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Henceforward let the thoughts of our past lives
Be turn'd to deadly and remorseless hate.
Here I give up the empty name of friend,
Renounce all gentleness, all commerce, with thee,
To death defy thee, as my mortal foe;

And when we meet again, may swift destruction
Rid me of thee, or rid me of myself.

[Exit PEMBROKE. Guil. The fate I ever fear'd is fall'n upon me; And long ago my boding heart divin'd

A breach like this from his ungovern'd rage.
Oh, Pembroke! thou hast done me much injustice,
For I have borne thee true, unfeign'd, affection;
"Tis past, and thou art lost to me for ever.
Love is, or ought to be, our greatest bliss;
Since ev'ry other joy, how dear soever,
Gives way to that, and we leave all for love.
At the imperious tyrant's lordly call,
In spite of reason or restraint we come;
Leave kindred, parents, and our native home.
The trembling maid, with all her fears he charms,
And pulls her from her weeping mother's arms:
He laughs at all her leagues, and in proud scorn
Commands the bands of friendship to be torn;
Disdains a partner should partake his throne,
But reigns unbounded, lawless, and alone.

[Exit.

ACT THE THIRD.

SCENE I.

The Tower.

Enter PEMBROKE and GARDINER.

Gar. Nay, by the rood, my lord, you were to blame, To let a hair-brain'd passion be your guide, And hurry you into such mad extremes. Marry, you might have made much worthy profit, By patient hearing; the unthinking lord Had brought forth ev'ry secret of his soul; Then when you were the master of his bosom, That was the time to use him with contempt, And turn his friendship back upon his hands. Pem. Thou talkst as if a madman could be wise. Oh, Winchester! thy hoary frozen age Can never guess my pain; can never know The burning transports of untam'd desire. I tell thee, reverend lord, to that one bliss, To the enjoyment of that lovely maid, As to their centre, I had drawn each hope, And ev'ry wish my furious soul could form ; Then, to be robb'd at once, and unsuspecting, Be dash'd in all the height of expectation! It was not to be borne.

Gar. Have you not heard of what has happen'd

since?

Pem. I have not had a minute's peace of mind, A moment's pause, to rest from rage, or think.

Gar. Learn it from me then: But ere I speak,
I warn you to be master of yourself.

Though, as you know, they have confin'd me long,
Gramercy to their goodness, pris'ner here;
Yet as I am allow'd to walk at large

Within the Tower, and hold free speech with any,
I have not dreamt away my thoughtless hours,
Without good heed to these our righteous rulers.
To prove this true, this morn a trusty spy
Has brought me word, that yester ev'ning late,
In spite of all the grief for Edward's death,
Your friends were marry'd.

Pem. Marry'd! who?

Gar. Lord Guilford Dudley, and the lady Jane. Pem. Curse on my stars!

Gar. Nay, in the name of Grace, Restrain this sinful passion; all's not lost In this one single woman.

Pem. I have lost

More than the female world can give me back.
I had beheld even her whole sex, unmov'd,
Look'd o'er them like a bed of gaudy flowers,
That lift their painted heads, and live a day,
Then shed their trifling glories unregarded;
My heart disdain'd their beauties, till she came,
With ev'ry grace that Nature's hand could give,
And with a mind so great, it spoke its essence
Immortal and divine.

Gar. Your state is not so bad as you would make

it;

Nor need you thus abandon ev'ry hope.

Pem. Ha! Wilt thou save me, snatch me from despair,

And bid me live again.

Gar. She may be yours.

What if Lord Guilford falls?

Pem. O vain, vain hope!

Gar. Marry, I do not hold that hope so vain.

These gospellers have had their golden days,
And lorded it at will; with proud despite
Have trodden down our holy Roman faith,

Ransack'd our shrines, and driv'n our saints to exile.
But if my divination fail me not,

Their haughty hearts shall be abas'd ere long,
And feel the vengeance of our Mary's reign.
Pem. And wouldst thou have my fierce impatience

stay;

Bid me lie bound upon a rack, and wait
For distant joys, whole ages yet behind?
Can love attend on politicians' schemes,
Expect the slow events of cautious councils,
Cold unresolving heads, and creeping time?
Gar. To-day, or I am ill-inform'd, Northumber-
land,

With easy Suffolk, Guilford, and the rest,
Meet here in council on some deep design,
Some traitorous contrivance, to protect
Their upstart faith from near approaching ruin.
But there are punishments-halters and axes
For traitors, and consuming flames for heretics;
The happy bridegroom may be yet cut short,
Ev'n in his highest hope-But go not you;
Howe'er the fawning sire, old Dudley, court you;
No, by the holy rood, I charge you, mix not
With their pernicious counsels. -Mischief waits

them,

Sure, certain, unavoidable destruction.

Pem. Ha! join with them! the cursed Dudley's race!

Who, while they held me in their arms, betray'd me;
Scorn'd me for not suspecting they were villains,
And made a mock'ry of my easy friendship!
No, when I do, dishonour be my portion,
And swift perdition catch me;-join with them!
Gar. I would not have you-Hie you to the city,
And join with those that love our ancient faith.

Gather your friends about you, and be ready
T'assert our zealous Mary's royal title,

And doubt not but her grateful hand shall give you
To see your soul's desire upon your enemies.

The church shall pour her ample treasures forth too, And pay you with ten thousand years of pardon. Pem. No; give me vengeance:

Give me to tell that soft deceiver, Guilford,

Thus, traitor, hast thou done, thus hast thou wrong'd

me,

And thus thy treason finds a just reward.

Gar. But soft! no more! the lords o'the council

come.

Ha! by the mass, the bride and bridegroom too!
Retire with me, my lord; we must not meet them.
Pem. 'Tis they themselves!

Haste, Winchester, haste! let us fly for ever,
And drive her from my very thoughts, if possible.
Oh! Jove, what have I lost! Oh, reverend lord!
Pity this fond, this foolish weakness in me!
Methinks, I go like our first wretched father,
When from his blissful garden he was driven :
Like me he went despairing, and like me,
Thus at the gate stopp'd short for one last view!
Then with the cheerless partner of his woe,
He turn'd him to the world that lay below:
There, for his Eden's happy plains, beheld
A barren, wild, uncomfortable field;
He saw 'twas vain his ruin to deplore,
He try'd to give the sad remembrance o'er ;
The sad remembrance still return'd again,
And his lost paradise renew'd his pain.

[Exeunt PEMBROKE and GARDiner.

Enter LORD GUILFORD and LADY JANE.

Guil. What shall I say to thee! What power divine Will teach my tongue to tell thee what I feel?

To pour

the transports

of my bosom forth

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