A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 460 pages of information about A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8.

A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 460 pages of information about A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8.

TIP.  Room, my masters, give place, stand by: 
Sir Equity hath sent me to let you understand,
That hither he will resort out of hand,
To sit upon the arraignment of Prodigality.

LIB.  In good time.

TIP.  Behold, he comes.

LIB.  Now, Equity, how falls the matter out?

EQ.  That Prodigality is guilty of the fact, no doubt. 
And therefore for furtherance of justice effectually,
My lord the judge comes to sit upon him presently: 
Wherein we crave your assistance.

LIB.  I’ll wait upon you.

TIP.  Room, my masters, room for my lord:  stand by.

    The JUDGE placed, and the CLERKS under him.

JUDGE.  Call for the prisoner.

CLERK.  Make an oyes, Crier.

CRIER.  Oyes, oyes, oyes!

CLERK.  Sheriff of Middlesex.

CRIER.  Sheriff of Middlesex.

CLERK.  Bring forth the prisoner.

CRIER.  Bring forth the prisoner.

CLERK.  Prodigality.

CRIER.  Prodigality.

CLERK.  Pain of the peril shall fall thereon.

CRIER.  Pain of the peril shall fall thereon.

SHER.  Here, sir.

CLERK.  Prodigality, hold up thy hand. [He holds it up
Thou art indicted here by the name of Prodigality,
For that thou, the fourth day of February,
In the three and forty year of the prosperous reign
Of Elizabeth, our dread sovereign,
By the grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland queen,
Defender of the faith, &c.,
Together with the other malefactors yet unknown,
At Highgate,[417] in the county of Middlesex, aforesaid,
Didst feloniously take from one Tenacity,
Of the parish of Pancridge,[418] yeoman, in the said county,
One thousand pounds of gold and silver sterling. 
And also, how thyself, the said Prodigality,
With a sword, price twenty shillings, then and there cruelly
Didst give the said Tenacity upon the head
One mortal wound, whereof he is now dead,
Contrary to the queen’s peace, her crown, and dignity.

JUDGE.  How say’st thou, Prodigality, to this robbery,
Felony, and murther? art thou guilty
Or not guilty?

PROD.  My lord, I beseech you
Grant me counsel to plead my cause.

JUDGE.  That may not be; it standeth not with our laws.

PROD.  Then, good my lord, let me some respite take.

JUDGE.  Neither may that be; thus doth the indictment lie,
Thou art accus’d of murther and of robbery,
To which thou must now answer presently,
Whether thou be thereof guilty or not guilty.

PROD.  Well, since there is no other remedy,
And that my fact falls out so apparently,
I will confess that indeed I am guilty,
Most humbly appealing to the prince’s mercy.

JUDGE.  Then what canst thou say for thyself, Prodigality,
That according to the law thou shouldst not die?

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A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.