The Spanish Tragedie

Produced by Daniel Callahan







THE SPANISH TRAGEDIE

1587

By Thomas Kyd


TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

[Edited by John Matthews Manly, 1897.  This electronic text is based on
the earliest extant edition, which is undated but was printed before
1618.  Some bracketed text is verbatim from Manly's edition.  However,
some bracketed text is taken from alternate editions which Manly
originally supplied in footnotes. As the editor of this electronic
edition, I have sometimes chosen the clearer of two alternatives,
sacrificing the specificity of Manly's footnoted edition in favor of a
text that has a better chance of being read and understood by a modern
audience.  I have also excluded the insertions supposed to have been
written by Ben Johnson, as well as the additional dialogue from III.xiii
and IV.iii.  Some alternate dialogue has been included as has been
labeled as such.]


Containing the lamentable end of DON HORATIO, and BEL-IMPERIA:
with the pittiful death of olde HIERONIMO.


Newly corrected and amended of such grosse faults as passed in the
first impression.

At London

Printed by Edward Allde, for

Edward White





DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

  GHOST OF ANDREA           |
  REVENGE                   | the Chorus.
  KING OF SPAIN.
  VICEROY OF PORTUGAL.
  DON CIPRIAN, duke of Castile.
  HIERONIMO, knight-marshall of Spain.
  BALTHAZAR, the Viceroy's son.
  LORENZO, Don Ciprian's son [and Bel-imperia's brother].
  HORATIO, Hieronimo's son.
  ALEXANDRO     |
  VILLUPPO      | lords of Portual.
  PEDRINGANO, servant of Bel-imperia.
  SERBERINE, servant of Balthazar.
  Spanish General, Portuguese Embassador, Old Man, Painter Page,
  Hangman, Citizens, Soldiers, Attendants, &c.
  BEL-IMPERIA, Lorenzo's sister.
  ISABELLA, Hieronimo's wife.
  PAGE.
  MESSENGER.
  CHRISTOPHEL.
  SERVANT.
  SENEX (DON BAZULTO).
  CITIZENS.


SCENE: Spain; and Portugal.





ACTVS PRIMVS.




[Prologue]

                Enter the GHOAST OF ANDREA, and with him REUENGE.

  GHOAST.  When this eternall substance of my soule
    Did liue imprisond in my wanton flesh,
    Ech in their function seruing others need,
    I was a courtier in the Spanish court:
    My name was Don Andrea; my discent,
    Though not ignoble, yet inferiour far
    To gratious fortunes of my tender youth,
    For there, in prime and pride of all my yeeres,
    By duteous seruice and deseruing loue,
    In secret I possest a worthy dame,
    Which hight sweet Bel-imperia by name.
    But in the haruest of my sommer ioyes
    Deaths winter nipt the blossomes of my blisse,
    Forcing diuorce betwixt my loue and me;
    For in the late conflict with Portingale
    My valour drew me into dangers mouth
    Till life to death made passage through my wounds.
    When I was slaine, my soule descended straight
    To passe the flowing streame of Archeron;
    But churlish Charon, only boatman there,
    Said that, my rites of buriall not performde,
    I might not sit amongst his passengers.
    Ere Sol had slept three nights in Thetis lap,
    And slakte his smoaking charriot in her floud,
    By Don Horatio, our knight-marshals sonne,
    My funerals and obsequies were done.
    Then was the fariman of hell content
    To passe me ouer to the slimie strond
    That leades to fell Auernus ougly waues.
    There, pleasing Cerberus with honied speech,
    I past the perils of the formost porch.
    Not farre from hence, amidst ten thousand soules,
    Sate Minos, Eacus and Rhadamant;
    To whome no sooner gan I make approach,
    To craue a pasport for my wandring ghost,
    But Minos in grauen leaues of lotterie
    Drew forth the manner of my life and death.
    "This knight," quoth he, "both liu'd and died in loue;
    And for his loue tried fortune of the warres;
    And by warres fortune lost both loue and life."
    "Why then," said Eacus, "convey him hence
    To walke with lovers in our field of loue
    And the course of euerlasting time
    Vnder greene mirtle-trees and cipresse shades."
    "No, no!" said Rhadamant, "it were not well
    With louing soules to place a martialist.
    He died in warre, and must to martiall fields,
    Where wounded Hector liues in lasting paine,
    And Achilles Mermedons do scoure the plaine."
    Then Minos, mildest censor of the three,
    Made this deuice, to end the difference:
    "Send him," quoth he, "to our infernall king,
    To dome him as best seemes his Maiestie."
    To this effect my pasport straight was drawne.
    In keeping on my way to Plutos court
    Through dreadfull shades of euer-glooming night,
    I saw more sights than thousand tongues can tell
    Or pennes can write or mortall harts can think.
    Three waies there were: that on the right hand side
    Was ready way vnto the foresaid fields
    Where louers liue and bloudie martialists,
    But either sort con