CITIZEN

Hold your peace goodman boy. That you have no good meaning: This seven years there hath been plays at this house, I have observed it, you have still girds at Citizens; and now you call your play, The London Merchant. Down with your Title boy, down with your Title. I am. Yea, and a Grocer. No sir, yes sir, if you were not resolved to play the Jacks, what needs you study for new subjects, purposely to a buse your betters? why could not you be contented, as well as others, with the legend of Whittington, or the life & death of sir Thomas Gresham? with the building of the Royal Ex change? or the story of Queen Elenor, with the rearing of London bridge upon woolsacks? Why present something notably in honour of the Commons of the City. I do not Like that, but I will have a Citizen, and he shall be of my own trade. It's all one for that, I will have a Grocer, and he shall do admirable things. Marry I will have him— What sayest thou cunny? So he shall, ll'e have him kill a Lion with a pestle. I cunny. Rafe help your mistress this way: pray gen tlemen make her a little room, I pray you sir lend me your hand to help up my wife: I thank you sir. So. Boy, let my wife and I have a cupple stools, and then begin, and let the Grocer do rare things. Well remembered wife, come up Rafe: Il'e tell you Gentlemen, let them but lend him a suit of reparrell, and ne cessaries, and by Gad, if any of them all blow wind in the tail on him, Il'e be hanged. Do Rafe, do. How say you Gentlemen, is it not as I told you? I, and he should have played Jeronimo with a Shoe maker for a wager. In Rafe, in Rafe, and set out the Grocery in their kind, if thou lovest me. The Grocers honour. Let it be so, begin, begin, my wife and I will fit down. What stately mucsike have you? you have shawmes. No? Im'e a thief if my mind did not give me so. Rafe plays a stately partly, and he must needs have shawnes: Il'e be at the charge of them my self, rather then we'll be with out them. Why and so I will be: ther's two shillings, let's have the waits of South-work, they are as rare fellows as any are in England; and that will fetch them all over the water with a vengeance, as if they were mad. I, come wife. Take you no care for Rafe, he'll discharge himself I warrant you. Chicken, I prithee heartily contain thy self, the children are pretty children, but when Rafe comes, Lamb. I prithee mouse be patient, a shall have her, or i'll make some'em smoke for't. Peace fool, let Rafe alone, hark you Rafe; do not strain your self too much at the first, peace, begin Rafe. Hold thy tongue, on Rafe. Well said Rafe, some more of those words Rafe. Whoresome blockhead cannot remember. Go thy ways Rafe, as Im'e a true man, thou art the best on they all. If he were my son, I would hang him up by the heals, and flay him, and salt him, whoreson halter sack. Yes Cunny. I by Lady cunny, hold thee there. Hang him rougue, he served him well enough: love his masters daughter! by my troth Cunny if there were a thousand boys, thou wouldst spoil them all with taking their parts, let his mother alone with him. Peace Cunny. Sirrah, you scurvy boy, bid the play ers send Rafe, or by Gods—and they do not, Il'e tear some of their periwigs beside their heads: this is all Riff Raff. No, no, I prithee fit still honeysuckle, thoul't spoil all, if he deny him, Il'e bring half a doze ̄ good fellows my self, & in the shutting of and evening knocked up, & ther's and end. If I could but see Ralph again, I were as merry as mine Host faith. How likest thou this wench? Peace a little bird, he shall kill them all and they were twenty more on they then there are. Did not I tell you Nel what your man would do? by the says of my body wench, for clean Actium and good delivery they may all cast their caps at him. You're too bitter, conny, the young man may do well enough for all this. No, no, you talk Like a foolish woman, I'll would Ralph fight with him, and swing him up welfauourdlie, sirrah boy come hither, let Ralph come in and fight with Jasper. Plot me no plots, I'll would Ralph come out, I'll make your house too hight for you else. Go your ways goodman boy, I'll hold him a pen nigh he shall have his bellyful of fighting now, ho here comes Ralph, no more. No more, wife no more. No, no, I have found out the matter sweetheart, Jasper is enchanted, as sure as we are here, he is enchanted, he could no more have stood in Ralph's hands, then I can stand in my Lord Majors, I'll have a ring to discover all inchant ments, and Ralph shall beat him yet: be no more vexed for it shall be so. If Ralph had him at the Fencing-school, if he did not make a puppy of him, and driven him up and down the school he should never come in my shop more. Yes Duck. Yes indeed did he mouse. What is it Nel? So he shall Nel, and if I join with him, we'll knock them all. No Nel, I warrant thee Jasper is at Puckeridge with her, by this. Nay Cunny, what wilt thou lay with me that Ralph has her not yet. Peace Coney, thou shalt see him taken down too I warrant thee; here's Luces father come now. Why this is well coney: but if Ralph were hight once, thou shouldst see more. I Nell, but this is scurvy music: I gave the whore son gallows money, and I think he has not God me the waits of South-work, if I hear him not anan, Il'e twinge him by the ears. You Musicians, play Baloo. Why this is it cony. No lamb, that's Ralph and Lucrece. No mouse, that was a Tartarian. I warrant thee (sweet heart) we'll have him ham pered. I conie. Come, hug in mine arms sweet mouse, he shall not fright thee any more: alas mine own deer heart, how it quivers. Peace Nell, let Rafe alone. No Nell, no, nothing but the old Knight is merry with Rafe. I, I Ralph, all is paid. I hold my cap to a farthing he does: why Nel I saw him wrestle with the great Dutchman and hurl him. Nay by your leave Nel, Niniuy was better. Yes lamb. Good Mistress Merry-thought be gone, I pray you for my sake, I pray you forbear a little, you shall have audi ence presently, I have a little business. Boy, come hither, send away Ralph and this whoreson Giant quickly. Let him come now and dispatch this, and I'll trou ble you no more. Falsify a blow Ralph, falsify a blow, the Giant lies open on the left side. Fetch him over the hip boy. No Ralph get all out of him first. Peace Nel, here comes the prisoners. Cony, I can tell thee the Gentlemen Like Rafe. Now Rafe is in this humour, I know he would would beaten all the boys in the house if they had been set on him. What if he be, sweet heart? What how does he use her honey? Nay prithee Nell chide not: for as I am and honest man, and a true Christian Grocer, I do not Like his do ings. I prithee sweet hunny-suckle, be content. Here love. Let me alone sweetheart, I have a trick in my head shall lodge him in the Arches for one year, and make him sing Peocani, ere I leave him, and yet he shall never know who hurt him neither. What shall we have Rafe do now boy? Why so sir, go and fetch me him then, and let the So phy of Persia come and Christian him a child. Well said Nell, it shall be so: boy let's have't done quickly. Sir boy, lets have't as you can then. Will it so sir? you are well read in Histories: I pray you what was sir Dagonet? was not he prentice to a Grocer in London? read the play of the Four Prentices of London, where they toss their pikes so: I pray you fetch him in sir, fetch him in. I Nell, it is the fashion of that country, I warrant tee. Well said Rafe, convert her if thou canst. Hark thee Rafe, there's money for thee; give something in the King of Cracovia's house, be not beholding to him. I cony, peace. No more a shannot love; but Nel I will have Ralph do a very notable matter now, to the eternal honour and glory of all Grocers, sirrah you there boy, can none of you hear? Let Ralph come out on Mayday in the morning and speak upon a Conduit with all his Scarves about him, and his feathers and his rings and his knacks. Why sir, I care not what become on't, I'll have him come out, or I'll fetch him out my self, I'll have some thing done in honour of the City, beside, he hath be long enough upon Adventures, bring him out quickly, or if I come in amongst you— Bring him away then. Rafe, Why Rafe boy. Come hither Rafe, come to thy mistress boy. Rafe, Rafe, double your files bravely Rafe. Let him look narrowly to his service, I shall take him else, I was there my self a pikeman once in the hottest of the day, wench; had my feather shot shear away, the fringe of my pike burned off with powder, my pate broken with a scouring-stick, and yet I thank God I am here. Ran, tan, tan, tan; ran, tan: Oh wench and thou hadst but seen little Ned of Algate, drum Ned, how he made it roar again, and laid on Like a tyrant: and then stroke softly till the ward came up, and then thundered again, and toga there we go: sa, sa, sa, bounce quoth the guns: courage my hearts, quoth the Captains: Saint George, quoth the pike men; and withal here they lay, and there they lay: And yet for all this I am here wench. Nell, the boy has deceived me much, I did not think it had been in him: he has performed such a matter wench, that if I live, next year Il'e have him Captain of the Galley foist, or Il'e want my will. I do not Like this, peace boys, hear me one of you, every bodies partly is come to and end but Raphes, and he's left out. Ralph come away, make on him as you have done of the rest, boys come. He shall Nel, Ralph come away quickly and die boy. Take you no care of that sir boy, is not his partly at and end, think you, when he's dead? come away Ralph. It's a pretty fiction faith. Fie upon am little infidels, what a matters here now? well, I'll be hanged for a halfpenny, if there be not some abomination knavery in this Play, well, let'em look toot, Rafe must come, and if there be any tricks a brewing,— I, I warrant thee, the Players would give all the shoes in their shop for him. And reason good, sweet heart. Yes I warrant thee duckling. Not so mouse neither, if he could convert him. No sweet heart it will be too much for the boy, o there he is Nel, he's reasonable well in reparell, but he has not rings enough. Come Nel, shall we go, the Plays done. What is it mouse? Here's Ralph, here's Ralph. Cap Ralph? no; holdy our hand sir Knight of the Bel, theres your money, have you any thing to say to Ralph now? Cap Ralph?