 | The Launching of the Mary |  |
Actus quintus
[Musick.]the first sceane Consistinge more in action then speech. as settinge of 2. Crabbs. the heavinge at the Capsten the whistlinge of the Boteswaines wth the wordes, sometymes heaue sometymes lanche to lengthen. the tyme, as [as] shall be shewed before the daye of action./.
after the settinge of the Crabbs, & bendinge of the Cables, there must appeare aloft, as many gallants & ladies as the roome Canne well hold amongst wch must be Lo: Ad: Go: Dep: 1. 2. Com̄:/. then enter alowe in haste. at one doore. Trūnell & tallow, & at another. Tarre, Okum, & Sheathinge nayle./
Trun̄./.
Why heres a daye, for concourse of Coaches, Courtiers, Cavaliers[OMITTED]
ladies, gentlewomen, Citizens, & Com̄on people, neuer the like
to behold the lanchinge of a shippe,: well, a fayre daye, a loftie
tyde, a slicke shippe, stronge Cables, & good helpe will quickl«y»
ende the busynes.
Tallo:
And my hope ys that none of these will be wantinge,
for wee haue a promisinge daye, a hopefull tyde, a shippe[OMITTED]
well payde, approued Cables, & hands ynough, & what then
neede wee feare./?
Okū.
Nothinge, nothinge, there's as little feare in lanchinge of a ship«p»
as there ys in drinkinge of a barrell of stronge beere./.
Trū./
Thou speakste more like a brewer, then a Calker, & yet tho[OMITTED]
shouldst haue wytt ynough, for thou art old ynough./
Tall:
I am sure he shold haue more witt then any of all us,
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dare sweare I neuer knew him vse much.
Tarre./
why although he vse none amongst us, yet he may be a
regratour of witt, that ys, he may buy a little in one place[OMITTED]
& sell yt in another, where he ys vnknowne,:
Shea:
Goe too, goe too, he hath neyther beene wrunge so hard,
nor layne in the sunne so longe, but I am sure there
is some waight in him & though yt be but little, yet yt[OMITTED]
will serue for some small purpose or other./
Okū.
witt or no witt, saye what you will, but I will mayntayne
there as much neede of me, & my helpe ys as much require«d»
in buildinge & repayringe of shipps, as any of all yours
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I could tell you Tallow, of your vnsauourie smell,—
& you Tarre, of your water, & soote, & you Sheathinge
nayle, both of your shortnes, & brittlenes, but alas I haue
no witt to decypher all your knaueries,: should some
knowe, what I knowe—but I haue no witt,
I haue no witt—to—
Trun̄ell:
To be patient, for yf thou hadst, thou wouldst not take
such exceptions: nor you, yf you had any discretion—
would not giue him so many frumps. yf the Clarke of the
Checke himselfe should take all us into Consideration
& precisely survaye us as he ought to doe, wthout trustinge
to boyes, & subordinate ministers, our Contynuance would
be but a small tyme in this good imployment. for shame,
for shame leaue of this branglinge,: whose Counsell
will you keepe, yf you cannott keepe your owne?—
awaye, awaye, tis tyme to manne the Capstens, I haue
a proiect in my pate shall make us all freinds, and
then wee will be mighty merry and no more.
Enter boteswayne whistlinge.
Bote:
Man Capsten, good fellowes, man Capsten,: wthin bord. Ho.
wthin—
Holla./.
Bote:
what shall wee heaue, shall wee haue.
wthin—
Hold fast a while. (pause)
Heaue, a gods name, heaue.
Bote.
whistles
Heaue, good men heaue, Cherily, Cherily good fellowes,
wthin.
Lanch Ho. Heaue agen, men heaue agen, the west
ermost Capsten the best,
Botes:
whist:
Heaue, heaue, heaue good fellowes heaue, give her but
a start, & wee are made men, well heaud of all, well
heaud of all yfaythe (a greate shout wthin) round, round,
round good men, lustily, lustily, there she goes./
wthin:
Lanch Ho.
Bote:—whist:/.
Bote./
what a gods name is the matter. (wthin)
Heaue agen./
Heaue agen good fellowes. Cherily. Cherily, good boyes.
(a great shout wthin) Bote)
there shee goes, there shee
goes a gods name, goinge, goinge, goinge, goinge, goinge,
well heaud yfayth, well heaud/. (a greate shout of all)
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Gou:
God preserue the Mary./.
all:
God preserue the Mary, god preserue the Mary, God
preserue the Mary./. God bless the Mary. &c'./
[OMITTED]ter. Capt: [OMITTED]hast
Gram̄arcie Boteswayne, & good thanks to all,
a speciall worke, wth speciall Care performde,
see her well moorde. then merily to tauerne./
drinke this for me: you this, that heaud so well./.
my heart is now at ease: I Cannot tarry,
be merry boteswayne: & God blesse the Mary.
Exeunt./.
116
Scena . 2da ./
Trompete.Enter Lo. Ad: Go: dep: 1. 2. Com̄./ wth attendantes.
Ad[OMITTED]
A royall shippe and beares a royall name./
Go:
And blest be shee whose royall name[s] she beares
[nor [ys there any but.] blood-thirstinge monkes]
[or hell-bred Iesuites will wish otherwyse.]
[but as they swimme in synne, so lett them sinke]
[vnto perdition.]
Ad:
Loyall, loyall men,
millions of blessinges light on your affayres,
for your good wishes: [to her maiestie,:]
Ile not be wantinge, what in me consists,
to doe you all good offices. be bold,
Com̄aund old Hobab. who Canne otherwise
but loue good men, that loue theyr Soueraigne.
you ouer ioye me wth your good intentions
and much more wth your actions. fayre successe,
and prosperous returnes attend your trade.
And now braue marchants solemnly to all
a harty farewell. tis a fayre Conclusion
when all thinges fayrely ende wthout Confusion./.
dep:
Our [greatest] feare (my Lord) is that wee haue abusde
your honours patience wth prolixitie
& how to mend that errour wee knowe not,
but of all other feares wee are as emptie
as they of meritt that but thinke wee feare.
nor ist now tyme to amplifie theyr follie
that still are grudginge at our Indian trade.
But let them as they are—
Go.
No more of that.
Most honorable Sr. at last our shippe
ys lancht, & moorde, such actions neuer fayle
of somethinge worthy note. but sixteene minutes,
the fourth part of an houre, & wee take leaue.
'Tis ended in a thought: a little tyme,
117
Wellcome shall be your honors dayntiest fare./.
Enter Banquett: all sytt. musique aloft./.
after a little while syttinge Lo: Ad: beginnes a health to the good successe of the Mary: wch must be Contynued wth shootinge of gunns to the last man: wch orderly discharged will be about . 11 . or 13. gunns./wch ended, [a] (a loude shoute wthin) God blesse the Mary. &c'./. then all sytt agayne: & im̄ediately enter: Tarre. Trun̄ell. Tallow. Okum & Sheathinge-nayle. wth some daintie dance, euery [[illeg.]] one wearinge the embleme of his name, vpon his head./. The dance ended, & all taken awaye the Lo: Ad: speakes./
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You Cannot honour your well-wisher more
then you haue done. what Canne I retribute
but thanks for all? but what? is thanks y[[illeg.]]nough?
what shall he giue that hath no more to giue?
I giue the all I haue: & that Ile giue
as longe as Hobab hath a daye to liue./.
Go:
your acceptation ys our happines./.
To spend more winde in wordes weare friuolous
God make our Mary fruitfull, prosperous.
Exeunt omnes./
Sce: 3a.
Enter Captayne fitz . alone./.Well riggd, well mand, good victualls, & a gale
make a glad seaman: Three of these haue I,
and now want nothinge but the happy fourth.
my honorable owners haue supplyde
in a full measure the first needfull three
the fourth is heauns donation: Blessed heauns
when you best please fill full that happines.
But worthles, wittles seaman as I am,
what shall I speake, to speake the glorious worth
of her whose glorious name the vessell beares.
[sprunge lineally from eight & twenty kinges]
[The stemme Great Capett, whose first royall branche]
[ended [the] in Charles the fourth, surnamde the fayre.]
[Contayninge thirteene kinges. The second branche]
[(Charles dyinge wthout issue) had begin̄inge]
[in Philippe of [Vay] Valois, th'indubitate heyre.]
[Contayninge as the former thirteene kinges.]
[Charles of that name the ninth dyes issules,]
[& leaues the Crowne to Henry kinge of Poland]
[In whose vntymely ende (for he was slayne]
[by a damnd nurslinge of sanguineous Monkes)]
[the house of braue Valois, & second branch]
[of the third race of Capetts is extinct./]
[Henry the third thus murthered by a monke]
[(non audet Stygius Pluto tentare quod audet]
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[by a direct line masculine, to Henry]
[kinge of Navarre: Navarrs third royall Henry,]
[and fourth of ffrance. of the third royall branch]
[of Capettes the first Burbon./ This is that]
[Greate Burbons daughter: Greate Britanniaes queene,]
[Greate Charles [his]/[greate Britaynes Monarch's] lovinge wyfe [Greate Charles his mother]]
[Wyfe, daughter, sister, mother to a kinge]
[Thou honour of our age, our hope, our starre,]
[Thou Index of the greatest empresses,]
[Thou peereles abstract of all princely dames,]
120
had I a thousand trophees to hang vp
and euery trophee did Consist of kinges
and kingdomes vanquisht, I would hange them all
vpon the greate Colossus of thy name.
But wordes are worthles atomes, triuiall puffes
of a meere man, soone vtterd, soone forgott,
Imaginarie illustrations
are but illusions, actions are the test
of Frobisher, Drake, Lancaster, & Best.
Well: yf this arme of flesh cannot performe
as well, or as victoriously as they,
This stam̄eringe tonge shall send her orysons
[to the supernall throne for the encrease]
[of ioyes internall, & eternall peace]
[vnto her sacred person: Thus I leaue]
my selfe and actions to the strictest Iudge
that will oppose. My hope ys you are good:
But I will neyther Cappe, nor knee, nor fawne
too much for favour: you'le doe what you list
when I haue done my best: A seamans phrase,
is harsh, blunt, wantinge seemely [att] epethithes
for illustration, or of arts, or armes,
or matter of much Consequence: kill or Cure
doe what you please, my patience must endure
Yf you thinke well, I thanke you, but yf yll,
you cannot hurt me wth your worst of will.
The sea is not so servile to the land
to be at pricke & Checke. the selfe same hand
guides one & all. the selfe same sunn̄e will shine
on me at sea as vpon you a shoare
Seamen & landmen must my Iudges be
Iudge both, yet both Iudge wth integritie
The seaman bringes the landman of his labour,
the landman canne giue little yf not favour.
Yf both are pleasd, dispatch me hence wth mirth
to [s[illeg.]ce] plowe the seas. shew not a sparinge dearth
In your fayre approbations: Land & sea
121
gaynst eyther of them both: I wish both well,
Cause both in mutuall goodnes doe excell.
Breifly to both: to Sea, to land adue,
(In speakinge vnto these I speake to you)/
Breath but a loominge gale, our shippe shall sayle
through Scylla & Charibdis. yf you fayle,
or blow agaynst us wth impetuous force
to hinder us in our pretended Course.
Our shippe is still in port, & there shall ride
tyll wee shall gayne a more auspicious tyde./
exit/.
122
Scena. 4a./
Enter Dorotea Constance alone./Yf to relate of haracanns, or spouts
or other dangerous accidents at sea
in Halcyon weather: yf of perfect health
after a lingringe sicknes: yf of woundes
after a bloodie warre, may be a Cause
of some small Consolation: Then may I
after such fierce assaults, such golden offers
to sordid prostitution, take some Comfort
though not exempted from assiduall feares.
Nor was yt I, but my good Genius
that made this happy opposition./
Giue me the spiritt of perseuerance
yee all-good-giuinge heauns, else of the twayne
twere better to be yll, retayninge hope
[to be hereafter good: then to be good]
[of purpose to be yll. I come alone]/[You may thinke me the last, because alone./]
(more haples I) yet am I not alone:
and neuer less alone, then when alone.
You seeinge me alone, perhapps will saye
what one? to make apologie for all?
know (gentlemen) that I am not alone,
wthin this brest are seamens honest wyues
then am I not alone, for who'is alone
that hath pure truth for a Companion.
Am I alone the seamans honest wyfe?
no. there are thousands more that may, Canne, will,
mayntayne yt to my face that they (as I)
are spotles, free from action, nay from thought,
& may the number of that number, more
& more encrease vnto the seamans ioye./.
Alone, or not alone, from you alone
wee must attend a Censure good or bad.
I am a woman, & no Com̄on woman,
I cannot, will not, must not, dare «no»t begge,
123
or yf Antisthenes himselfe be he[are]re
let him not spare to snarle. as for the Mim̄icke
(yf any such there be) his bolt's soone shott.
nor will I longe molest your patience
wth tomes, & tropes, & doubtfull ambages,
But breifly thus. I hope[st not] no honest heart
will hatch a iudgment so preposterous
as to Condemne all seamens wiues, for fewe
Be as propense to censure well, as yll:
124
(the surquedrie of the base multitude)
be your Conductors to presumption.
I now am but the [shadow] semblance of that substance
so longe discust: yet I would haue you knowe
what we haue but presented to your view
our authour knowes, & will mayntayne is true.
Happy the Woman that leades such a lyfe,
and blest the seaman that hath such a wyfe./
Exit./
[Finis/]
| The Launching of the Mary | |