ACT FOUR*
n9607
This act comprises two scenes, the first and longer of which returns the audience to Flavia, who is revealed, despite the subversive tendencies she showed on her earlier appearance, to be somewhat spineless when it comes to decisive action that goes against her father, Guadagni’s orders even when it is in defence of her own integrity. In this she affords a marked contrast with the self-possessed Victoria of the previous act. It is Flavia’s maid, Astutta, who continually is in command of the situation: inventive and resourceful. The scene opens on the main stage with Astutta teasing Flavia in a manner that is both tactful and witty in order to put a stop to her mistress’s suicidal histrionics. Astutta has written a letter to Francisco for Flavia to sign that gives him instructions how to help her escape her father’s tyranny. Their next problem is how to get the letter delivered. Nanulo arrives with the news that Guadagni is allowing Fabritio, the intended bridegroom, to send a pedlar-woman with bridal gifts to the house; Astutta decides to use the woman as their go-between. Flavia ignores the woman when she appears, despite Astutta’s promptings, but eventually agrees to look at the gifts Fabritio proffers. These unexpectedly chime more with Flavia’s mood than she might have imagined and she agrees to Astutta’s suggestion that their letter be entrusted to the pedlar’s care. Once that trust is placed in her, the pedlar throws off her disguise to reveal that “she” is really Flavia’s lover, Francisco. The lovers’ rejoicing is short-lived, as Guadagni returns suddenly from his conference with Pantaloni and their lawyers in quest of a document he left behind him. Hastily Francisco is hidden by Flavia in a cupboard “upstairs”; the two women wait “above”, as Guadagni storms through the house (the use of stage levels and of offstage sounds to augment the comic tension here is exemplary), eventually erupting on the upper level requesting the key to the very “press” where Francisco is hidden; Flavia is rendered tongue-tied and swoons in fear of her father. Astutta again takes command, informing Guadagni that his paper is in a particular “cabinet” of Flavia’s and, in the resulting haste to lay hands on it, pushes the box out of the window as if from clumsiness. Guadagni storms off after it (his voice is again heard descending through the house) while, left alone, the women release Francisco and plan their getaway through the back door of the house and into a gondola that Francisco has thoughtfully left waiting in a nearby canal. To gain valuable time, Astutta plans to lock the front door against her master and Nanulo to delay their re-entry. The main playing space now becomes the piazza outside the door to Guadagni’s house, where two zaffi (one in fact Nicolo in his disguise) argue for possession of the casket till quietened by Guadagni’s arrival. Severally Pantaloni and the lawyers and then a “real” pedlar-woman appear on the scene to intensify Guadagni’s fear that his daughter has been abducted, which his inability to get back into his house confirms for him. Nanulo, finding the back door wide open, enters and appears “above” revealing the disguise and the presents which Francisco has abandoned on his flight with Flavia and announcing that the neighbours witnessed the elopement and have informed him in detail of what happened. Nicolo, who earlier had been sent by Pantaloni to fetch his son, Fabritio, to witness the marriage deeds, returns with the news that Fabritio has gone missing, no one knows where. The two distressed fathers plan to take counsel together and resolve how to proceed. After the focus on character, manners and men’s conduct towards women that made up the substance of the previous act, Brome effects a brilliantly contrasting transition to pure farce, steadily increasing the pace of the action, filling his stage at every level with noise and intensifying bustle, and manipulating a multiplicity of varying tonal shifts with masterly control. In the midst of all the flurries of activity, Flavia out of panic just allows herself to be moved about, instructed and finally carried off like a helpless pawn of chance, relying on Astutta and Francisco to take responsibility for her. The difference from the efficient, controlled Victoria could not be stronger. Where Act Three required a tour de force from the actress playing Victoria; this act requires a tour de force of ensemble playing, if the onrushing farce is to be carried off with the required brio.
The second scene is shorter and altogether a quieter affair. Horatio and Piso discuss their failure to lure the Novella to bed, while Fabritio displays himself in his intended disguise. That he looks the double of Swatzenburgh is remarked on by his friends, particularly when he reveals the impressive beard he means to wear. Nicolo brings Borgio to them with the request that they are repair to Victoria’s house to meet with the newly married Flavia and Francisco. Borgio mistakes Fabritio for Swatzenburgh, which lays the ground for some future comic misunderstandings, as Fabritio himself is quick to appreciate. They leave for Victoria’s abode with Fabritio now announcing he will pay court to her too. This sequence shows Brome at his most efficient in terms of dramaturgical necessity as he prepares the ground for his final act, intimating the possibility for resolution but also suggesting that potentially more confusions might prevail.
n9607
The second scene is shorter and altogether a quieter affair. Horatio and Piso discuss their failure to lure the Novella to bed, while Fabritio displays himself in his intended disguise. That he looks the double of Swatzenburgh is remarked on by his friends, particularly when he reveals the impressive beard he means to wear. Nicolo brings Borgio to them with the request that they are repair to Victoria’s house to meet with the newly married Flavia and Francisco. Borgio mistakes Fabritio for Swatzenburgh, which lays the ground for some future comic misunderstandings, as Fabritio himself is quick to appreciate. They leave for Victoria’s abode with Fabritio now announcing he will pay court to her too. This sequence shows Brome at his most efficient in terms of dramaturgical necessity as he prepares the ground for his final act, intimating the possibility for resolution but also suggesting that potentially more confusions might prevail.
4.1
[Enter] FLAVIA [and] ASTUTTA with a letter
388AstuttaIf this move†gs1097
provoke into action
him not, nay prevail†gg3060
succeed in persuading, inducing, influencing
not with him
gs1097
gg3060
To the accomplishment of your desire,
389FlaviaWhat wouldst thou do?
390AstuttaFirst, take away the cause
Of your green-sickness†gg4843
an anæmic disease which mostly affects young women about the age of puberty and gives a pale or greenish tinge to the complexion; generally deployed ironically to denote a girl's mooniness when first in love
by killing him; then
gg4843
Cure you*n7214
It was thought medically in the 1600s that the condition of green-sickness would be cured once the girl lost her virginity in marriage.
myself.
n7214
391FlaviaWhat wonders thou wouldst do!
392AstuttaI, if I were a man and able to do what I
Now desire (for I would have mine own desire still)
I would do wonders indeed. Believe it, mistress,
An able man that has but a weak woman’s desire
Has an unknown thing; and may do any unknown
Thing*n7216
] thing (It may be that this was intended as a sudden move into prose to justify Flavia's rebuke of Astutta, that she is just babbling senselessly. But the rest of this episode between mistress and chaperone is in verse, which would suggest that this line may be an incomplete verse line too. And so this edition has emended the word, giving it an upper-case initial letter to preserve the metrical beat that lies within the half-line. What an actress might choose to do by way of stage business in the pause suggested by the long dash that concludes the speech is her and the director's decision.)
, for ought I know――――
n7216
393FlaviaI pray thee leave thy idle prattle†gg4844
foolish, inconsequential, or incomprehensible talk; childish chattering
, and let
gg4844
Me hear thy moving†gg1890
persuasive, convincing
letter.
gg1890
394AstuttaHear it then,
As your own act and deed and quickly sign it.
My dear Francisco, If you intend not my death, help me to break prison this night: else though my execution be appointed tomorrow morning by a forced marriage, I will prevent it by a speedier way, and by my own hand die,
Yours and love’s martyr.
Yours and love’s martyr.
Here, write your name.
395FlaviaBut thou hast set him down
No means.*n7218
] no means (The period text prints this and Astutta's reply as prose but they do scan as lines of verse if laid out as in the emended lineation of the speeches that fall between the two quotations from Astutta's letter.)
n7218
396AstuttaThat’s in the postcript. Mark:
The last minute that I will expect†gs1635
wait (for)
you shall be three in the morning, when from the back window I will either fall into your arms, or on my death.
gs1635
397FlaviaI thank thee, good Astutta.*n7215
This and the following speeches up to number 405 are printed in the 1653 text as verse (lines 1335-1350) but it is wholly irregular, varying in its line lengths from 8 to 13 syllables. While Brome often allows lines to exceed the customary decasyllabic length, it is never by more than 1 or 2 syllables. Perhaps the compositors, confused by a change to prose, which is rarely deployed in this play, were so used to inserting capitals as the initial letters to the first word in any line, that they continued to do so here. This edition has chosen to set the speeches as prose, but would urge performers to note that there is nonetheless, as often in Brome's prose, a strong rhythm present in the phrasing, which gives a degree of heightening to the medium. It is as if Brome wishes to adopt a more intimate tone (now that Astutta has proved her worth and Flavia no longer in consequence sees a need to adopt the pose of love-lorn, suicidal maiden) but does not wish to depart too far from verse to which he will rapidly return once the pedlar-woman asserts her superior authority over Nanulo at speech 406.
Oh! that the messenger*n7219
That is: the pedlar-woman whom Flavia and Astutta are expecting at any moment, having been told of her imminent arrival by Nanulo in 2.1.
would be as true to me!
n7215
n7219
398AstuttaIf we cannot win her to’t, ’tis but a letter lost. How do they that have whole pockets full*n7220
That is: spongers, parasites and needy borrowers who have at the ready quantities of letters beseeching patronage or letters for entering into credit with anyone willing to lend them money.
of ’em in readiness, to borrow money?
n7220
399FlaviaI pray thee, peace.
400AstuttaWhy? I do*n7221
] Why I do (It is possible that "Why" is used here in the sense of "But" which would make the reading in the 1653 text admissable. However, Astutta may be demanding to know why she should be silent and asserting that Flavia is being absurd. She is both teasing her mistress and also suggesting that Flavia is getting matters out of proportion. This is a question of characterisation, and that is the ground on which this emendation has been made.)
not think there’s any of ’hem within hearing.
n7221
402AstuttaFear it not, mistress: she is as sure at such a lift†gg4960
an act of helping (as in "to give a lift", meaning "to give a helping hand"); but also with the sense of lifting as stealing, a trick (OED n2. 2a and 3)
――― and so she’s come already.
gg4960
Enter NANULO [and] FRANCISCO*n9591
The timing of this entrance in terms of performance needs to be such as to make sense of the last phrase of Astutta's speech: "...and so she's come already". Either Francisco must be advancing towards Astutta and Flavia as the words are spoken or a suitable noise offstage must announce the arrival of new characters whom Astutta rightly supposes to include the Pedlar-Woman.
like a Pedlar Woman with her box.
n9591
403NanuloLook you, lady, I told you true*n7507
Like the lines that immediately precede this entrance, the initial speeches here for Nanulo and the "pedlar-woman" appear to be set out as highly irregular verse-lines in the 1653 text. Again Brome seems to be deploying a style of prose that has a strong rhythmic undercurrent rather than proper verse; but the compositors have chosen to set the prose with upper-case initial letters for whatever word chances to be at the start of a fresh line of print, which gives an impression that the speeches are in verse. This edition has opted for setting this and the following two speeches as prose.
: here is the party†gs1115
person, individual
that has the knacks†gg4511
ingenious contrivances; toys, trinkets, trifles, knick-knacks (OED knack n2, 3)
and things. Come open, open, and show all.
n7507
gs1115
gg4511
404FranciscoNot before you, good sir.
406FranciscoYour diligence†gg4964
officiousness, assiduity, persistence (OED n. 1a and b)
were better somewhere else:
gg4964
This prying into women’s businesses
Is ill, sir, for your eye-sight, and perhaps
May spoil your growth*n7508
Francisco, as the pedlar-woman, implies that Nanulo's interest in women's things is erotic, voyeuristic and masturbatory. To indulge in such matters, Francisco intimates, may affect Nanulo's sight or (rudely and cruelly teasing the fully-grown dwarf over his limited stature) stunt his growing to his proper height. These were medically believed in this period to be the consequences of excessive sexual activity in young men.
. Good sir, I crave†gs1120
demand; entreat (but with authority or absolute right)
your absence.
n7508
gs1120
407NanuloI must give way. She has a devilish tongue.[NANULO] exit[s]
408Astutta [Aside to FLAVIA] Mistress, she’s for our turn†gs1121
scheme, plan, trick
, I warrant you:
gs1121
I find it by her aptness to abuse him.
409FranciscoCome, Mistress Bride
n10134
We chose to workshop part of this scene, from the entrance of Francisco, disguised as the Pedlar Woman, down to where Flavia swoons at discovering who the pedlar really is. Our enquiry focused on the performance of disguise. How quickly should the audience twig what’s going on? What kinds of comedy are produced if (a) the audience are not enlightened until Flavia and Astutta are? Or (b) Francisco plays the audience either from the start or from some way into the sequence? What kind of tonal weight should we give to the revelation of the three gifts as coming from a would-be bridegroom: a noose, a dagger and poison? As so often in this play, we seem to hover on the edge of Websterian territory. There are echoes of The Duchess of Malfi and of The Devil’s Law-Case in this episode with its evil-seeming gifts (the former play had been revived by the King’s Men for performance at court during the Christmas season as recently as 1630). Trials and testings of love, chastity and constancy have numerous precedents in Stuart comedy and tragedy. Is Brome just having fun with popular theatrical conventions and tropes or is there a serious intent behind the seeming satire? If the latter, can we determine what his agenda is? This is an early play in the Brome canon and one conceived while the impact of the tragic-comic mode was still in evidence. Is he perhaps experimenting with the dramaturgical artistry required rapidly to shift between contrasting tones and moods? Could one layer all these various possibilities on to the scene in performance? Could one do this and not appear to reduce the characters to being little more than vehicles for Brome’s dramaturgical expertise?
A simple read-through established that once the gifts were proffered and seen, it was not easy to sustain a tone of comedy in the scene. Flavia has throughout her various scenes been fluctuating between strongly contrasting moods: she wants to be united with her Francisco and is overwhelmed with joy at any development of the plot that brings that union closer but equally lapses into deep despair at any intimation that their marriage will be prevented. She is a creature of extremes (very different from the self-possessed Victoria) and therein might lie an element of comedy but for the dark suicidal intent that possesses her whenever she cannot get her way. The giving of the presents, which are each in turn mementoes of death, emblematic of a series of famous suicides, is not seen by her (as by Astutta and, doubtless, the audience) as cruel and vicious; rather she welcomes them as giving her the means of ending her own life, should she need to. Flavia may be perverse but it is difficult to see her as absurd. Here, even in the initial reading of this sequence, the talismanic power of the gifts for Flavia produces a chilling atmosphere. Within the space of twenty lines, as Hannah Watkins (Flavia) pointed out, the text demanded that she move from angry indignation and scorn, through a resolute acceptance of death, to an absolute rapture in gazing on Francisco’s portrait. Here might perhaps be the material for farce, except that the poetry and the pacing of the presentation of the gifts invited shock and uncertainty in spectators rather than their ridicule. To laugh at Flavia’s wild, youthful emotional paroxysms would be to meet the cruelty inherent in the presents of noose, knife and poison with another kind of cruelty. The editors watching this attempt at playing the scene were shocked too by the matter-of-fact, coldly detached and menacing tone of Joseph Thompson’s delivery while presenting the gifts. Flavia’s emotionalism met with the grim realities of death (the moment drew comparisons with Bosola’s presentation of coffin and noose to the Duchess of Malfi, when he visits her as the fatal bellman). All felt that a mounting hysteria overwhelms Flavia so that the sudden revelation of Francisco is too much and she faints. A logical reading of the progress of Flavia’s character through the scene was beginning to emerge, but one that was productive of a tone closer to the tragic-comic than the downright amusing. Brian Woolland, the director, thought that the slowing of the pace with the opening of the box and revealing of its contents could be slowed yet further and encouraged Joseph to entice Hannah towards the box by adopting a “storyteller’s tone” to contrast the more with his delivery when showing the actual contents, one by one. The ensuing discussion focused on a number of smaller issues: the possibility of a textual error in “Cleopatra’s ashes”, which led to a decision to emend the line; a questioning of whose arms Flavia swoons into which was resolved in favour of Francisco’s, which would allow him to deliver most of speech 448 (beginning “Cursed be this idle habit” as direct address to the audience) before turning back to Flavia for the final line, which is clearly directed at her. It was decided to attempt to resolve these questions in a further run; Brian instructed Hannah as Flavia to be drawn to the box as if mesmerized and to surprise, even shock the audience by not being insulted but grateful to Fabritio when his gifts were revealed: that she respected what seemed in the situation to be his wish to give her a way out of the impossible situation forced on them by their fathers. What Brian asked everyone to do was “to play true to the emotional moment”. Here is the scene in full which resulted from these theoretical examinations of the text.
Brian spoke for everyone in commenting on the compelling strangeness of the sequence as it had just been acted. This was particularly the case with the way that Hannah’s being drawn to the box had been supplemented in the playing by her kneeling to touch each of the gifts in turn. Richard Cave commented on how drama had now been created by her movement within the playing space: that initially, placed over to stage left, she had wished to quit it, but had been drawn back firmly to occupy centre stage beside the pedlar’s box, only to begin moving confidently with the giving and showing of the portrait between Francisco and Astutta. Offered tokens of death and of life, she had chosen the latter and begun to demonstrate physically the psychological impact of that choice. Both lovers, however, emerged from the sequence in a critical light as tending to go too far: she in her hyper-emotionalism; he in his need to test and assure himself of her love for him. Neither seemingly trusts that the other is capable of being steadfast in feeling or in honour. The tragic potential of the scene seemed to emphasize the emotional immaturity of them both. Brian thought that the strangeness of the scene could, if one were playing to emphasize its darker aspects, be made even more so by two things. Flavia, picking up each of the gifts, might particularly dwell on the flask of poison, which we are informed is instantly lethal. Secondly Brian noted that Joseph as Francisco, who had begun the scene with a mock-female voice, had steadily begun to lose it as he felt the force of Flavia’s presence; and he opined that, since the audience are no more aware than Flavia who the pedlar woman truly is, he might have added to the strangeness by slightly stressing this tonal shift and that Flavia and Astutta might subliminally register the change in timbre, pitch and accent too and be puzzled by it, even though their awareness is directed at the gifts. The actors played the sequence again, endeavouring to bring these various points into their interpretation. This was the result.
It was decided at this point in the workshop, as the situation was moving towards stressing the element of strangeness in the scene, that perhaps we had too easily dismissed at first the potential for playing it as full-on comedy. While the original blocking in the space was retained, the actors were asked to heighten how they were playing: Joseph, for example, was to make his impersonation of a woman more mannered and to find ways of sending cues to the audience that his was an assumed persona. Given her name, it was felt that there was room in the text to allow Astutta, (the astute one) who is otherwise largely a spectator of what is happening, to begin steadily to suspect from the strangeness that the situation is not what it seems. The fact that in the previous attempt Joseph continually turned his face away when either of the women came within close proximity to him might be used by Olivia Darnley as Astutta to help with this new line of characterisation.
While this was undeniably funny, the style was directly farcical, verging at times on the camp. It is not, of course, easy to play comedy from cold: often it is necessary for actors to go to an extreme to find what happens, and then to find ways of reining the performance in without losing the comic momentum that has been discovered. Some details of this last reading were to be valued and developed: particularly the growing interest built into the role of Astutta, who in this version had suspicions from early in the scene that grew graver as it progressed. This grew logically out of the growing protectiveness that Olivia was demonstrating towards Flavia. Hannah’s accentuating Flavia’s childishness brought out into the open a quality that resides in the conception of the role, especially in the moment when, having had the dagger taken from her, she immediately grasped the bottle of poison. Joseph’s making more evident that this was indeed a test of Flavia’s constancy signalled clearly to the audience that his appearance was a disguise. The fact that the test went horribly wrong in the final moments confirmed his immature thinking and expectations too. Overall a notable strength in this last staging was that the audience were being encouraged to see what was occurring onstage through different characters’ eyes. The actors made one last attempt at the scene: working with what had been agreed were the strengths of their previous playing, they aimed now for a more refined comic style. What impresses with this final attempt is how vestiges of each of the earlier renderings can be traced like palimpsests behind this one. It is not uproariously funny but it is not heavily tragic either; rather the performance sustains a meticulous balance between the tonal ranges of both genres. Passion renders Flavia and Francisco childish and absurd, but there is no denying a depth of feeling in the two. The danger which seems to threaten in the sequence is to be registered but is nonetheless held in check by Astutta’s shrewdness so that all her random lines have significance and weight of a kind to point the alert spectator to follow and to some degree adopt her line of suspicion. The sophisticated poise of the playing invited as complex a response from the audience, moving between bemusement and amusement until the release into laughter that came with Flavia’s fainting and Francisco’s shocked awareness that he had not thought through the likely consequences of his scheme very sensibly. We watch here two lovers trapped by their unthinking folly rather than lovers who are victims of their own absurdity.
– – Nay, blush not, pretty one,
n10134
A simple read-through established that once the gifts were proffered and seen, it was not easy to sustain a tone of comedy in the scene. Flavia has throughout her various scenes been fluctuating between strongly contrasting moods: she wants to be united with her Francisco and is overwhelmed with joy at any development of the plot that brings that union closer but equally lapses into deep despair at any intimation that their marriage will be prevented. She is a creature of extremes (very different from the self-possessed Victoria) and therein might lie an element of comedy but for the dark suicidal intent that possesses her whenever she cannot get her way. The giving of the presents, which are each in turn mementoes of death, emblematic of a series of famous suicides, is not seen by her (as by Astutta and, doubtless, the audience) as cruel and vicious; rather she welcomes them as giving her the means of ending her own life, should she need to. Flavia may be perverse but it is difficult to see her as absurd. Here, even in the initial reading of this sequence, the talismanic power of the gifts for Flavia produces a chilling atmosphere.
Within the space of twenty lines, as Hannah Watkins (Flavia) pointed out, the text demanded that she move from angry indignation and scorn, through a resolute acceptance of death, to an absolute rapture in gazing on Francisco’s portrait. Here might perhaps be the material for farce, except that the poetry and the pacing of the presentation of the gifts invited shock and uncertainty in spectators rather than their ridicule. To laugh at Flavia’s wild, youthful emotional paroxysms would be to meet the cruelty inherent in the presents of noose, knife and poison with another kind of cruelty. The editors watching this attempt at playing the scene were shocked too by the matter-of-fact, coldly detached and menacing tone of Joseph Thompson’s delivery while presenting the gifts. Flavia’s emotionalism met with the grim realities of death (the moment drew comparisons with Bosola’s presentation of coffin and noose to the Duchess of Malfi, when he visits her as the fatal bellman). All felt that a mounting hysteria overwhelms Flavia so that the sudden revelation of Francisco is too much and she faints. A logical reading of the progress of Flavia’s character through the scene was beginning to emerge, but one that was productive of a tone closer to the tragic-comic than the downright amusing. Brian Woolland, the director, thought that the slowing of the pace with the opening of the box and revealing of its contents could be slowed yet further and encouraged Joseph to entice Hannah towards the box by adopting a “storyteller’s tone” to contrast the more with his delivery when showing the actual contents, one by one. The ensuing discussion focused on a number of smaller issues: the possibility of a textual error in “Cleopatra’s ashes”, which led to a decision to emend the line; a questioning of whose arms Flavia swoons into which was resolved in favour of Francisco’s, which would allow him to deliver most of speech 448 (beginning “Cursed be this idle habit” as direct address to the audience) before turning back to Flavia for the final line, which is clearly directed at her. It was decided to attempt to resolve these questions in a further run; Brian instructed Hannah as Flavia to be drawn to the box as if mesmerized and to surprise, even shock the audience by not being insulted but grateful to Fabritio when his gifts were revealed: that she respected what seemed in the situation to be his wish to give her a way out of the impossible situation forced on them by their fathers. What Brian asked everyone to do was “to play true to the emotional moment”. Here is the scene in full which resulted from these theoretical examinations of the text.
Brian spoke for everyone in commenting on the compelling strangeness of the sequence as it had just been acted. This was particularly the case with the way that Hannah’s being drawn to the box had been supplemented in the playing by her kneeling to touch each of the gifts in turn. Richard Cave commented on how drama had now been created by her movement within the playing space: that initially, placed over to stage left, she had wished to quit it, but had been drawn back firmly to occupy centre stage beside the pedlar’s box, only to begin moving confidently with the giving and showing of the portrait between Francisco and Astutta. Offered tokens of death and of life, she had chosen the latter and begun to demonstrate physically the psychological impact of that choice. Both lovers, however, emerged from the sequence in a critical light as tending to go too far: she in her hyper-emotionalism; he in his need to test and assure himself of her love for him. Neither seemingly trusts that the other is capable of being steadfast in feeling or in honour. The tragic potential of the scene seemed to emphasize the emotional immaturity of them both. Brian thought that the strangeness of the scene could, if one were playing to emphasize its darker aspects, be made even more so by two things. Flavia, picking up each of the gifts, might particularly dwell on the flask of poison, which we are informed is instantly lethal. Secondly Brian noted that Joseph as Francisco, who had begun the scene with a mock-female voice, had steadily begun to lose it as he felt the force of Flavia’s presence; and he opined that, since the audience are no more aware than Flavia who the pedlar woman truly is, he might have added to the strangeness by slightly stressing this tonal shift and that Flavia and Astutta might subliminally register the change in timbre, pitch and accent too and be puzzled by it, even though their awareness is directed at the gifts. The actors played the sequence again, endeavouring to bring these various points into their interpretation. This was the result.
It was decided at this point in the workshop, as the situation was moving towards stressing the element of strangeness in the scene, that perhaps we had too easily dismissed at first the potential for playing it as full-on comedy. While the original blocking in the space was retained, the actors were asked to heighten how they were playing: Joseph, for example, was to make his impersonation of a woman more mannered and to find ways of sending cues to the audience that his was an assumed persona. Given her name, it was felt that there was room in the text to allow Astutta, (the astute one) who is otherwise largely a spectator of what is happening, to begin steadily to suspect from the strangeness that the situation is not what it seems. The fact that in the previous attempt Joseph continually turned his face away when either of the women came within close proximity to him might be used by Olivia Darnley as Astutta to help with this new line of characterisation.
While this was undeniably funny, the style was directly farcical, verging at times on the camp. It is not, of course, easy to play comedy from cold: often it is necessary for actors to go to an extreme to find what happens, and then to find ways of reining the performance in without losing the comic momentum that has been discovered. Some details of this last reading were to be valued and developed: particularly the growing interest built into the role of Astutta, who in this version had suspicions from early in the scene that grew graver as it progressed. This grew logically out of the growing protectiveness that Olivia was demonstrating towards Flavia. Hannah’s accentuating Flavia’s childishness brought out into the open a quality that resides in the conception of the role, especially in the moment when, having had the dagger taken from her, she immediately grasped the bottle of poison. Joseph’s making more evident that this was indeed a test of Flavia’s constancy signalled clearly to the audience that his appearance was a disguise. The fact that the test went horribly wrong in the final moments confirmed his immature thinking and expectations too. Overall a notable strength in this last staging was that the audience were being encouraged to see what was occurring onstage through different characters’ eyes. The actors made one last attempt at the scene: working with what had been agreed were the strengths of their previous playing, they aimed now for a more refined comic style.
What impresses with this final attempt is how vestiges of each of the earlier renderings can be traced like palimpsests behind this one. It is not uproariously funny but it is not heavily tragic either; rather the performance sustains a meticulous balance between the tonal ranges of both genres. Passion renders Flavia and Francisco childish and absurd, but there is no denying a depth of feeling in the two. The danger which seems to threaten in the sequence is to be registered but is nonetheless held in check by Astutta’s shrewdness so that all her random lines have significance and weight of a kind to point the alert spectator to follow and to some degree adopt her line of suspicion. The sophisticated poise of the playing invited as complex a response from the audience, moving between bemusement and amusement until the release into laughter that came with Flavia’s fainting and Francisco’s shocked awareness that he had not thought through the likely consequences of his scheme very sensibly. We watch here two lovers trapped by their unthinking folly rather than lovers who are victims of their own absurdity.
To take the name one day before your time.
410FlaviaI hate the name on those accursèd terms,
Break with†gg4967
begin to negotiate, open up discussions, start to barter
her by yourselves: I cannot speak:
gg4967
My tears forbid me.
411AstuttaI hope you will not offer†gg4971
make (such) a proposal, suggest (such a thing) (OED offer v, 3g)
it.
gg4971
412FranciscoCome mistress, see. What, weep you, pretty one?
What! And the great good turn*n7515
That is: the marital sex that is imminent ("the best turn in the bed").
so near*n7517
That is: about to happen soon.
you? Ha!
n7515
n7517
[To ASTUTTA] What will she do tomorrow night?
413Astutta [To FRANCISCO] Even cry outright perhaps.
Come lady, come. Hear me and see my ware†gg1162
goods (whether used in the singular as "ware" or plural)
:
gg1162
’Tis from Fabritio, he, that noble gentleman.
Does not your heart leap now? Now but suppose
French chains*n7523
chains made of gold links forming a necklace or belt
here five-hundred crowns*n7525
A crown was worth five shillings (sterling) and so five hundred amounted to £125. The National Archive Currency Converter indicates that in 2009 this sum would be worth £10,725.00.
a-piece;
n7523
n7525
A rich pearl necklace, sapphire and ruby bracelets;
Variety of jewels, and a diamond work†gs1122
a skilfully made, intricate decoration, such as a headpiece or necklace, made of golden wire on and from which jewels were hung
――――
gs1122
415FranciscoI hate their price and them, the sender more.
416AstuttaPray peace.
417FlaviaI cannot: let me go.
418FranciscoPray stay, sweet lady.
I do not say Fabritio sent such things,
I said I came from him, that noble gentleman.
419FlaviaHe is not noble.
420FranciscoJudge him by his presents
And see the things he sends.
421FlaviaI would not hear
A mention of him; much less would I see
423FlaviaHad she there Lucrece’ knife*n7531
Lucrece in ancient Rome was raped by king Tarquin; he was forced to flee the city and was defeated in an ensuing battle; she committed suicide by stabbing herself with a sword or dagger.
or Portia’s coals*n7534
Portia, a confirmed stoic like her father, Cato, in the period after the assassination of Julius Caesar when her husband, Brutus, fled Rome with the other conspirators, committed suicide by swallowing fire in the form of hot coals.
,
n7531
n7534
Or Cleopatra’s asps*n7536
All but one of the copies of the 1653 text collated for this edition, including the British Library volume that is my copy text, carry the reading "ashes", which clearly does not make sense in terms of historical fact. Maybe the compositor misread a floridly ornate "p" in the likely spelling "aspes" as an "h". The copy housed in Eton College Library has "aspes" but it is not absolutely clear whether this is a very neat handwritten emendation (of which there are several in the volume) or an actual press correction.
*n7535
Cleopatra famously killed herself within her monument in ancient Egypt by allowing asps (poisonous snakes) to bite her body, as she feared that after the death of her lover and protector, Mark Antony, she would be cruelly treated by his enemy, Octavius Caesar.
, I could embrace ’em.
n7536
n7535
424FranciscoLook you how near I fit†gs1125
match, meet (with the additional sense of doing so "fittingly", "aptly")
you. See what’s here.
gs1125
What a choice chain is this! And here’s a knife
As sharp as that of Lucrece. And, for coals,
Here is a poisonous juice, whose every drop
Would eat through iron. These Fabritio sends you.
425FlaviaI do accept them.
426FranciscoStay. Conditionally†gg4995
on the condition that, only if
,
gg4995
If you refuse another present here.
427FlaviaI must reject any from him but these.
428AstuttaWhat a scorn’†gg4996
show of contempt, insult or mockery
s this! This bawd ne’er ’scapes alive
gg4996
Out of these doors. Pray what’s your other present?
429FranciscoHere, lady, look on’t, pray; examine’t well.
[He produces from the box] a picture
And take or†gg3456
either
this or those.
gg3456
430FlaviaHa! Look here, Astutta:
431AstuttaIt is exceeding†gg4997
exceedingly, very (an intensive)
like him! What’s the plot, trow†gg4252
I wonder
*n9315
] troe
?
gg4997
gg4252
n9315
432FlaviaA thousand kisses shall thy welcome be,
As many thanks to you, good, virtuous woman.
O! Let me fall and bless the ground that bears thee,
433FranciscoRecall†gg4998
recollect; restore, revive (OED v1. 3c and 4)
yourself, sweet lady. Tender heart!
gg4998
434FlaviaAnd could Fabritio (I can name him now)
Show me such kindness and himself so noble
To send me this?
435FranciscoOn this condition (as I was to say)
That you embrace it in the memory
Of him, your love*n7572
] him your love (One is tempted to emend this to "him you love". But the reading in the 1653 text is defendable, if "your love" is taken to be in apposition to "him", along with the words "friend" and "Francisco". Another way of punctuating this, which would make this reading clearer, would be: "Of him (your love, his friend: Francisco)".)
, namely his friend, Francisco,
n7572
And that you ever love, and only him.
436FlaviaEver and only (though I thank him for’t)
He need not have urged that.
437AstuttaNor threatened these
(Your rope, here, and the rest) had she refused,
And to express their needlesses†gg4999
needlessness, pointlessness (OED records no use of "needless" as a noun as here)
the better
gg4999
I pray return them to him with great thanks.
439FlaviaLet then the charge†gg2323
(n) cost, expense
be mine. Here’s forty ducats†gg2741
gold, sometimes silver, coins used in several European countries including Italy; an Italian ducat was worth around 3s. 6d in the 1600s (roughly £15.60 in currency in 2009)
.
gg2323
gg2741
To my Francisco, take a hundred more.
You need not bid so much. Give me the letter.
441FlaviaSeal it*n7573
It was customary in the 1630s and earlier to seal private letters by dropping hot wax onto the carefully folded document and then impressing the wax with one's private seal (usually a metal disk with a raised or embossed pattern).
, Astutta.
n7573
442FranciscoThen you know me not:
Where I meet doubts, I never undertook†gg5019
committed oneself to an enterprise, entered into a compact with, made oneself answerable for (another person) (OED undertake v, 8, 9 and 10)
.*n10135
There was some discussion amongst the panel of editors when this line occurred in the workshop involving this scene. One could emend it to read either "Where I met doubts, I never undertook" or "Where I meet doubts, I never undertake". The first is the easier to defend in terms of a small compositorial misreading; but the wording of the 1653 text has been retained here for its dramatic immediacy, even if the shift in tense makes for poor syntax. As printed, the line gives a sense of an ongoing principle embracing past, present and future: it is a decree absolute that is not open to discussion.
gg5019
n10135
443FlaviaNay, I dare trust you. Read it, if you please.
444FranciscoIndeed you may. To wrong an innocence[He] reads it
So sweet as yours were sin inexpiable†gg5020
(of an offence) that cannot be atoned for, unforgiveable, unappeasable
.
gg5020
445FlaviaBut will you gi’t him, faith? I never swore
Nor urged a body to an oath before.
446Francisco’Tis given already, Flavia. Hence disguise*n7609
It is clear from the text that Francisco first removes part of the disguise, maybe swathing around his head; but then, when he gets no immediate response from Flavia, throws off his outer clothing to reveal his true self. It is open to the actress playing Flavia to choose how quickly she recognises Francisco: whether she knows her lover instantly but is utterly tongue-tied or whether she is either confused or unsure at first. This moment establishes something of a pattern within the final two acts of the drama, where one by one several characters reveal themselves to be in disguise and "unmask". This may be interpreted as a well-worn theatrical device or as Brome taking a satirical stance against a world where playing a role is an accepted social norm. Here Francisco admits his adopting a disguise was partly devised as a means of getting access to Flavia but also as a way of testing her integrity and depth of affection for him. In other words he chooses to compromise his own integrity in order to examine the strength of hers.
.
n7609
More yet? Nay, all shall off. Do you know me yet?
448FranciscoCursed be this idle†gs1135
pointless, useless
habit†gs1134
garment
,
gs1135
gs1134
In which my impious†gg5021
wicked, wanting in due reverence or respect, lacking a proper dutifulness
curiosity
gg5021
To make a trial of her constancy,
Under the passion; and perhaps may die so.
Flavia! My love! O ――――
449Astutta’Slight!†gg5023
An expletive (a shortening of the phrase: "By God's light!")
What mean you, sir?
gg5023
450FranciscoBy all the bliss that a true lover wishes ――――
451AstuttaWill you hold your peace?
452FranciscoBy all the oaths and practices of lovers ――――
453AstuttaWill you undo all now?
454FranciscoI was not jealous of thy constancy,
Flavia! My love! My life! My Flavia.
455AstuttaWill you lose all you came for with your clamour?
456FranciscoHelp me: for love’s sake help to make her speak
Or but look up.
457AstuttaWould*n9593
That is: if, or I wish.
you could hold your peace,
n9593
Whilst I look down to ’scape discovery.*n7611
That is: while I look about downstairs to ensure we have avoided being discovered. Astutta's fear is that their noise will have provoked the watchful Nannulo's suspicions and that he will come to investigate.
n7611
She’ll come to herself again, and you too. Fear not:
’Tis but a qualm†gg1606
sudden fit of faintness, illness, or sickness; (often associated with) fearfulness, faintheartedness (OED n3. 1 and 2a)
of kindness†gg5024
a feeling of tenderness or fondness; affection (OED 5)
, this*n7612
Astutta means that Flavia's swooning is but a fainting-fit brought on by the intensity of her feelings for Francisco.
.
gg1606
gg5024
n7612
458FlaviaFrancisco――――
459AstuttaShe comes already.
460FranciscoSpeak, my Flavia.
461AstuttaPray, do you peace†gg667
(int.) be quiet; keep calm
. Handle her handsomely†gs1136
carefully, gently (OED 3b)
gg667
gs1136
And then all shall be well, I warrant you.
You do not know the danger, noise and nakedness†gg5025
openness to attack or injury; vulnerability, defencelessness (OED 4)
gg5025
May pull†gg5026
bring down (misfortune or disaster) on (one's head) (OED v. 16b)
upon you: should the rogue
gg5026
Dwarf overhear you, we were all blown up†gg5027
destroyed, ruined (OED blow v1, 25. Though OED does not record a usage before 1660, this is clearly the sense here.)
,
gg5027
Which to prevent, all hushed while I go down.[ASTUTTA] exit[s]
462FranciscoBe cheered, my love. I came to rescue thee;
And hired this habit and the pedlar’s craft†gs1137
There may be a punning use of the word here embracing both the sense of cunning and that of the tools of the pedlar-woman's trade (her box of wares).
;
gs1137
Prayed for her absence and her silence too
In case I might surprise†gs1138
take unawares and capture (OED n. 1 and 2b)
thee. Pray take comfort.
gs1138
463FlaviaYou need not bid, nor wish it in these arms,
Whoever prays for those in Paradise?Bell rings.
I have blasphemed in my security*n7614
That is: in mentioning Paradise just now I have taken holy things in vain when I was over confident.
n7614
And terror threats my downfall into torment.
Enter ASTUTTA.
464AstuttaOut, out alas! My master in all haste――――
465FranciscoWhat shall we do?
466AstuttaIt is too late to ask,
Gather ’em up and fly†gs1683
hasten away; be quick and go
into your closet†gg686
private room, study
,
gs1683
gg686
Dress him up there. Stay not to look about ye.FRANCISCO [and] FLAVIA exit
I’ll do my best to keep him back a little.
Enter GUADAGNI and NANULO
467GuadagniNone else to speak with me?
468NanuloNone but
The merchantess to fit†gs1140
supply, equip (OED v1. 11b) make ready, prepare (OED v1. 6a)
my mistress,
gs1140
Signior Fabritio sent.
469GuadagniI thank his care†gs632
affectionate concern
.
gs632
That I forgot a writing, which in haste
470AstuttaAbove sir, busy with the daintiest things
Out with your purse, sir, for you cannot see ’em,
But they will ravish you to large expense*n7615
The use of the word "ravish" here neatly puns on two meanings of the word: "entrance" and "deprive". Astutta means that the pedlar's goods are so exquisite that Guadagni will be compelled to spend huge sums of money on buying them.
:
n7615
Coming so jump†gg5029
precisely at this very moment (with sense too of "fortuitously")
as ’twere into the market.
gg5029
471GuadagniI will not see ’em. Put the woman by
Into the gallery*n7616
Galleries in seventeenth-century houses of any substance were usually long rooms where a family's treasures were displayed or a place where in inclement weather a family walked up and down for exercise. It was often a place to which visitors were directed to wait an audience with members of the family. However, Brome may have been influenced by Coryat's descriptions of Venetian buildings which repeatedly refer to the architectural beauty of the galleries constructed in Venetian palaces and merchant's houses which were often open-sided to allow viewing of the canals below. Coryat writes: "Every Palace of any principall note hath a prety walke or open gallery betwixt the wall of the house and the brincke of the rivers banke, the edge or extremity whereof is garnished with faire pillers that are finely arched at the top. [...] Somewhat above the middle of the front of the building, or [...] a little beneath the toppe of the front they have right opposite unto their windows, a very pleasant little tarrasse, that jutteth or butteth out from the maine building: the edge whereof is decked with many prety litle turned pillers, either of marble or free stone to leane over. [...] They give great grace to the whole edifice, and serve only for this purpose, that people may from that place as from a most delectable prospect contemplate and view the parts of the City round about them in the coole evening" (Thomas Coryat, Coryat's Crudities, 2 vols. [Glasgow: James MacLehose for Glasgow University Press, 1905], p. 307).
, or somewhere remote.
n7616
Quick, quick, dispatch†gg3985
make haste, get a move on
.
gg3985
472AstuttaYou shall not need to urge it.Exit[s]
And will be more, before the wedding’s over,
Without a needless waste in gauds†gg4611
something gaudy; showy ornaments, pieces of finery; gewgaws (OED n2. 2)
and trifles†gg2465
trivial things
,One rings*n9594
That is: the sound of a bell is heard from offstage.
gg4611
gg2465
n9594
[To NANULO] See who’s at door.NANULO exit[s]
A father’s care consists not in expense
That is not qualified†gg5031
controlled, regulated, modified (OED qualify v, 13)
with providence†gs980
prudent management or provision (OED 1a and 4)
.
gg5031
gs980
Enter NANULO
474NanuloSignior Pantaloni, sir, sends after you.
He and your advocates expect you in haste
To bring away the writing.
475GuadagniSay I am coming.[NANULO] exit[s]
Enter FLAVIA and ASTUTTA above*n7618
As this scene develops, Brome avails himself of the full resources of the Blackfriars theatre, playing out one scene on the main stage while introducing a degree of counterpoint by now having characters appearing on the upper stage level, as the lower level empties. Soon he will be deploying both spaces within one piece of action, making for dramatic tension and extending the potential for comic invention by allowing the characters and action in one space to subvert what is occuring within the other.
*n9316
The 1653 text positions this entrance after Astutta's speech, "What have you done with him?". If the scene is to flow rapidly in performance to sustain the comic dynamic, then it is imperative that the line be spoken even as the two women make their entrance. Hence the repositioning of the stage direction in this edition.
n7618
n9316
476AstuttaWhat have you done with him*n7619
That is, Francisco, whom Astutta bid Flavia hide in her "cabinet". The comment allows an audience to suppose that this sequence has moved to that very cabinet and Astutta is expecting to find both lovers there.
?
n7619
477FlaviaOur haste and fears could not find time to dress him,
But I have locked him up into that press†gg2516
(n) large cupboard, usually with shelves, often used for clothes (OED n. 15)
.
gg2516
478AstuttaYour father’s coming up to seek a writing.
Pray, love, it be not there.
480AstuttaWell, hold your peace, look bold and cheerfully;
And be you silent, youth: nor cough, nor†gg3457
neither
stink†gg5034
break wind to emit a foul smell or even defecate through fear
,
gg3457
gg5034
Nor let your fear run forth in streams of urine
To make him think his aqua-vitae†gg5035
(literally, water of life from the Latin) all-but-pure alcohol, spirits such as brandy
spilt.
gg5035
481GuadagniWhere are you, Flavia?Within*n7620
Brome adds to the sense of mounting tension by allowing the audience to hear Guadagni's approach. Offstage sound for comic effect is a device continually deployed by Brome: his use reaches its most inventive in The Antipodes (acted 1638).
n7620
482FlaviaO me, he comes!
483AstuttaWhy speak you not?
484GuadagniFlavia.[Within]
485AstuttaYou were best betray all*n7621
Astutta is being deeply ironic, as she often is with Flavia, whom she continually treats as the child she once nursed.
with your silliness.
n7621
486GuadagniWhy, Flavia, I say?[Within]
487AstuttaHere father, here sir.*n7622
Astutta mimics Flavia's voice, since she seems dumbstruck by the crisis.
n7622
You will not I shall answer for you when he’s here?
Come, look as nothing were, all will be nought else*n7623
That is: look as if nothing whatever is the matter, or else all is lost.
.
n7623
Bear up, he comes.
Enter GUADAGNI above.
488Guadagni’Tis here that I would have thee, Flavia.
Give me the key of this press†gg2516
(n) large cupboard, usually with shelves, often used for clothes (OED n. 15)
here.
gg2516
489FlaviaO father, father――――She falls.
490GuadagniWhat’s the matter? Ha!
491AstuttaAlas, poor heart! [To GUADAGNI] You know, sir, in her infancy,
You beat her once for losing of a key,
For which she trembles still, being asked in haste.
[To FLAVIA] Are you a child still in your fears and must
Be wed tomorrow? Fie, fie upon you!
[To GADAGNI] She thinks she has lost it, but I saw her lock it,
Together with a writing which you dropped
Out of this press this morning, safe enough
Here in her cabinet†gg4899
a case for the safe custody of jewels, or other valuables (OED n. 5)
.
gg4899
492Guadagni’Tis like I let it fall.
493Astutta [To FLAVIA] Where is your key of this? Give me’t, give me’t.*n7624
Astutta here mimics Guadagni in his urgency, making demands of Flavia.
n7624
[To GUADAGNI] How haste and fear perplexes†gg5036
confuses, baffles, troubles (renders anxious)
her! I could
gg5036
Have picked it open.
494GuadagniDo, or break it open.
She lets the cabinet fall out of the window
495AstuttaAy me! The fruits of rashness! See, ’tis fallen
With all her jewels and your writing too
Into the street. O my unlucky hand!
496GuadagniPeace, giddy-headed*n9595
That is: flighty, mad-brained. Interestingly, OED cites the earliest uses of this compound in Brome, but gives Covent Garden Weeded as its example, dating the use erroneously as 1652.
harlot†gs290
not necessarily sexual: can be a generally pejorative term for a woman
, watch that none
n9595
gs290
Take it away while I run to recover’t.
497AstuttaWill you be nimble yet to find a way
While I lock him and’s man into the street?
Quickly unpress*n7639
That is: let Francisco out of the press (the cupboard, where he has been in hiding). Clearly this injunction should be followed up with appropriate action, since Francisco needs to be liberated in time for his line at speech 500[NV 4.1.speech500]. No stage direction has been included in the text since there has to be at this juncture a sense of great hurry about the upper stage level and a cast must build Francisco's appearance out of the press into whatever business they design overall.
him; and take as much gold
n7639
As you can carry. I’ll along w’ye too.
498FlaviaWhat shall we say?
499AstuttaDo as you are bidden and say nothing.
500FranciscoLovers shall saint†gg5045
to call (a person) a saint; give the name of ‘saint’ to; to reckon among the saints (OED v. 2a)
thee; and this day shall be
gg5045
For ever calendared†gg5046
registered in the calendar of saints or saints' days
to love*n7640
] Love (The 1653 reading could be taken to mean (by virtue of the initial capital letter and the use of italics) not just the general state of love but the very god of Love, Cupid or Eros, which makes Francisco's statement even more forcefully blasphemous than as represented in this edition. But this is an effect available only to readers. It would be difficult in the modern theatre to convey readily to audiences the connection with Cupid and the blasphemy of the sentence.)
and thee.[They] exit [above]
gg5046
n7640
Enter a ZAFFI†gg5975
a state officer of the law in Venice, either acting as a guard or carrying out business for the various governing bodies
, taking up the cabinet.*n7641
Once again Brome is neatly deploying the full resources of the Blackfriars Theatre. Even as three characters leave the upper playing area, two more enter on the main stage, while we also hear "within" the sound of Guadagni descending through his house. Brome expertly conveys a sense of the geography of the house in which this scene is situated and the relation of certain rooms within it to the street outside. In this dramaturgical mastery of stage space Brome may have been influenced by his mentor, Ben Jonson's handling of the spaces within and outside Lovewit's house in The Alchemist. (This was another of the King's Men's plays, acted in 1610 and revived by them for the 1631-32 season, the season before that in which The Novella was first staged).
To him, NICOLO in a Zaffi’s habit†gs1013
a costume appropriate to a particular function or office, a uniform expressing a particular rank or position in society
.
gg5975
n7641
gs1013
501GuadagniNanulo! The key to let me forth.Within.
502ZaffiSt. Mark*n7642
One of the four evangelists and the patron saint of Venice.
and fortune make it a good prize!
n7642
503NicoloHands off, sir, that’s not yours.
504ZaffiNor yours, I am sure.
506GuadagniThe key I saw.Within.
507ZaffiSir, you are none o’th’ Zaffi.
508GuadagniVillain! slave! Come open the door.Within.
509ZaffiHow came you by this habit?
510NicoloPerhaps to try, sir, how it will become me
When I have a mind to be as very†gs1146
truly entitled to the name or designation, as absolute a (knave) as
a knave
gs1146
In office as yourself. But shall we slip
Take the bone from us both?*n9675
The origin of this proverbial phrase (two dogs strive for a bone while a third, usually a cur, runs away with it) is to be found in Aesop's Fables. M.P. Tilley in his Dictionary of the Proverbs in England in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1950) lists it as D545, and also records a usage in Arden of Faversham.
n9675
Enter GUADAGNI [and] NANULO
511GuadagniI fear you can be quicker in my absence.
512NanuloThe fault was in your haste, sir.
513GuadagniTook you not up a cabinet, friends?
514Nicolo and ZaffiNot we, sir! We saw none.
515GuadagniOh, you watch†gs1147
act as sentinel, look-out or guard
well above there.*n9592
Guadagni needs to direct this with a glance or gesture at the upper playing level (in spectators' imaginations an upper room in Guadagni's house) where he supposes Astutta is still standing, not realising in his haste and anxiety that she is no longer there.
gs1147
n9592
516NanuloThis fellow has it under his coat, sir.
517ZaffiBut who shall know’t for yours, sir?
518NicoloMay we be bold to ask what marks it has
Or what’s within it?
519GuadagniI’ll have you ear-marked villains*n7647
It was a customary form of (English) punishment for thieves to be branded to signify their crime or to have parts of their bodies removed. The cutting off of ears and slitting of noses was a common mode of punishment, usually executed in public when the criminal was being displayed in the stocks. Brome's plays abound in references to the practice, especially after this punishment was meted out to William Prynne, a high-profile example of such brutality, on charges of treasonous writing against the queen.
for your theft.
n7647
Know you not me?
520ZaffiI cry your worship mercy, and am glad
I was your instrument†gg3084
"a person made use of by another [...] for the accomplishment of a purpose" (OED n. 1b); an agent, tool
to preserve this treasure
gg3084
521NicoloFortune has sent my master to relieve†gs843
rescue, assist (OED v. 1a); also used specifically to refer to legal relief (OED v. 1d)
me.
gs843
Enter PANTALONI, CHEQUINO [and] PROSPERO.
522PantaloniSignior Guadagni, our council have thought fit,
That it be past here in your daughter’s presence
Together with my son, whom I have sent for.
523GuadagniAn accident hath crossed†gg613
frustrated, jinxed; (literally) run across (one's path)
me. Look you, sir,
gg613
Aside, sir*n7669
] Hear me aside /Sir (The 1653 reading produces a highly irregular verse line. If emended as in the modernised text, then this gives a decasyllabic first line to Nicolo's speech and marks a particular stress on the word, "Aside", which is appropriate in the context, since Nicolo has no wish for Pantaloni's scheme concerning his revenge on Victoria to be made public.)
――――NICOLO whispers [with] PANT[ALONI].
n7669
525Guadagni [To NANULO] Carry this in; and send away the woman*n7671
That is, as Guadagni, supposes: the Pedlar-woman.
.
n7671
He gives the cabinet to NAN[ULO]*n7672
The fact that this direction requires Guadagni to be in possession of the cabinet means that at some point after the entrance of Pantaloni and the lawyers, Nicolo must have seized the box and returned it to its owner. Cast and director will have to work out appropriate business to effect this transfer of the prop. The actor playing Nicolo might, for example, thrust the box at his accuser immediately before he takes Pantaloni confidentially aside. This also supposes that the box is at this time actually in Nicolo's possession, since up to the arrival of Guadagni, Nicolo and the Zaffi have been competing to get hold of it. As it is the genuine Zaffi who, when challenged by Guadagni, informs on Nicolo by revealing him to be an impostor, maybe a cast could work out a pattern of comic business whereby he relinquishes hold of the box just before he charges Nicolo with being a "counterfeit". This is a likely pattern of stage business but it has not been entered into a series of stage directions to leave actors free to improvise both movements and timing.
, who knocks at [the] door
n7672
528NicoloThe carnifex†gg5056
executioner
is fitted†gs1152
made ready, given your instructions
for your service
gg5056
gs1152
In a most gorgeous habit†gg128
clothing
of a Dutchman*n7677
Much of the comedy in this, the previous and the ensuing, final act will derive from the audience's response to recognising distinctive styles of national wear (French, Spanish and Dutch). The French style was ornate and often highly decorated; the Spanish garb was more severe, figure-fitting in a manner that drew the torso precisely upright into an elevated posture; Dutch and German men were noted for sporting "slops" (wide, baggy breeches and hose, which gave wearers a distinct bottom-heavy look). Since the text has referred [NV 3.1.speech365] to Don Pedro as looking like Surly in Jonson's The Alchemist when he dresses up as a Spanish Count, it is conceivable that the King's Men deployed the same costume for Don Pedro as for Surly. Numerous plays in the sixteenth century refer to slops, so such articles of attire are likely to have been included in the company's wardrobe and be available for Brome's use. The same is true of French attire. The more recognisable the clothing as stock material from the wardrobe, the more the difference to be found in Brome's handling of type figures might be appreciated.
,
gg128
n7677
And about five i’th’ evening will be with her.
529NanuloAstutta! Madonna Flavia! Astutta!
530GuadagniWhat’s the matter there?
531PantaloniThe best jest. Ha, ha, ha!*n7678
Brome creates mirth for spectators by juxtaposing two conversations between masters and servants across each other, leaving Guadagni turning this way and that as he tries to attend to both focal points of interest.
n7678
532NanuloYou’ll open the door?
533GuadagniWhat’s that?
534PantaloniIt will be mirth tomorrow at our feast
To laugh our bellies full.
535NanuloI am sure you hear me.
536Guadagni [To NICOLO] Why stay you there*n7679
Various meanings of the words, "why" and "stay" hover perhaps punningly in this usage. Guadagni may be puzzled why Nicolo is still lingering (staying) close to Pantaloni, but it is clear too that the younger man is looking to or relying on the older man for support or help (OED stay v2, 3b). Alternatively the speech could be differently punctuated to read: "Why! Stay you there, sirrah." In this reading Nicolo presumes (having conveyed his private message to his master) that he can leave but is stopped in his tracks by Guadagni's outburst. In this instance "Why!" would carry the meaning "Why are you moving?" or "Where do you think you are going?" Nicolo would be obliged to respond literally to the injunction "Stop" until released by Pantaloni's defence of his conduct. A cast might explore both possibilities.
, sirrah?
n7679
537PantaloniI let him go: a merry, harmless fellow.
And quickly send my son.NICOLO exit[s]
539GuadagniI fear I am undone. Flavia, Astutta, ho!
’Tis so, ’tis so: some robbers are slipped in,
And now make havoc†gg5057
pillage and rape (the term is usually applied to an army that has seized an enemy stronghold and is allowed to seize all spoils available)
of my goods and daughter.
gg5057
540PantaloniIt is no dallying.*n7680
That is: this is not a time to dally; get a move on; shift yourself.
Run and fetch a smith
n7680
To force the lock. NANULO ex[its]*n9318
The 1653 text positions this exit midway through Pantaloni's speech in the right-hand margin after "fetch a smith". This edition has repositioned the direction at the close of Pantaloni's speech, but it could be played with a frightened Nanulo beginning to hasten from the stage before fully hearing his instructions.
n9318
541GuadagniAstutta! Flavia! Oh, this cursed chance,
I fear, will ruin me and all my hopes.
Enter PEDLAR WOMAN.
How came you hither?
542Pedlar WomanSir, by good appointment*n7682
That is: (I was) properly commissioned.
n7682
To bring bride-laces*n7683
These were often elaborate laces with silver ends that were used to thread a bodice or tie a bodice to a skirt. They were given as tokens of love and devotion by a groom to his future bride or as presents to either partner in a marriage from a well-wisher. Compare the sequence in Act 4 of Brome and Heywood's The Late Lancashire Witches where a groom on his wedding-night is rendered impotent after inserting in his codpiece such a lace which was given to him by a former lover who, being a witch, has put a curse on the object.
, gloves, and curious†gs1154
unusual, distinctive, intricate
dressings†gg978
head-dresses
n7683
gs1154
gg978
Tomorrow as I ween†gg3271
think
. Holds it*n7684
That is: is it being held? Will it take place as planned?
, I pray?
gg3271
n7684
543GuadagniWere you not here before and in the house?
544Pedlar WomanIf you could put it off, sir, one day longer,
I could so fit†gs1027
(v) supply, furnish, or provide
her with new fashioned*n7685
Two meanings are latent here: both newly made (where fashioned means fabricated, sewn, manufactured) and newly in fashion.
tires†gg4609
(derived from attire): coverings, modes of dressing, or ornaments for a woman's head; head-dresses
gs1027
n7685
gg4609
That she should thank me.
[Enter] NANULO above*n7686
In the 1653 text this direction is inserted in the right hand margin alongside the two lines of Nanulo's speech, beginning "Hence let me fall to earth" (NV 4.1.1654-1655). Clearly for the comedy of his initial words to have their full effect, he must enter either before or while speaking them, hence this edition has moved the positioning of the direction. Once again in terms of his dramaturgy, Brome is exploiting the various playing levels of the theatre to make for rapidly shifting tones of comedy. The audience know precisely how Nanulo must have got himself to that upper level (when it appeared to him and his master that the doors of the house were shut against them), which makes Guadagni's next line all the funnier. Throughout this scene spectators are invariably one step ahead of the characters, having been carefully informed of all the plotting that is going on, so that the confusion of the characters onstage will inevitably elicit their superior laughter.
n7686
546NanuloHence let me fall to earth; I may not see
My master’s fury rise out of his ruin.
547GuadagniHow got’st thou thither?
548NanuloBy the back-door, which I found widely open.
O sir! Your daughter――――
549GuadagniRavished or murdered is she?
550NanuloWorse, worse by far, sir, she is conveyed†gg5069
carried off clandestinely; stolen away furtively
hence.
gg5069
The neighbours from the windows o’er the way
Saw her, the maid and a young man take boat.
They guess it was Francisco.
551PantaloniHow, how, how!
552NanuloLoaden†gg5070
weighed down, laden
with caskets, sir. Here’s his deceptio visus*n7694
That is, his means of disguising his appearance (Latin, meaning a deceitful appearance).
.
gg5070
n7694
The cursèd cloak, that charmed†gg3210
influenced by magic power, bewitched, under a spell
my honest care;
gg3210
And here’s his juggling box*n7695
box of conjuring tricks, of magic and sleights of hand
. What toys†gs1156
tricks
are these!
n7695
gs1156
NANULO shows the habit†gg1134
friendliness (dialect?)
, the cord etc*n7696
This direction, printed as a single line here, is in the 1653 text sited as a block of three lines in the right hand margin alongside the dialogue, starting from Nanulo's line beginning, "The cursed cloak...". The direction is divided as follows: "Nan. shows /(the ha-/ (bit, the cord &c.".
gg1134
n7696
553GuadagniO me, accursèd wretch!
Enter NICOLO.
554NicoloO sir, your son!
555PantaloniWhere is he? Speak.
556NicoloSir, nowhere to be found.
[Aside to PANTALONI] In private let me tell you, he slipped forth
At four i’th’ morning, sir, when you and I
Were you know where*n7698
That is: pursuing his unwelcome courtship of Victoria.
. He cast forth doubtful†gs1157
ambiguous, equivocal, indeterminate
words
n7698
gs1157
Of a vagary†gg5071
capricious conduct (often involving a journey or excursion)
he would fetch†gs1159
go in quest of (OED v. 1)
at Rome.
gg5071
gs1159
557PantaloniWe both are wrought upon by hellish magic.
558GuadagniDevils are in this plot.
559Chequino and ProsperoThink you of devils?
560PantaloniThough you, sirs, being lawyers, think there’s none,
We may both think there are and fear ’em.
The jest you have in hand against†gs1080
in anticipation of, in preparation for, in time for (OED 19)
tomorrow.
gs1080
562PantaloniSir, use your jerks†gs1161
witticisms, gibes, sallies
and quillets†gg5073
verbal niceties, quibbles
at the bar.
gs1161
gg5073
563GuadagniCast there your petulant†gg5074
impudent, insolent, rude
wit on misery*n7700
That is: on miserable people, on unfortunates who are criminals and their like.
.
gg5074
n7700
564ChequinoSir, you mistake: my counsel is to comfort.
Be not dejected but seek speedy way
To circumvent†gg2704
cheat, outwit
the wit*n7701
Brome is using a complex grammatical compression here, in which "that which" has to be understood as preceeding "the wit". The advice is that the two old men find means to avoid what Francisco ("the wit") has effected to their discomfort. "Wit" could also be interpreted as the "trick" that has been levelled at Guadagni and Pantaloni.
has wrought upon you.
gg2704
n7701
565GuadagniGood sir, your best advice.
566ChequinoFirst, charge†gg5075
A grammatical and linguistic compression: charge here carries a double meaning. First: require ("this officer") or command (him); and secondly: to bring a charge against "this woman", or to take (her) in charge.
this officer
gg5075
Here with this woman, who by examination†gs416
judicial inquiry; inspection, scrutiny; formal interrogation
*n9319
] who by'examination (The apostrophe would appear to be a means of indicating an elision of the two words that the punctuation mark seems to separate.)
gs416
n9319
567Pedlar WomanI can discover†gs575
uncover
nothing but my ware†gg1162
goods (whether used in the singular as "ware" or plural)
, sir,
gs575
gg1162
568PantaloniTake her to custody.*n7706
The 1653 text sets this and the next six lines of what is fast, cross-cutting dialogue as if they were prose. But there is a rhythm to the quick-fire exchange (a help to actors to sustain the pace) and the lines are regular enough to be set as verse; and so the text has been appropriately emended in this edition.
n7706
569ZaffiMistress, come with me.
570Pedlar WomanWhither? For what?
571ZaffiYou shall know that hereafter.
572Pedlar WomanWhat can I discover?
573PantaloniAway with her.
574Pedlar WomanWhat can I discover?ZAFFI [and] PEDLAR WOMAN exit
575Chequino [To GUADAGNI] Into your house, sir, now and secure that.
[To both GUADAGNI and PANTALONI]
Come, recollect†gg5080
compose, rally one's spirits (OED v1. 4 and 6)
yourselves, call home†gg5082
summon, take command of
the strength
gg5080
gg5082
Of your approved†gg3876
commended, said to be good (OED ppl, 3; here the first citation is given as occurring in Milton’s Paradise Lost, first published 1667)
judgements, we’ll assist you.
gg3876
Advise†gg5084
ponder, deliberate, consider, take thought (OED v. 6)
and do at once, use†gs1166
make, practise, employ
no delay;
gg5084
gs1166
The speediest course is now the safest way.All exit*n7710
] Exeunt om[nes].
n7710
4.2
[Enter] FABRITIO like the glorious Dutchman, HORATIO [and] PISO.
577FabritioFound you the fort*n7731
Fabritio means Victoria and her chastity.
, then, so impregnable†gg5094
that cannot be overcome or vanquished; invincible; unconquerable
?
n7731
gg5094
578HoratioAgainst all force of arms or business.
Of the two thousand ducats†gg2741
gold, sometimes silver, coins used in several European countries including Italy; an Italian ducat was worth around 3s. 6d in the 1600s (roughly £15.60 in currency in 2009)
to be entered*n7732
The grammatical sense of this requires the relating of the initial words with the final three: "no way to be entered but by...". Piso is continuing the metaphor of the fortress which is under seige: that entry will not be by any means of attack but by settling the financial demand.
.
gg2741
n7732
580FabritioSure†gg2941
for certain, rest assured
, ’tis some noble*n7733
That is: nobler. The choice of words here, however, indicates that the men had not supposed any woman setting herself up as a courtesan could be of noble birth. They are gradually coming to the conclusion that Victoria is of a higher social status than any of them imagined.
wench than you imagine.
gg2941
n7733
But my disguise shall put her to the test.
581HoratioI’m sure she jeered†gg724
mocked
me out of my Monsieurship*n7734
That is: Horatio's French disguise. The combining of the French "monsieur" with the decidedly English "-ship" neatly conveys the role-play involved in the form of a linguistic joke.
.
gg724
n7734
582FabritioDid she, and†gs1173
in spite of
all thy fine French qualities†gs1072
abilities, accomplishments, cultual and aesthetic gifts
?
gs1173
gs1072
583PisoAnd is as like to make a skitterbrook†gg5095
one who befouls his breeches; a coward (this would appear to be a Brome coinage, as the OED cites the only usages as occurring in The Novella [NV 4.2.speech583] and in The Court Beggar [CB 4.2.speech771])
gg5095
Of you in your Dutch slops†gg1431
baggy breeches or hose, often called Dutch slops (OED n1. 4a) (the title page of Middleton and Dekker's The Roaring Girl has an illustration of Mary Frith dressed in slops (available on EEBO); the portrait of Sir Martin Frobisher (painted by Cornelius Ketel, 1577, owned by the Bodleian, and available online) illustrates the slops often worn by sailors: see http://elizabethangeek.com/costumereview/image.mhtml?image_id=58
. For if she be not
gg1431
584HoratioShe lives at a good rate†gs1174
standard of living, level of domestic expenditure
, howe’er maintained*n7735
Literally this means: whatever the source of her income. But the word "maintained" carries particular associations in relation to a courtesan, who was usually maintained (in the sense of "kept") by a benefactor in return for her sexual services. He provided for her standard of living, dressing, entertaining.
.
gs1174
n7735
585PisoThe secret way, man, by her comings in*n7736
This is a neat pun: the phrase can mean Victoria's revenues, but as a courtesan her income would be governed by the number of comings into her house of clients intent on purchasing her services.
,
n7736
Too common among women for their livings*n7737
This means: to provide for their livelihood or furnish them with an income.
.
n7737
I’ll not believe her wit and feature†gg5096
good proportions of the body or face; comeliness; beauty
are
gg5096
Allied to honesty.
586FabritioThou art no worshipper of fair women, Piso.
587PisoNo. If I worship any of ’em more
Than in the knee-trick*n7738
This seems to be one of Brome's coinages. He was later to use the term, "knee-labour" meaning kneeling in The Antipodes but here he seems to be calling on the rather coy usage in the 1600s of "kneestead" and "kneeward" to mean in the vicinity of the genitalia (see OED knee n, 13). Given the rather crude tone of the conversation between the gallants here, the reference might be to the tactic of forcibly widening a woman's legs by strategic placing of the man's knees to allow him easy penetration.
that is necessary
n7738
588HoratioNow, Nicolo?
589NicoloSaw you my young master, gentlemen?
Sober Italian*n7742
The 1653 text places the line-break after "sober", but that creates two irregular verse lines. By emending as in this edition two properly formed pentameters result with the second line having the rhythmic force almost of an aphorism.
into high Dutch*n7739
There is a pun on the word "high" relating to Fabritio's "gorgeous" attire in the Dutch fashion, where the meaning is elaborate, expensive, of the highest quality. But also the word reflects on his status as aristocratic in appearance and therefore one most likely to speak "high" rather than "low" German.
.
n7742
n7739
591NicoloI swear he was past my reading.*n7740
Nicolo picks up the image implicit in Horatio's use of the word,
"translated". What he means is that Fabritio's disguise completely fooled him: he could not read signs that would reveal the figure was actually his master's son.
n7740
592FabritioHow like you this for a beard?[He shows it]*n9321
Fabritio shows the beard at this point but does not don it to disguise himself till instructed to in the direction accompanying [NV 4.2.speech609].
n9321
593NicoloMost excellent!
But pray take heed your stay†gg5100
loitering, pausing, halting (remaining in the one place)
spoil not the purpose
gg5100
Of your disguise.
594FabritioWhy what news, Nicolo?
595NicoloYour father is in busy quest of you.
596FabritioThen he does miss me?
597NicoloPray Phoebus*n7743
Phoebus or Apollo was the god of light, music and poetry, inspiration and prophecy. The adjective Apollonian is often used in opposition to the term Bacchic or Dionysian, derived from the names (Latin and Greek) of the god of wine, frenzy, madness. Hence the invocation to Apollo to stave off madness in the elderly Pantaloni.
he miss as much of madness!
n7743
He and his virtuous brother*n7744
The word was often used as a term of address between fellow-members of a guild (both old men are soon to be brothers-in-law or so they hope; but they are also both of the merchant class).
, old Guadagni,
n7744
Who misses too his daughter. Francisco has her.
599NicoloAnd she has got him on*n7746
That is: given him an erection, is having sex with him.
by this time: they
n7746
Are silly fools else.
600PisoHymen*n3667
In classical mythology and lore, Hymen was the god of marriage, usually represented as a young man carrying a torch and veil.
be their speed!
n3667
601HoratioBut how, I pray thee, ’scaped they?
602NicoloFirst, sir, know
To speak wi’ye. I guess*n7747
The 1653 text places the line-break after "wi'ye" as if Nicolo suddenly reverted to prose. By emending the lines so that the break falls after "desires" as here, then two complete and orderly verse lines result.
he is some bravo†gs1176
pimp or procurer
.
n7747
gs1176
603HoratioA bravo speak with me?
604NicoloYes, and inquires here for my master too,
And Signior Piso. You are all known, it seems.
605PisoCome, leave your fooling.
606NicoloBy mine ears*n7748
It was not unusual for criminals to be punished by having their ears lopped in the 1600s. What Nicolo is saying is that he is so confident of what he is saying that he is willing to bet the loss of his ears on the matter, which would be no idle jest.
’tis true.
n7748
607HoratioGo call him in. I fear no knavery†gg5101
trickery; dishonest dealing
.[NICOLO exits]*n7750
The 1653 text offers no direction here, but Nicolo must leave the stage as instructed here to make sense of his re-entry with Borgio after the next two speeches.
gg5101
n7750
609FabritioMy disguise, me.Puts on his false beard.
Enter NICOLO [and] BORGIO
610NicoloThis is the gentleman.
611Piso’Tis the proud brach’s†gg5102
a kind of hound which hunts by scent; in later English use, always feminine, and extended to any kind of hound; a bitch-hound (figuratively, a term of abuse for a woman as sexual object)
whisk†gg5103
a variant spelling of the word "whiskin" (meaning a pander, procurer, go-between), which is Brome's customary spelling in The Northern Lass and The City Wit
!
gg5102
gg5103
612BorgioI cry you mercy, sir, are you Signior Horatio?
I took you, sir, this morning for a Monsieur†gg5104
French title applied in the 1600s to men of high rank, a French lord
.
gg5104
I thank you for my ducatoun†gg4778
a silver coin formerly current in Italian and some other European states, worth in the 1600s from 5 to 6 shillings sterling (currently in 2009 the value would be between £22.00 and £26.00)
.
gg4778
613HoratioWhat! Is she come about?*n7751
That is: Has she come round to my way of thinking? Has she changed her mind and will offer herself to me on my terms rather than hers?
Has she sent for me?
n7751
614BorgioGood sir, are you here too? I thank you, sir.
You paid me your entrance, but no parting fee*n7752
That is: a fee at parting, a tip when you departed.
.
n7752
Thy errand. What dost come for?
616BorgioSir, to entreat this gentleman to bring
With him one Signior Piso and Fabritio――――
Beyond my hopes! Good sir, are you here too?*n7753
Borgio has in fact mistaken Fabritio for the actual Dutchman, Swatzenburgh, as the dialogue eventually makes clear when his intimate chat with Fabritio ends at speech 622[NV 4.2.speech622].
n7753
617Fabritio [Aside] This is a devil! Could he know me else
That ne’er saw him before in this disguise?
618BorgioCry mercy, sir. [Aside to FABRITIO] You*n7764
] sir: you
would not*n9602
That is: would not wish.
these should know*n7763
Presumably this refers to the fact that both Borgio and the Dutchman, Swatzenburgh, whom Borgio supposes Fabritio to be, are acquainted. Also Borgio intimates that what should best be kept a secret is the Dutchman's successful approach to Victoria, which, if known by the assembled gallants, might provoke their envy and potential aggression.
n7764
n9602
n7763
Nor shall they (fear it not). But*n7765
] they (I fear it not) but (The inclusion of "I" in the 1653 text makes little sense in the context, since Borgio is trying here to allay any fears that the man (whom he supposes wrongly is Swatzenburgh) may be experiencing on encountering Borgio at this moment, in this place and with this company of gallants.)
hark you, sir.
n7765
619Nicolo [Aside]*n7757
It would seem appropriate that this speech is rendered as an aside, addressed directly to the audience. Borgio is in conversation with Fabritio and, if Nicolo speaks apart from the other characters on stage, then that leaves Horatio and Piso to direct the two following speeches to each other.
What familiars*n7754
The usage here is punning on "familiar" as meaning overly intimate, ingratiating but also, by using the word as a noun and not an adjective, Brome is intimating that there is something eerie and troubling about that intimacy: that it is akin to being possessed by a satanic familiar ("a demon or evil spirit supposed to attend at a call" OED).
these bawds†gg3288
procurers, go-betweens
are!
n7757
n7754
gg3288
They’ll talk yet thus*n7756
The 1653 text makes the line-break after "talk yet", making "Thus" the initial word of the second line. This makes for some clumsy versification. Rhythmically the lines seem to require that the line-break fall as in the emendation after "are!", so that the speech falls neatly into two exclamations.
to lords in private.
n7756
621HoratioSo would any man: he has hit†gs1177
hit the mark, in the sense of "copied exactly"
his shape†gs291
costume, appearance
so right†gg1170
(adv.) accurately, sensitively
.
gs1177
gs291
gg1170
622BorgioI am sure I rejoice in these dollars†gg5106
(in the singular, dollar) the English name for the German thaler, a large silver coin, of varying value, current in the German states from the sixteenth century
that you
gg5106
Give me today*n7758
During the time when Borgio is talking intimately with Fabritio, the latter must be seen to hand over a "fee" or tip to the pimp. He is taking his clue from the drift of Borgio's conversation on his arrival; but it is also a calculated move to win Borgio's favour, though the reason for that is not clear until his aside at the close of this speech of Borgio's. Fabritio then reveals that he realises Borgio has in fact made a mistake about the Dutch disguise and plans to make good use of the man's error.
, and are as certain that
n7758
My mistress wished a better dinner for you
But, by your strangeness*n7760
] strangers (It is difficult to make sense of the reading in the 1653 text, though it is clear that Borgio is remarking on how aloof the supposed Dutchman is compared with his fiery behaviour in expelling Don Diego from the stage in the previous act. One might perhaps defend a reading of "stranger" (deployed as a comparative adjective) on the grounds that Borgio is drawing attention to the discrepancy between the temperament that the Dutchman presented to him earlier and that of the man who now stands before him. But this would require one to infer a word like "behaviour" as being in opposition to "fireworks", which it would not be easy for a modern actor to convey vocally to spectators. Brome has indulged in a number of grammatical compressions in this scene, but to take either "strangers" or "stranger" as the preferred reading would make for very convoluted and ambiguous syntax. One might suppose that the original hand, whether a scribe's or Brome's, had rendered the ending of the word messy or confused or that contemporary seventeenth-century spelling of "strangeness" and the use of the long "S" might have required the compositor to make a not very satisfactory guess. "Strangeness" has been opted for as the logical alternative to either of these more questionable readings.)
it seems you repent
n7760
The marriage-offer that you made my mistress.
Fortune direct you to no worse a wife,
And so I leave you to your choice*n7761
That is: whether to go ahead with the offer of marriage or to back off and abandon Victoria.
.
n7761
623Fabritio [Aside]*n7762
It makes no sense for Fabritio to speak these words to Borgio, since they would alert the latter to his having made a mistake concerning the Dutchman's identity. Horatio's next comment makes it clear that Fabritio's remark has not been addressed to him or to Piso. Consequently the inclusion of an aside here seems justifiable in terms of a likely staging.
I have found the error, and will make good use on’t.
n7762
624HoratioYour business then is to that stranger*n7766
Horatio is referring to Fabritio while working with his awareness, voiced earlier, that Borgio has somehow mistaken Fabritio's identity.
, sir――――
n7766
625BorgioOnly yourself, and briefly from Francisco.*n7767
That is: my business, which is from Francisco, is only to yourself (Horatio) and that briefly.
n7767
626HoratioFrancisco! Where?
627BorgioWhere but at our house, sir?*n7768
The 1653 text begins a new verse line with this question and then tries to make a series of verse lines out of the rest of the speech. The line endings are as follows: "bride /Craving...gentlemen /I named unto you." This leaves an awkward half-line with "I named unto you", since the ensuing line "For no disparagement unto their worths, sir" is a full verse line. If the opening words of Borgio's speech are rendered as a completion of the verse line begun by Horatio and the following lines are rearranged as in this edition, that makes for a run of fully formed verse lines.
n7768
He and his bride, craving your company
And those gentlemen I named unto you,
For no disparagement†gg4588
dishonour, disgrace, discredit
unto their worths, sir,*n7770
The 1653 text prints this as a new speech for Borgio/Paulo so that two adjacent speeches are assigned to the same character. Clearly the two are consecutive elements of the same extended sentence and so this text emends them to create one continuous speech. Possibly a page-turn in the scribal copy or foul papers where the speech prefix had been repeated confused the compositor. Or maybe there is a missing interjection from one of the gallants, possibly from Piso, that interrupted the two halves of Borgio's speech which would account for why he needs to assure his listeners that there is to be no "disparagement" in their going to Francisco.
gg4588
n7770
But private reasons yet unknown to me
Wherein you shall be satisfied at your coming.
628HoratioBut are they married?
629BorgioI brought the priest to’em;
And saw them lawfully coupled, and before
She was his own, church-sure*n7771
That is: properly married, according to the rites of the church, before a priest and with witnesses.
, before I left ’em,
n7771
And he has made her cock-sure*n7772
That is: he has bedded her, enjoyed her sexually.
, sir, by this time,
n7772
Or else he is a bungler†gs1178
one who is sexually unskilled, a clumsy novice
.
gs1178
630HoratioGo. I’ll follow thee.
Piso is here.
631BorgioBut where is that Fabritio?*n7773
This serves to remind audiences again that Borgio has not recognised Fabritio because of his disguise; rather he has assumed that the Dutchman before him is Swatzenburgh. This prepares the ground for some comic misunderstandings in the following act.
n7773
632PisoWe’ll find him too. Jog†gg5109
(as an injunction and accompanied with "on") be off with you; move on; get you gone
you, sir, on before:
gg5109
You are no street companion for us.
633BorgioI am gone, sir――――[BORGIO] exit[s]
634HoratioYou have heard all, Fabritio. What d’ye think on’t?
635FabritioNothing; nor nothing will, till I arrive
There at the full knowledge of all together.
636PisoBut prithee†gg262
(I) pray thee: (I) ask you; please
hang†gg5110
give up, delay, suspend (a project or game)
thy hangman’s project*n7774
That is: impersonating the hangman to gain access to Victoria.
now,
gg262
gg5110
n7774
And bear us company in thine own shape†gs1179
clothes, bodily form and appearance, like one's self
.
gs1179
637FabritioNot for the price of the Novella, Piso.
I’ll try her to the quick†gs1180
the tenderest part (of a person's body or soul)
. You’ll give me leave
gs1180
To make prize†gg5111
take as a trophy, win
of her, if I can? I crossed†gs1181
thwarted, opposed, obstructed
not you.
gg5111
gs1181
638HoratioWe wish you safe aboard*n7775
The primary meaning here is: we wish you every success in your venture. But figuratively the nautical phrase carries bawdy overtones: safe boarding meant successful sex. The gallants are still crudely thinking in terms of bedding Victoria as an adventure.
, sir.
n7775
639FabritioOn before then.HOR[ATIO and] PISO exit*n7776
] Exit Hor. Piso
n7776
Now Nicolo: your disguise again o’th’ Zaffi*n6889
These were the common law officers in Venice, who carried out the business of the various governing bodies within the republic. They could on occasion function as guards but were mainly deployed roughly in the manner of the modern police officer.
.
n6889
640NicoloOh, it is ready; and I know my cue.[NICOLO exits]*n7777
The 1653 text provides no exit direction for Nicolo. No exit direction is given for Fabritio at the close of the scene either. Cast and director must make a choice here whether or not to keep Nicolo onstage throughout Fabritio's final lines. But the tone and tenor of those lines seem more akin to direct address to the audience, explaining Fabritio's motive in what he is about to do and inviting their acquiescence. This has the air of a soliloquy, which it would seem wrong for Nicolo to overhear or participate in. Moreover Nicolo has specific instructions from Fabritio about what he is next to do and the implication is that he departs to get on with it. This edition has therefore chosen to include an exit direction for Nicolo.
n7777
641FabritioWho see me in this strain†gs1182
line of thought, line of action
seem to outstrip†gg5112
exceed, overstep
gs1182
gg5112
The bounds of filial duty, let (withall)
’Tis not to lose but to recall†gs1183
bring back, recover, restore
a father.[FABRITIO exits]*n7778
No exit direction is provided in the 1653 text.
gs1183
n7778
Edited by Professor Richard Cave