English drama -- 17th century; English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
_Mist. T._ Simply, 'tis better than thou deservest.
Never whimper for the matter. Thou shouldst have
looked before thou hadst leapt. Thou wert afire to be
a lady, and now your ladyship and you may both blow
at the coal, for aught I know. Self do, self have. The
hasty person never wants woe, they say. 129
_Ge._ Nay, then, mother, you should ha' looked to it.
A body would think you were the older; I did but my
kind, I. He was a knight, and I was fit to be a lady.
'Tis not lack of liking, but lack of living, that severs us.
And you talk like yourself and a cittiner in this, i'faith.
You show what husband you come on, I wis. You
smell the Touchstone--he that will do more for his
daughter, that he has married [to] a scurvy gold-end man[106]
and his prentice, than he will for his t'other daughter,
that has wedded a knight and his customer. By this
light, I think he is not my legitimate father. 140
_Si._ O, good madam, do not take up your mother so!
_Mist. T._ Nay, nay, let her e'en alone. Let her ladyship
grieve me still, with her bitter taunts and terms. I
have not dole enough to see her in this miserable case,
I--without her velvet gowns, without ribands, without
jewels, without French-wires, or cheat-bread,[107] or quails,
or a little dog, or a gentleman-usher, or anything, indeed,
that's fit for a lady----
_Si._ Except her tongue. 149
_Mist. T._ And I not able to relieve her, neither, being
kept so short by my husband. Well, God knows my
heart; I did little think that ever she should have had
need of her sister Golding.
_Ge._ Why, mother, I ha' not yet. Alas! good mother,
be not intoxicate for me; I am well enough; I would
not change husbands with my sister, I. The[108] leg of a
lark is better than the body of a kite.
_Mist. T._ I know that: but----
_Ge._ What, sweet mother, what?
_Mist. T._ It's but ill food when nothing's left but the
claw. 161
_Ge._ That's true, mother. Ay me!
_Mist. T._ Nay, sweet lady-bird,[109] sigh not. Child,
madam--why do you weep thus? Be of good cheer; I
shall die if you cry, and mar your complexion thus.
_Ge._ Alas, mother, what should I do?
_Mist. T._ Go to thy sister's, child; she'll be proud thy
ladyship will come under her roof. She'll win thy
father to release thy knight, and redeem thy gowns, and
thy coach and thy horses, and set thee up again. 170
_Ge._ But will she get him to set my knight up too?
_Mist. T._ That she will, or anything else thou'lt ask
her.
_Ge._ I will begin to love her if I thought she would do
this.
_Mist. T._ Try her, good chuck,[110] I warrant thee.
_Ge._ Dost thou think she'll do't?
_Si._ Ay, madam, and be glad you will receive it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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