A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Ii Part 58

Mild in behaviour and loth to fall out, You may run, you may ride and rove round about, With wealth at your will and all thing at ease, Free, frank and l.u.s.ty: easy to please.

But when you be clogged and tied by the toe, So fast that you shall not have pow'r to let go, You will tell me another lesson soon after.

And cry _peccavi_ too, except your luck be the better.

Then farewell good fellowship! then come at a call!

Then wait at an inch, you idle knaves all: Then sparing and pinching, and nothing of gift: No talk with our master, but all for his thrift!

Solemn and sour, and angry as a wasp, All things must be kept under lock and hasp; All[386] that which will make me to fare full ill.

All your care shall be to hamper poor Will.

WIT.

I warrant thee, for that take thou no thought, Thou shalt be made of, whosoever be set at nought: As dear to me, as mine own dear brother, Whosoever be one, thou shalt be another.

WILL.

Yea, but your wife will play the shrew; perde, it is she that I fear.

WIT.

The message will cause her some favour to bear, For my sake and thy sake, and for her own likewise, If thou use thyself discreetly in this enterprise.

WILL.

She hath a father, a testy, sour old man: I doubt lest he and I shall fall out now and then.

WIT.

Give him fair words, forbear him for his age; Thou must consider him to be ancient and sage.

Shew thyself officious and serviceable still, And then shall Reason make very much of Will.

WILL.

If your wife be ever complaining, how then?

WIT.

My wife will have nothing to do with my men.

WILL.

If she do, believe her not in any wise.

And when you once perceive her stomach to arise, Then cut her short at the first, and you shall see A marvellous virtue in that medicine to be.

Give her not the bridle for a year or twain, And you shall see her bridle it without a rein, Break her betimes, and bring her under by force, Or else the grey mare will be the better horse.

WIT.

If thou have done, begone, and spend no time in vain.

WILL.

Where shall I find you, when I come again?

WIT.

At home.

WILL.

Good, enough, take your ease: let me alone with this.

[_Exit Wit_.

Surely a treasure of all treasures it is To serve such a master, as I hope him to be, And to have such a servant as he hath of me; For I am quick, nimble, proper and nice; He is full good, gentle, sober and wise.

He is full both to chide or to check, And I am as willing to serve at a beck, He orders me well, and speaks me so fair, That for his sake no travail I must spare.

But now am I come to the gate of this lady, I will pause a while to frame mine errant finely.

And lo, where she cometh; yet will I not come nigh her; But among these fellows will I stand to eye her.

ACT II., SCAENA 2.

REASON, EXPERIENCE, SCIENCE, _and_ WILL.

SCIENCE.

My parents, ye know, how many fall and lapse,[387]

That do ascribe to me the cause of their mishaps?

How many seek, that come too short of their desire: How many do attempt, that daily do retire.

How many rove about the mark on every side: How many think to hit, when they are much too wide: How many run too far, how many light too low: How few to good effect their travail do bestow!

And how all these impute their losses unto me: Should I have joy to think of marriage now, trow ye?

What saith[388] the world? my love alone, say they, Is bought so dear, that life and goods for it must pay Strong youth must spend itself, and yet, when all is done, We hear of few or none, that have this lady won.

On me they make outcries, and charge me with the blood Of those, that for my sake adventure life and good.

This grief doth wound my heart so, that suitors more as yet I see no cause nor reason why I should admit.

REASON.

Ah, daughter, say not so; there is great cause and skill, For which you should mislike to live unmarried thus alone, What comfort can you have remaining thus unknown?

How shall the commonwealth by you advanced be, If you abide inclosed here, where no man may you see?

It is not for your state yourself to take the pain: All strangers shall resort to you to entertain.

To suffer free access of all that come and go: To be at each man's call: to travel to and fro.

What then, since G.o.d hath plac'd such treasure in your breast, Wherewith so many thousand think by you to be refresh'd, Needs must you have some one of high and secret trust, By whom these things may be well-order'd and discuss'd.

To him you must disclose the depth of all your thought; By him, as time shall serve, all matters must be wrought: To him alone you must content yourself to be at call; Ye must be his, he must be yours, he must be all in all.

EXPERIENCE.

My lord, your father tells you truth, perde, And that in time yourself shall find and try.

SCIENCE.

I could allege more than as yet I have said, But I must yield, and you must be obey'd.

Fall out, as it will: there is no help, I see; Some one or other in time must marry me.

WILL.

In time? nay, out of hand, madam, if it please you; In faith, I know a younker that will ease you, A lively young gentleman, as fresh as any flower, That will not stick to marry you within this hour.

SCIENCE.

Such haste might haply turn to waste to some; But I pray thee, my pretty boy, whence art thou come?

WILL.

If it please your good ladyship to accept me so, I have a solemn message to tell, ere I go; Not anything in secret your honour to stain, But in the presence and hearing of you twain.

REASON.

Speak.

WILL.

The lady of this world, which lady Nature hight, Hath one a peerless son, in whom she taketh delight, On him she chargeth men to be attendant still, Both kin[389] to her: his name is Wit, my name is Will.

The n.o.ble child doth feel the force of Cupid's flame, And seeketh[390] now for ease, by counsel of his dame.