imself with a wonderful account of his latest roguery--the robbing of a
till--for the ears of his audience. Contemplation and Perseverance,
stout enough of limb when they have a mind to use force, listen quietly
to the end and then calmly inform him that he is their prisoner, a fact
which no amount of blustering defiance can alter. Nevertheless, though
he has thus openly confessed his own guilt, they have no wish to proceed
to extremes. If only he will give up his wicked life they will be
content, made happy by the knowledge of his salvation. It is a strange
sort of conversion, Freewill's tongue running constantly, with an
obvious relish, on the various punishments he has endured; but at length
he capitulates, accepting Perseverance as his future guide, and donning
the uniform of virtuous service.

Huff, huff, huff! who sent after me?
I am Imagination, full of jollity.
Lord, that my heart is light!
When shall I perish? I trow, never.

In such a manner does the bolder sinner leap to the front. He scans the
little group in search of his friend and stares wonderingly on
perceiving him in his new dress. Now begins a second tussle for the
winning of a soul. The fashion of it can be inferred from the following
fragment.

_Perseverance._ Imagination, think what God did for thee;
On Good Friday He hanged on a tree,
And spent all His precious blood;
A spear did rive His heart asunder,
The gates He brake up with a clap of thunder,
And Adam and Eve there delivered He.

_Imagination._ What devil! what is that to me?
By God's fast, I was ten year in Newgate,
And many more fellows with me sat,
Yet he never came there to help me ne my company.

_Contemplation._ Yes, he holp thee, or thou haddest not been here now.

_Imagination._ By the mass, I cannot show you,
For he and I never drank together,
Yet I know many an ale stake[46].

In the end, mainly through the personal appeal of his friend,
Imagination too yields and accepts the guidance of Perseverance,
Freewill transferring his allegiance to Contemplation. As Hick Scorner
never returns, the double conversion brings the play to a close.

Rising from the perusal of _Hick Scorner_ we confess that we have made a
new acquaintance: we have met Imagination and have not left him until we
have learnt a good deal about him; how he fled from a catchpole but lost
his purs