 | The bride |  |
Mistris Susan.
Cate.
Well said good Susan, now thou pay'st her home.
Bride.
Besse.
Bride.
Iane.
Doll.
Good Mistris Bride, now we haue hard your speach
In commendation of your Nuptiall choyse,
Giue me a little favour I beseech,
To speake vnto you with a Virgins voyce:
Though diuers elder maydes in place there be,
Yet ile begin, trusting they'le second me.
In commendation of your Nuptiall choyse,
Giue me a little favour I beseech,
To speake vnto you with a Virgins voyce:
Though diuers elder maydes in place there be,
Yet ile begin, trusting they'le second me.
We are your fellows but to Church you say,
As custome is that maydes, should bring the Bride,
And for no longer then the wedding day,
You hould with vs, but turne to tother side:
Boasting of Honour you assend vnto,
And so goe forward making much adoe.
As custome is that maydes, should bring the Bride,
And for no longer then the wedding day,
You hould with vs, but turne to tother side:
Boasting of Honour you assend vnto,
And so goe forward making much adoe.
But this vnto you Iustly I obiect,
In the defence of each beloued mayde,
Virginity, is life of chast respect,
No worldly burden thereupon is layd:
Our syngle life, all peace and quiet bringes,
And we are free from carefull earthly things.
In the defence of each beloued mayde,
Virginity, is life of chast respect,
No worldly burden thereupon is layd:
Our syngle life, all peace and quiet bringes,
And we are free from carefull earthly things.
We may doe what we please, goe where we list,
Without pray husband will you giue me leaue,
Our resolutions no man can resist,
Onr own's our owne, to giue or to receiue,
We liue not vnder this same word obay:
Till Death depart vs, at our dying day.
Without pray husband will you giue me leaue,
Our resolutions no man can resist,
We liue not vnder this same word obay:
Till Death depart vs, at our dying day.
We may delight in fashion, weare the same,
And chuse the stuffe of last devised sale:
Take Taylors counsell in it free from blame,
And cast it off assoone as it growes stale:
Goe out, come in, and at selfe pleasure liue,
And kindly take, what kind youngmen do giue.
And chuse the stuffe of last devised sale:
Take Taylors counsell in it free from blame,
And cast it off assoone as it growes stale:
Goe out, come in, and at selfe pleasure liue,
And kindly take, what kind youngmen do giue.
Wee haue no checking churlish taunts to feare vs,
We haue no grumbling at our purse expence:
We seeke no misers favour to forbeare vs,
We vse no houshold wranglings and offence:
We haue no cocke to over crowe our combe,
We haue no grumbling at our purse expence:
We seeke no misers favour to forbeare vs,
We vse no houshold wranglings and offence:
We haue no cocke to over crowe our combe,
Cate.
Well said good Susan, now thou pay'st her home.
Bride.
A little favour pray, good Mistris Sue,
You haue a time to heare aswell as speake:
You challenge more by odds then is your due,
And stand on Arguments are childish weake:
Of freedome, liberty, and all content,
But in the aire your breath is vainely spent.
You haue a time to heare aswell as speake:
You challenge more by odds then is your due,
And stand on Arguments are childish weake:
Of freedome, liberty, and all content,
But in the aire your breath is vainely spent.
It is your shame to bost you haue your will,
And that you are in feare of no controwle,
Your cases Susan, are more bad and ill,
Most dangerous to body and to soule:
A woman to her will hath oft bin try'd,
To run with errour, on the left hand side.
And that you are in feare of no controwle,
Your cases Susan, are more bad and ill,
Most dangerous to body and to soule:
A woman to her will hath oft bin try'd,
To run with errour, on the left hand side.
Pray did not danger then to Eue befall,
When she tooke liberty without her heda,
The Serpent ouercame her therwithall,
And thorow will, she wilfull was misled:
Yelding assoone as Sathan did intice,
And of her husband neuer tooke aduise.
When she tooke liberty without her heda,
The Serpent ouercame her therwithall,
And thorow will, she wilfull was misled:
Yelding assoone as Sathan did intice,
And of her husband neuer tooke aduise.
In wit to men we are inferiour far,
For arts for learning, and Ingenious things,
No rare Inuentions in our braynes there are,
That publique profit to a kingdome brings:
Tis they that must all callings execute,
And wee of all their labours reape the fruite.
For arts for learning, and Ingenious things,
No rare Inuentions in our braynes there are,
That publique profit to a kingdome brings:
Tis they that must all callings execute,
And wee of all their labours reape the fruite.
They are Diuines for soules true happines,
They Maiestraites to right offensiue wronges,
They souldiers for their martiall valiantnes,
They artizans, for all to vse belonges:
They husbandmen to worke the earths increase,
And they the some of womens ioye and peace.
They Maiestraites to right offensiue wronges,
They souldiers for their martiall valiantnes,
They artizans, for all to vse belonges:
They husbandmen to worke the earths increase,
And they the some of womens ioye and peace.
And shall not we performe obedience then?
As wee are bound by law of God and nature,
Yealding true harts affection vnto men,
Ordain'd to rule and gouerne euery creature:
Why then of all on earth that liue and moue,
We should degenerate and monsters proue.
Yealding true harts affection vnto men,
Ordain'd to rule and gouerne euery creature:
Why then of all on earth that liue and moue,
We should degenerate and monsters proue.
Besse.
Monsters (forsoth) nere sleepe in maidens beds,
But they are lodged with your married wiues,
The knotty browes, and rugged butting heds,
Concerne not vs, professing single liues,
To learne your horne-booke we haue no deuotiō
Keepe monsters to your selues, we scorne the motion.
But they are lodged with your married wiues,
The knotty browes, and rugged butting heds,
Concerne not vs, professing single liues,
To learne your horne-booke we haue no deuotiō
Keepe monsters to your selues, we scorne the motion.
Bride.
Besse, of such shapes, whē your turne coms to marry
A carefull mynd, in choyse of husband beare,
For if your browes from former smothnes varry,
Thinke on this speach, It commeth with a feare:
Which I am past, perplexe me no feare can.
Being sure I haue a constant honest man.
A carefull mynd, in choyse of husband beare,
For if your browes from former smothnes varry,
Thinke on this speach, It commeth with a feare:
Which I am past, perplexe me no feare can.
Being sure I haue a constant honest man.
Iane.
Belieue you haue, and t'is enough they say,
But you and I agree not in a mynde,
I read in storyes men will run astray,
Yet make their foolish wiues beleeue th'are kind:
And therefore since they are so cunning knowne
Ile keepe my selfe a maide and trust to none.
But you and I agree not in a mynde,
I read in storyes men will run astray,
And therefore since they are so cunning knowne
Ile keepe my selfe a maide and trust to none.
Had I one sutor swore himselfe loue-sicke,
Another for his Mistris sake would die,
A third thorow Cupids power growne lunaticke,
A fourth that languishing past hope did lye:
And so fift, sixt, and seauenth in loues passion,
My Maiden-head for them should ner'e change fashion.
Another for his Mistris sake would die,
A third thorow Cupids power growne lunaticke,
A fourth that languishing past hope did lye:
And so fift, sixt, and seauenth in loues passion,
My Maiden-head for them should ner'e change fashion.
Æneas told many a cogging tale,
To Dido that renowned worthy Queene,
And Iason with his flatterings did preuaile,
Yet falser knaues in loue were neuer seene:
And at this instant hower, as they were then,
The world aboundeth with deceitfull men.
To Dido that renowned worthy Queene,
And Iason with his flatterings did preuaile,
Yet falser knaues in loue were neuer seene:
And at this instant hower, as they were then,
The world aboundeth with deceitfull men.
Doll.
Iane, thats too true, for to you all I sweare,
How I was bobd by one tis shame to tell,
A smoother fellow neuer wench did heare,
And as I liue, I thought he lou'd me well:
Heere you shall see one of his cunning letters,
Which still I keepe, & meane to shew his betters.
How I was bobd by one tis shame to tell,
A smoother fellow neuer wench did heare,
And as I liue, I thought he lou'd me well:
Heere you shall see one of his cunning letters,
Which still I keepe, & meane to shew his betters.
In Romane hand, on guilded paper writ,
Pray Dorothy read you it to the rest,
But whether his owne head inuented it,
Or robd some printed Booke, I doe protest:
I cannot tell, but his owne name is to it,
Which proues he takes vpon him for to doe it.
But whether his owne head inuented it,
Or robd some printed Booke, I doe protest:
I cannot tell, but his owne name is to it,
Which proues he takes vpon him for to doe it.
| The bride | |