HORTENSIO

'Tis done my Lord. How fares my beauteous charge? weeping Lady? the law shall fetch read water from his veins that hath drawn blood of your eyes, is this the traitor? How! choked? Down with him. I warn you madam, if irons will hold him. him. Your will's a law, we obey it madam. Good figure, very good figure, for as the house is found out by the sign, so must this traitor be scented out by the token, up with the first sign good Assistance. More strange: you shall have many proper men fair spoken, but not one amongst twenty well conditioned, but soft, this should be the house by the sign, I must pick it out of him by wit. I must, Like a wise Justice of peace, pick treason out of this fellow. I, treason madam; know you this hand? 'Tis rumourd about the Court that your name is Aspero. Then the Duke of Mantua has a traitor to his son, lay hands of him and to close prison with him. I do not think so madam, but your father has imposed the trust upon me. A maid against your will. You have herd his usage Lady, seen his lodging, and if it please you, you both may and shall confer with him. How do you man? Why shall we go to span-counter madam? I cannot give it a name equal to the merit. 'Tis vulgarly called Blindmans buff. Do you laugh at it? I, I, none shall be blind but I; help of with my gown boy. And most fit, for indeed nothing blinds lovers sooner then Ladies favors, but who shall blind me. Good again; for who should blind men, but beauteous women? come sweet madam. Jf J take you prisoner madam, you must either be hud winckt your self, or give your conqueror a kiss for your ran some. As a purblind Poet: have amongst you blind Harpers. Your ransom's but a kiss. Yes madam, but isle take it on your lips. And here are my honest receivers to take it. As if you had served seven year for't: sweet kiss, rare lip. As perfume. And smooth as velvet: I could scarce discern it from velvet: idem pawn my office for the fellow on't, madam. Gone madam? Have you deceived me madam? Why then 'twill never be Lady. Escaped again? What have I catchd you? Kings truce till I breath a little. As a bruers horse, and as long-winded; look to your self madam, I come upon you. I'll mend it next course you shall see. Madam. Where? Help me up Madam, I do love you madam. True madam; your beauty has made me blind. But they will see. But will you give me the fingers that hold this glove madam? I will not lose you yet Lady. Nay but deer madam, do but answer me, may I pre fume, upon my knees I beg it; but to take a favour from your sweet lips? shall I? las I am not the first man, that love has blinded, may I presume' I would be loath to offend your mild patience so much, as with and unreverend touch: speak; if I shall reap the harvest of my honest desires, make me blessed in proposing the time when; what? not a word? are you displeased? or shall I take your silence for a consent? shall I? speak; or if modesty lock in your syllables, seal my assurance with a kiss: not? neither? shall I have neither your word nor your bound? nay then I must make bold with modesty; by this kiss madam, Oh my hard fortune? have I made suit to a post all this while? what block but I, would have been so senseless? my excule is, 'twas but to make my Lady sport: and: Madam? how? Lady? madam? boy; madam, Aspero but whist, I have the conceit, 'twas excellent in my Lady, and J ap plaudit, suppose my Lady and his prisoner had and intent of pri vate business in the next room; was it not better in her to blind me, then I should as gentlemen ushers (cases so standing) have blinded my self? again, J applaud her, and adore my stars that made me rather a blind then a seeing doorkeeper: shall I inter rupt them? no: madam? they have not done yet, sure they have not: what have we here? a base viol! though J cannot tickle the mynnikyn within, isle (though it be some what base) give them a song without, and the name of the Ditty shall be; The Gentleman Ushers Voluntary. Why saucy knave 'tis J. A single V, I came in double, but I thank them, they are gone out, and left me here a single.— Knave, I am Hortensio, I charge thee let me out. From whom? Sfoot knave J tell thee I am he, and thou wilt not be leave me, trust thine eyes, come in and see. Where's my Lady, send his hither, Hortensio gone outland my Lady busy with Hortensio I am gulled, palpably gulled: while I Like a block stood courting the post, Aspero is m my appatrell escapde: villains, traitors, open the door, to e Duke's abused, his daughter's fled: I proclaim ye all traitors that hinder me in the pursuit. Blindmans buff? I have bufft it fairly, and mine own gullery grieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure, jailer, not a word? jailer, there's no way to please a knave but fair words, and gold: honest kind jailer, here's gold for thee: do but take pity upon me, a miserable cony-catchd Courtier: not? neither fair nor foul? thou art a degree worse then a woe man; what shall I do? I can compare my fortune and my vnfor tunate self to nothing so fitly as my Base here, we suffer every fool to play upon us for their pleasure: and indeed 'twas the in tent of our Creator that made fiddles and servitors to nothing but to be played upon, and played upon we shall be, till our heart strings crack, and then they either cast us aside or hang us up, as worthy no other employment; well, if I can work my means, of escape, so: if not, I must lie by it. Not merely in act: said cogitation, & id satis est ut inquit Suetonius. I pray let my tongue be my heads Attorney, and plead my excuse. I'll careful be. But madam. How? a proper man without a beard? we shall scarce find that sign in all Venice: for the properness of a man lives altoge there in the fashion of his beard, good Assistance the next. Then while you and your father's letters talk together, let me examine this fellow: are you a proper man without a beard? Son to the Duke of Mantua that was. With my head if you were my wife, but not with my profit, if you were my mother: will you along si ? I hau't i'faith, when I was student in Padua, We used a most ingenious pastime. Will you hear and Apology I made in the commendation of it? Where? They consented together to cousin me, for taking delight (as my betters may do) in a foolish pastime called Blindmans buff, they stole away my gown, escaped the prison, and left me in fools paradise, where, what song I have played, my Viol can witness, they made me a little better then a bawd my Lord. If he escape, hang me. Exit & As. with Aspero.