Hieronimo, doe but enforme the king of these euents;
Vpon mine honour, thou shalt haue no harme!

HIERO. Vice-roy, I will not trust thee with my life,
Which I this day haue offered to my sonne:
Accursed wretch, why staiest thou him that was resolued to die?

KING. Speak, traitor! damned, bloudy murderer, speak!--
For, now I haue thee, I wil make thee speak!
Why hast thou done this vndeseruing deed?

VICE. Why hast thou murdered my Balthazar?

CAS. Why hast thou butchered both my children thus?

HIERO. O good words! As deare to me was Horatio
As yours, or yours, my l[ord], to you.
My guitles sonne was by Lorenzo slaine;
And by Lorenzo and that Balthazar
Am I at last reuenged thorowly,--
Vpon whole soules may Heauens be yet auenged
With far greater far then these afflictions!

CAS. But who were thy confederates in this?

VICE. That was thy daughter Bel-imperia;
For by her hand my Balthazar was slaine,--
I saw her stab him.

KING. Why speakest thou not?

HIERO. What lesser libertie can kings affoord
Then harmles silence? That afford it me!
Sufficeth I may not nor I will not tell thee.

KING. Fetch forth the tortures! Traitor as thou art, Ile make thee tell!

HIERO. Indeed?
Thou maiest torment me as his wretched sonne
Hath done in murdring my Horatio;
But neuer shalt thou force me to reueale
The thing which I haue vowed inviolate.
And therefore, in despight of all thy threats,
Pleasde with their deaths, and easde with their reuenge,
First take my tung, and afterwards my hart!

He bites out his tongue.

KING. O monstrous resolution of a wretch!
See, Vice-Roy, he hath bitten foorth his tung
Rather than reueale what we requirde.

CAS. Yet can he write.

KING. And if in this he satisfie vs not,
We will deuise the 'xtreamest kinde of death
That euer was inuented for a wretch.

Then he makes signes for a knife to mend his pen.

CAS. O, he would haue a knife to mend his pen.

VICE. Here; and aduise thee that thou write the troth,--
Look to my brother! saue Hieronimo!

He with a knife stabs the DUKE and himself.

KING. What age hath euer heard such monstrous deeds?
My brother and the whole succeeding hope
That Spaine expected after my dicease.
Go beare his