Your brother Norfolk is my dearest friend; Shall I?-
L. Scrope. Here's one to put me to the proofHeaven knows the iffue; we'll retire and pray For peace, and concord, amity and love.
[Exeunt Lady S. and Lady D. Mary. Herries! my friend! companion of my flight! Beft counsellor who bade me fhun this land,
What answer have you brought from this proud Queen ?
L. Her. This is the purport: England's Queen declares,
That as a friend, and not a judge, she hears This caufeYour restoration to atchieve, If you renounce all title to her crown, During her life, and iffue-Give up France; Ally yourself with her; renounce the mass.
Mary. Heav'ns what a height of infolence is this! I fee her aim; and now, no more, than this- Will fhe in perfon hear her fifter Queen?
L. Her. She ftill declines to fee you, till you're clear'd
Of this foul charge; which the herself abets, Bafely fuborning forgeries; mean time, Full of profeffions of fincereft love, She waits impatient to embrace with joy Her vindicated fifter-But till then, Moft fanctimoniously abhors the fight Of one, whofe honour the herself betrays By her false calumnies.
Mary. Perfidious wretch !
L. Her. Know you that Murray, your base brother,
At England's court, confulted, closetted;
While you, a Queen, her equal in all points,
Are in a vile durance
Mary. Grant me patience, heaven!
L. Her. Were he your equal, why this preference To him who fhould plead guilty, not accufe? Mary. 'Tis all mere mockery and artifice To cheat the world, and gain its confidence By femblance of fair juftice.
L. Her. Rather fay, Plain, undisguis'd injuftice; might I speak,
Your Majefty fhou'd arrrogate your right, As a fupreme and independent Queen.
Mary. And yet my trusty guide! Can I recede; Decline the enquiry; fcorn the public voice; Leave the licentious world to its own thoughts, And my fair fame, a prey to wild conjecture?
L. Her. The world's more juft than to expect a Queen,
To plead to vaffals in a foreign land;
Hold up her hand, and bend her knee to thofe Whofe proudeft head, at fight of her approach, Shou'd proftrate fall, and humbly kifs the dust. Mary. And yet what other clearance can I have? Shall 1 fit down under this heavy load?
Shall confcious innocence reject the means Of wiping off this ftain? No! I'll refign All, but the first of titles, a fair name
L. Her. 'Tis not your felf, but Scotland you betray; Rights of a fovereign realm, tranfmitted thro' A hundred kings; rights which yourself were born, And which you've fworn to uphold.
Mary. Truth will prevail;
Herries! you may return to England's Queen : Tell her I here recall my late appeal,
As all beneath my name and dignity. Tell her I came invited to this land
By her fair words, and fought a refuge here; That refuge is a prifon-then repeat My wifh in perfon to fubmit my caufe; (Wherein I fhew her honour and refpect Exceeding all example) If, at last, This woman, fo forgetful of herself, Deaf to the claims of blood and royalty, Against a fifter fhall make faft the door, Admitting her accufer: let her know,
The Queen of Scotland claims her liberty; Demands her birth right; nor will e'er refign That freedom heaven and nature gave to all. If this juft fuit's denied; defy her then; Challenge her worst: dare her to keep me here; Bid her unhinge, and fet at naught the laws Of nature and of nations; let her pride Exult in barbarous difregard of right,
And emulate th' unlettered Turk and Moor, Till in one common caufe, and with one voice, All Christendom shall rise to rescue me.
Nor. Pardon this bold intrufion of your flave, Whose steps are guided by refiftless charms, And every fentiment that pureft love
Breathes in the hearts of her true votaries. Mary. Are you then come, brave, generous man! My joy,
Norfolk at fight of thee, difpels my fears. Yet were it known you fought my prefence here- Nor. Is it then treafon to approach thefe walls? Muft I prefume your guilt, who, thro' this veil, See your bright innocence?
Mary. Heav'n knows 'tis fuch; But circumvented thus by perjuries,
By bold bad men, what can a woman hope, A helpless, unbefriended exile?
Can't thou pronounce those words and look on me? Mary. No! thou didst guard me from th' impending wrath
Of Murray, that inhuman enemy.
Oh, thou haft lavifhed unrequited aid
Moft Angel like-Now first I feel my lofs:
The fall of power ne'er wounds the breaft fo deep, As when, from hearts that fwell with gratitude, It fevers all the means of recompense.
Nor. What do I hear? No means of recompen Why what reward can Heav'n? a beauteous C
The paragon and envy of her fex,
The wonder and delight of all mankind;
Sent from the skies to dazzle all below With rays too bright for mortal fight to bear. Mary. Terins fuch as these apply not to a wretch, A poor, unfortunate, degraded wretch, Doom'd to captivity.
It cannot, muft not, fhall not be; fuch acts Are not within the reach of envy's grafp. Cold-blooded tyrants may conceive fuch thoughts; But, trust me, mankind is not yet fo loft To honour, decency, and gen'rous love; The manners of the age, the face of things, Wou'd not endure to fee the pride of the age, And all the living beauty of the world, Led like a facrifice to night and hell,
And buried quick-nay, in the bloom of youth; And fuch a bloom as blafts the blushing rofe Of England's maids fo fam'd a form that mars All other claim to grace or dignity.
Mary. You mock me, fure!--Alas! what wou'd thefe flights?
Nor. Yourself, and this fair hand; here on this earth
Į ask, in one rash prayer, all Heaven can grant.
Mary. Let not despair, or confidence, take place; Where fickle fortune reigns
I am not to defpair; hence, hence I date All joys of life, and flatt'ring hopes to come; And dedicate all honour, fervice, love, Henceforth, unto the mistress of my foul. Mary. Another mistrefs claims thy fervices, A proud, inquifitive, revengeful Queen; One full of envy; doom'd thro' life to feed Cin gall, and spleen; nor tafte love's generous draught;
Watchful fhe is, and jealous in the extreme: Beware how fhe's inform'd!
Nor. Why fhou'd we fear?
Her minifters approve; proud Leicester's felf, Her favourite, will procure her full confent.
Mary. Great minds are unfufpicious to their ruin; Truft not to Liecefler's words-Nor dream that she Will loose these chains, and falten hymen's bands, For one fhe hates, fears, views with envious eyes. Will the, fo wife, join me to all your power? It cannot be; prepare then for the worft; And, if we fail, and I remain a flave,
Perhaps in fafter chains, they fhall but add Fresh rivets to our love This token keep!
If clofer walls await me, this may ferve To inftruct fome faithful fervant of your name, And of my wish for your accefs-Adieu !
Nor. Farewel, thou pattern of all excellence! Exit Norfolk.
Now, Heav'ns! as you regard our mortal cares, If innocence claims mercy in your fight, Expand your guardian wings, and cover me From this black ftorm! avert the dire approach Of this too fubtil ferpent's crooked pace That glides to my deftruction! How have I Deserved her venom? Is it that I am young? Born to one Crown and married to another? Or that, in me, the fees with jaundic'd eyes Her lineal fucceffor? Aye! there's the crime Meannefs cannot forgive-Poor narrow foul! That wanting courage to fubmit to fate, Secks, like her father, to perpetuate
A mortal throne, and reign when she's no more: There's no difemper fo incurable
As thirst of power-Here then for life I'm fix'd, Unless I work my way thro' walls of tone; Alas, these hands are weak! But I'll find some Shall tear up by the roots these thick-ribb'd towers; I'll from my dungeon fcream, till to my cries All Europe echoes-Norfolk! thou shall it rouze
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