But die I will without the leaft complaint; And leaves of weeping flowers. -Come, my dear friend, Partner in fate, give me thy body in Thefe faithful arms, and O now let me tell thee, And you, my Lords, and Heaven my witnefs too, SOUTH. And I proteft, by the fame powers divine, And to the world, 'tis all my happiness, The greatest blifs of mind yet e'er enjoy'd, C To grant particular mercy to your person; SOUTH. O my unguarded foul! Sure never was A man with mercy wounded fo before. Ess. Then I am loofe to fteer my wand'ring voyage; To reach its wifh'd-for-port-Angels protect fhall be, That as in time fhe has fpar'd my noble friend, And owns his crimes worth mercy, may she ne'er' Again, Southampton, let me hold thee faft, For 'tis my laft embrace. SOUTH. O be lefs kind, my friend, or move lefs pity, Or I fhall fink beneath the weight of sadness! I weep that I am doom'd to live without you, 1 Ess. Ofpare this tenderness for one that needs it, i That is not meant to her-be a kind friend SOUTH. O ftay, my Lord; let me have one word more; One laft farewell, before the greedy axe Shall part my friend, my only friend, from me, And Effex from himself-I know not what Are call'd the pangs of death, but sure I am Ess. Why, that's well faid-Farewell to thee- I will bespeak it for Southampton. SOUTH. And I, while I have life, will hoard thy memory: When I am dead, we then shall meet again. Ess. Till then, Farewell. SOUTH. Till then, Farewell. CHAP. X. EARL OF ESSEK. JAFFIER AND PIERRE.. JAFF. By Heav'n, you ftir not! I must be heard, I must have leave to speak! Thou Thou haft difgrac'd me, Pierre, by a vile blow! But ufe me as thou wilt, thou canst not wrong me, With pity and with charity behold me; Shut not thy heart against a friend's repentance; PIER. What whining monk art thou? what holy cheat, PIER. No, know thee not; what art thou? JAFF. Jaffier, thy friend, thy once lov'd, valu'd friend! Tho' now deferv'dly scorn'd, and us'd moft hardly. PIER. Thou Jaffier! thou my once lov'd, valu'd friend! Dear to my eyes, and tender to my heart: have not; But still am honeft, true, and hope too, valiant; Fond Fond of its goal, and lab'ring to be at thee, What shall I do? what say to make thee hear me? PIER Haft thou not wrong'd me ? dar'st thou call thyfelf That once lov'd, valued friend of mine, And swear thou haft not wrong'd me? Whence these chains ? Whence the vile death which I may meet this moment? Whence this dishonour, but from thee, thou falfe one? JAFF. All's true; yet grant one thing, and I've done asking. JAFF. To take thy life on fuch conditions The council have propos'd thou and thy friend PIER. Life! ask my life! confefs! record myself A villain for the privilege to breathe, And carry up and down this curfed city To lofe it, may be, at laft, in a lewd quarrel For fome new friend, treacherous and false as thou art! No, this vile world and I have long been jangling, And cannot part on better term's than now, When only men like thee are fit to live in't. PIER. Swear by fome other powers, For thou haft broken that facred oath too lately. JAFF. Then by that hell I merit, I'll not leave thee, Till to thyfelf at least thou'rt reconcil'd, However thy refentment deal with me. :: PIER. Not leave me! JAFF. No; thou fhalt not force me from thee; Ufe me reproachfully, and like a flave; Tread on me, buffet me, heap wrongs on wrongs On On my poor head; I'll bear it all with patience; brot PIER. A coward, a moft fcandalous coward, 7 JAFF. All, all, and more, much more: my faults care numberless. PIER. And would'ft thou have me live on terms like. JAFF. No; 'tis to me that's granted : The fafety of thy life was all I aim'd at, In recompenfe for faith and trust fo broken. PIER. I fcorn it more, because preferv'd by thee: And as when firft my foolish heart took pity On thy misfortunes, fought thee in thy miferies, Reliev'd thy wants, and rajs'd thee from thy state Of wretchedness, in which thy fate had plung'd thee, To rank thee in my lift of noble friends; All I receiv'd in furety, for thy truth, Were unregarded oaths, and this, this dagger, Given with a worthlefs pledge thou fince haft ftol'n : Swearing by all thofe powers which thou haft violated, Were |