Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 10 of 10Fletcher, John
General
Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 10 of 10
Fletcher, John
English drama
A board groaning under the heavy burden of the beasts that cheweth
the cudd, and the Fowl that cutteth the Air: I shall not like the
Table of a countrey Justice, besprinkled over with all manner of
cheap Sallads, sliced Beef, Giblets, and Petitoes, to fill up room,
nor should there stand any great, cumbersom, un-cut-up pies, at
the nether end fill'd with moss and stones, partly to make a shew
with and partly to keep the lower Mess from eating, nor shall my
meat come in sneaking, like the City service, one dish a quarter
of an hour after another, and gone, as if they had appointed to
meet there, and had mistook the hour, nor should it, like the new
Court service, come in in haste, as if it fain would be gone again,
all courses at once, like a hunting breakfast, but I would have
my several courses, and my dishes well fill'd, my first course
should be brought in after the antient manner, by a score of old
bleer-ey'd Serving-men, in long blew coats, (marry they shall buy
Silk, Facing, and Buttons themselves) but that's by the way.
_Boy._ Master the time calls on, will you be walking? [_Exit Boy._
_Laza._ Follow boy, follow, my guts were half an hour since in the
privy Kitchin. [_Exeunt._
_Scæna Tertia._
_Enter Count, and his Sister_ Oriana.
_Oria._ Faith brother, I must needs go yonder.
_Count._ And faith Sister what will you do yonder?
_Oria._ I know the Lady _Honoria_ will be glad to see me.
_Count._ Glad to see you? faith the Lady _Honoria_ cares for you
as she doth for all other young Ladies, she's glad to see you, and
will shew you the Privy Garden, and tell you how many Gowns the
Duchess had; Marry if you have ever an old Uncle, that would be a
Lord, or ever a kinsman that hath done a murther, or committed a
robbery, and will give good store of Money to procure his pardon,
then the Lady _Honoria_ will be glad to see you.
_Oria._ I, but they say one shall see fine sights at the Court.
_Count._ I'll tell you what you shall see, you shall see many faces
of mans making, for you shall find very few as God left them: and
you shall see many legs too; amongst the rest you shall behold one
pair, the feet of which, were in times past, sockless, but are now
through the change of time (that alters all things) very strangely
become the legs of a Knight and a Courtier; another pair you shall
see, that were heir apparent legs to a Glover, these legs hope
shortly to be honourable; when they pass by they will bow, and the
mouth to these legs, will seem to offer you some Courtship; it
[will] swear, but [it] will lye, hear it not.
_Oria._ Why, and are not these fine sights?
_Count._ Sister, in seriousness you yet are young
And fair, a fair young Maid, and apt.
_Oria._ Apt?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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