صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

To buy his will, it would not seem too dear,
Howe'er repented after.

[blocks in formation]

The bottom of your purpose.

Hel. You see it lawful then. It is no more, But that your daughter, ere she seems as won, Desires this ring; appoints him an encounter; In fine, delivers me to fill the time,

Herself most chastely absent; after this,
To marry her, I'll add three thousand crowns
To what is past already.

Wid.
I have yielded :
Instruct my daughter how she shall persever,
That time and place, with this deceit so lawful,
May prove coherent. Every night he comes
With musics of all sorts, and songs compos'd
To her unworthiness. It nothing steads us
To chide him from our eaves; for he persists
As if his life lay on 't.

Hel.

Let us assay our plot;

Why then, to-night which if it speed

Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed,

And lawful meaning in a lawful act ;

Where both not sin, and yet a sinful fact:
But let's about it.

[Exeunt.

[graphic]

Second Lord. He has sat in the stocks all night, poor gallant knave.-Act IV. Sc. 3.

ACT IV.

SCENE I-Without the Florentine Camp.

Enter First Lord, with five or six Soldiers in ambush.

First Lord. He can come no other way but by this hedgecorner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not yourselves, no matter: for we must not seem to understand him; unless some one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter.

First Sold. Good captain, let me be the interpreter.

First Lord. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

First Sold. No, sir, I warrant you.

First Lord. But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again?

First Sold. Even such as you speak to me.

First Lord. He must think us some band of strangers i' the

adversary's entertainment. Now he hath a smack of all neighbouring languages; therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we speak one to another; so we seem to know, is to know straight our purpose: chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch, ho! here he comes; to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges.

Enter PAROLLES.

Par. Ten o'clock; within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. They begin to smoke me; and disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door. I find, my tongue is too foolhardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.

First Lord. This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of.

[Aside,

Par. What should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts and say I got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will not carry it: they will say, came you off with so little? and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? what's the instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy another of Bajazet's mule,1 if you prattle me into these perils.

First Lord. Is it possible, he should know what he is, and be that he is?

[Aside.

Par. I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn; or the breaking of my Spanish sword.

First Lord. We cannot afford you so.

[Aside.

Par. Or the baring of my beard; and to say, it was in stratagem.

E

First Lord. "Twould not do.

[Aside.

Par. Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped.

First Lord. Hardly serve.

[Aside.

Par. Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel

[blocks in formation]

First Lord. Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.

[Aside.

Par. I would, I had any drum of the enemy's; I would swear, I recovered it.

First Lord. You shall hear one anon.

[Aside.

Par. A drum now of the enemy's!

[Alarum within.

First Lord. Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
All. Cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.
Par. O! ransom, ransom !-Do not hide mine eyes.

[They seize him and blindfold him.

First Sold. Boskos thromuldo boskos.
Par. I know you are the Muskos' regiment.
And I shall lose my life for want of language:
If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,
Italian, or French, let him speak to me,

I will discover that which shall undo

[blocks in formation]

I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue :-
Kerelybonto:-Sir,

Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards
Are at thy bosom.

[blocks in formation]

First Sold.

Manka revania dulche.

First Lord.

O, pray, pray, pray!—

Oscorbi dulchos volivorca.

First Sold. The general is content to spare thee yet;
And hoodwink'd as thou art, will lead thee on

To gather from thee: haply, thou may'st inform
Something to save thy life.

Par.

O, let me live! And all the secrets of our camp I'll shew,

Their force, their purposes: nay, I'll speak that

Which you will wonder at.

First Sold.

Par. If I do not, 'kill' me.
First Sold.

But wilt thou faithfully?

Acordo linta.

Come on; thou art granted space.

[Exit, with PAROLLES guarded.

First Lord. Go, tell the Count Rousillon, and my brother, We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled Till we do hear from them.

Second Sold.

Captain, I will.

First Lord. He will betray us all unto ourselves ;

[blocks in formation]

First Lord. Till then, I'll keep him dark and safely lock'd.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II-Florence. A Room in the Widow's House.

Enter BERTRAM and DIANA.

Ber. They told me that your name was Fontibell.
Dia. No, my good lord, Diana.

Ber.
Titled goddess;
And worth it, with addition! But, fair soul,
In your fine frame hath love no quality?
If the quick fire of youth light not your mind,

« السابقةمتابعة »