University of Virginia Library

Actus tertia,

Scena prima.

Enter Mistres Virginia, with Pamphila her maid.
Pamphila.
Mistresse I may, and will once more goe seek him if you please:
Although I feare his answere wil returne you little ease.
What though he loou'd you first? you see his sute falles to the ground,
And by this small pursute, thinkes you are as good lost as found.
Hee stoopeth to Victoriaes lure, but she hath cast him of,
Hee bowes, and creepes to her, she turnes his labour too a scoffe.

Virginia.
How canst thou tell?

Pamphila.
Euen yesterday I heard it of her maid:

Virginia.
If it bee so, then is hee iustly plagued from aboue,
And feeles that hell of minde, which all forsakē Ghostes doo prooue
Yet can I not beleeue it Pamphila, before I see,
And gather by his answere, that he hath forsaken mee.
Therefore goe seeke him out againe.

Ent. Fedele.
Pamphil
Mistresse it shall not neede,
Loe where he walkes as sad as though his heart within did bleede.

Virginia.
Steppe to him straighte.

Pamphila
Master Fedele, if you knew as well
To loue: and her that loues you, to releeue,
As you are skilfull in deceite to dwell.
And to torment whome you should neuer greeue.
Happie were she that beares you in her breste,
Happie were you of such a pearle posseste.

Fedele
What meaneth this?

Pamphila.
Talke with my mistresse Sir, and you shall knowe,

Fedele.
Then to thy mistresse Pamphila, I goe.
Mistresse Virginia, what's the cause I pray,
That you did sende of late to seeke me out?
If you haue any thing to me to say,
Speake, that I may resolue you of the doubt.

Pamphila.
Fedele, now beholde thy crueltie,
Her voyce is stopt, and doth for sorowe die.

Virginia.
I neuer thought Fedele to haue founde,
Your shewe of faith in promises forgot:
Your lyking dead, and buried in the grounde,
My selfe cast off as though you knew me not.
To loue in ieste and turne it to a scorne,
Is not the nature of a Gentle borne.

Fedele.
Mistresse, I loue you as I did before,
As dearely as the dearest friend you haue,
Or as a brother, would you any more?
Commande of me what curtesie may craue.
If Fancies lurking poyson you remoue,
And be not shipt in Seaes of raging loue.
Whose great companions are discorde and wrath,
Flattery, Deceit, Treason and Crueltie:
Heuinesse of minde, greef, penurie, and scathe:
Unrest, suspicion, feare, and Ielousie,
Consuming hunger, and an endlesse thirste,
A iuing death, life dying with the firste.

Virginia.
Ah Pamphila, I finde thy wordes are true,
The more in liking I did thinke him bound:
The looser he, and hunteth after newe,
His talke was nothing but an empty sound.
Those vertues nowe, I see he doth despise:
That once did painte my picture in his eyes.
If Iustice Pallace stande aboue the skyes,
And angrie gods doe looke into our life:
Some plague no doubt, for him they will deuise,
And scourge him with some storme of bitter strife.
Although he vaunt of conquest here a while,
T'is not praise worthy a woman to beguile.
Come Pamphila I'le learne to set him light,
That so dissembles with a double tongue,
Helpe to conueighe me streight out of his sight,
Whose wandring choyse hath done me double wrong.
Farewell Sir, as we met, we meane to parte.

Pamphila.
This greeting answeres vnto his desert.

Exeunt Verg. & Pam.
Fedele.
So quickly gone? farewell, all women for Victoriaes sake,
And on them all for her, reuenge I meane to take.
Busie they are with pen to write our vices in our face,
But negligent to knowe the blemish of their owne disgrace.
Gestures and lookes in readinesse, at their command they haue,
Mirth, sorrowe, feare, hope, and what other passion you can craue.
Hence riseth euery cloude in loue, this breedeth all the strife,
Snares to our feete, deuouring cankers, these are vnto life.

Seena secunda.

Enter Pedante with the robe on his arme.
Pedante.
Ridetur chorda qui semper aberrat eadem.
I cannot abide Sir, to harpe still vpon one string,
It is too Cuckolike they say, one song continually to sing.
It were good for you to learne quickly in what cleefe you should take your part,
And be speedely reuenged on her that strikes such a dagger to your heart.
Oh they are full of deceit, cogging, flattery, foisting, twitle-twatle, and I know not what,
This Genus demonstratiuam, is such a bottomlesse sea, you will neuer haue done if you enter into that.
The dispraise of women is so great, that without doubt,
All the tongues in the world are not able to set it out.
T'is one of my precepts, to be short and sharpe in word and bloe,
When they anger you, bid the deuill take them all, and make no more adoe.

Fedele.
Waste thou so neare Pedante?

Pedante.
I heard you well ynough.
I thinke I must bring you to Copia rerū againe for chāge of stuffe,
Leaue these exclamations, and crying out vpon women now,
If you looke well to your selfe, the faulte is in you.
You would needes loue, though in your last lecture among your sententiæ, similitudines and dicendi flores.
I made you write this in your paper booke, Littore quot conchæ, tot sunt in amore dolores.

Fedele.
Thou didst in deede Pedante, and I haue not it forgot,

Pedante.
Now you finde it by proofe, I beleeue you will not.
But let this matter passe, and tell me Sir, how with Fortunio you speede,
Did you touch him so neere that his heart did bleede?

Fedele.
Oh no, for in Victoria he hath such confidence,
That he excuseth her, and now mistrusteth my pretence.

pedante.
What remedy then?

Fedele,
I knowe not, for he saith, except that I can plainly proue,
That other men besides him selfe Victoria doeth loue.
He was, and is, and will be hers, so long as he doth liue,

pedante.
Accidit in puncto, quod non contingit in anno, very good coūsell for this I can giue.
Doe you see this braue robe?

Fedele.
I doe, very well,

pedante.
But why I haue brought it, you cannot tell,

Fedele.
No trust me.

pedante.
Did not I tel you that for your sake I begā to curry fauour with Victoriaes mayde?

Fedele.
In deede Pedante, I remember such a thing you saide.

pedante.
She tooke order this very day with mee,
Put on the Robe.
That disguised on this maner, as by and by you shall see.
Euen thus Sir beholde, I should come this night,
Disguised that no man might know me by sight.
And begge an almes at the doore, she would let me in straighte,
And make me a posset for my labour, that so well can waight.
We shall be as merry as cup and can, when I am once there,

Fedele.
What's this to me?

Pedante.
Tush take you no care:
Look that some pretty corner, by you may be espied,
Where you and Fortunio your selues may hide.
Be both of you heer about the mid'st of the night,
That when I come out, both of you of me may haue a sight.
I at departure wil bid Victoria farwell,
Commend my entertainment, and say it dooth excell.
This will make him to think as soon as I am gone,
That Victoria loueth not him alone.

Fedele.
O excellent.

Pedante.
See what an olde Fox these rotten raggs shrowds,
I can play the knaue and conuay it in the clowdes.
But heare you Sir?

Fedele.
What saist thou?

Pedante.
Hould fast Master Fortunio, til I be out of his reach,
Least he cut me in peeces when he heares me preach.

Fedele.
Fear not, be suer he shall not stirre before I see thee gon,
Farwel, and thankes to finish this, I wil to him anon.

Exit.
Pedante.
Adiew Sir, If Appollo the very brother of Diana and Iupiters sonne,
For the loue of a Lady that was hard to be wun.
Thought it no shame in a Shepheards weed,
Him selfe to debase, the sooner to speed.
Should I that am not worthy to beare out Apollos chamberpot, think any scorne,
That these rascolly ragges by me should be worne.
So long as I doo it my sute for to moue:
And further my Master with my slauering loue.
Quod exemplo fit, iure fieri putant, Tully dooth say,
Whose authoritie is a priuiledge to follow this way.
Therfore god Appollo whose example I take,
Uouchsafe to stay the course of thy Charriot a while for my sake.
Suffer not thy horses to hasten the day,
But prolong ye night, as when Iupiter thy father with Alcmena lay.
Peraduenture I may get a young Hercules as wel as he,
But for very sinne and shame too, so it should be.
If I speed wel this day, I will shut vp my schoole door euery yeer,
It shall be festiuall to my Schollers, to make good cheere.
They shall play if they will, from morning to night,
During that time, they shall not be cōstrained to come in my sight.
This will be cake and pudding to them that are truantly,
And care not how little they take for their mony.
A begging Pedante, I a begging I goe,
Beg at Virginiaes gate.
Tic, toc, fate vna limosina, á vn pouerino.

Pamphila comes to the doore.
Pamphila.
What bolde begger haue we at the gate,
Art thou not ashamed to goe a begging so late?

Pedante.
No good mistresse, it is no shame at all,
But the greatest honour that vnto a man may fall.
For an Almes is a gift, and a gifte is a token of reuerence I trow,
And reuerence is, when our superiours we know.
Thus I being presented of all men with almes as you see,
Reuerenced of all men of force I must bee.

Pamphila.
For reasoning so deepely, no Almes shall you haue,
Because I will not honour such a beggerly knaue.

Exit.
Pedante.
Farewell and be hangde, there I was ouer-reacht with a crookte measure,
Witte bought at this rate is an excellent treasure.
Beginnings are harde, this prouerbe is olde,
Therefore at some other bodies doore I meane to be bolde.
Tic, toc, fate limosina: popoli mei benedetti,
Beg at Victoriaes gate.
Che iddio v' aiuterá, nelle vostre tribulationi.
Tic, toc, chi la diua ouer la fara dire,
Di buona morte non potrà morire.

Enter Crackstone out of Victoriaes house.
Crack-st
What sturdy knaue haue we heer in the streete,
To begge at this time of the night? Sirra t'is not meete.
Packe hence Sirra I aduise you, least I giue you a sowce,
Or take thee by the heeles and throw thee ouer the howse.

Pedante.
Good maister beate not the poore, when they make their mone,
T'is not long since your courrage was as colde as a stone.

Crack-st.
What sawcy knaue, me thinkes he doeth prate,
Doest thou know to whome thou speakest, or at whose gate?

Pedante.
No good maister, be good to me, I beseeche you, for I haue done,
I were best to be quiet till he be gone.

Crack-st.
We haue many good startoppes made heer in the cittie,
For publishing these vargery knaues that goe vp and down idlely
See how he is scapte, and shrinketh aside,
My lookes are to bigge for him too abide.
T'is a wonder to see how they crouch where soeuer I come,
If I stande they stoupe, if I speake they are dumbe.
Mistresse Victarrogantie hath sent for me,
Her Chaplen against Fedele to be.
If I kill him for her sake, and put him to shame,
She hath promiste me her loue, to rewarde the same.

Pedante.
Oh, Traditora.

Crack-st.
How am I bound to Mars, yt when my stomack so swelles yt I am driuen to lay out my heart in my hose,
He sowes vp my gorget with the slaughter of my foes.
I'le goe put on my Horslittor, & the rest of mine Armor straight,
And here about her house for him I will waight.
Euery night she saith, he comes sneaking heer by,
But if he come now, I will handle him trimly.

Exit.
Pedante.
Goe goodman Goose, prouide you, & arme you as well as you can,
Lay about you, and play the proper man.
In tempore veni, I came hether in the nicke,
My master shall speedely heare of this tricke.
Yet will I goe foreward with my businesse as I decreede,
And trye how well of my purpose I am like to speede.
Tic toc, vna limosina al poueretto,
Date Signora per l'amour di Dio.

Attilia.
Who is there?

pedante.
Your charitie good mistresse,

Attilia.
Enter and take it,

pedante.
God rewarde you good mistresse, I will not forsake it.

Exit.
The third Act being doone, the Consort sounds a sollemne Dump.