The Ancient British Drama ...

For wherefore have we given us our wealth,
But to make our betters welcome when they
come?-

O, this goes hard when traitors must be flattered;
But life is sweet, and I cannot withstand it.
God, I hope, will revenge the quarrel of my king.
Aside.

Gil. What said you, Grime?
Grime. I say, sir Gilbert, looking on my daughter,
I curse the hour that ere I got the girl:
For, sir, she may have many wealthy suitors,
And yet she disdains them all, to have
Poor George a Greene unto her husband.

Ken. Such news, Bonfield, as will make thee
laugh,

And fret thy fill, to hear how Nick was used.
Why, the justices stand on their terms.
Nick, as you know, is haughty in his words;
He laid the law unto the justices
With threatening braves, that one looked on ano-
ther,

Ready to stoop; but that a churl came in,
One George a Greene, the Pinner of the town,
And, with his dagger drawn, laid hands on Nick,
And by no beggars swore that we were traitors;
Rent our commission, and upon a brave
Made Nick to eat the seals, or brook the stab.
Poor Mannering, afraid, came posting hither
straight.

Bet. Oh lovely George, fortune be still thy friend!

And as thy thoughts be high, so be thy mind

Bon. On that, good Grime, I am talking with In all accords, even to thy heart's desire!

thy daughter;

But she, in quirks and quiddities of love,
Sets me to school, she is so overwise.
But, gentle girl, if thou wilt forsake

The Pinner, and be my love, I will advance thee high;

To dignify those hairs of amber hue,

I'll grace them with a chaplet made of pearl,
Set with choice rubies, sparks, and diamonds,
Planted upon a velvet hood, to hide that head,
Wherein two sapphires burn like sparkling fire:
This will I do, fair Bettris, and far more,
If thou wilt ove the lord of Doncaster.

Bet. Heigh ho! my heart is in a higher place,
Perhaps on the earl, if that be he.
See where he comes, or angry, or in love;
For why? his colour looketh discontent.

Enter the Earl of KENDALL and NICHOLAS MAN

NERING.

Ken. Come, Nick, follow me.
Bon. How now, my lord, what news?

Bon. What says fair Bettris?

Grime. My lord, she is praying for George & Greene;

He is the man, and she will none but him.

Bon. But him! why, look on me, my girl.
Thou knowest, that yesternight I courted thee,
And swore at my return to wed with thee.
Then tell me, love, shall I have all thy fair?
Bet. "I care not for earl, nor yet for knight,
Nor baron that is so bold;

For George-a-Greene, the merry Pinner,
He hath my heart in hold."

Bon. Bootless, my lord, are many vain replies. Let us hie us to Wakefield, and send her the Pinner's head.

Ken. It shall be so.

Grime, gramercie, Shut up thy daughter, bridle her affects, Let me not miss her when I make return; Therefore look to her, as to thy life, good Grime. Grime. I warrant you, my lord.

[Exeunt GRIME and BETTRIS. Ken. And, Bettris, leave a base Pinner,

7 Have all thy fair?-In the former edition Mr Dodsley had altered fair to faith. Fair was, however, frequently used by contemporary writers as a substantive; and several instances of it are produced by Mr Steevens, in his note on the words, "Demetrius loves your fair." A. I. S. 1. of Midsummer's Night's Dream.

Bridle her affects.-Affects are affections, and in that sense the word is used in many contemporary authors; as Gascoigne's Fable of Jeronimi, p. 250:- Neyther seemeth it reasonable, that one should have the power to discover the thoughts, or at least to bridle the affects of all the rest.”

Euphues and his England, p. 7:-"Saving that either carried the motion of his minde in his manners and that the affects of the heart were bewrayed by the eyes."

Ben Jonson's Cynthia's Revels, A. 3. S. 3 :

For to love an earl. Fain would I see
This Pinner, George a Greene. It shall be thus;
Nick Mannering shall lead on the battle,
And we three will go to Wakefield in some dis-
guise;

But howsoever, I'll have his head to-day.

[Exeunt.
|

Enter the King of Scors, Lord HUMES, with Soldiers, and JOHNY.

King. Why, Johny, then the Earl of Kendall is blithe,

And hath brave men that troop along with him? Johny Ay, marry, my liege,

And hath good men that come along with him,
And vows to meet you at Scrasblesea, God willing.
King. If good St Andrew lend King Jamie
leave,

I will be with him at the appointed day.
But, soft: Whose pretty boy art thou?

Enter JANE A BARLEY'S Son.

Ned. Sir, I am son unto Sir John a Barley, Eldest, and all that ere my mother had. Edward my name.

Jane. And whither art thou going, pretty Ned? Ned. To seek some birds, and kill them, if I can. And now my school-master is also gone, So have I liberty to ply my bow; For when he comes, I stir not from James. Lord Humes, but mark the visage of this child;

my book.

By him I guess the beauty of his mother;
None but Læda could breed Helena.-
Tell me, Ned, who is within with thy mother?
Ned. None but herself and household servants,
sir.

If you would speak with her, knock at this gate.
James. Johny, knock at that gate.

Enter JANE A BARLEY upon the Walls. Jane. O, I am betrayed! What multitudes be these?

James. Fear not, fair Jane, for all these men are mine,

And all thy friends, if thou be friend to me.
I am thy lover, James, the king of Scots,
That oft have sued and wooed with many letters,
Painting my outward passions with my pen,
When as my inward soul did bleed for woe.

Little regard was given to my suit,
But haply thy husband's presence wrought it.
Therefore, sweet Jane, I fitted me to time,
And, hearing that thy husband was from home,
Am come to crave what long I have desired.
Ned. Nay, soft you, sir, you get no entrance
here,

That seek to wrong Sir John a Barley so,
And offer such dishonour to my mother.

James. Why, what dishonour, Ned?
Ned. Though young,

Yet often have I heard my father say,
No greater wrong than to be made a cuckold.
Were I of age, or were my body strong,
Were he ten kings, I'd shoot him to the heart,
That should attempt to give Sir John the horn.→→
Mother, let him not come in, I will
go lie

At Jockie Miller's house.
James. Stay him.

June. Ay, well said, Ned,
Thou hast given the king his answer;
For, were the ghost of Cæsar on the earth,
Wrapped in the wonted glory of his honour,
He should not make me wrong my husband so.
But good King James is pleasant, as I guess,
And means to try what humour I am in;
Else would he never have brought an host of men,
To have them witness of his Scottish lust.

Jumes. Jane, in faith, Jane-
June Never reply,

That doometh just revenge for things amiss,
For I protest, by the highest holy God,
King James, of all men, shall not have my love.
James. Then, list to me! Saint Andrew be my

boot,

Unless thou open the gate, and let me in.
But I'll rase thy castle to the very ground,
Jane. I fear thee not, King Jamie; do thy

worst.

This castle is too strong for thee to scale; Besides, to-morrow will Sir John come home. James. Well, Jane, since thou disdainest King James's love,

I'll draw thee on with sharp and deep extremes; For, by my father's soul, this brat of thine Shall perish here before thine eyes,

Unless thou open the gate, and let me in.

Jane. O deep extremes! my heart begins to break;

My little Ned looks pale for fear. Cheer thee, My boy, I will do much for thee.

See also the several instances quoted by Mr Steevens, in his note on the last passage.

My husband's love, his honour, and his fame,
Joins victory by virtue. Now, King James,
If mother's tears cannot allay thine ire,
Then butcher him, for I will never yield.
The son shall die, before I wrong the father.
James. Why, then, he dies.

Alarum within. Enter a Messenger.
Mes. My lord, Musgrove is at hand.
James. Who, Musgrove? The devil he is! Come,
My horse.
[Exeunt.

Enter Old MUSGROVE, with King JAMES Pri

soner.

Mus. Now, King James, thou art my prisoner.
James. Not thine, but fortune's prisoner.
Enter CUDDie.

Cuddie. Father, the field is ours;

Their colours we have seized, and Humes is slain;
I slew him hand to hand.

Mus. 9 God, and Saint George!
Cuddie. O father, I am sore athirst.

Jane. Come in, young Cuddie; come, and drink
thy fill.

Bring in King Jamie with you, as a guest;
For all this broil was 'cause he could not enter.

[Exeunt.

Enter GEORGE A GREENE alone.

Geo. The sweet content of men that live in love,
Breeds fretting humours in a restless mind;
And fancy, being checked by fortune's spite,
Grows too impatient in her sweet desires;
Sweet to those men, whom love leads ou to bliss,
But sour to me, whose hap is still amniss.

Enter JENKIN, the Clown.

Jen. Marry, amen, sir.

Geo. Sir, what do you cry amen at?

Jen. Why, did not you talk of love?
Geo. How do you know that?

Jen. Well, though I say it, that should not say it,
There are few fellows in our parish

So nettled with love as I have been of late.
Geo. Sirrah, I thought no less, when the other
morning

You rose so early to go to your wenches.
Sir, I had thought you had gone about
My honest business.

Jen. Trow, you have hit it;

For, master, be it known to you,

There is some good-will betwixt Madge the Sousewife

And I; marry she hath another lover.

Geo. Canst thou brook any rivals in thy love? Jen. A rider? no, he is a sow-gelder, and goes a-foot.

But Madge 'pointed to meet me in your wheat

close.

9 God and Saint George. This exclamation is made by Richmond, in Richard III., immediately before attacking his adversary. Mr Wharton observes, that St. George was the common cry of the English sol diers when they charged the enemy. See Note in the last edition, vol. vii. p. 158.

10 Right Coventry blue.-Coventry blue is mentioned by several writers of the times.

Laugh and lie down, or the Worlde's Folly, 1605, Sign. E 2 :-" It was a simple napkinne wrought with Coventry blew."

Stephens's Satyrical Essayes, 1615, p. 355:-" He must savour of gallantry a little, though he perfume the table with rose-cake; or appropriate bone lace, and Coventry blue,”

Ben Jonson's Masque of Gypsies:

"The Coventry blue

Hangs there upon Prue.”

I'll lay my cloak underneath him.

I took my cloak, spread it all along,
And his horse on the midst of it.

Geo. Thou clown, didst thou set his horse upon
thy cloak?

Jen. Ay, but mark how I served him. Madge and he was no sooner gone down into the ditch,

But I plucked out my knife,

Cut four holes in my cloak,

And made his horse stand on the bare ground:
Geo. 'Twas well done;

Now, sir, go and survey my fields;

If you find any cattle in the corn,

To pound with them.

Jen. And if I find any in the pound,

I shall turn them out.

[Exit JENKIN.

Jen. O master, where are you? we have a prize.

Geo. A prize! what is it?

Jen. Three goodly horses in our wheat close. Geo. Three horses in our wheat close! whose be they?

Jen. Marry, that's a riddle to me; but they are there.

Velvet horses, and I never saw such horses before.

As my duty was, I put off my cap, and said as followeth :

My masters, what do you make in our close? One of them hearing me ask what he made there, held up his head and neighed, and after his manner laughed as heartily as if a mare had been tied to his girdle. My masters, said I, it is no laughing matter; for, if my master take you here, you go as round as a top to the pound. Another untoward jade hearing me threaten him to the pound, and to tell you of them, cast up both his heels, and let a monstrous great fart; that was as much as in his language to say, a fart for the pound, and a fart for George a Green. Now I, hearing this, put on my cap, blew my horn, called them all jades, and came to tell you.

Geo. Now, sir, go and drive me those three horses

To the pound.

Ken. Sirrah, those three horses belong to us,
And we put them in, and they must tarry there
And eat their fill.

Jen. Stay, I will go tell my master.
Hear you, master, we have another prize;
Those three horses be in your wheat close still,
And here be three geldings more.

Geo. What be these?

Jen. These are the masters of the horses.
Geo. Now, gentlemen,-I know not your degrees,
But more you cannot be, unless you be kings,—
Why wrong you us of Wakefield with your
horses?

I am the Pinner, and before you pass,
You shall make good the trespass they have done.
Ken. Peace, saucy mate, prate not to us.

I tell thee, Pinner, we are gentlemen.

Geo. Why, sir, so may I, sir, although I give no

Arms as ever your great grandfather could give.
Ken. Pray thee, let me hear how?

Jen. Marry, my master may give for his arms
The picture of April in a green jerkin,
With a rook on one fist, and an horn on the
other;

But my master gives his arms the wrong way,
For he gives the horn on his fist;
And your grandfather, because he would not lose
His arms, wears the horn on his own head.

Ken. Well, Pinner, since our horses be in,
In spite of thee, they now shall feed their fill,
And eat until our leisures serve to go.

Geo. Now, by my father's soul,
Were good King Edward's horses in the corn,
They shall amend the scaith, or kiss the pound;"
Much more yours, sir, whatsoe'er you be.

Ken. Why, man, thou knowest not us.
We do belong to Henry Momford, earl of Ken-
dall,

Men that, before a month be full expired,
Will be King Edward's betters in the land.
Geo. King Edward's betters! rebel, thou liest.
[GEORGE Strikes him.
Bon. Villain, what hast thou done?

Jen. Do you hear? I were best take a constable Thou hast struck an earl.
With me.

Geo. Why so?

Geo. Why, what care I? a poor man, that is true,

Jen. Why, they being gentlemen's horses, may Is better than an earl, if he be false.

stand

Traitors reap no better favours at my hands,

Ken. Ay, so methinks; but thou shalt dear | And, if king Edward will redress the same,

aby this blow.

Now, or never, lay hold on the Pinner.

Enter all the Ambush.

Geo. Stay, my lords, let us parley on these broils; Not Hercules against two, the proverb is, Nor 1 against so great a multitude.

Had not your troops come marching as they did,
I would have stopt your passage into London:
But now I'll fly to secret policy.

Ken. What dost thou murmur, George?
Geo. Marry this, my lord;

[Aside.

I muse, if thou be Henry Momford, Kendall's earl, That thou wilt do poor George a Greene this wrong,

Ever to match me with a troop of men.

Ken. Why didst thou strike me then? Geo. Why, my lord, measure me but by yourself;

Had you a man had served you long,

Aud heard your foe misuse you behind your back,
And would not draw his sword in your defence,
You would cashier him. Much more,
King Edward is my king: and before I'll hear him
So wrong'd, I'll die within this place,
And maintain good whatsoever I have said.
And, if I speak not treason in this case,
What I have said I'll maintain in this place.

Bon. A pardon, my lord, for this Pinner; For trust nie, he speaketh like a man of worth. Ken. Well, George,

Wilt thou leave Wakefield, and 12 wend with me; I'll freely put up all, and pardon thee.

Geo. Ay, my lord, considering me one thing, You will leave these arms, and follow your good king.

Ken. Why, George, I rise not against king Edward,

But for the poor that is opprest by wrong;

I will not offer him disparagement,
But otherwise, and so let this suffice.
Thou hear'st the reason why I rise in arms,
Now wilt thou leave Wakefield, and wend with
me,

I'll make thee captain of a hardy band,
And, when I have my will, dub thee a knight.
Geo. Why, my lord, have ye any hope to win?
Ken. Why, there is a prophecy doth say,
That king James and I shall meet at London,
13 Aud make the king vail bonnet to us both.
Geo. If this were true, my lord, this were a
mighty reason.

Ken. Why, it is a miraculous prophecy, and
cannot fail.

Geo. Well, my lord, you have almost turned me. Jenkin, come hither.

Aby this blow. To aby, is to pay dear for, to suffer. So in Tom Tyler and his Wife, p. 19:

"My neighbour and I might hap to abie,

If we should so do, as he suffereth you."

Churchyard's Challenge, p. 273:

"O God forbid for mother's fault

The children should abye :

No graine of grudge, nor ground of guile,
In guiltlesse babes doe lye."

Midsummer's Night's Dream, A. 3. S. 2:

"Thou shalt aby it."

See also Mr Steevens's note on the last passage.

12 Wend-See Note to Tancred and Gismunda, A. 1. S. 3. vol. ii. p. 174.

13 And make the king vail bonnet to us both.] To vail bonnet, is a phrase which occurs in Edward II. vol. II. p. 321 and also in Edward 111. A. 4. S. 7. In all these places it means to stand uncovered as a mark of submission. Again, we find to vail flag, to vail cap, to vail top, in other writers of the time; and all these several modes of expression are intended to denote either inferiority or respect in the persons doing these several acts.

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