Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A50370
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The old couple a comedy / by Thomas May, Esq.
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May, Thomas, 1595-1650.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing M1412; ESTC R9133
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36,332
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54
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farre beyond All hope my happy project workes upon him Enter Neighbours Earth Y' are welcome Neighbours welcome heartily I thank you all and will hereafter study To recompence your undeserved love My house shall stand more open to the poore More hospitable and my wealth more free To feed and cloath the naked hungry soules I will redeem the ill that I have done If heaven be pleas'd to spare me life a while With true unfained deedes of charity 1 Neigh We thank your worship 2 Neigh We know ful well Your worship has a good heart toward us Earth Alas you do not know it but have had Too sad a cause to know the contrary Pray do not thank me till you truly finde How much my heart is chang'd from what it was Till you by real and substantial deedes Shall see my peaitence and be fully taught How to forget or pardon all the errours Of that my former miserable life Iasper go in with them the way Into my house Ias I think I had need to shew um No poore folkes heretofore have us'd this way Earth And I le come to you Neighbours presently 1 Neigh Long may you live 2 Neigh All happinesse betide you 3 Neigh And a reward fourfold in th' other world Earth How dost thou like this musicke Theodore I meane the hearty prayers of the poore Whose curses pierce more then two-edged swords What comfort like to this can riches give What joy can be so great as to be able To feede the hungry cloath the naked man Theod. Now Sir you think aright for to bestow Is greater pleasure farre then to receive Earth No vice so much as avariace deprives Our life of sweetest comforts and debarres So much the fair society of men I taught thee once faire otherwise but now Study this last and better lesson sonne Thod With more delight then ere I did the former You never yet knew scholar covetous Earth And now I think on 't Theodore I have A neece the daughter of my only sister Her mother dy'd a widow two years since How shee has left her orphan daughter there I do not know if she have left her ill I le be a father to her prethee goe Enquire her out and bring her to my house How well soere the world may goe with her Bountie's spice of vertue whoso can And won't relieve the poore he is no man Theod. Where lives shee Sir Earth 'T is not a mile from hence In the next village thou nere saw'st her yet But fame has spoke her for a vertuous maide Yong Scudmore while he liv'd and was possest Of his estate thought to have marry'd her Whose death they say shee takes most heavily And with a wondrous constant sorrow mournes The Sure 't is the same faire maid Earth Her name 's Matilda Theod. The very same I can enquire her out And if you please will presently about it Earth Do while I my Neighbours visit he doth live Mighty that hath the power and will to give Theod. This is the same faire nightingal that tun'd Her sweet sad accents lately to the woods And did so farre enthral my heart but that Fond love is vanished Like a kinsman now I le comfort her and love her vertuous soule Oh what a blessed change this day has wrought In my old father's heart you powers that gave Those thoughts continue them this day will I Still celebrate as my nativity Exit Lady Covet Fruitful La. Cov. But is that lawful to convey away All my estate before I marry him Fruit. 'T is more then lawful Madam I must tell you 'T is necessary and you Ladyship Is bound in conscience so to do for else 'T will be no longer yours but all is his When he has marry'd your You cannot then Dispose of any thing to pious uses You cannot shew your charity at all But must be govern'd by Sir Argent Scrape And can you tell how he 'll dispose of it La. Cov. 'T is true perchance he 'll take my money all And purchase for himself to give away To his own name and put me while I live To a poore stipend Fruit. There you think aright You can relieve no friends you can bequeath Nothing at all if he survive you Madam As 't is his hope he shall La. Cov. That hope may faile him I am not yet so weak but I may hop Over his grave Fruit. That is not in our knowledge But if you do survive him as I hope Madam you will there is no law at all Can barre you of your thirds in all his land And you besides are Mistris of your own And all the charitable deedes which you After your death shall do as building schooles Or hospitals shall goe in your own name Which otherwise Sir Argent Scrape would have And with your Riches build himselfe a fame La. Cov. I grant 't is true but will it not seeme strange That I should serve him so Fruit. Strange Madam no Nothing is now more usual all your widowes Of Aldermen that marry Lords of late Make over their estates and by that meanes Retaine a power to curbe their lordly husbands When they to raise the ruines of their houses Do marry so instead of purchasing What was expected they do more engage Their land in thirds for them La. Cov. Well I must trust The feoffees then but they are honest men Fru You need not fear them they are zealous men Honest in all their dealings and well known In London Madam Will you seale it now Enter Trusty La. Cov. Yes have you it Fruit. 'T is here here 's Mr. Trusty too Your steward Madam he and I shall be Enow for witnesses La. Cov. 'T is true give me Deed seale Ink Seales and dilvers The seale So now dispose of it as I Entended My Fruitful Fruit. I will Madam La. Cov. Trusty come you along with me Exeunt Fruit. Now all our ends are wrought this is the thing Manet Fruitful Which I so long have labour'd to effect Old covetous Lady I will purge your minde Of all this Wealth that lay so heavy there And by evacuation make a cure Of that your golden Dropsy whose strange thirst Could ne'er be satisfy'd with taking in You once had Wealth But soft let me consider If she should marry old Sir Argent Srape We could not keep it for his money then Would make a Suit against us and perchance Recover hers again Which to prevent I will go spoil the marriage presently The fight of this will soon forbid the Banes And stop his love Then she wants means to sue us Be sure to keep thine Adversary poor If thou would'st thrive in Suits The way to scape Revenge for one wrong is to do another The second injury secures the former I 'll presently to old Sir Argent Scrape And tell him this he 's meditating now What strange additions to his large Revenue Are coming at one happy clap what heaps Of Wealth to morrow he
marriage had it seems Past her Estate away into what hands 'T is fall'n I know not nor I care not I. Fruit. 'T is fall'n into the hands of wise men Sir That know how to make use of what is theirs Cov This hypocrite perswaded me to do 't And then discover'd all as if one purpose He sought my ruine Fruit. No not I good Madam 'T was for your soules health I have done you good And eas'd you of a burden and a great one So much Estate would have been still a cause Of cares unto you and those cares have hinder'd Your quiet passage to a better life Euph. Excellent divel how I love him now Never did knavery play a juster part Fru And why should you at such an age as this Dreame of marriage a thing so farre Unfit nay most unnatural and prophane To stain that holy ordinance and make it But a meere bargain for two clods of earth Might have been join'd as well in matrimony 'T is for your soules health Madam I do this Euph. How much was I mistaken in this Chaplaine I see h' has braines Free Though 't be dishonesty In him yet justly was it plac'd on her And I could even applaud it Lad. Whim I protest I love this Chaplain Dot. So do I sweet Mistris Or I am an errant foole Cov. But yet I hope The feoffees may prove honest I le try them Fru I le goe and bring them to your Ladyship Exit Fruitful Arg. I le stay no longer make my Litter ready Lady farewel and to you all Free Nay Sir Then let me interpose let me entreat you By all the rites of neighbourhood Sir Argent Make not so suddain a departure now What though the businesse have gone so crosse You may part fairly yet Stay till to morrow Let not the country take too great a notice Of these proceedings and strange breach 't will be Nothing but a dishonour to you both Pray Sir consent give me your hand Sir Argent Arg. At your entreaty Sir I le stay till morning Free Before that time you may consider better Exeunt Finis Actus Quarti Actus Quintus Matilda Theodore Mat. I 'Ll not refuse my Uncles courtesie But go and see his House I should before Have done that duty to him but I thought My visits were not welcom since he liv'd So close and privately Theod. Sweet Coz ' you 'll finde A happy alteration in my Father And that there dwel a kinde and honest soul Within his brest though wretched Avarice The usual fault of age have heretofore Too much kept back the good expressions Of such like thoughts he now will make a mends To all the world and has begun already With his poor Neighbours Mat. Cozen I shall be Too bad a Guest at this sad time and bring Nothing but sorrow to my Uncles house Theod. You 'll be your selfe a welcom Guest to him And I shall think our roof exceeding happy If it may mitigate that killing grief Which your so solitary life too much Has nourish'd in you Cozen feed it not 'T is a disease that will in time consume you I have already giv'n the best advice That my poor knowledge will afford to ease Your troubled thoughts If time which heaven allows To cure all grief should not have power to do it If death of Father Mother Husband Wife Should be lamented still the world would wear Nothing but black Sorrow alone would reign In every Family that lives and bring Upon poor Mortals a perpetual night You must Forget it Cozen Mat Never can I Forget my love to him Theod. Nor do I strive To teach you to forget that love you bear To his dear memory but that grief which lies Wrapt in amongst it and turns all to Poyson Making it mortal to that soul that tastes it 'T is that sweet Cozen which I hope that time May by degrees extinguish Will you please To walk along my Father long ere this Expects us I am sure and longs to see you Exeunt Eugeny in the Officers Hands Eug. I blame you not at all that by the Law And vertue of your places are requir'd To apprehend me Offi. We are sorry Sir We were inforc'd to see you Eug. But I wonder What curious eye it was that search'd so far Into my secret walks that did discover This dark abode of mine and envy'd me My solitary sorrow such a life As I enjoy'd a man might well afford To his most great and mortal Enemy Offi 'T was a plain fellow Sir tha brought us hither In the Kings name and left us when we had you But Sir we wish you all the good we may Eug. I thank you Friends I cannot tell at all Whom to suspect nor will I further vex My thoughts in search of such a needless thing I call to minde what once my Theodore Told me by way of a surmise but sure It cannot be so foul shall I entreat you To carry me to old Sir Argent Scrape My Kisman I would onely speak with him Before I go to prison And let one If you can spare a man go run for me To Mr. Earthworm's house and bid his son Meet me with old Sir Argent he lies now At my Lady Covets house I have about me What will reward your pains and highly too Offi. It shall be done as would have it Sir Eug. I dare not send to fair Artemia The sight of her and of so dear a sorrow As she would shew would but afflict me more Perchance I may come safely off till then I would conceal this accident from her But Fame is swiftest still when she goes laden With news of mischief She too soon will hear And in her sorrow I shall doubly suffer Thus are we Fortunes pastimes one day live Advanc'd to Heaven by the peoples breath ' The next hurl'd down into th' Abyss of death Enter Euphues Artemia Euph. But are you sure 't is hereabouts he lives Ha! who is that 't is he and in the hands Of Officers Cozen the mischief 's done Before we come Art O my dear Eugeny Eug. Artemia too Ay me she swoons help help Look up my Love there is no fear at all For me no danger all is safe and full Of hope and comfort Euph. She begins to come Unto her self again Eug. But pray Sir tell How came you hither Noble Euphues Euph. I never knew the place but now by her Instructions found it out I came to bear Her company and her intent of comming Was to inform you of a danger neer Of such a monstrous mischief as perchance You scarce can credit old Sir Argent Scrape By me and by another Gentleman Was overheard to say •hat he had Scouts And had laid certain plots to apprehend His Kinsman Eugeny just before th' Assizes Besides what further means he did intend Closely to work your death he then declar'd To the old covetous Lady whom he came A Suiter to Eug. Prophetick Theodore How