Act 4 — ACT IV. SCENE I.
Reading edition
A court before an inn.
Alvarez, Guiamara, Constanza, Christiana, Sancho, Soto, Antonio, Carlo, Roderigo, and others discovered, disguised as before. A shout within. Enter John.
Alv. Gui., &c.[308] Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Soto. More sacks to the mill.
San. More thieves to the sacks.
Alv. Peace!
Consti. I give you now my welcome without noise.
John. ’Tis music to me. [Offering to kiss Const.
Alv. Gui., &c. O Sir!
San. You must not be in your mutton[309] before we are out of our veal.
Soto. Stay for vinegar to your oysters; no opening till then.
Gui. No kissing till you’re sworn.
John. Swear me then quickly,
I have brought gold for my admission.
Alv. What you bring leave, and what you leave count lost.
San. I brought all my teeth, two are struck out; them I count lost, so must you.
Soto. I brought all my wits; half I count lost, so must you.
John. To be as you are, I lose father, friends,
Birth, fortunes, all the world: what will you do
With the beast I rode on hither?
161San. A beast? is’t a mule? send him to Muly Crag a whee[310] in Barbary.
Soto. Is’t an ass? give it to a lawyer, for in Spain they ride upon none else.
John. Kill him by any means, lest, being pursu’d,
The beast betray me.
Soto. He’s a beast betrays any man.
San. Except a bailiff to be pumped.
John. Pray, bury the carcass and the furniture.
San. Do, do; bury the ass’s household stuff, and in his skin sew any man that’s mad for a woman.
Alv. Do so then, bury it: now to your oath.
Gui. All things are ready.
Alv. [sings[311]]
Thy best[312] hand lay on this turf of grass,
There thy heart lies, vow not to pass
From us two years for sun nor snow,
For hill nor dale, howe’er winds blow;
Vow the hard earth to be thy bed,
With her green cushions under thy head;
Flower-banks or moss to be thy board,
Water thy wine——
San. [sings] And drink like a lord.
Chorus.
Kings can have but coronations;
We are as proud of gipsy-fashions:
Dance, sing, and in a well-mix’d border
Close this new brother of our order.
Alv. [sings]
What we get with us come share,
You to get must vow to care;
162 Nor strike gipsy, nor stand by
When strangers strike, but fight or die;
Our gipsy-wenches are not common,
You must not kiss a fellow’s leman;[313]
Nor to your own, for one you must,
In songs send errands of base lust.
Chorus.
Dance, sing, and in a well-mix’d border
Close this new brother of our order.
John. [sings]
On this turf of grass I vow
Your laws to keep, your laws allow.
All. A gipsy! a gipsy! a gipsy!
Gui. [sings]
Now choose what maid has yet no mate,
She’s yours.
John. [sings] Here then fix I my fate.
[Takes Constanza by the hand, and offers to kiss her.
San. Again fall to before you ha' washed?
Soto. Your nose in the manger before the oats are measured, jade so hungry?
Alv. [sings]
Set foot to foot; those garlands hold;
Now mark[314] [well] what more is told.
By cross arms, the lover’s sign,
Vow, as these flowers themselves entwine,
Of April’s wealth building a throne
Round, so your love to one or none;
By those touches of your feet,
You must each night embracing meet,
163 Chaste, howe’er disjoin’d by day;
You the sun with her must play,
She to you the marigold,
To none but you her leaves unfold;
Wake she or sleep, your eyes so charm,
Want, woe, nor weather do her harm.
Car.[315] [sings]
This is your market now of kisses,
Buy and sell free each other blisses.
John. Most willingly.
Chorus.
Holydays, high days, gipsy fairs,
When kisses are fairings, and hearts meet in pairs.
Alv. All ceremonies end here: welcome, brother gipsy!
San. And the better to instruct thee, mark what a brave life ’tis all the year long. [Sings.
Brave don, cast your eyes
On our gipsy fashions:
In our antic hey-de-guize[316]
We go beyond all nations;
Plump Dutch
At us grutch,
So do English, so do French,
He that lopes[317]
On the ropes,
Shew me such another wench.[318]
164We no camels have to shew,
Nor elephant with growt[319] head;
We can dance, he cannot go,
Because the beast is corn-fed;[320]
No blind bears
Shedding tears,
For a collier’s whipping;
Apes nor dogs,
Quick as frogs,
Over cudgels skipping,
Jack[s]-in-boxes,[321] nor decoys,
Puppets, nor such poor things,
165 Nor are we those roaring boys
That cozen fools with gilt rings;[322]
166For an ocean,
Not[323] such a motion
As the city Nineveh;[324]
Dancing, singing,
And fine ringing,
You these sports shall hear and see.
Come now, what shall his name be?
Consti. His name shall now be Andrew.—Friend Andrew, mark me:
Two years I am to try you; prove fine gold,
The uncrack’d diamond of my faith shall hold.
John. My vows are rocks of adamant.
Consti. Two years you are to try me: black[325] when I turn
May I meet youth and want, old age and scorn!
John. Kings' diadems shall not buy thee.
Car.[326] Do you think
You can endure the life, and love it?
John. As usurers doat upon their treasure.
Soto. But when your face shall be tann’d
Like a sailor’s worky-day hand——
San. When your feet shall be gall’d,
And your noddle be mall’d[327]——
Soto. When the woods you must forage,
And not meet with poor pease-porridge——
San. Be all to-be-dabbled,[328] yet lie in no sheet——
167Soto. With winter’s frost, hail, snow, and sleet;
What life will you say it is then?
John. As now, the sweetest.
Diego. [within] Away! away! the corregidor has sent for you.
San. [sings]
Hence merrily fine to get money!
Dry are the fields, the banks are sunny,
Silver is sweeter far than honey;
Fly like swallows,
We for our conies must get mallows;
Who loves not his dill,[329] let him die at the gallows.
Hence, bonny girls, foot it trimly,
Smug up your beetle-brows, none look grimly;
To shew a pretty foot, O ’tis seemly!
[Exeunt all except Soto: as he is going out,
Enter Cardochia, who stays him.
Card. Do you hear, you gipsy? gipsy!
Soto. Me?
Card. There’s a young gipsy newly entertain’d;
Sweet gipsy, call him back for one two words,
And here’s a jewel for thee.
Soto. I'll send him.
Card. What’s his name?
Soto. Andrew. [Exit.
Card. A very handsome fellow; I ha' seen courtiers
Yet here’s a gipsy worth a drove of ’em.
168Re-enter John.
John. With me, sweetheart?
Card. Your name is Andrew?
John. Yes.
Card. You can tell fortunes, Andrew?
John. I could once,
But now I ha' lost that knowledge; I'm in haste,
And cannot stay to tell you yours.
Card. I cannot tell yours then;
And ’cause you’re in haste, I'm quick; I am a maid——
John. So, so, a maid quick?
Card. Juanna Cardochia,
That’s mine own name; I am my mother’s heir
Here to this house, and two more.
John. I buy no lands.
Card. They shall be given you, with some plate and money,
And free possession during life of me,
So the match like[332] you; for so well I love you,
That I, in pity of this trade of gipsying,
Being base, idle, and slavish, offer you
A state to settle you, my youth and beauty,
Desir’d by some brave Spaniards, so I may call you
My husband: shall I, Andrew?
John. ’Las, pretty soul,
Better stars guide you! may that hand of Cupid
Ache, ever shot this arrow at your heart!
Sticks there one such indeed?
Card. I would there did not,
Since you’ll not pluck it out.
John. Good sweet, I cannot;
For marriage, ’tis a law amongst us gipsies
169We match in our own tribes; for me to wear you,
I should but wear you out.
Card. I do not care;
Wear what you can out, all my life, my wealth,
Ruin me, so you lend me but your love,
A little of your love!
John. Would I could give it,
For you are worth a world of better men,
For your free noble mind! all my best wishes
Stay with you; I must hence.
Card. Wear for my sake
This jewel.
John. I'll not rob you, I'll take nothing.
Card. Wear it about your neck but one poor moon;
If in that time your eye be as ’tis now,
Send my jewel home again, and I protest
I'll never more think on you; deny not this,
Put it about your neck.
John. Well then,’tis done. [Putting on jewel.
Card. And vow to keep it there.
John. By all the goodness
I wish attend your fortunes, I do vow it! [Exit.
Card. Scorn’d! thou hast temper’d poison to kill me
Thyself shall drink; since I cannot enjoy thee,
My revenge shall.
Enter Diego.
Diego. Where are the gipsies?
Card. Gone.
Diego, do you love me?
Diego. Love thee, Juanna?
Is my life mine? it is but mine so long
As it shall do thee service.
170Card. There’s a young[333] gipsy newly entertain’d.
Diego. A handsome rascal; what of him?
Card. That slave in obscene language courted me,
Drew reals[334] out, and would have bought my body,
Diego, from thee.
Diego. Is he so itchy? I'll cure him.
Card. Thou shalt not touch the villain, I'll spin his fate;
Woman strikes sure, fall the blow ne’er so late.