posed to the world in volumes, to bear the title of works (as others *): one reason is, that many of them by shifting and change of companies have been negligently lost. Others of them are still retained in the hands of some actors, who think it against their peculiar profit to have them come in print, and a third that it never was any great ambition in me to be in this kind voluminously read. All that I have further to say at this time is only this: censure I entreat as favourably as it is exposed to thy view freely.

"Ever studious of thy pleasure and profit,

"TH. HEYWOOD."

Of the 220 pieces which he here speaks of having been concerned in, only 25, as enumerated by Dodsley, have come down to us, for the reasons assigned in the preface. The rest have perished, exposed to the casualties of a theatre. Heywood's ambition seems to have been confined to the pleasure of hearing the players speak his lines while he lived. It does not appear that he ever contemplated the possibility of being read by after-ages. What a slender pittance of fame was motive sufficient to the production of such plays as the English Traveller, the Challenge for Beauty, and the Woman Kill'd with Kindness! Posterity is bound to take care that a writer loses nothing by such a noble modesty.]

THE LATE LANCASHIRE WITCHES: A COMEDY,
BY THOMAS HEYWOOD AND RICHARD BROOME.

Mr. Generous, by taking off a bridle from a seeming horse in his stable, discovers it to be his wife, who has transformed herself by magical practices, and is a witch.

MR. GENEROUS.

WIFE.

ROBIN, a groom.

Gen. My blood is turn'd to ice, and all my vitals
Have ceased their working. Dull stupidity
Surpriseth me at once, and hath arrested
That vigorous agitation, which till now
Express'd a life within me. I, methinks,
Am a mere marble statue, and no man.
Unweave my age, O time, to my first thread;
Let me lose fifty years, in ignorance spent ;
That being made an infant once again,

I may begin to know. What, or where am I,
To be thus lost in wonder?

* He seems to glance at Ben Jonson.

Wife. Sir.

Gen. Amazement still pursues me, how am I changed, Or brought ere I can understand myself

Into this new world!

Rob. You will believe no witches?

Gen. This makes me believe all, ay, anything;
And that myself am nothing. Prithee, Robin,
Lay me to myself open; what art thou,
Or this new transform'd creature?

Rob. I am Robin;

And this your wife, my mistress.
Gen. Tell me, the earth

Shall leave its seat, and mount to kiss the moon;
Or that the moon, enamour'd of the earth,
Shall leave her sphere, to stoop to us thus low.
What, what's this in my hand, that at an instant
Can from a four-legg'd creature make a thing
So like a wife ?

Rob. A bridle; a jugling bridle, sir.

Gen. A bridle! Hence, enchantment.
A viper were more safe within my hand,
Than this charm'd engine.-

A witch! my wife a witch!
The more I strive to unwind

Myself from this meander, I the more
Therein am intricated.

Art thou a witch?

Wife. It cannot be denied,

Prithee, woman,

I am such a curst creature.

Gen. Keep aloof:

And do not come too near me. O my trust;
Have I, since first I understood myself,

Been of my soul so chary, still to study
What best was for its health, to renounce all
The works of that black fiend with my best force;

And hath that serpent twined me so about,

That I must lie so often and so long

With a devil in my bosom ?

Wife. Pardon, sir.

[She looks down.

Gen. Pardon! can such a thing as that be hoped?

lost woman, to yon

hills;

Lift up thine eyes,
It must be thence expected: look not down

Unto that horrid dwelling; which thou hast sought
At such dear rate to purchase. Prithee tell me,
(For now I can believe,) art thou a witch?
Wife. I am.

Gen. With that word I am thunderstruck,

And know not what to answer; yet resolve me,
Hast thou made any contract with that fiend,
The enemy of mankind?

Wife. O, I have.

Gen. What? and how far?

Wife. I have promised him my soul.

Gen. Ten thousand times better thy body had
Been promised to the stake; ay, and mine too,
To have suffer'd with thee in a hedge of flames,
Than such a compact ever had been made.
Resolve me, how far doth that contract stretch?
Wife. What interest in this soul myself could claim,
I freely gave him: but his part that made it
I still reserve, not being mine to give.

Gen. O cunning devil: foolish woman, know,
Where he can claim but the least little part,
He will usurp the whole. Thou 'rt a lost woman.

Wife. I hope, not so.

Gen. Why, hast thou any hope?

Wife. Yes, sir, I have.

Gen. Make it appear

to me.

Wife. I hope I never bargain'd for that fire,

Further than penitent tears have power to quench. Gen. I would see some of them.

Wife. You behold them now

(If you look on me with charitable eyes)
Tinctured in blood, blood issuing from the heart.
Sir, I am sorry; when I look towards heaven,
I beg a gracious pardon; when on you,
Methinks your native goodness should not be
Less pitiful than they: 'gainst both I have err'd;
From both I beg atonement.

Gen. May I presume 't?

Wife. I kneel to both your mercies.
Gen. Knowest thou what
A witch is ?

Wife. Alas! none better;

Or after mature recollection can be
More sad to think on 't.

Gen. Tell me, are those tears

As full of true-hearted penitence,

As mine of sorrow to behold what state,
What desperate state, thou 'rt fallen in ?
Wife. Sir, they are.

Gen. Rise; and, as I do you, so Heaven pardon me;
We all offend, but from such falling off

Defend us! Well, I do remember, wife,

When I first took thee, 'twas for good and bad.
O, change thy bad to good, that I may keep thee
(As then we pass'd our faiths) 'till death us sever.
O, woman, thou hast need to weep thyself
Into a fountain, such a penitent spring

As may have power to quench invisible flames;
In which my eyes shall aid: too little, all'.

Frank Hospitality.

Gentlemen, welcome, 'tis a word I use;
From me expect no further compliment;
Nor do I name it often at one meeting;
Once spoke, to those that understand me best,
And know I always purpose as I speak,
Hath ever yet sufficed: so let it you.
Nor do I love that common phrase of guests,
As, we make bold, or, we are troublesome,
We take you unprovided, and the like!
I know you understanding gentlemen,
And knowing me, cannot persuade yourselves
With me you
shall be troublesome or bold.-

Nor shall you find,

Being set to meat, that I'll excuse your fare,

Or say, I am sorry it falls out so poor,

1 Compare this with a story in the Arabian Nights, where a man discovers his wife to be a goul.

And, had I known your coming, we'd have had
Such things and such; nor blame my cook, to say
This dish or that hath not been sauced with care:
Words fitting best a common hostess' mouth,
When there's perhaps some just cause of dislike;
But not the table of a gentleman.

A FAIR QUARREL: A COMEDY, BY THOMAS MIDDLETON AND WILLIAM ROWLEY.

Captain Ager in a dispute with a Colonel his friend, receives from the Colonel the appellation of Son of a Whore. A challenge is given and accepted; but the Captain, before he goes to the field, is willing to be confirmed of his mother's honour from her own lips. Lady Ager, being questioned by her son, to prevent a duel, falsely slanders herself of unchastity. The Captain, thinking that he has a bad cause, refuses to fight; but being reproached by the Colonel with cowardice, he esteems that he has now a sufficient cause for a quarrel, in the vindicating of his honour from that aspersion; and draws, and disarms his opponent.

LADY. CAPTAIN, her son.

Lady. Where left you your dear friend the colonel ?
Capt. O, the dear colonel, I should meet him soon.
Lady. O, fail him not then, he's a gentleman

The fame and reputation of your time

Is much engaged to.

Capt. Yes, an' you knew all, mother.

Lady. I thought I'd known so much of his fair goodness, More could not have been look'd for.

Capt. O yes, yes, madam:

And this his last exceeded all the rest.

Lady. For gratitude's sake let me know this I prithee.
Capt. Then thus; and I desire your censure freely,

Whether it appear'd not a strange noble kindness in him. Lady. Trust me, I long to hear 't.

Capt. You know he's hasty;

That by the way.

Lady. So are the best conditions:

Your father was the like..

Capt. I begin now