The Interlude of Wealth and Health.

by Anonymous.

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-cla.s.s 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 t.i.tles 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, cla.s.ses 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 c.o.xeter's notes, gave an essentially accurate description of the piece, except that he a.s.serted 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 pa.s.sage. 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.

t.i.t. 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' f.a.getyue (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. l.u.s.t (l.u.s.ty) 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 h.o.r.e 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. l.u.s.t (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. ofh.e.l.l(?) 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. rembre ... 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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+ G.o.d 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 f.a.getyue 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d that pa.s.seth 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 a.s.suraunce.

+Health+ I denye that, your saying is nought 120 Grace, heauen, nor cunning, cannot be bought without great paine, d 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