Vouchsaf'd me not her servant, 'twere as good
I were reduc'd to clownery, to nothing,
As to a throne of wonder.

Hunt. (apart.)

Now, by Saint Andrew, A spark of metal! he has a brave fire in him. I would he had my daughter so I knew't not. But 'tmust not be so, must not.-Well, young lord, This will not do yet, if the girl be headstrong, And will not hearken to good counsel, steal her, And run away with her; dance galliards, do, And frisk about the world to learn the languages: "Twill be a thriving trade; you may set up by't. Dal. With pardon, noble Gordon, this disdain Suits not your daughter's virtue, or my constancy. Hunt. You're angry.-'Would he would beat me, I deserve it. [Aside. Dalyell, thy hand, we're friends: follow thy court

ship;

Take thine own time and speak; if thou prevail'st With passion, more than I can with my counsel, She's thine; nay, she is thine; 'tis a fair match, Free and allowed. I'll only use my tongue, Without a father's power; use thou thine:

Self do, self have. No more words; win and wear her.

Dal. You bless me; I am now too poor in thanks To pay the debt I owe you.

Nay, thou'rt poor enough.

Hunt.
I love his spirit infinitely.-Look ye,

She comes to her now, to her, to her!

Enter KATHERINE and JANE.

The gallant

Kath. The king commands your presence, sir. Hunt. This, this, this lord, this servant, Kate, of Desires to be your master.

yours

Kath.

A worthy friend of mine.

Dal.

I acknowledge him

Your humblest creature.

Hunt. So, so; the game's a-foot, I'm in cold

hunting,

The hare and hounds are parties.

[Aside.

Princely lady,

Dal.
How most unworthy am I to employ

My services, in honour of your virtues,
How hopeless my desires are to enjoy

Your fair opinion, and much more your love;
Are only matters of despair, unless

Your goodness gives large warrants to my boldness,
My feeble-wing'd ambition.

Hunt. (Aside.)

This is scurvy.

Kath. My lord, I interrupt you not.

Hunt. (Aside.)

Indeed!

Now on my life she'll court him.-Nay, nay, on sir.
Dal. Oft have I tun'd the lesson of my sorrows
To sweeten discord, and enrich your pity;

But all in vain; here had my comforts sunk
And never ris'n again, to tell a story
Of the despairing lover, had not now,
Even now, the earl your father-
Hunt. (Aside.)

He means me sure,

Dal. After some fit disputes of your condition, Your highness and my lowness, giv'n a licence Which did not more embolden, than encourage My falt'ring tongue.

Hunt.

How? how? how's that?

Embolden? encourage?

hear, sir?

I encourage ye, d'ye

A subtle trick, a quaint one.-Will you hear, man? What did I say to you? Come, come, to th' point. Kath. It shall not need my lord.

Hunt. Then hear me, Kate! Keep you on that hand of her; I on this

Thou stand'st between a father and a suitor,
Both striving for an interest in thy heart:
He courts thee for affection, I for duty;
He as a servant pleads, but by the privilege
Of nature, tho' I might command, my care
Shall only counsel what it shall not force.

Thou canst but make one choice; the ties of marriage

Are tenures, not at will, but during life.

Consider whose thou art, and who; a princess,
A princess of the royal blood of Scotland,
In the full spring of youth, and fresh in beauty.
The king that sits upon the throne is young,
And yet unmarried, forward in attempts
On any least occasion, to endanger

His person; wherefore, Kate, as I am confident
Thou dar'st not wrong thy birth and education
By yielding to a common servile rage
Of female wantonness, so I am confident
Thou wilt proportion all thy thoughts to side'
Thy equals, if not equal thy superiors.
My lord of Dalyell, young in years, is old
In honours, but nor eminent in titles
Or in estate, that may support or add to
The expectation of thy fortunes. Settle
Thy will and reason by a strength of judgment:
For, in a word, I give thee freedom; take it.
If equal fates have not ordain'd to pitch
Thy hopes above my height, let not thy passion
Lead thee to shrink mine honour in oblivion:
Thou art thine own; I have done.

Dal.
Oh! you're all oracle,
The living stock and root of truth and wisdom.

To side thy equals ;] To match with thy equals. This is a singular use of the verb to side, which was originally a technical term at card-playing.

Of

Kath. My worthiest lord and father, the indul

gence

[Kneels.

your sweet composition, thus commands The lowest of obedience: you have granted A liberty so large, that I want skill

To choose without direction of example:
From which I daily learn, by how much more
You take off from the roughness of a father,
By so much more I am engag'd to tender
The duty of a daughter. For respects
Of birth, degrees of title, and advancement,
I nor admire nor slight them; all my studies
Shall ever aim at this perfection only,

To live and die so, that you may not blush
In any course of mine to own me yours.

Hunt. Kate, Kate, thou grow'st upon my heart, like peace,

Creating every other hour a jubilee.

Kath. To you my lord of Dalyell, I address Some few remaining words: The general fame That speaks your merit, even in vulgar tongues, Proclaims it clear, but in the best, a president. Hunt. Good wench, good girl, i' faith. Kath. For my part (trust me), I value mine own worth at higher rate,

'Cause you are pleas'd to prize it; if the stream
Of your protested service (as you term it)

Run in a constancy, more than a compliment,
It shall be my delight, that worthy love

Leads you to worthy actions; and these guide you
Richly to wed an honourable name:

So every virtuous praise, in after ages,

Shall be your heir, and I, in your brave mention, Be chronicled the mother of that issue,

That glorious issue.

Hunt.

Oh, that I were young again

10

She'd make me court proud danger, and suck spirit From reputation.

Kath.

To the present motion, Here's all that I dare answer: when a ripeness Of more experience, and some use of time, Resolves to treat the freedom of my youth Upon exchange of troths', I shall desire No surer credit, of a match with virtue, Than such as lives in you; mean time, my hopes

are

Preserv'd secure, in having you a friend.

Dal. You are a blessed lady, and instruct
Ambition not to soar a farther flight,

Than in the perfum'd air of your soft voice.-
My noble lord of Huntley, you have lent
A full extent of bounty to this parley ;

And for it shall command your humblest servant. Hunt. Enough: we are still friends, and will continue

A hearty love.-Oh! Kate, thou art mine own.No more: my lord of Crawford.

Craw.

Enter CRAWFORD.

From the king I come, my lord of Huntley, who in counsel Requires your present aid. Hunt. Some weighty business? Craw. A secretary from the duke of York, The second son to the late English Edward,

1 Resolves to treat the freedom of my youth,

Upon exchange of troths.] The phraseology here is extremely involved. The meaning seems to be," when experience and time give me a resolution to treat for an exchange of the freedom of my youth for mutual truth or betrothing, I shall desire," &c.; or, in plainer words, "when experience and time shall incline me to give up the freedom of my youth, and give up my truth and faith to another in exchange for his faith," &c.