Alchemists -- Drama; City and town life -- Drama; English drama (Comedy); English drama -- 17th century; London (England) -- Drama
SUB. Must you! ay, if your fortune will, you must.--
Come, sir, the captain will come to us presently:
I'll have you to my chamber of demonstrations,
Where I will shew you both the grammar and logic,
And rhetoric of quarrelling; my whole method
Drawn out in tables; and my instrument,
That hath the several scales upon't, shall make you
Able to quarrel at a straw's-breadth by moon-light.
And, lady, I'll have you look in a glass,
Some half an hour, but to clear your eye-sight,
Against you see your fortune; which is greater,
Than I may judge upon the sudden, trust me.
[EXIT, FOLLOWED BY KAST. AND DAME P.]
[RE-ENTER FACE.]
FACE. Where are you, doctor?
SUB [WITHIN]. I'll come to you presently.
FACE. I will have this same widow, now I have seen her,
On any composition.
[RE-ENTER SUBTLE.]
SUB. What do you say?
FACE. Have you disposed of them?
SUB. I have sent them up.
FACE. Subtle, in troth, I needs must have this widow.
SUB. Is that the matter?
FACE. Nay, but hear me.
SUB. Go to.
If you rebel once, Dol shall know it all:
Therefore be quiet, and obey your chance.
FACE. Nay, thou art so violent now--Do but conceive,
Thou art old, and canst not serve--
SUB. Who cannot? I?
'Slight, I will serve her with thee, for a--
FACE. Nay,
But understand: I'll give you composition.
SUB. I will not treat with thee; what! sell my fortune?
'Tis better than my birth-right. Do not murmur:
Win her, and carry her. If you grumble, Dol
Knows it directly.
FACE. Well, sir, I am silent.
Will you go help to fetch in Don in state?
[EXIT.]
SUB. I follow you, sir. We must keep Face in awe,
Or he will over-look us like a tyrant.
[RE-ENTER FACE, INTRODUCING SURLY DISGUISED AS A SPANIARD.]
Brain of a tailor! who comes here? Don John!
SUR. Senores, beso las manos a vuestras mercedes.
SUB. Would you had stoop'd a little, and kist our anos!
FACE. Peace, Subtle.
SUB. Stab me; I shall never hold, man.
He looks in that deep ruff like a head in a platter,
Serv'd in by a short cloke upon two trestles.
FACE. Or, what do you say to a collar of brawn, cut down
Beneath the souse, and wriggled with a knife?
SUB. 'Slud, he does look too fat to be a Spaniard.
FACE. Perhaps some Fleming or some Hollander got him
In d'Alva's time; count Egmont's bastard.
SUB. Don,
Your scurvy, yellow, Madrid face is welcome.
SUR. Gratia.
SUB. He speaks out of a fortification.
Pray God he have no squibs in those deep sets.
SUR. Por dios, senores, muy linda casa!
SUB. What says he?
FACE. Praises the house, I think;
I know no more but's action.
SUB. Yes, the casa,
My precious Diego, will prove fair enough
To cozen you in. Do you mark? you shall
Be cozen'd, Diego.
FACE. Cozen'd, do you see,
My worthy Donzel, cozen'd.
SUR. Entiendo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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