Produced by Jonathan Ingram and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net FRANCIS BEAUMONT Born 1584 Died 1616 JOHN FLETCHER Born 1579 Died 1625 _BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER_ THE WOMANS PRIZE THE ISLAND PRINCESS THE NOBLE GENTLEMAN THE CORONATION THE COXCOMB THE TEXT EDITED BY A. R. WALLER, M.A. Cambridge: at the University Press 1910 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS London: FETTER LANE, E.C. C. F. CLAY, MANAGER Edinburgh: 100, PRINCES STREET Berlin: A. ASHER AND CO. Leipzig: F. A. BROCKHAUS New York: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Bombay and Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD. _All rights reserved_ CONTENTS PAGE The Womans Prize 1 The Island Princess 91 The Noble Gentleman 171 The Coronation 240 The Coxcomb 308 THE WOMANS PRIZE, OR THE TAMER TAM'D. A Comedy. The Persons represented in the Play. Moroso, _an old rich doting Citizen, suitor to_ Livia. Sophocles, } _Two Gentlemen, friends_ Tranio, } _to_ Petruchio. Petruchio, _An_ Italian _Gent. Husband to_ Maria. Rowland, _A young Gent. in love with_ Livia. Petronius, _Father to_ Maria _and_ Livia. Jaques, } _Two witty servants to_ Pedro, } Petruchio. Doctor. Apothecarie. Watchmen. Porters. WOMEN. Maria, _A chaste witty Lady,_ } _The two masculine daughters_ Livia, _Mistriss to_ Rowland. } _of_ Petronius. Biancha, _Their Cosin, and Commander in chief._ City Wives, } _To the relief of the Ladies, of which,_ Countrey Wives, } _two were drunk._ Maids. The Scene London. PROLOGUE. _Ladies to you, in whose defence and right,_ Fletchers _brave Muse prepar'd her self to fight A battel without blood, 'twas well fought too, (The victory's yours, though got with much ado.) We do present this_ Comedy, _in which A rivulet of pure wit flows, strong and rich In Fancy, Language, and all parts that may Add Grace and Ornament to a merry Play. Which this may prove. Yet not to go too far In promises from this our Female War. We do intreat the angry men would not Expect the mazes of a subtle plot, Set Speeches, high Expressions, and what's worse, In a true_ Comedy, _politick discourse. The end we aim at, is to make you sport; Yet neither gall the City, nor the Court. Hear, and observe his Comique strain, and when Y' are sick-of melancholy, see't agen. 'Tis no dear Physick since 'twill quit the cost: Or his intentions with our pains, are lost._ _Actus Primus. Scaena Prima._ _Enter_ Moroso, Sophocles, _and_ Tranio, _with Rosemary, as from a wedding._ _Mo._ God give 'em joy. _Tra._ Amen.