Fer. Enough? St Pier. Tut, tut-I only meant Your highness to break off, while I resume. Fer To blast her name, and in the death of that By my direction wert thou watch'd and seiz'd, Whose penalty is death :—which thou shalt 'scape- St Pier. Have you done? Fer. I have. St Pier. And so Have I.-A fair commencement !-better far The fairest of the whole !-howsoe'er of that I needs must take it out.-I pray your highness Fer. I have not one. St Pier. Well, then, Your dagger-if the edge of it is sharp. [Gives dagger. St Pier. And there is the confession, duke. Fer. Why, this my confession! St Pier. Ay? Indeed, your highness! Fer. Word for word. St Pier. You'll own I'm something of a clerk-I hardly hoped It would have pleased your highness! My lord duke, Sign the confession. Fer. Why? St Pier. It pleases me. If that contents thee not, I'm in thy power, And I'd have thee in mine. Your highness sees Fer. Can it be you, St Pierre ? St Pier. No-it is you! and not the peasant lad, You chanced to cross upon his native hills :- Without his father's knowledge-his old father, Man could not rob him of, and heaven would spare, Fer. Nay, I'll keep my seat. St Pierre, I trained thee like A cavalier! St Pier. You did.-You gave me masters, And their instructions quickly I took up As they did lay them down! I got the start Of whom could read, write, speak, command a weapon, -- Or rule a horse with me! you gave me all- But you did find a use for me, and made Fer. You see I do! St Pierre, be reasonable !-you forget St Pier. Give me, duke, The eyes that looked upon my father's face; I would not give them for it! Mark me, duke ! And on the head-stone read my father's name; Heaven can tell how far he wandered else! Upon that grave I knelt an alter'd man, And rising thence, I fled from Mantua: nor had return'd But tyrant hunger drove me back again To thee to thee !-my body to relieve At cost of my dear soul! I have done thy work; Fer. Art thou indeed in earnest ? St Pier. Look in my eyes. Fer. St Pierre, perhaps I have underpaid thee.- Fer. I'll double the amount ! St Pier. Come, sign! Fer, St Pierre, Will forty thousand ducats please thee? The dial, and the sun is shining on it- Fer. It is! St Pier. Your signet, as a proof I am at large. Now take my station in that closet-No Attempt at an alarm-In, in, I say! [Exit DUKE Hold wind, we'll make the port.—I thank your highness! [Scene closes. SHERIDAN KNOWLES. APPENDIX.* THE STAGE. ENTRANCES AND EXITS. IN contributing to stage effect, these are of paramount importance. The genius of a Roscius, or the sensibility and orotund power of a Talbot, would hardly succeed, through an entire scene, in atoning for an entrance egregiously out of keeping with the required impersonation, or an exit outraging the laws of judgment and taste. A good entrance has a tendency to prepossess the "house in favour of even an indifferent actor; and a bad exit derogates from the applause due to a performance of the most unquestionable merit. It is in all cases advisable to be at the "wing," a minute or two previous to the instant for entrance. Thus the actor not only gets quit of the flurry apt to be communicated in the tiring-room, and the embarrassment and awkwardness incident to a too hurried entrance, but there is also an opportunity afforded for a full and faithful assumption of the character desiderated. * All the previous rules and original matter of this volume are, of course, strictly applicable to the actor's art, and the Appendix is only introduced to furnish a few remarks which apply specially and exclusively to acting, and which have not been already treated of in the work. Under this heading considerable obligations are most willingly acknowledged to an excellent little work on the subject by Mr C. W. Smith, late Professor of Elocution in the University of Cambridge. |