343Are reckon'd to be worth five thousand pound,

344Which scarcely stood me in three hundreth pound;

345I bought them at an easie kind of rate,

346I care not which way they came by them

347That sold them me, it comes not near my heart;

348And least they should be stoln, as sure they are,

349I thought it meet to sell them here in Antwerp,

350And so have left them in the Governour's hand,

351Who offers me within two hundreth pound

352Of all my price: but now no more of that,

353I must go see and if my Bills be safe,

354The which I sent to Master Cromwell,

355That if the wind should keep me on the sea,

356He might arrest him here before I came:

357And in good time, see where he is: God save you, sir.

358Crom. And you, pray pardon me, I know you not.

359Bag. It may be so, sir, but my name is Bagot,

360The man that sent to you the Bills of debt.

361Crom. O, the man that pursues Banister,

362Here are the Bills of debt you sent to me:

363As for the man, you know best where he is;

364It is reported y'ave a flintie heart,

365A mind that will not stoop to any pittie;

366An eye that knows not how to shed a tear,

367A hand that's alwayes open for reward:

368But, Master Bagot, would you be ruled by me,

369You should turn all these to the contrary;

370Your heart should still have feeling of remorse,

371Your mind, according to your state, be liberal

372To those that stand in need, and in distress;

373Your hand to help them that do stand in want,

374Rather then with your poise to hold them down,

375For every ill turn show your self more kind,

376Thus should I doe, pardon, I speak my mind.

377Bag. I, sir, you speak to hear what I would say,

378But you must live I know, as well as I:

379I know this place to be Extortion,

380And 'tis not for a man to keep safe here,

381But he must lye, cog, with his dearest friend;

382And as for pitty, scorn it, hate all conscience:

383But yet I do commend your wit in this,

384To make a show, of what I hope you are not,

385But I commend you, and 'tis well done;

386This is the onely way to bring your gain.

387Crom. My gain? I had rather chain me to an Oare,

388And like a slave there toil out all my life,

389Before I'de live so base a slave as thou.

390I, like an Hypocrite, to make a show

391Of seeming virtue, and a Devil within?

392No, Bagot, if thy conscience were as clear,

393Poor Banister ne're had been troubled here.

394Bag. Nay, good Master Cromwell, be not angry, sir,

395I know full well that you are no such man,

396But if your conscience were as white as Snow,

397It will be thought that you are otherwise.

398Crom. Will it be thought I am otherwise?

399Let them that think so, know they are deceiv'd;

400Shall Cromwell live to have his faith misconster'd?

401Antwerp, for all the wealth within thy Town,

402I will not stay here full two houres longer:

403As good luck serves, my accounts are all made even,

404Therefore I'le straight unto the Treasurer;

405Bagot, I know you'll to the Governour,

406Commend me to him, say I am bound to travel,

407To see the fruitfull parts of Italy;

408And as you ever bore a Christian mind,

409Let Banister some favour of you find.

410Bag. For your sake, sir, I'le help him all I can,

411To starve his heart out e're he gets a groat;

412So, Master Cromwell, do I take my leave,

413For I must straight unto the Governour.

415Crom. Farewell, sir, pray you remember what I said:

416No, Cromwell, no, thy heart was ne're so base,

417To live by falshood, or by brokery;

418But 't falls out well, I little it repent,

419Hereafter, time in travel shall be spent.

421Hod. Your son Thomas, quoth you, I have been Tho-

422mast; I had thought it had been no such matter to a

423gone by water: for at Putney I'le go you to Parish-

424Garden for two pence, sit as still as may be, without

425any wagging or joulting in my guttes, in a little Boat

426too: here we were scarce some four mile in the great

427green Water, but I thinking to go to my afternoons

428unchines, as 'twas my manner at home, but I felt a kind

429of rising in my guttes: at last one a the Sailers spying of

430me, be a good cheer sayes he, set down thy victuals, and

431up with it, thou hast nothing but an Eele in thy belly:

432Well, to't went I, to my victuals went the Sailers, and

433thinking me to be a man of better experience then any

434in the shippe, asked me what Wood the ship was made

435of: they all swore I tould them as right as if I had been

436acquainted with the Carpenter that made it; at last we

437grew near Land, and I grew villanous hungry, went to

438my bagge, the Devil a bit there was, the Sailers had tick-

439led me; yet I cannot blame them, it was a part of kind-

440ness, for I in kindnesse told them what Wood the ship

441was made of, and they in kindness eat up my victuals, as

442indeed one good turn asketh another: well, would I,

443could I, find my Master Thomas in this Dutch Town, he

444might put some English Beer into my belly.

446How doth my Father? what's the newes at home?

447Hod. Master Thomas, ô God, Master Thomas, your

448hand, glove and all, this is to give you to understanding

449that your Father is in health, and Alice Downing here

450hath sent you a Nutmeg, and Bess Makewater a race of

451Ginger, my fellow Will and Tom hath between them sent

452you a dozen of Points, and goodman Toll, of the Goat,

453a pair of Mittons, my Self came in person, and this is all

454the newes.

455Cro. Gramarcy, good Hodge, & thou art welcome to me,

456But in as ill a time thou comest as may be;

457For I am travelling into Italy,

458What say'st thou, Hodge, wilt thou bear me company?

459Hod. Will I bear thee company, Tom? what tell'st

460me of Italy? were it to the furthest part of Flanders, I

461would go with thee, Tom; I am thine in all weale and

462woe, thy own to command; what, Tom, I have passed

463the rigorous waves of Neptune's blasts, I tell you, Tho-

464mas, I have been in danger of the Flouds, and when I

465have seen Boreas begin to play the Ruffin with us, then

466would I down a my knees, and call upon Vulcan.

467Crom. And why upon him?

468Hod. Because, as this same fellow Neptune is God of

469the Seas, so Vulcan is Lord over the Smiths, and there-

470fore I being a Smith, thought his Godhead would have

471some care yet of me.

472Crom. A good conceit: but tell me, hast thou din'd yet?