Lord of T. Give me till night to turn it in my thoughts. Thos. I'll give you not an hour!—not e'en a minute! [He stamps on the floor with his foot.

Enter a Boy.

Quick, fetch the notary!

[Exit Boy.

[The lord of Torres covers his face with his hands -Thomas of Torres resumes his calculations.

177.-LAST SCENE OF THOMAS OF TORRES.

A chamber lighted by a small iron lamp, the lord of Torres in his night-cap and dressing-gown-a closet with an iron door is beside his bed; he has a bunch of keys in his hand.

Enter an old Servant.

Servant. Master, there is a woman at the door, And two small children; they do cry for bread; Only a little morsel !

Lord of T.

A murrain on them!

Serv.

Drive them hence!

I have warn'd them hence, But, master, she is dying; and the cry Of those poor little children wrings my heart! Lord of T. Liars they are, and thieves! Drive them away ! Serv. Master, good lack! she will be dead ere morning! Lord of T. Then elsewhere let her die! Bethink, you fool,

"Twould cost a noble, but to bury her!

Serv. [going out.] Good lord! and he such plenty!

Enter Steward.

Steward. The barns are full, my lord, and there is yet grain to be housed.

Lord of T. The cost were great to build more barns— let it be housed under this roof.

Stew. My lord!

Lord of T. To be sure! the state-rooms are large and lofty-and to me they are useless, let them be filled!

Stew. What! with the gilt cornices, and the old lords and ladies on the walls!

Lord of T. The same! are they not well placed, so that a wain might approach without impediment?

Stew. It were a mortal sin!

Lord of T. I cannot afford to build new barns-remember the mildew last season, and the cow that died in March-these are great losses!

Stew. Well, my lord, the harvest is ready, it must be done quickly.

Lord of T. A broad door-way making, will not cost much; send me a builder to-morrow, and let us have an estimate these people require being tied down to the farthing! [The steward goes out.

[The lord of Torres unlocks his iron door, counts his bags, puts his keys under his pillow, and then lies down-after some time, he starts up. Fire! murder! thieves! my gold! my iron chest! They will break in, and rob my iron chest!

[He rubs his eyes, and looks around him. Was it a dream? thank heaven, it was a dream! Then all is safe-my iron chest is safe!

[He feels for his keys. Ay, they are safe, the keepers of my treasuresNow let me sleep-I've much to do to-morrow. I must be wary in this estimate.

One half the sum he asks will be enough!

[He lies down and sleeps. [An auful voice passes through the chamber. "Thou fool, this night thy soul will be required from thee; then whose will those things be which thou has provided?" HOWITT.

178. THE BULLY.

Young Kno'well, with Master Matthew, Captain Bobadil, and Stephen

Mat. SIR, did your eyes ever taste the like clown of him, where we were to-day, Mr. Wellbred's half-brother? I think the whole earth cannot show his parallel, by this daylight. Young K. We are now speaking of him. Captain Bobadil tells me he is fallen foul o' you, too.

Mat. O! ay, sir! he threatened me with the bastinado. Capt. B. Ay, but I think I taught you prevention this morning for that. You shall kill him, beyond question, if you be so generously minded

Mat. Indeed, it is a most excellent trick.

Capt. B. O! you do not give spirit enough to your motion; you are too tardy, too heavy! O! it must be done like lightning, boy! Tut! 'tis nothing, an't be not done in a punto.

Young K. Captain, did you ever prove yourself upon any of our masters of defence here?

Mat. O, good sir! yes, I hope he has !

Capt. B. I will tell you, sir. They have assaulted me some three, four, five, six of them together, as I have walked alone in divers skirts o' the town, where I have driven them before me the whole length of a street, in the open view of all our gallants, pitying to hurt them, believe me. Yet all this lenity will not overcome their spleen; they will be doing with the ant, raising a hill a man may spurn abroad with his foot at pleasure. By myself I could have slain them all; but I delight not in murder. I am loath to bear any other than this bastinado for 'em; yet I hold it good policy not to go disarmed; for though I be skilful, I may be oppressed with multitudes.

Young K. Ay, believe me, may you, sir; and, in my conceit, our whole nation should sustain the loss by it, if it were so.

Capt. B. Alas! no. What's a peculiar man to a nation? Not seen.

Young K. O! but your skill, sir!

Capt. B. Indeed, that might be some loss; but who respects it? I will tell you, sir, by the way of private, and under seal, I am a gentleman, and live here obscure, and to myself; but were I known to his majesty and the lords, observe me, I would undertake, upon this poor head and life, for the public benefit of the state, not only to spare the entire lives of his subjects in general, but to save the one half, nay, three parts of his yearly charge in holding war, and against what enemy soever. And how would I

do it, think you?

Young K. Nay, I know not; nor can I conceive. Capt. B. Why, thus, sir: I would select nineteen more to myself, throughout the land; gentlemen they should be; of a good spirit, and able constitution; I would choose them by an instinct, a character that I have; and I would teach these nineteen the special rules, as your punto, your

reverso, your stoccata, imbroccata, your passada, your montanto; till they could all play very near, or altogether as well as myself. This done, say the enemy were forty thousand strong; we twenty would come into the field the tenth of March, or thereabouts, and we would challenge twenty of the enemy; they could not in their honour refuse us. Well, we would kill them; challenge twenty more, kill them; twenty more, kill them, too; and thus would we kill every man his twenty a day, that's twenty score; twenty score, that's two hundred; two hundred a day, five days a thousand; forty thousand; forty times five, five times forty; two hundred days kills them all by computation. And this I will venture my poor gentleman-like carcass to perform, provided there be no treason practised upon us, by fair and discreet manhood; that is, civilly by the sword.

Young K. Why, are you so sure of your hand, captain, at all times.

Capt. B. Tut! never miss thrust, upon my reputation with you.

Young K. I would not stand in Downright's state then, an' you meet him, for the wealth of any one street in London.

Capt. B. Why, sir, you mistake. If he were here now, by this welkin, I would not draw my weapon on him! Let this gentleman do his mind; but I will bastinado him, by the bright sun, wherever I meet him.

Mat. Faith, and I'll have a fling at him, at my distance.

Enter Downright, walking over the stage.

Young K. God's so! Look ye where he is; yonder he goes.

Down. What peevish luck have I; I cannot meet with these bragging rascals!

Capt. B. It's not he, is it?

Young K. Yes, faith, it is he.

Mat. I'll be hanged then, if that were he.

Young K. I assure you that was he.

Step. Upon my reputation, it was he.

Capt. B. Had I thought it had been he, he must not have gone so; but I can hardly be induced to believe it was he yet.

Young K. That I think, sir. But see, he is come again!

Re-enter Downright.

Down. O! Pharaoh's foot, have I found you? Come, araw; to your tools. Draw, gipsy, or I'll thrash you. Capt. B. Gentleman of valour, I do believe in thee,

hear me

Down. Draw your weapon, then.

Capt. B. Tall man, I never thought on't till now, body of me! I had a warrant of the peace served on me even now, as I came along, by a water bearer; this gentleman saw it, Mr. Matthew. (Downright beats Captain Bobadil; Matthew runs away.)

Down. 'Sdeath! you will not draw, then?

Capt. B. Hold, hold! under thy favour, forbear.

Down. Prate again, as you like this. You'll control the point, you? Your consort is gone; had he stayed, he had shared with you, sir.

[Exit. Young K. Twenty, and kill them; twenty more, kill them, too-ha, ha!

Capt. B. Well, gentlemen, bear witness; I was bound to the peace, by this good day.

Young K. No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other; but say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself; that will prove but a poor excuse.

Capt. B. I cannot tell, sir. I desire good construction, in fair sort. I never sustained the like disgrace, by heaven. Sure, I was struck with a planet.

Step. No, captain, you was struck with a stick. Young K. Ay, like enough; I have heard of many that have been beaten under a planet.

Go, get you to a surgeon.

'Slid! and these be your tricks, your passados and your montantos, I'll none of them.

Capt. B. I was planet-struck, certainly.

[Exit.

Young K. O, manners! that this age should bring forth such creatures! that nature should be at leisure to make

em! Come, coz.

Step. Mass! I'll have this cloak.

Young K. God's will, 'tis Downright's.

Step. Nay, it's mine now; another might have ta en it up as well as I. I'll wear it, so I will.