A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Ix Part 57

PETER PLOD-ALL.

Nay, he'll do more than that too, for he'll make himself like a devil, and fray the scholar that hankers about her out on's wits.

PLOD-ALL.

Marry, Jesus bless us! will he so? Marry, thou shalt have vorty s.h.i.+llings to give him, and thy mother shall bestow a hard cheese on him beside.

WILL CRICKET.

Landlord, a pox on you, this good morn!

PLOD-ALL.

How now, fool? what, dost curse me?

WILL CRICKET.

How now, fool! How now, caterpillar? It's a sign of death, when such vermin creep hedges so early in the morning.

PETER PLOD-ALL.

Sirrah foul manners, do you know to whom you speak?

WILL CRICKET.

Indeed, Peter, I must confess I want some of your wooing manners, or else I might have turned my fair bushtail to you instead of your father, and have given you the ill salutation this morning.

PETER PLOD-ALL.

Let him alone, Peter; I'll temper him well enough. Sirrah, I hear say, you must be married shortly. I'll make you pay a sweet fine for your house for this. Ha, sirrah! am not I your landlord?

WILL CRICKET.

Yes, for fault of a better; but you get neither sweet fine nor sour fine of me.

PLOD-ALL.

My masters, I pray you bear witness I do discharge him then.

WILL CRICKET.

My masters, I pray you bear witness my landlord has given me a general discharge. I'll be married presently. My fine's paid; I have a discharge for it. [_He offers to go away_.

PLOD-ALL.

Nay, prythee, stay.

WILL CRICKET.

No, I'll not stay. I'll go call the clerk. I'll be cried out upon i' the church presently. What, ho! what, clerk, I say? where are you?

_Enter_ CLERK.

CLERK.

Who calls me? what would you with me?

WILL CRICKET.

Marry, sir, I would have you to make proclamation that, if any manner of man, o' the town or the country, can lay any claim to Peg Pudding, let him bring word to the crier, or else William Cricket will wipe his nose of her.

CLERK.

You mean, you would be asked i' the church?

WILL CRICKET.

Ay, that's it. A bots on't, I cannot hit of these marrying terms yet.

And I'll desire my landlord here and his son to be at the celebration of my marriage too. I' faith, Peter, you shall cram your guts full of cheesecakes and custards there; and, sirrah clerk, if thou wilt say amen stoutly, i' faith, my powder-beef-slave, I'll have a rump of beef for thee, shall make thy mouth stand o' the tother side.

CLERK.

When would you have it done?

WILL CRICKET.

Marry, e'en as soon as may be. Let me see; I will be asked i' the church of Sunday morning prayer, and again at evening prayer, and the next holyday that comes, I will be asked i' the forenoon and married i' the afternoon, for, do you mark, I am none of these sneaking fellows that will stand thrumming of caps and studying upon a matter, as long as Hunks with the great head has been about to show his little wit in the second part of his paltry poetry,[156] but if I begin with wooing, I'll end with wedding, and therefore, good clerk, let me have it done with all speed; for, I promise you, I am very sharp-set.

CLERK.

Faith, you may be asked i' the church on Sunday at morning prayer, but Sir John cannot 'tend[157] to do it at evening prayer, for there comes a company of players to the town on Sunday i' the afternoon, and Sir John is so good a fellow that I know he'll scarce leave their company to say evening prayer; for, though I say it, he's a very painful man, and takes so great delight in that faculty, that he'll take as great pain about building of a stage or so, as the basest fellow among them.

WILL CRICKET.

Nay, if he have so lawful an excuse, I am content to defer it one day the longer; and, landlord, I hope you and your son Peter will make bold with us, and trouble us.

PLOD-ALL.

Nay, William, we would be loth to trouble you; but you shall have our company there.

WILL CRICKET.

Faith, you shall be very heartily welcome, and we will have good merry rogues there, that will make you laugh till you burst.

PETER PLOD-ALL.

Why, William, what company do you mean to have?

WILL CRICKET.

Marry, first and foremost, there will be an honest Dutch cobbler, that will sing _I will noe meare to Burgaine[158] go_, the best that ever you heard.

PETER PLOD-ALL.

What, must a cobbler be your chief guest? Why, he's a base fellow.

WILL CRICKET.

A base fellow! You may be ashamed to say so, for he's an honest fellow and a good fellow; and he begins to carry the very badge of good-fellows.h.i.+p upon his nose, that I do not doubt but in time he will prove as good a cup-companion as Robin Goodfellow himself. Ay, and he's a tall fellow, and a man of his hands too, for, I'll tell you what--tie him to the bull-ring, and for a bag-pudding, a custard, a cheesecake, a hog's cheek, or a calf's head, turn any man i' the town to him, and if he do not prove himself as tall a man as he, let blind Hugh bewitch him, and turn his body into a barrel of strong ale, and let his nose be the spigot, his mouth the faucet, and his tongue a plug for the bunghole.

And then there will be Robin Goodfellow, as good a drunken rogue as lives, and Tom Shoemaker; and I hope you will not deny that he's an honest man, for he was constable o' the town; and a number of other honest rascals which, though they are grown bankrouts, and live at the reversion of other men's tables, yet, thanks be to G.o.d, they have a penny amongst them at all times at their need.

PETER PLOD-ALL.

Nay, if Robin Goodfellow be there, you shall be sure to have our company; for he's one that we hear very well of, and my son here has some occasion to use him, and therefore, if we may know when 'tis, we'll make bold to trouble you.

WILL CRICKET.

Yes, I'll send you word.

PLOD-ALL.

Why then farewell, till we hear from you.

[_Exeunt_ PLOD-ALL _and his son_.

WILL CRICKET.

Well, clerk, you'll see this matter bravely performed; let it be done as it should be.

CLERK.