_Enter_ GEORGE-A-GREENE. _Geo._ The sweet content of men that live in love Breeds fretting humours in a restless mind; And fancy, being check'd by fortune's spite, Grows too impatient in her sweet desires; Sweet to those men whom love leads on to bliss, But sour to me whose hap is still amiss. _Enter_ JENKIN. _Jen._ Marry, amen, sir. _Geo._ Sir, what do you cry "amen" at? _Jen._ Why, did not you talk of love? _Geo._ How do you know that? _Jen._ Well, though I say it that should not say it, there are few fellows in our parish so nettled with love as I have been of late. _Geo._ Sirrah, I thought no less, when the other morning you rose so early to go to your wenches. Sir, I had thought you had gone about my honest business. _Jen._ Trow, you have hit it; for, master, be it known to you, there is some good-will betwixt Madge the souce-wife[305] and I; marry, she hath another lover. _Geo._ Can'st thou brook any rivals in thy love? _Jen._ A rider! no, he is a sow-gelder and goes afoot. But Madge 'pointed to meet me in your wheat-close. _Geo._ Well, did she meet you there? _Jen._ Never make question of that. And first I saluted her with a green gown, and after fell as hard a-wooing as if the priest had been at our backs to have married us. _Geo._ What, did she grant? _Jen._ Did she grant! never make question of that. And she gave me a shirt-collar wrought over with no counterfeit stuff. _Geo._ What, was it gold? _Jen._ Nay, 'twas better than gold. _Geo._ What was it? _Jen._ Right Coventry blue. We had no sooner come there but wot you who came by? _Geo._ No: who? _Jen._ Clim the sow-gelder. _Geo._ Came he by? _Jen._ He spied Madge and I sit together: he leapt from his horse, laid his hand on his dagger, and began to swear. Now I seeing he had a dagger, and I nothing but this twig in my hand, I gave him fair words and said nothing. He comes to me, and takes me by the bosom. "You whoreson slave," said he, "hold my horse, and look he take no cold in his feet." "No, marry, shall he, sir," quoth I; "I'll lay my cloak underneath him." I took my cloak, spread it all along, and his horse on the midst of it. _Geo._ Thou clown, didst thou set his horse upon thy cloak? _Jen._ Ay, but mark how I served him. Madge and he was no sooner gone down into the ditch, but I plucked out my knife, cut four holes in my cloak, and made his horse stand on the bare ground. _Geo._ 'Twas well done. Now, sir, go and survey my fields: if you find any cattle in the corn, to pound with them. _Jen._ And if I find any in the pound, I shall turn them out. [_Exit._ _Enter the_ EARL OF KENDAL, LORD BONFIELD, SIR GILBERT ARMSTRONG, _all disguised, with a train of men._ _Ken._ Now we have put the horses in the corn, Let us stand in some corner for to hear What braving terms the Pinner will breathe When he spies our horses in the corn. [_Retires with the others._