Chapter 1

Produced by Jason Isbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)

[Transcriber's Notes:

This early English text was printed in a black-letter font. Some of the letters used are not found on a typewriter. In the e-text those letters that have no modern equivalent are transcribed with their meaning. For example, there is a letter that looks like a "w" with a "t" over it. This means with. You will find this in the text as [with]. Others you will find are [per], [the], [that], and [thou]. You will also find the suffix [us].

All typos were kept as close as possible to the original. This e-text is based on the 1907 edition which included a long list of these typos and some of their possible meanings along with the editor's note. This list had many letters typeset upside down. For this e-text they were righted.

Long s has been changed to standard short s.

In the plain text version, letters with a macron over them are denoted by placing them in brackets with an = beside them, such as [=e] for an e with a macron over it. For smoother reading, a and o are shown with tilde.

Speaker names are surrounded by + like +Health+.

For those that wish to consult the original, black and white pngs have been included in the archive.]

PRINTED FOR THE MALONE SOCIETY BY

CHARLES WHITTINGHAM & CO.

AT THE CHISWICK PRESS

THE INTERLUDE OF WEALTH AND HEALTH

THE MALONE SOCIETY

REPRINTS

1907

This reprint of _Wealth and Health_ has been prepared by the General Editor and checked by Percy Simpson.

_March 1907._ W.W. Greg.

Early in the craft year which began on 19 July 1557, and was the first of the chartered existence of the Stationers' Company, John Waley, or Wally, entered what was no doubt the present play on the Register along with several other works. The entry runs as follows:

To master John wally these bokes Called Welth and helthe/the treatise of the ffrere and the boye / stans puer ad mensam another of youghte charyte and humylyte an a b c for cheldren in englesshe with syllabes also a boke called an hundreth mery tayles ij^s [Arber's Transcript, I. 75.]

That Waley printed an edition is therefore to be presumed, but it does not necessarily follow that the extant copy, which though perfect bears neither date nor printer's name, ever belonged to it. Indeed, a comparison with a number of works to which he did affix his name suggests grave doubts on the subject. Though not a high-class printer, there seems no reason to ascribe to him a piece of work which for badness alike of composition and press-work appears to be unique among the dramatic productions of the sixteenth century.

'Wealth and health' appears among the titles in the list of plays appended to the edition of Goffe's _Careless Shepherdess_, printed for Rogers and Ley in 1656. The entry was repeated with the designation 'C[omedy].' in Archer's list of the same year, and, without the addition, in those of Kirkman in 1661 and 1671. In 1691 Langbaine wrote '_Wealth and Health_, a Play of which I can give no Account.' Gildon has no further information to offer, nor have any of his immediate followers. Chetwood, in 1752, classes it among 'Plays Wrote by Anonymous Authors in the 16th [by which he means the seventeenth] Century,' calls it 'an Interlude' and dates it 1602. This invention was only copied in those lists which depended directly on Chetwood's, such as the _Playhouse Pocket-Companion_ of 1779. Meanwhile, in his _Companion to the Play-House_ of 1764, D.E. Baker, relying upon Coxeter's notes, gave an essentially accurate description of the piece, except that he asserted it to be 'full of Sport and mery Pastyme,' and described it as an octavo. This entry has been copied by subsequent bibliographers, none of whom have seen the original.

The play was among those discovered in Ireland in the spring of 1906 and sold at Sotheby's on 30 June, when it was purchased for the British Museum at the price of one hundred and ninety-five pounds. Its press-mark is C. 34. i. 25.

The extremely careless typography of the original makes the task of reprinting a difficult one. Ordinary misprints abound, and these have been scrupulously retained, a list of irregularities being added below. It has, however, proved impossible to arrive at any satisfactory method of distinguishing between 'n' and 'u.' In the first hundred lines, which are by no means the worst printed, there are thirty-two cases in which the letter is indistinguishable, eighteen cases of an apparent 'u' which should be 'n,' and seven cases of an apparent 'n' which should be 'u.' When it is further remembered that there are few cases in which it is possible to say for certain that a letter really is what it appears to be, and none in which it may not be turned, some idea of the difficulty in the way of reprinting will be obtained. To have followed the original in this matter would have been to introduce another misprint into at least every fourth line, while even so several hundred cases would have remained which could only have been decided according to the apparent sense of the passage. The only rational course was to treat the letters as indistinguishable throughout, and to print in each instance whichever the sense seemed to require. Again, as the superscript letters 'c,' 'e,' 't,' are seldom distinguishable, the printer has been given the benefit of the doubt. Another difficulty arose in connection with the speakers' names. In the original these have often dropt from their proper places, which can now only be ascertained from the sense and the not very regular indentation. With some hesitation it has been decided to restore them to the positions they should apparently occupy, noting all cases in which they are a line or more out in the original. Lastly it may be remarked that in the speeches which aim at imitating foreign languages the apparent readings of the very indistinct original have been scrupulously reproduced, and no attempt has been made, even in the subjoined list, to suggest any corrections.

In the last sheet some of the pages are cropt at the foot. In most cases nothing more than the catchword has disappeared, and although between lines 768 and 769 something seems to be lost, it is doubtful whether this is due to the cropping, since D1^v has already one line too many.

The original is printed in the ordinary black letter of the period, of the body known as English (20 ll. = 94 mm.).

Irregular and Doubtful Readings.

Tit. att his 5. tcowe 7. fleepe(?) 13. nof 24. Weith 25. Iam 27. ofcomparison 29. so (too?) 38. yeth 41. dyspayre (dysprayse) 50. marualufly 52. iu 54. ts 57. stander ... nowe 58. selte 62. Inlykewise 63. Wh en (?) (no catchword) 66. desyred 70. thouart 74. answerrd 75. wellh 76. thou' fagetyue (or ?tagetyue) 80. Thai 84. benefites 95. welth hatg ... freasure 98. stands (the 's' doubtful) 100. cempetent 105. Ye 107. otherwelth 109. Euerywise 110. dtsposicions 127. saue (the 'e' doubtful) 134. woth 137. stealeth 144. hit 149. a wreke 150. nf 159. (no catchword) 164. nhw indifferenily 165. me 168. Weith 177. tryasure 178. yfthey 191. (no catchword) 195. please youto 197. libert 201. werwhy (me, why?) 207. feloweh 214. shalde 216. crow 224. beholde (be bolde) 234. wyse (the 's' doubtful) ifye (if he?) 237. yllibert 238. notfore 249. lubstaunce 250. werr 251. whyce 253. lust (lusty) 257. lybertye 258. H elth (?) 267. ran 270. loboure 275. ofliberty ... suter 278. alytle 286. acquanted 289. Dryue (the 'y' doubtful) 290. Wy ll (?) ... C (I) 294. [H]ealth 306. Christ 312. kindes 315. Arquaintance 318. fo 319. lybertyeis 320. lyberfye, wili bebolde (be bolde) 322. Thyrfore 324. lybrtye 328. ano 337. pas (past) 364. ther 367. let hym (hem) 373. Wytte (Will) 379. felfe 383. caa 386. thought (sought) 391. srhon (?) 397. be gins 398. sleminge 400. slemminges wilmar (?) 405. icvell 408. lonck 410. ic compte hore 414. Nae 424. ssaunders 425. sleminges 426. theris 433. deuose 440. ftyll (?) 443. shred wet 445. Wyll ... cun 447. thing 450. geeat actortty 452. hach 453. lust (iust) ... indifference 460. shalbe (the 's' doubtful) 470. berter 473. mayay (or ? nayay, reading very doubtful; may say?) 475. Forfoth ... vrother 479. in (the 'n' doubtful) 485. wel ... slye (flyt?) 498. you 501. vegyled 502. councelll 507. Wy ll (?) 508. fhe (?) 509. chat ... alw ay 511. meaneth (the 't' doubtful) 520. [Liberty?] 531. oardon 534. am be(?) ... well 545. Gngland 547. renlmes 548. thy (they) 551. rm 553. apart ... aceoritie 554. R[e]md[i] 558. for (the 'f' doubtful) 561. prefercing (?) 567. ehis 568. percelue 596. b e (?) 600. yoor (?) 601. tohether 605. exchewe ... Ill 607. t[=e]p 609. sach 613. [(]wil 616. apare 618. larye 622. chat 624. afryde 629. Hew 630. p=omise (the '=' doubtful) 631. sstyest (spyest?) 632. lok e 633. crooke (the 'e' doubtful) 636. Wyll. (below l. 637) tor 653. euey 654. ofhell(?) 662. falfe 666. libertidespise 667. mateer 668. wet, ler ... [Will.] 669. a none 675. thiag 676. Afirr (After) 685. I tis 686. ihe 693. with ... conoenient 695. Wyll. (opposite l. 696) angey 699. tor 705. he 711. Wytte (opposite l. 712) 716. rhe 719. Wyll. (opposite l. 718) 724. wich 731. welco me health (opposite l. 730) 734. (no catchword) 735. her (hert ?) 736. v s (?) 740. .abor 742. sha me (?) 753. H ance (?) 755. Hance (the 'e' doubtful) 756. nothin 757. H ance (?) 760. allaunts ... reale 764. selfeloue (?) descone (?) 766. subtel tiget 768. (catchword cut off?) 769. [Remedy.] (but a whole line probably missing) 772. Ic ... Remdi (the 'i' doubtful) 773. i (I or [=i]) 776. fleming (the 'f' doubtful) ... lenger 780. tiberty 782. Health (opposite l. 781) 785. nof (?) 787. affirmity 790. Health (opposite l. 791) 791. maladi (the 'l' doubtful) 796. ye t 798. people (the second 'e' doubtful) ... detelt 799. theroffor (?) 801. A mendes (catchword cropt) 803. doone (the 'd' doubtful) 804. helfe a mendes 807. neceslitie (?) 820. thinketh (the second 't' doubtful) 821. herc 822. ve 823. eafe ano 826. warre 828. boyde 830. weae ... uhat hrlth 831. saw saw 833. tste 834. (catchword cropt) 836. liuingl 838. abouf (?) 841. blam 842. Co staunder vndesrrued 843. drpart 846. spy&nardo 847. folse chefe ... Health 849. wiltel 850. ia 851. peca (the 'e' doubtful) 853. meae 856. fhese 861. contra 863. three 864. I Iyfgo ... them (there is no lead between Wyll. and Wytte.; the speakers' names to ll. 862-3 are half a line too low, those to ll. 865-7 half a line too high) 866. Remd[i] 867. abd ... (signature and catchword cut off?) 868. ful 871. fpeake 873. feason 881. Remdt 882. thete (?) 887. in continent 888. wif 889. lake 891. behanged 893. shals 901. shrew de 903. althre 907. shaibe ... warding alonge 909. wel 912. remãbre ... a nother 917. displesur 918. vngrocious 919. dissulation 923. devyl 924. liberty= (the '=' doubtful; opposite l. 923) 925. ymanginacien 927. myscef 928. prison 933. (catchword cropt) 940. yfye (?) 941. rcstore 954. Thar (?) 955. remdy 956. deuer 958. riagne 960. rontinue 961. w ([with])

FACSIMILES BY HORACE HART, M.A., AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

An enterlude of Welth, and Helth, very mery and full of Pastyme, newly att his tyme Imprinted

¶ The Names of the players.

Welth. Helth, Lybertie. Ilwyll. Shrowdwyt. Hance. Remedy

Foure may easely play this Playe.

¶ Here entreth Welth, and Helth synging together a balet of two partes, and after speaketh Welth.

Why is there no curtesy, now I am come I tcowe that all the people be dume Or els so god helpe me and halydum They were almost a fleepe. No wordes I harde, nor yet no talking No instrument went nor ballattes synging What ayles you all thus to syt dreaming 10 Of whom take ye care? Of my coming ye may be glad Therefore I pray you be nof sad For all your desyre shall be had I can amende your cheare By God I thinke ye haue forgotten me I am welth of this realme looke upon me For I am to euery man louing and freendly For welth hath no pere.

+Helth.+ Brother welth haue ye not yet doone? 20 ye prayse your selfe aboue the moone Euery man may perceyue therby soone That you lacke discresyon

+Weith.+ Wherfore, by god I cannot say to much Iam so welthy of substaunce and rych In all the worlde where is one such As I am ofcomparison.

+Helth.+ Welth is good I cannot denay Yet prayse your selfe so muche ye may For welth oftentimes doth decay 30 And welth is nothing sure.

+Welth.+ Welth hath ben euer in this countrey And here I purpose styll for to be For this is the lande most mete for me And here I wyll endure.

+Health+ Therin ye speake full louingle For in this realme welth should be yeth no displeasure I pray you hartely But in the way of communicacion. And for pastyme I would speake some wayes 40 Of no comparison, nor to you no dyspayre, I doo not intende that maner alwayes, But for a recreation,

+Wealth+ Brother what soeuer ye say to me. I wyll heare you paciently I am content and I thanke you hartely Begyn and say your pleasure

+Health+ I thanke you hartely then wyll I Some what unto my purpose apply Though welth be praised marualufly 50 Yet to myne understanding. Welth is mutable, and that iu shame And welth is hauty and proude of name Welth is cruell, and in great blame For welth ts euer wauerynge.

+Wealth.+ To whom haue I doone any harme can ye say, Ye stander me nowe, yet I trust I may Aunswere for my selte in euery maner way Ye wyl not deny that?

+Health+ God forbyd but ye should do so 60 And ye may doo it whether I wyl or no Inlykewise, I must answer you also Wh en ye say not true. Though I be but to you a poore man yet helth I height, the same I am That is desyred vniuersally than Some calles me as good as you

+Welth.+ As I, mary ther in deede ye do compare. Such wordes myght brynge you soone in care Lewde parson, thouart not ware 70 Of what substaunce I am

+Health.+ Yes I can tell what you are, be not dyspleased welth is of great substaunce, that cannot be denyed yet shew your comodities, and ye shalbe answerrd I promyse you wellh is fugitiue.

+wealth+ What sayst thou, am I a fagetyue I was neuer so taken vp in my lyfe Nor called vnsure, well I wyll make no stryfe yet where as thou dost say, Thai I should show my commodityes alwayes 80 The best for my selfe wherof I aske prayse yf I shoulde stand her all my lyfe dayes yet I coulde not say. Nor halfe the benefites that commeth of me yt cannot be tolde nor resyted shortly Welth is the floure of althing earthly That you cannot denye. Ferste god saue, our soueraine Ladye the Queene With all the counsel and all that with them bene Am not I welth with them euer at ene 90 Who should be there but I? Men of the lawe, and ioly rych marchauntes There be welthy both of goodes and lands, Without comparyson is in their handes I welth hatg all freasure.

+Health.+ O good syr, of whom commeth all this Of god only, to you no thanke Iwys And yet mans welth stands not all in ryches I dare saye that boldly, Whan a man hath a cempetent liuing 100 with the grace of god that passeth all thyng Loue of his neyghbour, and good reporting Then is he welthy, Welth of goodes is but a fame Ye is welthy that hath a good name Euery wyse man wyll coueyte the same For otherwelth I not reche yf a man haue neuer so much good name Euerywise man wyll coueyte the same if his dtsposicions be nought and wood 110 Then he is but a wretch,

+Welth.+ Nay thou art a wretch, and a foole vnwyse welth of ryches thus to despyse Doest thou not se all the worlde aryse By goodes and substaunce He that hath plenty of syluer and golde May haue all thyng whatsoeuer he woulde Whan can welth lacke, seing all thing is solde And welth is of assuraunce.

+Health+ I denye that, your saying is nought 120 Grace, heauen, nor cunning, cannot be bought without great paine, ãd good dedes wrought Els man cannot them haue.

+wealth+ Stop thereat, and hold thy peace May not men by heauen with richesse As to bylde churches and make bye wayes Such deedes mans soule doth saue

+Health+ Yea, but yet ye must marke one thynge yf these goodes came with wronge doyng Shall ye haue heauen for so spendynge 130 Or yet any mede. Nay nay except that man himselfe doo meeke And make resystance the ryght honour to seeke Els all such good dedes is not woth a leeke welth hereof take heede.

+wealth.+ Why thinkest thou that all men which hath welth Getteth theyr goodes with brybry and stealeth Thy reporte is nought therfore Helthe I counsell thee to say the best.

+Health+ So I wyll, but yet I must say true 140 And now a lyttle more I wyll say to you Much sorowe and care welth doth brewe He is seldome in rest. when a man is a lyttle hit and welthy And hath in his cheste treasures plentye Then wyl he wrangle, and do shreudly By his power and might. With his neighboures he wyll go to lawe And a wreke his malyce for valew of strawe welth is fykle and out nf awe 150 wylfull in wronge or ryght

+Welth.+ Thou speakest with a slaunderous tonge All of euyll wyll, and yet it is wronge welth in this realme hath bin longe Of me commeth great honour. Because that I welth hath great porte All the worlde, hyther doth resorte Therfore I welth, am this realmes comfort, And here I wyll indure.

+Helth.+ So I wold ye should, and I shall do the same 160 Helth I am called, and that is my name If I would not abyde heare I were to blame For here I am well cherished Yet say your selfe, nhw indifferenily And if euery man doo not loue me Helth as well as welth, yes verely Therof I dare be reported

+Weith.+ Why should they loue thee? that woulde I knowe As wel as me, I pray you showe I am the superiour of hie and lowe 170 No man may compare with me.

+Helth.+ To shew why I wyll not be afraied For I can bide by that I haue sayde Yf welthy men be very well apayd Or muche they set you by. But of welth, if they haue neuer so much Goodes, tryasure and golde, and be called rych Yet yfthey lacke helth, there payne is suche That they were better dye. A man to were golde, and be in payne 180 What ioy hath he? none, but would be fayne To giue all his treasure for helth playne Or els he were very mad: For if a man be neuer so poure Yet if he haue helth, that is a treasure, Then for his liuing, he may laboure And in his harte be glad,

+Welth.+ I neuer marked thus muche, nor vnderstood That Helth was such a treasure, and to man so good Wherfore I am sory, and I wil chaunge my moode 190 Now I pray you forgiue me.

+Health+ I will forgiue or els I were to blame And I pray you to forgiue me the same I loue you hartly, and wyll prayse your name yf it please youto keepe my company.

¶ Here entreth lyberty with a song & after speaketh

+libert+ Why tary syrs whether are ye going I see well ye looked not for my comming Loe, out of syght out of remembryng Absence is cause of straungnes, 200 What looke ye on werwhy are ye so straunge From your fellow liberty, doth your minds cha[=u]ge In your company I was wont to range What nedes all this busines,

+wealth+ By liberty now I doo not set Seyng that helth and I am met As feloweh together no man shall let Me for to loue hym best.

+liberty.+ Let me heare what ye do say Then ye are about to cast me away 210 How happes this? mary then I may Goe pyke strawes and take me rest. I pray you tell me whom I haue offended yf I haue made a faute it shalde amended with so shorte warning let me not be voyded I crow yet ye do but iest.

+Helth.+ Why do ye make this cauelacion we entende to make no alteracyon welth and I haue had communication He is my freende of olde. 220

+liberty+ What was the matter, I pray you tell Me thinkes I ought to be of counsel Or els I promyse you ye doo not well With you I should beholde.

+Welth.+ The matter is doone we are agreed To reason it more it shall not neede O brother helth, thou art in deede More preciouser than golde.

+liberty.+ Gods bodi how commeth this gere to pas I am cast out at the cartes arse 230 The worlde is nothing as it was For I am here refused

+Health+ Why be you angry that we doo agree Then are ye not wyse, for ifye loue me I will loue hym agayne, so it should be Or els I were mysaduised

+yllibert+ Then of my loue ye set no store My company I see well ye looked notfore Farewell I wyll get me out of the doore yet I am your betters and so am I called. 240

+wealth+ Such presumptuouse wordes wyll haue a fall your comparyson is but feble and small What can ye do nothyng at all As you haue reputed.

+liberti.+ What were ye both two, were not I. Wretches and caytyfes, looke not so hye Thinke no scorne hardly For I may be your peare yf welth haue neuer so much lubstaunce Lacking Libertye and werr in durance 250 Within a whyce, I am in assurance ye woulde pray me come nere. Yf Helth be neuer so lust and stronge yet if Lyberty were kept from him longe Then sorow and care wolde be his songe. yt would abate your cheare. Fye of welth which lacketh lybertye Fye of H elth and be in captiuitie Fye of riches and lack good company Lyberty hath no pere, 260

+Helth.+ Wyll ye heare how he doth clatter? What neede ye to rehearse all this matter. ye know that we twayne afore any other. Lyberty must nedes haue styll. Lybertie on vs is glade to wayte ye stande to farre in your owne conceyte I wys lybertye ye ran make no bayte To catche vs at your will.

+liberty.+ Now there ye lye, I can suffer no longer Welth for Lybertye doth loboure euer 270 And helth for Libertye is a great store Therfore set me not so lyght

+wealth+ Libertye I pray the reason no more ye are welcome to vs as ye were before In dede ofliberty it is great suter Therfore welcome by this lyght

+liberty,+ Now I thanke you both full kindly your strange wordes alytle did greue me And now at your cõma[=u]dement I am redy And at your owne wyll. 280

¶ Here entreth with some iest yllwyll

+Wyll..+ Mary I am come at the first call Wyll, your owne man haue me who shall For I am will seruaunt to you al Ye shall not neede to sende for me.

+Welth.+ Who is acquanted with this man He is very homely and lytle good he can To come in here so boldly, then Dryue him away quickly,

+Wy ll.+ Why, I cam not tyll I was called 290 your owne wyll openly ye named Then I came a pace lest I should be blamed Therfore I pray you let me byde styll,

+ealth+ Whole wyll, or what wyll, doth he meane Thou art not my wyl, I forsake thee cleane My wyl and their wylles is often sene Our wylles can none yll

+Wyll.+ Alas good masters I can none yll yet by my trouth I am your euyll wyll your wil, & your will, & your will, therfore keepe me 300 I loue ye by goddes mother,

+liberty.+ This is a straunge saying vnto me My wyl, your wyll, and his wyll, this cannot be For in our wyles is a great diuersitie For one is not lyke another,