University of Virginia Library

The Prologue.

Enter three in blacke clokes, at three doores.
1

VVhat meane you, my maisters, to appeare thus before
your times? Doe you not know that I am the
Prologue? Do you not see this long blacke veluet cloke vpon
my backe? Haue you not sounded thrice? Do I not looke pale,
as fearing to bee out in my speech? Nay, haue I not all the
signes of a Prologue about me? Then, to what end come you to
interrupt mee?

2

I haue a Prologue speake too.

3

And I another.

1

O superfluous, and more then euer I heard of! three Prologues
to one play!

2

Haue you not seene three ropes to tole one bell, three doores
to one house, three wayes to one towne?

1

I grant you: but I neuer heard of any that had three
heads to one body, but Cerberus. But what doth your Prologue
meane?

2

I come to excuse the name of the Play?

3

I the errours in the Play.

1

And I the Author that made the Play. Touching the name,
why is it called, True and Strange, or The foure Prentises
of London? A Gentleman that heard the subiect discourst,
said it was not possible to be true; and none here are bound to
beleeue it.

2

Tis true, that Alexander at thirty yeares of age conquered
the whole world; but strange he should doe so. If we
should not beleeue things recorded in former ages, wee were

not worthy that succeeding times should beleeue things done
in these our ages.

1

But what authority haue you for your History? I am one
of those that wil beleeue nothing that is not in the Chronicle.

2

Our authority is a Manuscript, a booke writ in parchment;
which not being publique, nor generall in the world,
wee rather thought fit to exemplifie to the publique censure,
things concealed and obscur'd, such as are not common
with euery one, than such Historicall Tales as euery one can
tell by the fire in Winter. Had not yee rather, for nouelties
sake, see Ierusalem yee neuer saw, then London that yee see
howerly? So much touching the name of our History.

1

You haue satisfied me; and, I hope, all that heare me. Now
what haue you to speake concerning the errours in the Play?

3

We acknowledge none: For the errors we could finde, we
would willingly amend; but if these cleere-sighted Gentlemen,
with the eyes of their iudgements, looking exactly into
vs, finde any imperfections which are hid from our selues, our
request is, you would rather looke ouer them, then through
them, not with a troubled eye, that makes one obiect to seeme
two, but with a fauourable eye, which hath power in it selfe
to make many to seeme none at all.

1

Oh now I vnderstand you. Three Prologues to our Play,
pardon mee, y'aue need of three hundred, me thinkes, and all
little enough. But to end our beginning in a word. Thus
much by the patience of these Gentlemen.

Spectators, should you oppose your iudgements against vs:
where we are three, which some would thinke too many; were
we three thousand, we thinke our selues to few. Our Author
submits his labours to you, as the Authors of all the content
he hath within this circumference.

But for your sakes, this onely we dare say,
We promist you, and wee'l performe a Play.