Massacre at Paris by Christopher Marlowe

Enter Ramus in his studie.

RAMUS
What fearfull cries come from the river Sene,
That fright poore Ramus sitting at his book?
I feare the Guisians have past the bridge,
And meane once more to menace me.

Enter Taleus.

TALEUS
Flye Ramus flye, if thou wilt save thy life.

RAMUS
Tell me Taleus, wherfore should I flye?

TALEUS
The Guisians are hard at thy doore,
And meane to murder us:
Harke, harke they come, Ile leap out at the window.

[Runs out from studie.]

RAMUS
Sweet Taleus stay.

Enter Gonzago and Retes.

GONZAGO
Who goes there?

RETES
Tis Taleus, Ramus bedfellow.

GONZAGO
What art thou?

TALEUS
I am as Ramus is, a Christian.

RETES
O let him goe, he is a catholick.

Exit Taleus.

Enter Ramus [out of his studie].

GONZAGO
Come Ramus, more golde, or thou shalt have the stabbe.

RAMUS
Alas I am a scholler, how should I have golde?
All that I have is but my stipend from the King,
Which is no sooner receiv'd but it is spent.

Enter the Guise and Anjoy [, Dumaine, Mountsorrell,
with soldiers].

ANJOY
Whom have you there?

RETES
Tis Ramus, the Kings professor of Logick.

GUISE
Stab him.

RAMUS
O good my Lord,
Wherein hath Ramus been so offencious?

GUISE
Marry sir, in having a smack in all,
And yet didst never sound any thing to the depth.
Was it not thou that scoff'dst the Organon,
And said it was a heape of vanities?
He that will be a flat decotamest,
And seen in nothing but Epitomies:
Is in your judgment thought a learned man.
And he forsooth must goe and preach in Germany:
Excepting against Doctors actions,
And ipse dixi with this quidditie,
Argumentum testimonis est in arte partialis.
To contradict which, I say Ramus shall dye:
How answere you that? your nego argumentum
Cannot serve, Sirrah, kill him.

RAMUS
O good my Lord, let me but speak a word.

ANJOY
Well, say on.

RAMUS
Not for my life doe I desire this pause,
But in my latter houre to purge my selfe,
In that I know the things that I have wrote,
Which as I heare one Shekins takes it ill,
Because my places being but three, contain all his:
I knew the Organon to be confusde,
And I reduc'd it into better forme.
And this for Aristotle will I say,
That he that despiseth him, can nere
Be good in Logick or Philosophie.
And thats because the blockish Sorbonests
Attribute as much unto their workes,
As to the service of the eternall God.

GUISE
Why suffer you that peasant to declaime?
Stab him I say and send him to his freends in hell.

ANJOY
Nere was there Colliars sonne so full of pride.

Kill him. [Close the studie.]

GUISE
My Lord Anjoy, there are a hundred Protestants,
Which we have chaste into the river Sene,
That swim about and so preserve their lives:
How may we doe? I feare me they will live.

DUMAINE
Goe place some men upon the bridge,
With bowes and cartes to shoot at them they see,
And sinke them in the river as they swim.

GUISE
Tis well advisde Dumain, goe see it done.

Exit Dumaine.

And in the mean time my Lord, could we devise,
To get those pedantes from the King Navarre,
That are tutors to him and the prince of Condy--

ANJOY
For that let me alone, Cousin stay heer,
And when you see me in, then follow hard.

He knocketh, and enter the King of Navarre and Prince
of Condy, with their scholmaisters.

How now my Lords, how fare you?

NAVARRE
My Lord, they say
That all the protestants are massacred.

ANJOY
I, so they are, but yet what remedy:
I have done all I could to stay this broile.

NAVARRE
But yet my Lord the report doth run,
That you were one that made this Massacre.

ANJOY
Who I? you are deceived, I rose but now

Enter [to them] Guise.

GUISE
Murder the Hugonets, take those pedantes hence.

NAVARRE
Thou traitor Guise, lay of thy bloudy hands.

CONDY
Come let us goe tell the King.

Exeunt [Condy and Navarre].

GUISE
Come sirs, Ile whip you to death with my punniards point.

He kils them.

ANJOY
Away with them both.

Exit Anjoy [and soldiers with bodies].

GUISE
And now sirs for this night let our fury stay.
Yet will we not the Massacre shall end:
Gonzago posse you to Orleance, Retes to Deep,
Mountsorrell unto Roan, and spare not one
That you suspect of heresy. And now stay
That bel that to the devils mattins rings.
Now every man put of his burgonet,
And so convey him closely to his bed.

Exeunt.