Guil. The changeling villains! That pray for slavery, fight for their bonds, What art thou, human nature, to do thus? But wherefore do I loiter tamely here? Thine and Religion's, thine and England's cause. L. J. Gray. Art thou not all my treasure, all my And wo't thou take from me the only joy, The last defence is left me here below? Think not thy arm can stem the driving torrent, Urge their own fate, and strive to be undone. And, if it be in valour to defend us, [guard t His sword, that long has known the way to conquest, Shall be our surest safety. Enter the Duke of SUFFOLK. Suff. Oh, my children! L. J. Gray. Alas! what means my father? Suff. Oh, my son! Thy father, great Northumberland, on whom Our dearest hopes were built Guil. Ha! What of him? Suff. Is lost! betray'd! His army, onward as he march'd, shrunk from him, Like falling hail thick strewn upon the ground Little avail'd the semblance of that loyalty: L. J. Gray. Then there's an end of greatness: the vain dream Of empire and the crown, that danc'd before me, The gaudy masque, tedious, and nothing meaning, Guil. And canst thou bear this sudden turn of fate, With such unshaken temper? L. J. Gray. For myself, If I could form a wish for Heav'n to grant, It should have been to rid me of this crown. And thou, o'er-ruling, great, all-knowing Power! Thou, who discern'st our thoughts, who see'st them rising Which quits me of the vast unequal task. Enter the Duchess of SUFFOLK. [join, Duch. Suff. Nay, keep that posture still; and let us Fix all our knees by thine, lift up our hands, And seek for help and pity from above, For earth and faithless man will give us none. L. J. Gray. What is the worst that now we're threa ten'd with? Duch. Suff. My counsels have been fatal, 'twas my That pleaded for thy ruin, and persuaded Thy guiltless feet to tread the paths of greatness! I have undone thee! [tongue * See Burnet, p. 239. L. J. Gray. Oh, my mother! Should I not bear a portion in your sorrows? Duch. Suff. Alas, thou hast thy own, a double portion. Mary is come, and the revolting Londoners, Who beat the heav'ns with thy applauded name, Now crowd to meet, and hail her as their queen. Sussex is enter'd here, commands the Tower, Has plac'd his guards around; and this sad place, So late thy palace, is become our prison. I saw him bend his knee to cruel Gardiner, Who, freed from his confinement, ran to meet him, Embrac'd and bless'd him with a hand of blood. Each hast'ning moment I expect them here, To seize, and pass the doom of death upon us. [stand, Guil. Ha! seiz'd! shalt thou be seiz'd? and shall I And tamely see thee borne away to death? Then branded be my coward name for ever. No, I will set myself to guard this spot, To which our narrow empire now is shrunk. Here will I grow the bulwark of my queen; Nor shall the hand of violence profane thee, Until my breast has born a thousand wounds, Till this torn mangled body sink at once A heap of purple ruin at thy feet. L. J. Gray. And could thy rash distracted rage do Draw thy vain sword against an armed multitude, [thus? Only to have my poor heart split with horror, To see thee stabb'd and butcher'd here before me?" Oh, call thy better nobler courage to thee, And let us meet this adverse fate with patience! Greet our insulting foes with equal tempers, With even brows, and souls secure of death; 'Here stand unmov'd; as once the Roman senate Receiv'd fierce Brennus,* and the conquering Gauls, Brennus was general of the Galli Senones, who went into Italy with a powerful army about 391 before Christ, defeated the Romags at the river Attia, and entered their city without opposition, The Romans fled into the capitol, where they stood out, till Camillus, who was in 'banishment, marched to the relief of his country, and so totally defeated the Gauls, that not one remained to carry back the news of their destruction. 'Till ev'n the rude Barbarians stood amaz'd Enter the Earl of SUSSEX, GARDINER, OFFICERS, and SOLDIERS. Suss. Guards, execute your orders; seize the traitors: Here my commission ends. To you, my lord, [To Gardiner. So our great mistress, royal Mary, bids, Gard. Unnumber'd blessings fall upon her head, With such full bounty her old humble beadsman ! Suss. The Queen is on her ent'rance, and expects me: My Lord, farewel. Gard. Farewel, right-noble Sussex: Commend me to the Queen's grace; say her bidding [Exit Sussex. Lieutenant of the Tower, take hence your pris'ners : Be it your care to see them kept apart, That they may hold no commerce with each other. Gard. I hold no speech with heretics and traitors. [Exit Gar. Guil. Inhuman, monstrous, unexampl'd cruelty! Oh, tyrant! but the task becomes thee well; Thy savage temper joys to do death's office; And part those hands which Heav'n itself hath join'd. Suff. Then it had not Been done like Winchester. Guil. Thou stand'st unmov'd; Calm temper sits upon thy beauteous brow; Ha! see, it swells; the liquid crystal rises, [see L. J. Gray. And dost thou think, my Guilford, I can That tugs the strings, that struggles to get loose,. Guil. Give way, and let the gushing torrent come; L. J. Gray. Guilford! no: The time for tender thoughts and soft endearments They must be steel'd with some uncommon fortitude, Ev'n in the hour of death, be more than conqu'rors.† * See p. 161, and Note +. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him "that loved us." Rom. vIII. 37. |