He is Wits Pedler, and retailes his Wares,
At Wakes, and Wassels, Meetings, Markets, Faires.
And we that sell by grosse, the Lord doth know,
Have not the grace to grace it with such show.
This Gallant pins the Wenches on his sleeve.
Had he bin Adam, he had tempted Eve.
He can carve too, and lispe: Why this is he,
That kist away his hand in courtesie.

2

360

tenor part

This is the Ape of Forme, Monsieur the nice,
That when he plaies at Tables,1 chides the Dice
In honorable tearmes: Nay he can sing 1 backgammon
A meane 2 most meanly, and in Ushering
Mend him who can: the Ladies call him sweete.
The staires as he treads on them kisse his feete.
This is the flower that smiles on everie one,
To shew his teeth as white as Whales bone.
And consciences that wil not die in debt,
Pay him the dutie of honie-tongued Boyet.

370

King. A blister on his sweet tongue with my hart, That put Armathoes Page out of his part.

Enter the Ladies [ushered by Boyet].

Ber. See where it comes. Behaviour what wer't thou, Till this madman shew'd thee? And what art thou now? King. All haile sweet Madame, and faire time of day. Qu. Faire in all Haile is foule, as I conceive. 380 King. Construe my speeches better, if you may. Qu. Then wish me better, I wil give you leave. King. We came to visit you, and purpose now To leade you to our Court, vouchsafe it then.

362. He can: A' can-IQ.

363. away bis band: his hand away-IQ 373. dutie: due-IQ.

Qu. This field shal hold me, and so hold your vow: Nor God, nor I, delights in perjur❜d men.

King. Rebuke me not for that which you provoke: The vertue of your eie must breake my oth.

390

Q. You nickname vertue: vice you should have spoke:
For vertues office never breakes men troth.
Now by my maiden honor, yet as pure
As the unsallied Lilly, I protest,

A world of torments though I should endure,
I would not yeeld to be your houses guest:
So much I hate a breaking cause to be
Of heavenly oaths, vow'd with integritie.

Kin. O you have liv'd in desolation heere,
Unseene, unvisited, much to our shame.

Qu. Not so my Lord, it is not so I sweare, We have had pastimes heere, and pleasant game, 400 A messe of Russians left us but of late.

Kin. How Madam? Russians?

Qu. I in truth, my Lord.

Trim gallants, full of Courtship and of state.

Rosa. Madam speake true.

It is not so my Lord:

My Ladie (to the manner of the daies)

In curtesie gives undeserving praise.

We foure indeed confronted were with foure
In Russia habit: Heere they stayed an houre,

And talk'd apace: and in that houre (my Lord) 410
They did not blesse us with one happy word.

I dare not call them fooles; but this I thinke,
When they are thirstie, fooles would faine have drinke.
Ber. This jest is drie to me. Gentle sweete,

Your wits makes wise things foolish when we greete

390. men: men's-IQ.

409. Russia: Russian-1Q.2-4F. 414. Gentle: Fair gentle-2-4F.

392. unsallied: unsullied-2-4F.

415. wits: wit-2-4F.

With eies best seeing, heavens fierie eie:
By light we loose light; your capacitie
Is of that nature, that to your huge stoore,
Wise things seeme foolish, and rich things but poore.
Ros. This proves you wise and rich: for in my eie
Ber. I am a foole, and full of povertie.
Ros. But that you take what doth to you belong,
It were a fault to snatch words from my tongue.

Ber. O, I am yours, and all that I

Ros. All the foole mine.

Ber. I cannot give you lesse.

possesse.

421

Ros. Which of the Vizards what it that you wore? Ber. Where? when? What Vizard?

Why demand you this?

Ros. There, then, that vizard, that superfluous case, That hid the worse, and shew'd the better face. 431 Kin. We are discried,

They'l mocke us now downeright.

Du. Let us confesse, and turne it to a jest.

Que. Amaz'd my Lord? Why lookes your Highnes sadde?

Rosa. Helpe hold his browes, hee'l sound: why looke you pale?

Sea-sicke I thinke comming from Muscovie.

Ber. Thus poure the stars down plagues for perjury.

Can any face of brasse hold longer out?

Heere stand I, Ladie dart thy skill at me,

Bruise me with scorne, confound me with a flout.

Thrust thy sharpe wit quite through my ignorance.
Cut me to peeces with thy keene conceit:

And I will wish thee never more to dance,

427. what it: was it-IQ. 432-3. I 1.-10.

441

428-9. 1 1.-12.

437. sound: swoon (swound)-2-4F.

450

Nor never more in Russian habit waite.
O! never will I trust to speeches pen'd,
Nor to the motion of a Schoole-boies tongue.
Nor never come in vizard to my friend,
Nor woo in rime like a blind-harpers songue,
Taffata phrases, silken tearmes precise,
Three-pil'd Hyperboles, spruce affection;
Figures pedanticall, these summer flies,
Have blowne me full of maggot ostentation.
I do forsweare them, and I heere protest,
By this white Glove (how white the hand God knows)
Henceforth my woing minde shall be exprest
In russet yeas, and honest kersie noes.
And to begin Wench, so God helpe me law,
My love to thee is sound, sans cracke or flaw.
Rosa. Sans, sans, I pray you.

Ber. Yet I have a tricke

Of the old rage: beare with me, I am sicke.
Ile leave it by degrees: soft, let us see,

Write Lord have mercie on us, on those three,
They are infected, in their hearts it lies:

They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes:
These Lords are visited, you are not free:
For the Lords tokens on you do I see.

460

470

Qu. No, they are free that gave these tokens to us.
Ber. Our states are forfeit, seeke not to undo us.
Ros. It is not so; for how can this be true,

That you stand forfeit, being those that sue.
Ber. Peace, for I will not have to do with you.
Ros. Nor shall not, if I do as I intend.

Ber. Speake for your selves, my wit is at an end.

453. affection: affectation-RowE. 460. law: la!-CAPELL.

King. Teach us sweete Madame, for our rude transgression, some faire excuse.

Qu. The fairest is confession.

Were you not heere but even now, disguis'd?

Kin. Madam, I was.

480

Qu. When you then were heere,

What did you whisper in your Ladies eare?

her.

King. That more then all the world I did respect her Qu. When shee shall challenge this, you will reject

King. Upon mine Honor no.

Qu. Peace, peace, forbeare:

your oath once broke, you force not to forsweare.

490

King. Despise me when I breake this oath of mine. Qu. I will, and therefore keepe it. Rosaline, What did the Russian whisper in your eare?

Ros. Madam, he swore that he did hold me deare As precious eye-sight, and did value me Above this World: adding thereto moreover, That he would Wed me, or else die my Lover. Qu. God give thee joy of him: the Noble Lord

Most honorably doth uphold his word.

King. What meane you Madame?

By my life, my troth,

I never swore this Ladie such an oth.

500

Ros. By heaven you did; and to confirme it plaine, you gave me this: But take it sir againe.

King. My faith and this, the Princesse I did give,

I knew her by this Jewell on her sleeve.

Qu. Pardon me sir, this Jewell did she weare,

478-80. 2 rhymed 11.-1Q. 502-4. 2 rhymed 11.-12.

481. you not: not you-10.