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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1165]

By Root 19220 0

O Doricles,

Your praises are too large. But that your youth,

And the true blood which peeps fairly through't,

Do plainly give you out an unstain'd shepherd,

With wisdom I might fear, my Doricles,

You woo'd me the false way.

FLORIZEL.

I think you have

As little skill to fear as I have purpose

To put you to't. But, come; our dance, I pray.

Your hand, my Perdita; so turtles pair

That never mean to part.

PERDITA.

I'll swear for 'em.

POLIXENES.

This is the prettiest low-born lass that ever

Ran on the green-sward; nothing she does or seems

But smacks of something greater than herself,

Too noble for this place.

CAMILLO.

He tells her something

That makes her blood look out. Good sooth, she is

The queen of curds and cream.

CLOWN.

Come on, strike up.

DORCAS.

Mopsa must be your mistress; marry, garlic,

To mend her kissing with!

MOPSA.

Now, in good time!

CLOWN.

Not a word, a word; we stand upon our manners.

Come, strike up. [Music]

Here a dance Of SHEPHERDS and SHEPHERDESSES

POLIXENES.

Pray, good shepherd, what fair swain is this

Which dances with your daughter?

SHEPHERD.

They call him Doricles, and boasts himself

To have a worthy feeding; but I have it

Upon his own report, and I believe it:

He looks like sooth. He says he loves my daughter;

I think so too; for never gaz'd the moon

Upon the water as he'll stand and read,

As 'twere my daughter's eyes; and, to be plain,

I think there is not half a kiss to choose

Who loves another best.

POLIXENES.

She dances featly.

SHEPHERD.

So she does any thing; though I report it

That should be silent. If young Doricles

Do light upon her, she shall bring him that

Which he not dreams of.

Enter a SERVANT

SERVANT.

O master, if you did but hear the pedlar at the door, you

would never dance again after a tabor and pipe; no, the bagpipe

could not move you. He sings several tunes faster than you'll

tell money; he utters them as he had eaten ballads, and all men's

ears grew to his tunes.

CLOWN.

He could never come better; he shall come in. I love a

ballad but even too well, if it be doleful matter merrily set

down, or a very pleasant thing indeed and sung lamentably.

SERVANT.

He hath songs for man or woman of all sizes; no milliner

can so fit his customers with gloves. He has the prettiest

love-songs for maids; so without bawdry, which is strange; with

such delicate burdens of dildos and fadings, 'jump her and thump

her'; and where some stretch-mouth'd rascal would, as it were,

mean mischief, and break a foul gap into the matter, he makes the

maid to answer 'Whoop, do me no harm, good man'- puts him off,

slights him, with 'Whoop, do me no harm, good man.'

POLIXENES.

This is a brave fellow.

CLOWN.

Believe me, thou talkest of an admirable conceited fellow.

Has he any unbraided wares?

SERVANT.

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 th' gross; inkles, caddisses, cambrics,

lawns. Why he sings 'em over as they were gods or goddesses; you

would think a smock were she-angel, he so chants to the

sleeve-hand and the work about the square on't.

CLOWN.

Prithee bring him in; and let him approach singing.

PERDITA.

Forewarn him that he use no scurrilous words in's tunes.

Exit SERVANT

CLOWN.

You have of these pedlars that have more in them than you'd think, sister.

PERDITA.

Ay, good brother, or go about to think.

Enter AUTOLYCUS, Singing

Lawn as white as driven snow;

Cypress black as e'er was crow;

Gloves as sweet as damask roses;

Masks for faces and for noses;

Bugle bracelet, necklace amber,

Perfume for a lady's chamber;

Golden quoifs and stomachers,

For my lads to give their dears;

Pins and poking-sticks of steel-

What maids lack from head to heel.

Come, buy of me, come; come buy, come buy;

Buy, lads, or else your lasses cry.

Come, buy.

CLOWN.

If I were not in love with Mopsa, thou shouldst take no

money of me; but being enthrall'd as I am, it will also be

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