Were it not better my disgrace were known,
Than such a base aspirer fill the throne?
Cole. Ha! brother Crab, what think you?
Crab. As you, dear brother Cole.
Cole. Then we agree;

Cole's judgment is as Crab's you see.
Lady, we swear to speak and write
What you please, so all go right.

Qu. Mo. Then, as we gave directions, spread
abroad

In Cadiz, Madrid, Granado, and Medyna,
And all the royal cities of the realm,

Th' ambitious hopes of that proud bastard Philip:
And sometimes, as you see occasion,

Tickle the ears of the rude multitude
With Eleazar's praise; gild his virtues,
Naples recovery, and his victories

Achiev'd against the Turkish Ottoman.
Will you do this for us?

Eleaz. Say, will you?

Both. Aye.

Eleaz. Why start you back and stare?

Ha! are you afraid?

Cole. Oh! no, sir, no! but truth to tell,

Seeing your face we thought of hell.

Eleaz. Hell is a dream

Cole. But none do dream in hell.

Eleaz. Friars, stand to her and me; and by your sin,

I'll shoulder out Mendoza from his seat,

And of two friars create you cardinals.

Oh! how would cardinal's hats on their heads sit. Cole. This face would look most goodly under it. Friars Crab and Cole do swear,

In those circles still to appear,

In which she or you do charge us rise;
For you our lives we'll sacrifice.
Valete, Guadete:

Si pereamus flete;

Orate pro nobis,

Oramus pro vobis.

Cole will be burnt, and Crab be press'd,

Ere they prove knaves; thus are you cross'd

and bless'd.

[Exeunt Friars.

Eleaz. Away! you know. Now, madam, none

shall throw

Their leaden envy in an opposite scale,
To weigh down our true golden happiness.
Qu. Mo. Yes, there is one.

Eleaz. One! who? Give me his name, and I will

Turn it to a magic spell,

To bind him here, here; who?

Qu. Mo. Your wife, Maria.

Eleaz. Hah! my Maria!

Qu. Mo. She's the hellespont divides my love and me:

She, being cut off

Eleaz. Stay, stay; cut off! let's think upon't; my wife!

Humph! kill her too!

Qu. Mo. Does her love make thee cold? Eleaz. Had I a thousand wives, down go they all. She dies; I'll cut her off: now Baltazar!

Enter BALTAZAR,

Balt. Madam, the king entreats your company.

Qu. Mo. His pleasure be obey'd. Dear love,

farewell;

Remember your Maria.

Eleaz. Here adieu;

[Exit.

With this I'll guard her, whilst it stabs at you.
Balt. My lord, the friars are won to join with us.
Eleaz. Be prosperous! about it Baltazar.
Balt. The watch-word?

Eleaz. Oh, the word; let it be Treason;
When we cry treason, break ope chamber doors,
Kill Philip and the cardinal. Hence!

Balt. I fly.

[Exit. Eleaz. Murder, now ride in triumph; darkness, horror,

Thus I invoke your aid; your act begin;
Night is a glorious robe for th' ugliest sin.

SCENE IV.

Enter COLE and CRAB in Trousers; the CARDINAL in one of their Weeds, and PHILIP putting on the other.

Friars. Put on, my lord, and fly, or else you die.

Phil. I will not, I will die first; cardinal, Prithee good cardinal, pluck off; friars! slave Murder us two! he shall not, by this sword.

Card. My lord, you will endanger both our lives. Phil. I care not; I'll kill some before I die. Away! s'heart take your rags! Moor, devil, come. Friars. My lord, put on, or else Phil. God's foot, come help.

-Card. Ambitious villain! Philip, let us fly
Into the chamber of the Mother Queen.
Phil. Thunder beat down the lodgings.

Card. Else let's break into the chamber of the

king.

Phil. Agreed;

A pox upon these lousy gabardines.

Agreed; I am for you, Moor; stand side by side; Come, hands off, leave your ducking; hell cannot fright

Their spirits that do desperately fight.
Cole. You are too rash, you are too hot,
Wild desperateness doth valour blot.
The lodging of the king's beset,
With staring faces black as jet,

And hearts of iron; your deaths are vow'd
If you fly that way; therefore shroud
Your body in friar Cole's grey weed;
For is't not madness, man, to bleed,
When you may scape untouch'd away?
Here's hell, here's heaven; here if you stay
You're gone, you're gone; friar Crab and I
Will here dance friskin, whilst you fly.
Gag us, bind us, come put on;

The gag's too wide; so, gone, gone, gone!

Phil. Oh ! well, I'll come again. Lord Cardinal, Take you your castle, I'll to Portugal.

I vow I'll come again, and if I do

Card. Nay, good my lord.

Phil. Black devil, I'll conjure you. [Exeunt.

SCENE V.

To the FRIARS making a noise, gagged and bound, enter ELEAZAR, ZARACK, BALTAZAR, and other Moors, all with their Swords drawn.

Eleaz. Guard all the passages; Zarack, stand there;

There Baltazar; there you; the friars,
Where have you plac'd the friars?

All. My lord, a noise *!

Balt. The friars are gagg'd and bound.
Eleaz. "Tis Philip and the cardinal; shoot!
hah! stay,

Unbind them. Where's Mendoza and the prince?
Cole. Santa Maria, who can tell!
By Peter's keys they bound us well,
And having crack'd our shaven crowns,
They have escap'd you in our gowns.

Eleaz. Escap'd! escap'd away! I'm glad, it's good;

I would their arms may turn to eagles' wings,
To fly us swift as time; sweet air give way;
Winds, leave your two and thirty palaces,
And meeting all in one, join all your might,
To give them speedy and a prosperous flight.
Escap'd, friars! which way?

Both. This way.

Eleaz. Good! alas, what sin is't to shed innocent blood!

For look you, holy men, it is the king,

* In the original this speech is given to Alvero; but it is evidently an error, as he does not enter till some time after.