The British Drama: Comedies. 2 v

Of words to give you thanks.

Lady. Good sir Giles Overreach!

[Salutes him.

How dost thou, Marrall? Liked you my meat so ill,
You'll dine no more with me?

Greedy. I will when you please,

And it like your ladyship.

Lady. When you please, Mr Greedy; If meat can do it, you shall be satisfied:

And now, my lord, pray take into your know-
ledge

This gentleman; howe'er his outside's coarse,
[Presents WELLBORN.
His inward linings are as fine and fair
As any man's. Wonder not I speak at large:
And howsoe'er his humour carries him
To be thus accoutred; or what taint soe'er
For his wild life have struck upon his fame;
He may, ere long, with boldness, rank himself
With some that have condemned him. Sir Giles

Overreach,

If I am welcome, bid him so.

Over. My nephew!

Mar. In troth, I must: my master,
Knowing you are his good friend, makes bold
with you,

And does intreat you, more guests being come in
Than he expected, especially his nephew,
The table being too full, you would excuse him,
And sup with him on the cold meat.
Greedy. How! no dinner

After all my care?

Mar. 'Tis but a penance for

A meal; besides, you have broke your fast.
Greedy. That was

But a bit to stay my stomach. A man in com-
mission

Give place to a tatterdemallion!

Mar. No big words, sir;
Should his worship hear you

Greedy. Lose my dumpling too?

And buttered toasts and woodcocks?
Mar. Come, have patience;

If you will dispense a little with your justiceship,
And sit with the waiting women, you'll have
dumpling,

He hath been too long a stranger: 'faith you Woodcock, and buttered toasts, too.

have.

Pray, let it be mended.

[LOVELL conferring with WELLBorn. Mar. Why, sir, what do you mean? This is rogue Wellborn, monster, prodigy,

That should hang, or drown himself, no man of

worship,

Much less your nephew.

Over. Well, sirrah, we shall reckon

For this hereafter.

Mar. I'll not lose my jeer,

Though I be beaten dead for it.

Well. Let my silence plead

In my excuse, my lord, till better leisure
Offer itself to hear a full relation
Of my poor fortunes.

Lov. I would hear and help them.

Greedy. This revives me :

I will gorge there sufficiently.
Mar. This is the way, sir.

[Exeunt.

Enter OVERREACH, as from dinner.

Over. She's caught! O woman! she neglects
my lord,

And all her compliments apply to Wellborn!
The garments of her widowhood laid by,

She now appears as glorious as the spring.
Her eyes fixed on him; in the wine she drinks,
He being her pledge, she sends him burning
kisses,

And sits on thorns till she be private with him.
She leaves my meat to feed upon his looks;
And, if in our discourse he be but named,
From her a deep sigh follows. But why grieve I
[Bell rings. At this? It makes for me; if she prove his,
All that is hers is mine, as I will work him.

Over. Your dinner waits you.
Lov. Pray you lead, we follow.
Lady. Nay, you are my guest; come, dear Mr

Well-born. [Exeunt. Manet GREEDY.
Greedy. Dear Mr Wellborn! so she said;
Heaven! Heaven!

If my belly would give me leave, I could rumi

nate

All day on this: I have granted warrants

To have him committed, from all prisons in the shire,

To Nottingham jail! and now, dear Mr Well-
born!

And my good nephew! But I play the fool
To stand here prating, and forget my dinner.
Enter MARRALL.

Are they set, Marrall?

Mar. Long since; pray, you a word, sir.
Greedy. No wording now.

If your ladyship please to use it. Lady. Come, Mr Wellborn.

[Exit LADY and WELLBORN. Over. Grosser and grosser! My good lord, Excuse my manners.

Enter LOVELL, MARGARET and ALLWORTH. Lov. There needs none, Sir Giles; I may, ere long, say father, when it please My dearest mistress to give warrant to it. Over. She shall seal to it, my lord, and make me happy.

Marg. My lady is returned.

Enter WELLBORN and LADY.

Lady. Provide my coach,

I'll instantly away: my thanks, sir Giles,
For my entertainment.

Over. 'Tis your nobleness

To think it such.

Well. So I do, sir; 'Tis strange to me.

Over. But I'll make it no wonder; And, what is more, unfold my nature to you. We worldly men, when we see friends and kins

men

Past hope, sunk in their fortunes, lend no hand
To lift them up, but rather set our feet
Upon their heads, to press them to the bottom;
As, I must yield, with you I practised it:
But now I see you in a way to rise,

I can and will assist you. This rich lady
(And I am glad of it) is enamoured of you.
Well. No such thing:
Compassion rather, sir.

Over. Well, in a word,

Because your stay is short, I'll have you seen No more in this base shape; nor shall she say, She married you like a beggar, or in debt.

Well. He'll run into the noose, and save my labour. [Aside.

Over. You have a trunk of rich clothes, not far hence,

pawn; I will redeem them: and, that no cla

mour

Greedy. In troth, my lord, after the sun is up I cannot sleep; for I have a foolish stomach, That croaks for breakfast. With your lordship's favour,

I have a serious question to demand
Of my worthy friend, sir Giles.

Lov. Pray you, use your pleasure.
Greedy. How far, sir Giles—and, pray you, an-
you it to be

swer me

Upon your credit-hold

From your manor-house to this of my lady Allworth's?

Over. Why, some four miles.

Greedy. How! four miles, good Sir Giles?
Upon your reputation think better;
For four miles riding

Could not have raised so huge an appetite
As I feel gnawing on me.

Mar. Whether you ride,

Or go a-foot, you are that way still provided,
And it please your worship.

Over. How now, sirrah! prating

Before my lord? no deference? Go to my nephew;
See all his debts discharged, and help his worship
To fit on his rich suit.

Mar. I may fit you, too.
Lov. I have writ this morning

[Exit MARRALL.

A few lines to my mistress, your fair daughter.

Nor the engines that I work by. 'Tis not alone The lady Allworth's lands; for those, once Wellborn's,

(As, by her dotage on him, I know they will be) Shall soon be mine. But point out any man's

Over. Twill fire her, for she's wholly yours al-In all the shire, and say they lie convenient

Still by th s token. I'll have it dispatched,
And suddenly, my lord: that I may say
My honourable, nay, right honourable daughter.
Greedy. Take my advice, young gentleman;
get your breakfast.

'Tis unwholesome to ride fasting. I'll eat with you,

And that abundantly.

Over. Some fury's in that gut:

Hungry again? Did you not devour, this morning, A shield of brawn, and a barrel of Colchester oysters?

Greedy. Why, that was, sir, only to scour my
stomach,

A kind of preparative. Come, gentlemen,
I will not have you feed alone, while I am here.
Lov. Haste your return.

All. I will not fail, my lord.
Greedy. Nor I, to line'
My Christmas coffer.

[Exeunt GREEDY and ALLWORTH.
Over. To my wish, we're private.
I come not to make offer with my daughter
A certain portion; that were poor and trivial:
In one word, I pronounce all that is mine,
In lands, or leases, ready coin, or goods,

And useful for your lordship, and once more I say aloud, they are yours.

Lov. I dare not own

What's by unjust and cruel means extorted :
My fame and credit are more dear to me,
Than to expose them to be censured by
The public voice.

Over. You run, my lord, no hazard;
Your reputation shall stand as fair,
In all good mens' opinions, as now:
Nor can my actions, though condemned for ill,
Cast any foul aspersion upon yours.
For though I do contemn report myself,
As a mere sound, I still will be so tender
Of what concerns you in all points of honour,
That the immaculate whiteness of your fame,
Nor
your unquestioned integrity,

Shall ere be sullied with one taint or spot,
That may take from your innocence and candour.
All my ambition is, to have my daughter
Right honourable; which my lord can make her :
And might I live to dance upon my knee
A young lord Lovell, born by her unto you,
I write nil ultra to my proudest hopes.
As for possessions, and annual rents,
Equivalent to maintain you in the port
Your noble birth and present state require,
I do remove that burden from your shoulders,
And take it on mine own; for though I ruin
The country, to supply your riotous waste,
The scourge of prodigals, want, shall never find

you.

Lov. Are you not moved with the imprecations

And curses of whole families, made wretched By these practices?

Over. Yes, as rocks are,

When foamy billows split themselves against
Their flinty ribs; or as the moon is moved,
When wolves, with hunger pined, howl at her
brightness.

I am of a solid temper, and, like these,
Steer on a constant course: with mine own sword,
If called into the field, I can make that right,
Which fearful enemies murmured at as wrong.
Now, for those other piddling complaints,
Breathed out in bitterness; as when they call me
Extortioner, tyrant, cormorant, or intruder
On my poor neighbour's right, or grand incloser,
Of what was common, to my private use;
Nay, when my ears are pierced with widows'

cries,

And undone orphans wash with tears my threshold,

I only think what 'tis to have my daughter
Right honourable; and 'tis a powerful charm!
Makes me insensible of remorse, or pity,
Or the least sting of conscience.
Lov. I admire

The toughness of your nature.

Over. 'Tis for you,

My lord, and for my daughter, I am marble;
Nay, more, if you will have my character
In little, I enjoy more true delight
In my arrival to my wealth these dark

And crooked ways, than you shall e'er take plea

sure

In spending what my industry hath compassed. My haste commands me hence: in one word, therefore,

Is it a match, my lord?

Lov. I hope that is past doubt, now.

For your own sake I am glad you came no sooner,
Since this bold, bad man, sir Giles Overreach,
Made such a plain discovery of himself,
And read this morning such devilish matins,
That I should think a sin, next to his,
But to repeat it-

Lady. I ne'er pressed, my lord,
On other's privacies; yet, against my will,
Walking, for health's sake, in the gallery
Adjoining to our lodgings, I was made
(So loud and vehement he was) partaker
Of his tempting offers. But,

My good lord, if I may use my freedom,
As to an honoured friend-

Lov. You lessen else
Your favour to me.

Lady. I dare, then, say thus: (However common men

Make sordid wealth the object and sole end
Of their industrious aims) 'twill not agree
With those of noble blood, of fame and honour.
Love. Madam, 'tis confessed;
But what infer you from it?

Lady. This, my lord: I allow

The heir of sir Giles Overreach, Margaret,
A maid well qualified, and the richest match
Our north part can boast of; yet she cannot,
With all that she brings with her, fill their mouths,
That never will forget who was her father;
Or that my husband Allworth's lands, and Well-
born's,

(How wrung from both needs no repetition) Were real motives, that more worked your lordship

To join your families, than her form and virtues. You may conceive the rest.

Lon. I do, sweet madam;

And long since have considered it.

Over. Then rest secure; not the hate of all And this my resolution, mark me, madam;

Were Overreach's states thrice centupled, his

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