 | The Launching of the Mary |  |
Scena 4a:
Enter doro: Constance alone./. in a petticote & wastcoate. wth her worke in her hand/.How suddenly doth fortune like the Moone
encrease, & wayne, make rich and indigent?
the want of meanes, and paucitie of freindes
makes me vnhappy aboue other women:
well, though the earth be stepdame to my state,
yet heauen's my Countrye, & my Constant hope.
Iniurious fortune, ha'ste thou none to make
a laughinge stocke to the obstreperous world
but honest women? doste thou throw me downe,
to make me throw my selfe as low as hell?
doste make me poore, to make me prodigall
& lavish of mine honour? doe thy worst
pestiferous stepdame. I, a silly woman,
doe dare thee to thy face [?]: thou Canste not hurt
a spotles soule: a soule as free from synne
as synne is farre from goodnes. here's the thinge
shewes her worke./
that shall supply my wants, & keepe the bed
of holy wedlocke still im̄aculate./
worke, worke poore dorotea: worke to liue
& liue to worke: preserue thy honest name
honest endeavours [neuer suffer] are devoyd of shame
Sitts. to worke.
Enter Trun̄ell, Tarre, Tallow: Okum & Sheathinge nayle:
Trū:
Not vext quotha? I tell thee Takalmouth Tallow I am
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Tallow:
doe not Chafe so much good neighbour Trun̄ell./
Trun̄:
Not Chafe? I will Chafe in despight of any man,
& I will be in a manner mad wth Chafinge: Shall
a man studdy a whole monthe to make but poore
20. lynes, & then be Crost in the rehersall of them,?
yf yt weare not for—
Okū.
for a fooles head, you would—
Trun̄:
what would I? I would Com̄aund thee drye Okum
to licke awaye this stinkinge Tallow./
102
Neighbours, let's take a little Okum, and Cawke vp
his mouth: or [[illeg.]] one mischeife or other will befall us,
by sufferinge his trunell hole so open as yt ys:
Trun̄:
Cawke vp my mouth? what my mouth yee Stygian furies?
O how I hate my selfe that ere I Copte
wth such a rustie Crew: I tell thee Tallow
Ile not be Cawkt: I need no Okums helpe,
nor shall this Trun̄ell euer touch your Tarre,
nor need I helpe of Symon Sheathinge nayle.
Ile be my selfe hereafter, but Matt Mawle
There's none shall touch me: no not one at all./
Shea:
I am as sharpe sett as the best of you: & Care as
little as he that Cares lest: but I tell you the best
Consort in London, had better breake Company then wee:
Tarre.
Why I saye so too: I knowe my neighbour Trunnell
is a prime man amongst us, and enters as well into
his worke as any whatsoeuer: nay and speakes well, wth
Com̄aes, middle distinctions, and full stopps./
Trū:
And Cannott you then giue me a little waye to be
furious in a iust Cause?
As pitch doth boyle in kettle ore the fire
so boyles my brest wth Choler & wth ire,
nor will my Choler Coole, nor heate be quencht:
tyll in some liquour I be soundly drencht./.
& therefore to preuent these scortchinge flames
Ile drowne my selfe in Amwell or in Thames./
(offers to runne out/)& Tarre stopps him.
Tarre.
Nay good neighbour Trun̄ell be not so Curious as to drowne
your selfe, twill be no small payne to you to be drownde,
for you are light, & will not sinke easily./
Trūell.
What doste thinke me to be? a Swan, or a goose,
or a ducke, or a seamew: or a baldcoate, or a—
Tarre:
or an otter: neyther fish nor flesh. but a starke—
starke—starke—stultus./ yf thou wilt—
Trūell
yf I will drowne myself? that's true. doe you
thinke me so shallow as to drowne my selfe for the
wrightinge of 20. lynes. fooles, Ideotts, Coxcombes
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you are all, I will stand to yt you are.
Okū.
what are wee? nay neuer start. what are wee?
Trun̄ell:
you are all . 4 . wise men: & so wise, as in no wise,
Canne I tell how wise, but that you are wise, my
tongue shall proclayme you, wise because you haue shewd
your selues wyse, In—
Tallow.
In keepinge you from drowninge your selfe: why there
wee shewde our wisedome. [but] for few foolish men would
haue beene so mad, to haue showne so much wisedome
at a dead pinche./
Shea:
Well Trunn̄ell: thanke good Okum & Tarre for
your safetie, yf they had not [beene,] stopt thee, thou
hadst sunke wthout hope of recouery./.
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These men though poore are merry: & theyr mirth
becomes them not amisse: the poore mans little
wth Contentation ys an ample feast:
Oh that I Could suppresse my dolorous thoughts
the anguish of my soule, my greife of heart
my inward passions, my assiduall Cares,
wth some delightful Cogitations
that might but please my selfe. & so appease
my homebred sorrow, wth a farre fetcht ease./
Here they all see her./
but that I Cannot doe.
Trun̄ell
poore soule: I pittie thee: & yet I doe not pittie thee, because
thou doste not pittie thy selfe:
doro:
What pittie should I then vnto my selfe?
yt weare a pittiles pittie to my selfe
to pittie others, that would pittie me.
I hate such pittie as doth scent of lust
& sordid prostitution: and who pittie
a wantinge woman, but such miscreantes
as seeke the Conquest of her Chastitie.?
such pittyers [canne I] haue I many,: golden Courtiers,
embrodered Captaynes, sworded Cavaliers,
mellifluous linguists, perfumde Citizens.
aduenturous seamen, wastfull prodigalls,
and to speake truthe, who not? but was I borne
to pittie such base pittyers? No: I scorne
theyr best of pittie: yt shall be a storie
hereafter spoken to the seamans glorie,
that there was such an one who duringe lyfe,
[lyf] liude, & to death remaynde, a loyall wyfe./:
Okum:
Now doe I surely thinke that shee's a little beside her selfe,
for how ys yt possible for a petticoate & wastcoate woman
to be honest, that hath so many golden offers?
doro:
poore sillie spunge,: may not a well thacht house,
keepe out the raynes & [sl] snowes, of boystrous hyems, [?]
as well as seeled [houses?] pallaces?
ys not a homely petticoate as warme,
as those of sattin, damaske, Cloth of gold,
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'mongst bryers & thornes to gather Eglantine?
yf this be graunted (as who Canne deny
the truth thereof?) yst then impossible
for such an one as I to keepe mine honour
in a poore Cottage, in a russett Coate,
& in afflictions free from foule pollution?
Okū.
I saye this may be, but I am a hard beleeuer. For I shou«ld»
be counted wondrous silly, to beleeue that wch fewe or
none doe beleeue./.
do:
Beleeue or not beleeue: Thinke well, or yll'
or both, or neyther, tis to me alike.
In your opinions let me be as base
as shee that's basest, I am nere the worse.
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malignant Swetmans, drunken poetasters
wch farce & bumbast out theyr spurious lines
wth raylinge language 'gaynst our feeble sex,
Others there are wch out out of Idiotisme,
and shallow apprehension speake theyr pleasure,:
thus palefacte enuy, and dull ignorance
(twinns of disorder) are our enymies.
such pestle heads, such silly sotts as you
are of the number wch I named last:
who, cause you know but little, dare belch out
that little, to no purpose, gaynst poore women./.
makinge no difference twixt the good & bad,
T'were tyme yll spent to tell you, you are base
because t'is too well knowne. but—
all:
Ha. ha: ha. ha: ha: ha: shees mad, shees mad, starke
mad,
doro:
Tis not your follie that canne make me mad
nor ist your laughinge that canne make me mourne.
my maker hath not made me such a Creature
to be impatient at scurrilitie
yet I dare saye you are vnmannerlie./
Trū:
Good mr ess Manners yf you haue so much, doe so
much as spare me a farthinge worth:
dor:
T'is a good womans wisedome not to rayle
agaynst the simple tutorship of men:
To terme thee other then an Ideot
(and that thou art) were indiscretion:
thy Caryage shewes thy witt, thy witt, thy Caryage,
a dram̄e of solid iudgment will waigh downe
the best of both: all Creatures on the earth
are good for some thinge: but a snarlinge foole
for nothinge good [but barkinge, like a Curre] except to mutter out
some pybald language, or ridiculous iest:
Tallo.
Trunnell there's a shee carpenter has maulde
you: she has taken your greatnes an Inche lower
at the least: her very tongue hath done more
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she has Crackt the very pith of thy scull more wth
[her] a few wordes, then a sturdie man could haue done wth
many stroakes./
Trū:
Well Tallow speake you as stinkingly as you please
I care not: but yf I proue not as maleuolent a writer
agaynst that enuious, ambitious, inurious, lasciuious,
discurteous, preposterous, pestiferous, seditious, luxurious
licentious sex of women, as euer was Swetman then—
108
dor:
my future studie gaynst base Calumnie
and offerd wronges shall be obliuion,
no better targett gaynst the viperous darts
of a malignant tongue then sufferance.
A Cuckoe singes till she be hoarse and flyes
A too much talker spends him selfe and dyes./
Sitts./
Enter Capt fitzIohn./
fitzI:
Full moone to morrow: well: that morrow past
& the next morrow come, wth fayre successe
In lanchinge of our shippe, my feares haue ende.
How now my hearts what idle: not at worke?
Trū:
Truely syr wee haue eene made hollidaye: the shippe
is as ready as Trunell[s], okum, Tarre, Tallow, and—
sheathinge nayle[s] canne make her: wee haue belabourd
the busynes out of all measure: and now too morrow wee
launch, wthout any more sayinge or doinge, or fidlinge
or fadlinge, or pratinge or talkinge, or heavinge or settinge
or gruntinge or groninge, or swearinge or staringe, or
iestinge or gybinge, or cursinge, or banninge, or—
fitz.
No more, no more, thou wilt runne thy selfe out of breath man
But what good Creature's that? who? mr ess Constance,?
hath stepdame fortune turnd her ticklish wheele?
must vertue sitt at shopworke? gett a liuinge
by hard hand-labour,? whilst vice (like a lady)
ruffles yt out in luxurie & state?
This should not be, yet Com̄only tis so
for wealth to goodnes is a mortall foe./.
Ile speake to her:
Good Woman: start not: I am [an] not a man
of any obscene qualitie to Charme
thy spotles vertues wth enchaunted wordes.
I come not to allure, to tempt, to stroke
thy rosie Cheekes, or kisse thy Cherry lipps:
my ayme is better: Tell me dorotea
(for what thou speakst I know is oracle)
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or by the aduerse will of Cruell fate?
dor:
Heauens knowe my Care hath beene as well to keepe
my substance, as mine honour: but some thriue
although asleepe, some labour and are poore./
nor doth my want afflict me halfe so much
as doe the scoffs, reproches, taunts, & Checkes
of these ill bred, ill mannerd Canvas-Coates.
fitz:
Vntutord pitchpotts, Tallow-bucketts, spunges,
and what not else that's basest? how dare you,
that are so poore, that none more poore, presume
or dare to scoffe or laugh at [miserie] pouertie?
especially at hers who leads a lyfe
free from pollution: tis my patience
to let you goe vnbeaten: but begone
110
Yee st[OMITTED]g[OMITTED] scoundrells hence mechanicke slaues:
offers to draw./
or by my lyfe Ile—(they all runne out).
Now dorotea are wee left alone
& none behold us but the eye of heauen./
which lookes on good & bad: but loues the good
mayntayne thy beautie, keepe thy Chastitie
vnspotted of the world: lead such a lyfe
as may deserue the name of honest wyfe.
dor:
The sacred gods haue hitherto preserude
my soule from sin̄e: my heart from thought of lust:
& still my prayers are for perseuerance./
as yet I feele no Change,: no sordid motion
as yet hath seizde me: heauns [be still[s] my]/[[euer] still] guide & guard
my good intentions: I am Confident
that as I liue, I shall dye Continent:
fitz.
Mayst thou so liue & dye: & that thou mayste
wth all respect performe that holy dutie
take a wellwishers small beneuolence./
giues his purse.
I wish yt more, but take yt more or lesse,:
goodnes dwell euer wth thee: I must hence,
Thy prayers wth me, my prayers wth thee remayne
till wee shall meete in heaune or earth agayne.
exit/
doro:
Maye all the good successe, that ere befell
a mortall Creature light vpon thy head.
To finde a greate man good, a rich man liberall
is beyond expectation wonderfull./
Yee Go[o]ds (wch thus inspirde this matchles man
vnto this pious acte) on both my knees.
kneeles
I yeild you humble thankes: your large munifence
(farre beyond meritt) hath tyde me by the bond
of loue & dutie to your sacred lore
and shall for euer tye me: (ryseth).
marke, marke lasciuious wantons, light-heeld dames,
house-troublers, gaddinge gossipps, foxes, apes,
wolues, vultures, scorpions, Crocodiles, hyenaes
man-eaters, & what not? marke, marke I saye
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when did you euer see a spotles woman
free from the itchinge leprosie of lust
In longe-Contynuinge want:? oh, I could wish
that all our sex (and those especially
wch properly to seamen doe belonge)
weare as my selfe: but I [doe] should wish in vayne
some will be wilde despight of all the world.,
themselues know best what they are of them selues,
and so I leaue them,: to theyr selfe-willd-selues:
to be what they thinke best: my selfe I yeild
to [all]/[your] iudicious censures. [shall I begge]/[heauen assist]
[a plauditt for]/[thy handmayd wth] perseuerance,? [no]: [that] my life
[shows me]/[may make me knowne] to be that seamens [honest] wyfe.
[Exit]
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[Com̄aund old Hobab.]
Go:
[That you would vouchsafe]
[to grace our launching wth your honors presence]
[too morrow ys the daye]
Ad:-
[Wth all my heart.]
[& many thankes besides. tyll then wee part.]
Exe: om./
| The Launching of the Mary | |