This corne and twentie times as much
Alreadie covertly convai'd to _France_,
And other bordering Kingdomes neere the sea,
Cannot but make a famine in this land;
And then the poore, like dogs, will die apace.
Ile seeme to pittie them, and give them almes
To blind the world; 'tis excellent policie
To rid the land of such, by such device.
A famine to the poore is like a frost
Unto the earth, which kills the paltry wormes
That would destroy the harvest of the spring.
As for the which, I count them painefull men
Worthy to enjoy what they can get:
Beggars are trash, and I esteeme them so;
Starve, hang, or drowne themselves, I am alive;
Loose all the world, so I have wit to thrive.
But I must to the Parliment, and then
Ile have a clause to beggar some rich men.
[_Exit_.
_Actus Tertius_.
[SCENE 1.]
_Enter Duke, Fredericke, Constantine, Reinaldo,
Alberto, Alfrid, and amongst them Hatto shuffles in_.
_Alberto_. Princes and pillars of the _Saxon_ State.
_Duke_. You are the elected, speake for the Court.
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