I am not willing to shoot Cobler I will talke with you nay my bellowes my coletrough and my water shall enter armes with you for our trade O neighbour I can not beare it nor I wil not beare it Mil. Heare you neighbour I pray conswade your self and be not wilful let the Cobler deliuer it you shal see him mar all Smith At your request I will commit my selfe to you And lay my selfe open to you lyke an Oyster Mil. I le tell him what you say Heare you naighbor we haue conssulted to let you deliuer the petition doe it wisely for the credite of the towne Cob. Let me alone for the Kings Carminger was here He sayes the King will be here anon Smith But heark by the Mas he comes Enter the King Dunston and Perin King How now Perin who haue we here Cob. We the townes men of Goteham Hearing your Grace would come this way Did thinke it good for you to stay But hear you neighbours bid somebody ring the bels And we are come to you alone to deliuer our petition Kin. What is it Perin I pray thee reade per. Nothing but to haue a license to brew strong Ale thrise a week and he that comes to Goteham and will not spende a penie on a pot of Ale if he be a drie that he may fast Kin. Well sirs we grant your petition Cob. We humblie thanke your royall Maiesty King Come Dunston le ts away Exeunt omnes Enter Ethenwald alone Eth. Ethenwald be aduised the King hath sent to thee Nay more he means to come and visite thee But why I there 's the question Why t is for this to see if he can fynd A front whereon to graft a paire of hornes But in plain tearms he comes to Cuckold me And for he means to doe it without suspect He sends me word he means to visite me The King is amorous and my wyfe is kinde So kind I feare that she wil quickly yeeld To any motion that the king shal make Especially if the motion be of loue For Pliny writes women are made lyke waxe Apt to receiue any impression Whose mindes are lyke the Ianamyâ—â— That eates yet cries and neuer is satisfied Well be as it is for I le be sure of this It shall be no waies preiudice to me For I will set a skreene before the fyre And so preuent what otherwyse would ensue T were good I questioned with my father first To heare how he affected towards the King What ho Enter Osrick and Alfrida Osr. Ethenwald my sonne what newes Ethen. Why aske you I am sure you haue heard the newes Osr. Not yer I promyse you my Lord Ethen. Why then t is thus the King doth meane to come and visit you Osr. And welcome shal his Maiesty be to me That in the wane of my decreasing yeares Uouchsafes this honour to Earle Osricks house Ethen. So then you meane to entertaine him well Osr. What els my Sonne Eth. Nay as you will but heare you wyfe what do you think in this that Edgar means to come and be your guest Alfr. I thinke my Lord he shall be welcom then And I hope that you will entertaine him so That he may know how Osrick honours him And I will be attyred in cloth of Bis Beset with Orient pearle fetcht from rich Indian And all my chamber shall be richly With Aras hanging fetcht from Alexandria Then will I haue rich Counterpoints and muske Calamon and Casia sweet smelling Amber Greece That he may say Venus is come from heauen And left the Gods to marie Ethenwald Eth. Zwouns they are both agreed to cuckold me But heare you wyfe while I am master of the Bark I meane to keepe the helmster in my hand My meaning is you shall be rulde by me In being disguised till the King be gone And thus it shall be for I will haue it so The King hath neuer seene thee I am sure Nor shall he see thee now if I can chuse For thou shalt be attyrde in some base weedes And Kate the kitchin maid shall put on thine For being richly tyred as she shall be She will serue the turne to keep him companie Osr. Why men that beare of this will make a scorne of you Eth. And he that lies with this wil make a horne for me It is ynough it must be so Alf. Me thinks t were better otherwaies Exit Alfrida Ethenw. I think not so will you be gone Father let me alone I le breake her of her will We that are maried to yong wiues you see Must haue a speciall care vnto their honestie For should we suffer them to haue their will They are apt you know to fall to any ill But here comes the King Enter the King Dunston and Perin to Ethenwald Ki. Earle Osricke you must needs hold vs excused Though boldly thus vnbid we visite you But knowe the cause that mooued vs leaue our Court Was to doe honour to Earle Ethenwald And see his louelie Bride faire Alfrida Osrick. My gratious Lord as welcome shall you be To me my Daughter and my sonne in Law As Titus was vnto the Roman Senators When he had made a conquest on the Goths That in requitall of his seruice done Did offer him the imperiall Diademe As they in Titus we in your Grace still fynd The perfect figure of a Princelie mind King Thankes Osrick but I thinke I am not welcome Because I cannot see faire Alfrida Osricke I will not stay nor eat with thee Till I haue seene the Earle of Cornwels wife Ethen. If it please your Maiestie to stay with vs My wyfe shal wayt as handmaid on your Maiestie And in her dutie shew her husbands loue And in good tyme my Lord see where she comes Enter the kitchin maid in Alfridas apparel Alfrida you must leaue your kitchin tricks And vse no words but princelie Maiestie Maid Now Iesus blesse your honourable Grace Come I pray sit down you are welcome by my troth As God saue me here 's neuer a napkin fie fie Come on I pray eat some plums they be sugar Here 's good drinke by Ladie why do you not eate Ki. May pray thee eat Alfrida it is ynough for me to see thee eat Maid I thank you hartily by my troth here 's neuer a cushen By my troth I le knock you anon go to Per. My Lord this is not Alfrida this is the kitchin maid Kin. Peace Perin I haue found their subtiltie Ethenwald I pray thee let me see thy kitchin Maid Me thinks it is a pretie homely Wench I promise thee Ethenwald I like her well Eth. My Lord she is a homelie kitchin maid And one whose bringing vp hath bene but rude And far vnfit for Edgars companie But if your Grace want merrie companie I will send for Ladies wise and curteous To be associates with your Maiestie Or if you Grace will haue Musitians sent for I will fetch your Grace the best in all this land Kin.
giue vs notice straight That we may punish them for their amisse We giue thee leane to work what means thou maist So it be not preiudice to the state nor vs Honesty My gratious Lord if Honestie offend In anie thing that he hath promised And doe not as your Grace hath giuen in charge Stifle such Caterpillers as corrupt the state Let Honestie receiue such punishment As he deserues that leazes to the king King Honesty it is ynough but tel me now what moued thee first To vndertake this taske to visit vs speak truth desemble not Honest. If I shuld tel your Grace t wold make you laugh To heare how Honesty was entertainde Poore lame and blinde when I came once ashore Lord how they came in flocks to visit me The shepheard with his hooke and Thrasher with his flaile The very pedler with his dog and the tinker with his male Then comes a souldier counterfeit with him was his Iug And Wil the whipper of the dogs had got a bounsing trug And coging Dick was in the crue that swore he cam frō Frāce He swore that in the Kings defence he lost his arm by chance And yet in conscience if I were put to sweare I would be bound to lay a pound the knaue was neuer there And hapning mongst this companie by chance one day I had no sooner namde my name but they ran all away But now I will to my taske and leaue your Grace And so I take my conge of your Maiestie King Honestie farewel and looke vnto your charge Perin My gratious Lord if I might not offend I would intreat a fauour at your hand T is so I heard of late my gratious Lord That my kinde father lay at poynt of death And if my Lord I should not visite him The world I feare would fynd great fault with me King Nay Perin if your businesse bee of waight We are content to giue you leaue to goe Prouided this that you returne againe When you haue seene your Father and your friends Perin My gratious Lord I will not stay there long Only but see my father and returne againe Till when my gratious Lord I take my leaue Kin. Perin farewel and tel me Dunston now we are alone What doest thou thinke of beauteous Alfrida For she is reported to be be passing faire They say she hath a white pit in hir chin That makes her looke lyke to the Queene of loue When she was dalying with Endymion Beleeue me Dunston if she be so faire She will serue our turne to make a Concubine Me thinks t is good some tyme to haue a loue To sport withall and passe away the tyme Dun. I my good Lord Dunston could wel allow of it If so your Grace would marrie Alfrida King What wouldst thou haue me marie her I neuer saw Then men would say I doted on a wench But Dunston I haue found a policie Which must indeed be followed to the full Enter Ethenwald Earle Ethenwald welcome I thought to send for you You must goe doe a message for vs now T is nothing but to woo a Wench which you can doe You must not woo her for your selfe but me Tell her I sit and pine lyke Tantalus And if you can straine foorth a teare for me Tell her she shall be honoured in my Loue And beare a childe that one day may be King Bid her not stand on tearmes but send me word Whether she be resolued to loue me yea or no If she say no tell her I can enforce her Loue Or t is no matter though you leaue that out And tell her this we heare she is as wyse As eloquent and ful of Oratory as Thaly was daughter of Iupiter Whose speaches were so pleasing mong the Greeks That she was tearmde a second Socrates For some report women loue to be praised Then in my cause I pray thee loue thou Alfrida Ethen. My gratious Lord and Ethenwald shall not faile To shew his humble dutie to your Maiestie I will my Lord woe her in your behalfe Plead loue for you and straine a sigh to show your passions I will say she is fayrer than the Dolphins eie At whome amazde the night stars stand and gaze Then will I praise her chin and cheeke and prety hand Long made lyke Venus when she vsde the harp When Mars was reueling in loues high house Besides my Lord I will say she hath a pace Much like to Iuno in Idea vale When Argus watcht the Heifer on the mount These words my Lord will make her loue I am sure If these will not my Lord I haue better far King Nay this is well now Ethenwald be gone For I shall long to heare of thy returne Eth. My gratious Lord I humbly take my leaue Exit King Ethenwald farewel Dunston how likest thou this What haue I done well in sending Ethenwald But in good tyme how if he lyke the mayde Beleeue me Dunston then my game is mard Dunst. I doe not thinke my gratious Lord My Nephew Ethenwald beares that bad mind For hetherto he hath bene tearmed iust And kept your Grace his gratious fauourer Ki. True Dunston yet haue I read that Loue Hath made the sonne receiue the father oft But Dunston leauing this come le ts to court Dunston I will attend vpon your Maiesty Exeunt Enter Baylief of Hexam and his foure sonnes to wit a Courtier a Priest a Conicatcher and a Farmer Bayly MY sonnes you see how age decaies my state And that my lyfe lyke snow before the sun Gins to dissolue into that substance nowe From whose inclosure grew my syre of lyfe The earth I meane sweet mother of vs all Whom death authorised by heauens high power Shall bring at last from whence at first I came Yet ere I yeeld my selfe to death my sonnes Giue eare and heare what rules I set you downe And first to thee my sonne that liuest by wit I know thou hast so many honest sleights To shift and cosen smoothly on thy wit To cog and lie and braue it with the best That t were but labour lost to counsell thee And therfore to the next Walter that seemes in shew a husbandman My sonne when that thy master trusts thee most And thinks thou dealest as truelie as himselfe Be thou the first to worke deceit to him So by that means thou maist inrich thy selfe And liue at pleasure when thy maister 's dead And when to market thou art sent with woll Put sand amongst it and t will make it weigh The waight twise double that it did before The ouerplus is thine into thy purse But now my sonne that keeps the Court Be thou a means to set the Peeres at strife And curri fauour for the commons loue If any but in conference name the King Informe his Maiestie they enuie him And if the king but moue or speake to thee Kneele on both knees and say God saue your Maiestie If any man be fauoured by the King Speake
Etherwald no I will haue the kitchin maid And therefore if you loue me send for her For till she come I cannot be content Eth. Father I wil not fetch her zwouns see where she comes Enter Alfrida in the kitchin maids attyre Alfrida Succesful fortune and his hearts content Daily attend the person of the King And Edgar know that I am Alfrida daughter to Osrick And lately made the Earle of Cornwals wyfe King Why is not this Alfrida Alf. No my good Lord it is the kitchin maid Whom Ethenwald in too much loue to me Hath thus attyrde to dallie with the King Maid By my troth my Lord she lies go to I le course you by and by Kin. Away base strumpet get the from my sight Mai. Go your waies you are a cogging knaue I warrant you Kin. Base Ethenwald dissembler that thou art So to dissemble with thy Soueraigne And afterward vnder a shewe of loue Thou camst to sooth thy leasing to the King Meaning by that to make me to conceiue That thy intent was iust and honourable But see at last thou hast deceiued thy selfe And Edgar hath found out thy subtiltie Which is requite thinke Edgar is thy enemie And vowes to be reuenged for this ill Go to thy husband beauteous Alfrida For Edgar can subdew affects in loue Alf. Thanks gratious King myrrour of curtesie Whose vertuous thoughts bewray thy princely mind And makes thee famous mongst thy enemies For what is he that heares of Edgars name And will not yeeld him praise as he deserues Nor hath your Grace euer bene praised more Or tearm'd more iust in any action Than you shall be in conquering your desires And yeelding pardon to Earle Ethenwald King Will you be gone Alf. Eth. Exeunt Alt. My gratious Lord I humbly take my leaue King How am I wronged and yet without redresse Dunst. Haue patience good my Lord and call to mind How you haue liued praised for vertuous gouernment You haue subdued lust vnto this day And bene reputed wyse in gouernment And will you blemish all your honours got In being tearmed a foule Adulterer Kin. Dunston forbeare for I will haue it so It bootes thee not to counsaile me in this For I haue sworne the death of Ethenwald And he shall die or Edgar will not liue Dunston it is ynough I am resolued Exit Dun. Nay if it be so then Ethenwald shall not die And since intreaties can not serue the turne I will make make proofe for once what Arte will doe Asmoroth ascende veni Asmoroth Asmoroth veni Enter the Deuill Deuil What wilt thou Dunston Tel me what means the King Deu. I wil not tell thee Dunst. I charge thee by the eternall liuing God That keeps the Prince of darknes bound in chaines And by that Sun that thou wouldst gladly see By heauen and earth and euery liuing thing Tel me that which I did demand of thee Deu. Then thus the king doth mean to murther Ethenwald Dunst. But where is the king Deu. Seeking for Ethenwald Dunston But I le preuent him follow me inuisible Deu. I wil Exeunt Enter the Priest Priest I haue bene this morning with a friend of mine That would borrow a small summe of money of me But I haue learned the best assurance a man can haue In such a matter is a good pawn of twise the valew Or bonds sufficient for fiue times the quantitie He is my neere kinsman I confesse and a Clergie man But fiftie shillings is money though I think I might trust him simply with it for a tweluemoneth where hee craues it but for a moneth yet simply I will not be so simple For I will borrow his gelding to ride to the Terme And keep away a iust fortnight If then he pay me my money I will deliuer him his horse I wold be loth to lose my mony or craue assurance of my kinsmā But this may be done to trie me I meane lykewise to try him This is plain though trulie brethren somthing subtill But here comes one would faine take my house of me Neighbor Sir I am a poore man and I wil giue you thirty shillings a yere if I may haue it you shal be sure of your money pr. Trulie brother in Christ I cannot affoord it of the price I must let my house to liue I ask no gains but who comes here Enter Honestie and a Beggar Beg. I beseech you good maister for Gods sake giue one penie to the poore lame and blind good maister giue something Priest Fy vpon thee lazy fellow art thou not ashamed to beg Read the blessed saying of S. Paul which is thou shalt get thy liuing with the sweat of thy browes and he that will not labour is not worthie to eat Hone. I but he remembers not where Christ saith hee that giueth a cup of cold water in my name shall be blessed Beg. Alas sir you see I am old priest But that 's no reason you should beg Beg. Alas sir age comming on me and my sight being gone I hope sir you will pardon mee though I beg and therefore for Gods sake one peny good master priest Why I cel thee no for the Spirit doth not mooue me thereunto and in good time looke in the blessed Prouerb of Salomon which is good deeds do not iustify a man therfore I count it sinne to giue thee any thing Hone. See how he can turne and wind the Scripture to his owne vse but he remembers not where Christ saith He that giueth to the poore lendeth vnto the Lord And he shal be repaid seuen fold but the Priest forgets that or at least wyse he will not remember it Beg. Now fie vpon thee is this the purenes of your religion God will reward you no doubt for your hard dealing priest Care not thou for that wel neighbor if thou wilt haue my house friend and brother in Christ it wil cost you fourtie shillings t is wel woorth it truely prouided this I may not stay for my rent I might haue a great deale more but I am loth to exact on my brother Hon. And yet he wil sell all a poore man hath to his shirt for one quarters rent Neigh. Gods blessing on your heart sir you made a godly exhortation an Sunday priest I brother the Spirite did mooue me thereunto Fie vpon vsurie when a man wil cut his brothers throate for a litle Lucre fie vpon it fie we are borne one to liue by another and for a man to let his owne as he may line t is allowed by the word of God but for vsurie and oppression fie on it t is vngodlie but tell me will you haue it Neigh. I will giue you as I haue profered you Priest Trulie I cannot affoord it I would I could but I must goe to our exercise of prayer after I must goe see a Farm that I should haue Exeunt Enter Dunston and Perin with the King Dunst. MOst gratious Prince vouchsafe to heare
he that hath many children Shall neuer be without some myrth Nor die without some sorrowe for if they Be vertuous he shall haue cause to reioyce But if vitious stubburne or disobedient Euer to liue in continuall sadnesse I am sorie Philarchus that my fauours haue made thee insolent Wel I wil see now if my frownes wil make thee penitent Now Father see how Nature gins to worke And how salt teares lyke drops of peely dew Fals from his eies as sorrowing his amisse Phil. Most gratious Prince vouchsafe to heare me speake I cannot but confesse most gratious Soueraigne That I haue erd in being obstinate in wilful disobedience to my syre Wherin I haue wrongd nature and your Maiesty But I am not the first whom ouersight Hath made forgetfull of a Fathers loue But Fathers loue shall neuer be forgot If he but daine to pardon my amisse But if your wrath will no waies be appeased Rip vp this breast where is inclosde that heart That bleeds with griefe to thinke on my amisse Ah Father pardon sweet Father pardon me Fath. No gracelesse Impe degenerate and vnkinde Thou art no sonne of mine but Tygers whelp That hast bene fostred by some Lyons pap But as the tallest Ash is cut down because it yeelds no fruit And an vnprofitable cow yeelding no milke is slaughtred And the idle Drone gathering no honie is contemned So vngrateful children that will yeeld no naturall obedience Must be cut off as vnfit to beare the name Christians Whose liues digresse both from reason and humanitie But as thou hast dealt vnnaturallie with me So I resolue to pull my heart from thee Therefore dread Prince vouchsafe to pitie me An grant I may haue Iustice on my sonne King Dunston how counsailest thou the King in this I promise thee I am sorie for the Youth Because in heart I euer wisht him well Dunst. My gratious Lord if I might counsell you I would counsell you to iudge as be deserues He that disdaines his Father in his want And wilfullie will disobey his Syre Deserues my Lord by Gods and Natures lawes To be rewarded with extreamest illes Then as your Grace hath stablisht lawes for gouernment So let Offenders feele the penalties King I Dunston now thou speakest as fits a counsellor But not as friend to him whom Edgar loues Father what wouldest thou haue me doe in this Thou seest thy sonne is sory for his fault And I am sure thou would not wish his death Because a fathers care commands the contrarie Then gentle Father let me plead for him And be his pledge for shunning wilfull illes Fath. Will Edgar now be found a partiall Iudge In pleading pardon for a gracelesse childe Is it not true that one cole of fyre will burne many houses And one small bracke in finest cloath that is Will both disgrace and blemish the whole peece So wilfull children spotted with one ill Are apt to fall to twentie thousand more And therefore mightie Soueraigne leaue to speake And passe iust sentence on Philarchus lyfe Philarch. My life dear father that sentence wer too hard Let me be banisht from my countries bounds And liue as exilde in some wildernes Bard from societie and sight of men Or let me hazard fortune on the seas In setting me aboord some helmlesse ship That either I may split vpon so me rocke Or els be swallowed in the purple Maine Rather than die in presence of my King Or bring that sorrow to your aged yeares If this suffise not then let me be armde And left alone among thousand foes And if my weapon cannot set me free Let them be means to take my lyfe from me King Father what say you to Philarchus now Are you content to pardon his amisse Dunston I promise thee it greeues me much To heare what piteous moane Philarchus makes 〈…〉 And his humilitie argues him penitent But Father for I will not be the Iudge To doome Philarchus either lyfe or death Here take my robes and iudge him as thou wilt Fath. Then vertuous Prince seeing you will haue it so Although the place be farre vnfit for me I am content your Grace shall haue your mind Thus lyke an Asse attyred in costlie robes Or lyke a ring thrust in a foule Sowes snowt So doe these robes and scepter fit mine age But for I am Iudge Philarchus stand thou foorth And know as ther is nothing so good but it hath some inconuenience So there is no man whatsoeuer without some fault Yet this is no argument to maintaine thy wilfull disobedience As the Rose hath his prickle the finest Ueluet his bracke The fayrest flower his bran so the best wit his wanton will But Philarchus thou hast bene more than wanton Because thou hast disobeyed the lawes both of God and nature The teares that thou hast shed might warrant me That thou art penitent for thy amisse Besides my sonne a fathers naturall care Doth chalenge pardon for thy first amisse King Father well said I see thou pitiest him Fath. Nay stay my Lord this did I speak as father to Philarchus But now my Lord I must speake as a Iudge And now Philarchus marke what I set downe Because thou hast bene disobedient And wronged thy aged father wilfullie And giuen a blow to him that nourisht thee And thereby hast incurd thy mothers curses And in that curse to feele the wrath of God And so be hated on the earth mongst men And for I will be found no partiall Iudge Because I sit as Gods Utzegerent now Here I doe banish thee from Englands bounds And neuer to Kin. There stay now let me speake the rest Philarchus thou hast heard thy fathers doome Aud what thy disobedience mooued him to Yet for thou wast once bedfellow to the king And that I loued thee as my second selfe Thou shalt go liue in France in Flanders Scotland or els where And haue annual pension sent to thee There maist thou liue in good and honest sort Untill thou be recalled by the King Phil. Thanks gratious King for this great fauour showne And may I neuer liue if I forget Your Graces kind and vnexspected loue In fauouring him whom all the world forsooke For which my Orisons shall still be spent Heauens may protect your princelie Maiestie And louing Father here vpon my knee Sory for my amisse I take my leaue Both of your selfe my King and countrimen England farewell more dearer vnto me Than pen can write or hart can think of thee Exit King Farewell Philarchus and father come to court And for Philarchus sake thou shalt not want Fath. Thanks vertuous king I humblie take my leaue Exit King Dunston I promise thee I was lyke to weepe To heare what piteous mone Philarchus made Dunston Here your Grace hath shewed your selfe to be Edgar so famed for loue and vertuous gouernment And I pray God your Grace may liue to be Long Englands king to raigne with veritie Exeunt Enter Honestie Conicatcher Broker a
Humfrie God bwy Gentlemen for none here hath occasion to vse Honesty Kni. Yes Honesty thou shalt be my brothers guest and mine Hon. Mary and I thank you to for now the world may say That Honesty dines with Hospitality to day Exeunt Enter Osrick and Alfrida and to them Ethenwald Osr. DAughter see that you entertaine the Earle As best beseemes his state and thy degree He comes to see whether Fame haue worthily Bene niggard in commending thee or no So shall thy vertues be admired at the court And thou be praised for kind and debonair For curtesie contents a Courtier oft When nothing els seemes pleasant in his eies Alfr. Father you shall perceiue that Alfrida Will doe her best in honouring of your age To entertaine the Earle of Cornwell so That he shall think him highlie fauoured Throw louing speech and curteous entertain Os. How fares my L. of Cornwel what displeased Or troubled with a mood that 's male content Eth. Not male content and yet I am not well For I am troubled with a painfull rume That when I would be mery troubles me And commonlie it holds me in my eies With such extreames that I can scantly see Osr. How long haue you bene troubled with the pain Or is it a pain that you haue vsuall Or is it some water that by taking cold Is falne into your eies and troubles you Eth I cannot tel but sure it paines me much Nor did it euer trouble me till nowe For till I came to lodge within your house My eies were cleare and I neuer felt the paine Os. I am sory that my house shuld cause your grief Daughter if you haue any skil at all I pray you vse your cunning with the Earle And see if you can ease him of his paine Alf. Father such skill as I receiued of late By reading many pretie pend receites Both for the ache of head and paine of eyes I wil if so it please the Earle to accept it Indeuour what I may to comfort him My Lord I haue waters of approoued worth And such as are not common to be found Any of which if it please your honour vse them I am in hope will help you to your sight Eth. No matchlesse Alfrida they will doe me no good For I am troubled only when I looke Alfrida On what my Lord or whome Ethen. I cannot tell Alf. Why let me see your eies my Lord looke vpon me Eth. Then t wil be worse Alf. What if you looke on me then I le be gone Eth. Nay stay sweet loue stay beauteous Alfrida And giue the Earle of Cornwel leaue to speake Know Alfrida thy beautie hath subdued And captiuate the Earle of Cornwels heart Briefly I loue thee seeme I neere so bold So rude and rashlie to prefer my sute And if your father giue but his consent Eased be that paine that troubles Ethenwald And this considered Osricke shall prooue My father and his daughter be my loue Speake Osrick shall I haue her I or no Os. My Lord with al my hart you haue my consent If so my daughter please to condiscend Ethen. But what saith Alfrida Alf. I say my Lord that seing my father grants I will not gainsay what his age thinks meet I do appoint my selfe my Lord at your dispose Eth. Wel Osrick nowe you see your daughter 's mine But tel me when shall be the wedding day Osr. On Monday next till then you are my guest Ethen. Well Osricke when our nuptiall rites are past I must to Court of businesse to the King Alfr. Let that be as you please my Lord But stay not long for I shall hardlie brooke your absence then Eth. Feare not Alfrida I will not stay there long But come let vs in Father pray lead the way Exeunt Enter the King and Dunston King TEl me Dunston what thinkest thou of the fauors of Kings Dun. I think of kings fauors as of a Marigold flower That as long as the Sun shineth openeth her leaues And with the least cloud closeth againe Or lyke the Uiolets in America that in sommer yeeld an odifferous smell And in winter a most infectious sauour For at euery ful sea they flourish or at euery dead ope they vade The fish Palerna being perfect white in the calme Yet turneth blacke with euery storme Or lyke the trees in the deserts of Africa That flourish but while the southwest wind bloweth Euen so my Lord is the fauours of kings to them they fauour For as their fauours giue lyfe so their frownes yeeld death King Wel said Dunston but what merits he that dissembles with his Soueraigne Dunston In my opinion my Lord he merits death King Then assure thy selfe if Ethenwald dissemble he shall die but who comes here Perin what newes that thou commest in such hast and what is he that beares thee company Per. It is my gratious Lord and honest man And one it seemes that loues you Maiestie For as your Grace gaue me in charge I went about into the countrey to see what summes of money I could make Among the cheefest of the communaltie And mongst the richest Knights that I could fynd They would lend your Grace at most but twenty pound And euery Squire would lend you Grace but ten Then came I mongst the rest to this plaine man And asked him what he would lend the king He aunswered sir you see I am but poore Not halfe so wealthy as a Knight or Squire And yet in signe of dutie to his Grace I wil lende his Maiestie two hundred pound King Thanks honest fellow for thy loue to vs And if I may but pleasure thee in ought Command me to the vttermost I may England hath too few men of thy good mind Enter Honestie and Piers plowman Honesty what newes where hast thou bene so long Honest. A my Lord I haue bene searching for a priuie knaue One my Lord that feeds vpon the poore commons And makes poore Piers ploughman weare a thread bare coate It is a farmer my Lord which buyes vp all the corn in the market and sends it away beyond seas thereby feeds the enemie Kin. Alas poore piers plowman what ailest thou why doest thou weep peace man if any haue offended thee Thou shalt be made amends vnto the most piers plow I beseech your Grace to pitie my distresse There is an vnknowne theefe that robs the common wealth And makes me and my poore wife and children beg for maintenance The tyme hath bene my Lord in diebus illis That the Plowmans coat was of good homespun russet cloth Whereof neither I nor my seruants had no want Though now both they and I want And all by this vnknown Farmer For there cannot be an aker of ground to be sold But he will find money to buy it nay my Lord he hath money to buy whole Lordships and yet but a Farmer I haue kept a poore house where I dwel this four score yeare Yet was I neuer driuen to
want till now I beseech your Grace as you haue still bene iust To seek redresse for this oppression I beseech your Grace reade my humble petition Kin. Let me see the humble petition of poor piers plowman Alasse poore piers I haue heard my father say That piers plowman was one of the best members in a commō wealth For his table was neuer emptie of bread beefe and beere As a help to all distressed traueilers but where thou tellest mee I harbour him and he is dailie vnder my elbow I assure thee t is more than I know for I harbour none but this which is my honest friend Hon. Is this your honest friend the deuill a is my Lord This is he if you doubt my word to be true call in Clarke of the Assyses now shall your Grace see How Honesty can shake out a knaue in this company Enter Clarke of the Assyse Sirra tell me who hath most poore men in suit at this Syses Clark That hath Walter would haue more He hath one poore man in suit for certaine Barlie And another for that his horse was taken in his corne Honest. But what inditemennts are against him read them Read the Inditement Clark First he hath conueyed corne out of the land to feede the Enemie Next hee hath turned poore Piers Plowman out of dores by his great raising of rents Next he is knowne to bee a common disturber of men of their quiet by seruing Writs on them and bringing them to London to their vtter vndoing Also he keeps corne in his barne and suffers his brethren and neighbours to lie and want and thereby makes the market so deare that the poore can buy no corne Kin. Ynough now fie vpon thee thou monster of nature To seeke the vtter vndoing of manie to inrich thy selfe Honesty take him and vse him as thou wilt Honesty Come sir I thinke I found out your knauerie Away sir and beare your fellow companie Exeunt omnes but the King and Dunston Enter Ethenwald Eth. Health and good hap befall your Maiestie Kin. Ethenwald welcome how fares our beautious loue Be breefe man what will she loue or no Eth. Then as your Grace did giue to me in charge I haue dischargde my dutie euery way And communed with the maid you so commend For when the Sun rich Father of the day eie of the world King of the spangled vale Had run the circuit of the Horizon And that Artofelex the nights bright star Had brought fair Luna from the purpled mayne Where she was dallying with her wanton loue To lend her light to wearie traueilers Then t was my chance to arriue at Osricks house But being late I could not then vnfolde The message that your Grace had giuen in charge But in the morne Aurora did appeare At sight of whom the Welkin straight did cleare Then was the spangled vale of heauen drawne in And phoebus rose lyke heauens imperiall King And ere the Sun was mounted fiue degrees The maid came downe and gaue me the good day King But being come what said she then How lykest thou her what is she fair or no Eth. My Lord she is colloured lyke the Scythia Maide That challenged Lucio at the Olympian games Well bodied but her face was something blacke Lyke those that follow houshold businesse Her eies wer hollow sunke into her head Which makes her haue a clowdie countenance She hath a pretie tongue I must confesse And yet my Lord she is nothing eloquent King Why then my Lord there 's nothing good in her Eth. Yes my Lord she is fit to serue an Earle or so But far vnfit for Edgar Englands King King So then she is fit for Ethenwald our Cornish Earle But far vnfit for Edgar Englands king Well Ethenwald I found your policie But tell me ifaith doest thou loue the maide Speake truelie man dissemble not Ethen. I doe my gratious Lord and therewithall Intreate your Maiestie to pardon me King Ethenwald I am content to pardon thee And will be with thee my selfe ere long To doe thee honour in thy mariage And therefore Ethenwald thou maist depart And leaue vs til we visite thee at home Eth. My gratious Lord I humbly take my leaue Dunst. If is please your Grace pardon me and giue me leaue I would gladlie bring my Nephew on the way Ki. With all my heart Dunston but stay not long Eth. I humbly take my leaue of your Maiesty Exeunt Dunst. and Ethenwald Kin. Farewel Ethenwald but Perin tell me now What doest thou thinke of Alfrida Is she so foule as Ethenwald reports her Beleeue me then she had bene vnfit for me per. My gratious Lord Ethenwald hath dissembled with your Maiesty For Alfrida is fair and vertuous For last night being in priuate conference He tould me he had deuised a mean To collour with the King by forged excuse No no quoth he my Alfrida is faire As is the radiant North star Christaline That guides the wet and wearie Traueller Soust with the surge of Neptunes watery main And thus my Lord he fell to praising her And from his pocket straight he drew this counterfeit And said t was made by beauteous Alfrida King A face more faire than is the Suns bright beames Or snow white Alpes beneath faire Cynthea Who would refuse with Hercules to spin When such faire faces bears vs companie Faire Pollyxena neuer was so faire Nor she that was proud loue to Troylus Great Alexanders loue Queen of Amazons Was not so faire as is faire Alfrida But perin be thou secrete to the King And I will sound these subtill practizes And Ethenwald be sure I will quittance thee And teach thee how to dallie with thy King But perin le ts to Court vntill to morne And then wee le take horse and away Exeunt Enter mad men of Goteham to wit a Miller a Cobler and a Smith Miller Now let vs conssult among our selues How to misbehaue our selues to the Kings worship Iesus blesse him and when he comes to deliuer him this petition I think the Smith were best to do it for hee s a wise man Cobler Naighbor he shall not doe it as long as Iefferay the Translater is Maior of the towne Smith And why I pray because I would haue put you from the Mace Miller No not for that but because he is no good fellow Nor he will not spend his pot for companie Smith Why sir there was a god of our occupation and I charge you by vertue of his godhed to let me deliuer the petitiō Cob. But soft you your God was a Cuckold and his Godhead was the horne and that 's the Armes of the Godhead you call vpon Go you are put down with your occupation and now I wil not grace you so much as to deliuer the petition for you Smith What dispraise our trade Cob. Nay neighbour be not angrie for I le stand to nothing onlie but this Smith But what beare witnesse a giues me the But and