The Duchess of Malfi

Grew from the ruins of an ancient abbey;
And to yond side o' th' river lies a wall,
Piece of a cloister, which in my opinion
Gives the best echo that you ever heard,
So hollow and so dismal, and withal
So plain in the distinction of our words,
That many have suppos'd it is a spirit
That answers.
ANTONIO.       I do love these ancient ruins.
We never tread upon them but we set
Our foot upon some reverend history;
And, questionless, here in this open court,
Which now lies naked to the injuries
Of stormy weather, some men lie interr'd
Lov'd the church so well, and gave so largely to 't,
They thought it should have canopied their bones
Till dooms-day.  But all things have their end;
Churches and cities, which have diseases like to men,
Must have like death that we have.
ECHO.                               Like death that we have.
DELIO.  Now the echo hath caught you.
ANTONIO.  It groan'd methought, and gave
A very deadly accent.
ECHO.                  Deadly accent.
DELIO.  I told you 'twas a pretty one.  You may make it
A huntsman, or a falconer, a musician,
Or a thing of sorrow.
ECHO.                  A thing of sorrow.
ANTONIO.  Ay, sure, that suits it best.
ECHO.                                    That suits it best.
ANTONIO.  'Tis very like my wife's voice.
ECHO.                                      Ay, wife's voice.
DELIO.  Come, let us walk further from t.
I would not have you go to the cardinal's to-night:
Do not.
ECHO.  Do not.
DELIO.  Wisdom doth not more moderate wasting sorrow
Than time.  Take time for 't; be mindful of thy safety.
ECHO.  Be mindful of thy safety.
ANTONIO.  Necessity compels me.
Make scrutiny through the passages
Of your own life, you 'll find it impossible
To fly your fate.
ECHO.              O, fly your fate!
DELIO.  Hark! the dead stones seem to have pity on you,
And give you good counsel.
ANTONIO.  Echo, I will not talk with thee,
For thou art a dead thing.
ECHO.                       Thou art a dead thing.
ANTONIO.  My duchess is asleep now,
And her little ones, I hope sweetly.  O heaven,
Shall I never see her more?
ECHO.                        Never see her more.
ANTONIO.  I mark'd not one repetition of the echo
But that; and on the sudden a clear light
Presented me a face folded in sorrow.
DELIO.  Your fancy merely.
ANTONIO.                    Come, I 'll be out of this ague,
For to live thus is not indeed to live;
It is a mockery and abuse of life.
I will not henceforth save myself by halves;
Lose all, or nothing.
DELIO.                 Your own virtue save you!
I 'll fetch your eldest son, and second you.
It may be that the sight of his own blood
Spread in so sweet a figure may beget
The more compassion.  However, fare you well.
Though in our miseries Fortune have a part,
Yet in our noble sufferings she hath none.
Contempt of pain, that we may call our own.

Exeunt.

Scene IV[134 - Milan. An apartment in the residence of the Cardinal and Ferdinand.]

[Enter] CARDINAL, PESCARA, MALATESTI, RODERIGO, and GRISOLAN

CARDINAL.  You shall not watch to-night by the sick prince;
His grace is very well recover'd.
MALATESTI.  Good my lord, suffer us.
CARDINAL.                             O, by no means;
The noise, and change of object in his eye,
Doth more distract him.  I pray, all to bed;
And though you hear him in his violent fit,
Do not rise, I entreat you.
PESCARA.  So, sir; we shall not.
CARDINAL.                         Nay, I must have you promise
Upon your honours, for I was enjoin'd to 't
By himself; and he seem'd to urge it sensibly.
PESCARA.  Let our honours bind this trifle.
CARDINAL.  Nor any of your followers.
MALATESTI.  Neither.
CARDINAL.  It may be, to make trial of your promise,
When he 's asleep, myself will rise and feign
Some of his mad tricks, and cry out for help,
And feign myself in danger.
MALATESTI.  If your throat were cutting,
I 'd not come at you, now I have protested against it.
CARDINAL.  Why, I thank you.
GRISOLAN.                     'Twas a foul storm to-night.