And would not put my reputation now
In any ftaining act.

Hel. Nor would I wish you.

First, give me Truft, the Count he is my husband
And what to your fworn counsel I have spoken,
Is fo, from word to word; and then you cannot,
By the good aid that I of you fhall borrow,
Err in beftowing it.

Wid. I fhould believe you,

Inftruct my daughter how the fhall perfever,
That time and place, with this deceit fo lawful,
May prove coherent. Every night he comes
With mufick of all forts, and Tongs compos'd

For you have fhew'd me That, which well approves Y'are great in fortune.

Hel. Take this purfe of gold,

And let me buy your friendly help thus far,
Which I will over-pay, and pay again

When I have found it. The Count wooes your daughter,

Lays down his wanton fiège before her beauty,
Refolves to carry her; let her confent,
As we'll direct her how 'tis beft to bear it.
Now his important blood will nought deny,
That she'll demand: a ring the Count does wear,
That downward hath fucceeded in his House
From fon to fon, fome four or five Descents,
Since the first Father wore it. This ring he holds
In most rich choice; yet in his idle fire,
To buy his will, it would not feem too dear,
Howe'er repented after.

Wid. Now I fee the bottom of your purpose.
Hel. You fee it lawful then.
It is no more,
But that your daughter, ere the feems as won,
Defires this ring; appoints him an encounter;
In fine, delivers me to fill the time,
Her felf most chaftly absent: after this,
To marry her, I'll add three thousand crowns
To what is paft already.

Wid. I have yielded:

To her unworthiness: it nothing fteads us
To chide him from our eeves, for he perfifts,
As if his life lay on't.

Hel. Why then, to night

Let us affay our plot; which if it speed,
Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed;
And lawful meaning in a lawful act,
Where Both not fin, and yet a finful fact.
But let's about it. -

1

[Exeunt.

ACTIV.

SCENE, Part of the French Camp in

Florence.

Enter one of the French Lords, with five or fix Soldiers in ambush.

LORD.

Η

E can come no other way but by this hedgecorner; when you fally upon him, fpeak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not your felves, no matter; for we must not seem to understand him, unless fome one amongst us, whom we must produce for an Interpreter.

Sol. Good Captain, let me be th' Interpreter.

Lord. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

Sol. No, Sir, I warrant you.

Lord. But what linfie-woolfie haft thou to speak to us again?

Sol. Ev'n fuch as you speak to me

Lord. He must think us fome band of ftrangers i'th' Adverfaries entertainment. Now he hath a fmack

of

of all neighbouring languages, therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy; not to know what we speak one to another, fo we feem to know, is to know ftraight our purpose: chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, Interpreter, you must seem very politick. But couch, hoa! here he comes, to beguile two hours in a fleep, and then to return and fwear the lies he forges.

Enter Parolles.

Par. Ten a clock; within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What fhall I fay, I have done? it must be a very plaufive invention that carries it. They begin to fmoak me, and disgraces have of late knock'd too often at my door; I find, my tongue is too fool-hardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.

Lord. This is the firft truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of. [Afide. Par. What the devil fhould move me to undertake the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impoffibility, and knowing I had no fuch purpose? I muft give my self fome hurts, and fay, I got them in exploit; yet flight ones will not carry it. They will fay, came you off with fo little? and great ones I dare not give; wherefore what's the inftance? (31) Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy my felf another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils. Lord.

(31) Tongue, I must put You into a Butterwoman's Mouth, and buy mySelf another of Bajazet's Mule, if you prattle me into thefe Perils] Why of Bajazet's Mule, any more than any other Mule? Is there any particular Conceit, any Story on Record, by which that Emperour's Mule is fignaliz'd? If there be, I freely own my Ignorance. Tho' I have not alter'd the Text, Mr. Warburton concurr'd with me in thinking that the Poet probably wrote;

i, e. of a Turkif Mute. So in Henry V.

and buy myself another of Bajazet's Mute,

Either our Hiftory fhall with full Mouth

Speak freely of our Acts; or else our Grave,

Like Turkish Mute, fhall have a tongueless Mouth, &c.

Ee 3

Befides,

Lord. Is it poffible, he should know what he is, and be that he is? [Afide.

Par. I would, the cutting of my garments would ferve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanife (word. Lord. We cannot afford you fo.

[Afide. Par. Or the baring of my beard, and to fay, it was in ftratagem.

Lord. Twould not do.

[4fide.

Par. Or to drown my cloaths, and fay, I was ftript. Lord. Hardly serve.

[Afide.

Par. Though I fwore, I leap'd from the window of the cittadel

[Afide.

Lord. How deep?

Par. Thirty fathom.

Lord. Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed. [4fide.

Par. I would, I had any drum of the enemies; I would fwear, I recover'd it.

Lord, You fhall hear one anon.

[Afide.

Par. A drum now of the enemies! [Alarum within.
Lord. Throco movoufus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
All. Cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.
Par. O ranfom, ranfom:-do not hide mine eyes.
[They feize him and blindfold him.

Inter. Boskos thromuldo boskos.
Par. I know, you are the Muskos regiment,
And I fhall lofe my life for want of language.
If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,

Italian, or French, let him fpeak to me, I'll difcover That which fhall undo the Florentine. Inter. Boskos vauvado; I underftand thee, and can fpeak thy tongue; Kerelybonto, Sir, betake thee to thy faith, for feventeen poniards are at thy bofom.

Befides, as my Friend obferv'd to me, the Antithefis between a Butterwoman and a Mute is tolerably well. If there be any difficulty remains, it is to know, why the Poet has chofen to fay, Bajaxet's Mute. To this it may be anfwer'd, that Bajazet the Great, (who was at laft overthrown by Tamerlane ;) by his prodigious Exploits becoming very famous, for a long time after, amongst us Europeans, his Succeffors were call'd by his Name, when they were fpoke of.

Par.

Par. Oh!

Int. Oh, pray, pray, pray. Mancha ravancha dulche.

Lord. Ofceoribi dulchos volivorco.

Int. The General is content to fpare thee yet, And, hood-winkt as thou art, will lead thee on To gather from thee. Haply, thou may'ft inform Something to fave thy life.

Par. Oh let me live,

And all the fecrets of our Camp I'll fhew;
Their force, their purposes: nay, I'll speak That
Which you will wonder at.

Int. But wilt thou faithfully?
Par. If I do not, damn me.
Int. Acordo linta.

Come on, thou art granted space.

[Exit. [A fhort alarum within. Lord. Go, tell the Count Rouillon and my brother, We've caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled

'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.

Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Widow's House.

Enter Bertram, and Diana.

Ber. THEY told me, that your name was Fontibell. Dia. No, my good Lord, Diana.

Ber. Titled Goddess,

And worth it with addition! but, fair foul,
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 should be fuch a one

Ee 4

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