Become a nun! her father's sudden fall

Has humbled her, and brought her down to this:
Tut, she were fitter for a tale of love,
Than to be tirèd out with orisons;
And better would she far become a bed,
Embraced in a friendly lover's arms,
Than rise at midnight to a solemn mass.

Enter LODOWICK.

Lod. Why, how now, Don Mathias! in a dump?

Math. Believe me, noble Lodowick, I have

seen

The strangest sight, in my opinion,

That ever I beheld.

Lod. What was't, I prithee?

Math. A fair young maid, scarce fourteen years

of age,

The sweetest flower in Cytherea's field,

Cropt from the pleasures of the fruitful earth, And strangely metamorphos'd [to a] nun.

Lod. But say, what was she?

Math. Why, the rich Jew's daughter.

Lod. What, Barabas, whose goods were lately seiz'd?

Is she so fair?

Math. Aird matchless beautiful,

As, had you seen her, 'twould have mov'd your heart,

Though countermin'd with walls of brass, to love, Or, at the least, to pity.

Lod. An if she be so fair as you report, 'Twere time well spent to go and visit her: How say you? shall we?

Math. I must and will, sir; there's no remedy. Lod. And so will I too, or it shall go hard. Farewell, Mathias.

Math. Farewell, Lodowick. [Exeunt severally.

Enter BARABAS, with a light."

Bara. Thus, like the sad-presaging raven, that tolls

The sick man's passport in her hollow beak,+
And in the shadow of the silent night
Doth shake contagion from her sable wings,
Vex'd and tormented runs poor Barabas
With fatal curses towards these Christians.
The incertain pleasures of swift-footed time
Have ta'en their flight, and left me in despair;
And of my foriner riches rests no more
But bare remembrance; like a soldier's scar,
That has no further comfort for his maim.-
O Thou, that with a fiery pillar ledd'st
The sons of Israel through the dismal shades,
Light Abraham's offspring; and direct the hand

*Enter Barabas, with a light] The scene is now before the house of Barabas, which has been turned into a nunnery.

Thus, like the sad-pre aging raven, that tolls

The sick man's passport in her hollow beak] Mr. Collier (Hist. of Eng. Dram. Poet. iii. 136) remarks that these lines are cited (with some variation, and from memory, as the present play was not printed till 1633) in an epigram on T. Deloney, in Guilpin's Skialetheia or the Shadowe of Truth, 1598,

"Like to the fatall ominous Raven, which tolls
The sick man's dirge within his hollow beake,
So every paper-clothed post in Poules

To thee, Deloney, mourningly doth speake," &c.

Of Abigail this night! or let the day
Turn to eternal darkness after this!-
No sleep can fasten on my watchful eyes,
Nor quiet enter my distemper'd thoughts,
Till 1. e answer of my Abigail.

ter ABIGAIL above.

Abig. Now have 1. pily espied a time To search the plank my father did appoint; And here, behold, unseen, where I have found The gold, the pearls, and jewels, which he hid.

Bara. Now I remember those old women's words,

Who in my wealth would tell me winter's tales, And speak of spirits and ghosts that glide by

night

About the place where treasure hath been hid:
And now methinks that I am one of those;
For, whilst I live, here lives my soul's sole

hope,

And, when I die, here shall my spirit walk.

Abig. Now that my father's fortune were so

good

As but to be about this happy place!
'Tis not so happy: yet, when we parted last,
He said he would attend me in the morn.
Then, gentle Sleep, where'er his body rests,
Give charge to Morpheus that he may dream

My gold, my fortune, my felicity,
Strength to my soul, death to mine enemy;
Welcome the first beginner of my bliss!
O Abigail, Abigail, that I had thee here too!
Then my desires were fully satisfied:
But I will practise thy enlargement thence:
girl! O gold! O beauty! O my bliss!

[Hugs the bags. Abig. Father, it draweth towards midnight now,

And 'bout this time the nuns begin to wake;
To shun suspicion, therefore, let us part.

Bara. Farewell, my joy, and by my fingers take

A kiss from him that sends it from his soul. [Brit ABIGAIL above.

Bosco. Governor of Malta, hither am I bound;

My ship, the Flying Dragon, is of Spain,
And so am I; Del Bosco is my name,
Vice-admiral unto the Catholic King.

First Knight. 'Tis true, my lord; therefore entreat him well.

Bosco. Our fraught is Grecians, Turks, and Afric Moors;

For late upon the coast of Corsica,

Because we vail'd not † to the Turkish ‡ fleet,
Their creeping galleys had us in the chase:
But suddenly the wind began to rise,

And then we luff'd and tack'd, § and fought at ease:
Some have we fir'd, and many have we sunk;
But one amongst the rest became our prize:
The captain's slain; the rest remain our slaves,
Of whom we would make sale in Malta here.

Fern. Martin del Bosco, I have heard of thee: Welcome to Malta, and to all of us!

But to admit a sale of these thy Turks,
We may not, nay, we dare not give consent,
By reason of a tributary league.

First Knight. Del Bosco, as thou lov'st and honour'st us,

Persuade our governor against the Turk:
This truce we have is but in hope of gold,
And with that sum he craves might we wage war.
Bosco. Will knights of Malta be in league with
Turks,

And buy it basely too for sums of gold?
My lord, remember that, to Europe's shame,
The Christian Isle of Rhodes, from whence you

came,

Was lately lost, and you were stated || here
To be at deadly enmity with Turks.

Fern. Captain, we know it; but our force is

small.

Bosco. What is the sum that Calymath requires? Fern. A hundred thousand crowns.

Bosco. My lord and king hath title to this isle, And he means quickly to expel you hence; Therefore be rul'd by me, and keep the gold: I'll write unto his majesty for aid,

And not depart until I see you free.

Fern. On this condition shall thy Turks be sold.

when he wrote,

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!"

Romeo and Juliet, act ii. sc. 2. Hermoso placer de los dineros] Old ed. "Hormoso

Piarer, de les Denirch."

Enter Ferneze, &c.] The scene is the interior of the Council-house.

entreat] i.e. treat.

[Exeunt Officers.

↑ vail'd not] "i.e. did not strike or lower our flags." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's 0. P.).

↑ Turkish] Old ed. "Spanish.”

§ luff'd and tack'd] Old ed. "left, and torke." stated] Le. estated, established, stationed.

ACT II.

Bosco, thou shalt be Malta's general;
We and our warlike knights will follow thee
Against these barbarous misbelieving Turks.

Bosco. So shall you imitate those you succeed; For, when their hideous force environ'd Rhodes, Small though the number was that kept the town,

They fought it out, and not a man surviv'd
To bring the hapless news to Christendom.

Fern. So will we fight it out: come, let's

away.

Proud daring Calymath, instead of gold,
We'll send thee bullets wrapt in smoke and fire:
Claim tribute where thou wilt, we are resolv'd,-
Honour is bought with blood, and not with gold.

[Exeunt.

Enter Officers, with ITHAMORE and other Slaves. First Off. This is the market-place; here let 'ein stand:

Fear not their sale, for they'll be quickly bought. Sec. Off. Every one's price is written on his back,

And so much must they yield, or not be sold. First Off. Here comes the Jew: had not his goods been seiz'd,

He'd give us present money for them all.

Enter BARABAS.

Bara. In spite of these swine-eating Christians,
(Unchosen nation, never circumcis'd,
Poor villains, such as weret ne'er thought upon
Till Titus and Vespasian conquer'd us,)
Am I become as wealthy as I was.

They hop'd my daughter would ha' been a nun;
But she's at home, and I have bought a house
As great and fair as is the governor's:
And there, in spite of Malta, will I dwell,
Having Ferneze's hand; whose heart I'll have,
Ay, and his son's too, or it shall go hard.
I am not of the tribe of Levi, I,

That can so soon forget an injury.

We Jews can fawn like spaniels when we please;
And when we grin we bite; yet are our looks
As innocent and harmless as a lamb's.
I learn'd in Florence how to kiss my hand,
Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog,
And duck as low as any bare-foot friar;
Hoping to see them starve upon a stall,
Or else be gather'd for in our synagogue,
That, when the offering-basin comes to me,
Even for charity I may spit into't.-

*Enter Officers, &c.] The scene being the market-place. Poor villains, such as were] Old ed. "Such as poore villaines were", &c.

155

Here comes Don Lodowick, the governor's son, One that I love for his good father's sake. Jard

Enter LODOWICK.

Lod. I hear the wealthy Jew walked this way: I'll seek him out, and so insinuate, That I may have a sight of Abigail, For Don Mathias tells me she is fair.

Bara. Now will I shew myself to have more of the serpent than the dove; that is, more knave than fool. [Aside. Lod. Yond' walks the Jew: now for fair Abigail. Bara. Ay, ay, no doubt but she's at your command. [Aside. Lod. Barabas, thou know'st I am the governor's

A

We will not jar about the price: come to my house,

And I will give't your honour-with a vengeance. [Aside.

Lod. No, Barabas, I will deserve it first.
Bara. Good sir,

Your father has deserv'd it at my hands,
Who, of mere charity and Christian ruth,
To bring me to religious purity,
And, as it were, in catechising sort,

To make me mindful of my mortal sins,
Against my will, and whether I would or no,
Seiz'd all I had, and thrust me out o' doors,
And made my house a place for nuns most chaste.
Lod. No doubt your soul shall reap the fruit
of it.

Bara. Ay, but, my lord, the harvest is far off:
And yet I know the prayers of those nuns
And holy friars, having money for their pains,
Are wondrous;-and indeed do no man good ;—
[Aside.

And, seeing they are not idle, but still doing, 'Tis likely they in time may reap some fruit, I mean, in fullness of perfection.

An if he has, he is worth three hundred plates,*
So that, being bought, the town-seal might be got
To keep him for his life-time from the gallows :
The sessions-day is critical to thieves,
And few or none scape but by being purg'd.

Lod. Rat'st thou this Moor but at two hundred

plates?

First Off. No more, my lord.

Bara. Why should this Turk be dearer than

that Moor?

First Off. Because he is young, and has more qualities.

Bara. What, hast the philosopher's stone? an thou hast, break my head with it, I'll forgive thee. Slave. No, sir; I can cut and shave.

Bara. Let me see, sirrah; are you not an old shaver?

Slave. Alas, sir, I am a very youth!

Bara. A youth! I'll buy you, and marry you to Lady Vanity, if you do well.

Slave. I will serve you, sir.

Bara. Some wicked trick or other: it may be, under colour of shaving, thou'lt cut my throat for my goods. Tell me, hast thou thy health well?

Slave. Ay, passing well.

Bara. So much the worse: I must have one that's sickly, an't be but for sparing victuals: 'tis not a stone of beef a-day will maintain you in these chops.-Let me see one that's somewhat leaner.

First Off. Here's a leaner; how like you him? Bara. Where wast thou born?

Itha. In Thrace; brought up in Arabia. Bara. So much the better; thou art for my turn.

An hundred crowns? I'll have him; there's the coin. [Gives money.

First Off. Then mark him, sir, and take him hence.

Bara. Ay, mark him, you were best; for this is he

* plates] “i. e. pieces of silver money." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's 0. P.).-Old ed. "plats."

Slave To the speeches of this Slave the old ed. prefixes "Itha." and "Ith.", confounding him with Itha

more.

Lady Vanity] So Jonson in his Fox, act ii. sc. 3., "Get you a cittern, Lady Vanity,

And be a dealer with the virtuous man," &c.;

and in his Devil is an Ass, act i. sc. 1.,

"Satan. What Vice?

Pug. Why, any: Fraud,
Or Covetousness, or Lady Vanity,
Or old Iniquity."