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[ Hunting within.] Enter R OSE and S YBIL 1
ROSE. Why, Sybil, wilt thou prove a forester? | |
| SYBIL. Upon some, no. Forester? Go by; no, faith, mistress. The deer came running into the barn through the orchard and over the pale; I wot well, I looked as pale as a new cheese to see him. But whip, says Goodman Pin-close, up with his flail, and our Nick with a prong, and down he fell, and they upon him, and I upon them. By my troth, we had such sport; and in the end we ended him; his throat we cut, flayed him, unhorn’d him, and my lord mayor shall eat of him anon, when he comes. Horns sound within. | |
ROSE.| | Hark, hark, the hunters come; y’are best take heed, |
| They’ll have a saying to you for this deed. |
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Enter Master HAMMON, Master WARNER, Huntsmen, and Boy
HAM. God save you, fair ladies. | 4 |
| SYBIL. Ladies! O gross! 2 | |
| WARN. Came not a buck this way? | |
| ROSE. No, but two does. | |
| HAM. And which way went they? Faith, we’ll hunt at those. | 8 |
| SYBIL. At those? Upon some, no. When, can you tell? | |
| WARN. Upon some, ay. | |
| SYBIL. Good Lord! | |
| WARN. Wounds! 3 Then farewell! | 12 |
| HAM. Boy, which way went he? | |
| BOY. This way, sir, he ran. | |
| HAM. This way he ran indeed, fair Mistress Rose; | |
| Our game was lately in your orchard seen. | 16 |
| WARN. Can you advise, which way he took his flight? | |
| SYBIL. Follow your nose; his horns will guide you right. | |
| WARN. Th’art a mad wench. | |
| SYBIL. O, rich! | 20 |
| ROSE. Trust me, not I. | |
| It is not like that the wild forest-deer | |
| Would come so near to places of resort; | |
| You are deceiv’d, he fled some other way. | 24 |
| WARN. Which way, my sugar-candy, can you shew? | |
| SYBIL. Come up, good honeysops, upon some, no. | |
| ROSE. Why do you stay, and not pursue your game? | |
| SYBIL. I’ll hold my life, their hunting-nags be lame. | 28 |
| HAM. A deer more dear is found within this place. | |
| ROSE. But not the deer, sir, which you had in chase. | |
| HAM. I chas’d the deer, but this dear chaseth me. | |
| ROSE. The strangest hunting that ever I see. | 32 |
| But where’s your park? She offers to go away. | |
| HAM. ’Tis here: O stay! | |
| ROSE. Impale me, and then I will not stray. | |
| WARN. They wrangle, wench; we are more kind than they. | 36 |
| SYBIL. What kind of hart is that dear heart, you seek? | |
| WARN. A hart, dear heart. | |
| SYBIL. Who ever saw the like? | |
| ROSE. To lose your heart, is’t possible you can? | 40 |
| HAM. My heart is lost. | |
| ROSE. Alack, good gentleman! | |
| HAM. This poor lost hart would I wish you might find. | |
| ROSE. You, by such luck, might prove your hart a hind. | 44 |
| HAM. Why, Luck had horns, so have I heard some say. | |
| ROSE. Now, God, an’t be his will, send Luck into your way. | |
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Enter the LORD MAYOR and Servants
L. MAYOR. What, Master Hammon? Welcome to Old Ford! | |
| SYBIL. Gods pittikins, 4 Hands off, sir! Here’s my lord. | 48 |
| L. MAYOR. I hear you had ill luck, and lost your game. | |
| HAM. ’Tis true, my lord. | |
| L. MAYOR. I am sorry for the same. | |
| What gentleman is this? | 52 |
| HAM. My brother-in-law. | |
| L. MAYOR. Y’are welcome both; sith Fortune offers you | |
| Into my hands, you shall not part from hence, | |
| Until you have refresh’d your wearied limbs. | 56 |
| Go, Sybil, cover the board! You shall be guest | |
| To no good cheer, but even a hunter’s feast. | |
| HAM. I thank your lordship.—Cousin, on my life, | |
| For our lost venison I shall find a wife. Exeunt [all but MAYOR]. | 60 |
| L. MAYOR. In, gentlemen; I’ll not be absent long.— | |
| This Hammon is a proper gentleman, | |
| A citizen by birth, fairly allied; | |
| How fit an husband were he for my girl! | 64 |
| Well, I will in, and do the best I can, | |
| To match my daughter to this gentleman. Exit. | |
