All this is practice, and that both are false:
Such reverence we will pay to dead Clarinda,
And to our serious oaths, that we are pleased
With our own hand to blind our eyes, and not
Know what we understand. Here, Giovanni,
We pardon thee; and take from us, in this,
More than our dukedom: love her. As I part
With her, all thoughts of women fly fast from us!
Sanazarro, we forgive you in your service
To this princess, merit it. Yet let not others
That are in trust and grace, as you have been,
By the example of our lenity,

Presume upon their sovereign's clemency.

Enter CALANDRINO and PETRONELLA.

All. Long live great Cozimo!
Cal. Sure the duke is

In the giving vein, they are so loud. Come on,

spouse;

We have heard all, and we will have our boon too. Cos. What is it?

Cal. That your grace, in remembrance of

Ast. A gentleman, yet no lord. He hath some drops

Of the king's blood, running in his veins, derived Some ten degrees off. His revenue lies

In a narrow compass, the king's ear; and yields him

Every hour a fruitful harvest. Men may talk

Of three crops in a year in the Fortunate Islands, Or profit made by wool; but, while there are suitors,

His sheepshearing, nay, shaving to the quick,
Is in every quarter of the moon, and constant
In the time of trussing a point, he can undo,
Or make a man: his play or recreation,

Is to raise this up, or pull down that; and though
He never yet took orders, makes more bishops
In Sicily, than the pope himself.

Enter BERTOLDO, GASPARO, ANTONIO, and a Servant.
Ador. Most strange !

Ast. The presence fills. He in the Malta habit Is the natural brother of the king-a by-blow. Ador. I understand you.

Gasp. Morrow to my uncle.

Bert. 'Tis true.

Ant. Pray you, shew us

The difference between the city valour, And service in the field.

Bert. 'Tis somewhat more

Than roaring in a tavern or a brothel,

Or to steal a constable from a sleeping watch,
Then burn their halberds; or, safe guarded by
Your tenant's sons, to carry away a may-pole
From a neighbour village. You will not find there,
Your masters of dependencies to take up
A drunken brawl, or, to get you the names
Of valiant chevaliers, fellows that will be,
For a cloak with thrice-died velvet, and a cast suit,
Kick'd down the stairs. A knave with half a
breech there,

And no shirt, (being a thing superfluous,
And worn out of his memory,) if you bear not
Yourselves both in, and upright, with a provant

sword

Will slash your scarlets and your plush a new way;
Or, with the hilts, thunder about your ears
Such music as will make your worships dance
To the doleful tune of Lachrymæ.

[have

This night, a visit for me. [Exit Servant.] I shall have

Your company, gallants, I perceive, if that
The king will hear of war.

Ant. Sir, I have horses

Of the best breed in Naples, fitter far

To break a rank than crack a lance; and are,
In their career, of such incredible swiftness,
They outstrip swallows.

Bert. And such may be useful

To run away with, should we be defeated:
You are well provided, signior.

Ant. Sir, excuse me;

All of their race, by instinct, know a coward,

And scorn the burthen: they come on, like light

Gasp. I must tell you

In private, as you are my princely friend, do not like such fiddlers.

Bert. No! they are useful

For your imitation; I remember you,

When you came first to the court, and talk'd of

nothing

But your rents and your entradas, ever chiming
The golden bells in your pockets; you believed
The taking of the wall as a tribute due to
Your gaudy clothes; and could not walk at mid-
Without a causeless quarrel, as if men
Of coarser outsides were in duty bound
To suffer your affronts: but, when you had been
Cudgell'd well twice or thrice, and from the doc-
Made profitable uses, you concluded,

The sovereign means to teach irregular heirs Civility, with conformity of manners,

[night

[trine

Founder'd in a retreat.

[ning ;

Ant. My lord, this is bitter.

Gasp. I will raise me a company of foot; And, when at push of pike I am to enter

A breach, to shew my valour, I have bought me

An armour cannon-proof.

Bert. You will not leap, then,

O'er an outwork, in your shirt?
Gasp. I do not like

Activity that way.

Bert. You had rather stand

A mark to try their muskets on?
Gasp. If I do

No good, I'll do no hurt.

Bert. 'Tis in you, signior,

Were two or three sound beatings.

His own inheritance: but youth, and heat
Of blood, in your interpretation, may
Both plead and mediate for him. I must grant it
An error in him, being denied the favours
Of the fair princess of Sienna, (though

He sought her in a noble way,) to endeavour
To force affection by surprisal of
Her principal seat, Sienna.

Rob. Which now proves

The seat of his captivity, not triumph :
Heaven is still just.

Amb. And yet that justice is

To be with mercy temper'd, which heaven's depu

ties

Stand bound to minister. The injured dutchess, By reason taught, as nature, could not, with

[zaga,

The reparation of her wrongs, but aim at
A brave revenge; and my lord feels, too late,
That innocence will find friends. The great Gon-
The honour of his order, (I must praise
Virtue, though in an enemy,) he whose fights
And conquests hold one number, rallying up
Her scatter'd troops, before we could get time
To victual or to man the conquer'd city,
Sat down before it; and, presuming that
'Tis not to be relieved, admits no parley,

Our flags of truce hung out in vain: nor will he
Lend an ear to composition, but exacts,
With the rendering up the town, the goods and lives
Of all within the walls, and of all sexes,
To be at his discretion.

Bound neither of us further than to aid
Each other, if by foreign force invaded;

And so far in my honour I was tied.

But since, without our counsel, or allowance,

He hath ta'en arms; with his good leave, he must
Excuse us if we steer not on a rock

We see, and may avoid. Let other monarchs
Contend to be made glorious by proud war,
And, with the blood of their poor subjects, purchase
Increase of empire, and augment their cares
In keeping that which was by wrongs extorted,
Gilding unjust invasions with the trim

Of glorious conquests; we, that would be known
The father of our people, in our study
And vigilance for their safety, must not change
Their ploughshares into swords, and force them
The secure shade of their own vines, to be [from
Scorch'd with the flames of war; or, for our sport,
Expose their lives to ruin.

His living chronicle, and to speak his praise,
Cannot deserve your anger.

Rob. Where's your warrant
For this presumption?

Bert. Here, sir, in my heart:

Let sycophants, that feed upon your favours,
Style coldness in you caution, and prefer
Your ease before your honour; and conclude,
To eat and sleep supinely is the end

Of human blessings: I must tell you, sir,
Virtue, if not in action, is a vice;

And, when we move not forward, we go backward:
Nor is this peace, the nurse of drones and cowards,
Our health, but a disease.

Gasp. Well urged, my lord.

Ant. Perfect what is so well begun.
Amb. And bind

My lord your servant.

Rob. Hair-brain'd fool! what reason Canst thou infer, to make this good?

Bert. A thousand,

Not to be contradicted. But consider
Where your command lies: 'tis not, sir, in France,
Spain, Germany, Portugal, but in Sicily;
An island, sir. Here are no mines of gold
Or silver to enrich you; no worm spins
Silk in her womb, to make distinction
Between you and a peasant, in your habits;
No fish lives near our shores, whose blood can dye
Scarlet or purple; all that we possess,
With beasts we have in common: nature did
Design us to be warriors, and to break through
Our ring, the sea, by which we are environ'd;
And we by force must fetch in what is wanting,
Or precious to us. Add to this, we are
A populous nation, and increase so fast,
That, if we by our providence are not sent
Abroad in colonies, or fall by the sword,
Not Sicily, though now it were more fruitful
Than when 'twas styled the Granary of great

Rome,

Can yield our numerous fry bread: we must starve, Or eat up one another.

Ador. The king hears

With much attention.

Ast. And seems moved with what Bertoldo hath deliver'd.

Bert. May you live long, sir,

The king of peace, so you deny not us
The glory of the war; let not our nerves
Shrink up with sloth, nor, for want of employment,
Make younger brothers thieves: it is their swords,
sir,

Must sow and reap their harvest. If examples
May move you more than arguments, look on
The empress of the European isles, [England,
And unto whom alone ours yields precedence:
When did she flourish so, as when she was
The mistress of the ocean, her navies

Putting a girdle round about the world?
When the Iberian quaked, her worthies named;
And the fair flower-de-luce grew pale, set by
The red rose and the white? Let not our armour
Hung up, or our unrigg'd armada, make us
Ridiculous to the late poor snakes our neighbours,
Warm'd in our bosoms, and to whom again
We may be terrible; while we spend our hours
Without variety, confined to drink,

Dice, cards, or whores. Rouse us, sir, from the

sleep

Our counsel's built upon so weak a base,
As to be overturn'd, or shaken, with
Tempestuous winds of words. As I, my lord,
Before resolv'd you, I will not engage
My person in this quarrel; neither press
My subjects to maintain it: yet, to shew
My rule is gentle, and that I have feeling

O' your master's sufferings, since these gallants, weary

Of the happiness of peace, desire to taste
The bitter sweets of war, we do consent
That, as adventurers, and volunteers,

No way compell'd by us, they may make trial
Of their boasted valours.

Bert. We desire no more.

Rob. 'Tis well; and, but my grant in this,
expect not

Assistance from me. Govern, as you please,
The province you make choice of; for, I vow
By all things sacred, if that thou miscarry
In this rash undertaking, I will hear it
No otherwise than as a sad disaster,
Fallen on a stranger; nor will I esteem
That man my subject, who, in thy extremes,

In purse or person aids thee. Take your fortune :
You know me; I have said it. So, my lord,
You have my absolute answer.

Amb. My prince pays,

In me, his duty.

Rob. Follow me, Fulgentio,

And you, Astutio.

[Flourish. Exeunt ROBERTO, FULGENTIO, ASTUTIO, and Attendants.

Gasp. What a frown he threw,

At his departure, on you!

Bert. Let him keep

His smiles for his state catamite, I care not. Ant. Shall we aboard to-night?

Amb. Your speed, my lord,

Doubles the benefit.

Bert. I have a business

Requires dispatch; some two hours hence I'll meet

In practice with a peruked gentleman-usher,
To teach him his true amble, and his postures,
[SYLLI walking by, and practising.
When he walks before a lady.

Syl. You may, madam,
Perhaps, believe that I in this use art,
To make you dote upon me, by exposing

My more than most rare features to your view:
But I, as I have ever done, deal simply;

A mark of sweet simplicity, ever noted

In the family of the Syllis. Therefore, lady,
Look not with too much contemplation on me ;
If you do, you are in the suds.

Cam. You are no barber?

Syl. Fie, no! not I; but my good parts have drawn

More loving hearts out of fair ladies bellies,
Than the whole trade have done teeth.

O' th' strength of my back, though it will bear a With any porter.

Cam. I mean not to ride you.

[burthen

Syl. Nor I your little ladyship, till you have Perform'd the covenants.

Be not taken with

My pretty spider-fingers, nor my eyes,

That twinkle on both sides.

Cam. Was there ever such

A piece of motley heard of! [A knocking within.] Who's that? [Exit CLARINDA.] You may

spare

The catalogue of my dangers.

Syl. No, good madam;

I have not told you half.