THIEVES

Forbear good Captain Rapinus. Assuage your furies (I beseech you) and let me de cide the business between you, since you both claim her particularly to your selves, and neither will yield thereun to, refer your selves to the Ladies own choice, and be content to stand to her election. But where is my partly then? This is good y'faith, while we are talking you are taking, my Master's you are best let us share with you, give me this bag Sirrah. Cheat us and jeer too, Rogues our parts are your heart —they fallen together by the cares. Then we are all resolved to do our best to dispatch him, are we not? Since you refer it to me, I will not be long about it, lets release the stranger, give him arms, make him our Captain, and cut Rapinus throat; how Like you this? But who lies here all this while weltering in his own blood and we not see him? our Captain Rapinus, 'tis he, come here and congratulate his death, Would Captain do you lie there y'faith, remember how often you gave me the bastinado, I could now be revenged upon your dead carcase, but I will now only satisfy my self with laughing over thy body, would, would, would. By all means we approve it, he shall have his act pre sently. Agreed, and offer him our service and receive his come mands. How apt a Soldiers mind is still to range, And does desire his office rs to change, Sir, you shall mould us Into what form or fashion you please. But then how shall we Subsist and live? We extol And magnify this change of discipline. With willing hearts. It should seem they come from Alexandria, and are traveling towards Ormus, for they take that way. Captain Praedarius what do you mean, will you kill one another for a woman, a pox on her, let her be common to both, peculiar to neither, enjoy her alike by turns. Let them still disagree so, we fare the better for't, if this occasion had not happened we had fingered but a little share of this wealth, I can tell ye. And mine, by Mahomet we will not be thus used. And me this, or by. Beside Sirs our quarrel bears a better colour with it then yours, being for gold and jewels, your's but for a pret tie Wench, pardon our saucy talkings. No we'll suffer it no longer, if we do we shall deserve Midas ears y'saith. Excellent well, it cannot choose but advantage us great lie, for the stranger is wonderful valiant, you know we had costly experience of it, and he seems of a generours dis position beside, that would not forget such a court sie. Blessed accident! To whom are we bound for this courtesy, I marvel, I cannot imagine to whose courage to impute it unless to the strangers. Come let us find him out, and know how the busi ness passed between Rapinus and him. But stay let us not leave Rapinus body lie here unburi ed, lend me your hand for charities sake. Our minds shall be as soft and tractable To your commands, as Virgin wax unto Th'impression of the seal. and will conform our selves to any thing You shall command us. And count it a religious piece of service To help our King and Country. Captain Rapinus. She will find you both employment enough I'll war rant you. This bag is mine. And Acteons horns too for our future fortune. And all the bastinadoes that do grow in the deserts light upon him lets devi e a way now to work our revenge, will you study the plot? This will I believe, so oblige his gentle nature as what soever boot we take, he will not trouble himself with it, but divide it freely among us; will not this be excellent my hearts? This befell according to our wishes, and hath saved us the labour to put our design in execution. 'Tis he, it can be no other, he shall be our new Cap taine for the deed, do you cons nt to it? That's well remembered—exeunt with the body. Sir, from the top of yonder lofty mountain, The sentinel discovers dust to rise From up the champain country, and does hear Drums beating of a march, and trumpets sounding, Which makes us doubt and army. Yea so much we love, And honour your brave spirit and resolution, As these your fathfull friends ll not more close Stick to your side in Fortune's doubtful chance Then we, whom you have honoured with the name Of your poor soldiers. This is worse and worse by the Almanac. I say there is good sense and meaning in't, if you had the wit to conceive it. As thus, grossum caput, it's worse and worse by the Almanac, that's as much to say, it's worse with us this year then 'twas the year before. Beside, did I not shift and oath too very prettily observe my religion in't as well as my wit. But to our first discourse before you int rrupted me: is't not worse and worse with us every day than other? we were wont to have some feeling of the gain, as well as of the pain, and to share with our Captains, now we must be contented to stand to his courtesy, devil share him for it. If he continue thus dogged, we may do it yet by some trick or other, let him too much provoke us. Her maidenhead, 'twas a question if she had that to give him. Then he is a precious coxcomb, if I were he, I trow she should give me a dry and a wet kiss too by her leave. But we must smother our discontent aswell as we can. Indeed he speaks oft n to us in that language. But come camrades the times may altered be, When we shall speak that speech so well as he, And make him understand us when we call, As he does make us now, this may befall. Alkeron, fool thou wouldst say, we do ot use to swear in that phrase. As how prithee? I thought thou hadst sworn. We lost our best Captain when we lost Praeda jus, would Rapinus had excused him, we should had better days then. And so do I, but had we known he would re ward us so, and give us nothing for our labours, he should have gone to hell for me, I would never have stayed him. All his mind is upon the wench by Mahomet, all is given unto her, nothing unto us but a bastinado now and then, shall we endur't? Nay, I believe scarce a dry kiss unless by force. And so are we all for his hard dealings. What shall we do now? Come let's away then, we shall be found tardy else, and perchance told so much by a dumb instrument called the cudgel. Beside, there is no sense in Almanac. In-faith thou sayest true, thou hast opened and ap plied the point too very handsomely, I commend thy with for't. And so did I by the Alkeron. What fools were we to save his life, when he lay at the mercy of the stranger, I repent it now most heartily, And the more to torment his Ghost, we would have made his foe and conqueror Captain in his place. And yet for all so much treasure as he gives her, of my conscience she gives him nothing in return thereof, no not so much as her maidenhead. Then not a vaulting turn, not one single career, not a foot in the stirrup, or term it what you will. I am clean out of charity with him in good faith. To our old trade, to watch for others Profit. This is good they are gone and left all the boot behind, but 'twill not be amiss to discover if the coast be clear or no. Would, would, would, they are gone shear away by this light, was it not sport camrades to see them fight one with another, what fools were they to fallen out in that manner and leave this unregarded? Noble Captains as we sa e to discover the plain, from the top of yonder mountain, we might per ceive to descend great troops of people, but the distance of the place suffered us not to discern whither they were travellers, pilgrimss, or merchants. What d'ye mean to delay the time so long in talk, and let this rich boor in the mean time slip out of ur hand . When you have spurred her sufficiently, and she begin to grow dull for your service, turn her over to us that we may back her. Good Sirs be patient, and by your good sa vours, let me tell you we did but follow your example, and we know 'tis a chief maxim in war that Soldiers are bound to follow their Leaders. 'Tis in vain to strive, you shall get nothing that way but blows, do you not know that possession is a main point of the Law. But I Served him for fear, not love, and should be loath To wait on him to hell such a ney. Captai e Praedarius. She looks Like a free metaled beast that will not faint in a double career. And this is mine. But my Master's shall we be still ridden thus, and un dergoe the but then patiently, without seeking remedy or revenge? What shall we do? our Captain killed, let's fly.