Enter the King, Segasto, the Shepherd, and the Clown with others.
KING OF ARAGON.
Shepherd, thou hast heard thine accusers; murther
Is laid unto thy charge; what canst thou say?
Thou hast deserved death.
MUCEDORUS.
Dread sovereign, I must needs confess,
I slew this captain in mine own defence,
Not of any malice, but by chance;
But mine accuser hath a further meaning.
SEGASTO.
Words will not here prevail:
I seek for justice, and justice craves his death.
KING OF ARAGON.
Shepherd, thine own confession hath condemned thee.
Sirrah, take him away,
And do him straight to execution.
MOUSE.
So he shall, I warrant him. But do you hear, master king, he is kin to a
monkey; his neck is bigger than his head.
SEGASTO.
Sirrah, away with him, and hang him ’bout the middle.
MOUSE.
Yes, forsooth, I warrant you. Come on, sir; ah, so like a sheepbiter a looks.
Enter Amadine and a boy with a Bear’s Head.
AMADINE.
Dread sovereign and well beloved sire,
On benden knees I crave the life of this
Condemned shepherd, which tofore preserved
The life of thy sometime distressed daughter.
KING OF ARAGON.
Preserved the life of my sometime distressed daughter?
How can that be? I never knew the time
Wherein thou wast distress’d: I never knew the day
But that I have maintained thy estate,
As best beseem’d the daughter of a king;
I never saw the shepherd until now.
How comes it then, that he preserv’d thy life?
AMADINE.
Once walking with Segasto in the woods,
Further than our accustom’d manner was,
Aright before us down a steep-fall hill,
A monstrous ugly bear did hie him fast,
To meet us both: now whether this be true,
I refer it to the credit of Segasto.
SEGASTO.
Most true, an’t like your majesty.
KING OF ARAGON.
How then?
AMADINE.
The bear being eager to obtain his prey,
Made forward to us with an open mouth,
As if he meant to swallow us both at once;
The sight whereof did make us both to dread,
But specially your daughter Amadine,
Who—for I saw no succour incident
But in Segasto’s valour—desperate grew,
And he most coward-like began to flie,
Left me distress’d to be devour’d of him—
Segasto, how say you? Is it not true?
KING OF ARAGON.
His silence verifies it to be true. What then?
AMADINE.
Then I amaz’d, distressed, all alone,
Did hie me fast to ’scape that ugly bear,
But all in vain; for why, he reached after me,
And oft I hardly did escape his paws,
Till at the length this shepherd came and brought
To me his head. Come hither, boy; lo, here it is,
Which I present unto your majesty.
[The bear’s head presented to the king.]
KING OF ARAGON.
The slaughter of this bear deserves great fame.
SEGASTO.
The slaughter of a man deserves great blame.
KING OF ARAGON.
Indeed, occasion ofttimes so falls out.
SEGASTO.
Tremelio in the wars, O King, preserved thee.
AMADINE.
The shepherd in the woods, O King, preserved me.
SEGASTO.
Tremelio fought, when many men did yield.
AMADINE.
So would the shepherd, had he been in field.
MOUSE.
[Aside.] So would my master, had he not run away.
SEGASTO.
Tremelio’s force sav’d thousands from the foe.
AMADINE.
The shepherd’s force hath saved thousands more.
MOUSE.
[Aside.] Ay, shipsticks, nothing else.
KING OF ARAGON.
Segasto, cease the shepherd to accuse,
His worthiness deserves a recompense,
All we are bound to do the shepherd good.
Shepherd,
Whereas it was my sentence thou shouldst die,
So shall my sentence stand, for thou shalt die.
SEGASTO.
Thanks to your majesty.
KING OF ARAGON.
[To Segasto.] But soft, Segasto, not for this offence.
[To Mucedorus.] Long may’st thou live; [to Segasto.] and when the Sisters shall decree
To cut in twain the twisted thread of life,
Then let him die: for this I set thee free;
[To Mucedorus.] And for thy valour I will honour thee.
AMADINE.
Thanks to your majesty.
KING OF ARAGON.
Come, daughter, let us now depart to honour
The worthy valour of the shepherd with rewards.
[Exeunt.]
MOUSE.
O master, hear you, you have made a fresh hand now, I thought you would,
beshrew you! Why, what will you do now? You have lost me a good occupation by the
means. Faith, master, now I cannot hang the shepherd, I pray you, let me take
the pains to hang you, it is but half an hour’s exercise.
SEGASTO.
You are still in your knavery, but sith
I cannot have his life, I will procure
His banishment for ever. Come one, sirrah.
MOUSE.
Yes, forsooth, I come. [Aside.] Laugh at him, I pray you.
[Exeunt.]
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