VICINIA

My heart throbbes, my ears tingle, my mind misgives me, since I hear such muttering of marriages in Rochester, my conscience which these eigh teen years hath been frozen with coniealed guile tynesse, begins now to thaw in open grief, but I will not accuse my self till I see more danger, the good old woman Mother Bombie shall try her cunning upon me, and if I perceive my case is desperate by her then will I rather prevent, although with shame, then report too late, and be inexcusable. God speed good mother. Thou hast touched me to the quick mother, I understand thy meaning, and thou w ll knowest my practice, I will follow thy counsel. But what will be the end? Now I perceive I must either bewray a miss chief, or suffer a continual inconvenience, I must hast homewards, and resolve to make all whole, better a little shame than and infinite grief, the strangeness will a bore the fault, and the bewraying wipe it clean a way. I forbid the banes. Harken, about eighteen years ago I must thee a son Memphio, and thee a daughter Stellio. I had at that time two children of mine own, and being poor, thought it better to change them than kill them, I imagined if by device I could thrust my children into your houses, they should be well brought up in their youth, and wisely provided for in their age, nature wrought with me, and when they were weaned I sent home mine in stead of yours, which hitherto you have kept tenderly as yours: growing in years I found the children I kept at home to love dearly, at first like brother and sister, which I rejoiced at, but at length too forward in affection, which although inwardly I could not mislike, yet openly I seemed to disallow: they in creased in their loving humours, I ceased not to cham stise them for their lose demeanours, at last it came to my ears, that my son that was out with Memphio was a fool, that my daughter with Stellio was also un wise, and yet being brother and sister, there was a match in hammering betwixt them. My very bowels earned within me, that I should be author of such vild incest, and hindrance to lawful love, I went to the good old woman Mother Bombie to know the event of this practice, who told me this day I might prevent the danger, and upon submission escape the punishment, hither I am come to claim my children, though both sooles, and to deliver you both loving. This trial cannot fail, your son Memphio had a moale under his care, I framed one under my child's care by art, you shall see it taken away with the juice of mandrage, behold now for your sons, no herb can undo that nature hath done. Your daughter Stellio hath on her wrist a moale, which I counterfeited on my daughters arm, & that shall you see taken away as the other. Thus you see I do not dissemble, hoping you will pardon me, as I have pitied them. Come my children, though fortune hath not provided you lands, yet you see you are not destitute of friends, I shall be eased of a charge both in purse and conscience, in conscience, have revealed my lewd prac tise, in purse, having you kept of alms. I am troubled in the night with dreams, and in the day with fears, mine estate bore, which I cannot well bear, but my practises devilish, which I cannot recall, if therefore in these same years there be any deep skill, tell what my fortune shall be, and what my fault is.