Tow. Rise, take thy life, though I can scarce believe thee; If for a coward it be possible, become an honest man.

  Enter HARMAN Senior, VAN HERRING, BEAMONT, COLLINS, JULIA, the
  Governors Guard.

Fisc. [To HAR.]
Oh, sir, you come in time to rescue me;
The greatest villain, who this day draws breath,
Stands here before your eyes:  behold your son,
That worthy, sweet, unfortunate young man,
Lies there, the last cold breath yet hovering
Betwixt his trembling lips.

Tow. Oh, monster of ingratitude!

Har. Oh, my unfortunate old age, whose prop
And only staff is gone, dead ere I die! 
These should have been his tears, and I have been
That body to be mourned.

Beam. I am so much amazed, I scarce believe my senses.

Fisc. And will you let him live, who did this act? 
Shall murder, and of your own son,
And such a son, go free; He lives too long,
By this one minute which he stays behind him.

Isab. Oh, sir, remember, in that place you hold,
You are a common father to us all;
We beg but justice of you; hearken first
To my lamented story.

Fisc. First hear me, sir.

Tow. Thee, slave! thou livest but by the breath I gave thee. 
Didst thou but now plead on thy knees for life,
And offer’dst to make known my innocence
In Harman’s injuries?

Fisc. I offered to have cleared thy innocence,
Who basely murdered him!—­But words are needless;
Sir, you see evidence before your eyes,
And I the witness, on my oath to heaven,
How clear your son, how criminal this man.

Col. Towerson could do nothing but what was noble.

Beam. We know his native worth.

Fisc. His worth!  Behold it on the murderer’s hand;
A robber first, he took degrees in mischief,
And grew to what he is:  Know you that diamond,
And whose it was?  See if he dares deny it.

Tow. Sir, it was your son’s, that freely I acknowledge; But how I came by it—­

Har. No, it is too much, I’ll hear no more.

Fisc. The devil of jealousy, and that of avarice, both, I believe, possest him; or your son was innocently talking with his wife, and he perhaps had found them; this I guess, but saw it not, because I came too late.  I only viewed the sweet youth just expiring, and Towerson stooping down to take the ring; she kneeling by to help him:  when he saw me, he would, you may be sure, have sent me after, because I was a witness of the fact.  This on my soul is true.

Tow. False as that soul, each word, each syllable;
The ring he put upon my hand this night,
When in this wood unknown, and near this place,
Without my timely help he had been slain.

Fisc. See this unlikely story! 
What enemies had he, who should assault him? 
Or is it probable that very man,
Who actually did kill him afterwards,
Should save his life so little time before?