329Coun I will now heare, what say you of this gentle-

330woman.

331Ste Maddam the care I haue had to euen your con-

332tent, I wish might be found in the Kalender of my past

333endeuours, for then we wound our Modestie, and make

334foule the clearnesse of our deseruings, when of our selues

335we publish them.

336Coun What doe's this knaue heere? Get you gone

337sirra: the complaints I haue heard of you I do not all be-

338leeue, 'tis my slownesse that I doe not: For I know you

339lacke not folly to commit them, & haue abilitie enough

340to make such knaueries yours.

341Clo 'Tis not vnknown to you Madam, I am a poore

342fellow.

343Coun Well sir.

344Clo No maddam,

345'Tis not so well that I am poore, though manie

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?

V 3 The

476The manie colour'd Iris rounds thine eye?

477------ Why, that you are my daughter?

478Hell That I am not.

479Old.Cou I say I am your Mother.

480Hell Pardon Madam.

481The Count Rosillioncannot be my brother:

482I am from humble, he from honored name:

483No note vpon my Parents, his all noble,

484My Master, my deere Lord he is, and I

485His seruant liue, and will his vassall die:

486He must not be my brother.

487Ol.Cou Nor I your Mother.

488Hell You are my mother Madam, would you were

489So that my Lord your sonne were not my brother,

490Indeede my mother, or were you both our mothers,

491I care no more for, then I doe for heauen,

492So I were not his sister, cant no other,

493But I your daughter, he must be my brother.

494Old.Cou Yes Hellen you might be my daughter in law,

495God shield you meane it not, daughter and mother

496So striue vpon your pulse; what pale agen?

497My feare hath catcht your fondnesse! now I see

498The mistrie of your louelinesse, and finde

499Your salt teares head, now to all sence 'tis grosse:

500You loue my sonne, inuention is asham'd

501Against the proclamation of thy passion

502To say thou doost not: therefore tell me true,

503But tell me then 'tis so, for looke, thy cheekes

504Confesse it 'ton tooth to th' other, and thine eies

505See it so grosely showne in thy behauiours,

506That in their kinde they speake it, onely sinne

507And hellish obstinacie tye thy tongue

508That truth should be suspected, speake, ist so?

509If it be so, you haue wound a goodly clewe:

510If it be not, forsweare't how ere I charge thee,

511As heauen shall worke in me for thine auaile

512To tell me truelie.

513Hell Good Madam pardon me.

514Cou Do you loue my Sonne?

515Hell Your pardon noble Mistris.

516Cou Loue you my Sonne?

517Hell Doe not you loue him Madam?

518Cou Goe not about; my loue hath in't a bond

519Whereof the world takes note: Come, come, disclose:

520The state of your affection, for your passions

521Haue to the full appeach'd.

522Hell Then I confesse

523Here on my knee, before high heauen and you,

524That before you, and next vnto high heauen, I loue your

525 Sonne:

526My friends were poore but honest, so's my loue:

527Be not offended, for it hurts not him

528That he is lou'd of me; I follow him not

529By any token of presumptuous suite,

530Nor would I haue him, till I doe deserue him,

531Yet neuer know how that desert should be:

532I know I loue in vaine, striue against hope:

533Yet in this captious, and intemible Siue.

534I still poure in the waters of my loue

535And lacke not to loose still; thus Indianlike

536Religious in mine error, I adore

537The Sunne that lookes vpon his worshipper,

538But knowes of him no more. My deerest Madam,

539Let not your hate incounter with my loue,

540For louing where you doe; but if your selfe,

541Whose aged honor cites a vertuous youth,

542Did euer, in so true a flame of liking,

543Wish chastly, and loue dearely, that your Dian

544Was both her selfe and loue, O then giue pittie

545To her whose state is such, that cannot choose

546But lend and giue where she is sure to loose;

547That seekes not to finde that, her search implies,

548But riddle like, liues sweetely where she dies.

549Cou Had you not lately an intent, speake truely,

550To goe to Paris

551Hell Madam I had.

552Cou Wherefore? tell true.

553Hell I will tell truth, by grace it selfe I sweare:

554You know my Father left me some prescriptions

555Of rare and prou'd effects, such as his reading

556And manifest experience, had collected

557For generall soueraigntie: and that he wil'd me

558In heedefull'st reseruation to bestow them,

559As notes, whose faculties inclusiue were,

560More then they were in note: Amongst the rest,

561There is a remedie, approu'd, set downe,

562To cure the desperate languishings whereof

563The King is render'd lost.

564Cou This was your motiue for Paris was it, speake?

565Hell My Lord, your sonne, made me to think of this;

566Else Paris and the medicine, and the King,

567Had from the conuersation of my thoughts,

568Happily beene absent then.

569Cou But thinke you Hellen

570If you should tender your supposed aide,

571He would receiue it? He and his Phisitions

572Are of a minde, he, that they cannot helpe him:

573They, that they cannot helpe, how shall they credit

574A poore vnlearned Virgin, when the Schooles

575Embowel'd of their doctrine, haue left off

576The danger to it selfe.

577Hell There's something in't

578More then my Fathers skill, which was the great'st

579Of his profession, that his good rec eipt,

580Shall for my legacie be sanctified

581Byth' luckiest stars in heauen, and would your honor

582But giue me leaue to trie successe, I'de venture

583The well lost life of mine, on his Graces cure,

584By such a day, an houre.

585Cou Doo'st thou beleeue't?

586Hell I Madam knowingly.

587Cou Why Hellenthou shalt haue my leaue and loue,

588Meanes and attendants, and my louing greetings

589To those of mine in Court, Ile staie at home

590And praie Gods blessing into thy attempt:

591Begon to morrow, and be sure of this,

592What I can helpe thee to, thou shalt not misse. Exeunt