Wid. Here you shall fee a countryman of yours, That has done worthy service. Hel. His name, I pray you? Dia. The Count Roufillon: know you such a one? Hel. But by the ear, that hears most nobly of him; His face I know not. Dia. Whatsoe'er he is, He's bravely taken here. He stole from France, Hel. Ay, furely, meer the truth; I know his lady. Reports but coursely of her. Hel. What's his name? Dia. Monfieur Parolles. Hel. Oh, I believe with him, In argument of praise, or to the worth Of the great Count himself, she is too mean Is a reserved honesty, and That I have not heard examin'd. Dia. Alas, poor lady! 'Tis a hard bondage, to become the wife. Of a detesting lord. Wid. Ah! right; good creature! wheresoe'er she is Her heart weighs sadly; this young maid might do her A shrewd turn, if the pleas'd. Hel. How do you mean? May be, the am'rous Count sollicits her In the unlawful purpose. Wid. He does, indeed; And brokes with all, that can in such a fuit Corrupt the tender honour of a maid : But the is arm'd for him, and keeps her guard In honestest defence. Drum and Colours. Enter Bertram, Parolles, Officers and Soldiers attending. Mar. The Gods forbid else ! Wid. So, now they come : C4 That That is Antonio, the Duke's eldest son; Hel. Which is the Frenchman? Dia. He; That with the plume; 'tis a most gallant fellow; He were much goodlier. Is't not a handsome gentle man? Hel. I like him well. Dia. 'Tis pity, he is not honest; yond's that same knave, (19) That leads him to these paces; were I his lady, I'd poison that vile rascal. Hel. Which is he? Dia. That jack-an-apes with fearfs. Why is he me lancholy ? Hel. Perchance, he's hurt i'th' battel. Par. Lofe our drum! well. Mar. He's snrewdly vex'd at something. Look, he has spied us. Wid. Marry, hang you! [Exeunt Bertram, Parolles, &c. Mar. And your courtefie, for a ring-carrier! Wid. The troop is past: come, pilgrim, I will bring you, Where you shall host: Of injoyn'd penitents Hel. I humbly thank you : Please it this matron, and this gentle maid (19) Yond's That same Fellow, That leads him to these Places.] What Places ? He did not lead him to be General of Horse under the Duke of Florence, sure. Nor have they been talking of Brothels; or, indeed, any particular Locality. I make no Question, but our Author wrote ; That leads him to these Paces. i. e. to such irregular Steps, to Courses of Debauchery, to not loving his Wife, Shall Shall be for me: and to requite you further, Both. We'll take your offer kindly. [Exeunt. Enter Bertram, and the two French Lords. 1 Lord. Nay, good my lord, put him to't: let him have his way. 2 Lord. If your lordship find him not a hilding, hold me no more in your respect. 1 Lord. On my life, my lord, a bubble. Ber. Do you think, I am so far deceiv'd in him? I Lord. Believe it, my lord, in mine own direct knowledge, without any malice, but to speak of him as my kinsman; he's a most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise-breaker, the owner of no one good quality worthy your lordship's entertain ment. 2 Lord. It were fit you knew him, lest, reposing too far in his virtue, which he hath not, he might at fome great and trusty business 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 so confidently undertake to do. 1 Lord. I, with a troop of Florentines, will fuddenly furprize him; such I will have, whom, I am fure, he knows not from the enemy: we will bind and hood-wink him so, that he shall suppose no other but that he is carried into the leaguer of the adversaries, when we bring him to our own tents; be but your lordship present at his examination, if he do not for the promise of his life, and in the highest compulfion of base 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 trust my judgment in any thing. 2 Lord. O, for the love of laughter, let him fetch his drum; he says, he has a stratagem for't; (20) when your lordship fees the bottom of his success in't, and (20) When your Lordship sees the bottom of his Success in't, and to what Metal this Counterfeit Lump of Ours will be melted, if you give him not John Drum's Entertainment, your Inclining cannot be remov'd.] Lump of ours has been the Reading of all the Editions. Oare, according to my Emendation, bears a Confonancy with the other Terms accompanying, (viz. Metal, Lump, and melted) and helps the Propriety of the Poet's Thought: For so 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? Lafen several Times afterwards calls Parolles, Tom Drum. But the Difference of the Christian Name will make None in the Explanation. There is an old Motley Interlude, (printed in 1601) call'd, Jack Drum's Entertainment: Or, the Comedy of Pasquil and Katharine. In This, Jack Drum is a Servant 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 proving, in which I find these Expressions. Thuriger. Thou Lozel, hath Slug infected you? Why do you give such kind Entertainment to that Cobweb ? Scopas. It shall have Tom Drum's Entertainment; a Flap with a Fox-tail. But Both these Pieces are, perhaps, too late in Time, to come to the Assistance of our Author: so 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 so near a Confi"dence, if, upon his being found a Counterfeit, you don't "casheer him from your Favour, then your Attachment is not "to be remov'd." - I'll now fubjoin a Quotation from Holingshed, (of whose Books Shakespeare was a most diligent Reader) which will pretty well ascertain Drum's History. This Chronologer, in his Description of Ireland, speaking of Patrick Scarfefield, (Mayor of Dublin in the Year 1551,) and of his extravagant Hospitality, subjoins, that no Guest had ever a cold or forbidding Look from any Part of his Family: so that his Porter, or any other Officer, durft not, for both his Ears, give the fimplest Man, that resorted to his House, Tom Drum's Entertainment, which is, to hale a Man in by the Head, and thrust him out by both the Shoulders, to 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 sticks forely in your disposition. 2 Lord. A pox on't, let it go, 'tis but a drum. Par. But a drum! is't but a drum ? a drum so loft! there was an excellent command ! to charge in with our horse upon our own wings, and to rend our own foldiers. 2 Lord. That was not to be blamed in the command of the service; it was a disaster of war that Cafar himself could not have prevented, if he had been there to command. Ber. Well, we cannot greatly condemn our success : some dishonour we had in the loss of that drum, but it is not to be recover'd. Par. It might have been recover'd. Par. It is to be recover'd; but that the merit of service is feldom attributed to the true and exact performer, I would have that drum or another, or hic jacet Ber. Why, if you have a stomach to't, Monfieur; if you think your mystery in stratagem can bring this instrument 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 speak of it, and extend to you what further becomes his greatness, even to the utmost syllable of your worthiness. Par. By the hand of a soldier, I will undertake it. Par. I'll about it this evening, and I will presently pen down my dilemma's, encourage myself in my cer tainty, |