353Well, my Legittimate, if this Letter speed,

354And my inuention thriue, Edmond the base

355Shall to'th'Legitimate: I grow, I prosper:

356Now Gods, stand vp for Bastards.

358Glo. Kent banish'd thus? and France in choller parted?

359And the King gone to night? Prescrib'd his powre,

360Confin'd to exhibition? All this done

361Vpon the gad? Edmond, how now? What newes?

362Bast. So please your Lordship, none.

363Glou. Why so earnestly seeke you to put vp y^t Letter?

364Bast. I know no newes, my Lord.

365Glou. What Paper were you reading?

366Bast. Nothing my Lord.

367Glou. No? what needed then that terrible dispatch of

368it into your Pocket ? The quality of nothing, hath not

369such neede to hide it selfe. Let's see: come, if it bee no-

370thing, I shall not neede Spectacles.

371Bast. I beseech you Sir, pardon mee; it is a Letter

372from my Brother, that I haue not all ore-read; and for so

373much as I haue perus'd, I finde it not fit for your ore-loo-

374king.

375Glou. Giue me the Letter, Sir.

376Bast. I shall offend, either to detaine, or giue it:

377The Contents, as in part I vnderstand them,

378Are too blame.

379Glou. Let's see, let's see.

380Bast. I hope for my Brothers iustification, hee wrote

381this but as an essay, or taste of my Vertue.

382Glou. reads.

390Hum? Conspiracy? Sleepe till I wake him, you should

391enioy halfe his Reuennew: my Sonne Edgar, had hee a

392hand to write this? A heart and braine to breede it in?

393When came you to this? Who brought it?

394Bast. It was not brought mee, my Lord; there's the

395cunning of it. I found it throwne in at the Casement of

396my Closset.

397Glou. You know the character to be your Brothers?

398Bast. If the matter were good my Lord, I durst swear

399it were his: but in respect of that, I would faine thinke it

400were not.

401Glou. It is his.

402Bast. It is his hand, my Lord: but I hope his heart is

403not in the Contents.

404Glo. Has he neuer before sounded you in this busines?

405Bast. Neuer my Lord. But I haue heard him oft main-

406taine it to be fit, that Sonnes at perfect age, and Fathers

407declin'd, the Father should bee as Ward to the Son, and

408the Sonne manage his Reuennew.

409Glou. O Villain, villain: his very opinion in the Let-

410ter. Abhorred Villaine, vnnaturall, detested, brutish

411Villaine; worse then brutish: Go sirrah, seeke him: Ile

412apprehend him. Abhominable Villaine, where is he?

413Bast . I do not well know my L. If it shall please you to

414suspend your indignation against my Brother, til you can

415deriue from him better testimony of his intent, you shold

416run a certaine course: where, if you violently proceed a-

417gainst him, mistaking his purpose, it would make a great

418gap in your owne Honor, and shake in peeces, the heart of

419his obedience. I dare pawne downe my life for him, that

420he hath writ this to feele my affection to your Honor, &

421to no other pretence of danger.

422Glou. Thinke you so?

423Bast. If your Honor iudge it meete, I will place you

424where you shall heare vs conferre of this, and by an Auri-

425cular assurance haue your satisfaction, and that without

426any further delay, then this very Euening.

427Glou. He cannot bee such a Monster. Edmond seeke

428him out: winde me into him, I pray you: frame the Bu-

429sinesse after your owne wisedome. I would vnstate my

430selfe, to be in a due resolution.

431Bast. I will seeke him Sir, presently: conuey the bu-

432sinesse as I shall find meanes, and acquaint you withall.

433Glou. These late Eclipses in the Sun and Moone por-

434tend no good to vs: though the wisedome of Nature can

435reason it thus, and thus, yet Nature finds it selfe scourg'd

436by the sequent effects. Loue cooles, friendship falls off,

437Brothers diuide. In Cities, mutinies; in Countries, dis-

438cord; in Pallaces, Treason; and the Bond crack'd, 'twixt

439Sonne and Father. This villaine of mine comes vnder the

440prediction; there's Son against Father, the King fals from

441byas of Nature, there's Father against Childe. We haue

442seene the best of our time. Machinations, hollownesse,

443treacherie, and all ruinous disorders follow vs disquietly

444to our Graues. Find out this Villain, Edmond, it shall lose

445thee nothing, do it carefully: and the Noble & true-har-

446ted Kent banish'd; his offence, honesty. 'Tis strange. Exit

447Bast. This is the excellent foppery of the world, that

448when we are sicke in fortune,often the surfets of our own

449behauiour, we make guilty of our disasters, the Sun, the

450Moone, and Starres, as if we were villaines on necessitie,

451Fooles by heauenly compulsion, Knaues, Theeues, and

452Treachers by Sphericall predominance. Drunkards,Ly-

453ars,and Adulterers by an inforc'd obedience of Planatary

454influence; and all that we are euill in, by a diuine thru-

455sting on. An admirable euasion of Whore-master-man,

456to lay his Goatish disposition on the charge of a Starre,

457My father compounded with my mother vnder the Dra-

458gons taile, and my Natiuity was vnder Vrsa Maior, so

459that it followes, I am rough and Leacherous. I should

460haue bin that I am, had the maidenlest Starre in the Fir-

461mament twinkled on my bastardizing.

463Pat: he comes like the Catastrophe of the old Comedie:

464my Cue is villanous Melancholly, with a sighe like Tom

465o'Bedlam. ---O these Eclipses do portend these diui-

466sions. Fa, Sol, La, Me.

467Edg. How now Brother Edmond, what serious con-

468templation are you in?

469Bast. I am thinking Brother of a prediction I read this

470other day, what should follow these Eclipses.

471Edg. Do you busie your selfe with that?

472Bast. I promise you, the effects he writes of, succeede

473vnhappily.

474When saw you my Father last ?

475Edg. The night gone by.

476Bast. Spake you with him ??

477Edg. I, two houres together.

478Bast. Parted you in good termes ? Found you no dis-

479pleasure in him, by word, nor countenance?

480Edg. None at all,

481Bast. Bethink your selfe wherein you may haue offen-

482ded him: and at my entreaty forbeare his presence, vntill

483some little time hath qualified the heat of his displeasure,

484which at this instant so rageth in him, that with the mis-