390 The Early English Drama : [Amn,, 



Duch. Bestow me upon death, Sir ; I am guilty, 

 And of a cruelty above my cause. 

 His injury was too low for my revenge. 

 Perform a justice that may light all others 

 To noble actions. Life is hateful to me, 

 Beholding my dead lord. Make us as one 

 In death, whom marriage made one of two, living, 

 Till cursed fury parted us. My lord, 

 I covet to be like him. 



Gov. No my sword 



Shall never stain the virgin brightness on it 

 With blood of an adultress. 



Duch. There, my lord, 

 I dare my accusers, and defy the world, 

 Death, shame, and torment. Blood I am guilty of, 

 But not adultery not the breach of honour. 



* * * * # * 



(Here she clears herself of the last-named charge.) 



Gov. My sword is proud thou'rt lighten'd of that sin. 

 Die then a murdress only ! 



Duke (rising). Live a duchess ! 

 Better than ever lov'd, embrac'd, and honour'd. 



Duch. My lord! 



Duke. Nay, since in honour thou canst justly rise, 

 Banish all wrongs ! Thy former practice dies. 

 I thank thee, Amalchildes, for my life, 

 This lord for truth, and Heav'n for such a wife 

 Who, though her intent sinn'd, yet she makes amends 

 With grief and honour, virtue's noblest ends. 

 What griev'd you then shall never more offend you. 

 Your father's skull with honour we'll inter, 

 And give the peace due to the sepulchre : 

 And in all times may this day ever prove 

 A day of triumph, joy, and honest love ! \^Exeunt Omnes. 



Thus ends (not in the most natural or satisfactory manner, it must 

 be confessed) the Witch of Thomas Middleton a play possessing, 

 together with glaring faults and deficiencies, much that is valuable on 

 account of its intrinsic merits, and more that is highly curious and inter- 

 esting on account of the results that have sprung from it. In regard to 

 the intrinsic merits of this play, much of them which consist in detail we 

 have laid before the reader, for his own judgment and approval. In 

 regard to the dramatic merits of this work, it may be said generally that 

 the principal characters are conceived and drawn with great truth of 

 feeling, and also with a full and firm trust in the power of that truth to 

 affect the spectator, without the aid of overstrained sentiments, and 

 violent moral contrasts. Moreover, they shew a faith in the feelings 

 and knowledge of the audiences of those days, which was highly cre- 

 ditable to both parties. It would evince rashness, rather than a judicious 

 boldness, in a modern dramatist to present an audience with even one 

 (much less three in one play) such character as either Sebastian, the 

 Duchess, or the Duke neither of them endued with any thing essen- 

 tially bad in their nature, yet each led to perform the worst actions from 

 the worst motives ! We of the nineteenth century do not give our sym- 

 pathy to such people. To satisfy our modern audiences, a character 

 must be either utterly bad, or absolutely good ; and for a murder to be 



