English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600
_Mom_. What paradox dost thou defend in this?
And yet through thy cleare arguments I see
Thy speach is farre exempt from flatterie;
And how illiterate custome groslie erres
Almost in all traditions she preferres.
Since then the doubt I put thee of my Neece,
Checks not thy doubtlesse love, forth my deare friend,
And to add[43] force to those impressions,
That now have caru'd her phantasie with love,
I have invited her to supper heere.
And told her thou art most extreamly sick,
Which thou shalt counterfeit with all thy skill.
_Cla_. Which is exceeding smale to conterfeit.
_Mom_. Practise a little, love will teach it thee;
And then shall _Doctor Versey_ the physitian,
Come to thee while her selfe is in my house,
Whith whom as thou confer'st of thy disease,
He bring my Neece with all the Lords, and Ladies
Within your hearing, under fain'd pretext
To shew the Pictures that hang neere thy Chamber;
Where when thou hearst my voyce, know she is there,
And therefore speake that which may stir her thoughts,
And make her flie into thy opened armes.
Ladies, whom true worth cannot move to ruth,
Trew lovers must deceive to shew their truth.
[_Exeunt_.
_Finis Actus Quarti_.
_Actvs Qvinti_.
SCENA PRIMA.
_Enter Momford, Furnifall, Tales, Kingcob, Rudesbie, Goosecap,
Foulweather, Eugenia, Hippolyta, Penelope, Winnifred_.
_Mom_. Where is sir _Gyles Goose-cappe_ here?
_Goos_. Here my Lord.
_Mom_. Come forward, Knight; t'is you that the Ladies admire at working,
a mine honour.
_Goos_. A little at once my Lorde for idlenes sake.
_Fur_. Sir _Cut_, I say, to her Captaine.
_Penel_. Come good servant let's see what you worke.
_Goos_. Why looke you, Mistris, I am makeing a fine dry sea, full of
fish, playing in the bottome, and here ile let in the water so lively,
that you shall heare it rore.
_Eug_. Not heare it, sir _Gyles_?
_Goos_. Yes in sooth, Madam, with your eyes.
_Tal_. I, Lady; for when a thing is done so exceedingly to the life, as
my Knightly cosen does it, the eye oftentimes takes so strong a heede of
it, that it cannot containe it alone, and therefore the eare seemes to
take part with it.
_Hip_. That's a verie good reason, my Lord.
_Mom_. What a jest it is, to heare how seriouslie he strives to make his
foolish kinsmans answeres wise ones?
_Pene_. What shall this be, servant?
_Goos_. This shall be a great Whale, Mistris, at all his bignesse
spouting huge Hils of salt-water afore him, like a little water squirt,
but you shall not neede to feare him Mistris, for he shal be silke, and
gould, he shall doe you noe harme, and he be nere so lively.
_Pene_. Thanke you, good servant.
_Tal_. Doe not thinke, Lady, but he had neede tell you this a forehand:
for, a mine honour, he wrought me the monster _Caucasus_ so lively, that
at the first sight I started at it.
_Mom_. The monster _Caucasus_? my Lord, _Caucasus_ is a Mountaine;
_Cacus_ you meane.
_Tal_. _Cacus_ indeede, my Lord, crie you mercie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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