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Or els his Highnes hardly shall deny.

Meane-while, Ile haste the marshall sessions,

For die he shall for this damned deed.

Exit BALT[HAZAR].

LOR.

[aside] Why, so! this fits our former pollicie;

And thus experience bids the wise and deale.

I lay the plot, he prosecutes the point;

I set the trap, he breakes the worthles twigs,

And sees not that wherewith the bird was limde.

Thus hopefull men, that means to holde their owne,

Must look, like fowlers, to their dearest freends.

He runnes to kill whome I haue hope to catch,

And no man knowes it was my reaching [fetch].

Tis hard to trust vnto a multitude,—

Or any one, in mine opinion,

When men themselues their secrets will reueale.

Enter a MESSENGER with a letter.

LOR.

Boy.

PAGE.

My lord.

LOR.

Whats he?

MES.

I haue a letter to your lordship.

LOR.

From whence?

MES.

From Pedringanos that's imprisoned.

LOR.

So he is in prison then?

MES.

I, my good lord.

LOR.

What would he with vs?

[Reads the letter.]

He writes vs heere

To stand good l[ord] and help him in distres.

Tell him I haue his letters, know his minde;

And what we may, let him assure him of.

Fellow, be gone; my boy shall follow thee.

Exit MES[SENGER].

[Aside] This works like waxe! Yet once more try thy wits.—

Boy, goe conuay this purse to Pedringano,—

Thou knowest the prison,—closely giue it him,

And be aduisde that none here there-about.

Bid him be merry still, but secret;

And, though the marshall sessions be to-day,

Bid him not doubt of his deliuerie.

Tell him his pardon is already signde,

And thereon bid him boldely be resolued;

For, were he ready to be turned off,—

As tis my will the vttermost be tride,—

Thou with his pardon shalt attend him still.

Shew him this boxe, tell him his pardons int;

But opent not, and if thou louest thy life,

But let him wisely keepe his hopes vnknowne.

He shall not want while Don Lorenzo liues.

Away!

PAGE.

I goe, my lord, I runne!

LOR.

But, sirra, see that this be cleanely done.

Exit PAGE.

Now stands our fortune on a tickle point,

And now or neuer ends Lorenzos doubts.

One only thing is vneffected yet,

And thats to see the executioner,—

But to what end? I list not trust the aire

With vtterance of our pretence therein,

For feare the priuie whispring of the winde

Conuay our words amongst vnfreendly eares,

That lye too open to aduantages.

Et quel che voglio io, nessun lo sa,

Intendo io quel [che] mi bastera.

Exit.

ACT III. SCENE 5.

[A street.]

Enter BOY with the boxe.

[BOY.] My maister hath forbidden me to look in this box, and, by

my troth, tis likely, if he had not warned me, I should not haue had so

much idle time; for wee [men-kinde] in our minoritie are like women in

their vncertaintie; that they are most forbidden, they wil soonest

attempt; so I now. By my bare honesty, heeres nothing but the bare

emptie box! Were it not sin against secrecie, I would say it were a

peece of gentlemanlike knauery. I must goe to Pedringano and tell him

his pardon is in this boxe! Nay, I would haue sworne it, had I not

seene the contrary. I cannot choose but smile to thinke how the villain

wil flout the gallowes, scorne the audience, and descant on the hangman,

and all presuming of his pardon from hence. Wilt not be an odde iest,

for me to stand and grace euery iest he makes, pointing my figner at

this boxe, as who [should] say: "Mock on, heers thy warrant!" Ist not

a scuruie iest that a man should iest himselfe to death? Alas, poor

Pedringano! I am in a sorte sorie for thee, but, if I should be hanged

with thee, I [could not] weep.

Exit.

ACT III. SCENE 6.

[The court of justice.]

Enter HIERONIMO and the DEPUTIE.

HIERO.

Thus must we toyle in others mens extreames

That know not how to rememdie our owne,

And doe them iusties, when vniustly we

For all our wrongs can compasse no redrese.

But shall I neuer liue to see the day

That I may come by iustice to the Heauens

To know the cause that may my cares allay?

This