A Gentleman True

Act 5

V, i

Scene: The forest.

ADELAIDE:

We draw ever nearer my beloved

Home; with every step my joy increases.

It seems so long since I could feel such joy,

And I know ‘tis on account of this most

Heroic rescue from a dear friend I

Believed dead, but now find to be alive.

ALESSANDRO:

‘Tis naught, milady, I only did what

Was becoming to a gentleman. I

Say, Adelaide, art thou well? Thy face is

Flushed as if with fever, and thy hands quake

Mightily…

Enter Giacamo and the Royal Guards.

GIACAMO:

Surrender my bride back unto me, thou

Wretched bastard! She belongs to myself

Alone; you cannot stand in our way. Give

Her to me, and I shall spare thy worthless

Life.

ALESSANDRO:

Brother, you speak of this lady as if

She were the same as a fine horse or piece

Of land, but I say you are wrong to treat

Her as such. She is much more than that, worth

More than even the most valuable jewels

In thy keep. She lives and breathes as you, I,

And thy two men behind thee do, and just

As we men deserve the rights to respect

And liberty, so also does she. It

Is for that reason, brother, I cannot

Surrender Princess Adelaide unto

Thee. Rather, I beseech you ask her if

She desires to go with you, and seeing

As you have proven yourself thoroughly

Incapable of decent chivalry,

I doubt she will deign to leave to be thy

Bride once more.

GIACAMO:

What, dost thou find thyself capable

Of such things, thou wanton knave? I see the

Manner in which you gaze upon my bride,

And our long acquaintance does not lead me

To read thy thoughts incorrectly. Dost thou

Truly believe that so beauteous and

Stately a woman could ever love such

A lowly bastard born in blackest sin?

ADELAIDE:

I say it is thou who art the bastard,

Giacamo! It would be foolish for a

Woman not to love such a noble, kind

Man as this, and it is foolishness to

Think that any soul could love a man as