 | The Soddered Citizen |  |
Scæna Quinta
Enter Brainsick, Clutch, & Shackle disguis'dBrain:
See, see still in his dumps, nowe for a Scæne of mirth,
Vnder:
Oh my malitious fate,? more torture yett?
Wee come not to torment thee, man of sadnes,
But to invite thee, to a safe repose,
Vnder:
Whence? and what are you?
Brain:
I a Milfordian,
Clutch.
I a Savoyan,
Shackle
I a Ramallyan,
Brain:
Wee are three selected, & sent, to give thee Document, & Comfort,
from those famous Nurseryes, of the Cittie.,
Vnder:
I conceiue you gent', but howe prove you those priviledge
Places, the Nurseryes of the Cittie?
Clutch
Give eare and be edified to thine advantage,
Brain:
When any Cittizen, of what Ranke, qualitie soeu', by the inevitable
selfe will, of his owne knavery, or by the Casualtie of good nature,
Too much faith, becomes Bankerupt, beinge prosecuted, by the—
greedie pursuite, of his insatiate Creditors, hee retyres (whether
wee nowe invite thee) to our impregnable stronge houlds—
Mylford Lane, Ramalley, and the like, there the massie weight
of his burthened Conscience, beinge boy'd vpp, by good Drinke,
and better Company, hee rests secure, till the mallice,
of his adversaries, bee over?,
Nay, there hee's taught such manners too, that Hee's content, to
staye theire owne Leysure, till hee partes with his money;
[Brain:]
[Nowe this vnfortunate fainte soule; beinge cherisht, & tenderly nurst]
[vpp, in time learnes, the com̄endable impudence, to bidd defyance, vnto]
[those, where hee stands most engag'd, soe they Compt him, more desperate]
[then theire debt, and are, content, to accept, even what hee is pleas'd to—]
[give them, by theis meanes, this lost man (in the opinion of all, but his]
[Tutors, (his ffellowe Collegiats) after many tedious merryments, yssueth out]
[Conqueror over his Adversaries & misfortunes, begins the world—]
[anewe, setts vpp wt h a faire stocke, buyes all with his money, not soe—]
[much that none will trust him, but that hee's full of readie Cashe,]
[And in tyme, comes to bee a Cittizen, of worshipfull quallitie?]
[Vnder:]
[In troth Gentl. theis are good healpes to a decayed Merchant,, & the way easie.]
[Clutch.]
[True, and yett there are some soe wittily dull that they will breake—]
[yee, some halfe a dozen tymes, ere they 'byde by'te,]
[Vnder:]
[Ther's noe losse in that (as I conceiue) and truely gent', your—]
[Priviledge Places, are to be had in high esteeme, for the notable]
[healpes, [it] thy afforde your vnfortunate Citizens,]
[Brain:]
[Nay Sr., for more remarkeable Causes then theis, the Cittie]
[stands deeper engag'd to vs, then wee to Cittizens;]
[Shackle]
[Pray Sr. marke]
[Clutch]
[If any younge gentl. of ample birthright, whose ill tempor'd youth,]
[and straight hand of Parents, make but inclynable to be lavishe,]
[wee haue Ladds shall roare him to the squees, and such an Euiam—]
[as shall rayse him to a greedy Covett of his owne ruine, that done,]
[This Instrument of mischiefe, though hee seemes to goe lamely to—]
[worke, shall soone linke him, in eu'lastinge Bonds, even almost—]
[Brain:]
[to all such, as haue large Consciences.,]
[Clutch.]
[And that's not to a fewe you knowe, by yor. owne measure.,]
[Brain:]
[By theis meanes, ther's not a Com̄oditie, brayded, past sale, or vse,]
[Clutch]
[But yeilds profitt, even Tenn fould,]
[Vnder:]
[But howe are theis debts recovered.?]
[Brain:]
[Haue patience,]
[When they growe due, though the nature of the debt, may well afford—]
[fforty yeares forbearance, with ample profitt, the greedie Creditor,—]
[would bee seiseinge my younge Gent', though hee ruines him, and—]
[becomes himselfe a Looser,? but wee of the famous Nurseryes, receiue—]
[Quallities, to Drinke, and bee ingenious, by theis meanes, escapinge the]
[blemish of a Prison, hee appeares lonely before his ould Parent, whoe in—]
[tyme dyes, with age, & ioy, and my younge Master becomes estated,]
[Clutch.]
[There is noe small reioyceinge att the death of the ould man.]
[Brain:]
[Nowe for his owne ends, & advantage, what Creditor is soe hastie haveinge staid—]
[soe longe, but giues a pawsinge time, whilst, the nowe staid younge, man sensible]
[of his Incumberaunces, whereas otherwise hee might haue matcht in his owne]
[ranke, wooes in the Cittie (whence arrise much money, though little manners)]
[the ffather as liquorrishe of the estate, as the daughter of his ≼son, soone]
[Conclude, and thus wee add to this ingratefull, Towne, blood, honor. & estate,]
Vnder:
But gent', is not the clamorous noyse of yor. Adversaries, hiddeous in your Eares?
Clutch.
Nott a Iott, Ball they never soe loude, thou wilt heare at first ≼haps a kinde of
rumblinge noyse, but after one Weeke by the instinct of the place thou wilt be
as deafe as an Adder, besides, such Visitants become soe ridiculous to the
[OMITTED] Inhabitants, that thereof sensible, in their owne defence, least they forfeite
[OMITTED] their discretion, aswell as their debts, they forbeare a Course [Demaund money]
[OMITTED] demaund money in Mylford Lane Why wherefore came wee thither, to pay debts.
[OMITTED] Troth Gent', this is probable,
Should you doubt it, t'is but eateinge eu'y morninge, halfe a dozen
Cloaves of Garlicke, with a reasonable quantitie of grose pepper,
and then (as if griefe provoakt you to it) fetchinge a Vollye of
deepe sighes, Pheu, in their faces, thus; youle make them all such
savours that theyle scarce treate againe, and for theire assaulte
'tis frivellous, for wee are as impregnable as Mylford Haven in
Wales, which had from our fforte his denominacōn,
Shackle.
And S
r. all the Cocoulds in the Cittie [and subburbs] hould affiance wt
h
Ram̄e Alley,
And then I hope, the rest are but a weake number to contest with vs?
Vnder:
Gent' you misinterprett mee, I doubt not the securitie of either, but
my ambition is ... libertie, I would gladly walke att freedome,
Brain:
Is there noe Courtier that hath endear'd him t'ye, by proffer of his
lavishe Kinsman to match with your then hopefull daughter, or Neece,
that has saluted yee out on's Coach with a gratious bowe, whilst the
Postilian has checkt the horses to shewe their pride, & his Masters
humanytie, whoe has the whilst call'd you familierly by both your
names, invited you to Court, & there lookt not very scurvily on yee, [ffor]
Clutch:
ffor tis enough that hee graces you in the Cittie, you must not expect, hee will
vtterly disparage himselfe, att Courte; [Whoe has moreou' visited you att]
Brain:
Whoe has moreou' visited you att
yo
r. howse in ≼son, & by theis meanes made himselfe not onely in Complement,
but really, yours deepely indebted,
Vnder:
Yes too many god healpe mee,
Brain:
They are all desperate debts, Courtiers (vnlesse it be after longe, very
longe consideracōn) seldome pay those whoe will imploy it well, much
lesse such as are Bankerupts and will runne out of all they haue, they
care not howe, they hould it noe charitie, nor discretion, & indeed 'twere
neither; send them all generall Releases, in Liewe whereof, if they gett
yee protected, they deale nobly with you, & you, royally with your
Creditors.,
Vnder:
But gent'? howe walke, you thus confidently into y
e Cittie, are you. protected?
All. 3.
Heere are our Protections[,]
(They produce. 3. Shooemakers Kniues.
Brain:
This was made of the grissle of a Romaine Nose, steele to the hard backe,
Vnder:
Howe manage you those weapons?
Brain:
The Punnyards death, the Cittie Clubbs p
rvaile, against ye. Princely swo«rd»,
But theis are yett vnconquer'd,
Vnder:
I pray disriddle,
Where can the audatious Seriant lay his hand but I can reach it, and
with a touch, it dropps, a bleedinge sacrifice for his presumpcōn,
Vnder:
And then yee runne for't?
Brain:
Noe, walke on softly, that others may fall in the same trapp,, & the more
the more honourable our exployte, for in the Close, wee not only arrive
att home our selues in safety, but foreu' p
rvent the[se] [Roagues] [varletts,] from
Comittinge the like Villany, not leaveinge them a hand, to lifte [to heaven],
[to call] for mercie, for followinge soe [lewd] [dam'd] [base] a vocation.,
Vnder:
Suppose they [Rogues] catch with their teeth by the Coller?
Brain:
They [doggs] haue villanous houlders but I knowe by the waight of a
Sergeant thus, to a haires breadth, howe much I must allowe to the
neate rippinge of him vpp, downe falls his panch, then I runne for't,
Nowe if hee followes but a stepp, & breaks a gutt, hee [dyes damd] [falls lost]
without greate mercie, & I'me sure a Cittie Iury can finde it no«e»
otherwise, then Fello de se;
Vnder:
I cannott blame you gent' to be thus bitter for I begyn to finde, ther's[OMITTED]
a greate Antipothie in nature, betweene a Seriant, & a broaken [OMITTED]
Cittizen, but you were best keepe this as a choyce secrett, lest they [OMITTED]
studdie p
rvencōn; you haue beene Cittizens as I conceive, I pray [OMITTED]
«prof»essions,?
S
r my name is Brayde,
Vnder:
Good mr Brayde,
Shack:
I was a Haberdasher of small ware, of very small sufficiencie
in the best of my doeings, and my wife not satisfied with
what god sent, tooke lewde Courses,
Vnder:
And that made you a Ramallian?
Shack:
Y'are i'the right Sr.,
Brain:
I was a Paper Smith.
Vnder:
A Paper Smith?
Brain:
A Scrivener Sr, I forg'd all that came vnder my hand,
Vnder:
Your Conceite is struck at a heate, tis not yett well pollisht.,
Brain:
S
r. my name's Birdlyme, I liu'd att the signe of the Lubbers
head in the Stocks; wher I had my crest [aduanc'd, mine armes] blasond, [mine] [2 bleeding] ears parted d̄ pale
Clutch·
S
r, I am a gent', and a Scholler, I [[illeg.]] read the Parodox Lecture
in the famous Nurseryes;
Vnder:
As howe I pray S
r?
Clutch.
My last Readeinge boare this tenent, that all those, of our seu'all
ffamylies, our Kindred, wittnesses. att the ffont, welwishers, & the
like, whoe are resolu'd dye vs any thinge when they dye,,
are im̄ortall, & this wee verily beliue, till wee finde good cause to y
e. contrary:;
Vnder:
Gent' heer's to witnes my mortalitie & to intimate I am yor welwisher
A Purse
Though my Creditor s haue protested mee Banckrupt I shall not proue soe
—But I hope as you are ingenious, you are close, & firme,
Brain:
As Æsopps faggott ere the band was looson'd,
Howe could wee ells subsist?
Vnder:
Troth Gent' you haue reviu'd, & wone mee to yor partie,
If my Creditor s by the power of their Comissioners, whoe are
To meete heere to night, dispose mee not otherwise,
I will liue, & dye, amongst you.,
(exit
Brain:
Thou shalt bee more welcome to vs, then full pay vnto thy Creditor s,
Though my Creditors haue protested mee Banckrupt, I shall not proue soe.,
(They [disguise] [Pull of their disguises]
Didst marke that!
Clutch.
Yes & this too; I tould you before this tryall was needles;
Ther's alwaies treason at soe greate a Cracke,
Brain:
Well I am made foreu', I will goe marrie his daughter ere
I drinke, and I can hardly forbeare that a minute,
(exeunt
| The Soddered Citizen | |