Maud. Then why, then why, alone, Should his notes please you?

Amie. I not long agone

Took a delight with wanton kids to play,
And sport with little lambs a summer's-day,
And view their frisks: methought it was a sight
Of joy to see my two brave rams to fight!
Now Karol only all delight doth move,
All that is Karol, Karol I approve!
This very morning but I did bestow
(It was a little 'gainst my will I know)
A single kiss upon the silly swain,
And now I wish that very kiss again.
His lip is softer, sweeter than the rose,
His mouth, and tongue, with dropping honey
The relish of it was a pleasing thing.

[flows;

Maud. Yet, like the bees, it had a little sting. Amie. And sunk, and sticks yet in my marrow deep;

And what doth hurt me, I now wish to keep. Mar. Alas, how innocent her story is!

Amie. I do remember, Marian, I have oft With pleasure kist my lambs and puppies soft; And once a dainty fine roo-fawn I had, Of whose out-skipping bounds I was as glad As of my health; and him I oft would kiss; Yet had his no such sting or pain as this: They never prick'd or hurt my heart; and, for They were so blunt and dull, I wish no more. But this, that hurts and pricks, doth please;

this sweet

Mingled with sour, I wish again to meet:
And that delay, methinks, most tedious is,
That keeps or hinders me of Karol's kiss.

Mar. We'll send for him, sweet Amie, to come to you.

Maud. But I will keep him off, if charms will do it. [Exit muttering. Cla. Do you mark the murmuring hag, how she doth mutter?

Rob. I like her not; and less her manners now. Alken. She is a shrewd deformed piece, I vow. Lio. As crooked as her body.

Rob. I believe

She can take any shape, as Scathlock says. Alken. She may deceive the sense, but really She cannot change herself.

Rob. Would I could see her Once more in Marian's form! for I am certain Now, it was she abused us; as I think My Marian, and my love, now innocent: Which faith I seal unto her with this kiss, And call you all to witness of my penance. [Kisses MARIAN. Alken. It was believed before, but now confirm'd,

That we have seen the monster.

Enter Friar TUCK, JOHN, MUCH, and SCARLET.
Tuck. Hear you how

Poor Tom the cook is taken! all his joints
Do crack, as if his limbs were tied with points
His whole frame slackens; and a kind of rack
Runs down along the spondils of his back;
A gout or cramp now seizeth on his head,
Then falls into his feet: his knees are lead;
And he can stir his either hand no more
Than a dead stump, to his office, as before.
Alken. He is bewitch'd.

Cla. This is an argument

Both of her malice and her power, we see. Alken. She must by some device restrained be Or she'll go far in mischief.

Rob. Advise how,

[tice Sage shepherd; we shall put it straight in prac Alken. Send forth your woodmen then into

the walks,

Torn with an earthquake down unto the ground, 'Mongst graves and grots, near an old charnelhouse,

Where you shall find her sitting in her fourm,
As fearful and melancholic as that
She is about; with caterpillars' kells,
And knotty cob-webs, rounded in with spells.
Thence she steals forth to relief in the fogs,
And rotten mists, upon the fens and bogs,
Down to the drowned lands of Lincolnshire;
To make ewes cast their lambs, swine eat their
farrow,
[churn!
The housewives' tun not work, nor the milk
Writhe children's wrists, and suck their breath

in sleep,

Get vials of their blood! and where the sea
Casts up his slimy ooze, search for a weed
To open locks with, and to rivet charms,
Planted about her in the wicked feat
Of all her mischiefs, which are manifold.
John. I wonder such a story could be told
Of her dire deeds.

George. I thought a witch's banks
Had inclosed nothing but the merry pranks
Of some old woman.

Scar. Yes, her malice more.

Scath. As it would quickly appear had we the Of his collects.

George. Ay, this gud learned man

[store

Can speak her right.

venom'd plants

Wherewith she kills! where the sad mandrake

grows, [night-shade, Whose groans are deathful; the dead-numbing The stupifying hemlock, adder's tongue, And martagan: the shrieks of luckless owls We hear, and croaking night-crows in the air! Green-bellied snakes, blue fire-drakes in the sky, And giddy flitter-mice with leather wings! The scaly beetles, with their habergeons, That make a humming murmur as they fly! There in the stocks of trees, white faies do dwell, And span-long elves that dance about a pool, With each a little changeling in their arms! The airy spirits play with falling stars, And mount the sphere of fire to kiss the moon! While she sits reading by the glow-worm's light, Or rotten wood, o'er which the worm hath crept,

The baneful schedule of her nocent charms, And binding characters, through which she wounds

Her puppets, the sigilla of her witchcraft.
All this I know, and I will find her for you;
And shew you her sitting in her fourm; I'll lay
My hand upon her, make her throw her skut
Along her back, when she doth start before us.
But you must give her law: and you shall see

her

Make twenty leaps and doubles; cross the paths,
And then squat down beside us.
John. Crafty croan !

I long to be at the sport, and to report it.
Scar. We'll make this hunting of the witch
As any other blast of venery. [as famous,
Scath. Hang her, foul hag! she'll be a stink-
ing chase.

I had rather ha' the hunting of her heir.

Puck. The fiend hath much to do, that keeps Or is the father of a family; a school,

Or governs but a country academy:
His labors must be great, as are his cares,

To watch all turns, and cast how to prevent

them. [evil, This dame of mine here, Maud, grows high in And thinks she does all, when 'tis I, her devil, That both delude her, and must yet protect her. She's confident in mischief, and presumes The changing of her shape will still secure her But that may fail, and divers hazards meet Of other consequence, which I must look to, Nor let her be surprised on the first catch. I must go dance about the forest now, And firk it like a goblin, till I find her. Then will my service come worth acceptation, When not expected of her; when the help Meets the necessity, and both do kiss, 'Tis call'd the timing of a duty, this.

[Exit

- Another Part of the same.

Enter KAROL, and Dovce in the dress of EARINE.

Kar. Sure, you are very like her! I conceived You had been she, seeing you run afore me : For such a suit she made her 'gainst this feast, In all resemblance, or the very same;

I saw her in it; had he lived to enjoy it,
She had been there an acceptable guest
To Marian, and the gentle Robin Hood,
Who are the crown and ghirland of the wood.
Douce. I cannot tell, my mother gave it me,
And bade me wear it.

Kar. Who, the wise good woman,
Old Maud of Paplewick?

Re-enter EGLAMOUR.

Eg. But she, as chaste as was her name, Earine, [hovers Died undeflower'd and now her sweet soul Here in the air above us, and doth haste To get up to the moon and Mercury; And whisper Venus in her orb; then spring Up to old Saturn, and come down by Mars, Consulting Jupiter, and seat herself Just in the midst with Phoebus, tempering all The jarring spheres, and giving to the world Again his first and tuneful planetting. O what an age will here be of new concords! Delightful harmony! to rock old sages, Twice infants, in the cradle of speculation, And throw a silence upon all the creatures!

[Exit.

Kar. A cogitation of the highest rapture!
Re-enter GLAMOUR.

Eg. The loudest seas, and most enraged
winds,
[hoarse,
Shall lose their clangor; tempest shall grow
Loud thunder dumb, and every speece of storm,
Laid in the lap of listening nature, hush'd
To hear the changed chime of this eighth sphere.
Take tent, and hearken for it, lose it not. [Exit.

Enter CLARION and LIOnel.

Cla. O here is Karol! was not that the Sad Shepherd slipp'd from him?

Lio. Yes, I guess it was.

Who was that left you, Karol ?

Kar. The lost man;

Whom we shall never see himself again,

Or ours, I fear; he starts away from hand so,
And all the touches or soft strokes of reasor.
You can apply! no colt is so unbroken,
Or hawk yet half so haggard or unmann'd!
He takes all toys that his wild phant'sie proffers,
And flies away with them: he now conceives
That my lost sister, his Earine,

Is lately turn'd a sphere amid the seven;
And reads a music-lecture to the planets!
And with this thought he's run to call 'em
hearers.
[phant'sie!

Cla. Alas, this is a strain'd but innocent
I'll follow him, and find him if I can:
Meantime, go you with Lionel, sweet Karol;
He will acquaint you with an accident,
Which much desires your presence on the place.
[Exit.
Kar. What is it, Lionel, wherein I may serve
you?

Why do you so survey and circumscribe me,
As if you struck one eye into my breast,
And with the other took my whole dimensions?
Lio. I wish you had a window in your bosom,
Or in your back, I might look thorough you,
And see your in-parts, Karol, liver, heart;
For there the seat of Love is, whence the boy,
The winged archer, hath shot home a shaft
Into my sister's breast, the innocent Amie,
Who now cries out, upon her bed, on Karol,
Sweet-singing Karol, the delicious Karol,
That kiss'd her like a Cupid! In your eyes,
She says, his stand is, and between your lips
He runs forth his divisions to her ears,

But will not 'bide there, less yourself do bring him.

Go with me, Karol, and bestow a visit
In charity upon the afflicted maid,
Who pineth with the languor of your love.

[As they are going out, enter MAUDLIN (in the shape of MARIAN,) and Douce. Maud. Whither intend you? Amie is recover'd,

Feels no such grief as she complained of lately. This maiden hath been with her from her mother Maudlin, the cunning woman, who hath sent her Herbs for her head, and simples of that nature, Have wrought upon her a miraculous cure ; Settled her brain to all our wish and wonder. Lio. So instantly! you know I now but left her,

Possess'd with such a fit almost to a phrensie: Yourself too fear'd her, Marian, and did urge My haste to seek out Karol, and to bring him.

Maud. I did so: but the skill of that wise And her great charity of doing good, [woman. Hath by the ready hand of this deft lass, Her daughter, wrought effects beyond belief, And to astonishment; we can but thank, And praise, and be amazed, while we tell it. [Exit with DovCE.

Lio. 'Tis strange, that any art should so help In her extremes. [natura

Kar. Then it appears most real, When the other is deficient.

Rob. Stay;

See, she is return'd to affirm it!

[Attempts to run out.

What was't you told my friend? [He seizes MAUD by the girdle, and runs out with her, but returns immediately with the broken girdle in his hand, followed at a distance by the witch, in her own shape. Maud. Help, murder, help! You will not rob me, outlaw? thief, restore My belt that ye have broken! Rob. Yes, come near.

Maud. Not in your gripe.

Rob. Was this the charmed circle,
The copy that so cozen'd and deceiv'd us?
I'll carry hence the trophy of your spoils :
My men shall hunt you too upon the start,
And course you soundly.

Maud. I shall make them sport,

And send some home without their legs or arms I'll teach them to climb stiles, leap ditches, ponds,

And lie in the waters, if they follow me.
Rob. Out, murmuring hag.

[Exeunt all but MAUD Maud. I must use all my powers, Lay all my wits to piecing of this loss.

Enter PUCK-HAIRY.

Puck. At your beck, madam.

Maud. O Puck, my goblin! I have lost my belt, [me. The strong thief, Robin Outlaw, forced it from Puck. They are other clouds and blacker threat you, dame;

You must be wary, and pull in your sails,
And yield unto the weather of the tempest.
You think your power's infinite as your malice,
And would do all your anger prompts you to;
But you must wait occasions, and obey them:
Sail in an egg-shell, make a straw your mast,

Till you have 'scaped the rocks that are about

you.

Maud. What rocks about me?

Puck. I do love, madam,

To shew you all your dangers,—when you're past them!

Come, follow me, I'll once more be your pilot, And you shall thank me. Exit.

Maud. Lucky, my loved goblin!

[As she is going out, LOREL meets her.

Where are you gaang now?

Lor. Unto my tree,

To see my maistress.

Maud. Gang thy gait, and try

Thy turns with better luck, or hang thysel.