Playes written by the thrice noble, illustrious and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

THE FIRST PART OF BELL IN CAMPO.

ACT I.

Scene 1.

Enter two Gentlemen.

1 GEnt.

You hear how this Kingdome of Reformation is prepa∣paring for War against the Kingdome of Faction.

2 Gent.

Yea, for I hear the Kingdome of Faction resolves to War with this Kingdome of Reformation.

1 Gent.

'Tis true, for there are great preparations of either side, men are raised of all sorts and ages fit to bear Arms, and of all de∣grees to command and obey, and there is one of the gallantest and noblest persons in this Kingdome, which is made General to command in chief, for he is a man that is both valiant and well experienced in Wars, temperate and just in Peace, wise and politick in publick affairs, carefull and prudent in his own Family, and a most generous person.

2 Gent.

Indeed I have heard that he is a most excellent Souldier.

1 Gent.

He is so, for he is not one that sets forth to the Wars with great resolutions and hopes, and returns with maskerd fears, and despairs; neither is he like those that take more care, and are more industrious to get gay Clothes, and fine Feathers, to flant in the Field, and vapour in their march, than to get usefull and necessary provision; but before he will march, he will have all things ready, and proper for use, as to fit himself with well-tempered Arms, which are light to be worn, yet musket proof; for he means not to run away, nor to yield his life upon easy terms unto his Enemy; for he desires to Conquer, and not vain-gloriously to shew his courage by a careless neglect or a vain carelessness; also he chooses such Horses as are use∣full in War, such as have been made subject to the hand and heel, that have been taught to Trot on the Hanches, to change, to Gallop, to stop, and such Horses as have spirit and strength, yet quiet and sober Natures; he regards more the goodness of the Horses than the Colours or marks, and more the fitness of his Saddles than the Imbrodery; also he takes more care that his Waggons should be easy to follow, and light in their carriage, than to have them painted and gilded; and he takes greater care that his Tents should be made, so as to be suddenly put up, and as quickly pull'd down, than for the setting and Imbrodering his Arms thereupon; also he take more care to have usefull Servants than numerous Servants; and as he is industrious and carefull for his particular affairs, so he is for the ge∣neral affairs.

2 Gent.

A good Souldier makes good preparations, and a good General doth both for himself and Army, and as the General hath showed himself a good Souldier by the preparations he had made to march, so he hath show∣en himself a wise man by the settlement he hath made, in what he hath to leave behind him; for I hear he hath setled and ordered his House and Family.

1 Gent.

He hath so, and he hath a fair young and virtuous Lady that he must leave behind him, which cannot choose but trouble him.

2 Gent.

The wisest man that is, cannot order or have all things to his own contentment.

Exeunt.

Scene 2.

Enter the Lord General, and the Lady Victoria his Wife.

GEneral.

My dear heart, you know I am commanded to the Wars, and had I not such Wife as you are, I should have thought Fortune had done me a favour to imploy my life in Heroical Actions for the service of my Country, or to give me a honourable Death, but to leave you is such a Cross as my Nature sinks under; but wheresoever you are there will be my life, I shall only carry a Body which may sight, but my Soul and all the powers thereof will remain with thee.

Lady Victoria.

Husband, I shall take this expression of love but for feigning words, if you leave me; for 'tis against Nature to part with that we love best, unless it be for the beloveds preservation, which cannot be mine, for my life lives in yours, and the comfort of that life in your Company.

Lord General.

I know you love me so well, as you had rather part with my life than I should part from my honour.

Lady Victoria.

'Tis true, my love perswades me so to do, knowing fame is a double life, as infamy is a double death; nay I should perswade you to those actions, were they never so dangerous, were you unwilling thereunto, or could they create a world of honour, fully inhabited with praises; but I would not willingly part with your life for an imaginary or supposed ho∣nour, which dyes in the womb before it is Born; thus I love you the best, preferring the best of what is yours; but I am but in the second place in your affections, for you prefer your honour before me; 'tis true, it is the better choice, but it shows I am not the best beloved, which makes you fol∣low and glue to that and leave me.

Lord General.

Certainly Wife my honour is your honour, and your ho∣nour will be buried in my disgrace, which Heaven avert; for I prefer yours before my own, insomuch as I would have your honour to be the Crown of my glory.

Lady Victoria.

Then I must partake of your actions, and go along with you.

Lord General.

What to the VVars?

Lady Victoria.

To any place where you are.

Lord General.

But VVife you consider not, as that long marches, ill lodg∣ings, much watching, cold nights, scorching dayes, hunger and danger are

ill Companions for Ladyes, their acquaintance displeases; their conversation is rough and rude, being too boisterous for Ladyes; their tender and strengthless constitutions cannot encounter nor grapell therewith.

Lady Victoria.

'Tis said, that Love overcomes all things: in your Company long marches will be but as a breathing walk, the hard ground feel as a Fea∣ther-Bed, and the starry Sky a spangled Canopy, hot dayes a Stove to cure cold Agues, hunger as Fasting dayes or an eve to devotion, and danger is honours triumphant Chariot.

Lord General.

But Nature hath made women like China, or Pursleyn, they must be used gently, and kept warily, or they will break and fall on Deaths head: besides, the inconveniencies in an Army are so many, as put patience her self out of humour; besides, there is such inconveniences as mo∣desty cannot allow of.

Lady Victoria.

There is no immodestly in natural effects, but in unnatural abuses; but contrive it as well as you can, for go I must, or either I shall dye, or dishonour you; for if I stay behind you, the very imaginations of your danger will torture me, sad Dreams will affright me, every little noise will sound as your passing Bell, and my fearfull mind will transform every object like as your pale Ghost, untill I am smothered in my Sighs, shrouded in my Tears, and buried in my Griefs; for whatsoever is joyned with true love, will dye absented, or else their love will dye, for love and life are joyned to∣gether; as for the honour of constancy, or constant fidelity, or the dishonour of inconstancy, the lovingest and best wife in all story that is recorded to be, the most perfectest and constantest wife in her Husbands absence was Penelope, Ulysses wife, yet she did not Barricado her Ears from Loves soft Alarums; but parled and received Amorous Treaties, and made a Truce untill she and her Lovers could agree and conclude upon conditions, and questionless there were Amorous Glances shot from loving Eyes of either party; and though the Siege of her Chastity held out, yet her Husbands Wealth and Estate was impoverished, and great Riots committed both in his Family and Kingdome, and her Suters had absolute power thereof; thus though she kept the fort of her Chastity, she lost the Kingdome, which was her Husbands Estate and Government, which was a dishonour both to her and her Husband; so if you let me stay behind you, it will be a thousand to one but either you will lose me in Death, or your honour in Life, where if you let me go you will save both; for if you will consider and reckon all the married women you have heard or read of, that were absented from their Husbands, although upon just and necessary occasions, but had some Ink of aspersions flung upon them, although their wives were old, illfavoured, de∣crepid and diseased women, or were they as pure as light, or as innocent as Heaven; and wheresoever this Ink of aspersions is thrown, it sticks so fast, that the spots are never rubb'd out, should it fall on Saints, they must wear the marks as a Badge of misfortunes, and what man had not better be thought or called an uxorious Husband, than to be despised and laught at, as being but thought a Cuckhold? the first only expresses a tender and noble Nature, the second sounds as a base, cowardly, poor, dejected, forsaken Creature; and as for the immodesty you mentioned, there is none, for there can be no breach of modesty, but in unlawfull actions, or at least unnecessary ones; but what Law can warrant, and necessity doth inforce, is allow∣able amongst men, pure before Angels, Religious before Gods, when un∣chosing persons, improper places, unfit times, condemn those actions that

are good in themselves, make them appear base to men, hatefull to Angels, and wicked to Gods, and what is more lawfull, fitting, and proper, than for a man and wife to be inseparable together?

Lord General.

Well, you have used so much Rhetorick to perswade, as you have left me none to deny you, wherefore I am resolved you shall try what your tender Sex can endure; but I believe when you hear the Bullets fly about you, you will wish your self at home, and repent your rash adventure.

Lady Victoria.

I must prove false first, for love doth give me courage.

Lord General.

Then come along, I shall your courage try.

Lady Victoria.

He follow you, though in Deaths Arms I ly.

Exeunt.

Scene 3.

Enter the two former Gentlemen.

1 GEnt.

Well met, for I was going to thy lodging to call thee to make up the Company of good fellows, which hath appointed a meeting.

2 Gent.

Faith you must go with the odd number, or get another in my room, for I am going about some affairs which the Lord General hath im∣ployed me in.

1 Gent.

I perceive by thee that publick imployments spoil private meetings.

2 Gent.

You say right, for if every one had good imployment, vice would be out of fashion.

1 Gent.

What do you call vice?

2 Gent.

Drinking, Wenching, and Gaming.

1 Gent.

As for two of them, as Drinking and Wenching, especially Wenching, no imployment can abolish them, no, not the most severest, devotest, nor dangerest: for the States-man Divines, and Souldiers, which are the most and greatest imployed, will leave all other affairs to kiss a Mistriss.

2 Gent.

But you would have me go to a Tavern and not to a Mistriss.

1 Gent.

VVhy, you may have a Mistriss in a Tavern if you please.

2 Gent.

VVell, if my other affairs will give me any leisure, I will come to you.

Exeunt.

Scene 4.

Enter four or five other Gentlemen.

1 Gent.

The Lord General was accounted a discreet and wise man, but he shows but little wisdome in this action of carrying his wife along with him to the VVars, to be a Clog at his heels, a Chain to his hands, an Incumberance in his march, obstruction in his way; for she will be al∣ways

puling and sick, and whining, and crying, and tir'd, and ••roward, and if her Dog should be left in any place, as being forgotten, all the whole Ar∣my must make a halt whilst the Dog is fetcht, and Trooper after Trooper must be sent to bring intelligence of the Dogs coming, but if there were such a misfortune that the Dog could not be found, the whole Army must be dispersed for the search of it, and if it should be lost, then there must seem to be more lamentation for it than if the Enemy had given us an intire defeat, or else we shall have frowns instead of preferments.

2 Gent.

The truth is, I wonder the General will trouble himself with his wife, when it is the only time a married man hath to enjoy a Mistriss with∣out jealousy, a spritely sound wench, that may go along without trouble, with bag and baggage, to wash his linnen, and make his sield Bed, and at∣tend to his call, when a wife requires more attendance than Centries to watch the Enemy.

3 Gent.

For my part I wonder as much that any man should be so fond of his wife as to carry her with him; for I am only glad of the VVars, because I have a good pretence to leave my wife behind me; besides an Army is a quiet, solitary place, and yields a man a peaceable life compared to that at home: for what with the faction and mutiny amongst his Servants, and the noise the women make, for their tongues like as an Alarum beat up qua∣ters in every Corner of the House, that a man can take no rest; besides every day he hath a set Battel with his wife, and from the Army of her angry thoughts, she sends forth such vollies of words with her Gunpowder anger, and the fire of her fury, as breaks all the ranks and files of content, and puts happiness to an utter rout, so as for my part I am forced to run away in dis∣content, although some Husbands will stay, and fight for the Victory.

4 Gent.

Gentlemen, Gentlemen•• pray condemn not a man for taking his lawfull delight, or for ordering his private affairs to his own humour, every man is free to himself, and to what is his, as long as he disturbs not his Neigh∣bours, nor breaks the Peace of the Kingdome, nor disorders the Common∣wealth, but submits to the Laws, and obeys the Magistrates without dis∣pute; besides Gentlemen, 'tis no crime nor wonder, for a man to let his wife go along with him when he goeth to the Wars, for there hath been examples; for Pompey had a wife with him, and so had Germanicus, and so had many great and worthy Heroicks, and as for Alexander the great he had a wife or two with him; besides, in many Nations men are not only desired, but commanded by the Chiefs to let their wives go with them, and it hath been a practice by long Custome, for women to be spectators in their Battels, to encourage their fights, and so give fire to their Spirits; also to attend them in their Sicknesses, to clense their wounds, to dress their meat; and who is fitter than a wife? what other woman will be so lovingly carefull, and in∣dustriously helpfull as a wife? and if the Greekes had not left their wives be∣hind them, but had carried them along to the Trojan Wars, they would not have found such disorders as they did at their return, nor had such bad wel∣come home, as witness Agamemnons; besides, there have been many women that have not only been Spectators, but Actors, leading Armies, and direct∣ing Battels with good success, and there have been so many of these He∣roicks, as it would be tedious at this time to recount; besides the examples of womens courage in Death, as also their wise conduct, and valiant acti∣ons in Wars are many, and pray give me leave to speak without your being offended thereat, it is not Noble, nor the part of a Gentleman, to censure,

condemn, or dispraise another mans private actions, which nothing con∣cerns him, especially when there is so gallant a subject to discourse of as the discipline and actions of these Wars we are entring into.

1 Gent.

Introth Sir, you have instructed us so well, and have chid us so handsomely, as we are sorry for our errour, and ask pardon for our fault, and our repentance shall be known by that we will never censure so again.

Exeunt.