STEPHANO

¶Good master make haste, for I tell you plain, This heavy burden puts poor Stephano to much pain. Sir, for lies, hitherto you never controlde Me, O that we had never set foot on this land, Where Dionisius reigns, with so bloody a hand, Every day he shows some token of cruelty, With blood he hath filled all the streets in the City: I tremble to hear the peoples murmuring, I lament, to see his most cruel dealing: I think there is no such tyrant under the Sun, Oh my deer Master's, this Morning what hath he done? As I this morning passed in the street, With a woeful man (going to his death) did I meet, Many people foldwed, and I of one secretly, Asked the cause, why he was condemned to die? Whispered in mine ear, nought hath he done but thus, In his sleep he dreamed he had killed Dionisius, Which dream told abroad was brought to the king in post, By whom condemned for suspicion, his life he hath lost: Marcia was his name as the people said. ¶With such quick Kar ers, I list not be uainted. ¶And good cause why: for you are entirely beloved of one, And as far as I hear, Dionisius is beloved of none. ¶Good faith sir, concerning the people they are not gay, And as far as I see; they be Mummers, for nought they say, For the most part what soever you ask them The soil is such, that to live hear I can not like. * In faith, I like well this question, r: for all your haste, To eat somewhat I pray you, think it no folly, It is High dinner time, I know by my belly. ¶ I may be lighter thereby but I shall never run the faster. ¶ Course or discourse, your course is very course for all your talk, You had but one b re course, and that was Pike, rise and walk, And surely for all your talk of Philosophy, I never herd that a man with words could fill his belly, Feed your eyes (quod you) the reason from my wisdom swerveth, I stared on you both, and yet my belly starveth ¶ I care not for your crafti Sophistry, You two are fine, let me be fed like a grose knave Still, I pray you license me for a while to have my will: At home to tarry while you take view of this city, To find some odd victuals in a corner, I am very witty. ¶With wings on my feet I go. ¶It is true, o cruel happen, he is taken for a Spy, and as they say, by Dionisius own mouth condemned to die. ¶ A Sicophant fall ely accused him: other cause there is none, That o Jupiter, of all wrongs the Revenger, eest thou this unjustice, and wilt thou stay any longer From heaven to send down, thy hight consuming fire? To destroy the workers of wrong, which provoke thy joust ire Alas master Pithias, what shall we do? Being in a strange country, void of friends & acquaintance too Ah poor Stephano, hast thou lived to see this day? To see thy true Master unjustly made away? ¶I am gone sir: ah, I would to God, my travail and pain Might restore my Master to his liberty again. ¶By friendship I gate into the Court, where in great Audience, I herd Dionisius with his own mouth give this cruel sentence By these express words: that Damon the Greek that crafty spy, Without farther Judgement, to morrow should die: Believe Me Pithias, with these ears I herd it my self ¶Sir, there is no time of lamenting now, it behooves us, To make means to them which can did much with Dionisius: That he be not made away ere his cause be fully herd, for we see By evil report, things be made to Princes far worse then they been, But lo, yonder continued ̄ meth Aristippus, in great favour w to king Dionisius Entreat him to speak a good word to the King for us: And in the mean season, I will to your lodging, to see all things safe there. O my deer Master, let me go with you, for my poor company, Shall be some small comfort in this time of misery. Farewell my deer Master, since your pleasure is so, O cruel happen, o poor Stephano: Oh cursed Carisophus, that first moved this Tragidie, But what a noise is this? Is all well within trow the: I fear all be not well within, I will go see: Come out you Weasel, are you seeking Eggs in Damons chest, Come out I say, Wilt thou be packing? by cock you wear best. Out sir knave or I will send the, Art thou not content to accuse Damon wrongfully, But wilt thou rebbe him also, and that openly? Thine own villain: Where is thine authority? Byr lady, that is somewhat, but have you no more to show? Then for and earnest penny, take this blow. hall bombast you, you mocking knave, schil put pro in my purse for this time. Away Jack napes, 'tis I will colpheg you by and by, slave I will have my penny worths of Thee, therefore if I die, out villain. Nay, they will rather help to hang Thee. f this condition I will stay, if thou swear as thou art and honest man ou Wilt say nothing to the King of this when I am gone. Then say on thy mind: I have taken a wise oath on him, have I not trow you? oh trust such a false knave upon his honesty, he is and honest man (quoth you) he may bewray all to the King, oh break his oath for this never a whit, but my framon I tell you this one thing you di close this I will devise such a way, at w ilst thou livest thou shalt remember this day. Why so? I pray Thee heartily? He should not, but what he does it is evident by Thee: And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land. Nay, all right courtiers will ken me thank, and wot you why? Because I handled a counterfeit Courtier in his kind so finely, What sir: all are not Courtiers that have a counterfeit show, In a trope of honest men, some knaves may stand you know: Such as by stealth creep in, under the colour of honesty, Which sort under that cloak, do all kind of villainy: A right courtier is virtuous, gentle, and full of urbanity, Hurting no man, good to all, devoid of all villainy: But such as thou act, fountains of squirilitie, & vain delights, Though you hang by the courts, you are b to flattering Parasites, As well deserving the right name of courtesy, As the coward Knight, the true praise of chivalry: I could say more, but I will not, for that I am your well willer, In faith Carisophus, you are no Courtier but a catterpiller, A Sicophant, a Parasite, a flatterer, and a knave? Whither I will or no, these names you must have: How well you deserne this, by your deeds it is known, For that so unjustly thou hast accused poor Damon, Whose woeful case the Gods help alone. No bum troth, good man Grumbe, his name is Stephano. I am called Onaphets, if needs you will know, The knave begins to sift me, but I turn my name in & out, Cretiso cum cretense, to make him a lout. I am reckoning with my self, how I may pay my debts. Nay, upon a farther reckoning, I will pay you more if I know Either you talk of that is done, or by your Sicophanticall envy, You prick forth Dionisius the sooner, that Damon may die: I will so pay Thee, that to y bones shall rattell in thy skin, Remember what I have said, Onaphets is my name. EXIT O Damon my deer master, in all this joy remember me. Oh most happy, pleasant, joyful, and triumphant day, Poor Stephano, now shall live in contintinuall joy: VIVE LE ROY with Damon and pithias in perfect amity, VIVE TV STEPHANO, in thy pleasant liberality: Wherein I joy as much as he that hath a conquest won, I am a free man, none so merry as I now under the Son: Farewell my Lords, now y e Gods grant you all y e some of perfect amity And me long to enjoy my long deam ̄ read liberty. EXIT. Away villain, away you flattering Parasite, Away the plague of this Court, thy filed tongue that forged lies, No more here shall do hurt, away false Sicophant, wilt thou not? ¶That could I never , to forget my self, full well I know, Wheresoever I go, that I am PAUPER STEPHANO : But I pray you sir, for all your Philosophy, See that in this Cour e you walk very wisely: You are but newly come hither, being strangers you know, Many eyes are bent on you in the streets as you go: Many spies are abroad, you can not be too circumspect.