old gentleman of my acquaintance that blocks up the paffage at the corner of the street.

Dom. What have you gotten there under you arm, daughter? fomewhat, I hope, that will bear your charges in your pilgrimage.

Lor. The fryar has an hawk's eye to gold and jewels. Elv. Here's that will make you dance without a fiddle, and provide a better entertainment for us than hedges in fummer and barns in winter. Here's the very heart, and foul, and life-blood of Gomez; pawns in abundance, old gold of widows, and new gold of prodi gals; and pearls and diamonds of court ladies, till the next bribe helps their husbands to redeem them.

Dom. They are the fpoils of the wicked, and the church endows you with them.

Lor. And, faith, we'll drink the church's health out of them. But all this while I stand on thorns; pr'ythee, dear, look out, and fee if the coast be free for our escape; for I dare not peep for fear of being known.

[Elvira goes to look out, and Gomez comes running in upon her: fhe fbrieks out.

Gom. Thanks to my ftars, I have recovered my own territorities- What do I fee! I'm ruined! I'm undone! I'm betrayed!

• Dom. [Afide.] What a hopeful enterprize is here fpoiled!'

Gom. Oh, Colonel, are you there? and you, fryar? nay, then I find how the world goes.

Lor. Chear up, man, thou art out of jeopardy; I heard thee crying out just now, and came running in full fpeed with the wings of an eagle and the feet of a tiger to thy rescue.

Gom. Ay, you are always at hand to do me a courtesy with your eagle's feet and your tiger's wings; and, what, were you here for, friar?

Dom. To interpose my spiritual authority in your half.

Gom. And why did you fhriek out, gentlewoman?
Elv. 'Twas for joy at your return.

be

Gom. And that cafket under your arm, for what end and purpote?

El. Only to preferve it from the thieves.

Gom.

Gem. And you came running out of doors-
Elv. Only to meet you, fweet hufband.

Gom. A fine evidence fummned up among you: thank you heartily; you are all my friends. The Colonel was walking by accidentally, and hearing my voice, came in to fave me; the fryar, who was hobbling the fame way too, accidentally again, and not knowing of the Colonel, I warrant you he comes in to pray for me; and my faithful wife runs out of doors to meet me with all my jewels under her arm, and fhrieks out for joy at my return. But if my father-in-law had not met your foldiers, Colonel, and delivered me in the nick, I fhould neither have found a friend nor a fryar here, and might have fhrieked out for joy myself, for the lofs of my jewels and my wife.

Dom. Art thou an infidel? Wilt thou not believe us? Gom. Such churchmen as you would make any man an infidel. Get you into your kennel, gentlewoman! I fall thank you within doors for your fafe cuftody of iny jewels, and your own. [He thrufts his wife off the flage. [Exit Elvira.] As for you, Colonel Huff-cap, we fhall try before a civil magiftrate who's the greatest plotter of us two, I against the state, or you against the petticoat. Lor. Nay, if you will complain, you shall for fome. thing. [Beats him. Gom. Murder! murder! I give up the ghoft! I am deftroyed! Help! murder! murder!

Dom. Away, Colonel, let us fly for our lives: the neighbours are coming out with forks, and fire-fhovels, and fpits, and other domestic weapons; the militia of a whole alley is raised against us.

Lor. This is but the intereft of my debt, master ufurer, the principal fhall be paid you at our next meeting. Dom. Ah, if your foldiers had but difpatched him, his tongue had been laid afleep, Colonel; but this comes of not following good counfel; ah

[Exeunt Lor. and Fryar feverally. Gom. I'll be revenged of him, if I dare; but he's fuch a terrible fellow, that my mind mifgives me; I fhall tremble when I have him before the judge: all my mis fortunes come together: I have been robbed and cuckolded, and ravished, and beaten, in one quarter of an hour; F

my

my poor limbs fmart, and my poor head achs; ay, do, do, fmart limb, ach head, and sprout horns; but I'll be hanged before I'll pity you: you must needs be married, muft ye? There's for that, [Beats his own head. ] and to a fine, young, modifh lady, muft ye? There's for that too; and, at threefcore, you old, doting cuckold, take that remembrance-A fine time of day for a man to be bound 'prentice, when he is paft ufing his trade: to fet up an equipage of noife, when he has moft need of quiet; inftead of her being under covert-baron to be under covertfemme myfelf; to have my body difabled, and my head fortified; and laftly, to be crowded into a narrow box with a fhrill treble,

That with one blaft, through the whole houfe does bound, And first taught speaking-trumpets how to found. [Exit. SCENE, the Court.

Enter Raymond, Alphonfo, and Pedro. Ray. Are thefe, are thefe, ye Powers, the promis'd joys, With which I flatter'd my long, tedious abfence, To find, at my return, my mailer murder'd? Oh, that I could but weep, to vent my paffion! But this dry forrow burns up all my tears.

Alph. Mourn inward, brother; 'tis obferv'd at court, Who weeps, and who wears black; and your return Will fix all eyes on every act of yours,

To fee how you refent king Sancho's death.

Ray. What generous man can live with that constraint Upon his foul, to bear, much less to flatter

A court like this! can I footh tyranny!
Seem pleas'd, to fee my royal mafter murder'd,
His crown ufurp'd, a distaff in a throne,
A council made of fuch as dare not speak,
And could not, if they durft; whence honeft men
Banifh themfelves, for fhame of being there:
A government, that, knowing not true wisdom,

Is fcorn'd abroad, and lives on tricks at home?

Alph. Virtue muft be thrown off, 'tis a coarse garment, Too heavy for the fun-fhine of a court.

Ray. Well then, I will diffemble for an end

So great, fo pious, as a just revenge:

You'll join with me?

Alph

Alph. No honeft man but muft.

Ped. What title has this queen but lawless force? And force must pull her down.

Alph. Truth is, I pity Leonora's cafe ; Forc❜d, for her fafety, to commit a crime Which most her foul abhors.

Ray. All he has done, or c'er can do, of good,
This one black deed has damn'd.

Ped. You'll hardly join your fon to our design.
Ray. Your reafon for't?

Ped. I want time to unriddle it :

Put on your t'other face; the Queen approaches.
Enter the Queen, Bertran, and Attendants.

Ray. And that accuried Bertran

Stalks clofe behind her, like a witch's fiend,
Preffing to be employ'd. Stand, and obferve them.
Qu. [To Ber.] Bury'd in private, and fo fuddenly!
It croffes my defign, which was to allow

The rites of funeral fitting his degree,

With all the pomp of mourning.

Bert. It was not fafe:

Objects of pity, when the caufe is new,

Would work too fiercely on the giddy croud.
Had Cæfar's body never been expos'd,

Brutus had gain'd his caufe.

Qu. Then was he lov'd?

Bert. O, never man fo much, for faint-like goodness.
Ped. [Afide.] Had bad men fear'd him but as good
He had not yet been fainted.
[men lov'd him,
Qu. I wonder how the people bear his death.

'Bert. Some difcontents there are; fome idle mur

murs:

'Ped. How, idle murmurs! let me plainly speak: The doors are all fhut up; the wealthier fort,

• With arms a-crofs, and hats upon their eyes, • Walk to and fro before their filent fhops:

• Whole droves of lenders crowd the bankers' doors,

• To call in money; thofe who have none, mark

• Where money, goes; for when they rife, 'tis plunder : The rabble gather round the man of news,

And liften with their mouths :

Some tell, fome hear, fome judge of news, fome make And he who lies moft loud, is moft believ'd.'

2. This may be dangerous.

Ray. [Afide. Pray Heaven it may.
Bert. If one of you must fall;
Self-prefervation is the first of laws;
And if, when fubjects are opprefs'd by kings,
They justify rebellion by that law :

As well may monarchs turn the edge of right
To cut for them, when felf-defence requires it.
Qu. You place fuch arbitrary power in kings,
That I much fear, if I fhould make you one,
You'll make yourself a tyrant. Let these know
By what authority you did this act.

[ir:

Bert. You much furprise me to demand that question: But fince truth must be told, 'twas by your own.

Qu. Produce it; or, by Heaven, your head fhall answer The forfeit of your tongue.

Ray. [Afide.] Brave mischief towards.

Bert. You bade me.

Qu. When, and where?

Bert. No, I confefs, you bade me not in words, The dial spoke not, but it made fhrew'd figns,

And pointed full upon the ftroke of murder:

Yet this you faid,

You were a woman ignorant and weak,

So left it to my care.

Qu. What, if I faid,

I was a woman ignorant and weak,

Were you to take th' advantage of my fex,

And play the devil to tempt me? You contriv'd, You urg'd, you drove me headlong to your toils; And if, much tir'd, and frighten'd more, I paus'd; Were you to make my doubts your own commiffion? Bert. This 'tis to ferve a prince too faithfully; Who, free from laws himself, will have that done, Which, not perform'd, brings us to fure difgrace; And, if perform'd, to ruin.

Qu. This 'tis to counfel things that are unjust; First, to debauch a king to break his laws, (Which are his fafety) and then feek protection • From him you have endanger'd; but, juft Heaven,

Where