THE ARGVMENT.
The Lord FRAMPVL, a
noble Gentleman, well educated,
and bred a Schollar,
in Oxford, was married yong,
to a vertuous Gentlewoman,
Sylly's daughter of the South, whose
worth (though he truly enioy'd) hee neuer
could rightly value; but, as many
greene Husbands (giuen ouer to their extrauagant
delights, and some peccant humors
of their owne) occasion'd in his ouer
louing wife, so deepe a melancholy,
by his leauing her in the time of her lying
in, of her second daughter, shee hauing
brought him only two daughters,
Frances,
and
Lætitia: and (out of her hurt fancy)
interpreting that to bee a cause of her
husbands couldnesse in affection, her not
being blest with a sonne, tooke a resolution
with her selfe, after her
months time,
and thanksgiuing ritely in the
Church, to
quit her home, with a vow neuer to returne,
till by reducing her
Lord, she could
bring a wish'd happinesse to the family.
He, in the meane time returning, and
hearing of this departure of his Lady, began,
though ouer-late, to resent the iniury
he had done her: and out of his cock-braind
resolution, entred into as solemne
a quest of her. Since when, neither of
them had beene heard of. But the eldest
daughter Frances, by the title of Lady
Frampul, enioyed the state, her sister being
lost yong, and is the sole relict of the
family.
Act I.
Here begins our Comœdy.
This Lady, being a braue, bountifull
Lady, and enioying this free, and
plentifull estate, hath an ambitious disposition
to be esteemed the Mistresse of
many seruants, but loues none. And hearing
of a famous new-Inne, that is kept
by a merry Host, call'd Good-stock, in Barnet,
inuites some Lords, and Gentlemen
to wait on her thither, as well to see the
fashions of the place, as to make themselues
merry, with the accidents on the
by. It happens, there is a melancholique
Gentleman, one Master Lovel, hath beene
lodg'd there some dayes before in the
Inne, who (vnwilling to be seene) is surpriz'd
by the Lady, and inuited by Prudence,
the Ladies Chamber-maid, who is
elected.
Gouernesse of the
Sports, in the
Inne, for that day, and instal'd their
Soueraigne.
Lovel is perswaded by the
Host,
and yeelds to the
Ladies inuitation, which
concludes the first
Act. Hauing reueal'd
his quality before, to the
Host.
In the second Act.
Prudence, and her Lady expresse
their anger conceiu'd, at the Taylor, who
had promised to make Prudence a new
suite, and bring it home, as on the Eue, against
this day. But, hee failing of his
word, the Lady had commanded a standard
of her owne best apparrell to bee
brought downe: and Prudence is so fitted.
The Lady being put in mind, that shee is
there alone without other company of
women, borrowes (by the aduice of Pru)
the Hosts sonne of the house, whom they
dresse with the
Hosts consent, like a
Lady,
and send out the Coachman, with the
empty Coach, as for a kinswoman of her
Ladiships, Mistresse
Lætitia Sylly, to beare
her company: Who attended with his
Nurse, an old chare-woman in the
Inne,
drest odly by the
Hosts councell, is beleeued
to be a
Lady of quality, and so receiu'd,
entertain'd, and
loue made to her, by the
yong Lord
Beaufort, &c: In the meane
time, the
Fly of the
Inne is discouer'd to
Colonell Glorious, with the
Militia of the
house, below the stayres, in the Drawer,
Tapster, Chamberlaine, and Hostler, inferiour
officers, with the Coachman
Trundle,
Ferret, &c. And, the preparation is
made, to the
Ladies designe vpon
Lovel,
his vpon her, and the
Soueraignes vpon
both.
Here begins, at the third Act, the Epitasis, or businesse of the Play.
Lovel, by the dexterity, and wit
of the Soueraigne of the Sports, Prudence;
hauing two houres assigned him, of free
colloquy, and loue-making to his Mistresse,
one, after Dinner, the other after Supper;
The Court being set, is demanded by the
Lady Frampul, what Loue is? as doubting
if there were any such power, or no. To
whom, hee first by definition, and after
by argument answeres, prouing, and describing
the effects of Loue, so viuely, as
she, who had derided the name of Loue
before, hearing his discourse, is now so
taken both with the Man, and his matter,
as shee confesseth her selfe enamour'd of
him, and, but for the ambition shee hath
to enioy the other houre, had presently
declar'd her selfe: which giues both him,
and the
spectators occasion to thinke she
yet dissembles, notwithstanding the payment
of her kisse, which hee celebrates.
And the
Court dissolues, vpon a newes
brought, of a new
Lady, a newer Coach,
and a new Coachman call'd
Barnaby.
Act 4.
The house being put into a
noyse, with the rumor of this new Lady,
and there being drinking below in the
court, the Colonel, Sir Glorious, with Bat:
Burst, a broken Citizen, and Hodge Huffle
his champion; she fals into their hands,
and being attended but with one footman,
is vnciuilly entreated by them, and
a quarrell commenc'd, but is rescued by
the valour of Lovel; which beheld by the
Lady Frampul, from the window, shee is
inuited vp, for safety, where comming,
and conducted by the
Host, her gowne is
first discouer'd to bee the same with the
whole suite, which was bespoken for
Pru: and she her selfe, vpon examination,
found to be
Pinnacia Stuffe, the
Taylors
wife, who was wont to be preocupied
in all his Customers best clothes, by
the footman her husband. They are both
condem'd, and censur'd, shee stript like a
Doxey, and sent home a foote. In the
interim, the second houre goes on, and
the question, at sute of the
Lady Frampul,
is chang'd from
loue to
valour; which ended,
he receiues his second kisse, and by
the rigor of the
Soueraigne, fals into a fit
of melancholy, worse, or more desperate
then the first.
The fifth, and last Act is the Catastrophe,
or knitting vp of all, where Fly
brings word to the
Host, of the
Lord Beauforts
being married priuately in the new
stable, to the suppos'd
Lady, his sonne;
which the
Host receiues as an
omen of
mirth. But complaines, that
Lovel is gon
to bed melancholique, when
Prudence appeares
drest in the new suit applauded by
her
Lady, and employd to retriue
Louel.
The
Host encounters them, with this relation
of L.
Beauforts mariage, which is seconded
by the L.
Latimer, and all the seruants
of the house. In this while, L.
Beaufort
comes in, and professes it, calls for his
bed, and bride-bowle, to be made ready,
the
Host forbids both, shewes whom hee
hath married, and discouers him to be his
sonne, a boy. The
Lord Bridegrome confounded,
the
Nurse enters like a franticke
bed-lem, cries out on
Flie, sayes shee is vndone,
in her daughter, who is confessed to
be the
Lord Frampuls child, sister to the other
Lady, the
Host to be their Father. She
his wife. He finding his children, bestows
them one on
Louel, the other on the Lord
Beaufort, the Inne vpon
Flie, who had
beene a
Gipsey with him, offers a portion
with
Prudence, for her wit, which is refused;
and she taken, by the
Lord Latimer, to
wife; for the crowne of her vertue, and
goodnesse. And all are contented.
