you spare him:Nor be pathetic, my kind benefactor,
On all the many bounties of your hand,
’Twas for yourself you laboured not for me!
Do you not count, when I am queen, to take
Advantage of your chance discoveries
Of my poor secrets, and so hold a rod
Over my life?
Conrad.
Let not this slave this villain
Be cause of feud between us. See! he comes!
Look, woman, look, your Albert is quite safe!
In haste it seems. Now shall I be in the way,
And wish’d with silent curses in my grave,
Or side by side with ‘whelmed mariners.
Albert.
Fair on your graces fall this early morrow!
So it is like to do, without my prayers,
For your right noble names, like favourite tunes,
Have fallen full frequent from our Emperor’s lips,
High commented with smiles.
Auranthe.
Noble Albert!
Conrad (aside). Noble!
Auranthe.
Such salutation argues a glad heart
In our prosperity. We thank you, sir.
Albert.
Lady! O, would to Heaven your poor servant
Could do you better service than mere words!
But I have other greeting than mine own,
From no less man than Otho, who has sent
This ring as pledge of dearest amity;
’Tis chosen I hear from Hymen’s jewel’ry,
And you will prize it, lady, I doubt not,
Beyond all pleasures past, and all to come.
To you great duke
Conrad.
To me! What of me, ha?
Albert.
What pleas’d your grace to say?
Conrad.
Your message, sir!
Albert.
You mean not this to me?
Conrad.
Sister, this way;
For there shall be no ‘‘‘gentle Alberts” now, [Aside.
No “sweet Auranthes!”
Albert (solus). The duke is out of temper; if he knows
More than a brother of a sister ought,
I should not quarrel with his peevishness.
Auranthe Heaven preserve her always fair!
Is in the heady, proud, ambitious vein;
I bicker not with her, bid her farewell!
She has taken flight from me, then let her soar,
He is a fool who stands at pining gaze!
But for poor Ludolph, he is food for sorrow:
No levelling bluster of my licens’d thoughts,
No military swagger of my mind,
Can smother from myself the wrong I’ve done him,
Without design, indeed, yet it is so,
And opiate for the conscience have I none! [Exit.
Scene II
Otho.
Where is my noble herald?
Servants.
ALBERT following.
Well, hast told
Auranthe our intent imperial?
Lest our rent banners, too o’ the sudden shown,
Should fright her silken casements, and dismay
Her household to our lack of entertainment.
A victory!
Conrad.
God save illustrious Otho!
Otho.
Aye, Conrad, it will pluck out all grey hairs;
It is the best physician for the spleen;
The courtliest inviter to a feast;
The subtlest excuser of small faults;
And a nice judge in the age and smack of wine.
Hail my sweet hostess! I do thank the stars,
Or my good soldiers, or their ladies’ eyes,
That, after such a merry battle fought,
I can, all safe in body and in soul,
Kiss your fair hand and lady fortune’s too.
My ring! now, on my life, it doth rejoice
These lips to feel ‘t on this soft ivory!
Keep it, my brightest daughter; it may prove
The little prologue to a line of kings.
I strove against thee and my hot-blood son,
Dull blockhead that I was to be so blind,
But now my sight is clear; forgive me, lady.
Auranthe.
My lord, I was a vassal to your frown,
And now your favour makes me but more humble;
In wintry winds the simple snow is safe,
But fadeth at the greeting of the sun:
Unto thine anger I might well have spoken,
Taking on me a woman’s privilege,
But this so sudden kindness makes me dumb.
Otho.
What need of this? Enough, if you will be
A potent tutoress to my wayward boy,
And teach him, what it seems his nurse could not
To say, for once, I thank you. Sigifred!
Albert.
He
