Dal. Your humblest creature. Hunt. So, so; the game's a-foot, I'm in cold hunting, The hare and hounds are parties. Dal. Princely lady, How most unworthy I am to employ [Aside. My services, in honour of your virtues, Your goodness gives large warrants to my bold ness, My feeble-wing'd ambition. Hunt. This is scurvy. Kath. My lord, I interrupt you not. Hunt. Indeed! [Aside. Now on my life she'll court him.-[Aside.]—Nay, nay, on, sir. Dal. Oft have I tuned the lesson of my sorrows To sweeten discord, and enrich your pity, But all in vain: here had my comforts sunk Of the despairing lover, had not now, Even now, the earl your father Hunt. He means me sure. [Aside. Dal. After some fit disputes of your condition, Your highness and my lowness, given a licence Which did not more embolden, than encourage My faulting tongue. Hunt. How, how? how's that? embolden? Encourage? I encourage ye! d'ye hear, sir? A subtle trick, a quaint one.-Will you hear, man? What did I say to you? come, come, to th' point. Kath. It shall not need, my lord. Hunt. Then hear me, Kate! Keep you on that hand of her; I on this.— Thou canst but make one choice; the ties of marriage Are tenures, not at will, but during life. Consider whose thou art, and who; a princess, On any least occasion, to endanger His person; wherefore, Kate, as I am confident Thou dar'st not wrong thy birth and education By yielding to a common servile rage is old Of female wantonness, so I am confident Thy will and reason by a strength of judgment, Thy hopes above my height, let not thy passion Dal. Oh! you are all oracle, The living stock and root of truth and wisdom. Kath. My worthiest lord and father, the indul gence Of your sweet composition, thus commands To choose without direction of example: + Lead thee to shrink mine honour, &c.] This is the reading of the 4to, and makes very good sense; but from the general tenor of the sentence, I am inclined to believe that the poet's word was sink. 5 I have done.] And done well too! The person here meant is George, the eldest son of Alexander Seton, and second Earl of Huntley. He married Anabella, daughter of James I. Hence it is that he talks, in his opening speech, of " the piece of royalty that is stitched up in his Kate's blood." What authority the poet had for the histrionic character of this nobleman, I know not; but if the princely family of the Gordons ever numbered such a personage as this among their ancestors, let them be justly proud of him; for neither on the stage, nor in the great drama of life, will there be easily found a character to put in competition with him. Daliell (for so Ford writes it) is also a noble fellow. There are two persons of that name, William and Robert Dalzell, grandsons of Sir John Dalzell, either of whom, from the date, might be meant for the character here introduced. Of the former nothing is recorded. The latter, Douglas says, was killed at Dumfries, in a skirmish between Maxwell and Crichton, July, 1508." You take off from the roughness of a father, To live and die so, that you may not blush Hunt. Kate, Kate, thou grow'st upon my heart, like peace, Creating every other hour a jubilee. Kath. To you, my lord of Dalyell, I address I value mine own worth at higher rate, Leads you to worthy actions; and these guide you So every virtuous praise, in after-ages, Shall be your heir, and I, in your brave mention, Be chronicled the mother of that issue, That glorious issue. Hunt. Oh, that I were young again! She'd make me court proud danger, and suck spirit From reputation. Kath. To the present motion, Here's all that I dare answer: when a ripeness are Preser[v]'d secure, in having you a friend. Dal. You are a blessed lady, and instruct And for it shall command your humblest servant. Hunt. Enough: we are still friends, and will continue A hearty love.-Oh, Kate! thou art mine own.— No more ;-my lord of Crawford. Enter CRAWFORD." Craw. From the king I come, my lord of Huntley, who in council Hunt. Some weighty business? Craw. A secretary from a duke of York, • Enter Crawford.] This is probably (for I speak with great hesitation on the subject) John, second son of David, fourth Earl Crawford. If I am right in this conjecture, he stood in some kind of relationship to Huntley, his elder brother Alexander (dead at this period) having married Lady Jane Gordon, the earl's second daughter. |