Enter the Gallian king and queene, and Mumford, with a

· basket, disguised like countrey folke.

King. This tedious iourney all on foot, fweet loue,

Cannot be pleafing to your tender ioynts,

Which ne're were vsed to these toylesome walks.

Cord. I neuer in my life tooke more delight

In any iourney, then I do in this :

It did me good, when as we hapt to light
Amongst the merry crue of country folke,
To fee what induftry and paynes they tooke,
To win them commendations 'mongst their friends.
Lord, how they labour to bestir themselues,
And in their quirks to go beyond the moone,
And fo take on them with fuch antike fits,

That one would think they were befide their wits!
Come away, Roger, with your basket.

Mum. Soft, dame, here comes a couple of old youthes,
I muft needs make my felfe fat with iefting at them.

Enter Leir and Perillus very faintly.

Cor. Nay, prithy do not, they do feeme to be
Men much o'regone with griefe and mifery.
Let's stand afide, and harken what they fay.

Leir. Ah, my Perillus, now I fee we both
Shall end our dayes in this vnfruitfull foyle,
Oh, I do faint for want of fuftenance:
And thou, I know, in little better case.
No gentle tree affords one tafte of fruit,
To comfort vs, vntill we meet with men :
No lucky path conducts our lucklesse steps
Vnto a place where any comfort dwels.

Sweet

Sweet reft betyde vnto our happy foules;

For here I fee our bodies must have end.

Per. Ah, my deare lord, how doth my heart lament,

To fee you brought to this extremity!

O, if you loue me, as you do professe,

Or euer thought well of me in my life,

He ftrips up his arme.

Feed on this flesh, whose veynes are not so dry,
But there is vertue left to comfort you.
O, feed on this, if this will do you good,
Ile fmile for ioy, to fee you fuck my bloud.

Leir. I am no Caniball, that I should delight
To flake my hungry iawes with humane flesh :
I am no deuill, or ten times worse then so,
To fuck the bloud of fuch a peereleffe friend.
O, do not think that I respect my life
So dearely, as I do thy loyall loue.

Ah, Brittayne, I fhall neuer see thee more,
That haft vnkindly banifhed thy king:
And yet not thou doft make me to complayne,
But they which were more neere to me then thou.
Cor. What do I heare? this lamentable voyce,
Me thinks, ere now I oftentimes haue heard.

Leir. Ah, Gonorill, was halfe my kingdomes gift
The caufe that thou didst feeke to haue my life?
Ah, cruell Ragan, did I giue thee all,
And all could not fuffice without my bloud?
Ah, poore Cordella, did I giue thee nought,
Nor neuer shall be able for to giue?
O, let me warne all ages that infueth,
How they trust flattery, and reiect the trueth.
Well, vnkind girles, I here forgiue you both,
Yet the iuft heauens will hardly do the like;

And

And onely craue forgiueneffe at the end
Of good Cordella, and of thee, my friend;
Of God, whofe maiefty I haue offended,
By my tranfgreffion many thousand wayes :
Of her, deare heart, whom I for no occafion
Turn'd out of all, through flatterers perswasion:
Of thee, kind friend, who but for me, I know,
Hadft neuer come vnto this place of wo.

Cor. Alack, that euer I fhould liue to fee
My noble father in this mifery.

King. Sweet loue, reueale not what thou art as yet, Vntill we know the ground of all this ill.

Cor. O, but fome meat, fome meat: do you not fee, How neere they are to death for want of food?

Per. Lord, which didft help thy feruants at their need,

Or now or neuer fend vs helpe with speed.

Oh comfort, comfort! yonder is a banquet,

And men and women, my lord: be of good cheare;
For I fee comfort comming very neere.

O my lord, a banquet, and men and women!
Leir. O, let kind pity mollify their hearts,

That they may helpe vs in our great extreames.

Per. God faue you, friends; and if this blessed banquet Affordeth any food or fuftenance,

Euen for his fake that faued vs all from death,

Vouchfafe to faue vs from the gripe of famine.

She bringeth him to the table.

Cor. Here father, fit and eat, here, fit and drink :

And would it were far better for your fakes.

Perillus takes Leir by the hand to the table.

Per. Ile giue you thanks anon: my friend doth faynt,

And needeth prefent comfort.

Leir drinks.

Mum.

Mum. I warrant, he ne're ftayes to lay a grace: O, theres no fauce to a good stomake.

Per. The bieffed God of heauen hath thought vpon vs.

Leir. The thanks be his, and these kind courteous folke, By whofe humanity we are preferued.

They eat hungerly, Leir drinkes. Cor. And may that draught be vnto him, as was That which old Efon dranke, which did renue His withered age, and made him young againe. And may that meat be vnto him, as was That which Elias ate, in ftrength whereof He walked fourty dayes, and neuer faynted. Shall I conceale me longer from my father? Or fhall I manifeft my felfe to him?

King. Forbeare a while, vntill his strength returne, Left being ouer-ioyed with feeing thee,

His poore weake fences fhould forfake their office,

And fo our caufe of ioy be turnd to forrow.

Per. What chere, my lord? how do you feele your felfe?

Leir. Me thinks, I neuer ate fuch fauory meat:

It is as pleafant as the blessed manna,

That raynd from heauen amongst the Ifraelites:
It hath recall'd my fpirits home agayne,
And made me fresh, as earst I was before.
But how fhall we congratulate their kindnesse?
Per. Infayth, I know not how fufficiently;
But the best meane that I can think on, is this:
Ile offer them my dublet in requitall;

For we haue nothing elfe to fpare.

Leir. Nay, ftay, Perillus, for they fhall haue mine.
Per. Pardon, my lord, I fweare they shall haue mine.

Perillus proffers his dublet: they will not take it. Leir. Ah, who would think fuch kindnes fhould remayne

Among fuch ftrange and vnacquainted men :

And

And that fuch hate fhould harbour in the breft
Of thofe, which haue occafion to be best?

Cor. Ah, good old father, tell to me thy griefe,
Ile forrow with thee, if not adde reliefe.

Leir. Ah, good young daughter, I may call thee fo;
For thou art like a daughter I did owe.

Cor. Do you not owe her still? what, is the dead?
Leir. No, God forbid: but all my intereft's gone,
By shewing my selfe too much vnnaturall:
So haue I loft the title of a father,

And may be call'd a stranger to her rather.

Cor. Your title's good ftill: for tis alwayes knowne, A man may do as him list with his owne.

But haue you but one daughter then in all ?

Leir. Yes, I haue more by two, then would I had.
Cor. O, fay not fo, but rather fee the end
They that are bad, may haue the grace to mend :
But how haue they offended you so much?

Leir. If from the firft I fhould relate the caufe,
'Twould make a heart of adamant to weepe;
And thou, poore foule, kind-hearted as thou art,
Doft weepe already, ere I do begin.

Cor. For Gods loue tell it, and when you haue done:
Ile tell the reason why I weepe fo foone.

Leir. Then know this firft, I am a Brittayne borne,
And had three daughters by one louing wife:
And though I fay it, of beauty they were fped;
Efpecially the youngest of the three,

For her perfections hardly matcht could be:
On these I doted with a ielous loue,

And thought to try which of them lou'd me best,
By asking them, which would do most for me?
The firft and fecond flattred me with words,
And vowd they lou'd me better then their liues:

Pp

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