346of the rich are damn'd, but if I may haue your Ladiships

347good will to goe to the world, Isbellthe woman and w

348will doe as we may.

349Coun Wilt thou needes be a begger?

350Clo I doe beg your good will in this case.

351Cou In what case?

352Clo In Isbelscase and mine owne: seruice is no heri-

353tage, and I thinke I shall neuer haue the blessing of God,

354till I haue issue a my bodie: for they say barnes are bles-

355sings.

356Cou Tell me thy reason why thou wilt marrie?

357Clo My poore bodie Madam requires it, I am driuen

358on by the flesh, and hee must needes goe that the diuell

359driues.

360Cou Is this all your worships reason?

361Clo Faith Madam I haue other holie reasons, such as

362they are.

363Cou May the world know them?

364Clo I haue beene Madam a wicked creature, as you

365and all flesh and blood are, and indeede I doe marrie that

366I may repent.

367Cou Thy marriage sooner then thy wickednesse.

368Clo I am out a friends Madam, and I hope to haue

369friends for my wiues sake.

370Cou Such friends are thine enemies knaue.

371Clo Y'are shallow Madam in great friends, for the

372knaues come to doe that for me which I am a wearie of:

373he that eres my Land, spares my teame, and giues mee

374leaue to Inne the crop: if I be his cuckold hee's my

375drudge; he that comforts my wife, is the cherisher of

376my flesh and blood; hee that cherishes my flesh and

377blood, loues my flesh and blood; he that loues my flesh

378and blood is my friend: ergo he that kisses my wife is my

379friend: if men could be contented to be what they are,

380there were no feare in marriage, for yong Charbonthe

381Puritan, and old Poysamthe Papist, how somere their

382hearts are seuer'd in Religion, their heads are both one,

383they may ioule horns together like any Deare i'th Herd.

384Cou Wilt thou euer be a foule mouth'd and calum-

385nious knaue?

386Clo A Prophet I Madam, and I speake the truth the

387next waie, for I the Ballad will repeate, which men full

388true shall finde, your marriage comes by destinie, your

389Cuckow sings by kinde.

390Cou Get you gone sir, Ile talke with you more anon.

391Stew May it please you Madam, that hee bid Hellen

392come to you, of her I am to speake.

393Cou Sirra tell my gentlewoman I would speake with

394her, HellenI meane.

395Clo Was this faire face the cause, quoth she,

396Why the Grecians sacked Troy

397Fond done, done, fond was this King Priamsioy,

398With that she sighed as she stood, bis

399And gaue this sentence then, among nine bad if one be

400good, among nine bad if one be good, there's yet one

401good in ten.

402Cou What, one good in tenne? you corrupt the song

403sirra.

404Clo One good woman in ten Madam, which is a pu-

405rifying ath' song: would God would serue the world so

406all the yeere, weed finde no fault with the tithe woman

407if I were the Parson, one in ten quoth a? and wee might

408haue a good woman borne but ore euerie blazing starre,

409or at an earthquake, 'twould mend the Lotterie well, a

410man may draw his heart out ere a plucke one.

411Cou Youle begone sir knaue, and doe as I command

412you?

413Clo That man should be at womans command, and

414yet no hurt done, though honestie be no Puritan, yet

415it will doe no hurt, it will weare the Surplis of humilitie

416ouer the blacke-Gowne of a bigge heart: I am go-

417ing forsooth, the businesse is for Helen to come hither.

419Cou Well now.

420Stew I know Madam you loue your Gentlewoman

421intirely.

422Cou Faith I doe: her Father bequeath'd her to mee,

423and she her selfe without other aduantage, may lawful-

424lie make title to as much loue as shee findes, there is

425more owing her then is paid, and more shall be paid

426her then sheele demand.

427Stew Madam, I was verie late more neere her then

428I thinke shee wisht mee, alone shee was, and did

429communicate to her selfe her owne words to her

430owne eares, shee thought, I dare vowe for her, they

431toucht not anie stranger sence, her matter was, shee

432loued your Sonne; Fortune shee said was no god-

433desse, that had put such difference betwixt their two

434estates: Loue no god, that would not extend his might

435onelie, where qualities were leuell, Queene of Vir-

436gins, that would suffer her poore Knight surpris'd

437without rescue in the first assault or ransome after-

438ward: This shee deliuer'd in the most bitter touch of

439sorrow that ere I heard Virgin exclaime in, which I held

440my dutie speedily to acquaint you withall, sithence in

441the losse that may happen, it concernes you something

442to know it.

443Cou You haue discharg'd this honestlie, keepe it

444to your selfe, manie likelihoods inform'd mee of this

445before, which hung so tottring in the ballance, that

446I could neither beleeue nor misdoubt: praie you

447leaue mee, stall this in your bosome, and I thanke

448you for your honest care: I will speake with you fur-

449ther anon. Exit Steward

451Old. Cou Euen so it vvas vvith me when I was yong:

452If euer vve are natures, these are ours, this thorne

453Doth to our Rose of youth righlie belong

454Our bloud to vs, this to our blood is borne,

455It is the show, and seale of natures truth,

456Where loues strong passion is imprest in youth,

457By our remembrances of daies forgon,

458Such were our faults, or then we thought them none,

459Her eie is sicke on't, I obserue her now.

460Hell What is your pleasure Madam?

461Ol. Cou You know HellenI am a mother to you.

462Hell Mine honorable Mistris.

463Ol. Cou Nay a mother, why not a mother? when I

464 sed a mother

465Me thought you saw a serpent, what's in mother,

466That you start at it? I say I am your mother,

467And put you in the Catalogue of those

468That were enwombed mine, 'tis often seene

469Adoption striues vvith nature, and choise breedes

470A natiue slip to vs from forraine seedes:

471You nere opprest me with a mothers groane,

472Yet I expresse to you a mothers care,

473(Gods mercie maiden) dos it curd thy blood

474To say I am thy mother? vvhat's the matter,

475That this distempered messenger of wet?

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