The Interlude of Wealth and Health

Personified qualities and scheming servants meet in this early English verse play. Wealth, Health and Liberty encounter Wyll and Wytte, who discuss flattery, falsehood and petty theft as ways to secure a place in service. The pair fear Good Remedy, an authoritative figure associated with fairness and proper punishment. When their prospective employers return, they stage a pious display and present themselves as dependable helpers. This contrast between private plans and public speeches gives the dialogue its comic tension.

The preserved spelling and rhyming speeches offer a close view of an older theatrical language. Alongside the play, this edition includes an editorial account of its printing history and the difficulties of reproducing a poorly printed original. Readers interested in moral drama can follow abstract qualities turned into speaking characters, while those studying early books will find discussion of uncertain letters, misplaced speakers' names and retained printing errors.