Scene + 

VI + 

Enter, above, Barabas, with a hammer, very busy; and Carpenters. + 

Barabas + 

How stand the cords? how hang these hinges? fast? + 

Are all the cranes and pulleys sure? + 

First Carpenter + 

All fast. + 

Barabas + 

Leave nothing loose, all levelled to my mind. + 

Why now I see that you have art indeed. + 

There, carpenters, divide that gold amongst you: Give money. + 

Go swill in bowls of sack and muscadine! + 

Down to the cellar, taste of all my wines. + 

First Carpenter + 

We shall, my lord, and thank you. + 

Exeunt Carpenters. + 

Barabas + 

And, if you like them, drink your fill and die: + 

For so I live, perish may all the world! + 

Now Selim Calymath return me word + 

That thou wilt come, and I am satisfied. + 

Enter Messenger. + 

Now, sirrah, what, will he come? + 

Messenger + 

He will; and has commanded all his men + 

To come ashore, and march through Malta streets, + 

That thou mayst feast them in thy citadel. + 

Barabas + 

Then now are all things as my wish would have ’em; + 

There wanteth nothing but the governor’s pelf; + 

And see, he brings it. + 

Enter Ferneze. + 

Now, governor, the sum. + 

Ferneze + 

With free consent, a hundred thousand pounds. + 

Barabas + 

Pounds say’st thou, governor? well, since it is no more, + 

I’ll satisfy myself with that; nay, keep it still, + 

For if I keep not promise, trust not me. + 

And, governor, now partake my policy: + 

First, for his army; they are sent before, + 

Entered the monastery, and underneath + 

In several places are field-pieces pitched, + 

Bombards, whole barrels full of gunpowder + 

That on the sudden shall dissever it, + 

And batter all the stones about their ears, + 

Whence none can possibly escape alive. + 

Now, as for Calymath and his consorts + 

Here have I made a dainty gallery, + 

The floor whereof, this cable being cut, + 

Doth fall asunder; so that it doth sink + 

Into a deep pit past recovery. + 

Here, hold that knife, Throws down a knife. and when thou seest he comes, + 

And with his bassoes shall be blithely set, + 

A warning-piece shall be shot off from the tower, + 

To give thee knowledge when to cut the cord, + 

And fire the house; say, will not this be brave? + 

Ferneze + 

O, excellent! here, hold thee, Barabas + 

I trust thy word, take what I promised thee. + 

Barabas + 

No, governor; I’ll satisfy thee first, + 

Thou shalt not live in doubt of any thing. + 

Stand close, for here they come. + 

Firenze retires. + 

Why, is not this + 

A kingly kind of trade, to purchase towns + 

By treachery and sell ’em by deceit? + 

Now tell me, worldlings, underneath the sun + 

If greater falsehood ever has been done? + 

Enter Calymath and Bassoes. + 

Calymath + 

Come, my companion bassoes: see, I pray, + 

How busy Barabas is there above + 

To entertain us in his gallery; + 

Let us salute him. Save thee, Barabas! + 

Barabas + 

Welcome, great Calymath! + 

Ferneze + 

How the slave jeers at him! Aside. + 

Barabas + 

Will ’t please thee, mighty Selim Calymath, + 

To ascend our homely stairs? + 

Calymath + 

Ay, Barabas;⁠— + 

Come, bassoes, ascend. + 

Ferneze + 

Coming forward. Stay, Calymath! + 

For I will show thee greater courtesy + 

Than Barabas would have afforded thee. + 

Knight + 

Within. Sound a charge there! + 

A charge sounded within. Ferneze cuts the cord: the floor of the gallery gives way, and Barabas falls into a cauldron placed in a pit. + 

Enter Martin del Bosco and Knights. + 

Calymath + 

How now! what means this? + 

Barabas + 

Help, help me! Christians, help! + 

Ferneze + 

See, Calymath! this was devised for thee! + 

Calymath + 

Treason! treason! bassoes, fly! + 

Ferneze + 

No, Selim, do not fly; + 

See his end first, and fly then if thou canst. + 

Barabas + 

O, help me, Selim! help me, Christians! + 

Governor, why stand you all so pitiless? + 

Ferneze + 

Should I in pity of thy plaints or thee, + 

Accursed Barabas, base Jew, relent? + 

No, thus I’ll see thy treachery repaid, + 

But wish thou hadst behaved thee otherwise. + 

Barabas + 

You will not help me, then? + 

Ferneze + 

No, villain, no. + 

Barabas + 

And, villains, know you cannot help me now.⁠— + 

Then, Barabas, breathe forth thy latest hate, + 

And in the fury of thy torments strive + 

To end thy life with resolution. + 

Know, governor, ’twas I that slew thy son; + 

I framed the challenge that did make them meet: + 

Know, Calymath, I aimed thy overthrow, + 

And had I but escaped this stratagem, + 

I would have brought confusion on you all, + 

Damned Christian dogs! and Turkish infidels! + 

But now begins the extremity of heat + 

To pinch me with intolerable pangs: + 

Die, life! fly, soul! tongue, curse thy fill, and die! Dies. + 

Calymath + 

Tell me, you Christians, what doth this portend? + 

Ferneze + 

This train he laid to have entrapped thy life; + 

Now, Selim, note the unhallowed deeds of Jews: + 

Thus he determined to have handled thee, + 

But I have rather chose to save thy life. + 

Calymath + 

Was this the banquet he prepared for us? + 

Let’s hence, lest further mischief be pretended. + 

Ferneze + 

Nay, Selim, stay; for, since we have thee here, + 

We will not let thee part so suddenly: + 

Besides, if we should let thee go, all’s one, + 

For with thy galleys couldst thou not get hence, + 

Without fresh men to rig and furnish them. + 

Calymath + 

Tush, governor, take thou no care for that, + 

My men are all aboard, + 

And do attend my coming there by this. + 

Ferneze + 

Why, heard’st thou not the trumpet sound a charge? + 

Calymath + 

Yes, what of that? + 

Ferneze + 

Why then the house was fired, + 

Blown up, and all thy soldiers massacred. + 

Calymath + 

O, monstrous treason! + 

Ferneze + 

A Jew’s courtesy: + 

For he that did by treason work our fall, + 

By treason hath delivered thee to us: + 

Know, therefore, till thy father hath made good + 

The ruins done to Malta and to us, + 

Thou canst not part; for Malta shall be freed, + 

Or Selim ne’er return to Ottoman. + 

Calymath + 

Nay, rather, Christians, let me go to Turkey, + 

In person there to mediate your peace; + 

To keep me here will naught advantage you. + 

Ferneze + 

Content thee, Calymath, here thou must stay, + 

And live in Malta prisoner; for come all the world + 

To rescue thee, so will we guard us now, + 

As sooner shall they drink the ocean dry + 

Than conquer Malta, or endanger us. + 

So, march away, and let due praise be given + 

Neither to Fate nor Fortune, but to Heaven. + 

Exeunt. + 