SCENE IV.

_Isabella's house at Pavia._

_Enter_ ISABELLA, ANNA, _and_ Servants.

_Isa._ Time, that devour'st all mortality, Run swiftly these few hours, And bring Gniaca on thy aged shoulders, That I may clip the rarest model of creation. Do this, gentle Time, And I will curl thine agèd silver lock, And dally with thee in delicious pleasure: Medea-like I will renew thy youth, But if thy frozen steps delay my love, I'll poison thee, with murder curse thy paths, 10 And make thee know a time of infamy.-- Anna, give watch, and bring me certain notice When Count Gniaca doth approach my house.

_Anna._ Madam, I go.-- I am kept for pleasure, though I never taste it; For 'tis the usher's office still to cover His lady's private meetings with her lover.

[_Exit._

_Isa._ Desire, thou quenchless flame that burn'st our souls, Cease to torment me; The dew of pleasure shall put out thy fire, 20 And quite consume thee with satiety. Lust shall be cool'd with lust, wherein I'll prove The life of love is only saved by love.

_Enter_ ANNA.

_Anna._ Madam, he's coming.

_Isa._ Thou blessed Mercury, Prepare a banquet fit to please the gods; Let sphere-like[254] music breathe delicious tones Into our mortal ears; perfume the house With odoriferous scents, sweeter than myrrh, Or all the spices in Panchaia. His sight and touching we will recreate, 30 That his five senses shall be fivefold happy. His breath like roses casts out sweet perfume; Time now with pleasure shall itself consume.

_Enter_ GNIACA _in his hunting weeds_.

How like Adonis in his hunting weeds, Looks this same goddess-tempter! And art thou come? This kiss entrance thy[255] soul! Gods, I do not envy you; for, know this, Way's[256] here on earth complete, excels your bliss: I'll not change this night's pleasure with you all.

_Gni._ Thou creature made by love, composed of pleasure, 40 That makest true use of thy creation, In thee both wit and beauty's resident; Delightful pleasure, unpeer'd excellence. This is the fate fix'd fast unto thy birth, That thou alone shouldst be man's heaven on earth. If I alone may but enjoy thy love, I'll not change earthly joy to be heaven's Jove: For though that women-haters now are common, They all shall know earth's joy consists in woman.

_Isa._ My love was dotage till I lovèd thee, 50 For thy soul truly tastes our petulance; Condition's[257] lover, Cupid's Intelligencer, That makes man[258] understand what pleasure is: These are fit tributes unto thy knowledge; For women's beauty o'er men bear that rule, Our power commands the rich, the wise, the fool. Though scorn grows big in man, in growth and stature, Yet women are the rarest works of[259] nature.

_Gni._ I do confess the truth, and must admire That women can command rare man's desire. 60

_Isa._ Cease admiration, sit to Cupid's feast, The preparation to Paphian dalliance; Harmonious music, breathe thy silver airs To stir up appetite to Venus' banquet, That breath of pleasure that entrances souls, Making that instant happiness a heaven, In the true taste of love's deliciousness.

_Gni._ Thy words are able to stir cold desire Into his flesh that lies entomb'd in ice, Having lost the feeling use of warmth in blood; 70 Then how much more in me, whose youthful veins, Like a proud river, overflow their bounds? Pleasure's ambrosia, or love's nourisher, I long for privacy; come, let us in; 'Tis custom, and not reason, makes love sin.

_Isa._ I'll lead the way to Venus' paradise, Where thou shalt taste that fruit that made man wise.

[_Exit_ ISABELLA.

_Gni._ Sing notes of pleasure to elate our blood: Why should heaven frown on joys that do us good? I come, Isabella, keeper of love's treasure, 80 To force thy blood to lust, and ravish pleasure.

[_Exit._

_After some short song, enter_ ISABELLA _and_ GNIACA _again, she hanging about his neck lasciviously_.

_Gni._ Still I am thy captive, yet thy thoughts are free; To be love's bondman is true liberty. I have swum in seas of pleasure without ground, Ventrous desire past depth itself hath drown'd. Such skill has beauty's art in a true lover, That dead desire to life it can recover. Thus beauty our desire can soon advance, Then straight again kill it with dalliance. Divinest women, your enchanting breaths 90 Give lovers many lives and many deaths!

_Isa._ May thy desire to me for ever last, Not die but surfeit on my delicates; And as I tie this jewel about thy neck, So may I tie thy constant love to mine, Never to seek weaking variety, That greedy curse of man and woman's hell, Where nought but shame and loath'd diseases dwell.

_Gni._ You counsel well, dear; learn it then; For change is given more to you than men. 100

_Isa._ My faith to thee, like rocks, shall never move, The sun shall change his course ere I my love.

_Enter_ ANNA.

_Ann._ Madam, the Count Massino[260] knocks.

_Isa._ Dear love, into my chamber, till I send My hate from sight.

_Gni._ Lust makes me wrong my friend.

[_Exit_ GNIACA.

_Isa._ Anna, stand here and entertain Lord Massino;[260] I from my window straight will give him answer. The serpent's wit to woman rest in me; By that man fell, then why not he by me? 109 Feign'd sighs, and tears dropp'd from a woman's eye, Blinds man of reason, strikes his knowledge dumb. Wit arms a woman; Count Massino,[260] come.

[_Exit_ ISABELLA.

_Ann._ My office still is under: yet in time Ushers prove masters, degrees makes us climb.

[MASSINO[261] _knocks_.

Who knocks? Is't you, my noble lord?

_Enter_ MASSINO[261] _in his hunting weeds_.

_Mass._ Came my friend hither--Count Gniaca?

_Ann._ No, my good lord.

_Mass._ Where's my Isabella?

_Ann._ In her chamber.

_Mass._ Good: I'll visit her. 120

_Ann._ The chamber's lock'd, my lord: she will be private.

_Mass._ Lock'd against me--my saucy malapert?

_Ann._ Be patient, good my lord; she'll give you answer.

_Mass._ Isabella! life of love, speak, 'tis I that calls.

[ISABELLA at her window.[262]

_Isa._ I must desire your lordship pardon me.

_Mass._ Lordship? what's this? Isabella, art thou blind?

_Isa._ My lord, My lust was blind, but now my soul's clear-sighted, And sees the spots that did corrupt my flesh: Those tokens sent from hell, brought by desire, 130 The messenger of everlasting death!

_Ann._ My lady's in her pulpit, now she'll preach.

_Mass._ Is not thy lady mad? In verity I always Took her for a puritan, and now she shows it.

_Isa._ Mock not repentance. Profanation Brings mortals laughing to damnation. Believe it, lord, Isabella's ill-pass'd life, Like gold refined, shall make a perfect wife. I stand on firm ground now, before on ice; We know not virtue till we taste of vice. 140

_Mass._ Do you hear dissimulation, woman sinner?

_Isa._ Leave my house, good my lord, and for my part, I look for a most wish'd reconciliation Betwixt myself and my most wrongèd husband. Tempt not contrition then, religious lord.

_Mass._ Indeed I was one of your family once; But do not I know these are but brain-tricks: And where the devil has the fee-simple, He'll keep possession; and will you halt Before me that yourself has made a cripple? 150

_Isa._ Nay, then, you wrong me; and, disdainèd lord, I paid then for thy pleasures vendible-- Whose mercenary flesh I bought with coin. I will divulge thy baseness, 'less with speed Thou leave my house and my society.

_Mass._ Already turn'd apostate! but now all pure, Now damn'd your faith is, and [your] loves endure Like dew upon the grass; when pleasure's sun Shines on your virtues, all your virtue's done. I'll leave thy house and thee; go, get thee in, 160 Thou gaudy child of pride, and nurse of sin.

_Isa._ Rail not on me, my lord; for if you do, My hot desire of vengeance shall strike wonder; Revenge in women falls like dreadful thunder!

[_Exit._

_Ann._ Your lordship will command me no further service?

_Mass._ I thank thee for thy watchful service past; Thy usher-like attendance on the stairs, Being true signs of thy humility.

_Ann._ I hope I did discharge my place with care. 169

_Mass._ Ushers should have much wit, but little hair;[263] Thou hast of both sufficient: prithee leave me, If thou hast an honest lady, commend me to her, But she is none.

[_Exit_ ANNA.

Farewell, thou private strumpet, worse than common! Man were on earth an angel but for woman. That sevenfold branch of hell from them doth grow; Pride, lust, and murder, they raise from below, With all their fellow-sins. Women are made Of blood, without souls; when their beauties fade, And their lust's past, avarice or bawdry 180 Makes them still loved; then they buy venery, Bribing damnation, and hire brothel-slaves: Shame's their executors, infamy their graves. Your painting will wipe off, which art did hide, And show your ugly shape in spite of pride. Farewell, Isabella, poor in soul and fame, I leave thee rich in nothing but in shame. Then, soulless women, know, whose faiths are hollow, Your lust being quench'd a bloody act must follow.

[_Exit._

[254] Ed. 1631 "speare-like."

[255] Ed. 1631 "enters into thy."

[256] Quy. "Joy's?"

[257] The text is corrupt. Some copies of ed. 1613 have "conditious."

[258] Ed. 1631 "men."

[259] Ed. 1631 and some copies of ed. 1613 "in."

[260] Old eds. "Rogero."

[261] Old eds. "Guido."--The prefix to his speeches throughout the scene is "_Gui._"

[262] Evidently the window of an inner chamber.

[263] An allusion to the proverb "More hair than wit."