Are soothsayers, and always cunning men.
Which doctor was it?

Nee. E'en my lady's doctor,

The neat house-doctor; but a true stone doctor. Pol. Why, hear you, nurse? how comes this geer to pass

This is your fault in truth; it shall be your fault, And must be your fault: why is your mistress sick?

She had her health the while she was with me.
Keep. Alas, good mistress Polish, I am no saint,
Much less my lady, to be urged give health,
Or sickness, at my will: but to await

The stars' good pleasure, and to do my duty.
Pol. You must do more than your duty, foolish

nurse:

You must do all you can, and more than you can, More than is possible; when folks are sick, Especially a mistress, a young mistress.

Keep. Here's master doctor himself cannot do that.

Enter lady LOADSTONE and RUT.

[Exit.

Pol. Doctor Do-all can do it; thence he's call'd so.

Rut. Whence? what is he call'd?

Pol. Doctor, do all you can,

I pray you, and beseech you, for my charge here. Lady L. She is my tendering gossip, loves my

niece.

Pol. I know you can do all things, what you please, sir,

For a young damsel, my good lady's niece, here; You can do what you list.

Rut. Peace, Tiffany.

Pol. Especially in this new case of the dropsy. The gentlewoman, I do fear, is leaven'd. Rut. Leaven'd! what's that?

Pol. Puft, blown, an't please your worship. Rut. What! dark by darker? what is blown, puft? speak

English

Pol. Tainted, an't please you, some do call it. She swells, and so swells with it-

Rut. Give her vent,

If she do swell. A gimblet must be had;
It is a tympanites she is troubled with.
There are three kinds: the first is anasarca,
Under the flesh a tumour; that's not her's.
The second is ascites, or aquosus,

A watery humour; that is not hers neither.
But tympanites, which we call the drum,
A wind-bombs in her belly, must be unbraced,
And with a faucet or a peg, let out,

And she'll do well: get her a husband.

Pol. Yes,

I say so, master doctor, and betimes too.

Lady L. As soon as we can: let her bear up to-day; Laugh and keep company at gleek or crimp. Pol. Your ladyship says right, crimp sure will cure her.

Rut. Yes, and gleek too; peace, gossip Tittle-
tattle.

She must to-morrow down into the country,
Some twenty miles; a coach and six brave horses:
Take the fresh air a month there, or five weeks;
And then return a bride up to the town,
For any husband in the hemisphere

To chuck at, when she has dropt her tympany.
Pol. Must she then drop it?

Rut. Thence 'tis call'd a dropsy.

The tympanites is one spice of it:

A toy, a thing of nothing, a mere vapour;

I'll blow't away.

Lady L. Needle, get you the coach

Ready, against to-morrow morning.

Nee. Yes, madam.

[Exit.

Lady L. I'll down with her myself, and thank

the doctor.

Pol. We all shall thank him: but, dear madam,

think,

Resolve upon a man this day.

Lady L. I have done it.

To tell you true, sweet gossip-here is none
But master doctor, he shall be of the council.-
The man I have design'd her to, indeed,

Is master Practice; he's a neat young man,
Forward, and growing up in a profession:
Like to be somebody, if the Hall stand,
And pleading hold! A prime young lawyer's wife,
Is a right happy fortune.

Rut. And she bringing

So plentiful a portion, they may live

Like king and queen at common law together: Sway judges, guide the courts, command the clerks,

And fright the evidence; rule at their pleasures, Like petty sovereigns in all cases.

Pol. O, that

Will be a work of time; she may be old

Before her husband rise to a chief judge,
And all her flower be gone. No, no, a lady

Of the first head I would have her, and in court,
The lady Silkworm, a Diaphanous lady:
And be a vicountess, to carry all

Before her, as we say, her gentleman-usher,
And cast-off pages, bare, to bid her aunt
Welcome unto her honour, at her lodgings.

Rut. You say well, lady's gossip; if my lady Could admit that, to have her niece precede her. Lady L. For that, I must consult mine own ambition,

My zealous gossip.

Pol. O, you shall precede her:

You shall be a countess, sir Diaphanous

Shall get you made a countess! here he comes Has my voice, certain.

Enter behind sir DIAPHANOUS SILKWORM and PALATE, in discourse.

O fine courtier !
O blessed man! the bravery pick'd out,
To make my dainty charge a vicountess,
And my good lady, her aunt, countess at large !
Sir Dia. I tell thee, parson, if I get her, reckon
Thou hast a friend in court; and shalt command
A thousand pound, to go on any errand,
For any church-preferment thou hast a mind to.
Pal. I thank your worship; I will so work
for you,

As you shall study all the ways to thank me:
I'll work my lady, and my lady's friends;
Her gossip, and this doctor, and squire Needle,
And master Compass, who is all in all;
The very fly she moves by: he is one

That went to sea with her husband, sir John
Loadstone,

And brought home the rich prizes; ali that wealth Is left her; for which service she respects him: A dainty scholar in the mathematics;

And one she wholly employs. Now dominus
Practice

Is yet the man, appointed by her ladyship;
But there's a trick to set his cap awry,

If I know any thing: he hath confest
To me in private that he loves another,

My lady's woman, mistress Pleasance; therefore Secure you of rivalship."

Sir Dia. I thank thee,

My noble parson; there's five hundred pound Waits on thee more for that.

Pal. Accost the niece,

Yonder she walks alone; I'll move the aunt:
But here's the gossip; she expects a morsel.
Have you ne'er a ring or toy to throw away?
Sir Dia. Yes, here's a diamond of some three-
score pound,

I pray you give her that.

Pal. If she will take it.

Sir Dia. And there's an emerald for the doctor

too:

Thou parson, thou shalt coin me; I am thine.
Pal. Here master Compass comes.

Enter COMPASS.

Do you see my lady,

And all the rest, how they do flutter about him?
He is the oracle of the house and family.
Now is your time; go nick it with the niece:

[Exit Sir Dia. I will walk by, and hearken how the chimes go. [Walks aside. Com. Nay, parson, stand not off; you may approach;

This is no such hid point of state we handle, But you may hear it; for we are all of counsel. The gentle master Practice hath dealt clearly, And nobly with you, madam.

6 Secure you of rivalship.] i. e. be in no concern, take no thought about it. WHAL.