log out

Double Falsehood: Act III, Scene 3

Double Falsehood
Act III, Scene 3

Prospect of a village at a distance.

  1. Enter Roderick.

Roderick

1 - 12
  1. Julio’s departure thus in secret from me,
  2. With the long doubtful absence of my brother,
  3. (Who cannot suffer, but my father feels it)
  4. Have trusted me with strong suspicions,
  5. And dreams, that will not let me sleep, nor eat,
  6. Nor taste those recreations health demands:
  7. But, like a whirlwind, hither have they snatch’d me,
  8. Perforce, to be resolv’d. I know my brother
  9. Had Julio’s father for his host: from him
  10. Enquiry may befriend me.
  11. Enter Camillo.
  12.                          Old sir, I’m glad
  13. To ’ve met you thus. What ails the man? Camillo,—

Camillo

13
  1. Ha?

Roderick

14
  1. Is’t possible, you should forget your friends?

Camillo

15
  1. Friends! What are those?

Roderick

16
  1.                          Why, those that love you, sir.

Camillo

17
  1. You’re none of those, sure, if you be lord Roderick.

Roderick

18 - 19
  1. Yes, I am that lord Roderick, and I lie not,
  2. If I protest, I love you passing well.

Camillo

20 - 21
  1. You lov’d my son too passing well, I take it:
  2. One, that believ’d too suddenly his court-creed.

Roderick

22 - 23
  1. Aside.
  2. All is not well.
  3.                  Good old man, do not rail.

Camillo

24
  1. My lord, my lord, you’ve dealt dishonorably.

Roderick

25 - 26
  1. Good sir, I am so far from doing wrongs
  2. Of that base strain, I understand you not.

Camillo

27 - 34
  1. Indeed! You know not neither, o’ my conscience,
  2. How your most virtuous brother, noble Henriquez,
  3. (You look so like him, lord, you are the worse for’t;
  4. Rots upon such dissemblers!) under color
  5. Of buying coursers, and I know not what,
  6. Bought my poor boy out of possession
  7. Ev’n of his plighted faith. Was not this honor?
  8. And this a constant friend?

Roderick

35
  1.                             I dare not say so.

Camillo

36 - 37
  1. Now you have robb’d him of his love, take all;
  2. Make up your malice, and dispatch his life too.

Roderick

38
  1. If you would hear me, sir,—

Camillo

39 - 43
  1.                             Your brave old father
  2. Would have been torn in pieces with wild horses,
  3. E’er he had done this treachery. On my conscience,
  4. Had he but dreamt you two durst have committed
  5. This base, unmanly crime,—

Roderick

44
  1.                            Why, this is madness.—

Camillo

45
  1. I’ve done; I’ve eas’d my heart; now you may talk.

Roderick

46 - 52
  1. Then as I am a gentleman, believe me,
  2. (For I will lie for no man) I’m so far
  3. From being guilty of the least suspicion
  4. Of sin that way, that fearing the long absence
  5. Of Julio and my brother might beget
  6. Something to start at, hither have I travel’d
  7. To know the truth of you.
  1. Enter Violante behind.

Violante

53 - 56
  1. My servant loiters; sure, he means me well.
  2. Camillo, and a stranger? These may give me
  3. Some comfort from their talk. I’ll step aside:
  4. And hear what fame is stirring.
  1. Violante retires.

Roderick

57
  1.                                 Why this wond’ring?

Camillo

58 - 59
  1. Can there be one so near in blood as you are
  2. To that Henriquez, and an honest man?

Roderick

60 - 63
  1. While he was good, I do confess my nearness;
  2. But, since his fall from honor, he’s to me
  3. As a strange face I saw but yesterday,
  4. And as soon lost.

Camillo

64 - 65
  1.                   I ask your pardon, lord;
  2. I was too rash and bold.

Roderick

66
  1.                          No harm done, sir.

Camillo

67 - 68
  1. But is it possible, you should not hear
  2. The passage ’twixt Leonora and your brother?

Roderick

69
  1. None of all this.
  1. Enter a Citizen.

Camillo

70
  1. How now?

Citizen

71 - 72
  1. I bear you tidings, sir, which I could wish
  2. Some other tongue deliver’d.

Camillo

73
  1.                              Whence, I pray you?

Citizen

74
  1. From your son, sir.

Camillo

75
  1.                     Prithee, where is he?

Citizen

76 - 79
  1. That’s more than I know now, sir.
  2. But this I can assure you, he has left
  3. The city raging mad; heav’n comfort him!
  4. He came to that curst marriagethe fiends take it!

Camillo

80 - 83
  1. Prithee, be gone, and bid the bell knoll for me:
  2. I have had one foot in the grave some time.
  3. Nay, go, good friend; thy news deserve no thanks.
  4. How does your lordship?
  1. Exit Citizen.

Roderick

84 - 85
  1.                         That’s well said, old man.
  2. I hope, all shall be well yet.

Camillo

86 - 87
  1.                                It had need;
  2. For ’tis a crooked world. Farewell, poor boy!
  1. Enter Don Bernard.

Don Bernard

88 - 94
  1. This comes of forcing women where they hate:
  2. It was my own sin; and I am rewarded.
  3. Now I am like an aged oak, alone,
  4. Left for all tempests. I would cry, but cannot:
  5. I’m dried to death almost with these vexations.
  6. Lord! What a heavy load I have within me!
  7. My heart,—my heart,—my heart

Camillo

95 - 96
  1.                               Has this ill weather
  2. Met with thee too?

Don Bernard

97
  1.                    O wench, that I were with thee!

Camillo

98
  1. You do not come to mock at me now?

Don Bernard

99
  1.                                    Ha?

Camillo

100 - 102
  1. Do not dissemble; thou may’st find a knave
  2. As bad as thou art, to undo thee too:
  3. I hope to see that day before I die yet.

Don Bernard

103 - 108
  1. It needeth not, Camillo; I am knave
  2. Sufficient to myself. If thou wilt rail,
  3. Do it as bitterly as thou canst think of;
  4. For I deserve it. Draw thy sword, and strike me;
  5. And I will thank thee for’t. I’ve lost my daughter;
  6. She’s stol’n away; and whither gone, I know not.

Camillo

109 - 114
  1. She has a fair blessing in being from you, sir.
  2. I was too poor a brother for your greatness;
  3. You must be grafted into noble stocks,
  4. And have your titles rais’d. My state was laugh’d at:
  5. And my alliance scorn’d. I’ve lost a son too;
  6. Which must not be put up so.
  1. Offers to draw.

Roderick

115 - 123
  1.                              Hold; be counsel’d.
  2. You’ve equal losses; urge no farther anger.
  3. Heav’n, pleas’d now at your love, may bring again,
  4. And, no doubt, will, your children to your comforts:
  5. In which adventure my foot shall be foremost.
  6. And one more will I add, my honor’d father;
  7. Who has a son to grieve for too, though tainted.
  8. Let your joint sorrow be as balm to heal
  9. These wounds of adverse fortune.

Don Bernard

124 - 130
  1.                                  Come, Camillo,
  2. Do not deny your love, for charity;
  3. I ask it of you. Let this noble lord
  4. Make brothers of us, whom our own cross fates
  5. Could never join. What I have been, forget;
  6. What I intend to be, believe and nourish:
  7. I do confess my wrongs; give me your hand.

Camillo

131
  1. Heav’n make thee honestthere.

Roderick

132 - 137
  1.                                ’Tis done like good men.
  2. Now there rests nought, but that we part, and each
  3. Take sev’ral ways in quest of our lost friends:
  4. Some of my train o’er the wild rocks shall wait you.
  5. Our best search ended, here we’ll meet again,
  6. And tell the fortunes of our separate travels.
  1. Exeunt.
  1. Violante comes forward.

Violante

138 - 149
  1. I would, your brother had but half your virtue!
  2. Yet there remains a little spark of hope
  3. That lights me to some comfort. The match is cross’d;
  4. The parties separate; and I again
  5. May come to see this man that has betray’d me;
  6. And wound his conscience for it: home again
  7. I will not go, whatever fortune guides me;
  8. Though ev’ry step I went, I trod upon
  9. Dangers as fearful and as pale as death.
  10. No, no, Henriquez; I will follow thee
  11. Where there is day. Time may beget a wonder.
  12. Enter a servant.
  13. O, are you come? What news?

Servant to Violante

150 - 151
  1. None, but the worst. Your father makes mighty offers yonder
  2. by a cryer, to any one can bring you home again.

Violante

152
  1. Art thou corrupted?

Servant to Violante

153
  1. No.

Violante

154
  1. Wilt thou be honest?

Servant to Violante

155
  1. I hope, you do not fear me.

Violante

156 - 158
  1. Indeed, I do not. Thou hast an honest face;
  2. And such a face, when it deceives, take heed,
  3. Is curst of all heav’n’s creatures.

Servant to Violante

159
  1.                                     I’ll hang first.

Violante

160 - 162
  1. Heav’n bless thee from that end! I’ve heard a man
  2. Say more than this; and yet that man was false.
  3. Thou’lt not be so, I hope.

Servant to Violante

163
  1.                            By my life, mistress,—

Violante

164 - 167
  1. Swear not; I credit thee. But prithee though,
  2. Take heed, thou dost not fail: I do not doubt thee:
  3. Yet I have trusted such a serious face,
  4. And been abused too.

Servant to Violante

168
  1.                      If I fail your trust,—

Violante

169 - 171
  1. I do thee wrong to hold thy honesty
  2. At distance thus: thou shalt know all my fortunes.
  3. Get me a shepherd’s habit.

Servant to Violante

172
  1.                            Well; what else?

Violante

173 - 174
  1. And wait me in the evening, where I told thee;
  2. There thou shalt know my farther ends. Take heed

Servant to Violante

175
  1. D’ye fear me still?

Violante

176 - 181
  1.                     No; this is only counsel:
  2. My life and death I have put equally
  3. Into thy hand: let not rewards, nor hopes,
  4. Be cast into the scale to turn thy faith.
  5. Be honest but for virtue’s sake, that’s all;
  6. He, that has such a treasure, cannot fall.
  1. Exeunt.
© 2021 Unotate.comcontactprivacy policyCreative Commons text from PlayShakespeare.comAll illustrations are public domain or Creative Commons