Desires this ring; appoints him an encounter;
In fine, delivers me to fill the time,

Herself most chastely absent. After this,
To marry her, I'll add three thousand crowns
To what is past already.

I have yielded.

Wid.
Instruct my daughter how she shall persever,
That time and place, with this deceit so lawful,
May prove coherent. Every night he comes,
With musics of all sorts, and songs compos'd
To her unworthiness: it nothing steads us,
To chide him from our eaves, for he persists
As if his life lay on 't.

Hel.
Why then, to-night
Let us assay our plot; which, if it speed,
Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed,
And lawful meaning in a lawful act;
Where both not sin, and yet a sinful fact.
But let's about it.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.-Without the Florentine Camp. Enter French Envoy, with five or six soldiers in ambush. Fr. Env. He can come no other way but by this hedge corner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will: though you understand it not yourselves, no matter; for we must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter.

1 Sold. Good captain, let me be the interpreter. Fr. Env. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

1 Sold. No, sir, I warrant you.

Fr. Env. But what linsy-woolsy hast thou to speak to us again?

1 Sold. Even such as you speak to me.

Fr. Env. He must think us some band of strangers

i' the adversary's entertainment. Now, he hath a smack of all neighbouring languages; therefore, we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know

what we speak one to another; so we seem to know is to go straight to our purpose: chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch, ho! here he comes, to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges. [They stand back.1 Enter PAROLLES.

Par. Ten o'clock: within these three hours 't will be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. They begin to smoke me, and disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door. I find, my tongue is too foolhardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.

Fr. Env. [Aside.] This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of.

Par. What the devil should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts, and say, I got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will not carry it: they will say, Came you off with so little ?" and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? what's the instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy myself another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils.

Fr. Env. [Aside.] Is it possible, he should know what he is, and be that he is?

Par. I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn; or the breaking of my Spanish sword. Fr. Env. [Aside.] We cannot afford you so.

Par. Or the baring of my beard; and to say, it was in stratagem.

Fr. Env. [Aside.] 'T would not do.

Par. Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped. Fr. Env. [Aside.] Hardly serve.

Par. Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel

Fr. Env. [Aside.] How deep?

Par. Thirty fathom.

Fr. Env. [Aside.] Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.

1 Not in f. e.

Par. I would I had any drum of the enemy's: I would swear I recovered it.

Fr. Env. [Aside.] You shall hear one anon.
Par. A drum, now, of the enemy's!

[Alarum within.

Fr. Env. Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
All. Cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.
Par. O! ransom, ransom!-Do not hide mine eyes.
[They seize and blindfold him.

1 Sold. Boskos thromuldo boskos.

Par. I know you are the Muskos' regiment; And I shall lose my life for want of language. If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch, Italian, or French, let him speak to me :

I will discover that which shall undo

I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue.-
Kerelybonto.-Sir,

Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards
Are at thy bosom.

Par.

1 Sold.

O!

Manka revania dulche.

Fr. Env.

O! pray, pray, pray.

Oscorbidulchos volivorcho.

1. Sold. The general is content to spare thee yet,
And, hoodwink'd as thou art, will lead thee on
To gather from thee: haply, thou may'st inform
Something to save thy life.

Par.
O! let me live,
And all the secrets of our camp I'll show,
Their force, their purposes; nay, I'll speak that
Which you will wonder at.

1 Sold.

But wilt thou faithfully?

Par. If I do not, damn me. 1 Sold.

Acordo linta.

Come on; thou art granted space.

[Exit with PAROLLES guarded.

Fr. Env. Go, tell the count Rousillon, and my bro

ther,

We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him

muffled,

Till we do hear from them.

2 Sold.

Captain, I will.

Fr. Env. A' will betray us all unto ourselves: Inform on that.

Fr. Env. Till then, I'll keep him dark, and safely lock'd.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-Florence. A Room in the Widow's

House.

Enter BERTRAM and DIANA.

Ber. They told me that your name was Fontibell.
Dia. No, my good lord, Diana.

Ber.
Titled goddess,
And worth it, with addition! But, fair soul,
In your fine frame hath love no quality?
If the quick fire of youth light not your mind,
You are no maiden, but a monument:
When you are dead, you should be such a one
As you are now, for you are cold and stone;1
And now you should be as your mother was,
When your sweet self was got.

Dia. She then was honest.

Ber.

Dia.

So should you be.

My mother did but duty; such, my lord,
As you owe to your wife.

Ber.

No more o' that:

I pr'ythee, do not strive against my vows.

I was compell'd to her; but I love thee

No:

By love's own sweet constraint, and will for ever
Do thee all rights of service.

Dia.
Ay, so you serve us,
Till we serve you; but when you have our roses,
You barely leave our thorns to prick ourselyes,
And mock us with our bareness.

Ber.

How have I sworn?

Dia. 'T is not the many oaths that make the truth, But the plain single vow, that is vow'd true.

What is not holy, that we swear not by,

But take the highest to witness: then, pray you, tell me,

If I should swear by Jove's great attributes,

I lov'd you dearly, would you believe my oaths,
When I did love you ill? this has no holding,
To swear by him, whom I protest to love,

1 stern in f. e.

That I will work against him. Therefore, your oaths Are words, and poor conditions, but unseal'd,

At least, in my opinion.

Ber.

Change it, change it.

Be not so holy-cruel: love is holy,
And my integrity ne'er knew the crafts,
That you do charge men with.

Stand no more off,

But give thyself unto my sick desires,

Who then recover: say, thou art mine, and ever
My love, as it begins, shall so persever.

Dia. I see, that men make hopes in such a suit1
That we'll forsake ourselves. Give me that ring.
Ber. I'll lend it thee, my dear; but have no power
To give it from me.

Dia.

Will you not, my lord? Ber. It is an honour 'longing to our house, Bequeathed down from many ancestors, Which were the greatest obloquy i' the world In me to lose.

Dia.

Mine honour's such a ring:
My chastity's the jewel of our house,
Bequeathed down from many ancestors,

Which 't were the greatest obloquy i' the world
In me to lose. Thus, your own proper wisdom
Brings in the champion, honour, on my part
Against your vain assault.

Ber.

Here, take my ring:

My house, mine honour, yea, my life be thine,
And I'll be bid by thee.

Dia. When midnight comes, knock at my chamber

window:

I'll order take my mother shall not hear.

Now will I charge you in the band of truth,

When you have conquer'd my yet maiden bed,
Remain there but an hour, nor speak to me.

My reasons are most strong; and you shall know

them,

When back again this ring shall be deliver'd:
And on your finger, in the night, I'll put
Another ring; that what in time proceeds
May token to the future our past deeds.
Adieu, till then; then, fail not.
A wife of me, though there my hope be none2.
1 f. e. make ropes in such a scarre. 2 done in f. e.

You have won