The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1963]
SURREY.
My lord, my lord, hold conference with your soul;
You see, my lord, the time of life is short.
MORE.
I see it, my good lord; I dispatched that business the last night. I come hither only to be let blood; my doctor here tells me it is good for the headache.
HANGMAN.
I beseech thee, my lord, forgive me!
MORE.
Forgive thee, honest fellow! why?
HANGMAN.
For your death, my lord.
MORE.
O, my death? I had rather it were in thy power to forgive me, for thou hast the sharpest action against me; the law, my honest friend, lies in thy hands now: here's thy fee [His purse.]; and, my good fellow, let my suit be dispatched presently; for tis all one pain, to die a lingering death, and to live in the continual mill of a lawsuit. But I can tell thee, my neck is so short, that, if thou shouldst behead an hundred noblemen like myself, thou wouldst ne'er get credit by it; therefore (look ye, sir), do it handsomely, or, of my word, thou shalt never deal with me hereafter.
HANGMAN.
I'll take an order for that, my lord.
MORE.
One thing more; take heed thou cutst not off my beard: oh, I forgot; execution passed upon that last night, and the body of it lies buried in the Tower.—Stay; ist not possible to make a scape from all this strong guard? it is. There is a thing within me, that will raise And elevate my better part bove sight Of these same weaker eyes; and, Master Shrieves, For all this troop of steel that tends my death, I shall break from you, and fly up to heaven. Let's seek the means for this.
HANGMAN.
My lord, I pray ye, put off your doublet.
MORE.
Speak not so coldly to me; I am hoarse already;
I would be loathe, good fellow, to take more.
Point me the block; I ne'er was here before.
HANGMAN.
To the east side, my lord.
MORE.
Then to the east
We go to sigh; that o'er, to sleep in rest.
Here More forsakes all mirth; good reason why;
The fool of flesh must with her frail life die.
No eye salute my trunk with a sad tear:
Our birth to heaven should be thus, void of fear.
[Exit with Hangman, etc.]
SURREY.
A very learned worthy gentleman
Seals error with his blood. Come, we'll to court.
Let's sadly hence to perfect unknown fates,
Whilst he tends prograce to the state of states.
FINIS
FAIR EM
THE MILLER'S DAUGHTER OF MANCHESTER
This comedy was written approximately in 1590. It was bound together with Mucedorus and The Merry Devil of Edmonton in a volume labelled "Shakespeare. Vol. I" in the library of Charles II — though scholarly opinion universally rejects the attribution to Shakespeare. Fair Em was published in quarto twice before the closing of the theatres in 1642. Edward Phillips, in his Theatrum Poetarum (1675), states that Fair Em was written by Robert Greene, though Greene ridiculed the play's author and parodies two lines from the closing scene in his 1591 pamphlet Farewell to Folly.
In the main plot, William the Conqueror falls in love with the image on the shield that the Marquess of Lubeck carries in a tournament. In disguise, William travels to the court of King Zweno of Denmark to see the original of the portrait. Once there, he falls in love with Marianna, a Swedish princess held hostage at the Danish court. Marianna, however, is faithful to her suitor, Lubeck, and has no interest in William; but the king's daughter Blanche becomes infatuated with the newcomer. The ladies stage a plot, in which William absconds with the woman he thinks is Marianne; in doing so he gets in trouble with Zweno, who is under the same mistaken impression. When the woman's true identity is revealed — she is of course Blanche — William accepts her as his wife. Lubeck and Marianne are left, happily, to each other. In the subplot, Em, the beautiful daughter of the miller of Manchester, is wooed by three suitors, Valingford, Mountney, and Manvile.
CONTENTS
DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
ACT I. SCENE 1
SCENE II.
SCENE III.
SCENE IV.
ACT II.
SCENE I. Manchester. The Mill.
SCENE II.
SCENE III.
ACT III.
SCENE I. The Danish Court.
SCENE II.
SCENE III.
SCENE IV.
SCENE V.