|
| Thomas Dekker (1570–1632). The Shoemaker’s Holiday. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
| Act III |
| Scene III |
Enter the LORD MAYOR and Master SCOTT 1 L. MAYOR. Good Master Scott, I have been bold with you, | |||||||||
| To be a witness to a wedding-knot | |||||||||
| Betwixt young Master Hammon and my daughter. | |||||||||
| O, stand aside; see where the lovers come. | 4 | ||||||||
Enter Master HAMMON and ROSE ROSE. Can it be possible you love me so? | |||||||||
| No, no, within those eyeballs I espy | |||||||||
| Apparent likelihoods of flattery. | |||||||||
| Pray now, let go my hand. | 8 | ||||||||
| HAM. Sweet Mistress Rose, | |||||||||
| Misconstrue not my words, nor misconceive | |||||||||
| Of my affection, whose devoted soul | |||||||||
| Swears that I love thee dearer than my heart. | 12 | ||||||||
| ROSE. As dear as your own heart? I judge it right, | |||||||||
| Men love their hearts best when th’are out of sight. | |||||||||
| HAM. I love you, by this hand. | |||||||||
| ROSE. Yet hands off now! | 16 | ||||||||
| If flesh be frail, how weak and frail’s your vow! | |||||||||
| HAM. Then by my life I swear. | |||||||||
| ROSE. Then do not brawl; | |||||||||
| One quarrel loseth wife and life and all. | 20 | ||||||||
| Is not your meaning thus? | |||||||||
| HAM. In faith, you jest. | |||||||||
| ROSE. Love loves to sport; therefore leave love, y’are best. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. What? square 2 they, Master Scott? | 24 | ||||||||
| SCOTT. Sir, never doubt, | |||||||||
| Lovers are quickly in, and quickly out. | |||||||||
| HAM. Sweet Rose, be not so strange in fancying me. | |||||||||
| Nay, never turn aside, shun not my sight: | 28 | ||||||||
| I am not grown so fond, to fond 3 my love | |||||||||
| On any that shall quit it with disdain; | |||||||||
| If you will love me, so—if not, farewell. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Why, how now, lovers, are you both agreed? | 32 | ||||||||
| HAM. Yes, faith, my lord. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. ’Tis well, give me your hand. | |||||||||
| Give me yours, daughter.—How now, both pull back! | |||||||||
| What means this, girl? | 36 | ||||||||
| ROSE. I mean to live a maid. | |||||||||
| HAM. But not to die one; pause, ere that be said. Aside. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Will you still cross me, still be obstinate? | |||||||||
| HAM. Nay, chide her not, my lord, for doing well; | 40 | ||||||||
| If she can live an happy virgin’s life, | |||||||||
| ’Tis far more blessed than to be a wife. | |||||||||
| ROSE. Say, sir, I cannot: I have made a vow, | |||||||||
| Whoever be my husband, ’tis not you. | 44 | ||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Your tongue is quick; but Master Hammon, know, | |||||||||
| I bade you welcome to another end. | |||||||||
HAM.
| |||||||||
| Or shall I undertake some martial spoil, | 48 | ||||||||
| Wearing your glove at tourney and at tilt, | |||||||||
| And tell how many gallants I unhors’d— | |||||||||
| Sweet, will this pleasure you? | |||||||||
| ROSE. Yea, when wilt begin? | 52 | ||||||||
| What, love rhymes, man? Fie on that deadly sin! | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. If you will have her, I’ll make her agree. | |||||||||
| HAM. Enforced love is worse than hate to me. | |||||||||
| [Aside.] There is a wench keeps shop in the Old Change, | 56 | ||||||||
| To her will I; it is not wealth I seek, | |||||||||
| I have enough; and will prefer her love | |||||||||
| Before the world.—[Aloud.] My good lord mayor, adieu. | |||||||||
| Old love for me, I have no luck with new. Exit. | 60 | ||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Now, mammet, 4 you have well behav’d yourself, | |||||||||
| But you shall curse your coyness if I live.— | |||||||||
| Who’s within there? See you convey your mistress | |||||||||
| Straight to th’ Old Ford! I’ll keep you straight enough. | 64 | ||||||||
| Fore God, I would have sworn the pulling girl | |||||||||
| Would willingly accepted Hammon’s love; | |||||||||
| But banish him, my thoughts!—Go, minion, in! Exit ROSE. | |||||||||
| Now tell me, Master Scott, would you have thought | 68 | ||||||||
| That Master Simon Eyre, the shoemaker, | |||||||||
| Had been of wealth to buy such merchandise? | |||||||||
| SCOTT. ’Twas well, my lord, your honour and myself | |||||||||
| Grew partners with him; for your bills of lading | 72 | ||||||||
| Shew that Eyre’s gains in one commodity | |||||||||
| Rise at the least to full three thousand pound | |||||||||
| Besides like gain in other merchandise. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Well, he shall spend some of his thousands now, | 76 | ||||||||
| For I have sent for him to the Guildhall | |||||||||
Enter EYRE See, where he comes.—Good morrow, Master Eyre. | |||||||||
| EYRE. Poor Simon Eyre, my lord, your shoemaker. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Well, well, it likes 5 yourself to term you so. | 80 | ||||||||
Enter DODGER Now, Master Dodger, what’s the news with you? | |||||||||
| DODGER. I’d gladly speak in private to your honour. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. You shall, you shall.—Master Eyre and Master Scott, | |||||||||
| I have some business with this gentleman; | 84 | ||||||||
| I pray, let me entreat you to walk before | |||||||||
| To the Guildhall; I’ll follow presently. | |||||||||
| Master Eyre, I hope ere noon to call you sheriff. | |||||||||
| EYRE. I would not care, my lord, if you might call me King of | 88 | ||||||||
| Spain.—Come, Master Scott. [Exeunt EYRE and SCOTT.] | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Now, Master Dodger, what’s the news you bring? | |||||||||
| DODGER. The Earl of Lincoln by me greets your lordship, | |||||||||
| And earnestly requests you, if you can, | 92 | ||||||||
| Inform him where his nephew Lacy keeps. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Is not his nephew Lacy now in France? | |||||||||
| DODGER. No, I assure your lordship, but disguis’d | |||||||||
| Lurks here in London. | 96 | ||||||||
| L. MAYOR. London? Is’t even so? | |||||||||
| It may be; but upon my faith and soul, | |||||||||
| I know not where he lives, or whether he lives: | |||||||||
| So tell my Lord of Lincoln.—Lurks in London? | 100 | ||||||||
| Well, Master Dodger, you perhaps my start him; | |||||||||
| Be but the means to rid him into France, | |||||||||
| I’ll give you a dozen angels 6 for your pains; | |||||||||
| So much I love his honour, hate his nephew. | 104 | ||||||||
| And, prithee, so inform thy lord from me. | |||||||||
| DODGER. I take my leave. Exit DODGER. | |||||||||
| L. MAYOR. Farewell, good Master Dodger. | |||||||||
| Lacy in London? I dare pawn my life, | 108 | ||||||||
| My daughter knows thereof, and for that cause | |||||||||
| Deni’d young Master Hammon in his love. | |||||||||
| Well, I am glad I sent her to Old Ford. | |||||||||
| Gods Lord, ’tis late; to Guildhall I must hie; | 112 | ||||||||
| I know my brethren stay 7 my company. Exit. |
| Note 1. London: a room in the Lord Mayor’s house. [back] |
| Note 2. Quarrel. [back] |
| Note 3. Found, set; a pun upon fond. [back] |
| Note 4. Puppet, doll. [back] |
| Note 5. Pleases. [back] |
| Note 6. Coins worth about 10s. each. [back] |
| Note 7. Wait for. [back] |
| CONTENTS · BOOK CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · DRAMATIS PERSONÆ | ||||
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