Fair Em Part 16

WILLIAM.

Conseit hath wrought such general dislike, Through the false dealing of Mariana, That utterly I do abh.o.r.e their s.e.x.

They are all disloyal, unconstant, all unjust: Who tries as I have tried, and finds as I have found, Will say theres so such creatures on the ground.

BLANCH.

Unconstant Knight, though some deserve no trust, Theres others faithful, loving, loyal, and just.

[Enter to them Valingford with Em and the Miller, and Mountney, and Manville, and Elner.]

WILLIAM.

How now, Lord Valingford, what makes these women here?

VALINGFORD.

Here be two women, may it please your grace, That are contracted to one man, and are In strife whether shall have him to their husband.

WILLIAM.

Stand foorth, women, and say, To whether of you did he first give his faith.

EM.

To me, forsooth.

ELNER.

To me, my gratious Lord.

WILLIAM.

Speak, Manville: to whether didst thou give thy faith?

MANVILLE.

To say the troth, this maid had first my love.

ELNER.

Yes, Manville, but there was no witness by.

EM.

Thy conscience, Manville, is a hundred witnesses.

ELNER.

She hath stolen a conscience to serve her own turn; but you are deceived, yfaith, he will none of you.

MANVILLE.

In deed, dread Lord, so dear I held her love As in the same I put my whole delight; But some impediments, which at that instant hapned, Made me forsake her quite; For which I had her fathers frank consent.

WILLIAM.

What were the impediments?

MANVILLE.

Why, she could neither hear nor see.

WILLIAM.

Now she doth both. Maiden, how were you cured?

EM.

Pardon, my Lord, I'll tell your grace the troth, Be it not imputed to me as discredit.

I loved this Manville so much, that still my thought, When he was absent, did present to me The form and feature of that countenance Which I did shrine an idol in mine heart.

And never could I see a man, methought, That equaled Manville in my partial eye.

Nor was there any love between us lost, But that I held the same in high regard, Until repair of some unto our house, Of whom my Manville grew thus jealous As if he took exception I vouchsafed To hear them speak, or saw them when they came: On which I straight took order with my self, To void the scrupule of his conscience, By counterfaiting that I neither saw nor heard, Any ways to rid my hands of them.

All this I did to keep my Manvilles love, Which he unkindly seeks for to reward.

MANVILLE.

And did my Em, to keep her faith with me, Dissemble that she neither heard nor saw?

Pardon me, sweet Em, for I am only thine.

EM.

Lay off thy hands, disloyal as thou art!

Nor shalt thou have possession of my love, That canst so finely shift thy matters off.

Put case I had been blind, and could not see-- As often times such visitations falls That pleaseth G.o.d, which all things doth dispose-- Shouldest thou forsake me in regard of that?

I tell thee Manville, hadst thou been blind, Or deaf, or dumb, or else what impediments might Befall to man, Em would have loved and kept, And honoured thee: yea begged, if wealth had failed, For thy relief.

MANVILLE.

Forgive me, sweet Em.

EM.

I do forgive thee, with my heart, And will forget thee too, if case I can: But never speak to me, nor seem to know me.

MANVILLE.

Then farewell, frost! Well fare a wench that will!

Now, Elner, I am thine own, my girl.

ELNER.

Mine, Manville? thou never shalt be mine.

I so detest thy villainy, That whilest I live I will abhor thy company.

MANVILLE.

Is it come to this? Of late I had choice of twain, On either side, to have me to her husband, And now am utterly rejected of them both.

VALINGFORD.

My Lord, this gentleman, when time was, Stood some-thing in our light, And now I think it not amiss To laugh at him that sometime scorned at us.

MOUNTNEY.

Content my Lord, invent the form.

VALINGFORD.

Then thus.--

WILLIAM.

I see that women are not general evils, Blanch is fair: Methinks I see in her A modest countenance, a heavenly blush.

Zweno, receive a reconciled for, Not as thy friend, but as thy son in law, If so that thou be thus content.

ZWENO.

I joy to see your grace so tractable.