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Faith, try the Prince, Sir; You are at your last. Bar. Art thou my Son? thou lyest; I never got a Parasite, a Coward. I seeke the Prince or bend in base submission! Ile seeke my grave first. Yf I needes must fall And that the fatall howre is cast of Barnavelt, Just like a strong demolishd Tower ile totter And fright the neighbour Cuntries with my murmour.
Massinger would have carried out the scene in quite another tone. Some of the Fletcher scenes in this play, in which he has an unusually large share, are surprisingly good, and remind us of Fletcher at his best, in Philaster and the earlier plays. He fails here, as he always does, in the delineation of character. Nowhere is this break-down more characteristic than in Buckingham and Barnavelt.
Modes-bargen, though in place you are my equall, The fire of honour, which is dead in you, Burnes hotly in me, and I will preserve Each glory I have got, with as much care As I acheivd it. Read but ore the Stories Of men most fam'd for courage or for counsaile. Gro. 'Tis like yourself, Like Barnavelt, and in that all is spoken. Leid.
Though the thought occurs in Tacitus and Simplicius, Milton seems to have adopted it, as he has done many other of his most striking passages from Massinger. It occurs also in at least one other play of Massinger's, but the passage has escaped me for the moment. Same page: 'Tis like yourself, Like Barnavelt, and in that all is spoken.
Field, Daborne, Dekker and Fletcher are the only authors known to have written in conjunction with Massinger; and Dekker and Daborne are out of the question for that company at that date. We are now enabled to fix the date of the 'Fatal Dowry, by Field and Massinger, as c. 1618." Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt. Actus Primus. Enter Barnavelt, Modes-bargen, Leidenberck, and Grotius. Bar.
Most certaine, He has run through a busines will much add to him And set his vertues of with greater Lustre: But that a man so wise as Mounseiur Barnavelt, So trusted, so rewarded for his Service, And one that built the ladder to his honour Of open, honest actions, strong and straight still, Should now be doubted! Bred.
And that you may know, How ere his mallice live to me, all hatred Is dead in me to him, I am a Suitour He may be sent for; for, as Barnavelt is A member of this body politique, I honour him, and will not scorne to yeild A strict accompt of all my Actions to him; And, though my Enemie, while he continues A frend to his owne fame and loyall to The State, I love him and shall greive that he, When he falls from it must deserve my pitty.
Besides Soldiers So often levied by my meanes for you, Which to particularize were teadious, Two millions and five hundred thousand pounds, For which the Provinces stood bound, I wrought Freely to be dischargd; the Townes they pawnd To be deliverd up; and after all Theis meritorious and prosperous travells T'unyte theis States, can Barnavelt be suspected To be the authour to undoe that knot Which with such toyle he fastend .
When I came to transcribe the piece, I soon became convinced that it was to a great extent the production of Fletcher. There can, I think, be no reasonable doubt about the authorship of such lines as the following: "Barnavelt. My noble Lords, what is't appeares upon me So ougly strange you start and fly my companie?
Shall Barnavelt That now should studie how to die, propound New waies to get a name? or keep a being A month or two to ruyn whatsoever The good succes of forty yeeres employment In the most serious affaires of State Have raisd up to his memory? And for what? Glory, the popular applause, fine purchase For a gray beard to deale in! Gro. You offend him. Mod.