Publisher's Synopsis
Cromwell ALFRED B. RICHARDS ACT I. SCENE I. [1st Cut.] [2nd Grooves.] A Lane near a Village. Afternoon. Enter ARTHUR WALTON and WILLIAM, R.S.E. Arthur. Give me your arm, my feet tread heavily;The sameness of this scene doth pierce my heartWith thronging recollections of the past.There is nought chang'd-and what a world of care, Of sorrow, passion, pleasure have I known, Since but a natural part of this was I, Whose voice is now a discord to the soundsOnce daily mellow'd in my youthful being.Methinks I feel like one that long hath readA strange and chequer'd story, and doth rise, With a deep sigh to be himself again. Will. One would not think, Sir, how much blood had stain'dOld England, since we left her, finding thusAll things so peaceful; but one thing I mark'dAs we did skirt the village. Arth. What was that? Will. The king's face was defac'd-the sign o' the innAt jolly Master Gurton's-mind you notHow sad it look'd? Yet 'neath it I've been gay, A time or two; 'tis not my fortune now: Those bright Italian skies have even marr'dMy judgment of clear ale. Arth. I'faith 'twill need A marvellous scant repair. Will. One jovial day Of honest mud and wholesome English fog. Arth. That sign! 'twas once the royal head of James;Some thirsty limner passing made it Charles;I've heard it said 'twas e'en our good Queen Bess, By curious folk that trac'd her high starch'd ruffIn the quaint faded back of antique chair, Her stomacher in Charles's shrivell'd vest-Who in his turn is gone. Well, take this letter, See the old knight; but not a word to him.Stay, I forgot, my little rosy cousinShould be a woman now; thus-full of wiles, Glancing behind the man that trusts her loveTo his best friend, and wanton with the girlsShe troops with, in such trifling, foolish sort, To turn the stomach of initiate man.Fie! I care not to hear of her; yet askIf she be well. Commend me to my brother;Thou wilt not tarry-he will give thee gold, And haste to welcome me-go! At the innWe'll meet some two hours hence. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching e