University of Virginia Library

Actus. ij.

Scæna. j.

Dobinet Doughtie.
D. Dough.
Where is the house I goe to, before or behinde?
I know not where nor when nor how I shal it finde.
If I had ten mens bodies and legs and strength,
This trotting that I haue must needes lame me at length.
And nowe that my maister is new set on wowyng,
I trust there shall none of vs finde lacke of doyng:
Two paire of shoes a day will nowe be too litle
To serue me, I must trotte to and fro so mickle.
Go beare me thys token, carrie me this letter,
Nowe this is the best way, nowe that way is better.
Up before day sirs, I charge you, an houre or twaine,
Trudge, do me thys message, and bring worde quicke againe,
If one misse but a minute, then his armes and woundes,
I woulde not haue slacked for ten thousand poundes.
Nay see I beseeche you, if my most trustie page,
Goe not nowe aboute to hinder my mariage,
So feruent hotte wowyng, and so farre from wiuing,
I trowe neuer was any creature liuyng,
With euery woman is he in some loues pang,
Then vp to our lute at midnight, twangledome twang,
Then twang with our sonets, and twang with our dumps,
And heyhough from our heart, as heauie as lead lumpes:
Then to our recorder with toodleloodle poope
As the howlet out of an yuie bushe should hoope.
Anon to our gitterne, thrumpledum thrumpledum thrum,
Thrumpledum, thrumpledū, thrumpledum, thrūpledum thrum.
Of Songs and Balades also he is a maker,
And that can he as finely doe as Iacke Raker,
Yea and extempore will he dities compose,
Foolishe Marsias nere made the like I suppose,
Yet must we sing them, as good stuffe I vndertake,
As for such a pen man is well sittyng to make.
Ah for these long nights, heyhow, when will it be day?
I feare ere I come she will be wowed away.
Then when aunswere is made that it may not bee,
O death why commest thou not? by and by (sayth he)
But then, from his heart to put away sorowe,
He is as farre in with some newe loue next morowe.
But in the meane season we trudge and we trot,
From dayspring to midnyght, I sit not, nor rest not.
And now am I sent to dame Christian Custance:
But I feare it will ende with a mocke for pastance.
I bring hir a ring, with a token in a cloute,
And by all gesse, this same is hir house out of doute.
I knowe it nowe perfect, I am in my right way.
And loe yond the olde nourse that was wyth vs last day.

Scæna. ij.

Mage Mumblecrust. Dobinet Doughtie.
M. Mumbl.
I Was nere so shoke vp afore since I was borne,
That our mistresse coulde not haue chid I wold haue sworne:
And I pray God I die if I ment any harme,
But for my life time this shall be to me a charme.

D. Dough.
God you saue and see nurse, and howe is it with you?

M. Mumbl.
Mary a great deale the worse it is for suche as thou.

D. Dough.
For me? Why so?

M. Mūb.
Why wer not thou one of thē, say,
That song and playde here with the gentleman last day?

D. Dough.
Yes, and he would know if you haue for him spoken.
And prayes you to deliuer this ring and token.

M. Mumbl.
Nowe by the token that God tokened brother,
I will deliuer no token one nor other.
I haue once ben so shent for your maisters pleasure,
As I will not be agayne for all hys treasure.

D. Dough.
He will thank you womā.

M. M.
I will none of his thāke.

Ex.
D. Dough.
I weene I am a prophete, this geare will proue blanke:
But what should I home againe without answere go?
It were better go to Rome on my head than so.
I will tary here this moneth, but some of the house
Shall take it of me, and then I care not a louse.
But yonder commeth forth a wenche or a ladde,
If he haue not one Lumbardes touche, my lucke is bad.

Scæna. iij.

Truepenie. D. Dough. Tibet T. Anot Al.
Trupeny.
I Am cleane lost for lacke of mery companie,
We gree not halfe well within, our wenches and I,
They will commaunde like mistresses, they will forbyd,
If they be not serued, Trupeny must be chyd.
Let them be as mery nowe as ye can desire,
With turnyng of a hande, our mirth lieth in the mire,
I can not skill of such chaungeable mettle,
There is nothing with them but in docke out nettle.

D. Dough.
Whether is it better that I speake to him furst,
Or he first to me, it is good to cast the wurst.
If I beginne first, he will smell all my purpose,
Otherwise I shall not neede any thing to disclose.

Trupeny.
What boy haue we yonder? I will see what he is.

D. Dough.
He commeth to me. It is hereabout ywis.

Trupeny.
Wouldest thou ought friende, that thou lookest so about?

D. Dough.
Yea, but whether ye can helpe me or no, I dout.
I seeke to one mistresse Custance house here dwellyng.

Trupenie.
It is my mistresse ye seeke too by your telling.

D. Dough.
Is there any of that name heere but shee?

Trupenie.
Not one in all the whole towne that I knowe pardee.

D. Dough.
A Widowe she is I trow.

Trup.
And what and she be?

D. Dough.
But ensured to an husbande.

Trup.
Yea, so thinke we.

D. Dough.
And I dwell with hir husbande that trusteth to be.

Trupenie.
In faith then must thou needes be welcome to me,
Let vs for acquaintance shake handes togither,
And what ere thou be, heartily welcome hither.

Tib Talk.
Well Trupenie neuer but flinging.

An. Al.
and frisking?

Trupenie.
Well Tibet and Annot, still swingyng and whiskyng?

Tib Talk.
But ye roile abroade.

An. Al.
In the streete euere where.

Trupenie.
Where are ye twaine, in chambers when ye mete me there?
But come hither fooles, I haue one nowe by the hande,
Seruant to hym that must be our mistresse husbande,
Byd him welcome.

An. Alyface.
To me truly is he welcome.

Tib Talk.
Forsooth and as I may say, heartily welcome.

D. Dough.
I thāk you mistresse maides.

An. Al.
I hope we shal better know

Tib Talk.
And whē wil our new master come.

D. Dou.
Shortly I trow.

Tib Talk.
I would it were to morow: for till he resorte
Our mistresse being a Widow hath small comforte,
And I hearde our nourse speake of an husbande to day
Ready for our mistresse, a riche man and a gay,
And we shall go in our frenche hoodes euery day,
In our silke cassocks (I warrant you) freshe and gay,
In our tricke ferdegews and billiments of golde,
Braue in our sutes of chaunge seuen double folde,
Then shall ye see Tibet sirs, treade the mosse so trimme,
Nay, why sayd I treade? ye shall see hir glide and swimme,
Not lumperdee clumperdee like our spaniell Rig.

Trupeny.
Mary then prick me daintie come toste me a fig,
Who shall then know our Tib Talke apace trow ye?

An. Alyface.
And why not Annot Alyface as fyne as she?

Trupeny.
And what had Tom Trupeny, a father or none?

An. Alyface.
Then our prety newe come man will looke to be one.

Trupeny.
We foure I trust shall be a ioily mery knot.
Shall we sing a fitte to welcome our friende, Annot?

An. Alyface.
Perchaunce he can not sing.

D. Dough.
I am at all assayes.

Tib Talk.
By cocke and the better welcome to vs alwayes.

Here they sing.

Finis.

Tib Talk.
Wyll you now in with vs vnto our mistresse go?

D. Dough.
I haue first for my maister an errand or two.
But I haue here from him a taken and a ring,
They shall haue moste thanke of hir that first doth it bring.

Tib Talk.
Mary that will I.

Trupen.
See and Tibet snatch not now.

Tib Talk.
And why may not I sir, get thanks as well as you?

Exeat.
An. Alyface.
Yet get ye not all, we will go with you both.
And haue part of your thanks be ye neuer so loth.

Exeant omnes
D. Dough.
So my handes are ridde of it: I care for no more.
I may now returne home: so durst I not afore.

Exeat.

Scæna. iiij.

C. Custance. Tibet. Annot Alyface. Trupeny.
C. Custāce.
Nay come forth all three: and come hither pretie mayde:
Will not so many forewarnings make you afrayde?

Tib Talk.
Yes forsoth.

C. Custance.
But stil be a runnner vp & downe
Still be a bringer of tidings and tokens to towne.

Tib Talk.
No forsooth mistresse.

C. Custāce.
Is all your delite and ioy
In whiskyng and ramping abroade like a Tom boy.

Tib. Talk.
Forsoth these were there too, Annot and Trupenie.

Trupenie.
Yea but ye alone tooke it, ye can not denie.

Annot Aly.
Yea that ye did.

Tibet.
But if I had not, ye twaine would.

C. Custāce.
You great calfe ye should haue more witte, so ye should:
But why shoulde any of you take such things in hande?

Tibet.
Bicause it came from him that must be your husbande.

C. Custāce.
How do ye know that?

Tibet.
Forsoth the boy did say so.

C. Custāce.
What was his name?

An. Al.
We asked not.

C. Cust.
No did?

An. Aliface.
He is not farre gone of likelyhod.

Trupeny.
I will see.

C. Custāce.
If thou canst finde him in the streete bring him to me.

Trupenie.
Yes.

Exeat.
C. Cust.
Well ye naughty girles, if euer I perceiue
That henceforth you do letters or tokens receiue,
To bring vnto me from any person or place,
Except ye first shewe me the partie face to face,
Eyther thou or thou, full truly abye thou shalt.

Tibet.
Pardon this, and the next tyme pouder me in salt.

C. Custāce.
I shall make all girles by you twaine to beware.

Tibet.
If I euer offende againe do not me spare.
But if euer I see that false boy any more
By your mistreshyps licence I tell you afore
I will rather haue my cote twentie times swinged,
Than on the naughtie wag not to be auenged.

C. Custāce.
Good wenches would not so rampe abrode ydelly,
But keepe within doores, and plie their worke earnestly,
If one would speake with me that is a man likely,
Ye shall haue right good thanke to bring me worde quickly.
But otherwyse with messages to come in post
From henceforth I promise you, shall be to your cost.
Get you in to your work.

Tib. An.
Yes forsoth.

C. C.
Hence both twaine.
And let me see you play me such a part againe.

Trupeny.
Maistresse, I haue runne past the farre ende of the streete,
Yet can I not yonder craftie boy see nor meete.

C. Custāce.
No?

Trupeny.
Yet I looked as farre beyonde the people.
As one may see out of the toppe of Paules steeple.

C. Custāce.
Hence in at doores, and let me no more be vext.

Trupeny.
Forgeue me this one fault, and lay on for the next.

C. Custāce.
Now will I in too, for I thinke so God me mende,
This will proue some foolishe matter in the ende.

Exeat.