The Blazing World and Other Writings (Penguin Classics) (9 page)

I cannot deny my hand, said she, to him that hath my heart.

The next day the Duke went to the Viceroy’s, and desired to have a private hearing, about a business that concerned him; and
when he had him alone, he shut the door, and drew his sword; which when the Viceroy saw, he began to call for help.

Call not, nor make a noise, if you do, Hell take me, said the Duke, I’ll run you through.

What mean you, said the Viceroy, to give me such a dreadful visit?

I come, said the Duke, to ask you a question, to forbid you an act, and to have you grant me my demand.

Said the Viceroy, that question must be resolvable, the act just, the demands possible.

They are so, said the Duke[.] My question is, whether you resolve to be married to the Lady Deletia[?]

Yes, answered he.

The act forbidden is, you must not marry her.

Why, said the Viceroy?

Because, said he, she is my wife, and I have been married to her almost nine years.

Why, said he, you cannot have two wives?

No, said he, I will have but one, and that shall be she.

And what is your demand?

My demand is, that you will never marry her.

How, says the Viceroy? Put the case you should die, you will then give me leave to marry her?

No, said the Duke, I love her too well, to leave a possibility of her marrying you: I will sooner die, than set my hand to this, said the Viceroy.

If you do not, you shall the a violent death, by Heaven, answered he, and more than that, you shall set your hand never to complain against me to the King[.] Will you do it, or will you not? for I am desperate, said the Duke.

Said the Viceroy, you strike the King in striking me.

No disputing, says he, set your hand presently, or I will kill you.

Do you say, you are desperate?

Yes, answered he.

Then I must, do a desperate act to set my hand to a bond I mean to break.

Use your own discretion, to that[.]

Come, said he, I will set my hand before I read it; for whatsoever it is, it must be done; after he set his hand he read[:]

Here I do vow to Heaven, never to woo the Lady Deletia, nor to take her to wife, whereunto I set my hand. To this paper too, said the Duke.

Here I do vow to Heaven, never to take revenge, nor to complain of the Duke to my King and master, whereunto I set my hand.

Saith the Duke, I take my leave, rest you in peace, Sir.

And the Devil torment you, said the Viceroy! O Fortune, I could curse thee with thy companions, the Fates, not only in cutting off my happiness, in the enjoying of so rare a beauty, but in stopping the passage to a sweet revenge: and though I were sure, there were both gods and devils, yet I would break my vow, for the one is pacified by prayers, and praises, and the other terrified with threats; but, O the disgrace from our fellow creatures, mankind, sits closer to the life, than the skin to the flesh. For if the skin be flayed off, a new one will grow again, making the body appear younger than before; but if a man be flayed once of his reputation, he shall never regain it, and his life will be always bare and raw, and malice and envy will torment it, with the stings of ill tongues; which to avoid, I must close with the Duke in a seeming friendship, and not defy him as an open enemy, lest he should divulge my base acts done by my cowardly fear[.] But they are fools that would not venture their reputations, to save their life, rather than to the an honourable death, as they call it; which is to die, to gain a good opinion, and what shall they gain by it? A few praises, as to say, he was a valiant man; and what doth the valiant get, is he ever the better? No, he is tumbled into the grave, and his body rots, and turns to dust[.] All the clear distinguishing senses, the bright flaming appetites are quenched out; but if they were not, there is no fuel in the grave to feed their fire; for death is cold, and the grave barren; besides, there is no remembrance in the grave, all is forgotten, they cannot rejoice at their past gallant actions, or remember their glorious triumphs, but the only happiness is,
that though there is no pleasure in the grave, so there is no pain; but to give up life before nature requires it, is to pay a subsidy before we are taxed, or to yield up our liberties before we are prisoners. And who are wise that shall do so[?] No, let fools run headlong to death; I will live as long as I can, and not only live, but live easily, freely, and as pleasant as I can; wherefore to avoid this man’s mischief, which lies to entrap my life, I will agree with him; and I had rather lose the pleasures of one woman, than all other pleasures with my life; but to do him a secret mischief he shall not escape, if I can prevail; but I perceive this Duke, since he can have but one wife, intends to set up a seraglio
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of young wenches, and by my troth, he begins with a fair one, and whilst he courts his mistress, I mean to woo his wife, for he hath not sworn me from that. So that my revenge shall be to make him a cuckold, so the Viceroy went to the Duchess; and after he had made his complimental addresses, they began to talk more serious[ly].

Madam, said he, how do you like the rare beauty which your husband doth admire so much, that he is jealous of all that look on her, and would extinguish the sight of all men’s eyes but his own, and challenges all that make love to her, threatens ruin and murder to those that pretend to marry her.

Answered she, if he be so enamoured, I shall not wonder that my beauty is thought dead, my embraces cold, my discourse dull, my company troublesome to him, since his delight is abroad: but, said she, I am well served, I was weary of my old husband, and wished him dead, that I might marry a young one; I abhorred his old age, that was wise and experienced; despised his grey hairs, that should be reverenced with respect[.] O the happiness I rejected that I might have enjoyed! For he admired my beauty, praised my wit, gave me my will, observed my humour, sought me pleasures, took care of my health, desired my love, [was] proud of my favours, my mirth was his music, my smiles were his Heaven, my frowns were his Hell; when this man thinks me a chain that enslaves him, a shipwreck wherein all his happiness is drowned, a famine to his hopes, a plague to his desires, a Hell to his designs, a devil to damn his fruitions.

Nay certainly, said he, that woman is the happiest that marries an ancient man; for he adores her virtue more than her beauty, and his love continues; though her beauty is gone[,] he sets a price of worth upon the honour and reputation of his wife, uses her civilly, and gives her respect, as gallant men ought to do to a tender sex, which makes others to do the like; when a young man thinks it a gallantry, and a manly action, to use his wife rudely, and worse than his lackey, to command imperiously, to neglect despisingly, making her the drudge in his family, flinging words of disgrace upon her, making her with scorn the mirth and pastime in his idle and foolish discourse amongst his vain and base companions; when an ancient man makes his wife the queen of his family, his mistress in his courtship, his goddess in his discourse, giving her praise, applauding her actions, magnifying her nature; her safety is the god of his courage, her honour the world to his ambition, her pleasure his only industry, her maintenance the mark for his prudence, her delights are the compass by which he sails, her love is his voyage, her advice his oracle; and doing this, he doth honour to himself, by setting a considerable value upon what is his own; when youth regards not the temper of her disposition, slights her noble nature, grows weary of her person, condemns her counsels, and is afraid his neighbours should think his wife wiser than himself, which is the mark of a fool, and a disease most men have (being married young). But a man in years is solid in his counsels, sober in his actions, graceful in his behaviour, wise in his discourse, temperate in his life, and seems as nature hath made him, masculine. When a young man is rash in his counsels, desperate in his actions, wild in his behaviour, vain in his discourses, debauched in his life, and appears not like his sex, but effeminate.

A fair forehead, and a smooth skin, a rosy cheek, and a ruby lip, wanton eyes, a flattering tongue are unmanly, appearing like women or boys, let them never be so valiant; and that appears, as if they would sooner suffer the whip, than handle the sword.

Where an ancient man, every wrinkle is a trench made by time, wherein lies experience to secure the life from errors; and
their eyes are like active soldiers, who bow and sink down by the over-heavy burdens of their spoils, which are several objects that the sight carries into the brain, and delivers to the understanding, as trophies, to hang up in the magazine of the memory. His white hairs are the flags of peace, that time hangs out on the walls of wisdom, that advice and counsel may come from and to safely. Nay, the very infirmities of age seem manly; his feeble legs look as if they had been over-tired with long marches, in seeking out his foes; and his palsy hands, or head, the one seems as if they had been so often used in beating of their enemies, and the other in watching them, as they knew not what rest meant.

Sir, said the Duchess, you commend aged husbands, and dispraise young ones, with such rhetoric, as I wish the one, and hate the other; and in pursuit of my hate, I will cross my husband’s amours as much as I can.

In the meantime, the Duke was gone to the old gentleman, the young Lady’s uncle.

Which when the old man saw him enter, he started, as if he had seen an evil he desired to shun.

Sir, said he, what unlucky occasion brought you into my house?

First, repentance, answered the Duke, and then love; and lastly, my respect which I owe as a duty. My repentance begs a forgiveness, my love offers you my advice and good counsel, my respect forewarns you of dangers and troubles that may come by the marriage of your niece to the Viceroy.

Why? What danger, said he, can come in marrying my niece to a wise, honourable, rich, and powerful man, and a man that loves and admires her, that honours and respects me?

But, said the Duke, put the case he be a covetous, jealous, froward, ill natured, and base cowardly man, shall she be happy with him?

But he is not so, said he.

But, answered the Duke, if I can prove him so, will you marry her to him?

Pray, said he, spare your proofs of him, since you cannot prove yourself an honest man.

Sir, said the Duke, love makes me endure a reproach patiently, when it concerns the beloved: but though it endures a reproach, it cannot endure a rival.

Why, said the old gentleman, I hope you do not challenge an interest in my niece.

Yes, said the Duke, but I do, and will maintain that interest with the power of my life, and never will quit it till death; and if my ghost could fight for her, it should.

Heaven bless my niece, said the old gentleman: what is your design against her? Is it not enough to fling a disgrace of neglect on her, but you must ruin all her good fortunes? Is your malice so inveterate against my family, that you strive to pull it up by the roots, to cast it into the ditch of oblivion, or to fling it on the dunghill of scorn?

Said the Duke, my design is to make her happy, if I can, to oppose all those that hinder her felicity, disturbing the content and peace of her mind, for she cannot love this man; besides, he disclaims her, and vows never to marry her.

Sir, said the gentleman, I desire you to depart from my house, for you are a plague to me, and bring an evil infection.

Sir, said the Duke, I will not go out of your house, nor depart from you, until you have granted my request.

Why, said the gentleman, you will not threaten me?

No, said the Duke, I do petition you.

Said the gentleman, if you have any quarrel to me, I shall answer it with my sword in my hand; for though I have lost some strength with my years, yet I have not lost my courage; and when my limbs can fight no longer, the heat of my spirits shall consume you; besides, an honourable death I far prefer before a baffled life.

Sir, said he, I come not to move your anger, but your pity, for the sorrows I am in, for the injuries I have done you; and if you will be pleased to take me into your favour, and assist me, by giving my wife, your niece, leave to claim the laws of marriage and right to me, all my life shall be studious to return gratitude, duty, and service.

Yes, answered he, to divulge her disgrace, declaring your
neglect in an open court, and to make myself a knave to break my promise.

Sir, said the Duke, your disgrace by me is not so much as you apprehend; but it will be a great disgrace when it is known the Viceroy refuses her, as I can show you his hand to it; and if he deserts your niece, you are absolved of your promise made to him; and to let you know this is a truth, I say here is his hand.

The whilst the old gentleman was reading the papers, the Viceroy comes in.

O Sir, said he, you are timely come; is this your hand, says he?

Yes, answered the Viceroy.

And do you think it is honourably done, said the gentleman?

Why, said the Viceroy, would you have me marry another man’s wife[?]

Well, said the old gentleman, when your Viceroyship is out, as it is almost, I will give you my answer; till then, fare you well.

But the Duke went to the young Lady, and told her the progress he had had with her uncle, and his anger to the Viceroy.

But after the old gentleman’s passion was abated towards the Duke, by his humble submission, and the passion inflamed towards the Viceroy, he hearkened to the lawsuit, being most persuaded by his niece’s affection, which he perceived was unalterably placed upon the Duke. And at last, advising all three together, they though it fit, since the parties must plead their own cause, to conceal their agreements, and to cover it by the Duke’s seeming dissent, lest he should be convicted as a breaker of the known laws, and so be liable to punishment, either by the hazard of his own life, or the price of a great fine.

But after friends were made of all sides, the lawsuit was declared, which was a business of discourse to all the kingdom, and the place of judicature a meeting for all curious, inquisitive, and busiless people.