English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600; Heywood, Thomas, approximately 1574-1641
2nd Luce.
Fear not me; I have as good a face in a mask as any lady in the land
could wish to have. But to my heart,--he comes, or he comes not--now
am I in a pitiful perplexity, until I see the event of all.
Wise-woman.
No more Jack now, but Mistress Luce.
2nd Luce.
I warrant you, mistress.--That it happens so luckily, that my name
should be Luce too, to make the marriage more firm!
_Enter_ Young Chartley _disguised, and in a visard_.
Young Chartley.
My honey-sweet hag, where’s Luce?
Wise-woman.
Here, sweetheart, but disguised and veiled, as you are visarded.
Young Chartley.
But what’s the reason we are thus hoodwinked?
Wise-woman.
No discovery of yourselves for a million! There’s Sir Boniface
within--shall he blab who you are? besides, there’s a young heir
that hath stolen a lord’s daughter from the Court, and would not
have their faces seen for a world. Cannot you be content to fare
well, and keep your own counsel? And see, yonder they come.
_Enter, severally_, Boyster _visarded and_ Luce _masked_.
Young Chartley.
Gramercy, my sugar-candy sweet Trot!
Wise-woman.
Mum, no more words.
Young Chartley.
If the great heir and the young lady be so dainty of their
complexions, they shall see, my sweet Luce, we can visard it with
the best of them.
Luce. [_Looking at_ Boyster.]
That gentleman, by the wise-woman’s description, should be Master
Chartley.
Boyster.
That gallant wench, if my grannam fable not, should be Luce; but
what be those other?
Wise-woman.
You wrong me but to ask. Who but a young heir, and a lady of the
Court? That’s Luce; take her, and keep your promise.
Boyster.
_Pocas palabras_.[4.31]
Wise-woman.
That’s Chartley; take him, Luce.
Luce.
But who be they?
Wise-woman.
A lord and lady. Shall Sir Boniface stay?
Rather than so, strive who should lead the way.
[_Exeunt_ Chartley _with 2nd_ Luce, Boyster _with_ Luce.
Wise-woman.
Now, Jack my boy, keep thine own counsel and countenance, and I
shall cry quittance with my young gallant. Well, by this time Sir
Boniface is at his book. But because there is a mistake, known only
to my boy and myself, the marriage shall be no sooner ended but
I’ll disturb them by some sudden outcry, and that too before they
have leisure to unmask, and make known themselves one to another;
for, if the deceit were known, I should fall into the danger of that
young mad rascal. And now this double apprehension of the lord and
the lady shall fetch me off from all. I know it is Sir Boniface’s
custom to make short work, and hath dispatched by this. And now,
wise-woman, try if thou canst bestir thyself like to a
mad-woman.--Shift for yourselves! Warrants and pursuivants! Away!
warrants and pursuivants! shift for yourselves!
_Re-enter, as affrighted and amazed_, Young Chartley, Boyster,
Sir Boniface, Luce, _and 2nd_ Luce.
Young Chartley.
I’ll take this way.
Boyster.
I this.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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