English drama (Comedy); English drama -- 17th century
_Don._ She ought to bestir her, as you say, indeed. Wuh, daughter!
daughter! Prue! Hippolita! come away, child, why do you stay so long?
[_Calls at the door._
_Re-enter_ HIPPOLITA, PRUE, _and_ Mrs. CAUTION.
_Hip._ Your servant, master; indeed I am ashamed you have stayed for me.
_Ger._ O, good madam, 'tis my duty; I know you came as soon as you
could.
_Hip._ I knew my father was with you, therefore I did not make
altogether so much haste as I might; but if you had been alone, nothing
should have kept me from you. I would not have been so rude as to have
made you stay a minute for me, I warrant you.
_Don._ Come, fiddle faddle, what a deal of ceremony there is betwixt
your dancing-master and you, _cuerno!_--
_Hip._ Lord, sir! I hope you'll allow me to show my respect to my
master, for I have a great respect for my master.
_Ger._ And I am very proud of my scholar, and am a very great honourer
of my scholar.
_Don._ Come, come, friend, about your business, and honour the
king.--[_To_ Mrs. CAUTION.] Your dancing-masters and barbers are
such finical, smooth-tongued, tattling fellows; and if you set 'em
once a-talking, they'll ne'er a-done, no more than when you set
'em a-fiddling: indeed, all that deal with fiddles are given to
impertinency.
_Mrs. Caut._ Well, well, this is an impertinent fellow, without being a
dancing-master. He is no more a dancing-master than I am a maid.
_Don._ What! will you still be wiser than I? _voto!_--Come, come, about
with my daughter, man.
_Prue._ So he would, I warrant you, if your worship would let him alone.
_Don._ How now, Mrs. Nimblechaps!
_Ger._ Well, though I have got a little canting at the dancing-school
since I was here, yet I do all so bunglingly, he'll discover me.
[_Aside to_ HIPPOLITA.
_Hip._ [_Aside._] Try.--[_Aloud._] Come take my hand, master.
_Mrs. Caut._ Look you, brother, the impudent harlotry gives him her
hand.
_Don._ Can he dance with her without holding her by the hand?
_Hip._ Here, take my hand, master.
_Ger._ I wish it were for good and all. [_Aside to her._
_Hip._ You dancing-masters are always so hasty, so nimble.
_Don. Voto á St. Jago!_ not that I see; about with her, man.
_Ger._ Indeed, sir, I cannot about with her as I would do, unless you
will please to go out a little, sir; for I see she is bashful still
before you, sir.
_Don._ Hey, hey, more fooling yet! come, come, about, about with her.
_Hip._ Nay, indeed, father, I am ashamed, and cannot help it.
_Don._ But you shall help it, for I will not stir. Move her, I
say.--Begin, hussy, move when he'll have you.
_Prue._ I cannot but laugh at that, ha! ha! ha! [_Aside._
_Ger._ [_Apart to_ HIPPOLITA.] Come, then, madam, since it must be so,
let us try; but I shall discover all.--One, two, and coupee.
_Mrs. Caut._ Nay, d'ye see how he squeezes her hand, brother! O the
lewd villain!
_Don._ Come, move, I say, and mind her not.
_Ger._ One, two, three, four, and turn round.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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