1 Lord. He's very near the truth in this. Ber. But I con him no thanks for't, in the nature he delivers it. Par. Poor rogues, I pray you, say. Inter. Well, that's fet down. Par. I humbly thank you, Sir; a truth's a truth, the rogues are marvellous poor. Inter. Demand of him, of what strength they are a-foot. What fay you to that? Par. By my troth, Sir, if I were to live this prefent hour, I will tell true. Let me fee; Spurio a hundred and fifty, Sebaftian fo many, Corambus fo many, Jaques fo many; Guiltian, Cofmo, Lodowick, and Gratii, two hundred and fifty each; mine own company, Chitopher, Vaumond, Bentii, two hundred and fifty each; fo that the mufter file, rotten and found, upon my life amounts not to fifteen thousand Poll; half of the which dare not shake the fnow from off their caffocks, left they shake themselves to pieces. Ber. What fhall be done to him? 1 Lord. Nothing, but let him have thanks. Demand of him my conditions, and what credit I have with the Duke. Inter. Well, that's fet down. You fhall demand of him, whether one Captain Dumain be i'th' camp, a Frenchman: what his reputation is with the Duke; what his valour, honefty, and expertnefs in war; or whether he thinks, it were not poffible with wellweighing fums of gold to corrupt him to a revolt. What fay you to this? what do you know of it? Par. Í befeech you, let me anfwer to the particular of the Interrogatories. Demand them fingly. Inter. Do you know this Captain Dumain? Par. I know him; he was a botcher's 'prentice in Paris, from whence he was whipt for getting the sheriff's fool with child; a dumb innocent, that could not fay him nay. [Dumain lifts up his hand in anger. Ber. Ber. Nay, by your leave, hold your hands; tho' I know, his brains are forfeit to the next tile that falls. Inter. Well, is this Captain in the Duke of Florence's Camp? Par. Upon my knowledge he is, and lowfy. 1 Lord. Nay, look not fo upon me, we shall hear of your Lordship anon. Inter. What is his reputation with the Duke? Par. The Duke knows him for no other but a poor officer of mine, and writ to me the other day to turn him out o'th' band. I think, I have his letter in my pocket. Inter. Marry, we'll search. Par. In good fadness, I do not know; either it is there, or it is upon the file with the Duke's other letters in my tent. Inter. Here 'tis, here's a paper, fhall I read it to you? Par. I do not know, if it be it or no. Ber. Our Interpreter does it well. I Lord. Excellently. Inter. Dian. the Count's a fool, and full of gold. Par. That is not the Duke's letter, Sir; that is an advertisement to a proper maid in Florence, one Diana, to take heed of the allurement of one Count Roufillon, a foolish idle boy; but, for all that, very ruttish. I pray you, Sir, put it up again. Inter. Nay, I'll read it firft, by your favour. Par. My meaning in't, I proteft, was very honest in the behalf of the maid; for I knew the young Count to be a dangerous and lascivious boy, who is a whale to virginity, and devours up all the fry it finds. Ber. Damnable! both fides rogue. 7 Dian. the Count's a fool, and full of gold.] After this line there is apparently a line loft, there being no rhyme that cor refponds to gold. VOL. III. B b Inter Interpreter reads the letter. When be fwears oaths, bid him drop gold, and take it. Thine, as he vow'd to thee in thine ear, PAROLLES. Ber. He fhall be whipt thro' the army with this rhime in his forehead. 2 Lord. This is your devoted friend, Sir, the manifold linguist, and the armi-potent foldier. Half won is match well made; match, and well make it.] This line has no meaning that I can find. I read, with a very flight alteration, Half won is match well made; watch, and well make it. That is, a match well made is half won; watch, and make it well. This is, in my opinion, not all the errour. The lines are mifplaced, and should be read thus: Half won is match well made; watch, and well make it ; When be fwears oaths, bid him drop gold, and take it. After he Scores, he never pays the fcore: He never pays after-debts, take it before, And Jay That is, take his money and leave him to himfelf. When the players had loft the second line, they tried to make a connexion out of the rest. Part is apparently in couplets, and the note was probably uniform. • Men are to mell with, boys are not to kifs.] All the Ěditors have obtruded a new Maxim upon us here, that Boys are not to kifs.—Livia, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Tamer tam'd, is of a quite oppofite Opinion. For Boys were made for Nothing but dry Kiffes. And our Poet's Thought, I am perfuaded, went to the fame Tune. To mell, is derived from the French word, meler; to mingle. THEOBALD. Ber. Ber. I could endure any thing before but a cat, and now he's a cat to me. Inter. I perceive, Sir, by the General's looks, we fhall be fain to hang you. Par. My life, Sir, in any cafe; not that I am afraid to die; but that my offences being many, I would repent out the remainder of nature. Let me live, Sir, in a Dungeon, i'th' Stocks, any where, fo I may live. Inter. We'll fee what may be done, fo you confefs freely; therefore, once more, to this Captain Dumain : you have answer'd to his reputation with the Duke, and to his valour. What is his honesty? ; Par. He will steal, Sir, an egg out of a cloister for rapes and ravishments he parallels Neffus. He profeffes no keeping of oaths; in breaking them he is ftronger than Hercules. He will lye, Sir, with fuch volubility, that you would think, truth were a fool drunkenness is his beft virtue, for he will be fwinedrunk, and in his fleep he does little harm, fave to his bed-cloaths about him; but they know his conditions, and lay him in ftraw. I have but little more to say, Sir, of his honefty, he has every thing that an honeft man fhould not have; what an honeft man should have, he has nothing. I Lord. I begin to love him for this. Ber. For this defcription of thine honesty? à pox upon him for me, he is more and more a cat. Inter. What fay you to his expertnefs in war? Par. Faith, Sir, h'as led the drum before the English Tragedians: to belie him, I will not; and more of his foldiership I know not; except, in that Country, he had the honour to be the Officer at a place there 9 An egg out of a cloifer.] I know not that cloifier, though it may etymologically fignify any thing fout is ufed by our authour, otherwise than for a monaftery, and therefore I cannot guess whence this hyperbole could take its original: perhaps it means only this: He will feal any thing, how ever trifling, from any place, however holy. Bb 2 call'd call'd Mile-end, to inftruct for the doubling of files. I would do the man what honour I can, but of this I. am not certain. I Lord. He hath out-villain'd villany fo far, that. the rarity redeems him. Ber. A pox on him, he's a cat ftill. Inter. His Qualities being at this poor price, I need not to afk you, if gold will corrupt him to revolt. Par. Sir, for a Quart d'ecu he will fell the fee-fimple of his falvation, the inheritance of it, and cut th' intail from all remainders, and a perpetual fucceffion for it perpetually. Inter. What's his Brother, the other Captain Dumain? 2 2 Lord. Why does he ask him of me? Inter. What's he? Par. E'en a crow o'th' fame neft; not altogether fo great as the first in goodnefs, but greater a great deal in evil. He excels his Brother for a Coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the beft that is. In a Retreat he out-runs any lacquey; marry, in coming on he has the cramp. Inter. If your life be faved, will betray the Florentine? you undertake to Par. Ay, and the Captain of his horfe, Count Roufillon? Inter. I'll whifper with the General, and know his pleasure. Par. I'll no more drumming, a plague of all drums! Only to feem to deferve well, and to beguile the fuppofition of that lafcivious young boy the Count, have He's a cat fill.] That is, throw him how you will, he lights upon his legs. 2 Why does he afk him of me?] This is nature. Every man is on fuch occafions more willing to hear his neighbour's character than his own. 3 To beguile the fuppofition.] That is, to deceive the opinion, to make the Count think me a man that deferves well. I run |