DILIGENCE

My Lords, if your affairs in present be not great Greater than any, save regard of life, Yea even the greatest of the common wealth, Prepare you to withstand a stratagem, Such as this Land nor London ever knew. The Spanish forces Lordings are prepared, In bravery and boast, beyond all bounds Invade, to win, to conquer all this land. They chiefly aim at Londons stately pomp, At Londons pleasure, wealth and policy. Intending to despoil her of them all, And over all those lovely Ladies three. Love, lucre, Conscience, peerless of the rarest price. to tyrannise and carry hardest hand. From Spain they come with Engine and intent to slay, subdue, to triumph and torment: My self (so heaven would) espial of them had, And Diligence, deer Lords, they call my name. If you vouchsafe to credit my report, You do me right, and to your selves no wrong, Provided, that you arm you, being warned. A mighty host, and chiefly led by three, Who brave it out in show, as men assured Of victory, sans venture, or repulse. So near my Lords, that each delay is death, Stand on your guard, they come as challengers, to bruise your shields, and bear away your prize, Mounting the seas, and measuring the land With strong imaginations of success, And here they come, as brave as Philips son, And his Ephestion, wont to be arrayed In glittering gold, and party coloured plumes, With curious pendents on their Lances Exit, Their shields Ymprez'd with gilded copertiments, Their Pages careless, playing at their backs, As if with conquest they triumphing came. Step aside till my Lords be gone, I'll do for you what I can. what is it M. Fraud, you would demand of me? Dil & Frau. step out Here are so indeed, what mean ye by this, I will not take these to let you escape. deliver Fraud the purse again. I hazard (as you know) my Lords displeasure herein, and yet to pleasure you I will venture this once, but I pray you make hast that I be not shent, I would not for ten Angels it were known. I do not fear that you'll forfeit so much for so little cause. Exit. And why hast thou sought me (I pray thee) so earnestly? What money, why? Do I owe thee any money? I understand Thee now, and thou shalt want neither money nor furniture for that: sawest thou not Fraud lately ? I may say to thee in counsel, but I'll have no words of it, he hath overreached me too: but if thou spy him first, let me understand, and if I see him first thou shalt have knowledge, for I'll tell thee, but laugh not, he showed me a purse with a hu ̄ dreaded pound in Angels, which he would deliver me in pawn to be my true prisoner, because for his credit, e was loath to go with me through the streets to Newgate: I refused it at first, but at last by his intreaty I was content to take his pawn, and thinking he had given me the right purse of gold, he had another Like it, which he gave me with counters, and so went a way, I never did see him since, but mum, no words of it. Well, so it is now, come follow me for thy furniture and more ney. exeunt Thou hast done more, for thou hast quite consumed him into nothing, look, here is no sign of him, no not so much as his ashes.