Bed.
Am I betray'd? was Bedford born to die
By such base slaves, in such a place as this?
Have I escap'd so many times in France,
So many battles have I over-pass'd,
And made the French stir, when they heard my name^{1 note}

Host.
They do desire, my lord, to speak with you.

Bed.
The traitors do desire to have my blood;
But by my birth, my honour, and my name,
By all my hopes, my life shall cost them dear.
Open the door; I'll venture out upon them,
And if I must die, then I'll die with honour.

Host.
Alas, my lord, that is a desperate course:
They have begirt you round about the house.
Their meaning is, to take you prisoner,
And so to send your body unto France.

Bed.
First shall the ocean be as dry as sand,
Before alive they send me unto France.

I'll have my body first bor'd like a sieve,
And die as Hector, 'gainst the Myrmidons^{2 note}


,
Ere France shall boast, Bedford's their prisoner.
Treacherous France! that, 'gainst the law of arms,
Hath here betray'd thine enemy to death.
But be assur'd, my blood shall be reveng'd
Upon the best lives that remain in France. Enter a Servant.
Stand back, or else thou run'st upon thy death.

Ser.
Pardon, my lord; I come to tell your honour,
That they have hir'd a Neapolitan,
Who by his oratory hath promis'd them,
Without the shedding of one drop of blood,
Into their hands safe to deliver you;
And therefore craves none but himself may enter,
And a poor swain that attends upon him.

Bed.
A Neapolitan? bid him come in. [Exit Servant.
Were he as cunning in his eloquence,
As Cicero, the famous man of Rome,
His words would be as chaff against the wind.
Sweet-tongu'd Ulysses, that made Ajax mad,
Were he, and his tongue in this speaker's head,
Alive he wins me not; then 'tis no conquest, dead. Enter Cromwell in a Neapolitan habit, and Hodge.

Crom.
Sir, are you the master of the house?

Host.
I am, sir.

Crom.
By this same token you must leave this place,

And leave none but the earl and I together,
And this my peasant here to tend on us.

Host.
With all my heart: God grant you do some good. [Exit Host. Cromwell shuts the door.

Bed.
Now, sir, what is your will with me?

Crom.
Intends your honour not to yield yourself?

Bed.
No, good-man goose, not while my sword doth last.
Is this your eloquence for to persuade me?

Crom.
My lord, my eloquence is for to save you:
I am not, as you judge, a Neapolitan,
But Cromwell, your servant, and an Englishman.

Bed.
How! Cromwell? not my farrier's son?

Crom.
The same, sir; and am come to succour you.

Hodge.

Yes 'faith, sir; and I am Hodge, your poor smith: many a time and oft have I shod your dapple-grey^{3 note}.

Bed.
And what avails it me that thou art here?

Crom.
It may avail, if you'll be rul'd by me.
My lord, you know, the men of Mantua
And these Bononians are at deadly strife;
And they, my lord^{4 note}, both love and honour you.
Could you but get out of the Mantua port^{5 note}

Bed.
Tut, man, thou talk'st of things impossible;
Dost thou not see, that we are round beset?

How then is't possible we should escape?

Crom.
By force we cannot, but by policy.
Put on the apparel here that Hodge doth wear,
And give him yours: The states, they know you not^{6 note}

Bed.
O, wond'rous good.—But wilt thou venture, Hodge?

Hode.
Will I?

  O noble lord,
  I do accord,
In any thing I can:
  And do agree,
  To set thee free,
Do Fortune what she can.

Bed.
Come then, let us change our apparel straight.

Crom.
Go, Hodge; make haste, lest they should chance to call.

Hodge.
I warrant you I'll fit him with a suit. [Exeunt Bedford and Hodge.

Crom.
Heavens grant this policy doth take success,
And that the earl may safely scape away!
And yet it grieves me for this simple wretch,
For fear lest they should offer him violence:
But of two evils 'tis best to shun the greatest;
And better is it that he live in thrall,
Than such a noble earl as he should fall.
Their stubborn hearts, it may be, will relent,
Since he is gone, to whom their hate is bent. Re-enter Bedford and Hodge.
My lord, have you dispatch'd?

Bed.
How dost thou like us, Cromwell? is it well?

Crom.

O, my good lord, excellent. Hodge, how dost feel thyself?

Hodge.

How do I feel myself? why, as a nobleman should do. O how I feel honour come creeping on! My nobility is wonderful melancholy^{7 note}

Bed.

Yes, Hodge: now go sit down in the study, and take state upon thee.

Hodge.

I warrant you, my lord; let me alone to take state upon me: But hark, my lord, do you feel nothing bite about you?

Bed.

No, trust me, Hodge.

Hodge.

Ay, they know they want their old pasture. 'Tis a strange thing of this vermin, they dare not meddle with nobility.

Crom.
Go take thy place, Hodge; I will call them in.
Now all is done:—Enter an if you please. Enter the Governour and other States and Citizens of Bononia, and Officers with halberts.

Gov.
What, have you won him? will he yield himself?

Crom.
I have, an't please you; and the quiet earl
Doth yield himself to be dispos'd by you.

Gov.
Give him the money that we promis'd him;
So let him go, whither it please himself.

Crom.
My business, sir, lies unto Mantua;
Please you to give me a safe conduct thither.

Gov.
Go, and conduct him to the Mantua port,
And see him safe deliver'd presently. [Exeunt Cromwell, Bedford, and an Officer.
Go draw the curtains, let us see the earl^{8 note}

O, he is writing; stand apart a while.

Hodge. [reads.]

Fellow William, I am not as I have been; I went from you a smith, I write to you as a lord. I am at this present writing, among the Polonian sausages^{9 note}

^note, they being famous for this kind of viand,—which in vulgar language is at this day called a Polony. In the quarto the word is spelled, in one place, sasigis, in another casiges. Malone.

I suppose he means cossacks, or as it was then written, cossaques. Percy.

From a subsequent line it appears that a word of three syllables was intended. Malone.

Gov.
Sure these are the names of English noblemen,
Some of his special friends, to whom he writes:— [Hodge sounds a note.
But stay, he doth address himself to sing. [Hodge sings a song.
My lord, I am glad you are so frolick and so blithe:
Believe me, noble lord, if you knew all,
You'd change your merry vein to sudden sorrow.

Hodge.
I change my merry vein? no, thou Bononian, no;
I am a lord, and therefore let me go.
I do defy thee and thy sausages;
Therefore stand off, and come not near my honour.

Gov.
My lord, this jesting cannot serve your turn.

Hodge.
Dost think, thou black Bononian beast,
That I do flout, do gibe, or jest?

No, no, thou beer pot, know that I,
A noble earl, a lord par-dy— [A trumpet sounds.

Gov.
What means this trumpet's sound? Enter a Messenger.

Cit.
One is come from the states of Mantua.

Gov.
What, would you with us? speak thou man of Mantua.

Mes.
Men of Bononia, this my message is;
To let you know, the noble earl of Bedford
Is safe within the town of Mantua,
And wills you send the peasant that you have,
Who hath deceiv'd your expectation:
Or else the states of Mantua have vow'd,
They will recall the truce that they have made;
And not a man shall stir from forth your town,
That shall return, unless you send him back.

Gov.
O this misfortune, how it mads my heart!
The Neapolitan hath beguil'd us all.
Hence with this fool. What shall we do with him,
The earl being gone? A plague upon it all!

Hodge.

No, I'll assure you, I am no earl, but a smith, sir, one Hodge, a smith at Putney, sir; one that hath gulled you, that hath bored you, sir^{1 note}
.

Gov.
Away with him; take hence the fool you came for.

Hodge.
Ay, sir, and I'll leave the greater fool with you.

Mes.
Farewel, Bononians. Come, friend, along with me.

Hodge.
My friend, afore; my lordship will follow thee. [Exeunt Hodge and Messenger.

Gov.
Well, Mantua, since by thee the earl is lost,
Within few days I hope to see thee crost. [Exeunt Governour, States, Attendants, &c.

Enter Chorus.

Cho.
Thus far you see how Cromwell's fortune pass'd.
The earl of Bedford, being safe in Mantua,
Desires Cromwell's company into France,
To make requital for his courtesy;
But Cromwell doth deny the earl his suit,
And tells him that those parts he meant to see,
He had not yet set footing on the land^{2 note}
;
And so directly takes his way to Spain;
The earl to France^{3 note}

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