You honour me with this assent of yours; John. War, my lord, I tell; and good news I trow; For king James vows to meet you the twenty-sixth I will meet him the twenty-sixth of this month, Gil. My lord Bonfield gives good advice; They make a scorn and stand upon the king: So what is brought is sent from them perforce; Ask Mannering else. Ken. What sayest thou, Mannering? Man. When as I shewed your high commission, They made this answer, Only to send provision for your horses. Ken. Well, hie thee to Wakefield, bid the town Man. Let me alone, my lord, I'll make them Your word, I clap him fast, to make the rest to fear. Ken. Do so, Nick! hie thee thither presently, And let us hear of thee to-morrow. Man. Will you not remove, my lord? Ken. No, I will lie at Bradford all this night, And all the next. Come, Bonfield, let us go, And listen out some bonny lasses here. [Exeunt. Enter the Justice, a Townsman, GEORGE A GREENE, and Sir NICHOLAS MANNERING, with his commission. Just. M. Mannering, stand aside, whilst we confer What is best to do, townsmen of Wakefield: Towns. Even as you please, we are all content. Just. Marry, sir, thus. We will send the earl of Kendall no victuals, And in aiding him we shew ourselves no less. mad, That present danger cannot whet your wits, He lays it flat and level with the ground : So he will spare your town, and come no nearer Just. Master Mannering, you have your answer ; You may be gone. Man. Well, Woodroffe, for so I guess is thy 2 Ana here upon my sword I make protest :-It was formerly common to swear upon the sword; that is, upon the cross which the old swords always had upon the hilt. Of this custom many instances are quoted by Dr Farmer and Mr Steevens, in their Notes on Hamlet, A. 1. §. 5. Again, in Your five Gallants, by Middleton, A. 4:-" Sweare on this sword then to set spurs to your horse, not to looke back, to give no markes to any passenger." but when the Gods are 3 Overthwart denial:-So in Erasmus's Praise of Folie, 1549, Sign. C 2: "— sette at bankette, he plaieth the jester, now wyth hys lymphaultynge, now with his skoffinge, and now with his overthwarte woords to provoke them all to laughter." Euphues and his England, p. 57 :— As one to young to understande, or obstinate to overthwart.” 8 4 Should brook the braves of any traitorous squire. Wow'd unto him, even in our mothers' womb, victuals. Just. Well spoken, George a Greene! Towns. Pray let George a Greene speak for us. Geo. Sirrah, you get no victuals here, Not if a hoof of beef would save your lives. Man. Fellow, I stand amazed at thy presumption. Why, what art thou that darest gainsay my lord, Knowing his mighty puissance and his stroke? Why, my friend, I come not barely of myself; For see, I have a large commission. Geo. Let me see it, sirrah. Whose seals be these? Man. This is the earl of Kendall's seal at arms; This lord Charnel Bonfield's; And this sir Gilbert Armstrong's. Geo. I tell thee, sirrah, did good king Edward's son Seal a commission against the king his father, Thus would I tear it in despite of him, [He tears the commission. Being traitor to my sovereign. Man. What! hast thou torn my lord's commission? Thou shalt rue it, and so shall all Wakefield. To cool your stomach. Seest thou these seals? 4 Man. But thou doest but jest, I hope? Man. Well, and there be no remedy, so One is gone; I pray thee, no more now. Geo. O sir, if one be good, the others cannot hurt. So, sir, now you may go tell the earl of Kendall, Although I have rent his large commission, Yet of curtesy I have sent all his seals Back again by you. Man. Well, sir, I will do your errand. [Erit. Geo. Now let him tell his lord, that he hath Spoke with George a Greene, right Pinner Of merry Wakefield town, that hath physic for a fool, Pills for a traitor that doth wrong his sovereign. For highly hast thou honour'd Wakefield town, Enter old MUSGROVE, and young CUDDIE, his Son. Cuddie. Now, gentle father, list unto thy son, Old Mus. What is that, my Cuddie? The ancient enmity of late between the Musgroves grave: Old William Musgrove, which whilom was thought Mus. Avaunt, false-hearted boy! my joints do quake Even with anguish of thy very words. Hath William Musgrove seen an hundred years? Here have I lived, and here will Musgrove die. ter. Bon. Now, gentle Grime, god a mercy for our good cheer, 4 Eat them, &c.--This incident bears so near a resemblance to a story related of Robert Greene, that it probably was taken from it. "Had he lived, Gabriel, and thou shouldst so unartificially and odiously libelled against him as thou hast done, he would have thee an example of ignominy to all ages that are to come, and driven thee to eate thy owne booke butterid, as I sawe him make an appariter once in a tavern eate his citation, waxe and all, very handsomely serv'd twixt two dishes." NASH's Apologie of Pierce Pennelesse, 4to. 1593. In the Play of Sir John Oldcastle, the Sumner is compelled to eat his citation in like manner. 5 Strides a launce :—i, e. not to leave even a child of them alive, one who equitat in arundine longa, S. Erst :-i. e, once, in former times. S. Our fare was royall, and our welcome great ; We will deal as friendly with thee in recompence. Grime. Your welcome was but duty, gentle lord: For wherefore have we given us our wealth, O, this goes hard when traitors must be flattered; Gil. What said you, Grime? Ken. Such news, Bonfield, as will make thet laugh, And fret thy fill, to hear how Nick was used. With threatening braves, that one looked on another, Ready to stoop; but that a churl came in, Bet. Oh lovely George, fortune be still thy 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! high; To dignify those hairs of amber hue, I'll grace them with a chaplet made of pearl, Bet Heigh ho! my heart is in a higher place, Enter the Earl of KENDALL and NICHOLAS MAN NERING. Ken. Come, Nick, follow me. Bon. What says fair Bettris? Grime. My lord, she is praying for George a Greene; He is the man, and she will none but him. Bon. But him! why look on me, my girl. For George-a-Greene, the merry Pinner, Bon. Bootless, my lord, are many vain replies. Let us hie us to Wakefield, and send her the Pin nor'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 BETTRIL 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. 1. S. 1. of Midsummer's Night's Dream. 8 Bridle her affects.-Affects are affections, and in that sense the word is used in many contemporary authors; as Gascoigne's Fable of Jeronim, 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: or to love an earl. Fain would I see his Pinner, George a Greene. It shall be thus ; Tick Mannering shall lead on the battle, and we three will go to Wakefield in some disguise; 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, I will be with him at the appointed day. 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. June. 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 iny bow; For when he comes, I stir not from my book. Little regard was given to my suit, But haply thy husband's presence wrought it. Ned. Nay, soft you, sir, you get no entrance here, That seek to wrong Sir John a Barley so, Yet often have I heard my father say, At Jockie Miller's house. go 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. James Jane, in faith, Jane Jane. Never reply, For I protest, by the highest holy God, Jumes. Lord Humes, but mark the visage of this That doometh just revenge for things amiss, child; 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 And all thy friends, if thou be friend to me. King James, of all men, shall not have my love. James. Then, list to me! Saint Andrew be my boot, But I'll rase thy castle to the very ground, worst. This castle is too strong for thee to scale; I'll draw thee on with sharp and deep extremes; 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. 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; Mus. 9 God, and Saint George! Bring in King Jamie with you, as a guest; [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 amiss. Enter JENKIN, the Clown. Jen. Marry, amen, sir. Geo. Sir, what do you cry amen at? Jen. Well, though I say it, that should not say You rose so carly to go to your wenches. gone about Jen. Trow, you have hit it; For, master, be it known to you, There is some good-will betwixt Madge the Sous wife 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 goe a-foot. But Madge 'pointed to meet me in your whea close. Geo. Well, did she meet you there? Jen. Never make question of that. And after fell as hard a wooing, as if And first I saluted her with a green gown, The priest had been at our backs to have mar ried us. Geo. What! did she grant? Jen. Did she grant! never make question that. And she gave me a shirt-collar, wrought over With no counterfeit stuff. Gep. What! was it gold? Jen. Nay, it was better than gold. Jen. 10 Right Coventry blue, you whe Who had no sooner come there, but wot ye came by? Geo. No; who? Jen. Clim, the sow-gelder. Jen. He spied Madge and I sit together, But this twig in my hand, I gave him fair words, And said nothing. He comes to me, And takes me by the bosom ; You whoreson slave Said he, hold my horse, and look He take no cold in his feet. No marry shall he, sir, quoth I, 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 soldiers 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 blow." 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." |