30 Wine, Beere, 



spruce hot-spurre fiery gallants meeting ith streets, iustled for the 

 wall, drew, would ha been fighting: there steps mee forth a correcter 

 of soles, an vnderlaid cobler, and cries out. Hold, hold your hands 

 Gentlemen, are you so simple to fight for the wall? why the wall's my 

 Landlords. Haue you but so much wit as to apply this, you shall 

 neuer neede fence for the matter. Superioritie is mine, Ale is the 

 prince of liquors, and you are both my subiects. 



Both. Wee thy Subiects? 230 



Wine. O base Ale. 



Beere. O muddy Ale. 



Ale. Leaue your railing, and attend my reasons, I claime your 

 duties to mee, for many prerogatiues: my antiquitie, my riches,' my 

 learning, my strength, my grauitie. 



Wine. Antiquitie? your first reason's a very small one. 



Ale. Dare any of you denie my antiquitie? I say. 



Wine. We must beare with him, tis in his Ale. 



Ale. It onely pleades for mee: who hath not heard of the old Ale 

 of England? 240 



Beere. Old Ale; oh there tisgrowne to a Prouerbe, lones Ale's new. 



Ale. These are trifles, and conuince me not. 



Wine. If wee should grant your argument, you would gaine little 

 by't, goe together, I doe allow you both a couple of stale companions. 



Beere. Wine, you're very harsh. 



Ale. Let him, my second prerogatiue is my riches and possessions; 

 for who knowes not how many howses I haue? Wine and Beere are 

 faine to take vp a corner, your ambition goes no further then a Celler, 

 where the whole house where I am is mine, goes onely by my name; is 

 cald an Alehouse; but when is either heard, the Wine-house, or the 

 Beere-house? you cannot passe a streete, wherein I haue not houses 

 of mine owne, besides many that goe by other mens names. 252 



Beere. I confesse you haue here and there an Alehouse, but whose 

 are aU the rest? hath not Beere as much title to them? 



Wine. And yet I haue not heard that either of you both haue 

 fin'd for Aldermen though I confesse something has bin attempted 

 out of nicke and froth. Be rul'd by me, Beere and Ale, & aspire no 

 heigher then the Common-Councell-houses. Oh impudence, that 

 either of you should talke of houses, when sometimes you are both 



