Crom. Now, Cromwell, hast thou time to me- And think upon thy state, and of the time. Except the king, who greater than myself? [Reads. "My lord, come not this night to Lambeth, For Gardiner has my life and state ensnared. Nor. Good morrow, Cromwell. What, alone Crom. One good among you, none of you are For my part, Nor. He is; and he hath answered us, my lord. Crom. How shall I come to speak with him myself? Gard. The king is so advertised of your guilt, Crom. No way admit me ! am I so soon forgot? That now he doth deny to look on me? Will you bear a letter from me to his grace? ters. Crom. Ha!-Will you do this kindness then? By word of mouth what I shall say to you? Crom. But, on your honour will you? Crom. Bear witness, lords.-Tell him, when he And tried your faith but half so much as mine, Bed. Be patient, good my lord, in these ex tremes. Crom. My kind and honourable lord of Bedford, Sad. I kiss your hand, and never will I rest in store. Gard. But all the haste he makes shall be but Here is a discharge for your prisoner, [To the Lieutenant. I pray commend me to my sovereign king, 14 Why then soon will we meet again: adieu !-The concluding word of this line has been supplied by Mr Steevens. A rhyme was probably intended.-MALONE. VOL. I. 3 A 15 And tell him in what sort his Cromwell died, Enter Young CROMWELL. Lieu. Here is your son, sir, come to take his Crom. To take his leave? Come hither, Harry Mark, boy, the last words that I speak to thee: 16 Son. O father, I shall die to see that wound! Your blood being spilt will make my heart to swound. Crom. How, boy, not dare to look upon the axe? How shall I do then to have my head struck off? Come on, my child, and see the end of all; And after say, that Gardiner was my fall. Gard. My lord, you speak it of an envious heart; I have done no more than law and equity. Bed O, my good lord of Winchester, forbear: It would have better seemed you to have been absent, Than with your words disturb a dying man. Crom. Who me, my lord? no: he disturbs not me. My mind he stirs not, though his mighty shock Hath brought more peers' heads down unto the block. Farewell, my hoy! all Cromwell can bequeath,— My hearty blessing:-so I take my leave. Exec. I am your death's-man; pray, my lord, forgive me. Crom. Even with my soul. Why man, thou art my doctor, And bring'st me precious physic for my soul. My lord of Bedford, I desire of you Thus falls great Cromwell, a poor ell in length, To rise to unmeasured height, winged with new strength, The land of worms, which dying men discover: My soul is shrined with heaven's celestial cover. [Exeunt CROMWELL, Officers, &c. Bed. Well, farewell Cromwell! sure the truest That ever Bedford shall possess again.- Enter an Officer with CROMWELL'S Head. Offi. Here is the head of the deceased Cromwell. Bed. Pray thee go hence, and bear his head away Unto his body; inter them both in clay, [Exit Officer. 15 To lose his head before his cause was tried ;-Speed is the only historian (that I have seen) who asserts that the bill of attainder against Cromwell did not pass till after his death. In one sense indeed he might be said to be executed before his cause was tried, for it was never fairly tried; but the act of parliament by which he suffered, received the royal assent four days before his execution.—MALONE. 16 Mark, boy, the last words that I speak to thee:-The author has here departed from historical truth. The earl of Essex's son was arrived to manhood some time before the execution of his father; and had been called up by summons to the house of peers, four years before that event, by the title of baron Cromwell, of Wimbleton, in the county of Surry.-MALONE. Here is a kind reprieve come from the king. No reprieve was at any time sent for Cromwell. The unfortunate statesman, during his confinement in the Tower, wrote a pathetic letter to Henry, which brought tears into the eyes of that sanguinary tyrant, but produced no other effect.-MALONE. FLOWERDALE Junior, Brother to the Merchant. DICK and RALPH, two cheating Gamesters. RUFFIAN, a Pander. in love with DELIA, FRANCES, Daughters to Sir LANCELOT SPUR соск. Sir ARTHUR GREENSHIELD, a LUCE. Sheriff and Officers; Lieutenant and Soldiers; SCENE-London, and the parts adjacent. ACT I. SCENE I.-London. A Room in FLOWERDALE | How hath he borne himself since my departure, Junior's House. I leaving you his patron and his guide? to hear, And I almost ashamed to report it. Flow. Sen. Why, how is't, brother? What, doth he spend beyond the allowance I left him?" Flow. Jun. How! beyond that? and far more 1 Concerning the origin of this play having been ever ascribed to Shakespeare, I have not been able to form any probable hypothesis. It was not entered on the Stationers' Books, but was published in 605, as it was plaide by the King's majestie's servants, and is said in the title-page to be written by William Shakespeare. It was printed by T. C. (Thomas Creede) for Nathaniel Butter, who three years afterwards published King Lear. One knows not which most to admire, the impudence of the printer, in affixing our great poet's name to a comedy publicly acted at his own theatre, of which it is very improbable that he should have written a single line, or Shakespeare's negligence of fame in suffering such a piece to be imputed to him without taking the least notice of it. It appears from a passage in the first act, that this play was written either in the year 1603, or 1601. MALONE. Wh by, your exhibition is nothing. He hath spent th, and since hath borrowed: protested with oaths, alleged kindred, to wring money from me,-" "by the love I bore his father, by the fortunes might fall upon himself,"-to furnish his wants that done, I have had since his bond, his friend and friend's bond. Although I know that he spends is yours, yet it grieves me to see the unbridled wildness that reigns over him. Flow. Sen. Brother, what is the manner of his life? how is the name of his offences? If they do not relish altogether of damnation, his youth may privilege his wantonness. I myself ran an unbridled course till thirty, nay almost till forty :well, you see how I am. For vice once looked into with the eyes of discretion, and well balanced with the weights of reason, the course past seems so abominable, that the landlord of him. self, which is the heart of his body, will rather cntomb himself in the earth, or seek a new tenant to remain in him; which once settled, how much better are they that in their youth have known all these vices, and left them, than those that knew little, and in their age run into them? Believe me, brother, they that die most virtuous, have in their youth lived most vicious; and none knows the danger of the fire more than he that falls into it. But say, how is the course of his life? let's hear his particulars. Flow. Jun. Why, I'll tell you, brother; he is a continual swearer, and a breaker of his oaths; which is bad. Flow. Sen. I grant indeed to swear is bad, but not in keeping those oaths is better; for who will set by a bad thing? Nay, by my faith, I hold this rather a virtue than a vice. Well, I pray, proceed. Flow. Jun. He is a mighty brawler, and comes commonly by the worst. Flow, Sen. By my faith this is none of the worst neither; for if he brawl and be beaten for it, it will in time make him shun it; for what brings man or child more to virtue than correction? What reigns over him else? these vices in your son, than any way condemn them. Flow. Sen. Nay, mistake me not, brother; for though I slur them over now, as things slight and nothing, his crimes being in the bud, it would gall my heart, they should ever reign in him. M. Flow. [within.] Ho! who's within, ho? [M. FLOWERDALE knocks within. Flow. Jun. That's your son; he is come to borrow more money. Flow. Sen. For God's sake, give it out I am dead; see how he'll take it. Say I have brought you news from his father. I have here drawn a formal will, as it were from myself, which I'll deliver him. Flow. Jun. Go to, brother, no more: I will. M. Flow. Uncle, where are you, uncle? [Within. Flow. Jun. Let my cousin in there. Flow. Sen. I am a sailor come from Venice, and my name is Christopher. Enter M. FLOWErdale. M. Flow. By the Lord, in truth, uncleFlow. Jun. In truth would have served, cousin, without the Lord. M. Flow. By your leave, uncle, the Lord is the Lord of truth. A couple of rascals at the gate set upon me for my purse. Flow. Jun. You never come, but you bring a brawl in your mouth. M. Flow. By my truth, uncle, you must needs lend me ten pound. Flow. Jun. Give my cousin some small beer here M. Flow. Nay look you, you turn it to a jest now. By this light, I should ride to Croydon Fair, to meet sir Lancelot Spurcock; I should have his daughter Luce: and for scurvy ten pound, a man shall lose nine hundred three score and odd pounds, and a daily friend beside! By this hand, uncle, 'tis true. Flow. Jun, Why, any thing is true for aught I know. M. Flow. To see now!-why you shall have Flow. Jun. He is a great drinker, and one that my bond, uncle, or Tom White's, James Brock's, will forget himself. or Nick Hall's; as good rapier-and-dagger-men, as any be in England; let's be damned if we do not pay you: the worst of us all will not damın ourselves for ten pound. A pox of ten pound. Flow. Jun. Cousin, this is not the first time I have believed you. M. Flow. Why, trust me now, you know not what may fall. If one thing were but true, I would not greatly care; I should not need ten pound;--but when a man cannot be believed, there's it. Flow. Jun. Why, what is it, cousin? M. Flow. Marry, this, uncle. Can you tell me if the Catharine and Hugh be come home or no? Flow. Jun. Ay, marry, is't. M. Flow. By God, I thank you for that news. What, is't in the Pool, can you tell? Flow. Jun. It is; what of that? M. Flow. What? why then I have six pieces of velvet sent me; I'll give you a piece, uncle: for thus said the letter;-A piece of ash-colour, a three-piled black, a colour de roy, a crimson, a sad green, and a purple: yes, i'faith. Flow. Jun. From whom should you receive this? M. Flow. From whom? why from my father; with commendations to you, uncle; and thus he writes. I know, (saith he,) thou hast much troubled thy kind uncle, whom, God willing, at my return I will see amply satisfied; amply, I remember was the very word: so God help me. Flow. Jun. Have you the letter here? M. Flow. Yes, I have the letter here, here is the letter: no,-yes-no ;-let me see; what breeches wore I o' Saturday? Let me see: o' Tuesday, my calamanco; o' Wednesday, my peach-colour sattin; o' Thursday, my velure; o' Friday, my calamanco again; o' Saturday,-let me see,-o' Saturday,-for in those breeches I wore o' Saturday is the letter-0, my riding breeches, uncle, those that you thought had been velvet; in those very breeches is the letter. Flow. Jun. When should it be dated? M. Flow. Marry, decimo tertio Septembrisno, no; decimo tertio Octobris; ay, Octobris, so it is. Flow. Jun. Decimo tertio Octobris! and here receive I a letter that your father died in June. How say you, Kester? Flow. Sen. Yes truly, sir, your father is dead; these hands of mine hoip to wind him. M. Flow. Dead? Flow. Sen. Ay, sir, dead. M. Flow. 'Sblood, how should my father come dead? Flow. Sen. I'faith, sir, according to the old proverb: The child was born, and cried, Flow. Jun. Nay, cousin, do not take it so heavily. M. Flow. Nay, I cannot weep you extempore: marry, some two or three days hence I shall weep without any stintance.-But I hope he died in good memory. Flow. Sen. Very well, sir, and set down every thing in good order; and the Catharine and Hugh you talk'd of, I came over in; and I saw all the bills of lading; and the velvet that you talk'd of, here is no such aboard. M. Flow. By God, I assure you, then there is knavery abroad. Flow. Sen. I'll be sworn of that; there's knavery abroad, although there were never a piece of velvet in Venice. M. Flow. I hope he died in good estate. Flow. Sen. To the report of the world he did; and made his will, of which I am an unworthy bearer. M. Flow. His will! have you his will? Flow. Sen. Yes, sir, and in the presence of your uncle I was will'd to deliver it. [ Delivers the Will. Flow. Jun. I hope, cousin, now God hath blessed you with wealth, you will not be unmindful of me. M. Flow. I'll do reason, uncle: yet, i'faith, I take the denial of this ten pound very hardly. Flow. Jun Nay, I denied you not. M. Flow. By God, you deuied me directly. M. Flow. Why, he said he would lend me none, and that had wont to be a direct denial, if the old phrase hold. Well, uncle, come, we'll fall to the legacies. [reads] "In the name of God, Amen.-Item, I bequeath to my brother Flowerdale, three hundred pounds, to pay such trivial debts as I owe in London. 66 Item, to my son Mat. Flowerdale, I bequeath two bale of false dice, videlicet, high men and low men, fulloms, stop-cater-traies, and other bones of function." 2'Sblood, what doth he mean by this? Flow. Jun. Proceed, cousin. M. Flow. "These precepts I leave him: Let him borrow of his oath; for of his word nobody will trust him. Let him by no means marry an honest woman; for the other will keep herself. Let him steal as much as he can, that a guilty conscience may bring him to his destinate repentance:"-I think he means hanging. An this were his last will and testament, the devil stood laughing at his bed's feet while he made it. 'Sblood, what doth he think, to fob off his posterity with paradoxes? 2 Two bale of false dice, viz. high men and low men, fulloms, stop-cater-traies, &c.-In the English Rogue, P. 1. p. 322 edit. 1680, we are told, that high fullums, are those dice which are loaded in such a manner as seldom to run any other chance than four, five, or six; low fullums, or low men, are those which usually run one, two, or three." Stop-cater-traies were probably dice prepared in such a manner as frequently to exhibit a four and a three. Pistol in one of his rants, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, mentions some of these bones of function; "Let vultures gripe thy guts! for gourd and fullum holds, |