Go thy ways, and get me a minister presently, with a soft, low voice to marry us, and pray him he will not be impertinent, but brief as he can; away: softly, Cutbeard. Exit Cutbeard. Sirrah, conduct your mistress into the diningroom, your now-mistress. Exit Mute, Epicoene. Oh my felicity! How I shall be revenged on mine insolent kinsman and his plots to fright me from marrying! This night I will get an heir, and thrust him out of my blood like a stranger; he would be knighted, forsooth, and thought by that means to reign over me, his title must do it: no, kinsman, I will now make you bring me the tenth lord's and the sixteenth lady's letter, kinsman; and it shall do you no good, kinsman. Your knighthood itself shall come on its knees, and it shall be rejected; it shall be sued for its fees to execution, and not be redeemed; it shall cheat at the twelvepenny ordinary, it knighthood, for its diet all the termtime, and tell tales for it in the vacation, to the hostess: or it knighthood shall do worse; take sanctuary in Coleharbor and fast. It shall fright all it friends with borrowing letters; and when one of the fourscore hath brought it knighthood ten shillings, it knighthood shall go to the Cranes, or the Bear at the Bridge foot, and be drunk in fear: it shall not have money to discharge one tavern reckoning, to invite the old creditors to forbear it knighthood; or the new, that should be, to trust it knighthood. It shall be the tenth name in the bond, to take up the commodity of pipkins and stone jugs; and the part thereof shall not furnish it knighthood forth, for the attempting of a baker's widow, a brown baker's widow. It shall give it knighthood's name, for a stallion, to all gamesome citizens' wives, and be refused; when the master of a dancing school, or (How do you call him) the worst reveller in the town is taken: it shall want clothes, and by reason of that, wit, to fool to lawyers. It shall not have hope to repair itself by Constantinople, Ireland, or Virginia; but the best and last fortune to it knighthood shall be, to make Dol Tearsheet or Kate Common a lady: and so it knighthood may eat.

 

Exit

 

 

Scene 6

A lane near Morose's house

 

Enter Truewit, Dauphine, Clerimont

 

TRU. Are you sure he is not gone by?

DAU. No, I stayed in the shop ever since.

CLE. But, he may take the other end of the lane.

DAU. No, I told him I would be here at this end: I appointed him hither.

TRU. What a barbarian it is to stay then!

DAU. Yonder he comes.

CLE. And his charge left behind him, which is a very good sign, Dauphine.

 

Enter Cutbeard

 

DAU. How now, Cutbeard, succeeds it, or no?

CUT. Past imagination, sir, omnia secunda; you could not have prayed, to have had it so well: Saltat senex, as it is i' the proverb, he does triumph in his felicity; admires the party! He has given me the lease of my house too! And I am now going for a silent minister to marry 'em, and away.

TRU. 'Slight, get one o' the silenced ministers, a zealous brother would torment him purely.

CUT. Cum privilegio, sir.

DAU. Oh, by no means, let's do nothing to hinder it now; when 'tis done and finished, I am for you: for any device of vexation.

CUT. And that shall be, within this half hour, upon my dexterity, gentlemen. Contrive what you can, in the meantime, bonis avibus.

CLE. How the slave doth Latin it!

TRU. It would be made a jest to posterity, sirs, this day's mirth, if ye will.

CLE. Beshrew his heart that will not, I pronounce.

DAU. And for my part. What is't?

TRU. To translate all La Fool's company, and his feast hither, today, to celebrate this bride-ale.

DAU.