BUSY. Surely, it may be otherwise, but it is subject to construction,
subject, and hath a face of offence with the weak, a great face, a
foul face; but that face may have a veil put over it, and be shadowed
as it were; it may be eaten, and in the Fair, I take it, in a booth,
the tents of the wicked: the place is not much, not very much, we may
be religious in the midst of the profane, so it be eaten with a
reformed mouth, with sobriety and humbleness; not gorged in with
gluttony or greediness, there's the fear: for, should she go there, as
taking pride in the place, or delight in the unclean dressing, to feed
the vanity of the eye, or lust of the palate, it were not well, it
were not fit, it were abominable, and not good.
LIT. Nay, I knew that afore, and told her on't; but courage, Win,
we'll be humble enough, we'll seek out the homeliest booth in the
Fair, that's certain; rather than fail, we'll eat it on the ground.
PURE. Ay, and I'll go with you myself, Win-the-fight, and my brother
Zeal-of-the-land shall go with us too, for our better consolation.
MRS. LIT. Uh, uh!
LIT. Ay, and Solomon too, Win, the more the merrier. Win, we'll leave
Rabbi Busy in a booth. [_Aside to Mrs. Littlewit._]--Solomon! my
cloak.
_Enter SOLOMON with the cloak._
SOL. Here, sir.
BUSY. In the way of comfort to the weak, I will go and eat. I will eat
exceedingly, and prophesy; there may be a good use made of it too, now
I think on't: by the public eating of swine's flesh, to profess our
hate and loathing of Judaism, whereof the brethren stand tax'd. I will
therefore eat, yea, I will eat exceedingly.
LIT. Good, i'faith, I will eat heartily too, because I will be no Jew,
I could never away with that stiff-necked generation: and truly, I
hope my little one will be like me, that cries for pig so in the
mother's belly.
BUSY. Very likely, exceeding likely, very exceeding likely.
[_Exeunt._
ACT II
SCENE I--_The Fair._
A number of Booths, Stalls, etc., set out.
_LANTHORN LEATHERHEAD, JOAN TRASH, and others, sitting by their
wares._
_Enter JUSTICE OVERDO, at a distance, in disguise._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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