Classic Poem

[SCENE IV.]

Enter S EBASTIAN , King of Portugal, the Duke of A VERO , the Duke OF B ARCELES , L EWES DE S ILVA , C HRISTOPHERO DE T AVERA , [ and Attendants].

K. Seb . Call forth those Moors, those men of Barbary,
That came with letters from the King of Fess.

Ye warlike lords, and men of chivalry,
Honourable ambassadors of this high regent,
Hark to Sebastian King of Portugal.
These letters sent from your distressed lord,
Torn from his throne by Abdelmelec's hand,
Strengthen'd and raised by furious Amurath,
Import a kingly favour at our hands,
For aid to re-obtain his royal seat,
And place his fortunes in their former height.
For 'quital of which honourable arms,
By these his letters he doth firmly vow
Wholly to yield and to surrender up
The kingdom of Moroccus to our hands,
And to become to us contributary;
And to content himself with th' realm of Fess,
These lines, my lords, writ in extremity,
Contain therefore but during fortune's date;
How shall Sebastian, then, believe the same?
First Amb . Viceroys, and most Christian king of Portugal,
To satisfy thy doubtful mind herein,
Command forthwith a blazing brand of fire
Be brought in presence of thy majesty;
Then shalt thou see, by our religious vows
And ceremonies most inviolate,
How firm our sovereign's protestations are.

Behold, my lord, this binds our faith to thee:
In token that great Muly Mahamet's hand
Hath writ no more than his stout heart allows,
And will perform to thee and to thine heirs,
We offer here our hands into this flame;
And as this flame doth fasten on this flesh,
So from our souls we wish it may consume
The heart of our great lord and sovereign,
Muly Mahamet King of Barbary,
If his intent agree not with his words!
K. Seb . These ceremonies and protestations
Sufficeth us, ye lords of Barbary,
Therefore return this answer to your king:
Assure him by the honour of my crown,
And by Sebastian's true unfeigned faith,
He shall have aid and succour to recover,
And seat him in, his former empery.
Let him rely upon our princely word:
Tell him by August we will come to him
With such a power of brave impatient minds,
As Abdelmelec and great Amurath
Shall tremble at the strength of Portugal.
First Amb . Thanks to th' renowmed King of Portugal,
On whose stout promises our state depend[s].
K. Seb . Barbarians, go; glad your distressed king,
And say Sebastian lives to right his wrong.
Duke of Avero, call in those Englishmen,
Don Stukeley, and those captains of the fleet,
That lately landed in our bay of Lisbon,
Now breathe, Sebastian, and in breathing blow
Some gentle gale of thy new-formed joys.
Duke of Avero, it shall be your charge
To take the muster of the Portugals,
And bravest bloods of all our country.
Lewes de Silva, you shall be despatch'd
With letters unto Philip King of Spain:
Tell him we crave his aid in this behalf;
I know our brother Philip nill deny
His furtherance in this holy Christian war.
Duke of Barceles, as thy ancestors
Have always loyal been to Portugal,
So now, in honour of thy toward youth,
Thy charge shall be to Antwerp speedily,
To hire us mercenary men-at-arms:
Promise them princely pay; and be thou sure
Thy word is ours, — Sebastian speaks the word.
Christo . I beseech your majesty, employ me in this war.
K. Seb . Christopher de Tavera, next unto myself,
My good Hephaestion, and my bedfellow,
Thy cares and mine shall be alike in this,
And thou and I will live and die together.

Re-enter the Duke OF A VERO , with the Irish Bishop, S TUKELEY , J ONAS , H ERCULES , and others .

And now, brave Englishmen, to you [I turn]
Whom angry storms have put into our bay;
Hold not your fortune e'er the worse in this:
We hold our stranger's honours in our hand,
And for distressed frank and free relief.
Tell me, then, Stukeley, for that's thy name I trow,
Wilt thou, in honour of thy country's fame,
Hazard thy person in this brave exploit,
And follow us to fruitful Barbary,
With these six thousand soldiers thou hast brought,
And choicely pick'd through wanton Italy?
Thou art a man of gallant personage,
Proud in thy looks, and famous every way:
Frankly tell me, wilt thou go with me?
Stuke . Courageous king, the wonder of my thoughts!
And yet, my lord, with pardon understand,
Myself and these whom weather hath enforced
To lie at road upon thy gracious coast,
Did bend our course and made amain for Ireland.
K. Seb . For Ireland, Stukeley, thou mistak'st wondrous much!
With seven ships, two pinnaces, and six thousand men?
I tell thee, Stukeley, they are far too weak
To violate the Queen of Ireland's right;
For Ireland's Queen commandeth England's force.
Were every ship ten thousand on the seas,
Mann'd with the strength of all the eastern kings,
Conveying all the monarchs of the world,
T' invade the island where her highness reigns,
'Twere all in vain, for heavens and destinies
Attend and wait upon her majesty.
Sacred, imperial, and holy is her seat,
Shining with wisdom, love, and mightiness:
Nature that everything imperfect made,
Fortune that never yet was constant found,
Time that defaceth every golden show,
Dare not decay, remove, or her impair;
Both nature, time, and fortune, all agree,
To bless and serve her royal majesty.
The wallowing ocean hems her round about;
Whose raging floods do swallow up her foes,
And on the rocks their ships in pieces split,
And even in Spain, where all the traitors dance
And play themselves upon a sunny day,
Securely guard the west part of her isle;
The south the narrow Britain-sea begirts,
Where Neptune sits in triumph to direct
Their course to hell that aim at her disgrace;
The German seas alongst the east do run,
Where Venus banquets all her water-nymphs,
That with her beauty glancing on the waves
Distains the cheek of fair Proserpina.
Advise thee, then, proud Stukeley, ere thou pass
To wrong the wonder of the highest God;
Sith danger, death, and hell do follow thee,
Thee, and them all, that seek to danger her.
If honour be the mark whereat thou aim'st,
Then follow me in holy Christian wars,
And leave to seek thy country's overthrow.
Stuke . Rather, my lord, let me admire these words,
Than answer to your firm objections.
His Holiness Pope Gregory the Seventh
Hath made us four the leaders of the rest:
Amongst the rest, my lord, I am but one;
If they agree, Stukeley will be the first
To die with honour for Sebastian.
K. Seb . Tell me, lord bishop, captains, tell me all,
Are you content to leave this enterprise
Against your country and your countrymen,
To aid Mahamet King of Barbary?
Bish . To aid Mahamet King of Barbary!
'Tis 'gainst our vows, great King of Portugal.
K. Seb . Then, captains, what say you?
Jon . I say, my lord as the bishop said,
We may not turn from conquering Ireland.
Herc . Our country and our countrymen will condemn
Us worthy of death, if we neglect our vows.
K. Seb . Consider, lords, you are now in Portugal,
And I may now dispose of you and yours:
Hath not the wind and weather given you up,
And made you captives at our royal will?
Jon . It hath, my lord, and willingly we yield
To be commanded by your majesty;
But if you make us voluntary men,
Our course is then direct for Ireland.
K. Seb . That course will we direct for Barbary. —
Follow me, lords: Sebastian leads the way
To plant the Christian faith in Africa.
Stuke . Saint George for England! and Ireland now adieu,
For here Tom Stukeley shapes his course anew.