O let me dress up those 45 untrimmed locks!
Look up, sweet child, look up mine only joy,
"Tis I, thy father, that beseecheth thee:
Rear up thy body, strain thy dying voice

To speak to him; sweet Gismund, speak to me. Gismunda. Who stays my soul? who thus disquiets me?

Tancred. 'Tis I thy father; ah! behold my tears, Like pearled dew, that trickle down my cheeks, To wash my silver hairs.

Gismunda.

Oh, father, king, Forbear your tears, your plaint will not avail.

Tancred. Oh, my sweet heart, hast thou receiv'd thy

life

From me, and wilt thou to requite the same
Yield me my

death? yea, death and greater grief,

To see thee die for him that did defame

Thine honour thus, my kingdom, and thy name?

Gismunda. Yea, therefore father, gave you life to me, That I should die, and now my date is done. As for your kingdom, and mine own renown, Which you affirm dishonoured to be,

That fault impute it where it is; for he

That slew mine Earl, and sent his heart to me,
His hands have brought this shame and grief on us.
But, father, yet if any spark remain

Of

your dear love; if ever yet I could

So much deserve, or at your hands desire,

Grant that I may obtain this last request.

Tancred. Say, lovely child, say on, whate'er it be, Thy father grants it willingly to thee.

Gismunda. My life I crave not, for it is not now

In you to give, nor in myself to save;

45 · untrimmed locks!] Untrimmed locks are locks dishevelled or undressed. Trim, in the language of the times, was frequently used for dress. Massinger's Emperor of the East, A. 2. S. 1:

"Our Eastern Queens, at their full height bow to thee,
"And are, in their best trim, thy foils and shadows."

See also Mr. Steevens' Note on King John, A. 3. S. 3.

Nor crave I mercy for mine Earl and me,
Who hath been slain with too much cruelty.
With patience I must a while abide
Within this life, which now will not be long.
But this is my request; father, I pray,
That, since it pleased so your majesty,
I should enjoy my love alive no more,
Yet ne'ertheless let us not parted be,
Whom cruel death could never separate:
But as we liv'd and dy'd together here,
So let our bodies be together tomb'd:
Let him with me, and I with him, be laid
Within one shrine, wherever you appoint.
This if you grant me, as I trust you will,
Although I live not to requite this grace,
Th' immortal gods due recompence shall give
you for this and so, vain world, farewell-
My speech is painful, and mine eye-sight fails.

То

Tancred. My daughter dies-see how the bitter pangs Of tyrannous death torment her princely heart, She looks on me, at me she shakes her head; For me she groans; by me my daughter dies; I, I the author of this tragedy.

On me, on me, ye heavens, throw down your ire!
Now dies my daughter!-hence with princely robes.
Oh fair in life! thrice fairer in thy death!

Dear to thy father in thy life thou wert,
But in thy death, dearest unto his heart;

I kiss thy paled cheeks, and close thine eyes.
This duty once I promised to myself

Thou should'st perform to me; but ah! false hope,
Now ruthful wretched king, what resteth thee?
Wilt thou now live wasted with misery?

Wilt thou now live, that with these eyes didst see
Thy daughter dead? wilt thou now live to see
Her funerals, that of thy life was stay?
Wilt thou now live that wast her life's decay?

Shall not this hand reach to this heart the stroke?
Mine arms are not so weak, nor are my limbs
So feebled with mine age, nor is my heart

So daunted with the dread of cowardice,

But I can wreak due vengeance on that head,
That wrought the means these lovers now be dead.
46 Julio, come near, and lay thine own right hand
Upon my thigh-now take thine oath of me.

Julio. I swear to thee, my liege lord, to discharge
Whatever thou enjoinest Julio.

Tancred. First then, I charge thee that my daughter have

Her last request: thou shalt within one tomb
Inter her Earl and her, and thereupon

Engrave some royal epitaph of love.

That done, I swear thee thou shalt take my corps,
Which thou shalt find by that time done to death,
And lay my body by my daughter's side-

Swear this, swear this, I say.

Julio.

I swear.

But will the king do so unkingly now?

Tancred. A kingly deed the king resolves to do.
Julio. To kill himself?

Tancred.

Julio. Doth Jove command it?

Tancred.

To send his soul to ease.

Our stars compell it.

So we.

Julio. The wise man over-rules his stars.
Tancred.

Julio. Undaunted should the minds of kings endure.
Tancred. So shall it in this resolution.

Julio, forbear and as thou lov'st the king,
When thou shalt see him welt'ring in his gore,
Stretching his limbs, and gasping in his groans,

46 Julio come near, and lay thine own right hand

"And

Upon my thigh :--now take thine oath to me. e.] Alluding to a custom of which mention is made in Genesis, chap. xxiv. 9. the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter." The same form was likewise observed by Jacob and Joseph when they were dying. Some mystery is supposed to be couched under this practice. The most probable, at least the most decent, supposition is, that it was a token of subjection or homage from a servant to his lord, when the former solemnly promised to perform whatever should be commanded by the latter. S.

Then, Julio, set to thy helping hand,
Redouble stroke on stroke, and drive the stab
Down deeper to his heart, to rid his soul.
Now stand aside, stir not a foot, lest thou
Make up the fourth to fill this tragedy.

These eyes that first beheld my daughter's shame;
These eyes that longed for the ruthful sight
Of her Earl's heart; these eyes that now have seen
His death, her woe, and her avenging teen;
Upon these eyes we must be first aveng'd.
Unworthy lamps of this accursed lump,
Out of your dwellings-so, it fits us thus
In blood and blindness to go seek the path
That leadeth down to everlasting night.
Why fright'st thou, dastard? be thou desperate;
One mischief brings another on his neck,
As mighty billows tumble in the seas.
Now, daughter, seest thou not how I amerce
My wrath, that thus bereft thee of thy love,
Upon my head?-Now, fathers, learn by me,
Be wise, be warn'd to usé more tenderly
The jewels of your joys.-Daughter, I come.

FINIS.

EPILOGUE.

SPOKEN BY JULIO.

Lo here the sweets of grisly pale despair!
These are the blossoms of this cursed tree,
Such are the fruits of too much love and care,
O'erwhelmed in the sense of misery.

With violent hands he that his life doth end,
His damned soul to endless night doth wend.
Now resteth it that I discharge mine oath,
To see th' unhappy lovers and the king
Laid in one tomb-I would be very loth
You should wait here to see this mournful thing :
For I am sure, and do ye all to wit,

Through grief wherein the lords of Salerne be,
These funerals are not prepared yet:
Nor do they think on that solemnity.
As for the fury, ye must understand,
Now she hath seen th' effect of her desire,
She is departed, and hath left our land,
Granting this end unto her hellish ire.
Now humbly pray we, that our English dames
May never lead their loves into mistrust;
But that their honours may avoid the shames
That follow such as live in wanton lust.

We know they bear them on their virtues bold,
With blissful chastity so well content,

That, when their lives and loves abroad are told,
All men admire their virtuous government;
Worthy to live where fury never came,
Worthy to live where love doth always see,
Worthy to live in golden trump of fame,
Worthy to live, and honoured still to be.
Thus end our sorrows with the setting sun:
Now draw the curtains, for our scene is done.

R. W.