Eum. Why, so thou shalt, Jack. [G. of Jack. Why, then, master, draw your sword, part your lady, let me have half of [1030 her presently. Eum. Why, I hope, Jack, thou dost but jest. I promised thee half I got, but not half my lady. [G. of] Jack. But what else, master? [1035 Have you not gotten her? Therefore divide her straight, for I will have half; there is no remedy. Eum. Well, ere I will falsify my word unto my friend, take her all. Here, Jack, I'll [1040 give her thee. [G. of] Jack. Nay, neither more nor less, master, but even just half. Eum. Before I will falsify my faith unto my friend, I will divide her. Jack, thou shalt [1045 have half. 1 Bro. Be not so cruel unto our sister, gentle knight. 2 Bro. O, spare fair Delia! She deserves no death, 1050 Eum. Content yourselves; my word is passed to him. Therefore prepare thyself, Delia, for thou must die. Del. Then farewell, world! Adieu, Eumenides ! EUMENIDES offers to strike, and [the GHOST OF] JACK stays him. [G. of] Jack. Stay, master; it is suffi- [1055 cient I have tried your constancy. Do you now remember since you paid for the burying poor fellow? Eum. Ay, very well, Jack. [G. of] Jack. Then, master, thank that good deed for this good turn; and so Go with you all! Leaps down in the gro Eum. Jack, what, art thou gone? Then Come, brothers, and my beauteous Delia, We will to Thessaly with joyful hearts. All. Agreed: we follow thee and Delia. Exeunt all [except FROLIC, FANTASTIC, MADGE]. Fan. What, gammer, asleep? Madge. By the mass, son, 't is almost and my windows shut at the cock's-crow. Fro. Do you hear, gammer? Methinks Jack bore a great sway amongst them. Madge. O, man, this was the ghost o poor man that they kept such a coil to and that makes him to help the wander ing knight so much. But come, let us in will have a cup of ale and a toast this moi and so depart.1 Fan. Then you have made an end of tale, gammer? Madge. Yes, faith: when this was do took a piece of bread and cheese, and can way; and so shall you have, too, before yo to your breakfast. [Ex 1 Separate. Alate 2 we ran the deer, and through the lawns 10 And now-chang'd to a melancholy dump. And had been jocund in the house awhile, Erms. Sirrah Ralph, what say you to your Shall he thus all amort 6 live malcontent? - • Dogs that roused the game. 20 Two Scholars, their sons. RICHARD, Constable. A Post. Lords, Country Clowns, &c. ELINOR, daughter to the King of Castile. MARGARET, the Keeper's daughter of Fressingfield. Hostess of the Bell at Henley. A DEVIL. Spirit in the shape of HERCULES. A dragon shooting fire.] Ralph. Hearest thou, Ned? - Nay, look if he will speak to me! P. Edw. What say'st thou to me, fool? Ralph. I prithee, tell me, Ned, art thou in [28 love with the Keeper's daughter? P. Edw. How if I be, what then? Ralph. Why, then, sirrah, I'll teach thee how to deceive Love. P. Edw. How, Ralph? 30 Ralph. Marry, Sirrah Ned, thou shalt put on my cap and my coat and my dagger, and I will put on thy clothes and thy sword; and so thou shalt be my fool. P. Edw. And what of this? 35 Ralph. Why, so thou shalt beguile Love; for Love is such a proud scab, that he will never meddle with fools nor children. Is not Ralph's counsel good, Ned? P. Edw. Tell me, Ned Lacy, didst thou mark the maid, 40 How lively in her country-weeds she look'd? 45 Ralph. He says all England hath no such, and I say, and I'll stand to it, there is one better in Warwickshire. War. How provest thou that, Ralph ? Ralph. Why,is not the abbot a learned man, [50 and hath read many books, and thinkest thou he hath not more learning than thou to choose a bonny wench? Yes, I warrant thee, by his whole grammar. To win the lovely maid of Fressingfield. Ralph. Sirrah Ned, wouldst fain have her? P. Edw. Ay, Ralph. 90 Ralph. Why, Ned, I have laid the plot in [95 my head; thou shalt have her already. P. Edw. I'll give thee a new coat, an learn me that. Ralph. Why, Sirrah Ned, we 'll ride to Oxford to Friar Bacon. O, he is a brave scholar, [100 sirrah; they say he is a brave necromancer, that he can make women of devils, and he can juggle cats into costermongers. P. Edw. And how then, Ralph ? Ralph. Marry, sirrah, thou shalt go to [105 him: and because thy father Harry shall not miss thee, he shall turn me into thee; and I'll to the court, and I'll prince it out; and he shall make thee either a silken purse full of gold, or else a fine wrought smock. 110 P. Edw. But how shall I have the maid? Ralph. Marry, sirrah, if thou be'st a silken 1 Pearls. 2 Rare appearance. 3 Tint. 4 Would have made that woman blush whom art, etc. purse full of gold, then on Sundays she 'll hang thee by her side, and you must not say a word Now, sir, when she comes into a great [ press of people, for fear of the cutpurse, on a sudden she 'll swap thee into her plackerd; then, sirrah, being there, you may plead fo yourself. Erms. Excellent policy! 11 P. Edw. But how if I be a wrought smock Ralph. Then she 'll put thee into her ches and lay thee into lavender, and upon some goo day she'll put thee on; and at night when yo go to bed, then being turned from a smock to a man, you may make up the match. Lacy. Wonderfully wisely counselled, Ralpl P. Edw. Ralph shall have a new coat. Ralph. God thank you when I have it on m back, Ned. P. Edw. Lacy, the fool hath laid a perfe plot; For-why our country Margaret is so coy, And stands so much upon her honest points, That marriage or no market with the maid. Ermsby, it must be necromantic spells And charms of art that must enchain her lov Or else shall Edward never win the girl. Therefore, my wags, we'll horse us in t 1 And then the country flocks to Harleston fa Then will the Keeper's daughter frolic there, And over-shine the troop of all the maids That come to see and to be seen that day. Haunt thee disguis'd among the country-swa Feign thou 'rt a farmer's son, not far fi thence, Espy her loves, and who she liketh best; Cote him, and court her, to control? clown; Say that the courtier tired all in green, Affords no jewel fitting for the maid. blush; O, then she loves: but if her cheeks wax pa Disdain it is. Lacy, send how she fares, And spare no time nor cost to win her loves Lacy. I will, my lord, so execute this charge As if that Lacy were in love with her. P. Edw. Send letters speedily to Oxford of the news. Ralph. And, Sirrah Lacy, buy me a thou- [170 sand thousand million of fine bells. Lacy. What wilt thou do with them, Ralph? Ralph. Marry, every time that Ned sighs for the Keeper's daughter, I'll tie a bell about him; and so within three or four days I will send [175 word to his father Harry that his son and my master Ned is become Love's morris-dance. P. Edw. Well, Lacy, look with care unto thy charge, 180 And I will haste to Oxford to the friar, speak mystically; for he knows, if your skill fail to make a brazen head, yet Mother Waters' strong ale will fit his turn to make him have a copper nose. Clem. Bacon, we come not grieving at thy skill, But joying that our académy yields A man suppos'd the wonder of the world; For if thy cunning work these miracles, England and Europe shall admire thy fame, And Oxford shall in characters of brass, And statues, such as were built up in Rome, Etérnize Friar Bacon for his art. 40 45 50 55 Mason. Then, gentle friar, tell us thy intent. Bacon. Seeing you come as friends unto the friar, Resolve you,2 doctors, Bacon can by books Make storming Boreas thunder from his cave, And dim fair Luna to a dark eclipse. The great arch-ruler, potentate of hell, Trembles when Bacon bids him or his fiends Bow to the force of his pentagonon.3 What art can work, the frolic friar knows; And therefore will I turn my magic books, And strain out necromancy to the deep. I have contriv'd and fram'd a head of brass (I made Belcephon hammer out the stuff), And that by art shall read philosophy; And I will strengthen England by my skill, That if ten Cæsars liv'd and reign'd in Rome, With all the legions Europe doth contain, They should not touch a grass of English ground. The work that Ninus rear'd at Babylon, The brazen walls fram'd by Semiramis, Carv'd out like to the portal of the sun, Shall not be such as rings the English strand From Dover to the market-place of Rye. Burd. Is this possible? Miles. I'll bring ye two or three witnesses. Burd. What be those? 60 Miles. Marry, sir, three or four as honest devils and good companions as any be in hell. [5 Mason. No doubt but magic may do much in this; And tells of more than magic can perform, Bacon loves not to stuff himself with lies. 4 What, are you mated by this frolic friar? Look how he droops; his guilty conscience Drives him to bash,5 and makes his hostes blush. Bacon. Well, mistress, for I will not hav you miss'd, You shall to Henley to cheer up your guests 1 'Fore supper gin.- Burden, bid her adieu; Say farewell to your hostess 'fore she goes.Sirrah, away, and set her safe at home. Hostess. Master Burden, when shall we s you at Henley? Exeunt Hostess and Devil. Burd. The devil take thee and Henley too. Miles. Master, shall I make a good motion? Bacon. What's that? Miles. Marry, sir, now that my hostess gone to provide supper. conjure up another spirit, and send Doctor Burden flying after. Bacon. Thus, rulers of our academic state. You have seen the friar frame his art by pro And as the college called Brazen-nose Is under him, and he the master there, So surely shall this head of brass be fram'd, And yield forth strange and uncouth ap risms, And hell and Hecate shall fail the friar, But I will circle England round with brass. Miles. So be it et nunc et semper, amen. [SCENE III.] 6 Exe |