English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600
3 _D. W_. Your owne Cuntry breedes ye hansom, maintaines ye brave,
But with a stubborne hand the husbands awe ye:
You speake but what they please, looke where they point ye,
And though ye have some libertie 'tis lymitted.
4 _D. W_. Which cursse you must shake of. To live is nothing;
To live admird and lookd at,--poore deservings
But to live soe, so free you may commaund, Lady,
Compell, and there raigne Soveraigne.
1 _D. W_. Do you thinck there's any thing
Our husbands labour for, and not for our ends?
Are we shut out of Counsailes, privacies,
And onely lymitted our household busines?
No, certaine, Lady; we pertake with all,
Or our good men pertake no rest. Why this man
Works theis or theis waies, with or against the State,
We know and give allowaunces.
_2 D. W_. Why such a Gentleman,
Thus hansom and thus yong, commaunds such a quarter;
Where theis faire Ladies lye; why the _Grave's_ angry
And Mounseiur _Barnavelt_ now discontent,--
Do you thinck it's fitt we should be ignorant?
_2 D. W_. Or why there's sprung up now a new devotion?
Good Gentlewoman, no. Do you see this fellow?
He is a Scholler and a parlous Scholler,
Or whether he be a Scholler or no 'tis not a doy't matter:
He's a fine talker and a zealous talker;
We can make him thinck what we list, say what we list,
Print what we list and whom we list abuse in't.
_Eng.-gentw_. And a Teacher do you say?
_2 D. W_. A singuler teacher,
For so we hold such here.
_Eng.-gentw_. Doe they use no modestie
Upon my life, some of theis new _Arminians_,
Theis hissing tosts!
_Hold_. An ignorant strange woman,
Whose faith is onely tride by a Coach and foure horses.
_3 D. W_. Come, you must be as we are and the rest of your Countrywomen;
You doe not know the sweet on't.
_Eng.-gentw_. Indeed, nor will not;
Our Cuntry brings us up to faire Obedience
To know our husbands for our Governours,
So to obey and serve 'em: two heads make monsters;
Nor Dare we thinck of what is don above us,
Nor talk of _Graves_.
_Hold_. The _Grave_ shall smart for 't shortly;
Goe you and tell him soe, gooddy _English woman_:
You have long tayles and long tongues, but we shall clip 'em.
_Enter Vandermitten_.[155]
_I D. W_. How now? what haste?
_Vand_. The Prince is drawing up to us
And has disarmd all the strong Townes about us
Of our new Soldiers; the _English_ now stand only
And the old Companies.
_Eng.-gentw_. Now your wisdomes, Ladies,
Your learning also, Sir, your learned prating--
You that dare prick your eares up at great Princes
And doble charge your tongue with new opinions,--
What can you doe? or can theis holly woemen
That you have arm'd against obedience
And made contempners of the fooles their husbands,
Examiners of State,--can they doe any thing?
Can they defy the Prince?
_Hold_. They shall defie him,
And to his face: why doe not ye raise the Burgers
And draw up the new Companies?
_Enter Leidenberge_?[156]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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