1 Lord. He has much worthy blame laid upon him for fhaking off fo good a wife and fo fweet a lady.

2 Lord. Efpecially he hath incurred the everlafting difpleasure of the King, who had even tun'd his bounty to fing happiness to him. I will tell you a thing, but you fhall let it dwell darkly with you.

1 Lord. When you have spoken it, 'tis dead, and I am the grave of it.

2 Lord. He hath perverted a young gentlewoman here in Florence, of a moft chaft renown, and this night he fleshe's his will in the spoil of her honour he hath given her his honumental ring, and thinks himself made in the unchaft compofition.

1 Lord. Now God allay our rebellion! as we are our felves, what things are we!

2 Lord. Meerly our own traitors; and as in the common courfe of all treafons, we ftill fee them reveal themfelves, ere they attain to their abhorr'd ends; so he that in this action contrives against his own nobility, in his proper ftream o'erflows himself.

I Lord. Is it not moft damnable in us to be the trumpeters of our unlawful intents? we shall not then have his com→ pany to-night

2 Lord. Not till after midnight; for he is dieted to his hour.

1 Lord. That approaches apace: I would gladly have him fee his companion anatomiz'd, that he might take a measure of his own judgment, wherein fo curiously he had fet this counterfeit.

2 Lord. We will not meddle with him till he come; for his prefence must be the whip of the other.

1 Lord. In the mean time, what hear you of these wars? 2 Lord. I hear there is an overture of peace.

1 Lord. Nay, I affure you, a peace concluded.

2 Lord. What will Count Roufillon do then? will he travel higher, or return again into France?

Lord. I perceive by this demand, you are not altoge

ther of his council.

2 Lord. Let it be forbid, Sir! fo fhould I be a great deal of his act.

3 Lord,

Lord, Sir, his wife fome two months fince fied from his houfe, her pretence is a pilgrimage, to St. Jaques le grand which holy undertaking, with a most austere fanctimony, the accomplish'd; and there refiding, the tenderness of her nature became as a prey to her grief; in fine, made argroan of her laft breath, and now the fings in heaven. 2 Lord. How is this juftified?

Lord. The ftronger part of it by her own letters, which makes her story true, even to the point of her death; her death it felf (which could not be her office to fay is come) was faithfully confirm'd by the Rector of the place.

2 Lord. Hath the Count all this intelligence?

1 Lord. Ay, and the particular confirmations, from point to point, to the full arming of the verity.

2 Lord. I am heartily forry that he'll be glad of this. 1 Lord. How mightily fometimes we make us comfort's of our loffes!

2 Lord. And how mightily fome other times we drown our gain in tears! the great dignity that his valour hath here acquired for him, fhall at home be encounter'd with a fhame as ample.

I Lord. The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipt them not; and our crimes would defpair if they were not cherish'd by our virtues.

Enter a Servant. How now? where's your mafter?

Ser. He met the Duke in the ftreet, Sir, of whom he hath taken a folemn leave: his Lordship will next morning for France. The Duke hath offered him letters of commendations to the King.

2 Lord. They fhall be no more than needful there, if they were more than they can commend.

SCENE IV. Enter Bertram.

1 Lord. They cannot be too fweet for the King's tartnefs: here's his Lordship now. How now, my Lord, is't not after midnight?

Ber. I have to-night difpatch'd fixteen bufineffes, a month's length a-piece, by an abftract of fuccefs; I have congied with the Duke, done my adieu with his neareft;

buried a wife, mourn'd for her; writ to my Lady mother, I am returning; entertain'd my convoy; and between these main parcels of difpatch, effected many nicer deeds; the laft was the greateft, but that I have not ended yet.

2 Lord. If the bufinefs be of any difficulty, and this morning your departure hence, it requires hafte of your Lordship.

Ber. I mean the business is not ended, as fearing to hear of it hereafter. But fhall we have this dialogue between the fool and the foldier? come, bring forth this counterfeit medal; h'as deceiv'd me, like a double-meaning prophefier.

2 Lord. Bring him forth; h'as fate in the ftocks all night, poor gallant knave.

Ber. No matter, his heels have deferv'd it in ufurping his fpurs fo long. How does he carry himself ?

I Lord. I have told your Lordship already: the ftocks carry him. But to answer you as you would be understood, he weeps like a wench that had fhed her milk; he hath confeft himself to Morgan, whom he fuppofes to be a Friar, from the time of his remembrance to this very inftant difafter of his setting i'th'stocks and what think you he hath Confeft?

Ber. Nothing of me, has he?

a Lord. His confeffion is taken, and it fhall be read to his face; if your Lordship be in't, as I believe you are, you muft have the patience to hear it.

SCENE V. Enter Parolles with bis Interpreter. Ber. A plague upon him, muffled! he can fay nothing of me.

1 Lord. Hufh! Hoodman comes: Portotartaroffa, Inter. He calls for the tortures; what will you fay without them?

Par. I will confefs what I know without conftraint; if ye pinch me like a pafty, I can fay no more.

Inter. Bofko Chimurco.

1 Lord. Biblibindo chicurmurco.

Inter. You are a merciful General: our General bids you answer to what I fhall afk you out of a note.

Par. And truly, as I hope to live,

Inter. Firft demand of him, how many horfe the Duke is ftrong. What fay you to that?

Par. Five or fix thoufand, but very weak and unferviceable; the troops are all scatter'd, and the commanders very poor rogues, upon my reputation and credit, and as I hope to live.

Inter. Shall I fet down your answer fo?

Par. Do, I'll take the facrament on't, how and which way you will: all's one to me.

Ber. What a paft-faving flave is this!

1 Lord. Y'are deceiv'd, my Lord, this is Monfieur Parolles, the gallant militareft, that was his own phrafe, that had the whole theory of war in the knot of his fcarf, and the practice in the chape of his dagger.

2 Lord. I will never truft a man again for keeping his fword clean, nor believe he can have every thing in him by wearing his apparel neatly.

Inter. Well, that's fet down.

Par. Five or fix thousand horfe I faid, I will fay true, or thereabouts fet down, for I'll fpeak truth,

1 Lord. He's very near the truth in this.

Ber. But I con him no thanks for't, in the nature he delivers it.

Par. Poor rogues, I pray you, fay.

Inter. Well, that's fet down,

Par. I humbly thank you, Sir; a truth's a truth, the rogues are marvellous poor.

Inter. Demand of him of what ftrength they are a-foot. what say you to that?

Par. By my troth, Sir, if I were to live but this prefent hour, I will tell true. Let me fee; Spurio a hundred and fifty, Sebaftian fo many, Carambus fo many, Jaques fo many; Guilian, Cofmo, Lodowick and Gratii, two hundred and fifty each; mine own company, Chitopher, Vaumond, Bentii, two hundred and fifty each; fo that the mufter file, rotten and found, upon my life amounts not to fifteen thou fand poll, half of the which dare not shake the ínow from off their caffocks, left they fhake themselves to pieces. Ber. What fhall be done to him?

1 Lord. Nothing, but let him have thanks. Demand VOL. III,

S

of

of him my conditions, and what credit I have with the Duke.

Inter. Well, that's fet down. You fhall demand of him, whether one captain Dumain be i'th camp, a Frenchman; what his reputation is with the Duke, what his valour, honefty, and expertnefs in war; or whether he thinks it were not poffible with well-weighing fums of gold to corfupt him to a revolt. What fay you to this? what do you know of it?

Par. I befeech you, let me anfwer to the particular of the Interrogatories. Demand them fingly.

Inter. Do you know this captain Dumain?

Par. I know him; he was a botcher's prentice in Paris, from whence he was whipt for getting the fheriff's fool with child, a dumb innocent, that could not fay him nay. Ber. Nay, by your leave, hold your hands; tho' I know his brains are forfeit to the next tile that falls.

Inter. Well, is this captain in the Duke of Florence's camp?

Par. Upon my knowledge he is, and lowfie.

1 Lord. Nay, look not fo upon me, we fhall hear of your Lordship anon.

Inter. What is his reputation with the Duke?

Par. The Duke knows him for no other but a poor officer of mine, and writ to me the other day to turn him out o'th' band. I think I have his letter in my pocket. Inter. Marry, we'll fearch,

Par. In good fadness I do not know; either it is there, or it is upon a file with the Duke's other letters in my

tent.

Inter. Here 'tis, here's a paper, fhall I read it to you? Par. I do not know if it be it or no.

Ber. Our interpreter does it well.

iLord. Excellently.

Inter. Dian, the Count's a fool, and full of gold.

Par. That is not the Duke's letter, Sir; that is an advertisement to a proper maid in Florence, one Diana, to take heed of the allurement of one Count Roufillon, a foolish dle boy, but for all that very ruttish, I pray you, Sir, put it up again.