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I'll have my body firft bor'd like a fieve,
And die as Hector, 'gainst the Myrmidons,
Ere France fhall boaft, Bedford's their prifoner.
Treacherous France! that, 'gainst the law of arms,
Hath here betray'd thine enemy to death.
But be affur'd, my blood shall be reveng❜d
Upon the best lives that remain in France.

Enter a Servant.

Stand back, or elfe thou run'ft upon thy death.
Ser. Pardon, my lord; I come to tell your ho-

nour,

That they have hir'd a Neapolitan,

Who by his oratory hath promis'd them,
Without the fhedding of one drop of blood,"
Into their hands fafe to deliver you;

And therefore craves none but himself may enter,
And a poor fwain that attends upon him.
Bed. A Neapolitan? bid him come in.

[Exit Servant.

Were he as cunning in his eloquence,
As Cicero, the famous man of Roine,
His words would be as chaff against the wind..
Sweet-tongu'd Ulyffes, that made Ajax mad,
Were he, and his tongue in this fpeaker's head,
Alive he wins me not; then 'tis no conqueft, dead.

Enter Cromwell in a Neapolitan habit, and Hodge. Crom. Sir, are you the mafter of the house? Hoft. I am, fir.

Crom. By this fame token you must leave this place,

I'll have my body first bor'd like a fieve,

And die as Hector, 'gainft the Myrmidons,] So in King Ri

chard III:

this anointed body

"By thee was punched full of deadly holes." MALONE.

And

And leave none but the earl and I together,
And this my peafant here to tend on us.

Hoft. With all my heart: God grant you do fome good. [Exit Hoft. Cromwell fouts the door. Bed. Now, fit, what is your will with me? Crom. Intends your honour not to yield yourfelf? Bed. No, good-man goofe, not while my fword doth laft.

Is this your eloquence for to perfuade me?

Crom. My lord, my eloquence is for to fave you : I am not, as you judge, a Neapolitan, But Cromwell, your fervant, and an Englishman. Bed. How! Cromwell? not my farrier's fon? Crom. The fame, fir; and am come to fuccour you. Hodge. Yes 'faith, fir; and I am Hodge, your poor fmith many a time and oft have I fhod your dapple-grey'.

Bed. And what avails it me that thou art here? Crom. It may avail, if you'll be rul'd by me. My lord, you know, the men of Mantua And thefe Bononians are at deadly ftrife; And they, my lord 4, both love and honour you. Could you but get out of the Mantua port", Then were you safe, defpite of all their force. Bed. Tut, man, thou talk'ft of things impoffible; Doft thou not fee, that we are round befet?

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- your dapple grey.] The old copy reads-your dapper grey. It was clearly a mifprint. MALONE.

And they, my lord,] i. e. the people of Mantua. MALONE. Could you but get out of the Mantua port,] He was in Bononia, and wanted to go to Mantua. It should therefore be "into the Mantuan port" or gate;-or in at, &c. PERCY,

The old reading is, I think, right. Could you but get out of the gate in this town of Bononia, which leads to Mantud. It is very common in provincial towns to denominate the gates from the places to which they lead ;-thus London gate and London road are found in various parts of England. So (as Mr. Steevens obferves to me) in Sparta one of the gates was called Porta Amyclaa, or Amyclarum, because it led towards Amycla, a city of Laconia." MALONE.

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How then is't poffible we fhould efcape?
Crom. By force we cannot, but by policy.
Put on the apparel here that Hodge doth wear,
And give him yours: The ftates, they know you not
(For, as I think, they never faw your face);
And at a watch-word muft I call them in,
And will defire that we two fafe may pafs
To Mantua, where I'll fay my bufinefs lies.
How doth your honour like of this device?
Bed. O, wond'rous good. But wilt thou venture,
Hodge?

Hode. Will I?

O noble lord,

I do accord,
In any thing I can:
And do agree,

To fet thee free,

Do Fortune what the can.

Bed. Come then, let us change our apparel ftraight.

The ftates, they know you not] A fate was, in old language, a principal perfonage; a ruler or governour. So in Troilus and Creffida, vol. ix. p. 64;

"If any thing more than your fport and pleasure
"Did move your greatnefs, and this noble state,
"To call on him"

See the note there. MALONE.

The word has often this fenfe in the writings of that time, efpecially among political writers, and even in publick procla mations, &c. So in the orders iffured out for receiving the prin cefs Catharine of Spain, when the came over to be espoused by our prince Arthur, A. D. 1501, it is directed

"The faid princefs fhall be met about Blackwall, with the fates following that is to fay, the duke of Bucks in one barge; the bishop of Bath in another: the bishop of Exeter in another: the earl of Northumberland in another: the earl of Kent in another, &c." See the MS original in the British Museum, Harl. MSS. 69. (25).So in our tranflation of the New Testament, St. Mark, vi. 21. it is," Herod on his birth-day made a fupper to his lords, high captains, and chief fates [Gr. To weτos] of Gallilee." PERCY.

of this device?] Thus the quarto, and folio 1664. The modern editions read-advice. MALONE.

Crow

Crom. Go, Hodge; make hafte, left they should chance to call.

Hodge. I warrant you I'll fit him with a fuit.

[Exeunt Bedford and Hodge. Crom. Heavens grant this policy doth take fuccefs,

And that the earl may fafely fcape away!
And yet it grieves me for this fimple wretch,
For fear left they should offer him violence:
But of two evils 'tis beft to fhun the greatest;
And better is it that he live in thrall,

Than fuch a noble earl as he should fall.
Their ftubborn hearts, it may be, will relent,
Since he is gone, to whom their hate is bent.

Re-enter Bedford and Hodge.

My lord, have you dispatch'd?

Bed. How doft thou like us, Cromwell? is it well?

Crom. O, my good lord, excellent. Hodge, how doft feel thyfelf?

Hodge. How do I feel myself? why, as a nobleman fhould do. O how I feel honour come creeping on! My nobility is wonderful melancholy': Is it not moft gentleman-like to be melancholy?

Bed. Yes, Hodge: now go fit down in the ftudy, and take ftate upon thee.

Hodge. I warrant you, my lord; let me alone to take state upon me: But hark, my lord, do you feel nothing bite about you?

My nobility is wonderful melancholy: Is it not moß gentle. man-like to be melancholy?] So in the Winter's Tale:

"He feems to be the more noble in being fantastical."

Again, in Every Man in his Humour:

Oh, it's your only fine humour, fir; your true melancholy breed; your perfect fine wit." MALONE.

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Bed. No, trust me, Hodge.

Hodge. Ay, they know they want their old paf ture. "Tis a ftrange thing of this vermin, they dare not meddle with nobility.

Crom. Go take thy place, Hodge; I will call

them in.

Now all is done :-Enter an if you please,

Enter the Governour and other States and Citizens of Bononia, and Officers with halberts.

Gov. What, have you won him? will he yield himfelf?

Crom. I have, an't please you; and the quiet earl Doth yield himself to be difpos'd by you.

Gov. Give him the money that we promis'd him; So let him go, whither it please himself.

Crom. My bufinefs, fir, lies unto Mantua; Please you to giye me a fafe conduct thither, Gov. Go, and conduct him to the Mantua port, And fee him fafe deliver'd prefently.

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[Exeunt Cromwell, Bedford, and an Officer, Go draw the curtains, let us fce the earl :[An attendant opens the curtains. O, he

Go draw the curtains, let us fee the carl:- Here is another proof of what has been already advanced relative to the want of Icenes in our old theatres. See vol. i. p. 19 MALONE.

To draw the curtains, anciently meant the fame as to open, or undraw them, as we fay in modern language. So in the stage directions relative to the murder of duke Humphrey, quarto edit. "Then the curtaines being drawne, duke Humphrey is difco. vered, &c." Again, ibid. at the death of cardinal Beaufort:

"the curtaines be drawne and the cardinal is difcovered —" Nothing was once more common than to divide 1.rge rooms by means of a curtain, or traverfe, that they might answer the purpofe of more than one apartment. The chamber of Bedford was properly feparated from his ftudy by this contrivance. I think therefore that nothing relative to want of fcenery in our carly theatres, can be inferred from the paffage before us. STEEVENS.

I doubt

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