第3章

CROAMER。

Amerry,mad,conceitedknave,mylord。

HARPOOLE。

ThatknavewassimplyputupontheBishop。

BISHOP。

Well,GodforgivehimandIpardonhim。

LethimattendhismasterintheTower,ForIincharitywishhissoulnohurt。

COBHAM。

Godblessmysoulfromsuchcoldcharity!

BISHOP。

Tooth’Towerwithhim,andwhenmyleisureserves,IwillexaminehimofArticles。

Look,mylordWarden,asyouhaveincharge,TheShriveperformhisoffice。

LORDWARDEN。

Yes,mylord。

[EntertheSumnerwithbooks。]

BISHOP。

Whatbringstthouthere?what,booksofheresy?

SUMNER。

Yea,mylord,here’snotalatinbook,no,notsomuchasourlady’sPsalter。Here’stheBible,thetestament,thePsalmsinmeter,thesickman’ssalve,thetreasureofgladness,andallinEnglish,notsomuchbuttheAlmanac’sEnglish。

BISHOP。

Awaywiththem,tothefirewiththem,Clun!

Nowfieupontheseupstartheretics。

AllEnglish!burnthem,burnthemquickly,Clun!

HARPOOLE。

Butdonot,Sumner,asyou’llanswerit,forIhavethereEnglishbooks,mylord,thatI’llnotpartwithforyourBishopric:BevisofHampton,Owlglass,theFriarandtheBoy,EleanorRumming,Robinhood,andothersuchgodlystories,whichifyeburn,bythisflesh,I’llmakeyedrinktheirashesinSaintMarget’sale。

[Exeunt。]

ACTIV。SCENEIV。TheentranceoftheTower。

[EnterBishopofRochesterwithhismeninliverycoats。]

FIRSTSERVANT。

Isityourhonor’spleasureweshallstay,Orcomebackintheafternoontofetchyou?

BISHOP。

NowyouhavebroughtmehereintotheTower,YoumaygobackuntothePortersLodge,Andsendfordrinkorsuchthingsasyouwant,WhereifIhaveoccasiontoemployyou,I’llsendsomeofficertocallyoutome。

Intothecitygonot,Icommandyou:

PerhapsImayhavepresentneedtouseyou。

SECONDSERVANT。

Wewillattendyourworshipherewithout。

BISHOP。

Doso,Iprayyou。

THIRDSERVANT。

Come,wemayhaveaquartofwineattheRoseatBarking,Iwarrantyou,andcomebackanhourbeforehebereadytogo。

FIRSTSERVANT。

Wemusthieusthen。

THIRDSERVANT。

Let’saway。

[Exeunt。]

BISHOP。

Ho,MasterLieutenant。

LIEUTENANT。

Whocallsthere?

BISHOP。

Afriendofyours。

LIEUTENANT。

MylordofRochester!yourhonor’swelcome。

BISHOP。

Sir,here’smywarrantfromtheCounsel,ForconferencewithsirJohnOld—castle,Uponsomematterofgreatconsequence。

LIEUTENANT。

Ho,sirJohn!

HARPOOLE。

Whocallsthere?

LIEUTENANT。

Harpoole,tellSirJohn,thatmylordofRochesterComesfromthecounseltoconferwithhim。

HARPOOLE。

Iwill,sir。

LIEUTENANT。

Ithinkyoumayassafewithoutsuspicion,AsanymaninEngland,asIhear,Foritwasyoumostlaboredhiscommitment。

BISHOP。

Idid,sir,andnothingrepentit,Iassureyou。

[EntersirJohnOld—castleandHarpoole。]

MasterLeiftenant,Iprayyougiveusleave,ImustconferherewithsirJohnalittle。

LIEUTENANT。

Withallmyheart,mylord。

HARPOOLE。

[Aside。]Mylord,beruledbyme:takethisoccasionwhiletisoffered,andonmylifeyourlordshipshallescape。

COBHAM。

Nomore,Isay;peace,lestheshouldsuspectit。

BISHOP。

SirJohn,Iamcomeuntoyoufromthelordsofhishighness’mosthonorablecounsel,toknowifyetyoudorecantyourerrors,conformingyouuntotheholychurch。

COBHAM。

MylordofRochester,ongoodadvise,Iseemyerror,butyet,understandme,ImeannoterrorinthefaithIhold,Buterrorinsubmittingtoyourpleasure;

Therefore,yourlordship,withoutmoretodo,Mustbeameanstohelpmetoescape。

BISHOP。

Whatmeans,thouheretic?

Darstthoubutliftthyhandagainstmycalling?

COBHAM。

No,nottohurtyouforathousandpound。

HARPOOLE。

Nothingbuttoborrowyouruppergarmentsalittle;

notawordmore,forifyoudo,youdie:peace,forwakingthechildren。There;putthemon;dispatch,mylord。Thewindowthatgoesoutintotheleadsissureenough,Itoldyouthatbefore:there,makeyouready;

I’llconveyhimafter,andbindhimsurelyintheinnerroom。

[CarriesthebishopintotheTower,andreturns。]

COBHAM。

Thisiswellbegun;Godsendushappyspeed,Hardshiftyouseemenmakeintimeofneed,Harpoole。

[Putsonthebishop’scloak。]

HARPOOLE。

HeremyLord;come,comeaway。

[Enterservingmenagain。]

FIRSTSERVANT。

Imarvelthatmylordshouldstaysolong。

SECONDSERVANT。

Hehathsenttoseekus,Idarelaymylife。

THIRDSERVANT。

Wecomeingoodtime;see,whereheiscoming。

HARPOOLE。

Ibeseechyou,goodmylordofRochester,befavourabletomylordandmaster。

COBHAM。

Theinnerroomsbeveryhotandclose,IdonotlikethisairhereintheTower。

HARPOOLE。

Hiscaseishardmylord。——YoushallsafelygetoutoftheTower;butIwilldownuponthem,inwhichtimegetyouaway。

COBHAM。

Fellow,thoutroublestme。

HARPOOLE。

Hearme,myLord!——HardunderIslingtonwaityoumycoming;IwillbringmyLady,readywithhorsestoconveyyouhence。

COBHAM。

Fellow,gobackagainuntothyLordandcounselhim。

HARPOOLE。

Nay,mygoodlordofRochester,I’llbringyoutoSaintAlbansthroughthewoods,Iwarrantyou。

COBHAM。

Villain,away。

HARPOOLE。

Nay,sinceIampasttheTower’sliberty,thoupart’stnotso。

[Hedraws。]

COBHAM。

Clubs,clubs,clubs!

FIRSTSERVANT。

Murther,murther,murther!

SECONDSERVANT。

Downwithhim!

[Theyfight。]

THIRDSERVANT。

Avillaintraitor!

HARPOOLE。

Youcowardlyrogues!

[SirJohnescapes。]

[EnterLieutenantandhismen。]

LIEUTENANT。

Whoissoboldasdaretodrawasword,SonearuntotheentranceoftheTower?

FIRSTSERVANT。

Thisruffian,servanttosirJohnOld—castle,WasliketohaveslainmyLord。

LIEUTENANT。

Layholdonhim。

HARPOOLE。

Standoff,ifyouloveyourpuddings。

[Rochestercallswithin。]

BISHOP。

Help,help,help!MasterLieutenant,help!

LIEUTENANT。

Who’sthatwithin?sometreasonintheTowerUponmylife。Lookin;who’sthatwhichcalls?

[EnterRochesterbound。]

LIEUTENANT。

Withoutyourcloak,mylordofRochester?

HARPOOLE。

There,nowitworks,thenletmespeed,fornowIsthefittesttimeformetoscapeaway。

[Exit。]

LIEUTENANT。

Whydoyoulooksoghastlyandaffrighted?

BISHOP。

Old—castle,thattraitor,andhisman,Whenyouhadleftmetoconferwithhim,Took,bound,andstriptme,asyousee,Andleftmelyinginhisinnerchamber,Andsodeparted,andI——

LIEUTENANT。

Andyou?ne’ersaythattheLordCobham’smanDidheresetuponyouliketomurtheryou。

FIRSTSERVANT。

Andsohedid。

BISHOP。

Itwasuponhismasterthenhedid,Thatinthebrawlthetraitormightescape。

LIEUTENANT。

WhereisthisHarpoole?

SECONDSERVANT。

Herehewasevennow。

LIEUTENANT。

Where?canyoutell?

SECONDSERVANT。

Theyarebothescaped。

LIEUTENANT。

Sinceitsohappensthatheisescaped,Iamgladyouareawitnessofthesame,Itmighthaveelsebeenlaiduntomycharge,ThatIhadbeenconsentingtothefact。

BISHOP。

Come,searchshallbemadeforhimwithexpedition,Thehavenslaidthatheshallnotescape,AndhueandcrycontinuethroughEngland,Tofindthisdamned,dangerousheretic。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEI。AroominlordCobham’shouseinKent。

[EnterCambridge,Scroop,andGray,asinachamber,andsetdownatatable,consultingabouttheirtreason:KingHarryandSuffolklisteningatthedoor。]

CAMBRIDGE。

Inmineopinion,Scroophathwelladvised,Poisonwillbetheonlyaptestmean,Andfittestforourpurposetodispatchhim。

GRAY。

Butyettheremaybedoubtintheirdelivery。

Harryiswise;therefore,EarlofCambridge,Ijudgethatwaynotsoconvenient。

SCROOP。

Whatthinkyethenofthis?Iamhisbedfellow,Andunsuspectednightlysleepwithhim。

WhatifIventureinthosesilenthours,Whensleephathsealedupallmortaleyes,Tomurderhiminbed?howlikeyethat?

CAMBRIDGE。

Hereinconsistsnosafetyforyourself,And,youdisclosed,whatshallbecomeofus?

Butthisday(asyeknow)hewillaboard——

Thewindssofair——andsetawayforFrance。

If,ashegoes,orenteringintheship,Itmightbedone,thenitwereexcellent。

GRAY。

Whyanyofthese,or,ifyouwill,I’llcauseApresentsittingoftheCounsel,whereinIwillpretendsomematterofsuchweightAsneedsmusthavehisroyalcompany,AndsodispatchhimintheCounselchamber。

CAMBRIDGE。

Tush,yetIhearnotanythingtopurpose。

IwonderthatlordCobhamstayssolong;

Hiscounselinthiscasewouldmuchavailus。

[Theyrisefromthetable,andtheKingstepsintothem,withhisLords。]

SCROOP。

What,shallwerisethus,anddeterminenothing?

KING。

Thatwereashameindeed;no,sitagain,Andyoushallhavemycounselinthiscase。

IfyoucanfindnowaytokillthisKing,ThenyoushallseehowIcanfurtherye:

Scroop’swayofpoisonwasindifferent,Butyet,beingbed—fellowuntotheKing,Andunsuspectedsleepinginhisbosom,Inmineopinion,that’sthelikelierway,Forsuchfalsefriendsareabletodomuch,AndsilentnightisTreason’sfittestfriend。

Now,Cambridge,inhissettinghenceforFrance,Orbytheway,orashegoesabroad,Todothedeed,whatwasindifferenttoo,Yetsomewhatdoubtful,mightIspeakmymind。

Formanyreasonsneedlessnowtourge。

Mary,LordGraycamesomethingnearthepoint:

TohavetheKingatcounsel,andtheremurderhim,AsCaesarwas,amongsthisdearestfriends:

Noneliketothat,ifallwereofhismind。

Tellme,ohtellme,you,brighthonor’sstains,Forwhichofallmykindnessestoyou,Areyebecomethustraitorstoyourking,AndFrancemusthavethespoilofharry’slife?

ALL。

Ohpardonus,dreadlord。

[Allkneeling。]

KING。

How,pardonye?thatwereasinindeed。

Dragthemtodeath,whichjustlytheydeserve,[Theyleadthemaway。]

AndFranceshalldearlybuythisvillainy,Sosoonaswesetfootingonherbreast。

Godhavethepraiseforourdeliverance;

Andnext,ourthanks,LordCobham,istothee,Trueperfectmirrorofnobility。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEII。AhighroadnearSt。Albans。

[EnterPriestandDoll。]

SIRJOHN。

Come,Doll,come;bemerry,wench。

Farewell,Kent,wearenotfondforthee。

Belusty,mylass,come,forLancashire,WemustniptheBoungforthesecrowns。

DOLL。

Why,isallthegoldspentalreadythatyouhadtheotherday?

SIRJOHN。

Gone,Doll,gone;flown,spent,vanished:thedevil,drinkandthedicehasdevouredall。

DOLL。

YoumighthaveleftmeinKent,thatyoumight,untilyouhadbeenbetterprovided,IcouldhavestayedatCobham。

SIRJOHN。

No,Doll,no,I’llnoneofthat;Kent’stoohot,Doll,Kent’stoohot。TheweathercockofWrothamwillcrownolonger:wehavepluckthim,hehaslosthisfeathers;Ihaveprunedhimbare,lefthimthrice;

ismoulted,ismoulted,wench。

DOLL。

Faith,sirJohn,Imighthavegonetoserviceagain;

oldmasterHarpooletoldmehewouldprovidemeamistress。

SIRJOHN。

Peace,Doll,peace。Come,madwench,I’llmaketheeanhonestwoman;we’llintoLancashiretoourfriends:

thetrothis,I’llmarrythee。Wewantbutalittlemoneytobuyusahorse,andtospendbytheway;thenextsheepthatcomesshalllosehisfleece,we’llhavethesecrowns,wench,Iwarrantthee。

[EntertheIrishmanwithhismasterslain。]

Stay,whocomeshere?someIrishvillain,methinks,thathasslainaman,anddrawshimoutofthewaytoriflehim。Standclose,Doll,we’llseetheend。

[TheIrishmanfallstoriflehismaster。]

IRISHMAN。

Alas,poemester,SirRishardLee,besaintPatrickisrobandcutthytrotefordeeshaine,anddymoney,anddeegoldringbemetruly:islovetheewell,butnowdowbekill,theebeeshittenkanave。

SIRJOHN。

Stand,sirra;whatartthou?

IRISHMAN。

BesaintPatrick,mester,isporeIrisman,isaleufter。

SIRJOHN。

Sirra,sirra,youareadamnedrogue;youhavekilledamanhere,andrifledhimofallthathehas。Sblood,yourogue,deliver,orI’llnotleaveyousomuchasanIrishhairaboveyourshoulders,youwhoresonIrishdog。

Sirra,untrusspresently;come,offanddispatch,orbythiscrossI’llfetchyourheadoffascleanasabark。

IRISHMAN。

Wee’sme,saintPatrick!Isekillmemesterforchainandhisring,andnowsberobofall:mee’sundoo。

[Priestrobshim。]

SIRJOHN。

Avant,yourascal!Go,sirra,bewalking。Come,Doll,thedevillaughs,whenonethiefrobsanother:come,madwench,we’lltosaintAlbans,andrevelinourbower;hey,mybravegirl。

DOLL。

OthouartoldsirJohnwhenall’sdone,yfaith。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEIII。St。Albans。Theentranceofacarrier’sinn。

[EnterthehostoftheBellwiththeIrishman。]

IRISHMAN。

Bemetro,mester,isporeIrisman,iswantludging,ishavenomoney,isstarveandcold:goodmester,givehersomemeat;isfamiseandtie。

HOST。

Yfaith,myfellow,Ihavenolodging,butwhatIkeepformyguess,thatImaynotdisappoint:asformeatthoushalthavesuchasthereis,&ifthouwiltlieinthebarn,there’sfairstraw,androomenough。

IRISHMAN。

Isthankmymesterhartily,destrawisgoodbedforme。

HOST。

Ho,Robin!

ROBIN。

Whocalls?

HOST。

ShewthispoorIrishmanintothebarn;go,sirra。

[Exeunt。]

[EntercarrierandKate。]

CLUB。

Ho,who’swithinhere?wholookstothehorses?

God’shat!here’sfinework:thehensinthemanger,andthehogsinthelitter。Abotsfoundyouall;here’sahousewelllookedto,yvaith。

KATE。

Mas,goffeClub,I’severycawd。

CLUB。

Getin,Kate,getintofireandwarmthee。Ho!JohnHostler。

[EnterHostler。]

HOSTLER。

What,gafferClub?welcometosaintAlbans。HowdoesallourfriendsinLancashire?

CLUB。

Well,Godhavemercy,John;howdoesTom;where’she?

HOSTLER。

O,Tomisgonefromhence;he’satthethreehorse—lovesatStony—stratford。HowdoesoldDickDunne?

CLUB。

God’shat,oldDunnehasbeenmoyerdinasloughinBrickhill—lane,aplaguefoundit;yonderissuchabominationweatherasneverwasseen。

HOSTLER。

God’shat,thief,haveonehalfpeckofpeasandoatsmoreforthat:asIamJohnOstler,hehasbeeneverasgoodajadeasevertravelled。

CLUB。

Faith,wellsaid,oldJack;thouarttheoldladstill。

HOSTLER。

Come,GafferClub,unload,unload,andgettosupper,andI’llrubdunthewhile。Come。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEIV。Thesame。Aroominthecarrier’sinn。

[Enterthehost,sirJohnOld—castle,andHarpoole。]

HOST。

Sir,youarewelcometothishouse,tosuchashereiswithallmyheart,but,bythemass,Ifearyourlodgingwillbetheworst。Ihavebuttwobeds,andtheyarebothinachamber,andthecarrierandhisdaughterliesintheone,andyouandyourwifemustlieintheother。

COBHAM。

Infaith,sir,formyselfIdonotgreatlypass。

Mywifeisweary,andwouldbeatrest,Forwehavetravelledveryfartoday;

Wemustbecontentwithsuchasyouhave。

HOST。

ButIcannottellhowtodowithyourman。

HARPOOLE。

What,hastthouneveranemptyroominthyhouseforme?

HOST。

Notabed,bymytroth:therecameapoorIrishman,andIlodgedhiminthebarn,wherehehasfairstraw,thoughhehavenothingelse。

HARPOOLE。

Well,minehost,Ipraytheehelpmetoapairoffairsheets,andI’llgolodgewithhim。

HOST。

Bythemass,thatthoushalt;agoodpairofhempensheets,wereneverlainin:Come。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEV。Thesame。Astreet。

[EnterConstable,Mayor,andWatch。]

MAYOR。

What?haveyousearchedthetown?

CONSTABLE。

Allthetown,sir;wehavenotleftahouseunsearchedthatusestolodge。

MAYOR。

Surely,mylordofRochesterwasthendeceived,OrillinformedofsirJohnOld—castle,Orifhecamethiswayhe’spastthetown。

Hecouldnotelsehavescapedyouinthesearch。

CONSTABLE。

Theprivywatchhathbeenabroadallnight,AndnotastrangerlodgethinthetownButheisknown;onlyalustypriestWefoundinbedwithaprettywench,Thatsayssheishiswife——yonderatthesheeres;

ButwehavechargedthehostwithhisforthcomingTomorrowmorning。

MAYOR。

Whatthinkyoubesttodo?

CONSTABLE。

Faith,mastermayor,here’safewstragglinghousesbeyondthebridge,andalittleInnwherecarriersusetolodge,thoughIthinksurehewouldne’erlodgethere:butwe’llgosearch,&therather,becausetherecamenoticetothetownthelastnightofanIrishman,thathaddoneamurder,whomwearetomakesearchfor。

MAYOR。

Come,Iprayyou,andbecircumspect。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEVI。Thesame。BeforetheCarrier’sInn。

EnterWatch。

FIRSTWATCH。

Firstbesetthehouse,beforeyoubeginthesearch。

SECONDWATCH。

Content;everymantakeaseveralplace。

[Hereisheardagreatnoisewithin。Keep,keep,strikehimdownthere,downwithhim]]

[EnterConstablewiththeIrishmaninHarpoole’sapparel。]

CONSTABLE。

Come,youvillainousheretic,confesswhereyourmasteris。

IRISHMAN。

Vatmester?

MAYOR。

Vatmester,youcounterfeitrebel?thisshallnotserveyourturn。

IRISHMAN。

BesentPatrickIhanomester。

CONSTABLE。

Where’sthelordCobham,sirJohnOld—castle,thatlatelyisescapedoutoftheTower?

IRISHMAN。

VatlortCobham?

MAYOR。

Youcounterfeit,thisshallnotserveyou;we’lltortureyou,we’llmakeyoutoconfesswherethatarch—heretic,LordCobham,is:come,bindhimfast。

IRISHMAN。

Ahone,ahone,ahone,aCree!

CONSTABLE。

Ahone,youcraftyrascal!

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEVII。Thesame。TheyardoftheInn。

[LordCobhamcomesoutinhisgownstealing。]

COBHAM。

Harpoole,Harpoole,Ihearamarvelousnoiseaboutthehouse:Godwarrantus,Ifearwearepursued:

what,Harpoole。

HARPOOLE。

[Within。]Whocallsthere?

COBHAM。

TisI;dostthounothearanoiseaboutthehouse?

HARPOOLE。

Yes,mary,doI:——zwounds,Icannotfindmyhose;

thisIrishrascalthatwaslodgedwithmeallnighthathstolenmyapparel,andhasleftmenothingbutalowsymantle,andapairofbrogues。Getup,getup,andifthecarrierandhiswenchbeasleep,changeyouwiththemashehathdonewithme,andseeifwecanescape。

[ExitlordCobham。]

[Ahoiseagainheardaboutthehouse,aprettywhile;

thenentertheConstable,meetingHarpooleintheIrishman’sapparel。]

CONSTABLE。

Standclose,herecomestheIrishmanthatdidthemurther;byalltokens,thisishe。

MAYOR。

Andperceivingthehousebeset,wouldgetaway。

Stand,sirra。

HARPOOLE。

Whatarethouthatbidstmestand?

CONSTABLE。

IamtheOfficer,andamcometosearchforanIrishman,suchavillainasthyself,thathastmurtheredamanthislastnightbythehighway。

HARPOOLE。

Sblood,Constable,artthoumad?amIanIrishman?

MAYOR。

Sirra,we’llfindyouanIrishmanbeforewepart:layholduponhim。

CONSTABLE。

Makehimfast。Othoubloodyrogue!

[EnterLordCobhamandhisladyinthecarrierandwenchesapparel。]

COBHAM。

What,willtheseOstlerssleepallday?

Goodmorrow,goodmorrow。Come,wench,come。

Saddle!saddle!NowaforeGodtoofairdays,ha?

CONSTABLE。

Whocomesthere?

MAYOR。

Oh,tisLancashirecarrier;lethimpass。

COBHAM。

What,willnobodyopenthegateshere?

Come,let’sintstabletolooktoourcapons。

[ExeuntCobhamandhisLady。]

[Thecarriercalling。]

CLUB。

[Calling。]Host!whyostler!zwooks,here’ssuchabominationcompanyofboys。Apoxofthispigstyatthehouseend:itfillsallthehousefulloffleas。

Ostler!ostler!

[EnterOstler。]

OSTLER。

Whocallsthere?whatwouldyouhave?

CLUB。

Zwooks,doyourobyourguests?doyoulodgeroguesandslaves,andscoundrels,ha?theyhastolenourclotheshere:why,ostler!

OSTLER。

Amurreinchokeyou,whatabawlinyoukeep。

[EnterHost。]

HOST。

Hownow,whatwouldthecarrierhave?lookupthere。

OSTLER。

Theysaythatthemanandwomanthatlaybythemhavestolentheirclothes。

HOST。

What,arethestrangefolksupyetthatcomeinyesternight?

CONSTABLE。

What,minehost,upsoearly?

HOST。

What,masterMayor,andmasterConstable!

MAYOR。

Wearecometoseekforsomesuspectedpersons,Andsuchasherewefound,haveapprehended。

[EntertheCarrierandKateinlordCobhamandladiesapparel。]

CONSTABLE。

Whocomeshere?

CLUB。

Whocomeshere?aplaguefoundome!youbawl,quotha!

odshat,I’llforzwearyourhouse:youlodgedafellowandhiswifebythatharunawaywithourparrel,andleftussuchgew—gawshere!——ComeKate,cometome,thowsedizeard,yfaith。

MAYOR。

Minehost,knowyouthisman?

HOST。

Yes,masterMayor,I’llgivemywordforhim。Why,neighborClub,howcomesthisgearabout?

KATE。

Now,afowlont,Icannotmakethisgew—gawstandonmyhead:nowtheladsandthelasseswonfloutmetootoo——

CONSTABLE。

Howcamethismanandwomanthusattired?

HOST。

Herecameamanandwomanhitherthislastnight,whichIdidtakeforsubstantialpeople,andlodgedallinonechamberbythesefolks,methinks,havebeensoboldtochangeapparel,andgoneawaythismorningeretheyrose。

MAYOR。

Thatwasthatvillaintraitor,Old—castle,thatthusescapedus:

makeouthueandcryyetafterhim,keepfastthattraitorousrebel,hisservant,there:farewell,minehost。

CARRIER。

Come,KateOwdham,thouandIsetrimlydizard。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEVIII。AwoodnearSt。Albans。

[EntersirJohnOld—castle,andhisLadydisguised。]

COBHAM。

Come,Madam,happilyescaped;hereletussit。

Thisplaceisfarremotefromanypath,Andhereawhileourwearylimbsmayrest,Totakerefreshing,freefromthepursuitOfenviousRochester。

LADYCOBHAM。

Butwhere,myLord,Shallwefindrestforourdisquietminds?

Theredwelluntamedthoughtsthathardlystop,Tosuchabasementofdisdainedrags。

Wewerenotwonttotravelthusbynight,Especiallyonfoot。

COBHAM。

Nomatter,love;

Extremitiesadmitnobetterchoice,Andwereitnotforthee,sayfrowardtimeImposedagreatertask,IwouldesteemitAslightlyasthewindthatblowsuponus;

ButinthysufferenceIamdoublytasked。

Thouwastnotwonttohavetheearththystool,Northemoistdewygrassthypillow,norThychambertobethewidehorizon。

LADYCOBHAM。

Howcanitseematrouble,havingyouApartnerwithmeintheworstIfeel?

No,gentleLord,yourpresencewouldgiveeaseTodeathitself,shouldhenowseizeuponme。

Beholdwhatmyforesighthathunderta’en[Here’sbreadandcheese&abottle。]

Forfearwefaint;theyarebuthomelycates,Yetsaucedwithhunger,theymayseemassweetAsgreaterdaintieswewerewonttotaste。

COBHAM。

PraisebetohimwhoseplentysendsboththisAndallthingselseourmortalbodiesneed;

Norscornwethispoorfeeding,northestateWenowarein,forwhatisitonearth,Nay,underheaven,continuesatastay?

Ebbsnotthesea,whenithathoverflown?

Followsnotdarknesswhenthedayisgone?

AndseewenotsometimetheeyeofheavenDimmedwithoverflyingclouds:there’snotthatworkOfcarefulnature,orofcunningart,(Howstrong,howbeauteous,orhowrichitbe)

Butfallsintimetoruin。Here,gentleMadame,InthisonedraughtIwashmysorrowdown。

[Drinks。]

LADYCOBHAM。

AndI,encouragedwithyourcheerfulspeech,Willdothelike。

COBHAM。

PrayGodpoorHarpoolecome。

IfheshouldfallintotheBishop’shands,Ornotrememberwherewebadehimmeetus,Itwerethethingofallthingselse,thatnowCouldbreedrevoltinthisnewpeaceofmind。

LADYCOBHAM。

Fearnot,myLord,he’swittytodevise,Andstrongtoexecuteapresentshift。

COBHAM。

Thatpowerbestillhisguidehathguidedus!

Mydrowsyeyeswaxheavy:earlyrising,Togetherwiththetravelwehavehad,MakemethatIcouldgladlytakeanap,WereIpersuadedwemightbesecure。

LADYCOBHAM。

Letthatdependonme:whilstyoudosleep,I’llwatchthatnomisfortunehappenus。

Laythenyourheaduponmylap,sweetLord,Andboldlytakeyourrest。

COBHAM。

Ishall,dearwife,Betoomuchtroubletothee。

LADYCOBHAM。

Urgenotthat;

Mydutybindsme,andyourlovecommands。

IwouldIhadtheskillwithtunedvoiceTodrawonsleepwithsomesweetmelody,Butimperfection,andunaptnesstoo,Arebothrepugnant:fearinserttheone,Theothernaturehathdeniedmeuse。

ButwhattalkIofmeanstopurchasethat,Isfreelyhappened?sleepwithgentlehandHathshuthiseye—lids。Ohvictoriouslabour,Howsoonthypowercancharmthebodiessense?

Andnowthoulikewiseclimbstuntomybrain,Makingmyheavytemplesstooptothee。

GreatGodofheavenfromdangerkeepusfree。

[Bothsleep。]

[EntersirRichardLee,andhismen。]

LEE。

Amurdercloselydone,andinmyground?

Searchcarefully,ifanywhereitwere,Thisobscurethicketisthelikeliestplace。

SERVANT。

Sir,Ihavefoundthebodystiffwithcold,Andmangledcruellywithmanywounds。

LEE。

Lookifthouknowesthim,turnhisbodyup。——

Alack,itismyson,mysonandheir,WhomtwoyearssinceIsenttoIreland,Topracticetherethedisciplineofwar,Andcominghome(forsohewrotetome)

Somesavageheart,somebloodydevilishhand,Eitherinhate,orthirstingforhiscoin,Hathheresluicedouthisblood。Unhappyhour,Accursedplace,butmostinconstantfate,Thathadstreservedhimfromthebullet’sfire,Andsufferedhimtoscapethewood—karn’sfury,Didsthereordainthetreasureofhislife,(Evenherewithinthearmsoftenderpeace,Andwheresecuritygavegreatesthope)

Tobeconsumedbytreason’swastefulhand!

Andwhatismostafflictingtomysoul,ThatthishisdeathandmurthershouldbewroughtWithouttheknowledgebywhosemeanstwasdone。

SECONDSERVANT。

Notso,sir;Ihavefoundtheauthorsofit。

Seewheretheysit,andintheirbloodyfists,Thefatalinstrumentsofdeathandsin。

LEE。

Justjudgementofthatpower,whosegraciouseye,Loathingthesightofsuchaheinousfact,Dazzledtheirsenseswithbenumbingsleep,Tilltheirunhallowedtreacherywereknown!

Awake,yemonsters;murderers,awake;

Trembleforhorror;blush,youcannotchoose,Beholdingthisinhumanedeedofyours。

COBHAM。

Whatmeanyou,sir,totroublewearysouls,Andinterruptusofourquietsleep?

LEE。

Ohdevilish!canyouboastuntoyourselvesOfquietsleep,havingwithinyourheartsTheguiltofmurderwaking,thatwithcriesDeafstheloudthunder,andsolicitsheavenWithmorethanMandrake’sshrieksforyouroffence?

LADYCOBHAM。

Whatmurder?youupbraiduswrongfully。

LEE。

Canyoudenythefact?seeyounothereThebodyofmysonbyyoumis—done?

Lookonhiswounds,lookonhispurplehue:

Dowenotfindyouwherethedeedwasdone?

Werenotyourknivesfastclosedinyourhands?

Isnotthisclothanargumentbeside,Thusstainedandspottedwithhisinnocentblood?

Thesespeakingcharacters,werenothingelseTopleadagainstye,wouldconvictyouboth。

Bringthemaway,bereaversofmyjoy。

AtHartford,wheretheSizesnowarekept,Theirlivesshallanswerformyson’slostlife。

COBHAM。

Asweareinnocent,somaywespeed。

LEE。

AsIamwronged,somaythelawproceed。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEIX。St。Albans。

[EnterbishopofRochester,constableofSt。Albans,withsirJohnofWrotham,Dollhiswench,andtheIrishmaninHarpoole’sapparel。]

BISHOP。

Whatintricateconfusionhavewehere?

Nottwohourssinceweapprehendedone,InhabitIrish,butinspeechnotso:

Andnowyoubringanother,thatinspeechIsaltogetherIrish,butinhabitSeemstobeEnglish:yeaandmorethanso,TheservantofthathereticLordCobham。

IRISHMAN。

Fait,mebenoservantofthelordCobham,MebeMackChaneofVister。

BISHOP。

OtherwisecalledHarpooleofKent;goto,sir,YoucannotblinduswithyourbrokenIrish。

SIRJOHN。

Trustme,myLordBishop,whetherIrish,OrEnglish,HarpooleornotHarpoole,thatIleavetobedecidedbythetrial:

ButsureIamthismanbyfaceandspeechIshethatmurderedyoungsirRichardLee——

Imethimpresentlyuponthefact——

Andthatheslewhismasterforthatgold;

Thosejewels,andthatchainItookfromhim。

BISHOP。

Well,ouraffairsdocallusbacktoLondon,Sothatwecannotprosecutethecause,Aswedesiretodo;thereforeweleaveThechargewithyou,toseetheybeconveyedToHartfordSise:boththiscounterfeitAndyou,sirJohnofWrotham,andyourwench,Foryouareculpableaswellasthey,Thoughnotformurder,yetforfelony。

ButsinceyouarethemeanstobringtolightThisgracelessmurder,youshallbearwithyouOurletterstotheJudgesofthebench,Tobeyourfriendsinwhattheylawfulmay。

BISHOP。

So,awaywiththem。

[Exeunt。]

ACTV。SCENEX。Hertford。AHallofJustice。

[EnterGaolerandhisman,bringingforthOld—castle。]

GAOLER。

Bringforththeprisoners,seethecourtprepared;

TheJusticesarecomingtothebench。

So,lethimstand;away,andfetchtherest。

[Exeunt。]

COBHAM。

Oh,givemepatiencetoendurethisscourge,Thouthatartfountainofthatvirtuousstream,Andthoughcontempt,falsewitness,andreproachHangontheseirongyves,topressmylifeAslowasearth,yetstrengthenmewithfaith,ThatImaymountinspiritabovetheclouds。

[EnterGaoler,bringinginLadyOld—castleandHarpoole。]

Herecomesmylady:sorrow,tisforherThywoundisgrievous;elseIscoffatthee。

What,andpoorHarpoole!artthouithbryarstoo?

HARPOOLE。

Ifaith,myLord,Iamin,getouthowIcan。

LADYCOBHAM。

Say,gentleLord,fornowwearealone,Andmayconfer,shallweconfessinbrief,Ofwhence,andwhatweare,andsopreventTheaccusationiscommencedagainstus?

COBHAM。

Whatwillthathelpus?beingknown,sweetlove,Weshallforheresybeputtodeath,Forsotheytermthereligionweprofess。

No,ifitbeordainedwemustdie,Andatthisinstant,thisourcomfortbe,Thatoftheguiltimposed,oursoulsarefree。

HARPOOLE。

Yea,yea,mylord,Harpooleissoresolved。

Iwreakofdeaththeless,inthatIdieNotbythesentenceofthatenviouspriestTheBishopofRochester:oh,wereithe,OrbyhismeansthatIshouldsufferhere,Itwouldbedoubletormenttomysoul。

LADYCOBHAM。

Well,beitthenaccordingasheavenplease。

[EnterlordJudge,twoJustices,MayorofSaintAlbans,lordPowesseandhislady,andoldsirRichardLee:theJudgeandJusticestaketheirplaces。]

JUDGE。

Now,MasterMayor,whatgentlemanisthat,Youbringwithyoubeforeusandthebench?

MAYOR。

TheLordPowis,ifitlikeyourhonor,AndthishisLady,travellingtowardWales,Who,fortheylodgedlastnightwithinmyhouse,AndmyLordBishopdidlaysearchforsuch,Wereverywillingtocomeonwithme,Lestfortheirsakessuspicionmemightwrong。

JUDGE。

Wecryyourhonormercy,goodmyLord,Wiltpleaseyetakeyourplace。Madame,yourladyshipMayhereorwhereyouwillreposeyourself,Untilthisbusinessnowinhandbepast。

LADYPOWIS。

Iwillwithdrawintosomeotherroom,SothatyourLordshipandtherestbepleased。

JUDGE。

Withallourhearts:attendtheLadythere。

LORDPOWIS。

Wife,Ihaveeyedyondprisonersallthiswhile,Andmyconceitdothtellme,tisourfriend,ThenobleCobham,andhisvirtuousLady。

LADYPOWIS。

Ithinknoless:aretheysuspected,trowye,Fordoingofthismurder?

LORDPOWIS。

WhatismeansIcannottell,butweshallknowanon。

Meanspaceasyoupassbythem,askthequestion,Butdoitsecretly,youbenotseen,AndmakesomesignthatImayknowyourmind。

LADYPOWIS。

MyLordCobham?madam?

[Asshepassethoverthestagebythem。]

COBHAM。

NoCobhamnow,normadam,asyouloveus,ButJohnofLancashire,andIonehiswife。

LADYPOWIS。

Ohtell,whatisitthatourlovecando,Topleasureyou?forweareboundtoyou。

COBHAM。

Nothingbutthis,thatyouconcealournames;

So,gentlelady,passforbeingspied。

LADYPOWIS。

MyheartIleave,tobearpartofyourgrief。

[Exit。]

JUDGE。

Calltheprisonerstothebar。SirRichardLee,Whatevidencecanyoubringagainstthesepeople,Toprovethemguiltyofthemurderdone?

LEE。

Thisbloodytowelandthesenakedknives,Besidewefoundthemsittingbytheplace,Wherethedeadbodylay,withinabush。

JUDGE。

Whatansweryouwhylawshouldnotproceed,Accordingtotheevidencegivenin,Totaxyewiththepenaltyofdeath?

COBHAM。

Thatwearefreefrommurder’sverythoughts,Andknownothowthegentlemanwasslain。

FIRSTJUSTICE。

Howcamethislinenclothsobloodythen?

LADYCOBHAM。

Myhusbandhotwithtravelling,mylord,Hisnosegushedoutableeding,thatwasit。

SECONDJUSTICE。

Butwhereforewereyoursharpedgedknivesunsheathed?

LADYCOBHAM。

Tocutsuchsimplevictualaswehad。

JUDGE。

Sayweadmitthisanswertothosearticles,Whatmadeyeinsoprivateadarknook,Sofarremotefromanycommonpath,Aswasthethickwherethedeadcorpsewasthrown?

COBHAM。

Journeying,mylord,fromLondonfromtheterm,DownintoLancashirewherewedodwell,Andwhatwithageandtravelbeingfaint,Wegladlysoughtaplacewherewemightrest,Freefromresortofotherpassengers,Andsowestrayedintothatsecretcorner。

JUDGE。

Thesearebutambagestodriveoftime,AndlingerJusticefromherpurposedend。

Butwhoarethese?

[EntertheConstable,bringingintheIrishman,sirJohnofWrotham,andDoll。]

CONSTABLE。

StayJudgement,andreleasethoseinnocents,Forhereishe,whosehandhathdonethedeed,Forwhichtheystandindictedatthebar,——

Thissavagevillain,thisrudeIrishslave。

Histonguealreadyhathconfessedthefact,Andhereiswitnesstoconfirmasmuch。

SIRJOHN。

Yes,mygoodLords,nosoonerhadheslainHislovingmasterforthewealthhehad,ButIupontheinstantmetwithhim,Andwhathepurchasedwiththelossofblood:

WithstrokesIpresentlybereavedhimof;

Someofthewhichisspent,therestremainingIwillinglysurrendertothehandsOfoldsirRichardLee,asbeinghis。

Beside,myLordJudge,IgreetyourhonorWithlettersfrommyLordofRochester。

[Deliversaletter。]

LEE。

IsthisthewolfwhosethirstythroatdiddrinkMydearson’sblood?artthouthesnakeHecherished,yetwithenviouspiercingstingAssailedhimmortally?foulstigmatic,Thouvenomofthecountrywherethoulivedst,Andpestilenceofthis:wereitnotthatlawStandsreadytorevengethycruelty,TraitortoGod,thymaster,andtome,Thesehandsshouldbethyexecutioner。

JUDGE。

Patience,sirRichardLee,youshallhavejustice,Andhetheguerdonofhisbasedesert。

Thefactisodious;therefore,takehimhence,Andbeinghangeduntilthewretchbedead,HisbodyaftershallbehandedinchainsNeartotheplacewherehedidactthemurder。

IRISHMAN。

Prethee,Lordshudge,letmehavemineownclothes,mystroucesthere,andletmebehangedinawithaftermycuntry——theIrish——fashion。

[Exit。]

JUDGE。

Goto;awaywithhim。Andnow,sirJohn,Althoughbyyouthismurthercametolight,Andthereinyouhavewelldeserved,yetuprightlaw,Sowillnothaveyoubeexcusedandquit,ForyoudidrobtheIrishman,bywhichYoustandattaintedhereoffelony。

Beside,youhavebeenlewd,andmanyyearsLedalascivious,unbeseeminglife。

SIRJOHN。

Ohbut,myLord,herepents,sirJohnrepents,andhewillmend。

JUDGE。

Inhopethereof,togetherwiththefavour,MyLordofRochesterentreatsforyou,Wearecontentyoushallbeproved。

SIRJOHN。

IthankyougoodLordship。

JUDGE。

Theseotherfalselyhereaccused,andbroughtInperilwrongfully,weinlikesortDosetatliberty,payingtheirfees。

LORDPOWIS。

Thatoffice,ifitpleaseye,Iwilldo,Forcountriessake,becauseIknowthemwell。

Theyaremyneighbours,thereforeofmycostTheirchargesshallbepaid。

LEE。

Andforamends,TouchingthewrongunwittinglyIhavedone,Thereareafewcrownsmoreforthemtodrink。

[Givesthemapurse。]

JUDGE。

Yourkindnessmeritspraise,sirRichardLee:

Soletushence。

[ExeuntallbutLordPowisandOld—castle。]

LORDPOWIS。

ButPowisstillmuststay。

ThereyetremainsapartofthattrueloveHeoweshisnoblefriendunsatisfied,Andunperformed,whichfirstofalldothbindmeTogratulateyourlordship’ssafedelivery,Andthenentreat,thatsinceunlookedforthusWeherearemet,yourhonorwouldvouchsafe,ToridewithmetoWales,wheretomypower,(Thoughnottoquittancethosegreatbenefits,Ihavereceivedofyou)yetbothmyhouse,Mypurse,myservants,andwhatelseIhave,Areallatyourcommand。Denymenot;

IknowtheBishop’shatepursuesyeso,Asthere’snosafetyinabidinghere。

COBHAM。

Tistrue,myLord,andGodforgivehimforit。

LORDPOWIS。

Then,letushence:youshallbestraightprovidedOflustygeldings,andonceenteredWales,WellmaytheBishophunt,but,spitehisface,Henevermoreshallhavethegameinchase。

[Exeunt。]

FINIS。