so Lady Lucre they win

[Deniz Olunmalı]

For Lucre men come from Italy, Barbary, Turkey,
From Jewry: nay, the pagan himself Endangers his body to gape forth her pelf [stolen goods].
They forsake mother, prince, country, religion, kiff and kin,
Nay, men care not what they forsake, so Lady Lucre they win.

Robert Wilson, The Three Ladies of London,

What do the emphasized phrase and the "nay"s mean here?

 

[Skrej]

The first instance of 'nay is a rather archaic way of saying "here's an even better example". The second instance is an archaic way of saying 'no'.

As for the emphasized phrase, it means that people don't care what other things they may have to do or give up, as long as they make money.

Lucre is another word for money or profit. Sometimes you'll see things like money or luck personified as a female as a literary device.

Edit:I believe that 'kiff' is an antiquated spelling of 'kith'. Not sure if this is just an aspect of spelling from the days of Elizabethan English (text is from the 1580's) or Wilson was Welsh (which uses a double f to represent a 'th' sound), or just an error.

 

[Tdol]

We mostly talk in the UK about filthy lucre nowadays rather than Lady Lucre.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

We mostly talk in the UK about filthy lucre nowadays rather than Lady Lucre.

In the US, too. We never use lucre without filthy in front of it.

I don't think it's used much these days.