Act II. Scene I. Dekker, Thomas. 1909-14. The Shoemaker's Holiday. The Harvard Classics

Fiction > Harvard Classics > Thomas Dekker > The Shoemaker’s Holiday

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Thomas Dekker (1570–1632). The Shoemaker’s Holiday.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

Act II

Scene I

Enter ROSE, alone, making a garland 1

ROSE. Here sit thou down upon this flow’ry bank,

And make a garland for thy Lacy’s head.

These pinks, these roses, and these violets,

These blushing gilliflowers, these marigolds,

The fair embroidery of his coronet,

Carry not half such beauty in their cheeks,

As the sweet countenance of my Lacy doth.

O my most unkind father! O my stars,

Why lower’d you so at my nativity,

To make me love, yet live robb’d of my love?

Here as a thief am I imprisoned

For my dear Lacy’s sake within those walls,

Which by my father’s cost were builded up

For better purposes. Here must I languish

For him that doth as much lament, I know,

Mine absence, as for him I pine in woe.

Enter SYBIL

SYBIL. Good morrow, young mistress. I am sure you make that garland for me; against 2 I shall be Lady of the Harvest.

ROSE. Sybil, what news at London?

SYBIL. None but good; my lord mayor, your father, and master Philpot, your uncle, and Master Scot, your cousin, and Mistress Frigbottom by Doctors’ Commons, do all, by my troth, send you most hearty commendations.

ROSE. Did Lacy send kind greetings to his love?

SYBIL. O yes, out of cry, by my troth. I scant knew him; here ’a wore a scarf; and here a scarf, here a bunch of feathers, and here precious stones and jewels, and a pair of garters,—O, monstrous! like one of our yellow silk curtains at home here in Old Ford House here, in Master Belly-mount’s chamber. I stood at our door in Cornhill, look’d at him, he at me indeed, spake to him, but he not to me, not a word; marry go-up, thought I, with a wanion! 3 He passed by me as proud—Marry foh! are you grown humorous, 4 thought I; and so shut the door, and in I came.

ROSE. O Sybil, how dost thou my Lacy wrong!

My Rowland is as gentle as a lamb.

No dove was ever half so mild as he.

SYBIL. Mild? yea, as a bushel of stamped crabs. 5 He looked upon me as sour as verjuice. 6 Go thy ways, thought I: thou may’st be much in my gaskins, 7 but nothing in my nether-stocks. 8 This is your fault, mistress, to love him that loves not you; he thinks scorn to do as he’s done to; but if I were as you, I’d cry, ‘Go by, Jeronimo, go by!’ 9

	I’d set mine old debts against my new driblets,
	And the hare’s foot against the goose giblets,
	For if ever I sigh, when sleep I should take,
	Pray God I may lose my maidenhead when I wake.

ROSE. Will my love leave me then, and go to France?

SYBIL. I know not that, but I am sure I see him stalk before the soldiers. By my troth, he is a proper man; but he is proper that proper doth. Let him go snick-up, 10 young mistress.

ROSE. Get thee to London, and learn perfectly

Whether my Lacy go to France, or no.

Do this, and I will give thee for thy pains

My cambric apron and my Romish gloves,

My purple stockings and a stomacher.

Say, wilt thou do this, Sybil, for my sake?

SYBIL. Will I, quoth’a? At whose suit? By my troth, yes, I’ll go. A cambric apron, gloves, a pair of purple stockings, and a stomacher! I’ll sweat in purple, mistress, for you; I’ll take anything that comes a’ God’s name. O rich! a cambric apron! Faith, then have at ‘up tails all.’ I’ll go jiggy-joggy to London, and be here in a trice, young mistress. Exit.

ROSE. Do so, good Sybil. Meantime wretched I

Will sit and sigh for his lost company. Exit.

Note 1. A garden at Old Ford. [back]

Note 2. In preparation. [back]

Note 3. With a vengeance. [back]

Note 4. Capricious. [back]

Note 5. Crushed crab apples. [back]

Note 6. Juice of green fruits. [back]

Note 7. Wide trousers. [back]

Note 8. Stockings. The meaning seems to be that though we may be acquainted we are not intimate friends. [back]

Note 9. A phrase from Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy. [back]

Note 10. Go and be hanged! [back]

CONTENTS · BOOK CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

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