13311255Dog. Are you good men and true?

13321256Verges Yea, or else it were pitty but they should suffer sal-

13331257uation body and soule.

13341258Dog. Nay, that were a punishment too good for them, if

13351259they should haue any allegeance in them, being chosen for the

13361260Princes watch.

13371261Verges Well, giue them their charge, neighbour Dog-

13381262bery.

13391263Dogbery First, who thinke you the most desartlesse man

13401264to be Constable?

13411265Watch 1 Hugh Ote-cake sir, or George Sea-cole, for they

13421266can write and reade.

13431267Dogbery Come hither neighbor Sea-cole. God hath blest

13441268you with a good name: to be a welfauoured man, is the gift of

13451269Fortune, but to write and reade, comes by nature.

13471270Watch 2 Both which maister Constable.

13481271Dogbery You haue: I knew it would be your answer: wel,

13491272for your fauour sir, why giue God thanks, and make no boast

13501273of it, and for your writing and reading, let that appeere when

13511274there is no neede of such vanity, you are thought heere to be

13521275the most senslesse and fit man for the Constable of the watch:

13531276therefore beare you the lanthorne: this is your charge, You

13541277shall comprehend all vagrom men, you are to bidde any man

13551278stand, in the Princes name.

13571279Watch 2 How if a will not stand?

13581280Dogbery Why then take no note of him, but let him goe,

E3 and

13591281and presently call the rest of the watch together, and thanke

13601282god you are ridde of a knaue.

13611283Verges If he wil not stand when he is bidden, he is none of

13621284the Princes subiects.

13631285Dogbery True, and they are to meddle with none but the

13641286Princes subiects: you shall also make no noise in the streetes:

13651287for, for the watch to babble and to talke, is most tollerable, and

13661288not to be indured.

13671289Watch We will rather sleepe than talke, we know what be-

13681290longs to a watch.

13691291Dogbery Why you speake like an antient and most quiet

13701292watchman, for I cannot see how sleeping should offend: one-

13711293ly haue a care that your billes bee not stolne: well, you are to

13721294cal at al the alehouses, and bid those that are drunke get them to

13731295bed.

13741296Watch How if they will not?

13751297Dogbery Why then let them alone til they are sober, if they

13761298make you not then the better answer, you may say, they are not

13771299the men you tooke them for.

13781300Watch Well sir.

13791301Dogbery If you meete a thiefe, you may suspect him, by

13801302vertue of your office, to be no true man: and for such kind of

13811303men, the lesse you meddle or make with them, why the more

13821304is for your honesty.

13831305Watch If we know him to be a thiefe, shal we not lay hands

13841306on him?

13851307Dogbery Truely by your office you may, but I thinke they

13861308that touch pitch will be defilde: the most peaceable way for

13871309you, if you doe take a thiefe, is, to let him shew himselfe what

13881310he is, and steale out of your companie.

13891311Verges You haue beene alwayes called a mercifull manne,

1312partner.

13901313Dog. Truely I would not hang a dogge by my will, much

13911314more a man who hath anie honestie in him.

13921315Verges If you heare a child crie in the night you must call to

13931316the nurse and bid her stil it.

13941317Watch How if the nurse be asleepe and will not heare vs.

13961318Dog. Why then depart in peace, and let the child wake her

13971319with crying, for the ewe that will not heare her lamb when it

13981320baes, will neuer answer a calfe when he bleates.

14001321Verges Tis very true.

14011322Dog. This is the end of the charge: you constable are to

14021323present the princes owne person, if you meete the prince in the

14031324night, you may stay him.

14041325Verges Nay birlady that I thinke a cannot.

14051326Dog. Fiue shillings to one on't with any man that knowes

14061327the statutes, he may stay him, mary not without the prince be

14071328willing, for indeed the watch ought to offend no man, and it is

14081329an offence to stay a man against his will.

14101330Verges Birlady I thinke it be so.

14111331Dog. Ha ah ha, wel masters good night, and there be any

14121332matter of weight chaunces, cal vp me, keepe your fellowes

14131333counsailes, and your owne, and good night, come neigh-

14141334bour.

14151335Watch Well masters, we heare our charge, let vs goe sitte

14161336here vppon the church bench till twoo, and then all to

14171337bed.

14181338Dog. One word more, honest neighbors, I pray you watch

14191339about signior Leonatoes doore, for the wedding being there to

14201340morrow, there is a great coyle to night, adiew, be vigitant I be-

14211341seech you. exeunt.

14231343Bor. What Conrade?

14241344Watch Peace, stir not.

14251345Bor. Conrade I say.

14261346Con. Here man, I am at thy elbow.

14271347Bor. Mas and my elbow itcht, I thought there would a

14281348scabbe follow.

14291349Con. I will owe thee an answer for that, and now forward

14301350with thy tale.

14311351Bor. Stand thee close then vnder this penthouse, for it

14321352drissells raine, and I will, like a true drunckard, vtter all to

14331353thee.

14341354Watch Some treason masters, yet stand close.

14351355Bor. Therefore know, I haue earned of Dun Iohn a thou-

14361356sand ducates.

14371357Con. Is it possible that any villanie should be so deare?

14381358Bor. Thou shouldst rather aske if it were possible any vil-

14391359lanie shuld be so rich? for when rich villains haue need of poor

14401360ones, poore ones may make what price they will.

14421361Con. I wonder at it.

14431362Bor. That shewes thou art vnconfirm'd, thou knowest

14441363that the fashion of a dublet, or a hat, or a cloake, is nothing to a

14451364man.

14461365Con. Yes it is apparell.

14471366Bor. I meane the fashion.

14481367Con. Yes the fashion is the fashion.

14491368Bor. Tush, I may as well say the foole's the foole, but seest

14501369thou not what a deformed theefe this fashion is?

14511370Watch I know that deformed, a has bin a vile theefe, this

14521371vij. yeere, a goes vp and downe like a gentle man: I remember

14531372his name.

14541373Bor. Didst thou not heare some body?

14551374Con. No, twas the vane on the house.

14561375Bor. Seest thou not (I say) what a deformed thiefe this fashi-

14571376on is, how giddily a turnes about all the Hot-blouds, between

14581377foureteene and fiue and thirtie, sometimes fashioning them

14591378like Pharaoes souldiours in the rechie painting, sometime like

14601379god Bels priests in the old church window, sometime like the

14611380shauen Hercules in the smircht worm-eaten tapestry, where

14621381his cod-peece seemes as massie as his club.

14641382Con. Al this I see, and I see that the fashion weares out more

14651383apparrell then the man, but art not thou thy selfe giddy with

14661384the fashion too, that thou hast shifted out of thy tale into telling

14671385me of the fashion?

14681386Bor. Not so neither, but know that I haue to night wooed

14691387Margaret the Lady Heroes gentle-woman, by the name of

14701388Hero, she leanes me out at her mistris chamber window, bids

14711389me a thousand times good night: I tell this tale vildly. I should

14721390first tel thee how the prince Claudio and my master planted,

14731391and placed, and possessed, by my master Don Iohn, saw a farre

14741392off in the orchard this amiable incounter.

14761393Conr. And thought they Margaret was Hero?

14771394Bar. Two of them did, the prince and Claudio, but the di-

14781395uel my master knew she was Margaret, and partly by his oths,

14791396which first possest them, partly by the darke night which did

14801397deceiue them, but chiefely, by my villany, which did confirme

14811398any slander that Don Iohn had made, away went Claudio en-

14821399ragde, swore he would meet her as he was apointed next mor-

14831400ning at the Temple, and there, before the whole congregation

14841401shame her, with what he saw o're night, and send her home a-

14851402gaine without a husband.

14871403Watch 1 We charge you in the princes name stand.

14881404Watch 2 Call vppe the right maister Constable, wee haue

14891405here recouerd the most dangerous peece of lechery, that euer

14901406was knowne in the common wealth.

14911407Watch 1 And one Deformed is one of them, I know him, a

14921408weares a locke.

14931409Conr Masters, masters.

14941410Watch 2 Youle be made bring deformed forth I warrant

14951411you.

14961412Conr Masters, neuer speake, we charge you, let vs obey you

14971413to go with vs.

14981414Bor. We are like to proue a goodly commoditie, being ta-

14991415ken vp of these mens billes.

15001416Conr. A commodity in question I warrant you, come weele

15011417obey you. exeunt.