advise you better, Colonel, than to accufe a churchman to churchmen: in the common cause we are all of ̧ a piece; we hang together.

Lor. [Afide.] If you don't, it were no matter if you did.

Dom. Nay, if you talk of peaching, I'll peach first, and fee whofe oath will be believed; I'll trounce you for offering to corrupt my honefty, and bribe my confcience; you fhall be fummoned by an hoft of paritors; you fhall be sentenced in the fpiritual court; you fhall be excommunicated; you fhall be out-lawed ;- -and- [Here Lorenzo takes a purfe, and plays with it, and at laft, lets the purfe fall chinking on the ground; which the fryar eyes.] [In another tone.] I lay, a man might do this now, if he were malicioufly difpofed, and had a mind to bring mát ters to extremity; but, confidering, that you are my friend, a person of honour, and a worthy good charitable man, I would rather die a thousand deaths than difoblige you. [Lorenzo takes up the purfe, and pours it into the fry ar's fleeve.] Nay, good Sir; nay, dear Colonel; Oh, Lord, Sir, what are you doing now! I profefs this must" not be without this I would have ferved you to the uttermoft; pray command me. A jealous, foul-mouthed rogue this Gomez is: I faw how he ufed you, and you marked how he used me too: Oh, he's a bitter man; but we'll join our forces; ah, fhall we, Colonel? We'll be revenged on him with a witness.

Lor. But how fhall I fend her word to be ready at the door, (for I must reveal it in confeffion to you,) that I mean to carry her away this evening, by the help of these two foldiers? I know Gomez fufpects you, and you will hardly gain admittance.

Dom. Let me alone; I fear him not; I am armed with the authority of my cloathing; yonder I fee him keeping centry at his door: have you never seen a

citizen, in a cold morning, clapping his fides, and ⚫ walking forward and backward, a mighty pace before his fhop? But I'll gain the pass, in fpite of his fuf'picion ; ftand you afide, and do but mark how I ac- ' coft him.

Lor. If he meet with a repulfe, we must throw off

the fox's skin, and put on the lion's: come, gentlemen, you'll ftand by me.

Sold. Do not doubt us, Colonel.

[They retire all three to a corner of the ftage, Dominick goes to the door where Gomez ftands.

Dom. Good even, Gomez, how does your wife? Gom. Juft as you'd have her, thinking on nothing, but her dear Colonel, and confpiring cuckoldum against

me.

Dom. I dare fay, you wrong her, he is employing her thoughts how to cure you of your jealousy.

Gom. Yes, by certainty.

Dom. By your leave, Gomez; I have some spiritual advice to impart to her on that fubject.

Gom. You may fpare your inftructions, if you please, father, fhe has no further need of them.

Dom. How, no need of them! Do you speak in riddles? Gom. Since you will have me fpeak plainer; fhe has profited fo well already by your counfel, that the can fay her leffon, without your teaching: do you understand

me now?

9

Dom. I must not negle&t my duty, for all that; once again, Gomez, by your leave.

Gom. She's a little indifpofed at prefent, and it will not be convenient to disturb her.

[Dominick offers to go by him, but t'other stands before him.

Dom. Indifpofed, fay you? Oh, it is upon thofe accafions that a confeffor is moft neceffary; I think, it was my good angel that fent me hither fo opportunely.

Gom. Ay, whofe good angel fent you hither, that you best know, father.

Dom. A word or two of devotion will do her no harm, I'm fure.

Gom. A little fleep will do her more good, I'm fure: you know she disburdened her confcience but this morn ing to you.

Dom. But, if fhe be ill this afternoon, fhe may have new occafion to confefs.

Gom. Indeed as you order matters with the Colonel, The may have occafion of confeffing herself every hour. Dom. Pray how long has the been fick ?

Goe

Gom. Lord, you will force a man to speak; why ever fince your laft defeat.

Dom. This can be but some light indisposition, it will not last, and I may fee her.

Gom. How, not laft! I fay, it will laft, and it fhall laft; the shall be fick these feven or eight days, and perhaps longer, as I fee occafion. What! I know the mind of her fickness, a little better than you do.

Dom. I find then, 1 must bring a doctor.

Gom. And he'll bring an apothecary, with a chargea ble long bill of Ana's: thofe of my family have the grace to die cheaper; in a word, Sir Dominick, we understand one another's business here: I am refolved to stand like the Swifs of my own family, to defend the entrance; you may mumble over your pater nofters, if you please, and try if you can make my doors fly open, and batter down my walls, with bell, book and candle; but I am not of opinion, that you are holy enough to commit miracles.

Dom. Men of my order are not to be treated after this

manner.

Gom. I would treat the pope and his cardinals in the fame manner, if they offered to fee my wife, without my leave.

Dom. I excommunicate thee from the church, if thou doft not open, there's promulgation coming out.

Gom. And I excommunicate you from my wife, if you go to that; there's promulgation for promulgation, and bull for bull; and fo I leave you to recreate yourfelf with the end of an old fong— "and forrow came to the old fryar." [Exit.

Enter Lorenzo and Soldiers.

Lor. I will not afk you your fuccefs; for I overheard part of it, and faw the conclufion; I find we are now put upon our last trump; the fox is earthed, but I fhall fend my two terriers in after him.

Sold. I warrant you, Colonel, we'll unkennel him.

Lor. And make what hafte you can, to bring out the lady: what fay you, father? Burglary is but a venial fin among the foldiers.

Dom. I fhall abfolve them, because he is an enemy of

the

the church-There is a proverb, I confess, which fays, that dead men tell no tales; but let your foldiers apply it at their own perils.

.

Lor. What take away a man's wife, and kill him too! The wickedness of this old villain startles me, ' and gives me a twinge for my own fin, though it comes far fhort of his:' hark you, foldiers, be sure you use as little violence to him as poffible.

Dom. Hold, a little, I have thought better how to fecure him, with lefs danger to us.

Lor. Oh, miracle! the fryar is grown confcientious! Dam. The old king, you know, is just murdered, and the perfons that did it are unknown; let the foldiers feize him for one of the affaffinates, and let me alone to accufe him afterwards.

Lor. I cry thee mercy with all my heart, for fufpecting a fryar of the leaft good-nature; what, would you accufe him wrongfully?

Dom. I must confefs, 'tis wrongful quoad hoc as to the fact itself; but 'tis rightful quoad hunc, as to this here tical rogue, whom we muft difpatch: he has railed against the church, which is a fouler crime than the murder of a thoufand kings; omne majus continet in fe minus: he that is an enemy to the church, is an enemy unto heaven; and he that is an enemy to heaven, would have killed the king if he had been in the circumstances of doing it; fo it is not wrongful to accuse him.

Lor. I never knew a churchman, if he were perfo nally offended, but he would bring in heaven by hook or crook into his quarrel. Soldiers, do as you were first ordered. [Exeunt foldiers.

Dom. What was't you ordered them? Are you fure it is fafe, and nct fcandalous?

Lor. Somewhat near your own defign, but not altogether fo mifchievous; the people are infinitely difcontented, as they have reason; and mutinies there are, or will be, against the queen; now I am content to put him thus far into the plot, that he should be fecured as a traitor; but he fhall only be prifoner at the foldiers quarters; and when I am out of reach, he shall be releafed.

Dom. And what will become of me then? For when he is free, he will infallibly accufe me.

Lor. Why then, father, you must have recourse to your infallible church-remedies, lie impudently, and fwear devoutly; and, as you told me but now, let him try whofe oath will be first believed. Retire, I hear them coming. [They withdraw.

Enter the Soldiers with Gomez ftruggling on their backs. Gom. Help, good Chriftians, help neighbours; my houfe is broken open by force, and I am ravished, and am like to be affaffinated. What do you mean, villains? Will you carry me away like a pedlar's pack upon your backs? Will you murder a man in plain day-light.

ift Sold. No; but we'll fecure you for a traitor, and for being in a plot against the state.

Gom. Who, I in a plot: Oh, Lord! Oh, Lord! I never durit be in a plot. Why, how can you in confcience fufpect a rich citizen of fo much wit as to make a plotter? There are none but poor rogues, and those that can't live without it, that are in plots.

2d Sold. Away with him, away with him.

Gom. Oh, my gold! my wife! my wife! my gold! As I hope to be faved now, I know no more of the plot than they that made it. [They carry him off, and exeunt.

Lor. Thus far have we failed with a merry gale, now we have the Cape of good Hope in fight; the tradewind is our own, if we can but double it. [He looks out.] [Afide.] Ah, my father and Pedro ftand at the corner of the street with company, there's no stirring 'till they are paft!

Enter Elvira with a Cafket.

Elv. Am I come at last into your arms?

Lor. Fear nothing? the adventure's ended, and the knight may carry off the lady fafely.

Elv. I'm fo overjoyed, I can fcarce believe I am at liberty; but ftand panting, like a bird that has often beaten her wings in vain against her cage, and at last dares hardly venture out, though the fees it open.’ Dom. Lofe no time, but make hafte while the way is free for you; and thereupon I give you my benediction.

Lor. 'Tis not fo free as you fuppofe; for there's an

old