The Duchess of Malfi

in the residence of the Cardinal and Ferdinand.

	Enter Cardinal, Pescara, Malatesti, Roderigo, and Grisolan.
Cardinal	You shall not watch tonight by the sick prince; His grace is very well recover’d.
Malatesti	Good my lord, suffer us.
Cardinal	O, by no means; The noise, and change of object in his eye, Doth more distract him. I pray, all to bed; And though you hear him in his violent fit, Do not rise, I entreat you.
Pescara	So, sir; we shall not.
Cardinal	Nay, I must have you promise Upon your honours, for I was enjoin’d to’t By himself; and he seem’d to urge it sensibly.
Pescara	Let our honours bind this trifle.
Cardinal	Nor any of your followers.
Malatesti	Neither.
Cardinal	It may be, to make trial of your promise, When he’s asleep, myself will rise and feign Some of his mad tricks, and cry out for help, And feign myself in danger.
Malatesti	If your throat were cutting, I’d not come at you, now I have protested against it.
Cardinal	Why, I thank you.
Grisolan	’Twas a foul storm tonight.
Roderigo	The Lord Ferdinand’s chamber shook like an osier.
Malatesti	’Twas nothing put pure kindness in the devil To rock his own child.
	Exeunt all except the Cardinal.
Cardinal	The reason why I would not suffer these About my brother, is, because at midnight I may with better privacy convey Julia’s body to her own lodging. O, my conscience! I would pray now; but the devil takes away my heart For having any confidence in prayer. About this hour I appointed Bosola To fetch the body. When he hath serv’d my turn, He dies.
	Exit.
	Enter Bosala.
Bosola	Ha! ’twas the cardinal’s voice; I heard him name Bosola and my death. Listen; I hear one’s footing.
	Enter Ferdinand.
Ferdinand	Strangling is a very quiet death.
Bosola	Aside. Nay, then, I see I must stand upon my guard.
Ferdinand	What say to that? Whisper softly: do you agree to’t? So; it must be done i’ th’ dark; the cardinal would not for a thousand pounds the doctor should see it.
	Exit.
Bosola	My death is plotted; here’s the consequence of murder. We value not desert nor Christian breath, When we know black deeds must be cur’d with death.
	Enter Antonio and Servant.
Servant	Here stay, sir, and be confident, I pray; I’ll fetch you a dark lantern.
	Exit.
Antonio	Could I take him at his prayers, There were hope of pardon.
Bosola	Fall right, my sword!⁠—Stabs him. I’ll not give thee so much leisure as to pray.
Antonio	O, I am gone! Thou hast ended a long suit In a minute.
Bosola	What art thou?
Antonio	A most wretched thing, That only have thy benefit in death, To appear myself.
	Re-enter Servant with a lantern.
Servant	Where are you, sir?
Antonio	Very near my home.⁠—Bosola!
Servant	O, misfortune!
Bosola	Smother thy pity, thou art dead else.⁠—Antonio! The man I would have sav’d ’bove mine own life! We are merely the stars’ tennis-balls, struck and banded Which way please them.⁠—O good Antonio, I’ll whisper one thing in thy dying ear Shall make thy heart break quickly! Thy fair duchess And two sweet children⁠—
Antonio	Their very names Kindle a little life in me.
Bosola	Are murder’d.
Antonio	Some men have wish’d to die At the hearing of sad tidings; I am glad That I shall do’t in sadness.118 I would not now Wish my wounds balm’d nor heal’d, for I have no use To put my life to. In all our quest of greatness, Like wanton boys whose pastime is their care, We follow after bubbles blown in th’ air. Pleasure of life, what is’t? Only the good hours Of an ague; merely a preparative to rest, To endure vexation. I do not ask The process of my death; only commend me To Delio.
Bosola	Break, heart!
Antonio	And let my son fly the courts to princes. Dies.
Bosola	Thou seem’st to have lov’d Antonio.
Servant	I brought him hither, To have reconcil’d him to the cardinal.
Bosola	I do not ask thee that. Take him up, if thou tender thine own life, And bear him where the lady Julia Was wont to lodge.⁠—O, my fate moves swift! I have this cardinal in the forge already; Now I’ll bring him to th’ hammer. O direful misprision!119 I will not imitate things glorious. No more than base; I’ll be mine own example.⁠— On, on, and look thou represent, for silence, The thing thou bear’st.120
	Exeunt.

Scene V

Another apartment in the same.

	Enter Cardinal, with a book.
Cardinal	I am puzzl’d in a question about hell; He says, in hell there’s one material fire, And yet it shall not burn all men alike. Lay him by. How tedious is a guilty conscience! When I look into the fishponds in my garden, Methinks I see a thing arm’d with a rake, That seems to strike at me.
	Enter Bosala, and Servant bearing Antonio’s body.
	Now, art thou come? Thou look’st ghastly; There sits in thy face some great determination Mix’d with some fear.
Bosola	Thus it lightens into action: I am come to kill thee.
Cardinal	Ha!⁠—Help! our guard!
Bosola	Thou art deceiv’d; they are out of thy howling.
Cardinal	Hold; and I will faithfully divide Revenues with thee.
Bosola	Thy prayers and proffers Are both unseasonable.
Cardinal	Raise the watch! We are betray’d!
Bosola	I have confin’d your flight: I’ll suffer your retreat to Julia’s chamber, But no further.
Cardinal	Help! we are betray’d!
	Enter, above, Pescara, Malatesti, Roderigo, and Grisolan.
Malatesti	Listen.
Cardinal	My dukedom for rescue!
Roderigo	Fie upon his counterfeiting!
Malatesti	Why, ’tis not the cardinal.
Roderigo	Yes, yes, ’tis he: But, I’ll see him hang’d ere I’ll go down to him.
Cardinal	Here’s a plot upon me; I am assaulted! I am lost, Unless some rescue!
Grisolan	He doth this pretty well; But it will not serve to laugh me out of mine honour.
Cardinal	The sword’s at my throat!
Roderigo	You would not bawl so loud then.
Malatesti	Come, come, let’s go to bed: he told us this much aforehand.
Pescara	He wish’d