I may dance attendance, this must be dispatch'd, And suddenly, or all will go to wreck; Charge her home in the flank, my lord: nay, I am gone, sir. [Exit. Beauf. jun. Nay, pray you, madam, rise, or I'll kneel with you.

Page. I would bring you on your knees, were I a woman.

Beauf. jun. What is it can deserve so poor a

name,

As a suit to me? This more than mortal form
Was fashion'd to command, and not entreat:
Your will but known is served.
Theoc. Great sir, my father,

My brave, deserving father;-but that sorrow
Forbids the use of speech-

Beauf. jun. I understand you,

Without the aids of those interpreters

That fall from your fair eyes: I know you labour The liberty of your father; at the least,

3

An equal hearing to acquit himself:

And, 'tis not to endear my service to you, Though I must add, and pray you with patience hear it,

'Tis hard to be effected, in respect

The state's incensed against him; all presuming,
The world of outrages his impious son,
Turn'd worse than pirate in his cruelties,
Express'd to this poor country, could not be
With such ease put in execution, if
Your father, of late our great admiral,
Held not or correspondence, or connived
At his proceedings.

3 An equal hearing] A just, impartial hearing; so equal is constantly used by Massinger and his contemporaries: thus Fletcher:

"What could this thief have done, had his cause been equal! "He made my heartstrings tremble." Knight of Malta,

Theoc. And must he then suffer, His cause unheard?

Beauf. jun. As yet it is resolved so, In their determination. But suppose

(For I would nourish hope, not kill it, in you) I should divert the torrent of their purpose, And render them, that are implacable,

Impartial judges, and not sway'd with spleen;
Will you, I dare not say in recompense,
For that includes a debt you cannot owe me,
But in your liberal bounty, in my suit
To you, be gracious?

Theoc. You entreat of me, sir,

What I should offer to you, with confession
That you much undervalue your own worth,
Should you receive me, since there come with
you
Not lustful fires, but fair and lawful flames,
But I must be excused, 'tis now no time.
For me to think of Hymeneal joys..
Can he (and pray you, sir, consider it)
That gave me life, and faculties to love,
Be, as he's now, ready to be devour'd
By ravenous wolves, and at that instant, I
But entertain a thought of those delights,
In which, perhaps, my ardour meets with yours!
Duty and piety forbid it, sir.

Beauf. jun. But this effected, and your father free, What is your answer?

Theoc. Every minute to me

Will be a tedious age, till our embraces

Are warrantable to the world.

Beauf. jun. I urge no more;

Confirm it with a kiss.

Theoc. I doubly seal it.

Ush. This would do better abed, the business

ended:

They are the loving'st couple!

Enter BEAUFORT senior, MONTAIGNE, CHAMONT, and LANOUR.

Beauf. jun. Here comes my father,

With the Council of War: deliver your peti

tion,

And leave the rest to me.

[Theoc. offers a paper.

Beauf. sen. I am sorry, lady,

Your father's guilt compels your innocence
To ask what I in justice must deny.

Beauf. jun. For my sake, sir, pray you receive and read it.

Beauf. sen. Thou foolish boy! I can deny thee nothing.

Beauf. jun. Thus far we are happy, madam: quit the place;

You shall hear how we succeed.

Theoc. Goodness reward you!

[Exeunt Theocrine, Usher, Page, and Women. Mont. It is apparent; and we stay too long To censure Malefort' as he deserves.

[They take their seats.

Cham. There is no colour of reason that makes

for him:

Had he discharged the trust committed to him, With that experience and fidelity

He practised heretofore, it could not be

Our navy should be block'd up, and, in our sight,

Our goods made prize, our sailors sold for slaves,

By his prodigious issue."

4 To censure Malefort &c.] Malefort is here, and throughout the play, properly used as a trisyllable.

5 By his prodigious issue.] i. e. unnatural horrible, portentous

Lan. I much grieve,

After so many brave and high achievements;
He should in one ill forfeit all the good
He ever did his country.

Beauf. sen. Well, 'tis granted."

Beauf. jun. I humbly thank you, sir.
Beauf. sen. He shall have hearing,

His irons too struck off; bring him before us,
But seek no further favour.

Beauf. jun. Sir, I dare not.

[Exit.

Beauf. sen. Monsieur Chamont, Montaigne,
Lanour, assistants,

By a commission from the most Christian king,
In punishing or freeing Malefort,

Our late great admiral: though I know you need

not

Instructions from me, how to dispose of
Yourselves in this man's trial, that exacts

C Your clearest judgments, give me leave, with favour,

To offer my opinion. We are to hear him,
A little looking back on his fair actions,
Loyal, and true demeanour; not as now
By the general voice already he's condemn'd.
But if we find, as most believe, he hath held
Intelligence with his accursed son,

of evil; in this sense it is often applied to comets, and other extraordinary appearances in the sky:

"Behold yon comet shews his head again!

Twice hath he thus at cross turns thrown on us "Prodigious looks."

Again:

The Honest Whore.

"This woman's threats, her eyes e'en red with fury,
"Which, like prodigious meteors, foretold

"Assured destruction, are still before me." The Captain. Beauf. sen. Well, 'tis granted.] It appears, from the subsequent speeches, that young Beaufort had been soliciting his father to allow Malefort to plead without his chains.

Fallen off from all allegiance, and turn'd
(But for what cause we know not) the most
bloody

And fatal enemy this country ever

Repented to have brought forth; all compassion'

*

*

*.

Of what he was, or may be, if now pardon'd;
We sit engaged to censure him with all
Extremity and rigour.

Cham. Your lordship shews us

A path which we will tread in.

Lan. He that leaves

To follow, as you lead, will lose himself.
Mont. I'll not be singular.

Re-enter BEAUFORT junior, with MONTREVILLE,
MALEFORT senior, BELGARDE, and Officers.

Beauf sen. He comes, but with
A strange distracted look.

Of what &c.] The quarto reads,

all compassion Of what he was, or may be, if now pardon'd; Upon which Mr. M. Mason observes, "This sentence as it stands is not sense; if the words all compassion are right, we must necessarily suppose that being laid aside, or words of a similar import, have been omitted in the printing: but the most natural manner of amending the passage, is by reading no compassion, the word having being understood."

I can neither reconcile myself to no compassion of what he may be, nor to all. He might, if acquitted, be a successful commander, as before, and to such a circumstance Beaufort evidently alludes. I believe that a line is lost, and with due hesitation would propose to supply the chasm somewhat in this way:

all compassion
Of his years pass'd over, all consideration
Of what he was, or may be, if now pardon'd;
We sit, &c.