ActV

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Act

V

Scene

I

Enter Ferneze, Knights, Martin del Bosco, and Officers.

Ferneze

Now, gentlemen, betake you to your arms,

And see that Malta be well fortified;

And it behoves you to be resolute;

For Calymath, having hovered here so long,

Will win the town, or die before the walls.

First Knight

And die he shall; for we will never yield.

Enter Bellamira and Pilia-Borza.

Bellamira

O, bring us to the governor.

Ferneze

Away with her! she is a courtesan.

Bellamira

Whate’er I am, yet, governor, hear me speak:

I bring thee news by whom thy son was slain:

Mathias did it not; it was the Jew.

Pilia-Borza

Who, besides the slaughter of these gentlemen,

Poisoned his own daughter and the nuns,

Strangled a friar, and I know not what

Mischief beside.

Ferneze

Had we but proof of this⁠—

Bellamira

Strong proof, my lord; his man’s now at my lodging,

That was his agent; he’ll confess it all.

Ferneze

Go fetch him straight.

Exeunt Officers.

I always feared that Jew.

Enter Officers with Barabas and Ithamore.

Barabas

I’ll go alone; dogs! do not hale me thus.

Ithamore

Nor me neither, I cannot outrun you, constable:⁠—O, my belly!

Barabas

One dram of powder more had made all sure;

What a damned slave was I! Aside.

Ferneze

Make fires, heat irons, let the rack be fetched.

First Knight

Nay, stay, my lord; ’t may be he will confess.

Barabas

Confess! what mean you, lords? who should confess?

Ferneze

Thou and thy Turk; ’twas you that slew my son.

Ithamore

Guilty, my lord, I confess. Your son and Mathias were both contracted unto Abigail; he forged a counterfeit challenge.

Barabas

Who carried that challenge?

Ithamore

I carried it, I confess; but who writ it? Marry, even he that strangled Barnardine, poisoned the nuns and his own daughter.

Ferneze

Away with him! his sight is death to me.

Barabas

For what, you men of Malta? hear me speak:

She is a courtezan, and he a thief,

And he my bondman. Let me have law,

For none of this can prejudice my life.

Ferneze

Once more, away with him; you shall have law.

Barabas

Devils, do your worst! I’ll live in spite of you. Aside.

As these have spoke, so be it to their souls!⁠—

I hope the poisoned flowers will work anon. Aside.

Exeunt Officers with Barabas and Ithamore, Bellamira, and Pilia-Borza.

Enter Katharine.

Katharine

Was my Mathias murdered by the Jew?

Ferneze, ’twas thy son that murdered him.

Ferneze

Be patient, gentle madam, it was he;

He forged the daring challenge made them fight.

Katharine

Where is the Jew? where is that murderer?

Ferneze

In prison till the law has passed on him.

Reenter First Officer.

First Officer

My lord, the courtesan and her man are dead;

So is the Turk and Barabas the Jew.

Ferneze

Dead!

First Officer

Dead, my lord, and here they bring his body.

Martin del Bosco

This sudden death of his is very strange.

Reenter Officers, carrying Barabas as dead.

Ferneze

Wonder not at it, sir, the Heavens are just;

Their deaths were like their lives; then think not of ’em.

Since they are dead, let them be buried;

For the Jew’s body, throw that o’er the walls,

To be a prey for vultures and wild beasts.⁠—

So now away and fortify the town.

Exeunt all, leaving Barabas on the floor.

Scene

II

Barabas discovered rising.

Barabas

What, all alone? well fare, sleepy drink.

I’ll be revenged on this accursed town;

For by my means Calymath shall enter in.

I’ll help to slay their children and their wives,

To fire the churches, pull their houses down,

Take my goods too, and seize upon my lands.

I hope to see the governor a slave,

And, rowing in a galley, whipt to death.

Enter Calymath, Bassoes, and Turks.

Calymath

Whom have we there? a spy?

Barabas

Yes, my good lord, one that can spy a place

Where you may enter, and surprise the town:

My name is Barabas; I am a Jew.

Calymath

Art thou that Jew whose goods we heard were sold

For tribute-money?

Barabas

The very same, my lord:

And since that time they have hired a slave, my man,

To accuse me of a thousand villainies:

I was imprisoned, but ’scaped their hands.

Calymath

Did’st break prison?

Barabas

No, no:

I drank of poppy and cold mandrake juice:

And being asleep, belike they thought me dead,

And threw me o’er the walls: so, or how else,

The Jew is here, and rests at your command.

Calymath

’Twas bravely done: but tell me, Barabas,

Canst thou, as thou report’st, make Malta ours?

Barabas

Fear not, my lord; for here, against the sluice,

The rock is hollow, and of purpose digged,

To make a passage for the running streams

And common channels of the city.

Now, whilst you give assault unto the walls,

I’ll lead five hundred soldiers through the vault,

And rise with them i’ the middle of the town,

Open the gates for you to enter in;

And by this means the city is your own.

Calymath

If this be true, I’ll make thee governor.

Barabas

And, if it be not true, then let me die.

Calymath

Thou’st doomed thyself. Assault it presently.

Exeunt.

Scene

III

Alarums within. Enter Calymath, Bassoes, Turks, and Barabas; with Ferneze and Knights prisoners.

Calymath

Now vail your pride, you captive Christians

And kneel for mercy to your conquering foe:

Now where’s the hope you had of haughty Spain?

Ferneze, speak, had it not been much better

T’have kept thy promise than be thus surprised?

Ferneze

What should I say? We are captives and must yield.

Calymath

Ay, villains, you must yield, and under Turkish yokes

Shall groaning bear the burden of our ire;

And, Barabas, as erst we promised thee,

For thy desert we make thee governor;

Use them at thy discretion.

Barabas

Thanks, my lord.

Ferneze

O fatal day, to fall into the hands

Of such a traitor and unhallowed Jew!

What greater misery could Heaven inflict?

Calymath

’Tis our command: and, Barabas, we give,

To guard thy person, these our Janizaries:

Entreat them well, as we have used thee.

And now, brave bassoes, come, we’ll walk about

The ruined town, and see the wreck we made:⁠—

Farewell, brave Jew; farewell, great Barabas!

Barabas

May all good fortune follow Calymath!

Exeunt Calymath and Bassoes.

And now, as entrance to our safety,

To prison with the governor and these

Captains, his consorts and confederates.

Ferneze

O villain! Heaven will be revenged on thee.

Exeunt Turks with Ferenze and Knights.

Away! no more; let him not trouble me.

Thus hast thou gotten, by thy policy,

No simple place, no small authority,

I now am governor of Malta; true⁠—

But Malta hates me, and, in hating me,

My life’s in danger; and what boots it thee,

Poor Barabas, to be the governor,

Whenas thy life shall be at their command?

No, Barabas, this must be looked into;

And, since by wrong thou got’st authority,

Maintain it bravely by firm policy,

At least unprofitably lose it not:

For he that liveth in authority,

And neither gets him friends, nor fills his bags,

Lives like the ass that Aesop speaketh of,

That labours with a load of bread and wine,

And leaves it off to snap on thistle-tops:

But Barabas will be more circumspect.

Begin betimes; occasion’s bald behind;

Slip not thine opportunity, for fear too late

Thou seek’st for much, but canst not compass it.⁠—

Within here!

Enter Ferneze, with a Guard.

Ferneze

My lord?

Barabas

Ay, “lord;” thus slaves will learn.

Now, governor;⁠—stand by there, wait within.

Exeunt Guard.

This is the reason that I sent for thee;

Thou seest thy life and Malta’s happiness

Are at my arbitrement; and Barabas

At his discretion may dispose of both;

Now tell me, governor, and plainly too,

What think’st thou shall become of it and thee?

Ferneze

This, Barabas; since things are in thy power,

I see no reason but of Malta’s wreck,

Nor hope of thee but extreme cruelty:

Nor fear I death, nor will I flatter thee.

Barabas

Governor, good words; be not so furious.

’Tis not thy life which can avail me aught;

Yet you do live, and live for me you shall:

And as for Malta’s ruin, think you not

’Twere slender policy for Barabas

To dispossess himself of such a place?

For sith, as once you said, ’tis in this isle,

In Malta here, that I have got my goods,

And in this city still have had success,

And now at length am grown your governor,

Yourselves shall see it shall not be forgot:

For, as a friend not known but in distress,

I’ll rear up Malta, now remediless.

Ferneze

Will Barabas recover Malta’s loss?

Will Barabas be good to Christians?

Barabas

What wilt thou give me, governor, to procure

A dissolution of the slavish bands

Wherein the Turk hath yoked your land and you?

What will you give me if I render you

The life of Calymath, surprise his men

And in an outhouse of the city shut

His soldiers, till I have consumed ’em all with fire?

What will you give him that procureth this?

Ferneze

Do but bring this to pass which thou pretendest,

Deal truly with us as thou intimatest,

And I will send amongst the citizens,

And by my letters privately procure

Great sums of money for thy recompense:

Nay more, do this, and live thou governor still.

Barabas

Nay, do thou this, Ferneze, and be free;

Governor, I enlarge thee; live with me,

Go walk about the city, see thy friends:

Tush, send not letters to ’em, go thyself,

And let me see what money thou canst make;

Here is my hand that I’ll set Malta free:

And thus we cast it: to a solemn feast

I will invite young Selim Calymath,

Where be thou present only to perform

One stratagem that I’ll impart to thee,

Wherein no danger shall betide thy life,

And I will warrant Malta free for ever.

Ferneze

Here is my hand; believe me, Barabas,

I will be there, and do as thou desirest.

When is the time?

Barabas

Governor, presently:

For Calymath, when he hath viewed the town,

Will take his leave, and sail toward Ottoman.

Ferneze

Then will I, Barabas, about this coin,

And bring it with me to thee in the evening.

Barabas

Do so, but fail not; now farewell, Ferneze!⁠—

Exit Ferenze.

And thus far roundly goes the business:

Thus, loving neither, will I live with both,

Making a profit of my policy;

And he from whom my most advantage comes

Shall be my friend.

This is the life we Jews are used to lead;

And reason too, for Christians do the like.

Well, now about effecting this device;

First, to surprise great Selim’s soldiers,

And then to make provision for the feast,

That at one instant all things may be done:

My policy detests prevention.

To what event my secret purpose drives,

I know; and they shall witness with their lives.

Exeunt.

Scene

IV

Enter Calymath and Bassoes.

Calymath

Thus have we viewed the city, seen the sack,

And caused the ruins to be new-repaired,

Which with our bombards’ shot and basilisks

We rent in sunder at our entry:

And now I see the situation,

And how secure this conquered island stands

Environed with the Mediterranean sea,

Strong-countermined with other petty isles;

And, toward Calabria, backed by Sicily,

(Where Syracusian Dionysius reigned),

Two lofty turrets that command the town;

I wonder how it could be conquered thus.

Enter a Messenger.

Messenger

From Barabas, Malta’s governor, I bring

A message unto mighty Calymath;

Hearing his sovereign was bound for sea,

To sail to Turkey, to great Ottoman,

He humbly would entreat your majesty

To come and see his homely citadel,

And banquet with him ere thou leav’st the isle.

Calymath

To banquet with him in his citadel?

I fear me, messenger, to feast my train

Within a town of war so lately pillaged,

Will be too costly and too troublesome:

Yet would I gladly visit Barabas,

For well has Barabas deserved of us.

Messenger

Selim, for that, thus saith the governor,

That he hath in his store a pearl so big,

So precious, and withal so orient,

As, be it valued but indifferently,

The price thereof will serve to entertain

Selim and all his soldiers for a month;

Therefore he humbly would entreat your highness

Not to depart till he has feasted you.

Calymath

I cannot feast my men in Malta-walls,

Except he place his tables in the streets.

Messenger

Know, Selim, that there is a monastery

Which standeth as an outhouse to the town:

There will he banquet them; but thee at home,

With all thy bassoes and brave followers.

Calymath

Well, tell the governor we grant his suit,

We’ll in this summer evening feast with him.

Messenger

I shall, my lord.

Exit.

Calymath

And now, bold bassoes, let us to our tents,

And meditate how we may grace us best

To solemnize our governor’s great feast.

Exeunt.

Scene

V

Enter Ferneze, Knights and Martin del Bosco.

Ferneze

In this, my countrymen, be ruled by me,

Have special care that no man sally forth

Till you shall hear a culverin discharged

By him that bears the linstock, kindled thus;

Then issue out and come to rescue me,

For happily I shall be in distress,

Or you released of this servitude.

First Knight

Rather than thus to live as Turkish thralls,

What will we not adventure?

Ferneze

On, then, begone.

Knights

Farewell, grave governor!

Exeunt on one side Knights and Martin del Bosco; on the other Ferneze.

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.