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Surrendering the possession, you shall ease
Yourself and me, of chargeable suits in law;
Which, if you prove not honest (as I doubt it),
Must, of necessity, follow.

Lady. In my judgment,
He does advise you well.

Over. Good, good! conspire

With your new husband, lady; second him
In his dishonest practices; but, when
This manor is extended to my use,

Mar. Keep him

From using of his hands, I'll use my tongue
To his no little torment.

Over. Mine own varlet
Rebel against me?

Mar. Yes, and uncase you too.

The ideot; the patch; the slave; the booby;
The property, fit only to be beaten

For your morning exercise; your football, or
The unprofitable lump of flesh, your drudge,

You'll speak in an humble key, and sue for fa-Can now anatomize you, and lay open

vour.

Lady. Never: do not hope it.

Well. Let despair first seize me.

Over. Yet, to shut up thy mouth, and make
thee give

Thyself the lie, the loud lie! I draw out
The precious evidence: If thou canst forswear
Thy hand and seal, and make a forfeit of

[Opens the box. Thy ears to the pillory; see, here's that, will make

My interest clear-Ha!

Lady. A fair skin of parchment!
Well. Indented, I confess, and labels, too;

All your black plots, level with the earth
Your hill of pride, and shake,

Nay, pulverize, the walls, you think defend you.
Lady. How he foams at the mouth with rage!
Over. O that I had thee in my gripe! I would
tear thee

Joint after joint!

Mar. I know you are a tearer.

But I'll have first your fangs pared off; and then
Come nearer to you; when I have discovered,
And made it good before the judge, what ways
And devilish practises, you used to cozen with.
Over. But that I will live, rogue, to torture
thee,

But neither wax nor words. How! thunder- | And make thee wish and kneel in vain to die ;

struck!

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These swords, that keep thee from me, should
fix here,

Although they made my body but one wound,
But I would reach thee.

I play the fool, and make my anger but ridicu-
lous.

There will be a time, and place, there will be, cowards!

When you shall feel what I dare do.

Well. I think so:

You dare do any ill, yet want true valour
To be honest and repent.

Over. They are words I know not,

Nor e'er will learn. Patience, the beggar's virtue,
Shall find no harbour hereAfter these storms,
At length a calmn appears.

Enter GREEDY and Parson WELLDO.

Welcome, most welcome!

There's comfort in thy looks; is the deed done?
Is my daughter married? say but so, my chaplain,
And I am tame.

Welldo. Married? yes, I assure you.

Over. Then vanish all sad thoughts! there's
more gold for thee.

My doubts and fears are in the titles drowned
Of
my right honourable, right honourable daugh-

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To my wish, to my wish. Now, you that plot | Lead not the way, let's quit the house, and

against me,

And hoped to trip my heels up; that contemned

me;

Think on it and tremble !-[Loud music.]-They come, I hear the music.

A lane there for my lord!

Well. This sudden heat

May yet be cooled, sir.

Over. Make way, there, for my lord!

Enter ALLWORth, Margaret, LOVELL, and

LADY.

change
Six_words in private.

Lov. I am ready.
Well. You'll grow like him,

Should you answer his vain challenge.
Over. Are you pale?

Borrow his help, though Hercules call it odds,
I'll stand against both, as I am hem'd in thus.
Say they were a squadron

Of pikes, lined through with shot, when I am
mounted

Upon my injuries, shall I fear to charge them?

Marg, Sir, first your pardon, then your bles-No: I'll thro' the battalia, and, that routed, sing, with

Your full allowance of the choice I have made.
Not to dwell too long on words,

This is my husband.

Over, How!

[Kneeling.

Allw. So, I assure you; all the rites of mar-
riage,

With every circumstance, are past;
And for right honourable son-in-law, you may say
Your dutiful daughter.

Over. Devil! are they married?

Welldo. Do a father's part, and say, Heaven give them joy!

Over. Confusion and ruin! speak, and speak quickly,

Or thou art dead.

Welldo. They are married.

Over. Thou hadst better

Have made a contract with the king of fiends

Than these. My brain turns!

Welldo. Why this rage to me?

I'll fall to execution.-Ha! I am feeble:
Some undone widow sits upon mine arm,
And takes away the use of't! and my sword,
Glewed to my scabbard with wronged orphans'

tears,

Will not be drawn. Ha! what are these? Sure, hangmen,

That come to bind my hands, and then to drag

me

Before the judgment-seat.-Now they are new
shapes,

And do appear like furies, with steel whips,
To scourge my ulcerous soul! Shall I then fall
Ingloriously, and yield? No: spite of fate
I will be forced to hell like to myself;
Tho' you were legions of accursed spirits,
Thus would I fly among you.-

[Dragged off by ORDER and AMBLE. Mar. Is't brave sport?

Greedy. Brave sport? I'm sure it has taken away my stomach.

Is not this your letter, sir? and these the words- I do not like the sauce.
Marry her to this gentleman?

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Mar, Was it not a rare trick,

(An't please your worship) to make the deed nothing?

Certain minerals I used,

Incorporated in the ink and wax.

Besides, he gave me nothing, but still fed me
With hopes and blows; and that was the induce-

ment

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comfort.

[To MARG.

In

Their own abilities leave them. Pray you take | It is a time of action; if your lordship Will please to confer a company upon me your command, I doubt not, in my service To my king and country, but I shall do something,

I will endeavour you shall be his guardians
In his distraction: and for your land, Mr. Well-
born,

Be it good or ill in law, I'll be an umpire
Between you, and this the undoubted heir
Of sir Giles Overreach; for me, here's the

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That may make me right again.
Lov. Your suit is granted,
And you loved for the motion.

Well. Nothing wants, then, [To the audience.
But your allowance-and, in that, our all
Is comprehended; it being known, nor we,
Nor he that wrote the comedy, can be free
Without your manumission; which, if you
Grant willingly, as a fair favour due
The poet's and our labours, as you may,
(For we despair not, gentlemen, of the play)
We jointly shall profess your grace hath might
To teach us action, and him how to write.

[Exeunt omnes.

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SCENE I.

ACT I.

Enter CAROLO CHAROMONTE. and CONTARINO.
Car. You bring your welcome with you.
Con. Sir, I find it,

In every circumstance.

Car. Again more welcome.

Yet, give me leave to wish (and pray you excuse

me,

For I must use the freedom I was born with)
The great duke's pleasure had commanded you
To my poor house upon some other service;
Not this you are designed to: but his will
Must be obeyed, howe'er it ravish from me
The happy conversation of one,

As dear to me as the old Romans held

To bless and guard their families.
Con. 'Tis received so

On my part, signior; nor can the duke
But promise to himself as much as may
Be hoped for from a nephew. And it were
weakness

In any man to doubt, that Giovanni,
Trained up by your experience and care,
In all those arts peculiar and proper
To future greatness, of necessity
Must, in his actions, being grown a man,
Make good the princely education
Which he derived from you.

Car. I have discharged,

To the utmost of my power, the trust the duke
Committed to me, and, with joy, perceive

Their household Lares, who, they believed, had The seed of my endeavours was not sown

power

Upon the barren sands, but fruitful glebe,

vance,

Which yields a large increase; my noble charge, | That is without their power. When they ad-
By his sharp wit, and pregnant apprehension,
Instructing those that teach him; making use,
Not in a vulgar and pedantic form,

Of what's read to him, but 'tis straight digested,
And truly made his own. His grave discourse,
In one no more indebted unto years,
Amazes such as hear him. Horsemanship
And skill to use his weapon are, by practice,
Familiar to him: As for knowledge in

Music, he needs it not, it being born with him; All that he speaks being with such grace delivered,

That it makes perfect harmony.

Con. You describe

A wonder to me.

Car. Sir, he is no less;

And, that there may be nothing wanting that
May render him complete, the sweetness of
His disposition so wins on all
Appointed to attend him, that they are
Rivals even in the coarsest office, who
Shall get precedency to do him service;
Which they esteem a greater happiness

Than if they had been fashioned and built up
To hold command o'er others.

Con. And what place

Does he now bless with his presence?

Car. He is now

Running at the ring, at which he's excellent.

He does allot for every exercise

A several hour; for sloth, the nurse of vices
And rust of action, is a stranger to him.
But I fear I am tedious; let us pass,

Not out of judgment, but deceiving fancy,
An undeserving man, howe'er set off
With all the trim of greatness, state, and power,
And, of a creature, even grown terrible
To him from whom he took his giant form,
This thing is still a comet, no true star;
And when the bounties, feeding his false fire,
Begin to fail, will of itself go out,

And, what was dreadful, proves ridiculous.
But in our Sanazarro 'tis not so:

He, being pure and tried gold, and any stamp
Of grace to make him current to the world,
The duke is pleased to give him, will add hon-

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If you please, to some other subject, though I But break we off. Here comes my princely

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charge.

Make your approaches boldly; you will find
A courteous entertainment.

Giov. Pray you, forbear

My hand, good signior; 'tis a ceremony

Not due to me. 'Tis fit we should embrac
With mutual arms

Con. It is a favour, sir,

I grieve to be denied.

Giov. You shall overcome:

But 'tis your pleasure, not my pride, that grants

it.

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