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M. Flow. And why, fir, pardon you? Give me the money, you old rafcal, or I will make you,

Luce. Pray hold your hands; give it him, honeft friend.

Flow. Sen. If you be fo content, with all my heart. [Gives the money.

M. Flow, Content, fir? 'sblood fhe fhall be content whether the will or no. A rattle-baby come to follow me! Go, get you gone to the greafy chuff your father: bring me your dowry, or never look on me. Flow. Sen. sir, the hath forfook her father, and all her friends for you.

M. Flow. Hang thee, her friends and father, all together!

Flow. Sen. Yet part with fomething to provide her lodging.

M. Flow. Yes, I mean to part with her and you ; but if I part with one angel, hang me at a poft. I'll rather throw them at a caft of dice, as I have done a thousand of their fellows.

Flow. Sen. Nay then I will be plain degenerate

boy,

Thou hadft a father would have been afham'd-
M. Flow. My father was an afs, an old ass.
Flow. Sen. Thy father? thou proud licentious vil
lain :

What are you at your foils? I'll foil with you.
Luce. Good fir, forbear him.

Flow. Sen. Did not this whining woman hang on me,
I'd teach thee what it was to abufe thy father.
Go hang, beg, ftarve, dice, game; that when all's

gone,

Thou may'ft after defpair and hang thyself.

Luce. O, do not curfe him.

Flow. Sen. I do not curse him; and to pray for him were vain :

It grieves me that he bears his father's name.

M. Flow. Well, you old rafcal, I fhall meet with

your

you*. Sirrah, get you gone; I will not ftrip the livery over your ears, because you paid for it but do not use my name, firrah, do you hear? Look you do not use my name, you were beft.

Flow. Sen. Pay me the twenty pound then that I lent you, or give me fecurity when I may have it. M. Floze. I'll pay thee not a penny, And for fecurity I'll give thee none.

Minckins, look you do not follow me; look you do not: If you do, beggar, I fhall flit your nofe.

Luce. Alas, what fhall I do?

M. Flow. Why turn whore: that's a good trade; And fo perhaps I'll fee thee now and then.

[Exit M. Flowerdale. Luce. Alas the day that ever I was born. Flow. Sen. Sweet miftrefs, do not weep; I'll ftick

to you.

Luce. Alas, my friend, I know not what to do. My father and my friends, they have defpis'd me; And I a wretched maid, thus caft away,

Know neither where to go, nor what to say.

Flow. Sen. It grieves me at the foul, to fee her tears
Thus ftain the crimfon rofes of her cheeks.
Lady, take comfort; do not mourn in vain.
I have a little living in this town,

The which I think comes to a hundred pound;
All that and more fhall be at your difpofe.
I'll ftraight go help you to fome ftrange difguife,
And place you in a fervice in this town,

Where you fhall know all, yet yourself unknown.
Come, grieve no more, where no help can be had;
Weep not for him, that is more worfe than bad *.
Luce. I thank you, fir.
[Exeunt.

1 fhall meet with you.] I fhall retaliate; I fhall be even with you. MALONE.

? Minckins-] This feems to have been intended for the diminutive of minx. PERCY.

*

that is more worse than bad.] I fuppofe he means to fay, Weep not for one whofe vices top extremity. MALONE.

Kk4

SCENE

ACT IV. SCENE I.

A room in Sir Lancelot Spurcock's house in Kent.

Enter Sir Lancelot, Sir Arthur, Oliver, Weathercock, Civet, Frances, and Delia.

Oli. Well, cha 'a bin zarved many a fluttish trick, but fuch a lerripoop as thick ych was ne'er yzarved. Sir Lanc. Son Civet, daughter Frances, bear with

me:

You fee how I'm prefs'd down with inward grief,
About that luckless girl, your sister Luce.
But 'tis fallen out

With me, as with many families befide:
They are most unhappy, that are most belov❜d.
Civ. Father, 'tis fo, 'tis even fallen out fo.
But what remedy? fet hand to your heart,
And let it pafs. Here is your daughter Frances
And I; and we'll not fay, we will bring forth
As witty children, but as pretty children.
As ever the was, though the had the prick
And praife for a pretty wench: But father,
Dun is the moute; you'll come ?

8

though he had the prick and praife for a pretty wench:} Though the was marked as a pretty girl. So in Julius Cæfar: Thefe many then fhall die; their names are prick'd."

MALONE.

-fe had the prick and praife-] This alliterative expreffion occurs in Ulpian Fullwel's Poem on Anna Bullen:

"Whofe princely praife hath pearst the pricke
"And price of endless fame."

To have the prick was to gain the prize in archery. The prick was the mark fhot at, STEEVENS.

Dun is the moufe;] This proverbial expreffion frequently occurs in our ancient dramas. So in Romeo and Juliet:

"Tut! dun's the mouse; the conftable's own word." MALONE. See Romeo and Juliet, laft edit. p. 34. STEEVENS.

Sir Lanc. Ay, fon Civet, I'll come.

Civ. And you, mafter Oliver?

Oli. Ay, for che a vext out this veaft, chil fee if a gan make a better veaft there.

Civ. And you, fir Arthur?

Sir Arth. Ay, fir, although my heart be full, I'll be a partner at your wedding feast,

Civ. And welcome all indeed, and welcome. Come Franke, are you ready?

Fran. Jefu, how hafty thefe hufbands are! I pray father, pray to God to blefs me.

Sir Lanc. God bless thee! and I do. God make thee wife!

Send

you both joy! I wish it with wet eyes.

Fran. But, father, fhall not my fifter Delia go along with us? fhe is excellent good at cookery, and fuch things.

Sir Lanc. Yes marry fhall fhe: Delia, make you ready.

Del. I am ready, fir. I will first go to Greenwich; from thence to my coufin Chesterfield's, and so to London.

Civ. It fhall fuffice, good fifter Delia, it fhall fuffice; but fail us not, good fifter: give order to cooks and others; for I would not have my fweet Franke to foil her fingers. Fran. No, by my troth, not I. A gentlewoman, and a married gentlewoman too, to be companion to cooks and kitchen-boys! Not I, i'faith; I fcorn that.

Civ. Why, I do not mean thou fhalt, sweet-heart; thou feeft I do not go about it. Well, farewel to you. God's pity, mafter Weathercock! we fhall have your company too1?

Well farewel to you.-God's pity, mafter Weathercock! we shall have your company too?] All the copies read unintelligibly-Well farewell too. You, Gods pity, mafter WeatherCock, &c. MALONE.

Weath.

Weath. With all my heart, for I love good cheer. Civ. Well, God be with you all. Come, Franke. Fran. God be with you, father; God be with you. Sir Arthur, mafter Oliver, and mafter Weathercock, fifter, God be with you all: God be with you, fa. ther; God be with you every one.

[Exeunt Civet and Frances. Weath. Why, how now, fir Arthur? all a-mort? Mafter Oliver, how now, man?

Cheerly, fir Lancelot; and merrily fay,

Who can hold that will away 3?

Sir Lane. Ay, fhe is gone indeed, poor girl, un

done;

But when they'll be felf- will'd, children must fmart.

Sir Arth. But, fir,

That the is wrong'd, you are the chiefest cause;
Therefore, 'tis reafon you redress her wrong.

Weath. Indeed you muft, fir Lancelot, you must.
Sir Lanc. Muft? who can compel me, mafter
Weathercock? I hope I may do what I list.
Weath. I grant you may; you may do what you
lift.

Oli, Nay, but an you be well avisen, it were not good, by this vrampolnefs and vrowardness, to

2

a-all a mort,-] Quite funk; quite dead. Amorti. Fr. MALONE.

See note on the Taming of a Shrew, laft edit. vol. iii. p. 495. STEEVENS.

3

Cheerly, fir Lancelot, and merrily fay,

Who can hold that will away?] Who can hold that which will be gone?-Cheerly is chearfully. "PERCY.

Nay, but an you be well avifen, it were not good by this vram. polnets, &c.] Well avifen is well adifed. Vrampolness for frampoldness, or peevithnefs. "The fweet woman (says dame Quickly, peaking of Mrs. Ford,) leads an ill life with him; a very frampold lite." MALONE.

See note on the Merry Wives of Windsor, last edit. vol i. p. 278.

STEEVENS. caft

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