovereign loves.
ADMIRALL. Ah my good Lord, these are the Guisians,
That seeke to massacre our guiltles lives.
CHARLES. Assure your selfe my good Lord Admirall,
I deepely sorrow for your trecherous wrong:
And that I am not more secure my selfe,
Then I am carefull you should be preserved.
Cossin, take twenty of our strongest guarde,
And under your direction see they keep
All trecherous violence from our noble freend,
Repaying all attempts with present death,
Upon the cursed breakers of our peace.
And so be pacient good Lord Admirall,
And every hower I will visite you.
Exeunt omnes
[Scene v]
Enter Guise, Anjoy, Dumaine, Gonzago, Retes, Montsorrell, and Souldiers to the massacre.
GUISE. Anjoy, Dumaine, Gonzago, Retes, sweare by
The argent crosses on your burgonets,
To kill all that you suspect of heresie.
DUMAINE. I sweare by this to be unmercifull.
ANJOY. I am disguisde and none nows who I am,
And therfore meane to murder all I meet.
GONZAGO. And so will I.
RETES. And I.
GUISE. Away then, break into the Admirals house.
GETES. I let the Admirall be first dispatcht.
GUISE. The Admirall,
Cheefe standard bearer to the Lutheranes,
Shall in the entrance of this Massacre,
Be murdered in his bed.
Gonzago conduct them hither, and then
Beset his house that not a man may live.
ANJOY. That charge is mine. Swizers keepe you the streetes,
And at ech corner shall the Kings garde stand.
GONZAGO. Come sirs follow me.
Exit Gonzago and others with him.
ANJOY. Cossin, the Captaine of the Admirals guarde,
Plac'd by my brother, will betray his Lord:
Now Guise shall catholiques flourish once againe,
The head being of, the members cannot stand.
RETES. But look my Lord, ther's some in the Admirals house.
Enter [above Gonzago and others] into the Admirals house, and he in his bed.
ANJOY. In lucky time, come let us keep this lane,
And slay his servants that shall issue out.
GONZAGO. Where is the Admirall?
ADMIRALL. O let me pray before I dye.
GONZAGO. Then pray unto our Ladye, kisse this crosse.
Stab him.
ADMIRALL. O God forgive my sins.
GUISE. What, is he dead Gonzago?
GONZAGO. I my Lord.
GUISE. Then throw him down.
[The body is thrown down. Exeunt Gonzago and rest above.]
ANJOY. Now cosin view him well,
It may be it is some other, and he escapte.
GUISE. Cosin tis he, I know him by his look.
See where my Souldier shot him through the arm.
He mist him neer, but we have strook him now.
Ah base Shatillian and degenerate,
Cheef standard bearer to the Lutheranes,
Thus in despite of thy Religion,
The Duke of Guise stampes on thy liveles bulke.
Away with him, cut of his head and handes,
And send them for a present to the Pope:
And when this just revenge is finished,
Unto mount Faucon will we dragge his coarse:
And he that living hated so the crosse,
Shall being dead, be hangd thereon in chaines.
GUISE. Anjoy, Gonzago, Retes, if that you three,
Will be as resolute as I and Dumaine:
There shall not a Hugonet breath in France.
ANJOY. I sweare by this crosse, wee'l not be partiall,
But slay as many as we can come neer.
GUISE. Mountsorrett, go and shoote the ordinance of,
That they which have already set the street
May know their watchword, and then tole the bell,
And so lets forward to the Massacre.
MOUNTSORRELL. I will my Lord.
Exit Mountsorrell.
GUISE. And now my Lords let us closely to our busines.
ANJOY. Anjoy will follow thee.
DUMAINE. And so will Dumaine.
The ordinance being shot of, the bell tolles.
GUISE. Come then, lets away.
Exeunt.
The Guise enters againe, with all the rest, with their Swords drawne, chasing the Protestants.
GUISE. Tue, tue, tue,
Let none escape, murder the Hugonets.
ANJOY. Kill them, kill them.
Exeunt.
Enter Loreine running, the Guise and the rest pursuing him.
GUISE. Loreine, Loreine, follow Loreine.. Sirra,
Are you a preacher of these heresies?
LOREINE. I am a preacher of the word of God,
And thou a traitor to thy soule and him.
GUISE. Dearely beloved brother, thus tis written.
He stabs him.
ANJOY. Stay my Lord, let me begin the psalme.
GUISE. Come dragge him away and throw him in a ditch.