Come, mafter Bowfer, let us in to dinner;
And, mistress Banifter, be merry, woman.
Come, after forrow now let's cheer your fpirit;
Knaves have their due, and you but what you

merit.

[Exeunt.

АСТ III.

SCENE I.

The principal bridge at Florence.

Enter Cromwell and Hodge in their fhirts, and without

bats.

Hodge. Call you this: feeing of fashions? marry would I had ftaid at Putney ftill. O, mafter Thomas, we are spoil'd, we are gone.

Crom. Content thee, man; this is but fortune. Hodge. Fortune! a plague of this fortune, it makes me go wet-fhod; the rogues would not leave me a fhoe to my feet.

For my hofe,

They fcorn'd them with their heels:
But for my doublet and hat,

O Lord, they embrac'd me,
And unlac'd me,

And took away my cloaths,

And fo difgrac'd me...

Crom. Well,. Hodge, what remedy? What fhift

fhall we make now?

Hodge. Nay I know not. For begging I am naught; for stealing worfe. By my troth, I must even fall to my old trade, to the hammer and the horfe-heels again-But now the worst is, I am not acquainted with the humour of the horfes in this country; whether they are not coltifh, given much to kicking, or no: for when I have one leg in my

hand,

hand, if he should up and lay t'other on my chaps, I were gone; there lay I, there lay Hodge.

Crom. Hodge, I believe thou must work for us both.

you

of

Hodge. O, mafter Thomas, have not I told this? Have not I many a time and often faid, Tom, or mafter Thomas, learn to make a horse-fhoe, it will be your own another day: this was not regarded.Hark you, Thomas! what do you call the fellows that robb'd us?

Crom. The banditti.

Hodge. The banditti do you call them? I know not what they are call'd here, but I am fure we call them plain thieves in England. O, Tom, that we were now at Putney, at the ale there!

Crom. Content thee, man: here fet up these two

bills,

And let us keep our standing on the bridge.
The fafhion of this country is fuch,
If any ftranger be opprefs'd with want,
To write the manner of his mifery ; :
And fuch as are difpos'd to fuccour him,

[Hodge fets up the bills. Will do it. What, Hodge, haft thou fet them up? Hodge. Ay, they are up; God fend fome to read them, and not only to read them, but also to look on us and not altogether iook on us, but to relieve O, cold, cold, cold!

us.

[Cromwell fands at one end of the bridge, and Hodge at the other..

at the ale there.] i. e. at the ale houfe. So in the Tavo Gentlemen of Verona, fol. 1623: "Thou haft not fo much charity in thee as to go to the ale with a Christian." STEEVENS.

God fend fome to read, &c.] Hodge feems to have formed his with on the cant lines which were formerly written on the blank leaves at the beginning of fchool-books, &c.

Philemon Holland his book,

"God give him grace therein to look:

"And not to look but understand, &c." STEEVENS.

Enter

Enter Frefcobald.

Fref. [reads the bills.] What's here?
Two Englishmen, and robb'd by the banditti!
One of them feems to be a gentleman.
'Tis pity that his fortune was fo hard,
To fall into the defperate hands of thieves :
I'll question him of what eftate he is.
God fave you, fir. Are you an Englishman?
Crom. I am, fir, a diftreffed Englishman."
Fref. And what are you, my friend?

Hodge. Who, I fir? by my troth I'do not know myself, what I am now; but, fir, I was a fmith, fir, a poor farrier of Putney. That's my mafter, fir, yonder; I was robb'd for his fake, fir.

Fref. I fee you have been met by the banditti,
And therefore need not ask how you came thus.
But Frescobald, why doft thou queftion them
Of their eftate, and not relieve their need?
Sir, the coin I have about me is not much :
There's fixteen ducats for to clothe yourfelves,
There's fixteen more to buy your diet with,
And there's fixteen to pay for your horfe-hire.
'Tis all the wealth, you fee, my purfe poffeffes;
But if you pleafe for to enquire me out,
You shall not want for aught that I can do.
My name is Frefcobald, a Florence merchant,
A man that always lov'd your nation.

Crom. This unexpected favour at your hands,
Which God doth know, if e'er I fhall requite-
Neceffity makes me to take your bounty,

And for your gold can yield you nought but thanks.
Your charity hath help'd me from despair;
Your name fhall ftill be in my hearty prayer.
Fref. It is not worth fuch thanks: come to my

house ;

Your want fhall better be reliey'd than thus.

Crom

Crom. I pray, excufe me; this fhall well suffice,
To bear my charges to Bononia,

Whereas a noble earl is much diftrefs'd 3.
An Englishman, Ruffel the earl of Bedford,
Is by the French king fold unto his death.
It may fall out, that I may do him good;
To fave his life, I'll hazard my heart-blood.
Therefore, kind fir, thanks for your liberal gift;
I must be gone to aid him; there's no fhift.

Fref. I'll be no hinderer to fo good an act.
Heaven profper you in that you go about!
If fortune bring you this way back again,
Pray let me fee you: fo I take my leave;
All good a man can wifh, I do bequeath..

[Exit Frefcobald. Crom. All good that God doth fend, light on your

head!

There's few fuch men within our climate bred.
How fay you Hodge? is not this good fortune?

Hodge. How fay you? I'll tell you what, mafter Thomas; if all men be of this gentleman's mind, let's keep our standings upon this bridge; we fhall get more here, with begging in one day, than I fhall with.making horfc-fhoes in a whole year.

Crom. No, Hodge, we must be gone unto Bononia, There to relieve the noble earl of Bedford: Where, if I fail not in my policy,

I fhall deceive their fubtle treachery.

Hodge. Nay, I'll follow you. God bless us from

the thieving banditti again.

[Exeunt.

s Whereas a noble earl is much diftrefs'd:] Whereas for where. So in K. Henry VI. P. II :

"You do prepare to ride unto Saint Albans,
"Whereas the king and queen do mean to hawk."

MALONE.

SCENE

Bed. Am I betray'd? was Bedford born to die
By fuch bafe flaves, in fuch a place as this?
Have I escap'd fo many times in France,
So many battles have I over-pafs'd,

And made the French ftir, when they heard my

name 1

And am I now betray'd unto my death?

Some of their heart's-blood firft fhall pay for it.
Hoft. They do defire, my lord, to speak with you.
Bed. The traitors do defire to have my blood;
But by my birth, my honour, and my name,
By all my hopes, my life fhall coft them dear.
Open the door; I'll venture out upon them,
And if I muft die, then I'll die with honour.
Hoft. Alas, my lord, that is a desperate course :
They have begirt you round about the house.
Their meaning is, to take you prisoner,
And fo to fend your body unto France.
Bed. Firft fhall the ocean be as dry as fand,
Before alive they send me unto France.

• Bononia is the Latin name of Bolognia, a town in Italy.

MALONE. And made the French stir, when they heard my name ;] I fuf pect that we should read-skir, i. e. fcour away, run away hastily. So in K. Henry V :

"We'll make them fkir away as fwift as stones
"Enforced from the old Affyrian flings."

To fir may as well mean to be active in their own defence, as to By before their enemies. STEEVENS.