SCENE II-A hall in Lady ALLWORTH'S

House.

Enter OVERREACH, GREEDY, ORDER, AMBLE, FURNACE, and MARRALL,

Greedy. Not to be seen?

Over. Still cloistered up? her reason,

I hope, assures her, though she makes herself Close prisoner ever for her husband's loss 'Twill not recover him.

Order. Sir, it is her will;

Which we, that are her servants, ought to serve, And not dispute. However, you are nobly wel

come :

And, if you please to stay, that you may think so,
There came, not six days since, from Hull, a pipe
Of rich canary; which shall spend itself
For my lady's honour.

Greedy. Is it of the right race?
Order. Yes, Mr Greedy.

Amble. How his mouth runs over!

Furn. I'll make it run and run. Save your good worship!

Greedy. Honest Mr Cook, thy hand; again! How I love thee!

Are the good dishes still in being? speak, boy. Furn. If you have a mind to feed, there is a chine

Of beef well seasoned.

Greedy. Good.

Furn. A pheasant, larded.

Greedy. That I might now give thanks for it! Furn. Other kick-shaws.

Besides, there came last night, from the forest of
Sherwood,

The fattest stag I ever cooked.
Greedy. A stag, man?

Furn. A stag, sir; part of it is prepared for dinner,

And baked in puff-paste.

Greedy. Puff-paste, too, Sir Giles!

A ponderous chine of beef! a pheasant larded! And red deer, too, Sir Giles, and baked in puffpaste!

All business set aside, let us give thanks here.
Over. You know we cannot.

Mar. Your worships are to sit on a commission,

And if you fail to come, you lose the cause. Greedy. Cause me no causes; I'll prove it, for such a dinner,

We may put off a commission; you shall find it Henrici decimo quarto.

Over. Fie, Mr Greedy!

And I, in thankfulness, will, by your boy,
Send you a brace of three-pences.
Furn. Will you be so prodigal?
Over. Remember me to your lady.

Enter WELLBORN.

Who have we here?

Well. Don't you know me?

Over. I did once, but now I will not; Thou art no blood of mine. Avaunt, thou beggar!

If ever thou presume to own me more,
I'll have thee caged and whipped.
Greedy. I'll grant the warrant.

I do love thee, Furnace,

E'en as I do malmsey in a morning.
Think of pye-corner, Furnace !

[Exeunt OVERREACH, GREEDY, and MARRAL. Amble. Will you out, sir?

I wonder how you durst creep in.
Order. This is rudeness
And saucy impudence.

Amble. Cannot you stay

To be served among your fellows from the basket,

But you must press into the hall ?

Furn. Prithee, vanish

Only to consume meat and drink, and batten Upon reversions; Who advances? who Shews me the way?

Order. Here comes my lady.

Enter LADY.

Lady. What noise is this?

Well. Madam, my designs bear me to you. Lady. To me?

Well. And though I have met with

But ragged entertainment from your grooms here, I hope from you to receive that noble usage,

band;

Though sworn, that it can ever find belief;
That I, who to the best men of this country
Denied my presence since my husband's death,
Can fall so low as to change words with thee?
Well. Scorn me not, good lady;
But as, in form, you are angelical,
Imitate the heavenly natures, and vouchsafe
At least a while to hear me. You will grant,
The blood, that runs in this arm, is as noble
As that which fills your veins. Your swelling
titles,

Equipage, and fortune; your mens' observance,
And women's flattery, are in you no virtues;
Nor these rags, with my poverty, in me vices.
You have a fair fame, and, I know, deserve it;
Yet, lady, I must say, in nothing more,
Than in the pious sorrow you have shewn
For your late noble husband.

Order. How she starts!

Well. That husband, madam, was once, in his fortune,

Almost as low as I. Want, debts, and quarrels,
Lay heavy on him: let it not be thought
A boast in me, though I say, I relieved him.
'Twas I, that gave him fashion; mine, the sword
That did, on all occasions, second his;
I brought him on and off, with honour, lady:
And, when in all men's judgments, he was
sunk,

And in his own hopes not to be buoyed up,
I stepped unto him, took him by the hand,
And brought him to the shore.

Furn. Are not we base rogues,
That could forget this?

Well. I confess, you made him
Master of your estate; nor could your friends,
Though he brought no wealth with him, blame
you for it:

For he had a shape, and to that shape a mind,
Made up of all parts, either great or noble,

SCENE I-A landscape. Enter OVERREACH and MARRALL.

Resisted, madam.

Lady. 'Tis most true, he had.

Well. For his sake, then, in that I was his friend,

To throw away a little respect upon me.
Lady. What you demand is yours.
Well. I thank you, lady.

[Exit LADY. Now, what can be wrought out of such a suit, Is yet in supposition-[Servants bow.]-Nay, all's

forgotten,

And for a lucky omen to my project,

Shake hands, and end all quarrels in the cellar. Order. Agreed, agreed.

Furn. Still merry, Mr Well-born?

[Exeunt Servants. Well. Well, faith, a right worthy, and a liberal

lady,

Who can, at once, so kindly meet my purposes,
And brave the flouts of censure, to redeem
Her husband's friend! When by this honest plot
The world believes she means to heal my wants
With her extensive wealth, each noisy creditor
Will be struck mute, and I be left, at large,
To practise on my uncle Overreach;
Whose foul, rapacious spirit, (on the hearing
Of my encouragement from this rich lady)
Again will court me to his house of patronage.
Here, I may work the measure to redeem
My mortgaged fortune, which he stripped me of,
When youth and dissipation quelled my reason.
The fancy pleases-if the plot succeed,
'Tis a new way to pay old debts, indeed.

Over. He's gone, I warrant thee; this commission crushed him.

Mar. Your worship has the way on't, and

ne'er miss

To squeeze these unthrifts into air; and yet The chap-fallen justice did his part, returning For your advantage the certificate,

Against his conscience and his knowledge, too; (With your good favour) to the utter ruin

VOL. II.

[Exit.

I might, or out of wilfulness or error,
Run myself finely into a premunire,
And so become a prey to the informer.
No, I'll have none of it; 'tis enough I keep
Greedy at my devotion: so he serve

My purposes, let him hang, or damn, I care not;

Friendship is but a word.

Mar. You are all wisdom.

Over. I would be worldly wise; for the other
wisdom,

That does prescribe us a well governed life,
And to do right to others as ourselves,

I value not an atom.

Mar. What course take you,

(With your good patience) to hedge in the ma

Persuade him, that 'tis better steal than beg:
Then, if I prove he has but robbed a hen-roost,
Not all the world shall save him from the gal-
lows.

Do any thing to work him to despair,
And 'tis thy master-piece.

Mar. I will do my best, sir.

Over. I am now on my main work, with the lord Lovell;

The gallant-minded, popular lord Lovell,
The minion of the people's love. I hear
He's come into the country; and my aims are,
To insinuate myself into his knowledge,
And then invite him to my house.

Mar. I have you.

This points at my young mistress.
Over. She must part with

That humble title, and write honourable;
Right honourable, Marrall; my right honourable
daughter;

If all I have, or e'er shall get, will do it.

I will have her well attended; there are ladies
Of errant knights decayed, and brought so low,
That, for cast clothes, and meat, will gladly serve
her;

And 'tis my glory, though I came from the city,
To have their issue, whom I have undone,
To kneel to mine, as bond slaves.

Mar. 'Tis fit state, sir.

Mar. Troth, in my hope, or my assurance, rather,

Well. I thank you.

Mar. Will you stay till you die in a ditch? Or, if you dare not do the fate yourself,

But that you'll put the state to charge and trouble,

Is there no purse to be cut? house to be broken?

Or market-woman with eggs that you may murder,

And so dispatch the business?

Well. Here's variety,

I must confess; but I'll accept of none
Of all your gentle offers, I assure you.

Mar. Why, have you hope ever to eat again? Or drink? or be the master of three farthings? If you like not hanging, drown yourself; take

Furn. I know my cue, ne'er doubt me. [Exit.

Enter MARRALL and WELLBORN.

Order. Most welcome;

You were long since expected.

Well. Say so much

To my friend, I pray you.

Order. For your sake I will, sir.
Mar. For his sake!

Well. Mum; this is nothing.

Mar. More than ever

[Exit.

I would have believed, though I had found it in my primmer.

All. When I have given you reasons for my

late harshness,

You'll pardon and excuse me: for, believe me,
Though now I part abruptly in my service,
I will deserve it.

Mar. Service! with a vengeance!
Well. I am satisfied; farewell, Tom!
Allw. All joy stay with you.

[Exit ALLWORTH,

Lady. Sir, your friends are welcome to me. Well. Run backward from a lady! and such a lady!

Mar. To kiss her foot, is, to poor me, a favour I am unworthy of- [Offers to kiss her foot.

Lady. Nay, pray you, rise;
And, since you are so humble, I'll exalt you;

Order. Sir, my lady.

[Exit ORDER.

Enter Lady.

The roasting of his heart, that cheated him,
And forces the poor gentleman to these shifts.
By fire! (for cooks are Persians, and swear by it)
Of all the griping and extorting tyrants

I ever heard or read of, I never met
A match to sir Giles Overreach.
Order. What will you take

To tell him so, fellow Furnace?
Furn. Just as much

As my throat is worth; for that would be the price on't.

To have a usurer that starves himself,

And wears a cloak of one and twenty years
On a suit of fourteen groats, bought of the hang-

man,

To grow rich, is too common:

But this sir Giles feeds high, keeps many ser

vants,

I saw you.

This first kiss for form; I allow a second,

As token of my friendship.

Well. I am wholly yours; yet, madam, if you please

To grace this gentleman with a salute—

Mar. Salute me at his bidding!

Well. I shall receive it

As a most high favour.

In wealth and lordships.

Order. He frights men out of their estates, And breaks through all law-nets, made to curb

ill men,

As they were cobwebs. No man dares reprove

him.

Such a spirit to dare, and power to do, were

never

Lodged so unluckily.