Of space had pointed him sharp as my needle;
Nay, follow'd him, till he had melted from
The fmallness of a gnat, to air; and then
Have turn'd mine eye, and wept.-But, good Pifanio,
When fhall we hear from him?

Pif. Be affur'd, Madam,

With his next vantage.

Imo. I did not take my leave of him, but had
Most pretty things to fay: ere I could tell him,
How I would think on him, at certain hours,
Such thoughts, and fuch; or, I could make him fwear,
The She's of Italy fhould not betray

Mine intereft, and his honour; or have charg'd him,
At the fixth hour of morn, at noon, at midnight,
T'encounter me with Orisons; (for then

I am in heaven for him ;) or ere I could
Give him that parting kiss, which I had fet
Betwixt two charming words, comes in my Father;
And, like the tyrannous breathing of the North,
Shakes all our buds from growing.

Enter a Lady.

Lady. The Queen, Madam,

Defires your Highness' company.

Imo. Thofe things I bid you do, get them dispatch'd,

I will attend the Queen.

Pif. Madam, I fhall.

lach.

SCENE changes to Rome.

[Exeunt.

Enter Philario, Iachimo, and a French man.

B

Elieve it, Sir, I have feen him in Britaine; he was then of a crefcent Note; expected to prove fo worthy, as fince he has been allowed the name of. But I could then have look'd on him, without the help of admiration; though the catalogue of his endowments had been tabled by his fide, and I to perufe him by Items.

Phil. You speak of him when he was lefs furnish'd, than now he is, with that which makes him both without and within.

French. I have feen him in France; we had very many there, could behold the fun with as firm eyes as he. Iach. This matter of marrying his King's Daughter, (wherein he must be weigh'd rather by her value, than his own) words him, I doubt not, a great deal from

the matter.

French. And then his banishment

Iach. Ay, and the approbation of thofe, that weep this lamentable divorce under her colours, are wonderfully to extend him; be it but to fortify her Judgment, which elfe an eafy battery might lay flat, for taking a beggar without more quality. But how comes it, he is to fojourn with you? how creeps acquain

tance?

Phil. His father and I were foldiers together, to whom I have been often bound for no lefs than my life.

Enter Pofthumus.

Here comes the Briton. Let him be fo entertained amongst you, as fuits with gentlemen of your knowing, to a ftranger of his quality. I befeech you all, be better known to this Gentleman; whom I commend to you as a noble friend of mine. How worthy he is, I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing.

French. Sir, we have been known together in Or. leans.

Poft. Since when I have been debtor to you for courtefies, which I will be ever to pay, and yet pay ftill.

French. Sir, you o'er-rate my poor kindness; I was glad I did attone my Countryman and you; it had been pity, you should have been put together with fo mortal a purpose, as then each bore, upon importance of fo flight, and trivial a nature.

Poft.

Poft. By your pardon, Sir, I was then a young traveller; rather fhun'd to go even with what I heard, than in my every action to be guided by others' experiences; but upon my mended judgment, (if I offend not to fay, it is mended,) my quarrel was not altogether flight.

French. 'Faith, yes, to be put to the arbitrement of swords; and by fuch two, that would by all likelihood have confounded one the other, or have fall'n both.

+ Iach. Can we with manners ask, what was the difference?

French. Safely, I think; 'twas a contention in publick, which may without contradiction fuffer the report. It was much like an argument that fell out last night, where each of us fell in praife of our Country miftreffes: This Gentleman at that time vouching, (and upon warrant of bloody affirmation,) his to be more fair, virtuous, wife, chafte, conftant, qualified, and lefs attemptable than any the rareft of our ladies in France.

lach. That Lady is not now living; or this Gentleman's opinion, by this, worn out.

Poft. She holds her virtue ftill, and I my mind. Iach. You must not fo far prefer her, 'fore ours of Italy. I

Poft Being fo far provok'd, as I was in France, I would abate her nothing; tho' I profefs myself her adorer, not her friend.

Iach. As fairy and as good, a kind of hand-in-hand comparison, had been fomething too fair and too good for any Lady in Britainy. If the went before others I have feen, as that diamond of yours out-luftres many I have beheld, I could not believe, fhe excelled many; but I have not feen the moft precious diamond that is, nor you the Lady.

Poft. I prais'd her, as I rated her; fo do I my stone. Iach. What do you efteem it at ?

Poft. More than the world enjoys.

Iach. Either your unparagon'd Mistress is dead, or fhe's out-priz'd by a trifle.

Poft. You are mistaken; the one may be fold or given, if there were wealth enough for the purchase, or merit for the gift. The other is not a thing for fale, and only the gift of the Gods.

Iach. Which the Gods have given you:

Poft. Which, by their graces, I will keep.

Iach. You may wear her in title yours; but, you know, ftrange fowl light upon neighbouring ponds. Your ring may be ftoll'n too; fo, of your brace of unprizeable estimations, the one is but frail and the other cafual. A cunning thief, or a that way accomplish'd courtier, would hazard the winning both of first and laft.

Poft. Your Italy contains none fo accomplish'd a Courtier to convince the honour of my mistress; if in the holding or lofs of that, you term her frail, I do nothing doubt, you have ftore of thieves, notwithstanding I fear not my ring.

Phil. Let us leave here, Gentlemen.

Poft. Sir, with all my heart. This worthy Signior, I thank him, makes no stranger of me; we are familiar at first.

Iach. With five times fo much converfation, I should get ground of your fair Miftrefs; make her go back, even to the yielding: had I admittance, and opportunity to friend.

Poft. No, no.

Iach. I dare thereupon pawn the moiety of my estate to your ring, which, in my opinion, o'er-values it fome thing: but I make my wager rather against your confidence, than her reputation: And to bar your offence herein too, I durft attempt it against any Lady in the world.

Poft. You are a great deal abus'd in too bold a per fuation; and, I doubt not, you'd fuftain what you're worthy of, by your attempt.

Iach. What's that?

Poft. A repulie; though your attempt, as you call it, deferves more; a punishment too.

Phil. Gentlemen, enough of this; it came in too fuddenly, let it die as it was born; and I

better acquainted.

pray you, be Iach. 'Would, I had put my eftate and my neigh bour's, on th' approbation of what I have spoke.

Poft. What Lady would you chufe to affail?

Iach. Yours; who in conftancy, you think, ftands fo fafe. I will lay you ten thousand ducats to your ring, that, commend me to the Court where your Lady is, with no more advantage than the opportunity of a fecond conference, I will bring from thence that honour of hers, which you imagine fo referv'd.

Poft. I will wage against your gold, gold to it: (4) my ring I hold dear as my finger, 'tis part of it.

Iach. You are afraid, and therein the wifer; if you buy ladies' flesh at a million a dram, you cannot preserve it from tainting. But, I fee, you have foine Religion in you, that you fear.

Poft. This is but a cuflom in your tongue; you bear a graver purpose, I hope.

Iach. I am the mafter of my Speeches, and would undergo what's fpoken, I fwear.

Poft. Will you? I fhall but lend my diamond 'till your Return; let there be covenants drawn between us. My Mistress exceeds in goodness the hugenefs of your unworthy thinking. I dare you to this match; here's my ring.

Phil. I will have it no Lay.

(4)

of it.

my Ring I hold dear as my Finger, 'tis part

Iach.] You are a Friend, and therein the wifer.] I am fure, Iachimo talks like none of the wifeft, in this kind of Reafoning. But what Ideas, in the Name of Nonfenfe, could the Editors entertain of Pofthumus being a Friend, because he would not venture to wager his Ring? I correct with Certainty;

You are afraid, and therein the wifer.

What Iachimo fays, in the Clofe of his Speech, determines this to have been our Poet's Reading.

But, I fee, you have fome Religion in you, that you fear.