A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 07
General
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 07
English drama
BREMO. Fight for me or die? Or fight, or else thou diest?
AMADINE. Hold, Bremo, hold!
BREMO. Away, I say; thou troublest me.
AMADINE. You promised me to make me your queen.
BREMO. I did; I mean no less.
AMADINE. You promised that I should have my will.
BREMO. I did; I mean no less.
AMADINE. Then save this hermit's life; for he may save us both.
BREMO. At thy request I'll spare him,
But never any after him. Say, hermit,
What canst thou do?
MUCEDORUS. I'll wait on thee; sometime upon thy queen.
Such service shalt thou shortly have as Bremo never had.
[_Exeunt.
Enter_ SEGASTO, _the_ CLOWN, _and_ RUMBELO.
SEGASTO. Come, sirs; what, shall I never have you
Find out Amadine and the shepherd.
CLOWN. And I have been through the woods, and through the woods,
And could see nothing but an emmet.
RUMBELO. Why, I see a thousand emmets; thou meanest a little one?
CLOWN. Nay, that emmet that I saw was bigger than thou art.
RUMBELO. Bigger than I? what a fool have you to your man? I pray you,
master, turn him away.
SEGASTO. But dost thou hear, was he not a man?
CLOWN. I think he was, for he said he did lead a salt-seller's life
about the woods.
SEGASTO. Thou wouldest say, a solitary life about the woods?
CLOWN. I think it was so indeed.
RUMBELO. I thought what a fool thou art.
CLOWN. Thou art a wise man; why, he did nothing but sleep since he went.
SEGASTO. But tell me, Mouse, how did he go?
CLOWN. In a white gown, and a white hat on his head, and a staff
in his hand.
SEGASTO. I thought so; it was a hermit that walked a solitary life
in the woods. Well, get you to dinner; and after never leave seeking,
till you bring some news of them, or I'll hang you both.
[_Exit_.
CLOWN. How now, Rumbelo, what shall we do now?
RUMBELO. Faith, I'll home to dinner, and afterward to sleep.
CLOWN. Why, then thou wilt be hanged.
RUMBELO. Faith, I care not; for I know I shall never find them.
Well, I'll once more abroad, and if I cannot find them, I'll never
come home again.
CLOWN. I tell thee what, Rumbelo; thou shalt go in at one end of the
wood, and I at the other, and we will meet both together in the midst.
RUMBELO. Content; let's away to dinner.
[_Exeunt.
Enter_ MUCEDORUS _solus_.
MUCEDORUS. Unknown to any here within these woods,
With bloody Bremo do I lead my life.
The monster he doth murther all he meets;
He spareth none, and none doth him escape.
Who would continue--who, but only I--
In such a cruel cutthroat's company?
Yet Amadine is there; how can I choose?
Ah, silly soul! how oftentimes she sits
And sighs, and calls, _Come, shepherd, come;
Sweet Mucedorus, come and set me free_,
When Mucedorus present stands her by!
But here she comes.
_Enter_ AMADINE.
What news, fair lady, as you walk these woods?
AMADINE. Ah, hermit! none but bad, and such
As thou knowest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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