ACT I.—SCENE II.

_Enter_ Actors.

Room, room, brave gallants, give us room to sport, For in this room we have a mind to resort— Resort, and to repeat to you our merry rhyme, For remember, good sirs, this is _Christmas_ time; The time to cut up goose pies now doth appear, So we are come to act our merry mirth here: At the sounding of the trumpet, and beating of the drum, Make room, brave gentlemen, and let our actors come. We are the merry actors that traverses the street; We are the merry actors that fight for our meat; We are the merry actors that show the pleasant play: Step in, thou king of _Egypt_, and clear the way.

_King of Egypt._ I am the king of _Egypt_, as plainly doth appear, And Prince _George_ he is my only son and heir: Step in, therefore, my son, and act thy part with me, And shew forth thy praise before the company.

_Prince George._ I am Prince _George_, a champion brave and bold, For with my spear I’ve won three crowns of gold; ’Twas I that brought the Dragon to the slaughter, And I that gain’d the _Egyptian_ monarch’s daughter. In Egypt’s fields I prisoner long was kept, But by my valour I from them soon ’scap’d: I sounded at the gates of a divine, And out came a giant of no good design; He gave me a blow, which almost struck me dead, But I up with my sword, and did cut off his head.

_Alexander._ Hold, Stacker, hold, pray do not be so hot, For on this spot thou knowest not who thou’s got; ’Tis I that’s to hash thee and smash thee as small as flies, And lend thee to _Satan_ to make minch pies: Minch pies hot, minch pies cold— I’ll send thee to Satan ere thou be three days’ old. But, hold, Prince _George_, before thou go away, Either thou or I must die this bloody day; Some mortal wounds thou shalt receive by me, So let us fight it out most manfully. [_Exeunt._