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The same. A room in the brothel.
[Enter Pandar, Bawd, and BOULT]
PANDAR
Well, I had rather than twice the worth of her she had nere come here.
BAWD
Fie, fie upon her, she is able to freeze the god Priapus, and undo a whole
generation, we must either get her ravished, or be rid of her, when she
should do for clients her fitment, and do me the kindness of our profession,
she has me her quirks, her reasons, her master reasons, her prayers, her
knees, that she would make a puritan of the devil, if he should cheapen a
kiss of her.
BOULT
'Faith I must ravish her, or she'll disfurnish us of all our cavaliers, and
make our swearers priests.
PANDAR
Now the pox upon her green-sickness for me.
BAWD
'Faith there's no way to be rid of it, but by the way to the pox. Here comes
the Lord Lysimachus disguised.
BOULT
We should have both lord and lown, if the peevish baggage would but give way
to customers.
[Enter LYSIMACHUS]
LYSIMACHUS
How now, how a dozen of virginities?
BAWD
Now the gods bless your honor!
BOULT
I am glad to see your honor in good health.
LYSIMACHUS
You may so, 'tis the better for you, that your resorters stand upon sound
legs, how now? wholesome iniquity have you, that a man may deal withal, and
defy the surgeon?
BAWD
We have here one, sir, if she would—
But there never came her like in Mytilene.
LYSIMACHUS
If she'd do the deeds of darkness, thou wouldst say.
BAWD
Your honor knows what 'tis to say well enough.
LYSIMACHUS
Well, call forth, call forth.
BOULT
For flesh and blood, sir, white and red, you shall see a rose, and she were
a rose indeed, if she had but--
LYSIMACHUS
What prithee?
BOULT
O sir, I can be modest.
LYSIMACHUS
That dignifies the renown of a bawd, no less than it gives a good report to
a number to be chaste.
[Exit BOULT. Enter BOULT with MARINA]
BAWD
,
, ,
,
Here comes | that which | grows to | the stalk,
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Never plucked yet | I can as|sure you.
T T T
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Is she not | a fair | creature?
LYSIMACHUS
'Faith she would serve after a long voyage at sea,
, ,
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Well, there's | for you,| leave us. \\
BAWD
2 ,
, ,
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I beseech | your hon|or give | me leave | a word,
,
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And I'll | have done | presently.
LYSIMACHUS
2 , ,
I beseech | you do.
BAWD
First, I would have you note, this is an honorable man.
MARINA
I desire to find him so, that I may worthily note him.
BAWD
Next, he's the governor of this country, and a man whom I am bound to.
MARINA
If he govern the country, you are bound to him indeed, but how honorable he
is in that, I know not.
BAWD
Pray you without any more virginal fencing, will you use him kindly? He will
line your apron with gold.
MARINA
What he will do graciously, I will thankfully receive.
LYSIMACHUS
Have you done?
BAWD
My lord, she's not paced yet: you must take some pains to work her to your
manage, come, we will leave his honor and her together.
[Exeunt Bawd, Pandar, and BOULT]
LYSIMACHUS
Now, pretty one, how long have you been at this trade?
MARINA
What trade, sir?
LYSIMACHUS
Why, I cannot name it but I shall offend.
MARINA
I cannot be offended with my trade, please you to name it.
LYSIMACHUS
How long have you been of this profession?
MARINA
Ere since I can remember.
LYSIMACHUS
Did you go to it so young? Were you a gamester at five, or at seven?
MARINA
Earlier too, sir, if now I be one.
LYSIMACHUS
Why the house you dwell in, proclaims you to be a creature of sale.
MARINA
Do you know this house to be a place of such resort, and will come into it?
I hear say you are of honorable parts, and are the governor of this place.
LYSIMACHUS
Why? hath your principal made known unto you, who I am?
MARINA
Who is my principal?
LYSIMACHUS
Why your herb-woman, she that sets seeds and roots of shame and iniquity. O
you have heard something of my power, and so stand aloof for more serious
wooing, but I protest to thee, pretty one, my authority shall not see thee,
or else look friendly upon thee; come bring me to some private place, come,
come.
MARINA
If you were born to honor, show it now, if put upon you, make the judgment
good, that thought you worthy of it.
LYSIMACHUS
How's this? how's this? Some more, be sage.
MARINA
For me that am a maid, though most ungentle fortune have placed me in this
sty, where since I came, diseases have been sold dearer than physic, O that
the gods would set me free from this unhallowed place, though they did
change me to the meanest bird that flies in the purer air.
LYSIMACHUS
I did not think thou couldst have spoke so well, I nere dreamed thou
couldst; had I brought hither a corrupted mind, thy speech had altered it,
hold, here's gold for thee, persever in that clear way thou goest, and the
gods strengthen thee.
MARINA
The good gods preserve you.
LYSIMACHUS
For my part, I came with no ill intent, for to me the very doors and windows
savor vilely, fare thee well, thou art a piece of virtue, and I doubt not
but thy training hath been noble, hold, here's more gold for thee, a curse
upon him, die he like a thief that robs thee of thy goodness, if thou dost
hear from me, it shall be for thy good.
BOULT
I beseech your honor, one piece for me.
LYSIMACHUS
Avaunt thou damned door-keeper, your house but for this virgin that doth
prop it, would sink and overwhelm you. Away.
[Exit]
BOULT
How's this? We must take another course with you? If your peevish chastity,
which is not worth a breakfast in the cheapest country under the cope, shall
undo a whole household, let me be gelded like a spaniel, come your ways.
MARINA
Whither would you have me?
BOULT
I must have your maidenhead taken off, or the common hangman shall execute
it, come your way, we'll have no more gentlemen driven away, come your ways
I say.
[Enter Bawd]
BAWD
How now, what's the matter?
BOULT
Worse and worse, mistress, she has here spoken holy words to the Lord
Lysimachus.
BAWD
O abominable.
BOULT
She makes our profession as it were to stink afore the face of the gods.
BAWD
Marry hang her up forever.
BOULT
The nobleman would have dealt with her like a nobleman, and she sent him
away as cold as a snowball, saying his prayers too.
BAWD
Boult, take her away, use her at thy pleasure, crack the glass of her
virginity, and make the rest malleable.
BOULT
And if she were a thornier piece of ground than she is, she shall be plowed.
MARINA
Hark, hark, you gods.
BAWD
She conjures, away with her, would she had never come within my doors, marry
hang you, She's born to undo us, will you not go the way of women-kind?
Marry come up my dish of chastity, with rosemary and bays.
[Exit]
BOULT
Come mistress, come your ways with me.
MARINA
Whither would you have me?
BOULT
To take from you the jewel you hold so dear.
MARINA
Prithee tell me one thing first.
BOULT
Come now, your one thing.
MARINA
What canst thou wish thine enemy to be?
BOULT
Why I could wish him to be my master, or rather my mistress.
MARINA
Neither of these are so bad as thou art, since they do better thee in their
command: thou holdst a place, for which the painedst fiend of hell would not
in reputation change: thou art the damned doorkeeper to every coistrel that
comes inquiring for his Tib; to the choleric fisting of every rogue, thy ear
is liable, thy food is such as hath been belched on by infected lungs.
BOULT
What would you have me do? go to the wars, would you, where a man may serve
seven years for the loss of a leg, and have not money enough in the end to
buy him a wooden one?
MARINA
Do anything but this thou dost, empty old receptacles, or common shores of
filth; serve by indenture to the common hangman, Any of these ways are yet
better than this: for what thou professest, a baboon, could he speak, would
own a name too dear: Oh, that the gods would safely deliver me from this
place: here, here's gold for thee, if that thy master would gain by me,
proclaim that I can sing, weave, sew, and dance, with other virtues, which
I'll keep from boast, and I will undertake all these to teach. I doubt not
but this populous city will yield many scholars.
BOULT
But can you teach all this you speak of?
MARINA
Prove that I cannot, take me home again, and prostitute me to the basest
groom that doth frequent your house.
BOULT
Well, I will see what I can do for thee: if I can place thee I will.
MARINA
But amongst honest women.
BOULT
Faith my acquaintance lies little among them; but since my master and
mistress have bought you, there's no going but by their consent: therefore I
will make them acquainted with your purpose, and I doubt not but I shall
find them tractable enough. Come, I'll do for thee what I can, come your
ways.
[Exeunt]