SEBASTIAN
Call forth those Moors, those men of Barbary,
That came with letters from the King of Fez.
Exit one [and bring in the Moorish Ambassadors.]
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,
Srenthened and raised by furious Amurath,
Import a kingly favour at our hands,
For aid to er-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 tobecome to us contributary
Andto content himself with the realm of Fez
These lines, my lords, writ in extremity,
Contain therefor but during fortune’s date,
How shall Sebastian, then, believe the same?
FIRST
AMBASSADOR
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.
[A brand is broughtin by an Attendant.]
Behold, my lord thisbinds our faith to thee:
In token that great Muly Mahamt’s hand
Hath writ no more thanhis stout heart allows,
And will perform to theeand to thine heirs,
We offer here our hands into this flame;
And as thisflame 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!
SEBASTIAN
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 bySebastian’s true unferigned faith,
He shall have aid and succour to recover,
Let him by August we will come to him
With such a power of brave impatient minds,
As Abdelmelec and greatAmirath
Shall tremble at the sthrength of Portugal.
FIRST
AMBASSADOR
Thanks to the renowned King of Portugal,
On whose stout promises our state deponds.
SEBASTIAN
Barbarians, go glad you distressed king,
And say Sebastian lives to righthis wrong.
[Exeunt Ambassadors.]
Duke of Avero, call in those Englishmen,
Don Stukeley, and those capitains of the fleet
That lately
landed in our bay of Lisbon.
Now, breathe, Se bastian, 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 Portugal,
And bravest bloods of all our country.
[ Exit DUKE OF AVERO.]
Lewes de Silva, you shall be dispatch’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 fuetherancein 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:
Promis them princely pay; and be thou sure
Thy word is ours,-Sebastianspeaks the word.
CHRISTOPHeRO
I beseech your majesty, employ me in this war.
SEBASTIAN
Christophero de Tavera, next unto myfelf,
My good Efestian, and my bedfellow,
Thy cares and mine shall be alike in this,
And thou and I will live and die together.
[ Re-enter STUKELEY and the rest the DUKE OF AVERO,the
Bishp,JONAS,HERCULES,
and others.]
And now, brave Englshmen,To you,
Whom angry storms have put into our bay;
Hold our your fortune ere the worse in this:
We hold our stranger’s honours inour hand,
And for distressed frank and freerelief.
Tell me, then, Stukeley, for that’s thy name I trow,
Wilt thou, in honour of thy counry’s fame,
Hazars thy person in this brave exploit,
And fpllow us to fruitful Barbary,
With these six thousand soldiers thou haft brought,
And choicely pik’d though wanton Italy?
Thou art a man of gallant prsoage,
Proud in thy looks, and famous every way:
Frankly tell me,Wilt thou go with me?
STUKELEY
Courageous king, the wonder of my thoughts!
And yet, my lord, with pardon understand,
Myfelf and these whom weather hath enforced
To lie at road upon thy gracious coast,
Did bend our course nd madeamain for Irelan.
SEBASTIAN
For Ireland, Stukeley, thou mistak’st me 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’sQueen commandethEngland’s force.
Were every ship ten thousand on the seas,
Mann’d with the strength of all the eastern kings,
Conveying ll the monarchs of the world,
To invade the island where her highness reigns,
‘Twers all in vain, for heavens and destinies
Attend and wait upon her majesty.
Sacred, imrerial, and holy is her seat,
Shining with wisdom, love, and mightiness:
Nature that every thing imperfect made,
Fortune that never yet was constant found,
Time that defaceth every golden show,
Dare not decay, remove, or be impure,
Both nature, time, and fortune, all agree,
To bless and serve her royal majasty.
The wallowing ocean hems her round about;
Whose ranging 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
There course to hell thet 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
Disdains 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’soverthrow.
STUKELEY
Rather, my lord , let me admire these words,
Than answer to your firm objections.
His Holiness Pope Gregory the Seventh
Hath madeus 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.
SEBASTIAN
Tellme, lord bishop, capitains, tall me all,
Are you content to leave this enterprise
Against your country and your counrtrymen
To aid Mahamet King of Barbary?
BISHOP
To aid Mahamet King of Barbary!
‘Tis against our vows, great King of Portugal.
SEBASTIAN
Then, capitains, what say you?
JONAS
I say, my lord, as the bishop said,
We may not turn from conquering Irland.
HERCULES
Our country and our countrymen will condemn
Us worthy of death, if we neglect our vows.
SEBASTIAN
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 to our royal will?
JONAS
It hath, my lord, and willingly we yield
To be commanded by your majesty;
But if you make us voluntary men,
Our courses is then direct for Ireland.
SEBASTIAN
That course will we direct for Barbary.-
Follow me, lords: Sebastian leads the way
To plant the Christian faith in Africa .
STUKELEY
Saint George for England! And Ireland now adieu,
For here Tom Stukeley shapes his course anew.
Exeunt.