Representative English Comedies, v. 1. From the beginnings to Shakespeare
General
Representative English Comedies, v. 1. From the beginnings to Shakespeare
English drama (Comedy)
Here to receyve all sewters of eche degre;
And suche as to the may seme moste metely,
We wyll thou brynge them before our majeste, 170
And for the rest, that be not so worthy,
Make thou reporte to us effectually,
So that we may heare eche maner sewte at large.
Thus se thow departe and loke uppon thy charge!
_Mery-reporte._ Now, good my lorde god, our lady be wyth ye! 175
Frendes, a fellyshyppe,[113] let me go by ye!
Thynke ye I may stande thrustyng amonge you there?
Nay, by god, I muste thruste aboute other gere!
MERY-REPORTE _goeth out_.
_At thende[114] of this staf[115] the god hath a song played in his
trone or_ MERY-REPORTE _come in_.
_Jupiter._ Now, syns we have thus farre set forth our purpose,
A whyle we woll wythdraw our godly presens, 180
To embold all such more playnely to dysclose,
As here wyll attende, in our foresayd pretens.
And now, accordynge to your obedyens, A iv _b_
Rejoyce ye in us with joy most joyfully,
And we our-selfe shall joy in our owne glory! 185
[JUPITER _here closes the curtains of his throne_.]
MERY-REPORTE _cometh in_.
_Mery-reporte._ Now, syrs, take hede! for here cometh goddes servaunt!
Avaunt! carte[r]ly keytyfs,[116] avaunt!
Why, ye dronken horesons, wyll yt not be?
By your fayth, have ye nother cap nor kne?
Not one of you that wyll make curtsy 190
To me, that am squyre for goddes precyous body?
Regarde ye nothynge myne authoryte?
No welcome home! nor where have ye be?
How be yt, yf ye axyd, I coulde not well tell,
But suer I thynke a thousande myle from hell, 195
And on my fayth, I thinke, in my consciens,
I have been from hevyn as farre as heven is hens,
At Lovyn,[117] at London and in Lombardy,
At Baldock,[118] at Barfolde,[119] and in Barbary,
At Canturbery, at Coventre, at Colchester, 200
At Wansworth and Welbecke,[120] at Westchester,
At Fullam, at Faleborne, and at Fenlow,
At Wallyngford, at Wakefeld, and at Waltamstow,
At Tawnton, at Typtre[121] and at Totnam,[122]
At Glouceter, at Gylford and at Gotham, 205
At Hartforde, at Harwyche, at Harowe on the hyll,
At Sudbery,[123] Suth hampton, at Shoters Hyll,[124]
At Walsingham, at Wyttam[125] and at Werwycke,
At Boston, at Brystow[126] and at Berwycke,
At Gravelyn,[127] at Gravesend, and at Glastynbery, 210
Ynge Gyngiang Jayberd the paryshe of Butsbery.[128]
The devyll hym-selfe, wythout more leasure,
Could not have gone halfe thus myche, I am sure!
But, now I have warned[129] them, let them even chose;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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