Savour of ufquebaugh; the Spanish they
Smell like unto perfume at firft, but then
After a while, end in a fatal fteam

Hearfay.

One drum's his table, the other is his mufick;
His fword's his knife; his colours are his napkins ;
Carves nourishing horfe, as he is us'd to do
The hoftile pagan or we venifon : eats

Gun-powder with his meat, inftead of pepper,
Then drinks o'er all his bandeleers, and fights
Slicer.

Secrets are rank'd and order'd in his belly,
Juft like tobacco-leaves laid in a fweat.
Here lies a row of Indian fecrets, then
Something of's own on them; on that, another
Of China counsels, cover'd with a lid
Of Newfoundland difcoveries: next, a bed
Of Ruffia policies; on them, a lay

Of Prefter-Johnian whifpers

Slights a tempeft;

Hearfay.

Counts lightning but a giving fire, and thunder
The loud report when heaven hath discharg'd.
H'hath with his breath fupply'd a breach :

a cant term with our common beggars. 6 Ben Jonson 123. So broken beer he imagines to be that of which fome part had been drank. The epithet broken, when annexed to beer, is always to be found in writers of the times, fpeaking of alms. So in Ben Jonfon's Mafque of Angiers: "The poor cattle yonder are paffing away the time with a cheat loaf, " and a bumbard of broken beer."

66

Mafque of the Gypfies.

he were very carefully carried at his mother's back, rock'd in a cradle of Welsh cheese, like a maggot, and there fed with broken "beer and blown wine of the best, daily.'

The Belgicke Pifmire, 1622, p. 76.

having before fed themfelves full with the fweat of other "mens browes, even to gluttonie, drunkeneffe, and furfetting, may "releeve with their fcraps, crummes, bones, and broken beere, the ne" cecities of fuch as they or their predeceffors have before undone and "made beggers."

When

When he's once fix'd, no engine can remove him.
Slicer.

'Twould be a policy worth hatching, to
Have him diffected, if 'twere not too cruel.
All ftates would lie as open as his bowels.
Turkey in's bloody liver; Italy

Be found in's reins; Spain bufy in his ftomach;
Venice would float in's bladder; Holland fail
Up and down all his veins; Bavaria lie
Close in fome little gut, and Ragioni
Di Stato 14 generally reek in all.

Credulous.

I fee my son's too happy: he is born To be fome man of action; fome engine For th'overthrow of kingdoms.

Troth, he may

Hearfay.

Divert the torrent of the Turkish rule
Into fome other track; dam up the stream
Of that vaft headlong monarchy, if that
He want not means to compafs his intents.
Credulous.

The Turkish monarchy's a thing too big
For him to manage: he may make perhaps
The governor of fome new little island,

And there plant faith and zeal; but for the present,
M' ambition's only to contrive a match

Between Sir Thomas Bitefig's only daughter,

And (if I may fo call him now) my fon:

'Twill raise his fortunes fomewhat.

We have got

Slicer.

One that will do more good with's tongue that way,
Than that uxorious fhower that came from heaven:
But you must oil it first.

I understand you.

Credulous.

Grease him i' th' fift, you mean. There's juft ten pieces;

14 Ragioni di Stato.] Their feveral policies.

S. P.

'Tis

'Tis but an earneft. If he bring't about, I'll make thofe ten a hundred.

[Exit Credulous, and enter Shape, Meanwell.

Ο

SCENE V.

Hearfay, Slicer, Meanwell, Shape.

Hearfay.

UR life, methinks, is but the fame with others
To cozen and be cozen'd, makes the age.

The prey and feeder are that civil thing
That fager heads call body politick.
Here is the only difference; others cheat
By ftatute, but we do't upon no grounds.

The fraud's the fame in both; there only wants
Allowance to our way. The commonwealth

Hath not declar'd herself as yet for us;

Wherefore our policy must be our charter.

Meanwell.

Well-manag'd knav'ry is but one degree

Below plain honefty.

Slicer.

Give me villainy

That's circumfpect, and well-advis'd, that doth

Colour at leaft for goodnefs. If the cloak

And mantle were pull'd off from things, 'twould be
As hard to meet an honeft action, as

A liberal alderman, or a court-nun.

Hearfay.

Knowing then how we must direct our steps,

Let us chalk out our paths: you, Shape, know yours.

Shape.

:

Shape.

Where-e'er I light on Fortune, my commiffion Will hold to take her up: I'll ease my silken Friends of that idle luggage, we call money, Hearfay.

For my good toothlefs countefs, let us try To win that old Eremite thing, that like An image in a German clock 15 doth move, Not walk; I mean, that rotten antiquary. Meanwell.

He'll furely love her, 'caufe fhe looks like fome
Old ruin'd piece, that was five ages backward.
Hearfay.

To the great veftry-wit, the livery-brain,
My common-council pate, that doth determine
A city-bufinefs with his gloves on's head,

We must apply good hope of wealth and means.

Slicer.

That griping knight Sir Thomas must be call'd
With the fame lure: He knows t' a crum how much
Lofs is in twenty dozen of bread, between

That which is broke by th' hand and that is cut.
Which way beft keeps his candles, bran or ftraw,
What tallow's loft in putting of 'em out
By fpittle, what by foot, what by the puff,
What by the holding downwards, and what by
The extinguisher; which wick will longest be
In lighting, which spend fafteft; he must hear
Nothing but moieties, and lives, and farms,
Copies, and tenures; he is deaf to th' reft.
Meanwell.

I'll fpeak the language of the wealthy to him;
My mouth fhall fwill with bags, revenues, fees,
Eftates, reverfions, incomes, and affurance.
He's in the gin already; for his daughter,
She'll be an eafy purchase.

See

15 German clock.] German clocks were about this time much in ufe; they are frequently mentioned by Ben Jonfon and other writers. Epicene, A. 4. S. 2.

VOL. X.

Hear fay.

Hearfay.

I do hope

We shall grow famous; have all forts repair
As duly to us, as the barren wives

Of aged citizens do to St. Antholin's.

Come, let us take our quarters: We may come
To be fome great officers in time,

And with a reverend magifterial frown,

Pafs fentence on thofe faults that are our own.

[Exeunt omnes.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Have-at-all, Slicer, Hearfay baving refcued him in a quarrel.

Have-at-all.

IS deftin'd; I'll be valiant: I am fure

I fhall be beaten with more credit then,
Than now I do efcape. Lieutenant, has't
Bethought thyfelf as yet? Has't any way
To make my fword fetch blood?

Slicer.

Have-at-all.

Hearfay.

Have-at-all.

Slicer.

Nor get your wench With child, I warrant?

O fir!

You're not quite

Free of the gentry, till y' have marr'd one man,
And made another: When one fury hath
Cry'd quit with t'other, and your luft repair'd
What anger hath deftroy'd, the title's yours;
Till then you do but ftand for't.

Have-at-all.