1 Lord. Hoodman comes: Portotartarossa.

Int. He calls for the tortures; what, will you fay without 'em?

Par. I will confess what I know without constraint ; if ye pinch me like a pafty, I can say no more. Int. Bosko Chimurcho.

2 Lord. Biblibindo chicurmurco.

Int. You are a merciful General: our General bids you answer to what I fhall ask you out of a note. Par. And truly, as I hope to live.

Int. First demand of him, how many Horfe the Duke is ftrong. What say you to that?

Par. Five or fix thousand, but very weak and unferviceable; the troops are all scatter'd, and the Commanders very poor rogues, upon my reputation and credit, and as I hope to live.

Int. Shall I fet down your answer so?

Par. Do, I'll take the Sacrament on't, how and which way you will: all's one to me.

Ber. What a paft-faving flave is this!

1 Lord. Y'are deceiv'd, my Lord, this is Monfieur Parolles, the gallant militarift, that was his own phrase, that had the whole theory of war in the knot of his scarf, and the practice in the chape of his dagger.

2 Lord. I will never trust a man again for keeping his fword clean; nor believe, he can have every thing in him by wearing his apparel neatly.

Int. Well, that's fet down.

Par. Five or fix thousand horfe I faid, (I will fay true,) or thereabouts, fet down; for I'll speak truth. Lord. He's very near the truth in this.

Ber. But I con him no thanks for't, in the nature he delivers it.

the

Par. Poor rogues, I pray you, fay.

Int. Well, that's fet down.

Par. I humbly thank you, Sir; a truth's a truth, rogues are marvellous poor.

Int. Demand of him, of what strength they are a-foot. What fay you to that?

Par. By my troth, Sir, if I were to live this prefent

hour,

hour, I will tell true. Let me fee; Spurio a hundred and fifty, Sebaftian fo many, Corambus fo many, Jaques fo many; Guiltian, Cofmo, Lodowick, and Gratii, two hundred and fifty each; mine own company, Chitopher, Vaumond, Bentii, two hundred and fifty each; so that the mufter file, rotten and found, upon my life amounts not to fifteen thousand Poll; half of the which dare not shake the fnow from off their caffocks, left they fhake themselves to pieces.

Ber. What fhall be done to him?

1 Lord. Nothing, but let him have thanks. Demand of him my conditions, and what credit I have with the Duke.

Int. Well, that's fet down. You fhall demand of him, whether one Captain Dumain be i'th' camp, a Frenchman: what his reputation is with the Duke, what his valour, honefty, and expertnefs in war; or whether he thinks, it were not poffible with wellweighing fums of gold to corrupt him to a revolt. What fay you to this? what do you know of it?

Par. I befeech you, let me answer to the particular of the Interrogatories. Demand them fingly.

Int. Do you know this Captain Dumain?

Par. I know him; he was a botcher's prentice in Paris, from whence he was whipt for getting the fheriff's fool with child; a dumb innocent, that could not fay him nay.

Ber. Nay, by your leave, hold your hands; tho' I know, his brains are forfeit to the next tile that falls. Int. Well, is this Captain in the Duke of Florence's Camp?

Par. Upon my knowledge he is, and lowfie.

1 Lord. Nay, look not fo upon me, we shall hear of your Lordship anon.

Int. What is his reputation with the Duke?

Par. The Duke knows him for no other but a poor officer of mine, and writ to me the other day to turn him out o'th' band. I think, I have his letter in my pocket.

Int. Marry, we'll fearch.
VOL. III.

Par. In good fadness, I do not know; either it is there, or it is upon the file with the Duke's other letters in my tent.

Int. Here 'tis, here's a paper, fhall I read it to you? Par. I do not know, if it be it or no.

Ber. Our Interpreter does it well.

1 Lord. Excellently.

Int. Dian, the Count's a fool, and full of gold.

Par. That is not the Duke's letter, Sir; that is an advertisement to a proper maid in Florence, one Diana, to take heed of the allurement of one Count Roufillon, a foolish idle boy; but, for all that, very ruttish. I pray you, Sir, put it up again.

Int. Nay, I'll read it first, by your favour.

Par. My meaning in't, I proteft, was very honest in the behalf of the maid; for I knew the young Count to be a dangerous and lafcivious boy, who is a whale to virginity, and devours up all the fry it finds. Ber. Damnable! both fides rogue.

Interpreter reads the letter.

When he fears oaths, bid him drop gold, and take it.
After he fcores, he never pays the Score:
Half won, is match well made; match, and well make it:
He ne'er pays after-debts, take it before.
And fay, a foldier (Dian) told thee this:
(22) Men are to mell with, boys are but to kifs.
For, count of this, the Count's a fool, I know it ;
Who pays before, but not when he does owe it.

Thine, as he vow'd to thee in thine ear,

PAROLLES.

(22) Men are to mell with, boys are not to kifs.] All the Editors have obtruded a new Maxim upon us here, that Boys are not to kifs. - Livia, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Tamer tam'd,

is of a quite oppofite Opinion.

For Boys were made for Nothing but dry Kisses.

And our Poet's Thought, I am perfwaded, went to the fam Tune; that Boys are only to kiss; Men to mingle with, and give more fubftantial Pleafures. To mell, is deriv'd from the French Word, mêler; to mingle.

Ber

Ber. He fhall be whipt through the army with this rhime in his forehead.

2 Lord. This is your devoted friend, Sir, the manifold linguift, and the armi-potent foldier.

Ber. I could endure any thing before but a cat, and

now he's a cat to me.

Int. I perceive, Sir, by the General's looks, we shall be fain to hang you.

Par. My life, Sir, in any cafe; not that I am to die; but that my offences being many, I would reafraid pent out the remainder of nature. Let me live, Sir, in a Dungeon, i'th' Stocks, any where, fo I may live. Int. We'll fee what may be done, fo freely; therefore, once more, to this Captain Dumain: confefs you you have answer'd to his reputation with the Duke, and to his valour. What is his honefty?

Par. He will teal, Sir, an egg out of a cloister; for rapes and ravishments he parallels Neffus. He profeffes no keeping of oaths; in breaking them he is fronger than Hercules. He will lie, Sir, with fuch volubility, that you would think, truth were a fool : drunkennefs is his beft virtue, for he will be fwinedrunk, and in his fleep he does little harm, fave to his bed-cloaths about him; but they know his conditions, and lay him in ftraw. I have but little more to fay, Sir, of his honefty, he has every thing that an honest man fhould not have; what an honeft man should have, he has nothing.

1 Lord. I begin to love him for this.

Ber. For this defcription of thine honesty? a pox upon him for me, he is more and more a cat.

Int. What fay you to his expertness in war?

Par. Faith, Sir, h'as led the drum before the Englih Tragedians to belie him, I will not; and more of his foldierfhip I know not; except, in that Country, he had the honour to be the Officer at a place there call'd Mile-end, to inftruct for the doubling of files. I would do the man what honour I can, but of this I am 10t certain.

1 Lord. He hath out-villain'd villany fo far, that th rarity redeems him.

Ber. A pox on him, he's a cat ftill.

Int. His Qualities being at this poor price, I nee not to ask you, if gold will corrupt him to revolt.

Par. Sir, for a Quart-d'ecu he will fell the fee-fin ple of his falvation, the inheritance of it, and cut th'i tail from all remainders, and a perpetual fucceffion for perpetually.

Int. What's his Brother, the other Captain Dumain 2 Lord. Why does he ask him of me?

Int. What's he?

Par. E'en a crow o'th' fame neft; not altogether i great as the first in goodness, but greater a great de in evil. He excels his Brother for a Coward, yet h brother is reputed one of the beft that is. In a Retre: he out-runs any lacquey; marry, in coming on he h the cramp.

Int. If your life be faved, will you undertake to be tray the Florentine ?

Par. Ay, and the Captain of his horse, Count Ro fillon.

Int. I'll whisper with the General, and know his plea fure.

Par. I'll no more drumming, a plague of all drums Only to feem to deferve well, and to beguile the fupp fition of that lafcivious young boy the Count, have run into danger; yet who would have fufpected an an bufh where I was taken?

[Afid

Int. There is no remedy, Sir, but you muft die; th General fays, you, that have fo traiterously discovere the fecrets of your army, and made fuch peftiferous r ports of men very nobly held, can ferve the world f no honeft ufe; therefore you must die. Come, head man, off with his head.

Par. O lord, Sir, let me live, or let me fee n death.

Int. That fhall you, and take your leave of all yo friends. [Unbinding bis

So, look about you; know you any here?

Ba