That I should turn impostor to myself,
Be mine own counterfeit, belie the truth

Of

my dear mother's womb, the sacred bed Of a prince murther'd, and a living baffled! Fri. Nay, if you have no ears to hear, I have No breath to spend in vain.

War. Sir, sir, take heed!

Gold and the promise of promotion rarely
Fail in temptation.

Fri. Why to me this?

War. Nothing.

Speak what you will; we are not sunk so low
But your advice may piece again the heart

Which many cares have broken; you were wont
In all extremities to talk of comfort:

Have you none left now? I'll not interrupt you.
Good, bear with my distractions! If king James
Deny us dwelling here, next, whither must I?
I prithee be not angry.

Fri. Sir, I told you

Of letters come from Ireland; how the Cornish
Stomach their last defeat, and humbly sue,
That with such forces as you could partake,
You would in person land in Cornwall, where
Thousands will entertain your title gladly.

War. Let me embrace thee, hug thee; thou'st reviv'd

4

My comforts: if my cousin king will fail,

Our cause will never

Enter JOHN A-Water, Heron, Astley, Sketon. Welcome, my tried friends;

You keep your brains awake in our defence. Frion, advise with them of these affairs, In which be wondrous secret; I will listen What else concerns us here: be quick and wary. [Exit Ast. Ah, sweet young prince! Secretary, my fellow-counsellors and I have consulted, and jump all

in one opinion directly; and if these Scotch garboils1 do not fadge to our minds, we will pell-mell run among the Cornish choughs presently, and in a trice.

Sket. "T is but going to sea and leaping ashore, cut ten or twelve thousand unnecessary throats, fire seven or eight towns, take half a dozen cities, get into the market-place, crown him Richard the Fourth,. and the business is finished.

J. a-Wat. grant you, quoth I, so far forth, as men may do, no more than men may do; for it is good to consider, when consideration may be to the purpose, otherwise still you shall pardon me—“little said is soon amended."

Fri. Then you conclude the Cornish action surest? Her. We do so, and doubt not but to thrive abundantly. Ho, my masters, had we known of the commotion when we set sail out of Ireland, the land had been ours ere this time.

Sket. Pish, pish! 't is but forbearing being an earl or a duke a month or two longer. I say, and say it again, if the work go not on apace, let me never see new fashion more. I warrant you, I warrant you; we will have it so, and so it shall be.

Ast. This is but a cold, phlegmatic country; not stirring enough for men of spirit. Give me the heart of England for my money.

Sket. A man may batten there in a week only with hot loaves and butter, and a lusty cup of muscadine and sugar at breakfast, though he make never a meal all the month after.

J. a-Wat. Surely, when I bore office, I found by experience, that to be much troublesome was to be much wise and busy. I have observed how filching and bragging has been the best service in these last

1 i. e. if these Scotch tumults, commotions, do not suit, fit to our minds, &c.

2 With hot loaves and butter.] Our ancestors must have found something peculiarly amusing in a tailor's breakfast to justify the comic writers in these eternal references to it.-GIFFORD,

t

wars; and therefore conclude peremptorily on the design in England. If things and things may fall out, as who can tell what or how-but the end will show it.

Fri. Resolv'd like men of judgment! Here to linger

More time is but to lose it; cheer the prince,
And haste him on to this; on this depends
Fame in success, or glory in our ends.

SCENE III.

Another Part of the same.

[Exeunt.

Enter King JAMES, DURHAM, and HIALAS. Hial. France, Spain, and Germany combine a league

Of amity with England; nothing wants

For settling peace through Christendom but love
Between the British monarchs, James and Henry.
Dur. The English merchants, sir, have been re-
ceiv'd

With general procession into Antwerp;
The emperor confirms the combination.

Hial. The king of Spain resolves a marriage
For Katherine, his daughter, with prince Arthur.
Dur. France courts this holy contract.
Hial. What can hinder

A quietness in England?

Dur. But your suffrage

To such a silly creature, mighty sir,

As is but in effect an apparition,

A shadow, a mere trifle?

Hial. To this union

The good of both the church and commonwealth

Invite you.

Dur. To this unity, a mystery

Of providence points out a greater blessing

For both these nations than our human reason
Can search into. King Henry hath a daughter,
The princess Margaret; I need not urge
What honour, what felicity can follow
On such affinity 'twixt two Christian kings
Inleagued by ties of blood; but sure I am,
If you, sir, ratify the peace propos'd,

I dare both motion and effect this marriage
For weal of both the kingdoms.

K. Ja. Dar'st thou, lord bishop?

Dur. Put it to trial, royal James, by sending
Some noble personage to the English court,
By way of embassy.

Hial. Part of the business

Shall suit my mediation.

K. Ja. Well, what Heaven

Hath pointed out to be, must be; you two
Are ministers, I hope, of blessed fate.
But herein only I will stand acquitted:
No blood of innocents shall buy my peace.
For Warbeck, as you nick him, came to me,
Commended by the states of Christendom,

A prince, though in distress; his fair demeanour,
Lovely behaviour, unappalled spirit,

Spoke him not base in blood, however clouded.
The brute beasts have their rocks and caves to fly to,
And men the altars of the church; to us

He came for refuge. "Kings come near in nature
Unto the gods in being touch'd with pity."
Yet, noble friends, his mixture with our blood,
Even with our own, shall no way interrupt
A general peace; only I will dismiss him
From my protection, throughout my dominions,
In safety; but not ever to return.

Hial. You are a just king.

Dur. Wise, and herein happy.

K. Ja. Nor will we dally in affairs of weight: Huntley, lord bishop, shall with you to England Ambassador from us; we will throw down

Our weapons; peace on all sides! now, repair
Unto our council; we will soon be with you.

Hial. Delay shall question no despatch; Heaven
crown it! [Exeunt DURHAM and HIALAS.

K. Ja. A league with Ferdinand! a marriage

With English Margaret! a free release
From restitution for the late affronts!
Cessation from hostility, and all

For Warbeck, not deliver'd, but dismiss'd!
We could not wish it better.-Dalyell!

Dal. Here, sir.

Enter DALYELL.

K. Ja. Are Huntley and his daughter sent for? Dal. Sent for,

And come, my lord.

K. Ja. Say to the English prince,

We want his company.

Dal. He is at hand, sir.

Enter WARBECK, KATHERINE, JANE, FRION, HERON,
SKETON, JOHN A-WATER, and ASTLEY.

K. Ja. Cousin, our bounty, favours, gentleness,
Our benefits, the hazard of our person,
Our people's lives, our land, hath evidenced
How much we have engaged on your behalf:
How trivial, and how dangerous our hopes
Appear, how fruitless our attempts in war,
How windy, rather smoky, your assurance
Of party, shows, we might in vain repeat:
But now, obedience to the mother church,
A father's care upon his country's weal,
The dignity of state directs our wisdom
To seal an oath of peace through Christendom;
To which we are sworn already. It is you
Must only seek new fortunes in the world,
And find a harbour elsewhere. As I promis'd
On your arrival, you have met no usage
Deserves repentance in your being here;