overcomes Balthazar and makes him prisoner, but Lorenzo, coming by, takes up Balthazar's weapons and claims the prisoner as his. The Portuguese are defeated, Andrea's funeral procession passes. In following Andrea's body, Horatio has a vision of Andrea's ghost, with Revenge for a companion, and hears dialogue between them that precisely joins this "First Part" to the beginning of "The Spanish Tragedy." The First Part ends with Horatio hero of the day. Jeronimo looks in to take leave of the audience "Embrace them, and take friendly leave. My arms are of the shortest, Let your loves piece them out. You're welcome all, as I am a gentleman. For my son's sake, grant me a man at least, At least I am." The only addition in this piece to the story of the death of Andrea, as narrated in the opening of "The Spanish Tragedy," the narrative on which I take it to have been founded, is the plotting of Lazarotto and Lorenzo to thwart the loves of Bellimperia and Andrea, and the whole episode of Alcario arising out of it. But there is nothing in "The Spanish Tragedy" that turns on this. "The Spanish Tragedy." The earliest known edition of "The Spanish Tragedy' refers to a yet earlier impression, in its title of "The Spanish Tragedie, containing the lamentable ende of Don Horatio and Bel-imperia: with the pittiful death of old Hieronimo. Newly corrected and amended of such grosse faultes as passed in the former impresion." This was printed, without date, "by Edward Allde for Edward White," and again, in 1599, "by William White, dwelling in Cow Lane." There was another edition in 1602, including the insertions for which Philip Henslowe paid Ben Jonson forty shillings on the twenty-fifth of September, 1601. This was said, therefore, upon its title-page to be "Newly corrected, amended, and enlarged, with new additions of the Painters part, and others, as it hath of late been diuers times acted." It was printed by William White for Thomas Pavier, and sold at the "Cat and Parrots," near the Exchange. In 1605 the same publisher followed it with the first issue of "The First Part of Jeronimo." In 1610 Pavier produced another edition of "The Spanish Tragedy.” "The Spanish Tragedy" begins with the ghost of Andrea brought by Revenge to see the retribution that falls on his enemies. This is a feature illustrating the strong influence of Seneca's plays on the old English drama. The ghost of Tantalus is so brought in by a Fury at the opening of Seneca's "Thyestes." The ghost of Thyestes, at the opening of Seneca's Agamemnon "—opaca linquens Ditis inferni loca—incites his son Egisthus to avenge old wrongs on Agamemnon. There was like use of a ghost at the opening of our old play of “ The Misfortunes of Arthur." 66 The ghost of Andrea describes what he saw in the under-world, tells how Minos acus and Rhadamanthus agreed in sending him to Pluto, and how Proserpine begged of Pluto that she might give his doom. "Pluto was pleased and sealed it with a kiss. Forthwith, Revenge, she rounded thee in the ear, Revenge. Then know, Andrea, that thou art arrived Deprived of life by Bellimperia. Here sit we down to see the mystery, And serve for Chorus in this tragedy." The opening scenes then fully set forth in dramatic narrative the part of the story that precedes the action of the play. It is to be noted in this narrative that there is no softening of the fact that Andrea was slain in fair fight, "brave man at arms, but weak to Balthazar." The unknown writer of "The First Part of Jeronimo,” wishing to exalt Andrea, made Balthazar weak to Andrea, Andrea killed by the Portuguese who rescued Balthazar from his prevailing arms. That variation helps to show that "The First Part of Jeronimo was not by Kyd. Attended by Hieronimo, the Spanish king and his brother of Castile, who is father to fair Bellimperia and the villain Lorenzo, receive from the war the general who tells the defeat of the Portuguese, the death of Andrea, and the capture of Balthazar. The king decides on the divided claims to the great prisoner of war. Lorenzo shall have his weapons and his horse, Horatio his ransom; and, as Lorenzo has the larger state, it is he who shall have the prisoner in guard as guest of Spain. The scene changes to Portugal, whose king, viceroy for Spain, has conceded tribute. He mourns for his son Balthazar, whom he thinks dead. A base Villuppo, who owes grudge to an Alexandro, accuses Alexandro of having, in the battle, shot Balthazar in the back. Alexandro is imprisoned till the manner of his death shall be determined, and Villuppo is to have reward. The scene changes to Spain, where Horatio tells at length to Bellimperia the story of Andrea's death, and Bellimperia resolves that Andrea's friend, Horatio, shall be her second love. Her brother Lorenzo urges upon her the love of Prince Balthazar, who pleads vainly for himself and sees Horatio favoured. The king of Spain and his lords banquet in state. Hieronimo graces the banquet with a masque of three kings, two of Portugal and one of Spain, who all submitted to the arms of Englishmen. So ends the First Act, with Andrea's ghost dissatisfied because he sees "nothing but league, and love, and banqueting." Revenge bids him be still, and wait to see love turned to hate and hope into despair. At any time a person in this play of Kyd's may drop into a few lines of Latin verse or a few words of Italian. At the beginning of the Second Act, Lorenzo is urging Balthazar not to despair in his suit to Bellimperia. His argument begins with lines of translation from the hundred and third sonnet of Serafino: * "In time the savage bull sustains the yoke ; In time all haggard hawks will stoop to lure; "Col tempo el vilanello al giogo mena But Kyd here is quoting Serafino through Thomas Watson, and closely following the first lines of the forty-seventh sonnet of his Εκατομπαθία : "In time the bull is brought to wear the yoke; In time all haggard hawks will stoop the lures; Lorenzo draws, by bribery, from Bellimperia's servant, Pedringano, a knowledge of his sister's love for Horatio. Pedringano shows to Lorenzo and Balthazar Horatio and Bellimperia talking love together, and agreeing to meet at dusk in a garden bower. A scene follows, in which the King of Spain bids the ambassador from Portugal report his willingness to confirm peace by the marriage of Prince Balthazar with his niece, Bellimperia. Then Bellimperia meets Horatio at the bower, setting her false servant, Pedringano, to watch against intrusion. Lorenzo and Balthazar, with Pedringano and another servant, Cerberine, all disguised, break on the love-talk when its passion draws towards a climax. They seize Horatio and hang him in the arbour, Lorenzo adding a few stabs. Bellimperia cries wildly, "Murder! murder! Help, Hieronimo! help!" She has her mouth stopped, and is hurried away. Hieronimo has heard the cry in the night, and enters in his shirt, cuts down the body, and discovers it to be the body of his son. His wife Isabella enters, and they both lament. Here follows the first of the additions of Ben Jonson. It is a poetical expansion of the lament and of the first signs of madness in Hieronimo, that has natural pathos. The Act ends with Hieronimo running into Latin verse while he holds his sword's point at his breast. But he must live for revenge. The ghost of Andrea complains that he sees no revenge yet on his enemies, but is bidden wait. He talks of harvest when the corn is green. The Third Act begins with the King of Portugal about to burn Alexandro alive for the murder of Prince Balthazar, when the ambassador returns from Spain. The truth is made known, and the punishment is transferred to Villuppo, his false accuser. Then we return to Spain, and hear Hieronimo-Jeronimo-lamenting in a style at which Ben Jonson laughed when, in "Every Man in his Humour," he made Master Mathew, the weak-headed town fop, read them to Bobadil.* "Oh eyes! no eyes, but fountains fraught with tears: Oh life! no life, but lively form of death: Oh world! no world, but mass of public wrongs, Of mine but now no more my son Shall unrevealed and unrevengéd pass: How shall we term your dealings to be just, If you unjustly deal with those that in your justice trust?' After more lamentation (which is supposed to be made under a window of the house of the Duke of Castile, the king's brother), a letter, thrown from the window, drops at Hieronimo's feet, written by the imprisoned Bellimperia with her blood for want of ink. It calls upon him to revenge his son's death on his murderers, Balthazar and her brother Lorenzo. Hieronimo resolves that he will try by circumstances what he can gather to confirm this writ. Lorenzo enters, and the second of Ben Jonson's interpolations is of a few lines of dramatic dialogue, in which Hieronimo, more distinctly than in the first text, causes Lorenzo to suspect the marshal's knowledge of his guilt. Has Cerberine, the other servant engaged in the murder of Horatio, told anything? Cerberine's mouth must be stopped. Pedringano is paid to shoot him after summoning him, as if on some duty, to come at an appointed time to the place where he is to be shot. Lorenzo then secures that the watch shall also be upon the spot. Pedringano shoots Cerberine, and is seized by the watch. Lorenzo causes Pedringano to believe that he has already secured the king's pardon, and that it is in a box which a page carries. The page stands pointing "Indeed here are a number of fine speeches in this book. O eyes, no eyes but fountains fraught with tears! There's a conceit ! fountains fraught with tears! O life, no life, but lively form of death! Another ! O world, no world, but mass of public wrongs! A third! Confused and filled with murder and misdeeds! A fourth! O, the Muses! Is't not excellent? Is't not simply the best that ever you heard, captain ? Ha! how do you like it? "Bobadil. 'Tis good." |