None but a damned murderer could hate him. When his strong arm unhors'd the proud prince Balthazar; To mercy that valiant but ignoble Portuguese. And there is Nemesis, and furies, And things call'd whips, And they sometimes do meet with murderers: They do not always 'scape, that's some comfort, Ay, ay, ay, and then time steals on, and steals, and steals, Wrapt in a ball of fire, And so doth bring confusion to them all. JAQUES and PEDRO, Servants. Jaq. I wonder, Pedro, why our master thus And, now his aged years should sleep in rest, Grows lunatic and childish for his son: So that with extreme grief, and cutting sorrow, See here he comes. HIERONIMO enters. Hier. I pry thro' every crevice of each wall, Dive in the water, and stare up to heaven; [Exit. How now, who's there, sprights, sprights? Ped. We are your servants that attend you, sir Ped. Then we burn day light. Hier. Let it be burnt; night is a murd'rous slut, Hier. Villain, thou lyest, and thou doest nought I'll prove it to thee; and were I mad, how could I? Where was she the same night, when my Horatio was murder'd? She should have shone : search thou the book: Had the moon shone in my boy's face, there was a kind of grace, His weapon would have fallen, and cut the earth, What shall we say to mischief? ISABELLA, his wife, enters. Isa. Dear Hieronimo, come in a doors, O seek not means to increase thy sorrow. *Tags of points. Hier. Indeed, Isabella, we do nothing here; I do not cry, ask Pedro and Jaques : Not I indeed, we are very merry, very merry. Isa. How? be merry here, be merry here? And when our hot Spain could not let it grow, Ped. It is a painter, sir. [One knocks within at the door. Hier. Bid him come in, and paint some comfort, Hier. Wherefore? why, thou scornful villain? How, where, or by what means should I be blest? Isa. What wouldst thou have, good fellow? Pain. Justice, madam. Hier. O ambitious beggar, wouldst thou have that That lives not in the world? Why, all the undelved mines cannot buy An ounce of justice, 'tis a jewel so inestimable. I tell thee, God hath engross'd all justice in his hands, Pain. O then I see that God must right me for son. Hier. How, was thy son murder'd? Pain. Ay, sir, no man did hold a son so dear. A thousand of thy sons, and he was murder'd. Hier. Nor I, nor I; but this same one of mine Pedro, Jaques, go in a doors, Isabella, go, Will range this hideous orchard up and down, Go in a doors I say. [Exeunt. (The Painter and he sit down.) Come let's talk wisely now. Was thy son murdered? Pain. Ay, sir. Hier. So was mine. How dost thou take it? art thou not sometime mad? Is there no tricks that come before thine eyes ? Hier. Art a painter? canst paint me a tear, a wound? Hier. Bazardo! 'fore God an excellent fellow. Look you, sir. : Do you see? I'd have you paint me in my gallery, in your oil colors matted, and draw me five years younger than I am do you see, sir? let five years go, let them go,-my wife Isabella standing by me, with a speaking look to my son Horatio, which should intend to this, or some such like purpose; God bless thee, my sweet son; and my hand leaning upon his head thus, sir, do you see? may it be done? Pain. Very well, sir. Hier. Nay, I pray mark me, sir. Then, sir, would I have you paint me this tree, this very tree: Canst paint a doleful cry? Pain. Seemingly, sir. Hier. Nay, it should cry; but all is one. Well, sir, paint me a youth run thro' and thro' with villains' swords hanging upon this tree. Canst thou draw a murd'rer? Pain. I'll warrant you, sir; I have the pattern of the most notorious villains that ever lived in all Spain. Hier. O, let them be worse, worse: stretch thine art, And let their beards be of Judas's own color, And let their eye-brows jut over: in any case observe that; Bring me forth in my shirt and my gown under my arm, with Pain. Yea, sir. Hier. Well, sir, then bring me forth, bring me thro' alley and alley, still with a distracted countenance going along, and let my hair heave up my night-cap. Let the clouds scowl, make the moon dark, the stars extinct, the winds blowing, the bells tolling, the owls shrieking, the toads croaking, the minutes jarring, and the clock striking twelve. And then at last, sir, starting, behold a man hanging, and tott'ring, and tott'ring, as you know the wind will wave a man, and I with a trice to cut him down. And looking upon him by the advantage of my torch, find it to be my son Horatio. There you may show a passion, there you may show a passion. Draw me like old Priam of Troy, crying, the house is a fire, the house is a fire; and the torch over my head; make me curse, make me rave, make me cry, make me mad, make me well again, make me curse hell, invocate, and in the end leave me in a trance, and so forth. Pain. And is this the end? Hier. O no, there is no end: the end is death and madness; And I am never better than when I am mad; |