University of Virginia Library

Scena. II.

Enter Quartfield and Salewit drest like two Trumpeters, keeping the doore Mr s Seathrift and Mr s Holland with a Prentice before 'em as commers in.
Quart.
Bear back there.

Sale.
Pray you doe not presse so hard.

Quart.
Make roome for the two Gentlewomen.

Mrs Seath.
What ist?

Sal.
Twelve pence a peece.

Ms Holl.
We will not give't.

Q.
Make roome
For them that will then.

Plotw.
O fortune here's his Mother.

Br.
And who's the other?

Plotw.
One Ms Holland, the
Great seamstresse on th'Exchange.

Ms Holl.
We gave but a groat
To see the last fish.

Quart.
Gentlewoman, that
Was but an Irish Sturgeon.

Salew.
This came from
The Indies, and eats five Crownes a day in frye,
Oxe livers, and browne past.

Ms Seath.
Well there's three shillings,
Pray let us have good places now.

Quartf.
Beare back there.

Ms Holl.
Look Ms Seathrift here be Gentlemen.
Sure tis a rare Fish.

Ms Seath.
J know one of 'em,

Ms Holl.
And so doe I, his sister was my prentice.
Ms Seath, Lets take acquaintance with him.

Plotw.
Ms Seathrift.
Hath the sight drawne you hither?

Ms Seath.
Yes Sir I
And Mr s Holland here, my Gossip, past
This way and so cald in. Pray, Mr Plotwell,
Is not my sonne here? I was told he went
With you this morning.

Plotw.
You shall see him straight.

Ms Holl.
When will the Fish begin, Sir?

Br.
Heart she makes him
A puppet play.

Plotw.
Why now they only stay
For company, 't has sounded twice.

Ms Seath.
Indeed
I long to see this fish; J wonder whither
They will cut up his belly, they say a Tench
Will make him whole againe.

Ms Holl.
Look Ms Seathrift,
What clawes he has.

Ms Seath.
For all the world like Crabs.

Ms Holl.
Nay marke his feet too.

Ms Seath.
For all the world like Plaice.

Br.
Was ever better sport heard?

New.
Prythe peace.

Ms Holl.
Pray can you read that? Sir, I warrant you,
That tells where it was caught, and what fish tis.

Plotw.
Within this place is to be seene,
A wondrous Fish. God save the Queene.

Ms Holl.
Amen, she is my customer, And I
Have sold her bonelace often.

Br.
Why the Queene?
Tis writ the King.

Plotw.
That was to make the rime.

Br.
Slid thou didst read it as 'twere some picture of
An Elzabeth fish.

Quartf.
Bear back there.

Salew.
Make room, you
Friend that were going to cut a purse there, make
Way for the two old Gentlemen to passe.

Enter Ware-house & Seathrift disguis'd.
Wareh.
What must we give?

Quartf.
We take a shilling Sir.

Salew.
It is no lesse.

Seath.
Pray God your fish be worth it.
What is't a whale you take so deare?

Quart.
It is
A fish taken in the Indies.

Wareh.
Pray dispatch then,
And showt, us quickly.

Salew.
Pray forbeare, you'd have
Your head broke Cobler.

Wareh.
Yonder is my Nephew
In his old Gallantry.

Seath.
Who's there too? my wife?
And Ms Holland? Nay I lookt for them.
But where's my wise sonne?

Ware-h.
Masse I see not him.

Quartf.
Keep out Sir.

Salew.
Waterman you must not enter.

Cypher presses in like a waterman.
Quartf.
This is no place for scullers.

Cyph.
I must needs
Speak with one Mr Plotwell.

Quart.
You must stay.

Salew.
Thrust him out.

Cyph.
And one Mr Seathrift
They thrust him out.
On urgent businesse.

Salew.
They are yet imployd
In waightier affaires, make fast the doore.

Quartf.
There shall no more come in: come in boy.

Seat.
Dont
They speak as if my sonne were in the roome?

Ware-h.
Yes, pray observe & marke em.

Quartf.
Gentlemē,
And Gentlewomen, you now shall see a sight,
Drawes a Curtain behind it Timothy a sleepe like a strange fish.
Europe nere show'd the like; behold this fish.

Ms Holl.
O strange looke how it sleeps.

Br.
Iust like a Salmō
Upon a stall in fishstreet.

Ms Seath.
How it snorts too,
Just like my husband.

Ware-h.
Tis very like a man.

Seath.
'Thas such a nose and eyes.

Salew.
Why tis a Man fish;
An Ocean Centaure, begot between a Syren
And a he stockfish.

Seath.
Pray where tooke ye him?

Quartf.
We tooke him strangely in the Indies, neere
The mouth of Rio de la plata, a sleepe
Upon the shore just as you see him now.

Ms Holl.
How say y', a sleepe.

Ware-h.
How? would he come to land?

Seath.
Tis strange a fish should leave his Element.

Quartf.
Aske him what things the Coūtry told us.

Sal.
You
Will scarce believe it now. This fish would walke you
Two or three mile oth'shore sometimes; break houses,
Ravish a naked wench or two, (for there
Women goe naked) then runne to Sea againe.

Quartf.
The Country has bin laid, and warrants granted
To apprehend him.

Ware-h.
I doe suspect these fellowes,
They lye as if they had patent for't.

Seath.
The company
Should every one believe his part, would scarce
Have faith enough among us.

Ware-h.
Marke againe.

Salew.
The States of Holland would have bought him of us
Out of a great designe.

Seath.
Indeed?

Salew.
They offer'd
A thousand dollars.

Quart.
You cannot enter yet.

Some knock,
Ware.
Indeed? so much? pray what to doe?

Salew.
Why Sr,
They were in hope in time to make this fish
Of faction 'gainst the Spaniard, and doe service
Vnto the state.

Seath.
As how?

Salew.
Why, Sr, next plate-fleet
To dive, bore holes i'th bottome of their ships,
And sinke em; you must think a fish like this
May be taught Machiavel, and made a state-fish;

Plotw.
As dogs are taught to fetch.

New.
Or Elephants
To dance on ropes.

Br.
And pray what Honour would
The States have given him for the service?

Quartf.
That,
Sir, is uncertaine.

Salew.
Ha made him some sea Count;
Or't may be Admirall.

Plotw.
Then, sir, in time,
Dutch Authors that writ Mare Liberum,
Might dedicate their books to him?

Salew.
Yes being
A fish advanc't, and of great place. Sing boy.
You now shall heare a song upon him.

Br.
Listen

New.
Doe they not act it rarely?

Plotw.
If 'twere their trade
They could not doe it better.

Seath.
Heare you that sir?

Ware-h.
Still I suspect.

Ms Holl.
I warrant you this fish
Will shortly be in a Ballad.

Salew.
Begin boy

Song.
Ms Holl.
The song has wakned him, look, he stirres.

Tim.
Oh,
Captaine—pox—take—you—Captaine.

Ms Sea.
Hark he speaks.

Tim.
Oh-my—stomack.—

Wa.
How's this?

Se.
Ile pawn my life
This is imposture.

Tim.
Oh—Oh—

Plot.
Heart the Captaine
Did not give him his full load.

Wareh.
Can your fish
Speak friends? the proverb saies th'are mute

Qu.
Ile tell you
You will admire how docile he is, and how
Hee'l imitate a man; tell him your name
He will repeat it after you; he has heard me
Calld Captaine and my fellow curse sometimes,
And now you heard him say pox take you Captaine.

Salew.
And yesterday I but complaind my stomack
Was over chargd, & how he minds it?

New.
strange?

Br.
J is it not?

Plotw.
The towardnesse of a fish.

Salew.
Would you think when we caught him he should speak
Drake, Drake.

Br.
And did he?

Qu.
Yes and Hawkins;
A signe he was a fish that swum there, when
These two compast the world.

New.
How should he learne
Their names J wonder.

Salw.
From the saylers.

New.
That may be.

Qu.
He'l call for drink like me, or any thing
He lacks.

Tim.
O-God-my-head.—

Qu.
D'you heare him?

T.
Oh,
Hostesse—a—bason—

Plotw.
slid he'l spew.

Br.
No matter.

Quart.
Nay J have seene him foxt, and then maintaine
A drunken Dialogue.

Ms Holl.
Lord how J long
To heare a litle. Pray try him with some questions,
Will you, my friend?

Quartf.
Sometimes he will be sullen,
And make no answers.

Salew.
That is when he's angred,
Or kept from drinke long.

Quart.
But Ile try him:

Ms Sea.
Lord
To see what Creatures may be brought to.

Quart.
Tim,
You are drunke.

Tim.
Plague take you Captaine—Oh—
You—made—me—

Sea.
S'death my sonnes name.

Tim.
D' you call him?

Sal.
He'l answer to no name but that.

Q.
And Tim,
What thinke you of a wench now?

Tim.
Oh Ime sicke
Where is she, Oh.

Seath.
Ile lay my life this fish
Is some confederate Rogue.

Quart.
I drinke t'you, Timothy,
In sack.

Tim.
Oh Oh.

Quart.
A health, Tim.

Tim.
I can drink
No more, Oh.

Salew.
What not pledge your Mistresse?

Tim.
Oh,
Let me alone.

Salew.
He is not in the mood now.
Sometimes you'd wonder at him.

Quartf.
He is tired
With talking all this day. That and the heat
Of company about him, dull him.

Ware-h.
Surely,
My friends, it is to me a miracle
To heare Fish speak thus.

Quartf.
So, Sir, 't has been
To thousands more.

Salew.
Come now next Michaelmas,
Tis five yeares we have showne him in most Courts
In Christendome, and you will not believe
How with meere travelling and observation,
He has improv'd himselfe, and brought away
The language of the Country.

Seath.
May not I
Aske him some questions?

Quartf.
Sir, you may, but he
Will answer none but one of us.

Ms Sea.
He's used,
Knocking at doore.
And knowes their voices.

Salew.
He is so Ms. Now
We'l open doore.

Wareh.
Well my beliefe doth tell me
There is a mist before our eyes.

Seath.
I mar'le
My wise sonne mist this show.

Quart.
Good people, we
Doe show no more to day; if you desire
They draw the Curtaine before him.
To see, come to us in Kings-street to morrow.

Ms Holl.
Come Gossip let us goe, the Fish is done.

Ms Seath.
By your leave Gentlemen. Truly tis a dainty fish.

Exit Ms Seath. Ms Holland and Prentice.