SCENE II.--_The Camp of_ MARSILIUS.

_Enter_ MARSILIUS, MANDRICARD, _and the_ Twelve Peers _with_ ANGELICA.

_Mars._ Fought is the field, and Sacripant is slain, With such a massacre of all his men, As Mars, descending in his purple robe, Vows with Bellona in whole heaps of blood To banquet all the demigods of war.

_Mand._ See, where he lies slaughter'd without the camp, And by a simple swain, a mercenary, Who bravely took the combat to himself: Might I but know the man that did the deed, I would, my lord, etérnize him with fame.

_Ogier._ Leaving the factious county to his death, Command, my lord, his body be convey'd[166] Unto some place, as likes your highness best. See, Marsilius, posting through Africa, We have found this straggling girl, Angelica, Who, for she wrong'd her love Orlando, Chiefest of the western peers, conversing With so mean a man as Medor was, We will have her punish'd by the laws of France, To end her burning lust in flames of fire.

_Mars._ Beshrew you, lordings, but you do your worst; Fire, famine, and as cruel death As fell to Nero's mother in his rage.

_Angelica._ Father, if I may dare to call thee so, And lords of France, come from the western seas, In quest to find mighty Orlando out, Yet, ere I die, let me have leave to say, Angelica held ever in her thoughts Most dear the love of County Palatine. What wretch hath wrong'd us with suspect of lust I know not, I, nor can accuse the man; But, by the heavens, whereto my soul shall fly, Angelica did never wrong Orlando. I speak not this as one that cares to live, For why my thoughts are fully malcontent; And I conjure you by your chivalry, You quit Orlando's wrong upon Angelica.

_Enter_ ORLANDO, _with a scarf before his face._

_Oliver._ Strumpet, fear not, for, by fair Maia's son, This day thy soul shall vanish up in fire, As Semele, when Juno wil'd the trull To entertain the glory of her love.

_Orl._ Frenchman, for so thy quaint array imports, Be thou a peer, or be thou Charlemagne, Or hadst thou Hector's or Achilles' heart, Or never-daunted thoughts of Hercules, That did in courage far surpass them all, I tell thee, sir, thou liest in thy throat,-- The greatest brave Transalpine France can brook,-- In saying that sacred Angelica Did offer wrong unto the Palatine. I am a common mercenary soldier; Yet, for I see my princess is abus'd By new-come stragglers from a foreign coast, I dare the proudest of these western lords To crack a blade in trial of her right.

_Mand._ Why, foolish-hardy, daring, simple groom, Follower of fond-conceited[167] Phaëton, Know'st thou to whom thou speak'st?

_Mars._ Brave soldier, for so much thy courage says, These men are princes, dipt within the blood Of kings most royal, seated in the west, Unfit to accept a challenge at your hand: Yet thanks that thou wouldst in thy lord's defence Fight for my daughter; but her guilt is known.

_Ang._ Ay, rest thee, soldier, Angelica is false,-- False, for she hath no trial of her right: Soldier, let me die for the 'miss[168] of all. Wert thou as stout as was proud Theseus, In vain thy blade should offer my defence; For why these be the champions of the world, Twelve Peers of France that never yet were foil'd.

_Orl._ How, madam, the Twelve Peers of France! Why, let them be twelve devils of hell, What I have said, I'll pawn my sword, To seal it on the shield of him that dares, Malgrado[169] of his honour, combat me.

_Oliver._ Marry, sir, that dare I.

_Orl._ Y'ar'[170] a welcome man, sir.

_Turpin._ Chastise the groom, Oliver, and learn him know We are not like the boys of Africa.

_Orl._ Hear you, sir? You that so peremptorily bade him fight, Prepare your weapons, for your turn is next: 'Tis not one champion can discourage me. Come, are ye ready? [_He fights first with one, and then with the other, and overcomes them both._ So stand aside:--and, madam, if my fortune last it out, I'll guard your person with Twelve Peers of France.

_Ogier._ [_aside_]. O Ogier, how canst thou stand, and see a slave Disgrace the house of France?--Sirrah, prepare you; For angry Nemesis sits on my sword to be reveng'd. [_They fight a good while, and then breathe._

_Ogier._ Howe'er disguis'd in base or Indian shape, Ogier can well discern thee by thy blows; For either thou art Orlando or the devil.

_Orl._ [_taking off his scarf_]. Then, to assure you that I am no devil, Here's your friend and companion, Orlando.

_Ogier._ And none can be more glad than Ogier is, That he hath found his cousin in his sense.

_Oliver._ Whenas I felt his blows upon my shield, My teeth did chatter, and my thoughts conceiv'd, Who might this be, if not the Palatine.

_Turpin._ So had I said, but that report did tell My lord was troubled with a lunacy.

_Orl._ So was I, lordings; but give me leave awhile, Humbly as Mars did to his paramour, So to submit to fair Angelica.-- Pardon thy lord, fair saint Angelica, Whose love, stealing by steps into extremes, Grew by suspect to causeless lunacy.

_Ang._ O no, my lord, but pardon my amiss; For had not Orlando lov'd Angelica, Ne'er had my lord fall'n into these extremes, Which we will parley private to ourselves. Ne'er was the Queen of Cyprus half so glad As is Angelica to see her lord, Her dear Orlando, settled in his sense.

_Orl._ Thanks, my sweet love.-- But why stand the Prince of Africa, And Mandricard the King of Mexico, So deep in dumps, when all rejoice beside? First know, my lord, I slaughter'd Sacripant; I am the man that did the slave to death; Who frankly there did make confession, That he engrav'd the roundelays on the trees, And hung the schedules of poor Medor's love, Intending by suspect to breed debate Deeply 'twixt me and fair Angelica: His hope had hap, but we had all the harm; And now revenge, leaping from out the seat Of him that may command stern Nemesis, Hath pour'd those treasons justly on his head. What saith my gracious lord to this?

_Mars._ I stand amaz'd, deep over-drench'd with joy, To hear and see this unexpected end: So well I rest content.--Ye peers of France, Sith it is prov'd Angelica is clear, Her and my crown I freely will bestow Upon Orlando, the County Palatine.

_Orl._ Thanks my good lord.--And now, my friends of France, Frolic, be merry; we will hasten home, So soon as King Marsilius will consent To let his daughter wend with us to France. Meanwhile we'll richly rig up all our fleet More brave[171] than was that gallant Grecian keel That brought away the Colchian fleece of gold: Our sails of sendal[172] spread into the wind; Our ropes and tacklings all of finest silk, Fetch'd from the native looms of labouring worms, The pride of Barbary, and the glorious wealth That is transported by the western bounds; Our stems cut out of gleaming ivory; Our planks and sides fram'd out of cypress-wood, That bears the name of Cyparissus' change, To burst the billows of the ocean-sea, Where Phœbus dips his amber tresses oft, And kisses Thetis in the day's decline; That Neptune proud shall call his Tritons forth To cover all the ocean with a calm: So rich shall be the rubbish of our barks, Ta'en here for ballass to the ports of France, That Charles himself shall wonder at the sight. Thus, lordings, when our banquetings be done, And Orlando espousèd to Angelica, We'll furrow through the moving ocean, And cheerly frolic with great Charlemagne. [_Exeunt omnes._

FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGAY

Of _Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay_ there are three quartos, dated 1594, 1630 and 1655. The first quarto was published by Edward White, and 14th May 1594, the play is entered by the publisher on the _Stationery Registers_. The two exemplars of this quarto are in the British Museum and in Bridgewater House. In Henslowe's _Diary, Friar Bacon_ heads the list of plays by my Lord Strange's men in an entry for 19th February 1592. At this time it was not a new play. Between this date and 6th May it was performed by Strange's men once every three weeks, and once a week between the following 10th January and 30th January. 1st April 1594, it was taken over by the original owners, the Queen's players, who were then acting with Sussex' players, and was performed 1st and 5th April at the Rose Theatre. Presumably it was sent to press by the Queen's men. At Christmas 1602 Middleton wrote a Prologue and Epilogue for a performance of the play by the Admiral's men at Court, for which he received five shillings. After this the play was probably kept in the possession of the Admiral's players, for the 1630 title-page indicates its performance by the Palsgrave's men. In no sense a plagiarism, the play is strictly a rival of Marlowe's _Dr. Faustus_, and it must have been performed within a year after Marlowe's play appeared in 1587. With _James IV._ it represents Greene's dramatic workmanship at its best. A few months after the appearance of the play it was parodied in _Fair Em, The Miller's Daughter of Manchester_. Greene's play is based on a romance written at the end of the sixteenth century, and probably accessible to both Greene and Marlowe. The "wall of brass" is common to both plays, and comes in each case directly from the source-book, the _Famous History of Friar Bacon_. This popular old story, of which the earliest extant edition is dated 1630, is now accessible in Thoms' _Early English Prose Romances_, Vol. I. To his source-material Greene added, probably out of his own head, the character of Margaret and her touching love-story. For the historical portions of the play there is no warrant in actual events.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

KING HENRY THE THIRD.

EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, his son.

EMPEROR OF GERMANY.

KING OF CASTILE.

DUKE OF SAXONY.

LACY, Earl of Lincoln.

WARREN, Earl of Sussex.

ERMSBY, a Gentleman.

RALPH SIMNELL, the King's Fool.

FRIAR BACON.

MILES, Friar Bacon's poor scholar.

FRIAR BUNGAY.

JAQUES VANDERMAST.

BURDEN, MASON, Doctors of Oxford.

CLEMENT, LAMBERT, SERLSBY, Gentlemen.

Two Scholars, their sons.

Keeper.

Keeper's Friend.

THOMAS, RICHARD, Clowns.

Constable.

A Post.

Lords, Clowns, etc.

ELINOR, daughter to the King of Castile.

MARGARET, the Keeper's daughter.

JOAN, a country wench.

Hostess of the Bell at Henley.

A Devil.

Spirit in the shape of HERCULES.

_THE HONOURABLE HISTORY OF FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGAY_

ACT THE FIRST