A Select Collection of Old English Plays, vol 2 | Page 3

peace, And talk to me of no
goodness; And soon look thou go thy way, Lest with my dagger I thee
slay! In faith, if thou move my heart, Thou shalt be weary of thy part,
Ere thou and I have done.
CHARITY. Think what God suffered for thee, His arms to be spread

upon a tree; A knight with a spear opened his side, In his heart
appeared a wound wide, That bought both you and me!
YOUTH. God's fast! what is that to me? Thou daw, wilt thou reed me
In my youth to lose my jollity? Hence, knave, and go thy way, Or with
my dagger I shall thee slay!
CHARITY. O sir, hear what I you tell, And be ruled after my counsel,
That ye might sit in heaven high With God and his company.
YOUTH. Ah, yet of God thou wilt not cease Till I fight in good earnest;
On my faith I tell thee true, If I fight, it will thee rue All the days of thy
life.
CHARITY. Since[10] I see it will none otherwise be; I will go to my
brother Humility, And take good counsel of him, How it is best to be
do therein.
YOUTH. Yea, marry, sir, I pray you of that; Methink it were a good
sight of your back; I would see your heels hither, And your brother and
you together Fettered fine fast! I-wis, and I had the key, Ye should sing
well-away, Ere I let you loose!
CHARITY. Farewell, my masters everychone! I will come again anon,
And tell you how I have done.
YOUTH. And thou come hither again, I shall send thee hence in the
devil's name. What! now I may have my space To jet here in this place;
Before I might not stir, When that churl Charity was here; But now,
among all this cheer, I would I had some company here; I wish[11] my
brother Riot would help me, For to beat Charity And his brother too.
RIOT. Huffa! huffa![12] who calleth after me? I am Riot, full of jollity.
My heart as light as the wind, And all on riot is my mind, Wheresoever
I go. But wot ye what I do here? To seek Youth my compeer: Fain of
him I would have a sight, But my lips hang in my light. God speed,
master Youth, by my fay.
YOUTH. Welcome, Riot, in the devil's way! Who brought thee
hitherto?
RIOT. That did my legs, I tell thee: Methought thou did me call, And I
am come now here To make royal cheer, And tell thee how I have
done.
YOUTH. What! I weened thou hadst been hanged, But I see thou art
escaped, For it was told me here You took a man on the ear, That his
purse in your bosom did fly, And so in Newgate you did lie.

RIOT. So it was, I beshrew your heart: I come lately from Newgate,
But I am as ready to make good cheer, As he that never came there; For,
and I have spending, I will make as merry as a king, And care not what
I do; For I will not lie long in prison, But will get forth soon, For I have
learned a policy That will loose me lightly, And soon let me go.
YOUTH. I love well thy discretion, For thou art all of one condition;
Thou art stable and steadfast of mind, And not changeable as the wind.
But, sir, I pray you at the least, Tell me more of that jest, That thou told
me right now.
RIOT. Moreover, I shall tell thee, The Mayor of London sent for me
Forth of Newgate for to come, For to preach at Tyburn.
YOUTH. By our Lady! he did promote thee, To make thee preach at
the gallow-tree! But, sir, how didst thou 'scape?
RIOT. Verily, sir, the rope brake, And so I fell to the ground, And ran
away, safe and sound: By the way I met with a courtier's lad, And
twenty nobles of gold in his purse he had: I took the lad on the ear,
Beside his horse I felled him there: I took his purse in my hand, And
twenty nobles therein I fand.[13] Lord, how I was merry!
YOUTH. God's fate! thou didst enough there For to be made knight of
the collar.
RIOT. Yea, sir, I trust to God Allmight At the next sessions to be
dubbed a knight.
YOUTH. Now, sir, by this light! That would I fain see, And I plight
thee, so God me save, That a sure collar thou shalt have; And because
gold collars be so good cheap, Unto the roper I shall speak To make
thee one of a good price, And