Mus. God and Saint George!

CUD. O father, I am sore athirst!

JANE. Come in, young Cuddy, come and drink thy fill:

Bring in king Jamie with you as a guest;

For all this broil was 'cause he could not enter. [Exeunt omnes.

Enter GEORGE-A-GREENE alone.

GEO. The sweet content of men that live in love, Breeds fretting humours in a restless mind; And fancy, being check'd by fortune's spite, Grows too impatient in her sweet desires; Sweet to those men whom love leads on to bliss, But sour to me, whose hap is still amiss.

Enter [JENKIN] the Clown.

JEN. Marry, amen, sir.

GEO. Sir, what do you cry amen at?

JEN. Why, did not you talk of love?

GEO. How do you know that?

JEN. Well, though I say it that should not say it, there are few fellows in our parish so nettled with love, as I have been of late.

GEO. Sirrah, I thought no less, when the other morning you rose so early to go to your wenches. Sir, I had thought you had gone about my honest

business.

JEN. Trow you have hit it; for, master, be it known to you, there is some good-will betwixt Madge the Sousewife and I; marry, she hath another lover. GEO. Canst thou brook any rivals in thy love? JEN. A rider! no, he is a sow-gelder, and goes afoot. But Madge 'pointed to meet me in your wheat close.

GEO. Well, did she meet you there?

JEN. Never make question of that. And first I saluted her with a green gown, and after fell as hard a-wooing, as if the priest had been at our backs to have married us.

GEO. What, did she grant?

JEN. Did she grant! never make question of that. And she gave me a shirt-collar, wrought over with no counterfeit stuff.

GEO. What, was it gold?

JEN. Nay, 'twas better than gold.

GEO. What was it?

JEN. Right Coventry blue.

We had no sooner

come there, but wot you who came by?

GEO. No; who?

JEN. Clim the sow-gelder.

GEO. Came he by?

JEN. He spied Madge and I sit together: he leapt from his horse, laid his hand on his dagger, and began to swear. Now I seeing he had a dagger, and I nothing but this twig in my hand, I gave him fair words and said nothing. He comes to me, and takes me by the bosom; you whoreson slave, said he, hold my horse, and look he take no cold in his feet. No marry shall he, sir, quoth I, I'll lay my cloak underneath him I took my cloak, spread it all along, and his horse on the midst of it.

:

GEO. Thou clown, didst thou set his horse upon thy cloak?

JEN. Ay, but mark how I served him. Madge and he were no sooner gone down into the ditch, but I plucked out my knife, cut four holes in my cloak, and made his horse stand on the bare ground.

GEO. 'Twas well done. Now, sir, go and survey my fields if you find any cattle in the corn, to pound with them.

*We] The 4to. " Who,"
t were] The 4to. "was."

JEN. And if I find any in the pound, I shall turn them out.

[Exit.

Enter the EARL OF KENDAL, LORD BONFIELD, SIR GILBERT ARMSTRONG, all disguised, with a train of men.

KEN. Now we have put the horses in the corn,
Let us stand in some corner for to hear

What braving terms the Pinner will breathe,
When he spies our horses in the corn.

*

Enter JENKIN blowing of his horn.

JEN. O master, where are you? we have a prize. GEO. A prize! what is it?

JEN. Three goodly horses in our wheat close. GEO. Three horses in our wheat close! whose be they?

JEN. Marry that's a riddle to me; but they are there; velvet horses, and I never saw such horses before. As my duty was, I put off my cap, and said as followeth: My masters, what do you make in our close? One of them hearing me ask what he made there, held up his head and neighed, and after his manner laughed as heartily as if a mare had been tied to his girdle. My masters, said I, it is no laughing matter; for, if my master take you here, you go as round as a top to the pound. Another untoward jade hearing me threaten him to the pound, and to tell you of them, cast up both his heels, and let such a monstrous great fart; that was as much as in his language to say, A fart for the pound, and a fart for George-a-Greene. Now I hearing this, put on my cap, blew my horn, called them all jades, and came to tell you.

VOL. II.

* Jenkin] The 4to. "Jacke."

N

GEO. Now, sir, go and drive me those three horses to the pound.

JEN. Do you hear? I were best take a constable with me.

GEO. Why so?

JEN. Why, they being gentlemen's horses, may stand on their reputation, and will not obey me. GEO. Go, do as I bid you, sir.

JEN. Well, I may go.

The EARL OF KENDAL, the LORD BONFIELD, and SIR GILBERT ARMSTRONG, meet them.

KEN. Whither away, sir?

JEN. Whither away! I am going to put the horses in the pound.

KEN. Sirrah, those three horses belong to us, And we put them in, and they must tarry there, And eat their fill.

Hear you,

JEN. Stay, I will go tell my master. master? we have another prize: those three horses be in your wheat close still, and here be three geldings

more.

GEO. What be these?

JEN. These are the masters of the horses.

GEO. Now, gentlemen, (I know not your degrees, But more you cannot be, unless you be kings,) Why wrong you us of Wakefield with

your horses? I am the Pinner, and before you pass, You shall make good the trespass they have done. KEN. Peace, saucy mate, prate not to us.

I tell thee Pinner, we are gentlemen.

GEO. Why, sir, so may I, sir, although I give no

arms.

KEN. Thou! how art thou a gentleman ?

*Why, they, &c.] Given in the 4to. to George.

JEN. And such is my master, and he may give as good arms as ever your great grandfather could give. KEN. Pray thee, let me hear how?

JEN. Marry, my master may give for his arms the picture of April in a green jerkin, with a rook on one fist, and an horn on the other: but my master gives his arms the wrong way, for he gives the horn on his fist; and your grandfather, because he would not lose his arms, wears the horn on his own head.

KEN. Well, Pinner, sith our horses be in,
In spite of thee they now shall feed their fill,
And eat until our leisures serve to go.
GEO. Now by my father's soul,

Were good king Edward's horses in the corn,
They shall amend the scath, or kiss the pound ;
Much more yours, sir, whatsoe'er you be.

KEN. Why, man, thou knowest not us.

We do belong to Henry Momford, earl of Kendal, Men that before a month be full expir'd,

Will be king Edward's betters in the land.

GEO. King Edward's betters!* rebel, thou liest. [George strikes him. BON. Villain, what hast thou done?

Thou hast struck an earl.

GEO. Why, what care I? a poor man that is true, Is better than an earl, if he be false.

Traitors reap no better favours at my hands.

KEN. Ay, so me thinks; but thou shalt dear aby

Now or never lay hold on the Pinner.

Enter all the ambush.

[this blow.

GEO. Stay, my lords, let us parley on these broils; Not Hercules against two, the proverb is,

Nor I against so great a multitude.

betters] The 4to. "better."