The True and Honorable History of the Life of Sir John Oldcastle, the Good Lord Cobham.
Page: 9

Than there be houses to relieve them at.


OLD MAN.
Faith, housekeeping decays in every place,
Even as Saint Peter writ, still worse and worse.

FOURTH.
Master mayor of Rochester has given commandment,
that none shall go abroad out of the parish; and they
have set an order down forsooth, what every poor
householder must give towards our relief: where
there be some ceased, I may say to you, had almost
as much need to beg as we.

FIRST.
It is a hard world the while.

OLD MAN.
If a poor man come to a door to ask for God's sake,
they ask him for a license, or a certificate from a
Justice.

SECOND.
Faith we have none but what we bear upon our bodies,
our maimed limbs, God help us.

FOURTH.
And yet, as lame as I am, I'll with the king into France,
if I can crawl but a shipboard. I had rather be slain in
France, than starve in England.

OLD MAN.
Ha, were I but as lusty as I was at the battle of
Shrewbury, I would not do as I do: but we are now
come to the good lord Cobham's, to the best man to
the poor that is in all Kent.

FOURTH.
God bless him! there be but few such.

[Enter Lord Cobham with Harpoole.]

COBHAM.
Thou peevish, froward man, what wouldst thou have?

HARPOOLE.
This pride, this pride, brings all to beggary.
I served your father, and your grandfather;
Show me such two men now!
No! No! Your backs, your backs, the devil and pride,
Has cut the throat of all good housekeeping.--
They were the best Yeomens' masters,
That ever were in England.

COBHAM.
Yea, except thou have a crew of seely knaves
And sturdy rogues still feeding at my gate,
There is no hospitality with thee.

HARPOOLE.
They may sit at the gat well enough, but the devil of
any thing you give them, except they will eat stones.

COBHAM.
Tis long, then, of such hungry knaves as you.

[Pointing to the beggars.]

Yea, sir, here's your retinue; your guests be come.
They know their hours, I warrant you.

OLD MAN.
God bless your honour! God save the good Lord Cobham
And all his house!

SOLDIER.
Good your honour, bestow your blessed alms
Upon poor men.