Lord. Believe it, my Lord, in mine own direc knowledge, without any malice, but to speak of him as my kinfman; he's a moft notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promife-breaker, the owner of no one good quality worthy your Lordship'sentertainment.

2 Lord. It were fit you knew him, left, repofing too far in his virtue, which he hath not, he might at fome! great and trufty bufinefs in a main danger fail you.

Ber. I would, I knew in what particular action to try him.

2 Lord. None better than to let him fetch off his drum; which you hear him fo confidently undertake to do.

1 Lord. I, with a troop of Florentines, will fuddenly furprize him; fuch I will have, whom, I am fure, he knows not from the enemy: we will bind and hoodwink him fo, that he fhall fuppofe no other but that he is carried into the leaguer of the adverfaries, when we bring him to our own tents; be but your Lordship prefent at his examination, if he do not for the promife of his life, and in the higheft compulfion of bafe fear, offer to betray you, and deliver all the intelligence in his power against you, and that with the divine forfeit of his foul upon oath, never truft my judgment in any thing.

2 Lord. O, for the love of laughter, let him fetch his drum; he fays, he has a ftratagem for't; (30), when

your.

(30) When your Lordship fees the bottom of his fuccefs in't, and to pbat metal this counterfeit lump of ours will be melted, if you give him Hot John Drum's entertainment, your inclining cannot be remov'd. I conjectur'd, this counterfeit lump of oar, when I publish'd my SHAKESPEARE reflor'd: Thus it bears a confonancy with the other erms accompanying, (viz. metal, lump, and melted) and helps the propriety of the Poet's thought: For fo one metaphor is kept up, and all the words are proper and fuitable to it. But, what is the meaning of John Drum's entertainment? Lafeu feveral times afterwards calls Parolles, Tom Drum. But the difference of the Chriftian. name will make none in the explanation. There is an old motley interlude, (printed in 1601) call'd Jack Drum's Entertainment; or,

the

your Lordship fees the bottom of his fuccefs in't, and to what metal this counterfeit lump of oar will be melted, if you give him not John Drum's entertainment, your inclining cannot be removed. Here he

comes.

Enter Parolles.

1 Lord. O, for the love of laughter, hinder not the humour of his design, let him fetch off his drum in any hand.

Ber. How now, Monfieur? this drum flicks forely in your difpofition.

2 Lord. A pox on't, let it go, 'tis but a drum.

Par. But a drum! is't but a drum a drum fo loft! there was excellent command! to charge in with our horfe upon our own wings, and to rend our own foldiers.

z Lord. That was not to be blamed in the command of the fervice; it was a disaster in war that Cefar

the Comedy of Pafquail and Katharine. In this, Jack Drum is a fervant of intrigue, who is ever aiming at projects, and always foil'd, and given the drop. And there is another old piece (publish'd in 1627) call'd APOLLO, fproving, in which I find thefe expreffions. Thuriger. Thou Lezel, hath Slug infected you?

Why do you give fuch kind entertainment to that cobweb? Scopas. It hall have Tom Drum's entertainment; a flap with a..

fox-tail.

But both these pieces are, perhaps, too fate in time, to come to the affiftance of our author: fo we must look a little higher. What is faid here to Bertram is to this effect. "My Lord, as you have taken "this fellow [Parolles] into fo near a confidence, if, upon his being. "found a counterfeit, you don't cafheer him from your favour, then "your attachment is not to be remov'd".-I'll now fubjoin a quo-. tation from Holling feed, (of whofe books Shakespeare was a moft diligent reader) which will pretty well afcertain Drum's hiftory. This chronologer, in his defcription of Ireland, fpeaking of Patrick Scarfe field, (Mayor of Dublin in the year 1551) and of his extravagant hofpitality, fubjoins, that no gueft had ever a cold or forbidding look from any part of his family: fo that bis porter, or any other officer, durft not, for both bis ears, give the fimpleft man, that reforted to bis boufe, Tom Drum's entertainment, which is, to hale a man in by the head, and thrust him out by both the fhoulders.

himfelf

himfelf could not have prevented, if he had been there to command.

Ber. Well, we cannot greatly condemn our fuccefs= fome difhonour we had in the lofs of that drum, but it is not to be recover'd.

Par. It might have been recover'd.

Ber. It might, but it is not now.

Par. It is to be recover'd; but that the merit of fervice is feldom attributed to the true and exact performer, I would have that drum or another, or bic jacet

Ber. Why, if you have a ftomach to't, Monfieur; if you think your myftery in ftratagem can bring this inftrument of honour again into his native quarter, be magnanimous in the enterprize and go on; I will grace the attempt for a worthy exploit: if you speed well in it, the Duke shall both fpeak of it, and extend to you what further becomes his greatnefs, even to the utmost fyllable of your worthiness."

Par. By the hand of a foldier, I will undertake it.
Ber. But you must not now flumber in it.

Par. I'll about it this evening; and I will presently pen down my dilemma's, encourage myself in my certainty, put myself into my mortal preparation; and, by midnight, look to hear further from me.

Ber. May I be bold to acquaint his Grace, you are gone about it?

Par. I know not what the fuccefs will be, my Lord; but the attempt I vow.

Ber. I know, th'art valiant; and to the poffibility of thy foldierfhip, will fubfcribe for thee; farewel. Par. I love not many words.

[Exit.

1 Lord. No more than a fifh loves water.Is not this a ftrange fellow, my Lord, that fo confidently feems to undertake this bufinefs, which he knows is not to be done; damns himself to do it, and dares better be damn'd than to do't?

2 Lord. You do not know him, my Lord, as we do; certain it is, that he will fteal himself into a man's favour, and for a week efcape a great deal of difco

5

veries;

veries; but when you find him out, you have him ever after.

Ber. Why, do you think, he will make no deed at all of this, that fo feriously he does addrefs himself unto ?

2 Lord. None in the world, but return with an invention, and clap upon you two or three probable lies; but we have almost imbofs'd him, you shall fee his fall to-night; for, indeed, he is not for your Lordship's refpect.

i Lord. We'll make you fome fport with the fox, ere we cafe him. He was firft fmoak'd by the old Lord Lafeu; when his difguife and he is parted, tell me what a fprat you shall find him, which you fhall fee, this very night.

2 Lord. I must go and look my twigs; he fhall be caught.

Ber. Your brother he fhall go along with me.

2 Lord. As't please your Lordship. I'll leave you.

[Exit

Ber. Now will I lead you to the house, and fhew you The lafs I spoke of.

Lord. But you fay, fhe's honeft.

Ber. That's all the fault: I fpoke with her but once, And found her wondrous cold; but I fent to her, By this fame coxcomb that we have i' th' the wind, Tokens and letters, which he did refend ? And this is all I've done : fhe's a fair creature,

Will you go fee her?

1 Lord. With all my heart, my Lord.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Widow's House.

Enter Helena, and Widow.

F mifdoubt me that I am not fhe,

you

Hel. I know not, how I shall affure you further,

But I fhall lofe the grounds I work upon.

Wid. Tho' my eftate be fallen, I was well born, Nothing acquainted with thefe bufineffes,

And

And would not put my reputation now
In any ftaining act.

Hel. Nor would I wish you.

First, give me truft, the Count he is my husband;
And what to your fworn counsel I have spoken,
Is fo, from word to word; and then you cannot,
By the good aid that I of you shall borrow,
Err in beftowing it.

Wid. I fhould believe you,

For you have fhew'd me that, which well approves
Y'are great in fortune.

Hel. Take this purfe of gold,

And let me buy your friendly help thus far,

Which I will over-pay, and pay again

When I have found it. The Count wooes your daughter,

Lays down his wanton fiege before her beauty,

Refolves to carry her; let her confent,

As we'll direct her how 'tis beft to bear it.
Now his important blood will nought deny,

That fhe'll demand: a ring the Count does wear,
That downward hath fucceeded in his house
From fon to fon, fome four or five defcents,
Since the first father wore it. This ring he holds
In most rich choice; yet in his idle fire,
To buy his will, it would not feem too dear,
Howe'er repented after.

Wid. Now I fee the bottom of your purpose.
Hel. You fee it lawful then. It is no more,
But that your daughter, ere the feems as won,
Defires this ring; appoints him an encounter;
In fine, delivers me to fill the time,

Herfelf most chaftely abfent: after this,
To marry her, I'll add three thousand crowns
To what is paft already.

Wid. I have yielded:

Inftruct my daughter how the fhall perfevere,
That time and place, with this deceit fo lawful,
May prove coherent. Every night he comes
With mufick of all forts, and fongs compos'd
To her unworthiness: it nothing fteads us-

To