Ger. Why, is she gone?

Dor. The 'scape of her virginity, I mean. You men are as dull, you can conceive nothing; you think it is enough to beget.

Ger. Ay;

But surely, Dorothea, that 'scaped not;

Her maidenhead suffer'd.

Dor. And you were the executioner.

Ger. But what's the event? Lord, how thou starvest me, Doll!

Dor. "Lord, how thou starvest me, Doll?" By Heaven, I would fain see you cry a little! Do you stand now, as if you could get a child? Come, I'll rack you no more; this is the heart of the business-Always provided, signor, that if it please the fates to make you a lord, you be not proud, nor forget your poor handmaid Doll, who was partly accessary to the incision of this Holofernian maidenhead.

Ger. I will forget my name first. Speak!

Dor. Then thus: My lady knows all; her sorrow is reasonably well digested; has vowed to conceal it from my lord, till delay ripen things better; wills you to attend her this evening at the back gate: I'll let you in, where her own confessor shall put you together lawfully, ere the child be born; which birth is very near, I can assure you. All your charge is your vigilance; and to bring with you some trusty nurse, to convey the infant out of the house.

Ger. Oh, beam of comfort! Take! [Gives money.
Go, tell my lady

I pray for her as I walk. My joys so flow,
That what I speak or do, I do not know! [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Another Room in the same.

Dumb Show.

Enter VIOLANTE at one Door, weeping, supported by CORNELIA and a Friar; at another Door, ANGELINA weeping, attended by DOROTHEA. V10LANTE kneels down for pardon. ANGELINA shewing remorse, takes her up, and cheers her; so doth CORNELIA. ANGELINA sends DOROTHEA for GERRARD. Enter GERRARD with DOROTHEA; ANGELINA and CORNELIA seem to chide him, shewing VIOLANTE's heavy plight. VIOLANTE rejoiceth in him; he makes signs of sorrow, entreating pardon: ANGELINA brings GERRARD and VIOLANTE to the Friar; he joins them hand in hand, takes a ring from GERRARD, puts it on VIOLANTE's finger, blesseth them ; GERRARD kisseth her; the Friar takes his leave. VIOLANTE makes show of great pain, is instantly conveyed in by the Women, GERRARD is bid stay; he walks in meditation, seeming to pray. Enter DOROTHEA, whispers him, sends him out. Enter GERRARD with a Nurse blindfold; gives her a purse. To them enter ANGELINA and CORNELIA with an Infant; they present it to GERRARD, he kisseth and blesseth it, puts it into the Nurse's arms, kneels, and takes his leave. Exeunt all severally.

SCENE IV.

Another Room, with a Curtain in the Back-ground.

Enter BENVOGLIO and RANDULPHO.

Benv. He's dead, you say then?
Rand. Certainly; and to hear

The people now dissect him now he's gone, Makes my ears burn, that loved him not: Such libels,

Such elegies and epigrams, they have made,
More odious than he was !-Brother, great men
Had need to live by love, meting their deeds
With Virtue's rule; sound with the weight of judg-

ment

Their privatest action: For though, while they live,
Their power and policy masque their villainies,
Their bribes, their lust, pride and ambition,
And make a many slaves to worship 'em,

That are their flatterers, and their bawds in these ;
These very slaves shall, when these great beasts die,
Publish their bowels to the vulgar eye.

Ben. 'Fore Heaven, 'tis true. But is Rinaldo, brother,

Our good duke, heard of living?

Rand. Living, sir,

And will be shortly with the senate: has
Been close concealed at Mantua, and relieved.

But what's become of his, no tidings yet!

But, brother, till our good duke shall arrive,

Carry this news here. Where's your Ferdinand?
Beno. Oh, busy, sir, about this marriage:
And yet my girl o' th' sudden is fall'n sick.
You'll see her ere you go?

Rand. Yes. Well I love her;

And yet I wish I had another daughter
To gratify my Gerrard, who, by Heaven,
Is all the glory of my family,

But has too much worth to live so obscure:
I'll have him secretary of estate

Upon the duke's return; for, credit me,

The value of that gentleman's not known:
His strong abilities are fit to guide

The whole republic: He hath learning, youth,
Valour, discretion, honesty of a saint.

His aunt is wond'rous good too.

Beny. You have spoke

The very character of Ferdinand :

One is the other's mirrour.

The Curtain is drawn, VIOLANTE is discovered in a Bed, ANGELINA and DOROTHEA sitting by her.

How now, daughter?

Rand. How fares my niece?

Viol. A little better, uncle, than I was,

Ang. It was

A cold and heat, I think; but Heaven be thank'd,

We have broken that away.

Benv. And yet, Violante,

You'll lie alone still, and you see what's got.

Dor. Sure, sir, when this was got, she had a bed

fellow.

[Aside Rand. What, has her cholic left her in her belly? Dor, "T has left her, but she has had a sore fit.

Rand. Ay, that same cholic and stone's inherent

to us

O' th' woman's side! our mothers had them both. Dor. So has she had, sir.-[Aside.] How these old fornicators talk! she had more need of maceale, and Rhenish-wine caudles, Heaven knows, than your aged discipline.

Benv. Say.

Ang. She will have the man; and, on recovery, Will wholly be disposed by you.

Beno. That's my wench!

Enter FERDINAND in mourning.

How now! what change is this? Why, Ferdinand,
Are these your robes of joy should be indued?*
Doth Hymen wear black? I did send for you.
To have my honourable brother witness
The contract I will make 'twixt you and her.

Are these your robes of joy should be indued.] That is, with which you should be indued, that is, endowed or furnished. This passage supports Mr Malone's defence of the same word in the following passage of Hamlet, (Reed's Shakspeare, XVIII. 317.)—

Mr Malone gives his explanation in the following terms :-" As we are indued with certain original dispositions and propensities at our birth, Shakspeare here uses indued with great licentiousness for formed by nature; clothed, endowed, or furnished with properties suited to the element of water. Our old writers used indued and endowed indiscriminately. To indue,' says Minsheu in his Dictionary, sepissime refertur ad dotes animo infusas, quibus nimirum ingenium alicujus imbutum et initiatum est, unde et G. instruire est. L. imbuere. Imbuere proprie est inchoare et initiari. In Cotgrave's French Dictionary, 1611, instruire is interpreted to fashion, to furnish with."-Fletcher uses the word indued in the text still more licentiously than Shakspeare. It is singular that Mason overlooked this passage, as he had previously attempted to substitute inured for indued in the quotation from Hamlet.