Clo. Come on, ftrike up. Dor. Mopfa must be your miftrefs; marry, garlick to mend her kiffing with Mop. Now in good time! Clo. Not a word, a word; * we ftand upon our manners come, ftrike up. Here a dance of Shepherds and Shepherdeffes. Pol. Pray, good shepherd, what fair fwain is this, Who dances with your daughter? Shep. They call him Doricles, and he boasts himself He looks like footh; he fays, he loves my daughter, As 'twere, my daughter's eyes: and to be plain, Who loves another beft. Pol. She dances featly. Shep. So fhe does any thing, tho' I report it Ser. O master, if you did but hear the pedler at the door, you would never dance again after a tabor and pipe; no, the bag-pipe could not move you; he fings feveral tunes, faster than you'll tell money; he utters them as he had eaten ballads, and all men's ears grew to his tunes. Clo. He could never come better; he fhall come in. I love a ballad but even too well, if it be doleful matter merrily fet down; or a very pleasant thing indeed, and fung lamentably. Ser. He hath fongs for man, or woman, of all fizes; no milliner can fo fit his customers with gloves : he has the prettieft love-fongs for maids, fo without bawdry (which is ftrange), with fuch delicate burdens of didle-dos and fadings: jump her and thump her: and where fome ftretch-mouth'd rascal would, as it were, mean mifchief, and break a foul gap into the matter, he makes the maid to anfwer, Whoop, do me no harm, good man; puts him off, flights him, with Whoop, do me no harm, good man. Pol. This is a brave fellow. Clo. Believe me, thou talkeft of an admirable conceited fellow; has he any unbraided wares * ? Ser. He hath ribbons of all the colours i'th' rainbow; points, more than all the lawyers in Bohemia can learnedly handle, though they come to him by the grofs; inkles, caddiffes, cambricks, lawns; why, he fings them over, 'as they were Gods and Goddeffes; you would think a finock were a fhe-angel, he fo chants to the fleeve-band, and the work about the fquare on't. Clo. Pr'ythee, bring him in ; and let him approach, finging. Per. Forewarn him, that he ufe no fcurrilous words in's tunes. Clo. You have of thefe pedlers that have more in 'em than you'd think, fifter. Per. Ay, good brother, or go about to think. * Unbraided wares.] Surely we must read braided, for fuch are all the wares mentioned in the answer. VOL. II. 4 fleeve-band is put very properly by Sir T. Hanmer; it was before fleeve hand. X Enter Enter Autolycus finging. Lawn as white as driven fnow, Clo. If I were not in love with Mopsa, thou should'st take no money of me; but being enthrall'd as I am, it will also be the bondage of certain ribbons and gloves. Mop. I was promis'd them against the feast, but they come not too late now. Dor. He hath promis'd you more than that, or there be liars. Mop. He hath paid you all he promis'd you: 'may be, he has paid you more; which will shame you to give him again. Clo. Is there no manners left among maids? will they wear their plackets, where they should wear their faces? is there not milking time, when you are going to bed, or kiln-hole, to whistle of thefe fecrets, but you must be tittle-tattling before all our guests? 'tis well, they are whifp'ring. Clamour your tongues, and not a word more. 5 clamour your tongues,] The phrafe is taken from ring Mop ing. When bells are at the height, in order to cease them, the Mop. I have done. Come, you promis'd me a tawdry lace, and a pair of sweet gloves. Clo. Have I not told thee how I was cozen'd by the way, and loft all my money? Aut. And, indeed, Sir, there are cozeners abroad: therefore it behoves men to be wary. Clo. Fear not thou, man, thou shalt lofe nothing here. Aut. I hope fo, Sir, for I have about me many parcels of charge. Clo. What haft here? ballads ? Mop. Pray now, buy fome; I love a ballad in print, or a life; for then we are fure they are true. Aut. Here's one to a very doleful tune, how an ufurer's wife was brought to bed with twenty money bags at a burden; and how fhe long'd to eat adders' heads, and toads carbonado'd. Mop. Is it true, think you? Aut. Very true, and but a month old. Dor. Blefs me from marrying an usurer! Aut. Here's the midwife's name to't, one mistress Taleporter, and five or fix honeft wives that were prefent. Why should I carry lies abroad? Mop. Pray you now, buy it. Clo. Come on, lay it by, and let's first fee more ballads, we'll buy the other things anon. Aut. Here's another ballad, of a fish that appear'd upon the coast, on Wednesday, the fourfcore of April, forty thousand fathom above water, and fung this ballad against the hard hearts of maids; it was thought, she was a woman, and was turn'd into a cold fif, for she would not exchange flesh with one that lov'd her. The ballad is very pitiful, and as true. Dor. Is it true too, think you? the repetition of the ftrokes be- this is called clamouring them. comes much quicker than before: The allufion is humourous. WARBURTON. Aut. Five juftices hands at it; and witneffes, more than my pack will hold. Clo. Lay it by too: another. Aut. This is a merry ballad, but a very pretty one. Mop. Let's have fome merry ones. Aut. Why, this is a paffing merry one, and goes to the tune of, Two maids wooing a man; there's scarce a maid weftward, but fhe fings it: 'tis in request, I can tell you. Mop. We can both fing it; if thou❜lt bear a part, thou shalt hear, 'tis in three parts. Dor. We had the tune on't a month ago. Aut. I can bear my part, you must know; 'tis my occupation; have at it with you. Aut. Get you bence, for 1 must go Dor. Whitber? Mop. O whither? Dor. Whither? Mop. It becomes thy oath full well, Dor. Me too, let me go thither: Mop. Or thou goeft to th' grange, or mill, Dor. If to either, thou doft ill: Aut. Neither. Dor. What neither? Aut. Neither. Dor. Thou haft fworn my love to be; Then whither gceft? fay, whither ? Clo. We'll have this fong out anon by ourselves; my father and the gentlemen are in fad talk, and we'll not trouble them: come, bring away thy pack after me. Wenches, I'll buy for you both. Pedler, let's have the first choice. Follow me, girls. Aut. And you fhall pay well for 'em. [afide. SONG. |