It is enough, my lord.
lord justice
Thou standest on the extreme verge of death;
·147· See that thou speakest nothing but the truth,
Naught else will serve thee.
guido
If I speak it not,
Then give my body to the headsman there.
lord justice [turns the time-glass]
Let there be silence while the prisoner speaks.
tipstaff
Silence in the Court there.
guido
My Lords Justices,
And reverent judges of this worthy court,
I hardly know where to begin my tale,
So strangely dreadful is this history.
First, let me tell you of what birth I am.
I am the son of that good Duke Lorenzo
Who was with damned treachery done to death
By a most wicked villain, lately Duke
Of this good town of Padua.
lord justice
Have a care,
It will avail thee nought to mock this prince
Who now lies in his coffin.
·148· maffio
By Saint James,
This is the Duke of Parma’s rightful heir.
jeppo
I always thought him noble.
guido
I confess
That with the purport of a just revenge,
A most just vengeance on a man of blood,
I entered the Duke’s household, served his will,
Sat at his board, drank of his wine, and was
His intimate: so much I will confess,
And this too, that I waited till he grew
To give the fondest secrets of his life
Into my keeping, till he fawned on me,
And trusted me in every private matter
Even as my noble father trusted him;
That for this thing I waited.
[To the Headsman.]
Thou man of blood!
Turn not thine axe on me before the time:
Who knows if it be time for me to die?
Is there no other neck in court but mine?
·149· lord justice
The sand within the time-glass flows apace.
Come quickly to the murder of the Duke.
guido
I will be brief: Last night at twelve o’ the clock,
By a strong rope I scaled the palace wall,
With purport to revenge my father’s murder—
Ay! with that purport I confess, my lord.
This much I will acknowledge, and this also,
That as with stealthy feet I climbed the stair
Which led unto the chamber of the Duke,
And reached my hand out for the scarlet cloth
Which shook and shivered in the gusty door,
Lo! the white moon that sailed in the great heaven
Flooded with silver light the darkened room,
Night lit her candles for me, and I saw
The man I hated, cursing in his sleep;
And thinking of a most dear father murdered,
Sold to the scaffold, bartered to the block,
I smote the treacherous villain to the heart
With this same dagger, which by chance I found
Within the chamber.
·150· duchess [rising from her seat]
Oh!
guido [hurriedly]
I killed the Duke.
Now, my Lord Justice, if I may crave a boon,
Suffer me not to see another sun
Light up the misery of this loathsome world.
lord justice
Thy boon is granted, thou shalt die to-night.
Lead him away. Come, Madam
[Guido is led off; as he goes the Duchess stretches out her arms and rushes down the stage.]
duchess
Guido! Guido!
[Faints.]
Tableau
End of Act IV.
·151· Act V.
·153· SCENE—A dungeon in the public prison of Padua; Guido lies asleep on a pallet (L.C.); a table with a goblet on it is set (L.C.); five soldiers are drinking and playing dice in the corner on a stone table; one of them has a lantern hung to his halbert; a torch is set in the wall over Guido’s head. Two grated windows behind, one on each side of the door which is (C.), look out into the passage; the stage is rather dark.
first soldier [throws dice]
Sixes again! good Pietro.
second soldier
I’ faith, lieutenant, I will play with thee no more. I will lose everything.
third soldier
Except thy wits; thou art safe there!
second soldier
Ay, ay, he cannot take them from me.
third soldier
No; for thou hast no wits to give him.
·154· the soldiers [loudly]
Ha! ha! ha!
first soldier
Silence! You will wake the prisoner; he is asleep.
second soldier
What matter? He will get sleep enough when he is buried. I warrant he’d be glad if we could wake him when he’s in the grave.
third soldier
Nay! for when he wakes there it will be judgment day.
second soldier
Ay, and he has done a grievous thing; for, look you, to murder one of us who are but flesh and blood is a sin, and to kill a Duke goes being near against the law.
first soldier
Well, well, he was a wicked Duke.
second soldier
And so he should not have touched him; if one meddles with