862near enough to th' Preacher, Oh!---a Sermon's a fine

863short Cloak of an hour long, and will hide the upper part

864of a dissembler,--Church, I, he seem'd all Church, and

865his conscience was as hard as the Pulpit.

866Wid. I can no more endure this.

867Pye. Nor I, Widow,

868Endure to flatter.

869Wid. Is this all your business with me?

870Pye. No, Lady, 'tis but the induction to't,

871You may believe my strains, I strike all true.

872And if your conscience would leap up to your tongue,

873your self would affirm it, and that you shall perceive

874I know of things to come, as well as I do of what is pre-

875sent; a Brother of your husband's shall shortly have a

876loss.

877Wid. A loss? marry Heaven forfend, Sir Godfrey, my

878Brother!

879Pye. Nay, keep in your wonders, 'till I have told you

880the fortunes of you all; which are more fearfull, if not

881happily prevented,--for your part and you: Daughters, if

882there be not once this day some bloud-shed before your

883door, whereof the humane creature dyes, of you two the

884elder shall run mad.

885Mother & Frank. Oh!

886Mol. That's not I yet.

887Pye. And with most impudent prostitution, show your

888naked Bodies to the view of all beholders.

889Wid. Our naked Bodies? fie for shame.

890Pye. Attend me, and your younger Daughter be

891strucken dumb.

892Mol. Dumb? out alas; 'tis the worst pain of all for

893a Woman, I'de rather be mad, or run naked, or any

894thing: dumb?

895Pye. Give ear: ere the evening fall upon Hill, Bog,

896and Meadow, this my speech shall have past probation,

897and then shall I be believed accordingly.

898Widow. If this be true, we are all sham'd, all un-

899done.

900Mol. Dumb? I'le speak as much as ever I can possi-

901ble before evening.

902Pye. But if it so come to pass (as for your fair sakes I

903wish it may) that this presage of your strange fortunes

904be prevented by that accident of death and bloud-shed-

905ding, which I before told you of; take heed upon your

906lives, that two of you which have vow'd never to marry,

907seek out Husbands with all present speed, and you the

908third, that have such a desire to outstrip Chastity, look

909you meddle not with a Husband.

910Moll. A double Torment.

911Pye. The breach of this keeps your Father in Purga-

912tory, and the punishments that shall follow you in this

913world, would with horrour kill the ear should hear 'em

914related.

915Wid. Marry? why I vow'd never to marry.

916Frank. And so did I.

917Moll. And I vow'd never to be such an Ass, but to

918marry: what a cross Fortune's this?

919Pye. Ladies, though I be a Fortune-teller, I cannot bet-

920ter Fortunes, you have'em from me as they are revealed

921to me: I would they were to your tempers, and fellows

922with your blouds, that's all the bitterness I would you.

923Widow. Oh! 'tis a just vengeance, for my Husband's

924hard purchases.

925Pye. I wish you to bethink your selves, and leave'em.

926Wid. I'le to Sir Godfrey my Brother, and acquaint

927him with these fearfull presages.

928Frank. For, Mother, they portend losses to him.

929Wid. Oh I, they do, they do;

930If any happy issue crown thy words,

931I will reward thy cunning.

932Pye. 'Tis enough, Lady,

933I wish no higher. Exit.

934Moll. Dumb? and not Marry? worse,

936Pye. So, all this comes well about yet, I play the Fortune-

937teller, as well as if I had had a Witch to my Grannam:

938for by good happinesse, being in my Hostesses Gar-

939den, which neighbours the Orchard of the Widow, I

940laid the hole of mine ear to a hole in the wall, and heard

941'em make these Vowes, and speak those words, upon which

942I wrought these advantages; and to encourage my for-

943gerie the more, I may now perceive in 'em a natural sim-

944plicitie which will easily swallow an abuse, if any cover-

945ing be over it: and to confirm my former presage to the

946Widow, I have advis'd old Peter Skirmish the Souldier,

947to hurt Corporal Oath upon the Leg, and in that hurry,

948I'le rush amongst'em, and in stead of giving the Corpo-

949ral some Cordial to comfort him, I'le pour into his mouth

950a potion of a sleepy nature, and make him seem as dead;

951for the which the old Souldier being apprehended, and

952ready to be borne to execution, I'le step in, and take upon

953me the cure of the dead man, upon pain of dying the

954condemned's death: the Corporal will wake at his mi-

955nute, when the sleepy force hath wrought it self, and so

956shall I get my self into a most admired opinion, and under

957the pretext of that cunning, beguile as I see occasion:

958and if that foolish Nicholas Saint Tantlings keep true

959time with the Chain, my plot will be sound, the Captain

960delivered, and my wits applauded among Schollars and

963Nic. Oh, I have found an excellent advantage to take

964away the Chain, my Master put it off e'en now, to say on

965a new Doublet, and I sneakt it away by little and little,

966most Puritanically! we shall have good sport anon

967when has mist it, about my Cousin the Conjurer; the world

968shall see I'me an honest man of my word, for now I'me

969going to hang it between Heaven and Earth among the

973Frail. Sirrah Simon Saint Mary-Overies, my Mistris

974sends away all her suiters, and puts fleas in their eares.

975Sim. Frailty, she does like an honest, chast, and vir-

976tuous woman; for Widows ought not to wallow in the

977puddle of Iniquity.

978Frail. Yet, Simon, many Widows will do't, what so

979ere comes on't.

980Sim. True, Frailty, their filthy flesh desires a Con-

981junction Copulative; what strangers are within,

982Frailty?

983Frail. There's none, Simon; but master Pilfer the Tay-

984lor: he's above with Sir Godfrey, praising of a Doublet:

985and I must trudge anon to fetch Master Suds the Barber.