Par. If I do not, damn me.

Int. Acordo linta.

Come on, thou art granted space.

[Exit.

[A Short Alarum within. Lord. Go, tell the Count Roffillion and my Brother,

We have caught the Woodcock, and will keep him mufled Till we do hear from them.

Sol. Captain I will.

Lord. He will betray us all unto our felves,

Inform 'em that.

Sol. So I will, Sir.

Lord. 'Till then I'll keep him dark and fafely lockt.

Enter Bertram and Diana.

[Exeunt.

Ber. They told me that your Name was Fontibell.
Dia. No, my good Lord, Diana.

Ber. Titled Goddefs,

And worth it with Addition; but, fair Soul,
In your fine Frame hath Love no Quality?
If the quick Fire of Youth light not your Mind,
You are no Maiden, but a Monument:

When you are dead you fhall be fuch a one
As you are now, for you are cold and ftern;
And now you should be as your Mother was,
When your fweet felf was got.

Dia. She then was honeft.

Ber. So fhould you be.

Dia. No.

My Mother did but Duty, fuch, my Lord,
As you owe to your Wife.

Ber. No more o'that!'

I prethee do not strive against my Vows:
I was compell'd to her, but I love thee

By Love's own fweet Conftraint, and will for ever
Do thee all Rights of Service.

Dia. Ay, fo you ferve us

'Till we ferve you: But when you have our Rofes, You barely leave our Thorns to prick our selves, And mock us with our Bareness.

Ber. How have I fworn!

Dia. 'Tis not the many Oaths that make the Truth, But the plain fingle Vow, that is vow'd true;

What is not Holy, that we fwear not by,

But take the High'ft to witness: Then pray you tell me,
If I should swear by Jove's great Attribute,
I lov'd you dearly, would you believe my Oaths,
When I did love you ill? This has no holding
To fwear by him whom I proteft to love,
That I will work against him. Therefore your Oaths
Are Words and poor Conditions, but unfeal'd,
At least in my Opinion.

Ber. Change it, change it:

Be not fo holy Cruel. Love is holy,
And my Integrity ne'er knew the Crafts,

That you do charge Men with: Stand no more off,
But give thy felf unto my fick Defires,

Who then recovers. Say thou art mine, and ever
My Love, as it begins, fhall fo perfever.

Dia. I fee that Men make Hopes in fuch Affairs,
That we'll forfake our felves. Give me that Ring.
Ber. I'll lend it thee, my Dear, but have no Power
To give it from me.

Dia. Will you not, my Lord?

Ber. It is an Honour 'longing to our House,
Bequeathed down from many Ancestors,

Which were the greatest Obloquy i'th' World
In me to lose.

Dia. Mine Honour's fuch a Ring,

My Chastity's the Jewel of our Houfe,

Bequeathed down from many Ancestors,

Which were the greateft Obloquy, i'th' World
In me to lofe. Thus your own proper Wildom
Brings in the Champion Honour on my Part,
Against your vain Affault.

Ber. Here, take my Ring,

My Houfe, my Honour, yea, my Life be thine,
And I'll be bid by thee.

Dia. When Midnight comes, knock at my Chamber
Window;

I'll order take, my Mother fhall not hear,

Now will I charge you in the Band of Truth,

Whe

1

When you have conquer'd my yet Maiden-Bed,
Remain there but an Hour, nor speak to me:
My Reasons are moft ftrong, and you fhall know them,
When back again this Ring fhall be deliver'd;
And on your Finger, in the Night, I'll put
Another Ring, that, what in time proceeds,
May token to the future, our paft Deeds.
Adieu 'till then, then fail not: You have won
A Wife of me, though there my Hope be done.

Ber. A Heav'n on Earth I've won by wooing thee. [Exit. Dia. For which, live long to thank both Heav'n and me. You may fo in the end.

My Mother told me just how he would woo,

As if the fate in's Heart, She fays, all Men

Have the like Oaths: He had fworn to marry me
When his Wife's dead: Therefore I'll lye with him
When I am buried. Since Frenchmen are fo braid,
Marry that will, I'll live and die a Maid;
Only in this Difguife, I think't no Sin,

To coufin him that would unjustly win.

[Exit.

Enter the two French Lords, and two or three Soldiers.

1 Ld. You have not given him his Mother's Letter?

2 Ld. I have deliver'd it an Hour fince; there is fomething in't that ftings his Nature, for on the reading it, he chang'd almost into another Man,

I Ld. He has much worthy Blame laid upon him, for fhaking off fo good a Wife, and fo fweet a Lady.

2 Ld. Especially, he hath incurred the everlafting Difpleasure of the King, who had ever tun'd his Bounty to fing Happiness to him, I will tell you a thing, but you fhall let it dwell darkly with you.

I Ld. When you have fpoken it, is dead, and I am the Grave of it.

2 Ld. He hath perverted a young Gentlewoman here in Florence, of a moft chaft Renown, and this Night he fleshes his Will in the Spoil of her Honour; he hath given her his monumental Ring, and thinks himself made in the unchaft Compofition.

I Ld. Now God delay our Rebellion; as we are our felves, what things are we!

2 Ld. Meerly our own Traitors; and as in the common Course of all Treafons, we ftill fee them reveal themselves, 'till they attain to their abhorr'd Ends; fo he that in this Action contrives against his own Nobility in his proper Stream, o'er-flows himself.

I Ld. Is it not meant damnable in us to be the Trumpeters of our unlawful Intents? We fhall not then have his Company to Night?

2 Ld. Not 'till after Midnight; for he is dieted to his Hour.

I Ld. That approaches apace: I would gladly have him fee his Company anatomiz'd, that he might take a Measure of his own Judgments, wherein fo feriously he had fet his Counterfeit.

2 Ld. We will not meddle with him 'till he come; For his Prefence must be the whip of the other. I Ld. In the mean time, what hear you of thofe Wars? 2 Ld. I hear there is an Overture of Peace.

1 Ld. Nay, I affure you a Peace is concluded.

2 Ld. What will Count Roffillion do then? Will he travel higher, or return again into France?

1 Ld. I perceive by this Demand, you are not altogether of his Counsel.

2 Ld. Let it be forbid, Sir, fo fhould I be a great deal of this A&.

I Ld. Sir, his Wife fome two Months fince fled from his House, her Pretence is a Pilgrimage to St. Jaques le grand; which holy Undertaking, with moft auftere Sanctimony, the accomplish'd; and there refiding, the Tenderness of her Nature became as a Prey to her Grief; in fine, made a Groan of her laft Breath, and now the fings in Heav'n. 2 Ld. How is this juftified?

1 Ld. The ftronger Part of it by her own Letters, which makes her Story true, even to the Point of her Death; her Death it felf, which could not be her Office to fay, is come, was faithfully confirm'd by the Rector of the Place.

2 Ld. Hath the Count all this Intelligence?

I Ld. Ay, and the particular Confirmations, point from point, to the full arming of the Verity.

2 Ld. I am heartily forry that he'll be glad of this.

1 Ld. How mightily fometimes we make us Comforts of our Loffes.

2 Ld. And how mightily fome other times we drown our Gain in Tears, the great Dignity that this Valour hath here requir'd from him, fhall at home be encountred with a Shame as ample.

I Ld. The Web of our Life is of a mingled Yarn, good and ill together: Our Virtues would be proud, if our Faults whipt them not, and our Crimes would despair if they were not cherish'd by our Virtues.

Enter a Servant.

How now? Where's your Mafter?

Ser. He met the Duke in the Street, Sir, of whom he hath taken a folemn Leave: His Lordship will next Morning for France. The Duke hath offered him Letters of Commendations to the King.

2 Ld. They shall be no more than needful there, if they were more than they can commend.

Enter Bertram.

1 Ld. They cannot be too fweet for the King's Tartnefs: Here's his Lordship now. How now, my Lord, ist not after Midnight?

Ber. I have to Night difpatch'd fixteen Bufineffes, a Months length a Piece, by an Abstract of Success: I have congied with the Duke, done my Adieu with his nearest; buried a Wife, mourn'd for her; writ to my Lady Mother, I am returning; entertain'd my Convoy, and between these main Parcels of difpatch, effected many nicer Needs; the laft was the greateft, but that I have not ended yet.

2 Ld. If the Business be of any Difficulty, and this Morning your departure hence, it requires hafte of your Lordship.

Ber. I mean the Bufinefs is not ended, as fearing to hear of it hereafter. But fhall we have this Dialogue between the Fool and the Soldier? Come, bring forth this counterfeit Module; 'has deceiv'd me, like a double meaning Prophefier.

2 Ld. Bring him forth, h'as fate in the Stocks all Night, poor gallant Knave.

Ber, No matter, his Heels have deferv'd it, in ufurping his Spurs fo long. How does he carry himself?