ACT 4*
n1827
Several strands of plot hit unusual reversals in this act. The wedding feast, which the audience had thought was destroyed in act 3, turns up as the witches' feast in act 4. But the feast, an apparent triumph for witch power, ends in panic, as first the Boy and then Robin escape the the women's witchcraft. Generous learns the truth of his wife's night-time excursions, but again the situation reverses as Mistress Generous begs his pardon and promises to reform. The result of the Parnell-Lawrence wedding quarrel, in which Parnell beats her husband for failing to perform sexually, is the community's sanction against her, as they parade in a skimmington. But instead of putting Parnell in her place, the skimmington arouses Parnell's and Lawrence's desire to defend each other from public humiliation, and they end up silencing the community's criticism. By scene 4, we learn of yet another reversal: Mistress Generous laughs with her fellow witches about her false promise to abandon witchcraft; she clearly holds her husband in contempt. Finally, we see Whetstone's revenge as he plays the humiliation game with the gentlemen who scorned him in earlier acts.
n1827
4.1
MISTRESS GENEROUS enters with ROBIN [bridled].
n11376
Robibn, transformed into a horse, carries Mistress Generous to the witches' feast. Instead of his sexual pleasure at riding a magic horse with Mall, Robin is now the horse, ridden, not riding as before. The pleasure belongs to Mistress Generous. Robin's bitterness at this turn of events makes him realize how he has been 'jaded'
n11376
562Mistress Generous.Know you this jingling bridle, if you see’t again? I wanted†gg1437
lacked
but a pair of jingling spurs†gg1438
fashionable spurs with loose rowels that made a jingling sound when the wearer moved; they were not necessarily good for riding, being more decorative than useful
to make you mend your pace and put you into a sweat.
gg1437
gg1438
563Robin.Yes, I have reason to know it after my hard journey. They say there be light†gg1439
lightweight, and 'merry', meaning light-hearted, but punning on unchaste
women, but for your own part, though you be merry, yet I may be sorry for your heaviness*n1668
I may regret your heavy weight on my back (in terms of physical pain at the exercise); also punning on serious import in pracising magic and reversing gender norms, possibly pursuing unnatural sexual goals, and weighing heavily on Robin's conscience by making him swerve in his duty to his master.
.
gg1439
n1668
564Mistress Generous.I see thou art not quite tired by shaking of thyself. ’Tis a sign that as thou hast brought me hither, so thou art able to bear me back, and so you are like, good Robert. You will not let me have your master’s gelding; you will not. Well, sir, as you like this journey, so deny him*n1669
That is, the gelding. Since a gelding is a castrated male, the male reference is perhaps a courtesy only. She intends to treat Robin like a gelding, and her husband as well by proxy, asserting her power over both of them, man and master.
to me hereafter.
n1669
565Robin.You say well, mistress. You have jaded me*n1676
Punning on ‘made me cynical’ and ‘turned me into a horse’ (jade was a contemptuous term for a horse, often also applied to an unruly woman). Robin suggests he has been ridden both for transport and for sex.
— [Aside] a pox take you for a jade! — [Aloud] Now I bethink myself how damnably did I ride last night and how devilishly have I been rid now.
n1676
566Mistress Generous.Do you grumble, you groom? [She removes the bridle.] Now the bridle’s off, I turn thee to grazing; gramercy†gg1450
thanks
, my good horse. I have no better provender for thee at this time. Thou hadst best like Æsop’s ass to feed upon thistles*n1677
In Aesop's story, an ass carrying delicious provisions of food to workers in a field stops to eat thistles along the way; the moral of the tale is: each to his own taste.
, of which this place will afford thee plenty. I am bid to a better banquet, which done, I’ll take thee up from grass, spur cut, and make a shortcut home*n1684
Sexually equivocal. In ordinary terms, a cut is a horse, usually a common horse used for labouring. In bawdy language, a spur is a penis; a cut is a vagina. The comment that follows, modelled on strike home, 'make an effective thrust with a weapon or tool' (OED, strike, v.1, 80), suggests a quick bout of sexual intercourse, with Mistress Generous playing the man's part, and Robin the woman's.
. Farewell.[She exits.]
gg1450
n1677
n1684
All the witches enter [with the BOY and spirits] and MALL at several doors. [After them, MISTRESS GENEROUS re-enters; ROBIN remains aside.]
568All.The lady of the feast is come! Welcome, welcome!n11377
The witches gather to enjoy the stolen wedding feast and jeer at Robin, the 'horse'. Robin's curious response to the jeering leads to his spying on the feast in the barn through a cranny in the wall.
n11377
.
569Mistress GenerousIs all the cheer that was prepared to grace the wedding feast yet come?
570Goody Dickieson.Part of it’s here. The other we must pull for. [Pointing to ROBIN] But what’s he?
571Mistress Generous.My horse, my horse! Ha, ha, ha!
572All.Ha, ha, ha![All witches, BOY, and spirits exit. ROBIN remains.]
573Robin.‘My horse, my horse’! I would I were now some country major and in authority, to see if I would not venture to rouse your Satanical sisterhood*n1670
Sarcastic reference to Mistress Generous, whom he proceeds to mimic.
: ‘Horse, horse, see thou be, and where I point thee, carry me.’ Is that the trick on’t? The devil himself shall be her carrier next if I can shun†gg1440
seek safety by concealment or flight from (an enemy) (OED v1, 2; now obsolete)
her, and yet my master will not believe there’s any witches. There’s no running away, for I neither know how nor whether; besides, to my thinking, there’s a deep ditch and a high quickset†gg1441
hedge or thicket (OED n1, 2)
about me. How shall I pass the time? What place is this? It looks like an old barn. I’ll peep in at some cranny or other, and try if I can see what they are doing. [He finds a vantage point and peers in.] Such a bevy of beldams†gg1442
loathsome old women, hags; witches (OED 3)
did I never behold; and cramming†gg1443
stuffing the mouth with food; gorging
like so many cormorants†gg1444
large and voracious black sea-birds; hence, insatiably greedy persons (OED 1, 2)
! Marry, choke you, with a mischief!*n1671
May you choke, damn you! Mischief, in this context, is evil done to or suffered by people, a plague of misfortune, not simply naughtiness.
n1670
gg1440
gg1441
gg1442
gg1443
gg1444
n1671
[All witches, BOY, and spirits re-enter, as though inside the barn. ROBIN, aside, peers at them through the cranny.]n3389
In the workshop with 10 actors for this scene, the witches 'flew' into the barn as though blown in through a shute (actually a kind of 'hell-mouth' created by crawling under and through the legs of a table); Robin stood on the table behind the curtain and poked his head out to observe their revels. The witches call for more food and drink, pulling on invisible ropes to cause the feast to appear.
n3389
.
574Goody Dickieson. [Impatiently] Whoop, whirr†gg1445
growl, purr (OED v, 3b)
, here’s a stir†gg1446
active or energetic bustle of a number of persons (or animals); commotion, excitement (OED n, 1, 2 and 3)
,
gg1445
gg1446
Never a cat, never a cur,
575Mall.A second course!
[They pull on ropes.]
576Mistress Generous.Pull*n1685
Exactly how this stage business was effected, we do not know. But we do know that ropes or cords were used to effect the business. In the letter written by Nathaniel Tomkyns to his friend Sir Robert Phelips, 16 August 1634, we read of the witches' 'banqueting with all sorts of meat and drink conveyed unto them by their familiars upon the pulling of a cord' - but the description does not clarify the stage business. Perhaps the witches pulled on ropes, and then the spirits and familiars brought in the food or drink expected. Or perhaps the repast was attached to ropes and the witches either pulled the food props down from above, or drew them in from the tiring-house doors or from elsewhere on the stage or even below the stage. The cords and familiars certainly had a magical effect that seems to have amused Tomkyns enough to write home about it. See Egan for part of the letter's text in Appendix 1, or Herbert Berry, Shakespeare's Playhouses (New York: AMS Press, 1987), 123-4. See film clip for another possibility of magical invocation. In one workshopped version, the witches danced into a circle, mimed the drawing down of food and drink, and then mimed consuming it. But the letter seems to indicate that the appearance of food and drink was not merely imaginary.
, and pull hard
n1685
For all that hath lately been prepared
For the great wedding feast.
577Mall.As chief,
Of Doughty’s sirloin of roast beef.
578All.Ha, ha, ha!
[They pull on ropes. and the beef appears.]
579Meg.’Tis come, ’tis come.
580Maud.Where hath it all this while been?
581Meg.Some
Delay hath kept it. Now ’tis here.
For bottles next of wine and beer,
The merchants’ cellars they shall pay for’t.
[They pull on ropes. and wine and beer appear.]
583Goody Dickieson.Pull for the poultry, fowl, and fish,
For empty shall not be a dish.
[They pull in fowl and fish dishes.]
584Robin. [Aside, grazing] A pox take them! Must only they feed upon hot meat, and I upon nothing but cold salads?
585Mistress Generous.This meat is tedious†gs204
exhausted: the witches are literally fed up with excessive amounts of food (OED 3)
. Now some fairy†gg1452
spirit or sprite
gs204
gg1452
Fetch what belongs unto the dairy.
[They pull in dairy dishes.]
586Mall.That’s butter, milk, whey, curds, and cheese;
587All.Ha, ha, ha!
588Goody Dickieson. [Giving food] Boy, there’s meat for you.n1678
In her brief conversation with the Boy, Goody Dickieson reverts to prose; that is, she does not use the 4-beat line that makes up most of the witches' dialogue with one another. Her act of kindness in feeding the Boy may be a grandmotherly act, or it may be a trick to make him ingest magic food that will turn him into a demon-boy or changeling. According to Edmund Robinson's evidence, he did not eat or drink at the feast, but bided his time until he could escape. The following recorded clip shows the actors exploring this moment in the action.
n1678
.
589Boy. [Accepts food, but merely nibbles once.] Thank you.
590Goody Dickieson. [Giving a cup] And drink too.
[The BOY accepts the offer, but sips only once.]
591Meg. [To the other witches] What beast was by thee hither rid?
592Maud.A badger nab†gg1454
badger head (OED nab n2, 1); or possibly a hat made out of badger fur (LEME); badger was erroneously used to describe otter or beaver, the latter commonly used for hats
.
gg1454
593Meg.And I bestrid
A porcupine that never pricked*n1679
Never having thrown a quill. This qualifier identifies the porcupine as young, and the witches have a predilection for youth. The reference also includes a sexual analogy: the witch initiated the porcupine's sex life.
.
n1679
594Mall.The dull sides of a bear*n1680
The bear, a figure sometimes associated with the Wild Man in folk-plays and masquings, stands for brutal, unthinking wrath, its violence linked to winter blasts and ferocious lusts; it must be driven out or killed before society can return to a civilized state (Twycross and Carpenter 48-50). The sudden appearance of the bear in The Winter's Tale, 3.3.57 ff.) is a good illustration of this interpretation of punishment meted out by the gods to those who obeyed Leontes' order to abandon Perdita. In that sense, the control of a witch over a bear suggests the inverted gender roles and demonic forces at work, also shown in Mistress Generous's control over Robin or Goody Dickieson's control over the Boy and the demon-child.
I kicked.
n1680
595Mistress Generous.Ha, ha, ha! Upon the knave, my man!
596Robin. [Aside] A murrain†gg1259
plague-like disease afflicting domestic animals
take you! I am sure my hoofs paid for’t.
gg1259
597Boy.Meat, lie there, for thou hast no taste, and drink, there, for thou hast no relish, for in neither of them is there either salt or savour.*n1681
The Boy's comment in rejecting food and drink shows that, like Persephone in the underworld, he has tasted each, but not enough to keep him in the witches' thrall indefinitely. The lack of taste is equivalent to frequent testimony by witches who admit to having sex with the devil: they claim he functions like a man, but is cold and gives no pleasure.
n1681
598All.Pull for the posset! Pull!
[They pull on the ropes and draw in the posset.]
599Robin. [Aside] The bride’s posset on my life! Nay, if they come to their spoon–meat†gg1456
custard, made of milk, sugar, and flavouring
once, I hope they’ll break up their feast presently.
gg1456
600Mistress Generous.So, those that are our waiters near,
Take hence this wedding cheer.
We will be lively all,
And make this barn our hall.
[Spirits remove the food and drink.]
601Goody Dickieson.You, our familiars, come.
In speech let all be dumb,
And to close up our feast,
To welcome every guest,
A merry round let’s dance.
602Meg.Some music then i’th’ air
We nimbly foot it†gg1458
dance
. Strike!†gg1459
burst into song, play music (OED 29d, 51c); the term is also used in magical descriptions, to indicate the working of a charm or enchantment
Music [plays].
gg1458
gg1459
603Mall.We are obeyed.
604Sprite.And we hell’s ministers shall lend our aid.
Dance and song together, in the time of which the BOY speaks.
605Boy. [Aside] Now whilst they are in their jolliy, and do not mind†gg1460
(v) pay attention to
me, I’ll steal away’, and shift for myself, though I lose my life for’t.He exits.
gg1460
606Meg.Enough, enough! Now part
To see the bride’s vexed heart,
The bridegroom’s too, and all
That vomit up their gall†gg1461
bitter secretion of the liver, bile; used figuratively to suggest bitterness, rancour, esp. as the result of injury or insult (OED n1, 1 and 3b)
gg1461
For lack o’th’ wedding cheer.
607Goody Dickieson. [Looking around in confusion] But stay, where’s the boy? Look out: if he escape us, we are all betrayed!
[The witches begin to search.]
608Meg.No following further! Yonder horsemen come.n3838
Although Edmund Robinson claimed in his evidence that when he escaped from the barn-feast he ran toward the sound of approaching horsemen, the RSC actors came up with another reading of the moment. Robin, excited by the antics of the witches, has begun dancing on his horse's hooves, thus making the sound that frightens the witches away. Visually it creates another funny moment, and may be an involuntary or deliberate action on Robin's part. Either way, the audience will laugh. But a production could simply produce the off-stage sound of cantering horses, thus giving the cue for the witches' flight
n3838
In vain is our pursuit; let’s break up court.
609Goody Dickieson.Where shall we next meet?n1682
This sequence echoes the opening scene of Macbeth: "When shall we three meet again? ... Where the place?" The witches flee, however Robin is revenged in the ensuing action.
n1682
611Meg.But when?
612Mistress GenerousAt night.
613Meg.To horse, to horse!
Where’s my Mamilion?*n1686
This edition, following Egan, assigns this line to Meg, not to Witch 2, as in Q, because Meg's (Margaret Johnson's) familiar was Mamilion. The next two speeches are assigned to Witch 1 and Witch 3, as in Q, leaving Witch 2 silent except for places in the scene where all speak together. The odd numbering pattern suggests that perhaps a line is missing in between Witch 1 and Witch 3. In any case, Witch 2 is valuable visually because she raises the number of witches on stage to nine, a multiple of three favoured by witches in folklore and other witch plays and documents.
n1686
614Witch 1.And my Incubus†gg1463
evil spirit or demon (originating in personified representations of the nightmare) supposed to descend upon persons in their sleep, and especially to seek carnal intercourse with women (OED 1)
?
gg1463
ROBIN stands amazed at this.
615Witch 3.My Tiger to bestride?
616Mall.My Puggy†gg1176
term of endearment for children; but also an imp or hobgoblin, like Puck (also called Pook, Pug); possibly, a monkey (OED pug n2, 1, 5 and 6), as in The Queen and Concubine
.
gg1176
617Mistress Generous.My horse.
618All.Away, away! The night
We have feasted; now comes on the day.
[MALL, MEG, MAUD, GILL, GOODY DICKIESON, and Witches 1, 2, and 3 exit with their spirits and familiars.]
619Mistress Generous.Come, sirrah, stoop your head like a tame jade, whilst I put on your bridle.
620Robin.I pray, mistress, ride me as you would be rid.
621Mistress Generous.That’s at full speed.
622Robin.Nay then, I’ll try conclusions†gg1464
test a theory to see if it works; or test which of two opponents is the stronger (OED conclusion 8b)
gg1464
[ROBIN seizes the bridle and puts it on MISTRESS GENEROUS.]
Mare, mare, see thou be,
And where I point thee, carry me.
A great noise within at their parting.
They exit [with ROBIN riding MISTRESS GENEROUS, now transformed into a horse]n3390
The next scene's effect depends entirely upon the suggestiveness of this transformation, which may suggest horse-like movements or whinnies from Mistress Generous and an implied mounting of the mare by Robin. Again the comedy depends on the sexuality of the image, this time 'righting' gender relations as the male asserts control over the female
.
n3390
4.2
Master GENEROUS enters, making him ready†gg1465
getting himself dressed for the day (see a similar stage direction at the beginning of Jonson's Epicoene 1.1, in which Clerimont enters 'making himself ready'; indeed, he spends virtually all of act 1 putting on his clothes while his friends drop in for a chat)
.
gg1465
623Generous.I see what man is loath†gg1201
reluctant, unwilling (OED a, 4a)
to entertain†gg1467
admit to consideration (an opinion, argument, request, proposal, etc.); to receive (an idea) into the mind (OED 14b)
gg1201
gg1467
Offers itself to him most frequently,
And that which we most covet to embrace
Doth seldom court us, and proves most averse;
For I, that never could conceive a thought
Of this my woman worthy a rebuke,
(As one that in her youth bore her so fairly†gg1468
behaved or comported herself so properly or fitly
gg1468
That she was taken for a seeming saint)
To render me such just occasion
That I should now distrust her in her age.
Distrust! I cannot. That would bring me in
Which even from our first meeting I abhorred.
June, July, August — so we did last night.
And therefore rising early, as I use,
Entering her chamber to bestow on her
Unbruised with any weight, the sheets unruffled,
Which shows she slept not in my house tonight.
Should there be any contract betwixt her
And this my groom to abuse my honest trust,
I should not take it well, but for all this
Yet cannot I be jealous. — Robin? —
ROBIN enters.
Is my horse safe, lusty, and in good plight?
What, feeds he well?
624Robin.Yes sir, he’s broad buttocked and full flanked; he doth not bate an ace †gg1475
lose or abate a jot or tittle, to make the slightest abatement
of his flesh.
gg1475
625Generous.When was he rid last?
626Robin.Not, sir, since you backed him.
627Generous.Sirrah, take heed I find you not a knave.
Have you not lent him to your mistress late?
So late as this last night?
628Rob.Who? I, sir? May I die, sir, if you find me in a lie, sir.
629Generous.Then I shall find him where I left him last.
630Robin.No doubt, sir.
631Generous.Give me the key o’th’ stable.
632Robin. [Handing him the key] There, sir.
633Generous.Sirrah, your mistress was abroad all night,
Nor is she yet come home. If there I find him not,
I shall find thee, what to this present hour
I never did suspect and, I must tell thee,
Will not be to thy profit.*n1687
If I do not find the horse in the stable, I shall know the truth about you (that you are a liar), something I never suspected and, I warn you, will not be to your advantage.
He exits.
n1687
634Robin.Well sir, find what you can, him you shall find, and what you find else, it may be for that, instead of ‘Gramercy, horse’, you may say ‘Gramercy, Robin’. You will believe there are no witches! Had I not been late bridled, I could have said more, but I hope she is tied to the rack†gg1476
instrument of torture, on which a body is tied and stretched to prompt a confession of guilt; punning on the rack of a manger, at which a horse is tied
that will confess something, and though not so much as I know, yet no more than I dare justify ——
gg1476
GENEROUS re-enters.
Have you found your gelding, sir?
635Generous.Yes, I have.
636Robin.I hope not spurred†gg1477
cut by spurs
, nor put into a sweat? You may see by his plump belly and sleek legs he hath not been sore travailed†gg1478
worked hard
.
gg1477
gg1478
637Generous.You’re a saucy groom to receive horses
Is’t for my profit to buy hay and oats
For every stranger’s jades?
638Robin.I hope, sir, you find none feeding there but your own. If there be any you suspect, they have nothing to champ†gg1480
make a biting and chewing action or movement with the jaws and teeth, especially of horses chewing on the bit
on but the bridle.
gg1480
639Generous.Sirrah, whose jade is that tied to the rack?
640Robin.The mare, you mean, sir?
641Generous.Yes, that old mare.
642Robin.Old do you call her? You shall find the mark†gg1481
(n) sign or brand that indicates ownership (possibly a glance at mark of the beast, a sign placed on followers or worshippers of the Antichrist as in Revelation 16:2 (OED n1, 12c)
still in her mouth, when the bridle is out of it! I can assure you ’tis your own beast.
gg1481
643Generous.A beast thou art to tell me so. Hath the wine
Not yet left working? Not the Mitre wine?
That made thee to believe witchcraft?
Prithee persuade me. ——
To be a drunken sot like to thyself
And not to know mine own!
644Robin.I’ll not persuade you to anything. You will believe nothing but what you see. I say the beast is your own, and you have the most right to keep her; she hath cost you more the currying†gg1482
action of rubbing down or grooming (a horse) with a curry-comb
than all the combs in your stable are worth. You have paid for her provender†gg1483
fodder; food, provisions, esp. dry food, as corn or hay, for horses
this twenty years and upwards, and furnished her with all the caparisons†gg1484
cloths or coverings spread over the saddles or harnesses of horses, often gaily ornamented (OED n, 1)
that she hath worn, of my knowledge; and because she hath been ridden hard the last night, do you renounce her now?
gg1482
gg1483
gg1484
645Generous.Sirrah, I fear some stolen jade of your own
That you would have me keep.
646Robin.I am sure I found her no jade the last time I rid her! She carried me the best part of a hundred miles in less then a quarter of an hour.
647Generous.The devil she did!
648Robin.Yes, so I say, either the devil or she did. An’t please you, walk in and take off her bridle, and then tell me who hath more right to her, you or I.
649Generous.Well, Robert, for this once I’ll play the groom,
And do your office for you.He exits.
650Robin.I pray, do, sir, but take heed lest, when the bridle is out of her mouth, she put it not into yours; if she do, you are a gone man: if she but say once ‘Horse, horse, see thou be. Be you rid (if you please) for me.’
Master GENEROUS and MISTRESS GENEROUS enter, he with a bridle.
651Generous.My blood is turned to ice, and my all vitals
Have ceased their working! Dull stupidity
Surpriseth me at once, and hath arrested
That vigorous agitation which till now
Expressed a life within me: I, methinks,
Am a mere marble statue and no man.
Unweave my age, O time, to my first thread!*n3391
This prayer for time to be reversed offers the image of the three fates spinning the thread of life from birth to death, but running the thread backwards, unravelling Generous's years in order to return him to his original and forgivably ignorant state as an infant. As a mature adult, he should have been more alert to the duplicity of his wife.
n3391
Let me lose fifty years in ignorance spent,
That being made an infant once again,
I may begin to know what or where am I,
To be thus lost in wonder!
652Mistress Generous.Sir! ——
653Generous.Amazement still pursues me. How am I changed
Or brought ere I can understand myself,
Into this new world?
654Robin.You will believe no witches?
655Generous.This makes me believe all, ay, anything;
And that myself am nothing! Prithee, Robin,
Lay me to myself open*n3392
Reveal my true self to me, show me what a fool I've been. Generous now distrusts all evidence of his eyes and his experience.
: what art thou,
n3392
Or this new transformed creature?
656Robin.I am Robin, and this your wife, my mistress.
657Generous.Tell me the earth*n1693
This line completes Generous's last line, interrupted by Robin's reply. This style of interrupted verse lines is characteristic of Generous's speech patterns. He does not seem to respond to others, but completes his own poetic lines despite interruptions.
n1693
Shall leave its seat, and mount to kiss the moon,
Or that the moon, enamoured of the earth,
Shall leave her sphere, to stoop to us thus low.
What? What’s this in my hand, that at an instant
Can from a four–legged creature make a thing
So like a wife?
658Robin.A bridle, a jingling*n1694
Egan; jugling Q. As Egan points out, this bridle has already been described as jingling, and although juggling = deceitful makes a successful point in this scene, Robin seems to be trying to focus on facts, not interpretation.
bridle, sir.
n1694
659GenerousA bridle! Hence, enchantment†gg1487
witchcraft; tool of magic or sorcery
!
gg1487
Casts it away. ROBIN takes it up.
A viper were more safe within my hand
Than this charmed engine†gg1485
contrivance for catching game; snare, trap (OED 5c)
.
gg1485
660Robin.Take heed, sir, what you do: if you cast it hence, and she catch it up, we that are here now, may be rid as far as the Indies within these few hours. [To MISTRESS GENEROUS] Mistress, down of your mare’s bones, or your marrowbones, whether†gg1486
whichever
you please, and confess yourself to be what you are, and that’s in plain English a witch, a grand notorious witch.
gg1486
661Generous.A witch! My wife a witch!
662Robin.So it appears by the story.
663Generous.The more I strive to unwind
Myself from this meander†gg1488
winding or labyrinthine plan, concept, or course of action (OED n, 1b, citing this line)
, I the more
gg1488
Therein am intricated. — [To MISTRESS GENEROUS] Prithee, woman,
Art thou a witch?
664Mistess Generous.It cannot be denied:
I am such a cursed creature.
665Generous.Keep aloof,
And do not come too near me! O my trust†gg2183
loyalty, fidelity, steadfast allegiance (OED n, 1a); honesty, virtue, integrity (OED n, 4); true religious belief (OED n, 10a)
!
gg2183
Have I, since first I understood myself,
What best was for its health, to renounce all
That I must lie so often and so long
With a devil in my bosom!
666Mistress Generous.Pardon, sir!
667Generous.Pardon! Can such a thing as that be hoped?
Lift up thine eyes, lost woman, to yon hills*n1697
Reference to Psalm 121:1: 'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help' (Barber).
;
n1697
It must be thence expected. Look not down
Unto that horrid dwelling which thou hast sought
At such dear rate to purchase. Prithee, tell me,
For now I can believe, art thou a witch?
669Generous.With that word I am thunderstruck
And know not what to answer. Yet resolve†gg1491
answer (a question, argument, etc.); to solve (a problem of any kind); explain (something to someone) (OED n, 11a and 11c)
me:
gg1491
Hast thou made any contract with that fiend,
The enemy of mankind?
670Mistress Generous.Oh, I have.
671Generous.What? and how far?
672Mistress Generous.I have promised him my soul.
673Generous.Ten thousand times better thy body had
Been promised to the stake*n1699
Witches in England were not burned at the stake, as they were in Scotland and continental Europe. Generous may be thinking of heresy here (as in the burning of heretics in Foxe's popular Book of Martyrs (1563); or of the burning of a guilty wife for petty treason (usually for killing her husband, not for destroying his faith or soul). But there is no doubt that Generous feels mortally wounded by his wife's breach of faith.
, ay, and mine too,
n1699
To have suffered with thee in a hedge of flames,
Than such a compact†gg1492
confederacy, plot, conspiracy (OED n1, 2, now obsolete) in the pejorative sense; also the word may imply the pact with the devil that early modern witchcraft authorities believed is what started a witch's career in evil (the usual pact involved sexual congress with the devil, and the regular feeding of a 'familiar', or personal demon, with the witch's blood)
ever had been made. Oh —!
gg1492
674Robin.What cheer, sir? Show yourself a man, though she appeared so late a beast. —
[To MISTRESS GENEROUS] Mistress, confess all. Better here than in a worse place: out with it!
675Generous.Resolve me, how far doth that contract stretch?
676Mistress Generous.What interest in this soul myself could claim
I freely gave him, but His part that made it
I still reserve, not being mine to give.
677Generous.O cunning devil, foolish woman, know
Where he can claim but the least little part,
He will usurp the whole; th’art a lost woman.
678Mistress Generous.I hope not so.
679Generous.Why, hast thou any hope?
680Mistress Generous.Yes, sir, I have.
681Generous.Make it appear to me.
682Mistress Generous.I hope I never bargained for that fire
Further than penitent tears have power to quench.
683Generous.I would see some of them.
684Mistress Generous. [Weeping] You behold them now ——
If you look on me with charitable eyes ——
Sir, I am sorry; when I look towards heaven,
I beg a gracious pardon; when on you,
Methinks your native goodness should not be
From both I beg atonement†gg1494
forgiveness; restoration of friendly relations between persons who have been at variance; reconciliation (OED 2a)
.
gg1494
685Generous.May I presum’t?
686Mistress Generous. [She falls to her knees.] I kneel to both your mercies. ——*n1700
The incomplete verse line (dashes added; not in Q) suggests the pause during which Generous contemplates his wife before continuing his questioning. He has not yet been persuaded to forgive her. The actor can decide how tough Generous's struggle between condemnation and compassion is. His impulse, of course, as signalled by his name, is always to be generous towards others.
n1700
687Generous.Know’st thou what a witch is?
688Mistress Generous.Alas, none better,
Or after mature recollection can be
More sad to think on’t.
689Generous.Tell me, are those tears
As full of true–hearted penitence
As mine of sorrow to behold what state,
What desperate state, th’art fallen in?
690Mistress Generous.Sir, they are.
691Generous.Rise, and as I do, so heaven pardon me*n1701
That is, as I pardon you, may heaven also pardon me. It may be, however, that the printer made an error, and the original said 'pardon thee', because the conversation has been about Mistress Generous's seeking forgiveness from both her husband and God. Generous has not been seeking forgiveness for himself. On the other hand, if he fears that forgiving his wife now is a sin, then he may hope for God's forgiveness for himself.
;
n1701
We all offend, but from such falling off,
Defend us. Well, I do remember, wife,
When I first took thee, ’twas for good and bad;
Oh, change thy bad to good, that I may keep thee,
As then we passed our faiths till death us sever.
I will not aggravate thy grief too much
By needless iteration. —— [To ROBIN] Robin, hereafter
Forget thou hast a tongue. If the least syllable
Of what hath passed be rumoured, you lose me*n1702
That is: (it this) be spread abroad as rumour or gossip, you will lose my good will as employer and as friend.
;
n1702
But if I find you faithful, you gain me ever.
692Robin.A match, sir.*n1703
It's a deal, sir.
You shall find me as mute as if I had the bridle still in my mouth.
n1703
693Generous. [Turning to his still-weeping kneeling wife] Ay, woman, thou hadst need to weep thyself
Into a fountain, such a penitent spring
As may have power to quench invisible flames,
In which my eyes shall aid: too little all*n1706
All the tears we produce may not be enough (to secure God's forgiveness).
,
n1706
If not too little*n1707
Even if we secure God's forgiveness, what we offer Him in return is too small.
. All’s forgiven, forgot;
n1707
Only thus much remember: thou hadst extermined†gg2830
exterminated (OED extermine v, 1, citing this usage as the first example)
gg2830
Thyself out of the blessed society
Of saints and angels, but on thy repentance
I take thee to my bosom once again,
[Raising her to her feet, embracing her] My wife, sister, and daughter*n1704
That is, she is his entire family, the only woman to whom he owes duty and love.
. —— [To ROBIN] Saddle my gelding.
n1704
Some business that may hold me for two days
Calls me aside.
694Robin.I shall, sir. [GENEROUS and MISTRESS GENEROUS] exit. Well, now my mistress hath promised to give over her witchery, I hope, though I still continue her man, yet she will make me no more her journeyman*n1705
One who, having served his apprenticeship to a handicraft or trade, is qualified to work at it for days' wages; also, an invented pun meaning a man on whom a journey is taken, as was Robin's experience when he was transformed into a horse.
; to prevent which the first thing I do shall be to burn the bridle, and then —— away with the witch!He exits.
n1705
4.3
ARTHUR and DOUGHTY enter.
695Arthur.Sir, you have done a right noble courtesy which deserves a memory as long as the name of friendship can bear mention.
696Doughty.What I have done, I ha’ done; if it be well, ’tis well. I do not like the bouncing†gg1495
bragging; boastful exaggeration (OED vbl. n, 3, citing this usage).
of good offices: if the little care I have taken shall do these poor people good, I have my end in’t, and so my reward.
gg1495
BANTAM enters.
697Bantam.Now, gentlemen, you seem very serious.
698Arthur.’Tis true we are so, but you are welcome to the knowledge of our affairs†gg1496
business
.
gg1496
699Bantam.How does thine uncle, and aunt, Gregory, and his sister? The families of Seelys agree yet†gg1497
still
, can you tell?
gg1497
700Arthur.That is the business: the Seely household is divided now.
701Bantam.How so, I pray?
702Arthur.You know, and cannot but with pity know,
Their miserable condition, how
The good old couple were abused, and how
The young abused themselves; if we may say
That any of them are their selves at all,
Which sure we cannot, nor approve them fit
To be their own disposers*n1708
To take care of themselves responsibly, to manage their lives, or be allowed to live under their own recognisance.
, that would give
n1708
The governance of such a house and living
Into their vassals’*n1709
That is, Lawrence and Parnell’s. The family has degenerated further in their upside-down lives, and now the servants have taken over the estate and ejected the Seely family from the property.
hands, to thrust them out on’t
n1709
This gentleman [Indicating DOUGHTY] and myself have taken home,
By fair entreaty, the old folks to his house,
The young to mine, until some wholesome order
By the judicious of the commonwealth*n1711
Carried out by the judges of the nation. The comment suggests that the Seely household's problems are no longer a private matter; the community needs to take a hand in sorting out ownership and management while the Seely family is suffering from insanity.
n1711
Shall for their persons and estate be taken.
703Bantam.But what becomes of Lawrence and his Parnell?
The lusty couple, what do they now?
704Doughty.Alas, poor folks, they are as far to seek*n1712
That is: no closer to an understanding or awareness.
of how they do, or what they do, or what they should do, as any of the rest. They are all grown idiots, and till some of these damnable jades with their devilish devices be found out, to discharm†gg1498
in order to remove the magic, or undo the enchantment
them, no remedy can be found. I mean to lay†gg2831
belay; waylay, lie in wait for (a person); beset or line (a way or passage) with armed men so as to intercept an enemy (OED belay v, 2c and 2b)
the country for their hagships, and if I can anticipate the purpose of their grand master devil to confound†gg57
defeat, ruin
’em before their lease be out, be sure I’ll do’t.
n1712
gg1498
gg2831
gg57
705[Rabble]. A shout within [of many voices] cry[ing] A skimmington*n1713
A community protest against disruption, in which neighbours parade around the unruly household banging pots with skimming-ladles and making other noises or performances to comment on the specific situation, usually marital discord in which the wife rules the husband, and beats him on occasion. Cross-dressing and burlesque role-playing were often part of the ‘game’. The ‘Don Skimmington’ figure is the unmanly husband.
! A skimmington! A skimmington!
n1713
706Doughty.What’s the matter now? Is hell broke loose?
Master SHAKESTONE enters.
707Arthur.Tom Shakestone, how now! Canst tell the news?
708Shakestone.The news? You hear it up i’th’ air, do you not?
709[Rabble] (Within) A skimmington! A skimmington! A skimmington!
710Shakestone.Hark you, do you not hear it? There’s a skimmington towards†gg1499
on the way
, gentlemen.
gg1499
711Doughty.Ware wedlock, ho!*n1715
Beware, or look out, wedlock is coming! (OED ware v., 3). Doughty comments on the parody of the married couple as represented in the Skimmington ride.
n1715
712Bantam.At whose suit, I prithee, is Don Skimmington†gg1514
Master Skimmington (Don is a Spanish title), the role given to the (male) participant playing the unmanly husband in a skimmington. Skimmington's wife would also have been played by a local man.
come to town?
gg1514
713Shakestone.I’ll tell you, gentlemen, since you [To DOUGHTY] have taken home old Seely and his wife to your house, and you [To ARTHUR] their son and daughter to yours, the housekeepers†gg1500
people in charge of the house (OED 3a)
Lawrence and his late bride Parnell are fallen out by themselves.
gg1500
714Arthur.How, prithee?
715Shakestone.The quarrel began, they say, upon the wedding night and in the bride bed.
716Bantam.For want of bedstaves†gg1501
slats or sticks that supported the mattress and held the bedding firmly on the mattress
?
gg1501
717Shakestone.No, but a better implement, it seems, the bridegroom was unprovided of†gg1502
impotent, incapable of having a penile erection
, a homely tale to tell.
gg1502
718Doughty.Now out upon her, she has a greedy worm†gg1504
greediness or lustfulness as an itching passion in the heart (OED worm, 11c)
in her! I have heard the fellow complained on, for an over-mickle†gg1503
over-active sexually
man among the maids.
gg1504
gg1503
719Arthur.Is his haste to go to bed at afternoon come to this now?
720Doughty.Witchery, witchery, more witchery still, flat and plain witchery! Now do I think upon the codpiece point the young jade gave him at the wedding: she is a witch, and that was a charm, if there be any in the world.
721Arthur.A ligatory*n1714
Serving to bind up; or having binding force. Binding or sometimes laming was the term to describe impotence, often blamed on maleficent activities of witches. Reginald Scot comments on such beliefs with scepticism and derision; Middleton's The Witch also has a plot device depending on the witch-inflicted binding of the husband, in order to preserve the virginity of his bride for another. In that play, however, the binding was only a problem in sexual attempts on his wife; it did not impair relations with his mistress.
point.
n1714
722Bantam.Alas, poor Lawrence!
723Shakestone.He’s coming to make his moan to you about it, and she too, since you have taken their masters and mistresses to your care, you must do them right too.
724Doughty.Marry, but I’ll not undertake†gg1506
take on, deal with; punning on (a) take in charge; to accept the duty of attending to or looking after (OED 5); and (b) take on, sexually
her at these years, if lusty Lawrence cannot do’t.
gg1506
725Bantam.But has she beaten him?
726Shakestone.Grievously broke his head in I know not how many places; of which the hoydens†gg1507
rude, ignorant fellows; clowns, boors (OED 1)
have taken notice, and will have a skimmington on horseback presently. Look you, here comes both plaintiff†gg1508
complainant bringing a suit in a court of law
and defendant†gg1509
person being sued in a court of law, defending himself against the plaintiff
.
gg1507
gg1508
gg1509
LAWRENCE [his head bandaged] and PARNELL enter.
727Doughty.How now, Lawrence, what has thy wedlock brought thee already to thy nightcap*n1716
A jocular reference to Lawrence's bandages, referring to the cap worn in bed with nightclothes; and continuing the legal jesting: a skullcap or biggen worn instead of a wig by judges and lawyers in court.
?
n1716
728Lawrence.Yie, gad wat, sir, I ware wadded but aw to seun.*n1717
Yes, God knows, sir, I were wedded, but all too soon.
n1717
729Parnell.Han yeou reason to complain or ay, trow yeou, Gaffer Downought? [She beats him.] Wa warth the day that ever I wadded a Downought!*n1718
Have you reason to complain, or I, do you think, Grandad Do-nothing? Woe was the day that ever I wedded a do-nothing!
n1718
730Arthur, Bantam, Shakestone.Nay, hold, Parnell, hold!
731Doughty.We have heard enough of your valour already. We know you have beaten him; let that suffice.
732Parnell.Ware ever poor maiden betrayed as ay ware unto a swagbellied carl that cannot*n1721
A big-bellied churl that cannot (perform sexually).
—— aw waw! —— that cannot ——[She weeps.]
n1721
733Arthur.What says she?
734DoughtyI know not; she caterwauls, I think. —— Parnell, be patient, good Parnell, and a little modest too. ’Tis not amiss, we know, not the relish of every ear that hears us. Let’s talk within ourselves. [He takes her aside.] What’s the defect? What’s the impediment*n1737
Something that impedes the functions or health of the body; a (physical) defect; an affection or malady (OED n. 2a). Legally, early ecclesiastical law listed several impediments warranting an annulment after a marriage; see act 5 scene 3 of Jonson's Epicoene for an extended parody of legal process involving the twelve impediments.
? Lawrence has had a lusty name among the bachelors.
n1737
735Parnell.What he ware when he ware a bachelor, I know better than the best maid i’th’ tawn. I wad I had not.*n1719
What he was when he was a bachelor, I know better than the best maid in the town. I would I had not. That is, Parnell knows exactly what Lawrence used to be able to do sexually, and grieves more for knowing the pleasures of the past. This is not a confused virgin bride, but an an angry woman of experience.
n1719
736Arthur, Bantam, Shakestone.Peace, Parnell.
737Parnell.’Tware that that cossened me: he has not now as he had then!*n1720
It was that that cozened (tricked or fooled) me: he has not now what he had before.
n1720
738Arthur, Bantam, Shakestone.Peace, good Parnell.
739Parnell.For then he could, but*n2247
An inverted letter u in the copytext; should be but.
now he connot, he connot!
n2247
740Arthur, Bantam, Shakestone.Fie, Parnell, fie.
741Parnell.I say agean and agean, he connot, he connot!
742Arthur, Bantam, Shakestone.Alas, poor Parnell.
744Doughty. [Aside to the gentlemen] Here’s good stuff for a jury of women*n1734
Such juries or searchers were employed by a court to examine women's bodies for consummation of marriage (as in the Essex annulment case, during which Frances Howard was searched to ascertain if she were still a virgin) or for witchcraft accusations, checking for the devil's mark, an extra nipple by which a demon or familiar might suckle.
to pass upon.
n1734
745Arthur.But, Parnell, why have you beaten him so grievously? What would you have him do in this case?
746Doughty. [Aside to the gentlemen] He’s out of a doing case*n1735
That is: incapable of having sexual intercourse, punning on case, meaning legal cause, and vagina. 'Doing' is a euphemism for sexual activity, as in 'doing the deed of darkness'.
, it seems.
n1735
747Parnell.Marry, sir, and beat him will I into his grave, or back to the priest, and be unwadded*n2248
The printer has added an extra d in Q.
agone, for I wonot be baund to lig with him and live with him, the laife of an honest woman for aw the layves good i’ Loncoshire.*n1736
Thzat is: be unwedded again, for I will not be bound (by oath of matrimony) to lie with him (have sex with him) and live with him the life of an honest woman, for all the lives good in Lancashire.
n2248
n1736
748Doughty.An honest woman: that’s a good mind†gg1513
(n) intention
, Parnell. What say you to this, Lawrence?
gg1513
749Lawrence.Keep her off o’ me, and I shan teln yeou. An she be by I am nobody. But keep her off and search me: let me be searcht as never witch was searcht, and find onything more or lass upo’ me than a sufficient mon shold have, and let me me be honckt by’t.*n1738
I shall tell you. If she be near, I am nobody. Only keep her away and search me: let me be searched (physically inspected) as never witch was searched, and find anything more or less upon me than a sufficient (sexually capable) man should have, then let me be hanged by it.
n1738
750Arthur.Do you hear this, Parnell?
751Parnell.Ah leear, leear, dee’ll tack the leear! Troist yee and hong yee!*n1739
Oh liar, liar, devil take the liar! Truss you and hang you!
n1739
752Doughty. [To the gentlemen] Alas, it is too plain, the poor fellow is bewitched. Here’s a plain maleficium versus hanc*n1740
That is: wickedness or witchcraft against this person present. The charge of performed maleficia was typically what started a witchcraft examination.
now.
n1740
753Arthur. [To DOUGHTY, BANTAM, and SHAKESTONE] And so is she bewitched too into this immodesty?
754Bantam. [To ARTHUR, DOUGHTY, and SHAKESTONE] She would never talk so else.
755Lawrence.I prayn yeow, gi’ me the lere o’ that Latin*n1741
I pray you, give me the translation of that Latin.
, sir.
n1741
756Doughty.The meaning is you must get half a dozen bastards within this twelvemonth, and that will mend your next marriage.
757Lawrence.An I thought it would ma’ Parnell love me, I’d be sure on’t, and gang about it now right.
758Shakestone.You’re soon provided, it seems, for such a journey.
759Doughty.Best tarry till thy head be whole, Lawrence.
760ParnellNay, nay, ay’s white casten away ent I be unwadded agen. And then I’ne undertack to find three better husbands in a bean-cod*n1742
No, no, I am quite cast away unless I be unwedded again. And then I would undertake to find three better husbands in a bean-pod. The pod of a large bean is euphemistically identified with the scrotum; hence cod-piece, for the covering over the genitals for a man's breeches or hose. Parnell's sarcasm here suggests that she would do better sexually with a dildo than with other husbands.
.
n1742
761Shakestone. [Hearing more noise within] Hark, gentlemen, the show is coming.
762Arthur.What, shall we stay and see’t?
763Bantam.Oh, by all means, gentlemen.
764Doughty.’Tis best to have [Indicating LAWRENCE and PARNELL] these away first.
765Parnell. [To DOUGHTY] Nay, marry, shan yeou not, sir. I hear yeou well enough, and I con the meaning o’ the show well enogh. An I stay not the show, and see not the show, and ma’ one i’ the show, let me be honkt up for a show! I’ll ware them to mel or ma’ with a woman that mels or ma’s with a testril, a longie, a dow-little losel that connot, and if I skim not their skimmington’s cockskeam for’t, may that warplin boggle me a week lonker, and that’s a curse eno’ for any wife, I trow.*n1743
No, marry, shall you not, sir. I hear you well enough, and I know the meaning of the show well enough. If I stay not for the show, and see not the show, and make myself part of the show, let me be hanged up for a spectacle myself! I'll teach them to meddle or make trouble for a woman that meddles or makes trouble for a tester (small coin), a lout, a good-for-nothing scoundrel that cannot perform sexually, and if I skim not their skimmington's coxcomb (fool’s hat), may that impotent baby fumble with me a week longer, and that's a curse enough for any wife, I believe. [That is, the leader of a skimmington threatens the unruly with a beating, but Parnell is too tough to be scared. She is quite certain she can deal with any jeering or violence offered her.]
n1743
766Doughty.Agreed! Perhaps ’twill mend the sport!
Enter drum beating before a Skimmington and his wife on a horse [with]
divers country rustics. As they pass, PARNELL pulls Skimmington off the horse, and
LAWRENCE, Skimmington’s wife: they beat ’em. Drum beats alarum†gg1515
signal calling upon men to fight or assault: it can be understood both as a call to arms, inciting violence, or a warning that accompanies the danger of approaching or current violence (OED esp 6 and 11)
, [and the] horse comes away.
The hoydens at first oppose†gg1516
challenge
the gentlemen, who draw†gg1517
draw swords; pull weapons from scabbards
:
the clowns vail bonnet†gg1518
doff their caps as a sign of respect for authority
, make a ring [around] PARNELL and Skimmington, [and watch the] fight.
gg1515
gg1516
gg1517
gg1518
767Doughty.Beat, drum, alarum! [The fight continues amid noises of drum and specatators. LAWRENCE’s match concluded more swiftly than PARNELL’s] Enough, enough! Here, my masters! [Showing a bag of money] Now patch up your show, if you can, and catch your horse again, and when you have done, drink that Giving money.
768Rabble.Thank your worship.Exeunt shout[ing].
769Parnell.Lat’em, as they laik this, gang a procession with their aydol Skimmington agean.*n1744
Let them, if they like this [that is, Parnell's beating them up], go on a procession with their idol Skimmington again!
n1744
770Arthur.Parnell, thou didst bravely.
771Parnell.I am sure I han drawn blood o’ their aydol.
772Lawrence.And I think I tickled his waife*n1745
Beat or chastised his wife (ironically, OED v, 6a); pleased or gratified his wife (sarcasm, with sexual implications).
.
n1745
773Parnell.Yie, to be sure, yeou been eane of the owd ticklers. But with what, con yeou tell?*n1746
Yes, certainly, you are one of the old ticklers. But with what, pray tell? Parnell picks up on the secondary sexual meaning of Lawrence's statement, and comments acidly on his lack of sexual equipment.
n1746
774Lawrence.Yieu, with her own ladle.*n1747
Yeah, with her own weapon, a skimming spoon or ladle. The skimmington is so called after the skimmer = a shallow utensil, usually perforated, employed in skimming liquids; also, any utensil or implement by means of which skimming or some analogous process is performed (OED n., 1a). The mock-wife in the skimmington beats her mock-husband with it, in a parody of the upside-down marriage that the community objects to.
n1747
775Parnell. [Sarcastically] Yie, marry, a ladle is something!
776Doughty.Come, you have both done well. Go in to my house; see your old master and mistress, while I travel a course*n1748
Travel follows the Q spelling, but Doughty puns here on working out a course of action (travail) and intending to journey out or follow (travel) prey on a hunt (or course) to seek and destroy witches.
to make you all well again. I will now a-witch-hunting.
n1748
777Parnell.Na course for us*n1749
] hus. This edition follows Egan and Barber.
but to be unwadded agone.
n1749
778Arthur, Shakestone, Bantam.We are for Whetstone and his aunt, you know.
779Doughty.Farewell, farewell.
[LAWRENCE and PARNELL] exit [in one direction, DOUGHTY and the gentlemen in another].
4.4
MISTRESS GENEROUS and MALL SPENCER enter.
780Mistress Generous.Welcome, welcome, my girl! What, hath thy Puggy
Yet sucked upon thy pretty duggy?
781Mall.All’s well at home and abroad too.
Whate’er I bid my Pug, he’ll do.
You sent for me
782Mistress Generous.I did.
783Mall.And why?
784Mistress Generous.Wench, I’ll tell thee. Thou and I
Will walk a little. How doth Meg?
And her Mamilion?
785Mall.Of one leg
She’s grown lame.
786Mistress Generous.Because the beast
Did miss us last Good Friday feast.
I guessed as much.
787Mall.But All-Saints night
788Mistress Generous.Dickieson and Hargrave, prithee tell,
How do they?
789Mall.All about us well.
But Puggy whispered in mine ear
That you of late were put in fear.
790Mistress Generous.The slave, my man.
791Mall.Who? Robin?
793Mall.My sweetheart?
794Mistress Generous.Such a trick served me.
795Mall.About the bridle? Now, alack!
796Mistress Generous.The villain brought me to the rack.
Tied was I both to rack and manger.
797Mall.But thence how scaped you?
798Mistress Generous.Without danger,
I thank my spirit.
799Mall.Ay, but then
How pacified was your good man?
800Mistress Generous.Some passionate words mixed with forced tears
Did so enchant his eyes and ears,
I made my peace, with promise never
To do the like; but once and ever
A witch, thou know’st. Now understand
New business we took in hand.
My husband packed out of the town,
Know that the house and all’s our own.
WHETSTONE enters.
801Whetstone.Naunt†gg1521
familiar shortform for mine aunt
, is this your promise, naunt? —— [Aside to MALL] What, Mall! How dost thou, Mall? —— [Aloud, to MISTRESS GENEROUS] You told me you would put a trick upon these gentlemen, whom you made me invite to supper, who abused and called me bastard. —— [Aside to MALL] And when shall I get one upon thee, my sweet rogue? —— [Aloud, to MISTRESS GENEROUS] And that you would do I know not what; for you would not tell me what you would do. —— [Aside to MALL] And shall you and I never have any doing†gg1522
having sexual relations
together? —— [Aloud, to MISTRESS GENEROUS] Supper is done, and the table ready to withdraw*n1750
the gentlemen at the table are ready to leave the diningroom.
. And I am risen the earliest from the board†gg1523
table
,
and yet for aught I can see I am never a whit†gg2832
not at all, not the least bit
the nearer. —— [Aside to MALL] What, not one kiss at parting, Mall?
gg1521
gg1522
n1750
gg1523
gg2832
802Mistress Generous.Well, cousin†gg1220
generally used in speaking to or of kin, whether nephew or actual cousin, or any other relationship by blood or marriage outside the immediate nuclear family
, this is all you have to do:
gg1220
Retire the gallants to some private room,
Where call for wine and junkets†gg1524
coagulated or jellied milk (created by adding rennet), which got its name from the reed basket (giunco in Italian; old north French jonquette, or from medieval Latin iuncata) in which it was put to drain; according to medieval and renaissance recipes, the best junket is made from the milk of young animals and makes the blood phlegmatic; it is useful in treating swelling of the stomach, and is considered most suitable for robust, young people with hot temperaments (presumably in calming them down -- comical in light of the mostly elderly witches consuming it here); it was frequently the final course of a banquet, sometimes served floating in sweet white wine
, what you please;
gg1524
Then thou shalt need to do no other thing
Than what this note directs thee [Handing him a paper] . Observe†gg1525
act in accordance with, follow the instructions in
that,
gg1525
And trouble me no farther.
803Whetstone. [Taking and reading the paper] Very good, I like this beginning well: for where they slighted*n1771
this edition; sleighted Q. The modern spelling slighted means belittled. The original spelling sleighted suggests tricked, made a fool of. The latter is not a modern expression, but the pun is worth keeping in mind. In retaliation, Whetstone is tricking the gentlemen in the same humiliating way that they have been baiting him. He successfully makes fools of them.
me before, they shall find me a man of note.He exits.
n1771
804Mall.Of this, the meaning?
805Mistress Generous.Marry, lass,
Thy spirit I must borrow, more
To fill the number three or four,
Whom we will use to no great harm.
’Tis all for mirth. We mean no hurt.
806Mall.My spirit and myself command;
Mamilion and the rest at hand
Shall all assist.
807Mistress Generous.Withdraw then, quick!
Now, gallants, there’s for you a trick.They exit.
4.5
WHETSTONE, ARTHUR, SHAKESTONE, [and] BANTAM enter.
808Whetstone.Here’s a more private room, gentlenmen, free from the noise of the hall. Here we may talk, and throw the chamber out of the casements*n3395
The exact meaning of this expression is not listed in OED, but the meaning seems to be that Whetstone and his companions will relax over wine and dessert, and utter or express themselves comfortably with no fear of interruption or unpleasantness, throwing open the windows as a sign of such hospitality (see OED, throw, v. 44d). But at the same time Whetstone is disingenuous: his words also suggest throwing the room out of its accustomed order in some way. Shortly he begins his supernatural game of 'Who's your father?'. As Chris Meads points out (p 223), a banquet scene on stage was frequently the basis for comic revenge, in which the guilty are arraigned and humiliated with supernatural support. Decades earlier, the grisly dinner in Titus Andronicus, 5.3, provided such fare; Macbeth is put out by Banquo's ghost in Macbeth 3.4, finding he has no place at the table; and Ariel informs the 'three men of sin' of their impending punishment at the disappearing banquet in The Tempest, 3.3.53.
. —— [Calling to Servants within] Some wine and a short banquet†gg278
'a course of sweetmeats, fruit, and wine, served either as a separate entertainment, or as a continuation of the principal meal' (OED n1, 3)
!
n3395
gg278
[Servants] enter with a banquet, wine, and two tapers.
809Whetstone.So. Now leave us.
[Servants exit.]
810Arthur.We are much bound to you, Master Whetstone,
For this great entertainment. I see you command
The house in the absence of your uncle.
811Whetstone.Yes, I thank my aunt; for though I be but a daily guest, yet I can be welcome to her at midnight.
812Shakestone.How shall we pass the time?
813Bantam.In some discourse.
814Whetstone.But no such discourse as we had last, I beseech you.
815Bantam.Now, Master Whetstone, you reflect on me.
’Tis true, at our last meeting some few words
Then passed my lips, which I could wish forgot:
I think I called you bastard.
816Whetstone.I think so too; but what’s that amongst friends? For I would fain know which amongst you all knows his own father.
817Bantam.You are merry with your friends, good Master By-blow, and we are guests here in your uncle’s house, and therefore privileged.
MISTRESS GENEROUS, MALL, and spirits enter [unseen by the gentlemen] .
818Whetstone.I presume you had no more privilege in your getting†gg1532
begetting; conception
than I. But tell me, gentlemen, is there any man here amongst you that hath a mind to see his father?
gg1532
819Bantam.Why, who shall show him?
820Whetstone.That’s all one*n1751
That is not important. That is a side issue.
. If any man here desire it, let him but speak the word, and ’tis sufficient.
n1751
821Bantam.Why, I would see my father.
A PEDANT enters†gg1529
teacher, tutor
dancing to the music; the strain†gg683
(n) melody, tune (OED n2, 13a); (n) a passage of poetry (OED n2, 13b)
done, he points at BANTAM,and looks full in his face.
gg1529
gg683
823Whetstone.Do you know him that looks so full in your face?
824Bantam.Yes, well; a pedant in my father’s house,
Who, being young*n1752
Here describing Bantam as a young boy, although the phrase seems to describe the pedant.
, taught me my A B C.
n1752
825Whetstone.In his house that goes for your father, you would say. For know one morning, when your mother’s husband rid early to have a nisi prius*n1753
That is: unless previously: the first words of a writ directing a sheriff to provide a jury at the Court of Westminster on a particular day, unless the assize judges come before that day to the county from which the jury was to be drawn. The term may also mean the court action itself, brought by a writ of nisi prius.
tried at Lancaster ’sizes†gg1530
assizes, or sittings of the court
, he crept into his warm place, lay close by her side, and then were you got†gg1531
begotten, conceived
. Then come, your heels and tail together, and kneel unto your own dear father.
n1753
gg1530
gg1531
826All.Ha, ha, ha!
[PEDANT exits.]
827Bantam. [Shocked and angry] I am abused.
828Whetstone.Why laugh you, gentlemen? It may be more men’s cases than his or mine.
829Bantam.To be thus jeered!
830Arthur. [To BANTAM] Come, take it as a jest.
For I presume ’twas meant no otherwise.
831Whetstone. [To ARTHUR and SHAKESTONE] Would either of you two now see his father in earnest?
832Shakestone.Yes, canst thou shew me mine?
A nimble TAILOR enters dancing, using the same posture to SHAKESTONE.
834Whetstone.He looks on you. Speak, do you know him?
835Shakestone.Yes, he was my mother’s tailor*n1754
Several playwrights deride women's tailors as men who are both unmanly and hovering over women eager to be or to fantasise about being their lovers. See, for example, Stuff in Jonson's The New Inn.
. I remember him ever since I was a child.
n1754
836Whetstone.Who, when he came to take measure of her upper parts, had more mind to the lower. Whilst the good man†gg1533
master or male head of a household (sometimes spelled as one word)
was in the fields hunting, he was at home whoring.
gg1533
Then, since no better comfort can be had,
Come down, come down, ask blessiing of your dad.
837All.Ha, ha, ha!
[TAILOR exits.]
838Bantam.This cannot be endured.
839Arthur.It is plain witchcraft.
Nay, since we are all bid unto one feast,
Let’s fare alike, come show me mine too.
ROBIN enters with a switch†gg1317
thin flexible shoot cut from a tree, used as a whip
and a curry-comb†gg1535
metal comb used for currying or grooming horses
[dancing]; he points at Arthur.
gg1317
gg1535
841Whetstone.He points at you.
842Arthur.What then?
843Whetstone. You know him.
844Arthur.Yes,
Robin, the groom belonging to this house.
845Whetstone.And never served your father?
846Arthur.In’s*n1755
In his (elided for the verse rhythm).
youth I think
n1755
He did.
[ROBIN exits.]
847Whetstone.Who, when your supposed father had business at the Lord President’s court in York*n1756
The king's deputy presiding over the six northern counties, in conjunction with the Council of the North.
, stood for his attorney*n1774
That is: held his power of attorney, but also punning on 'had an erection as his sexual proxy'.
at home, and so it seems you were got by deputy. What, all amort? If you will have but a little patience, stay and you shall see mine too:
n1756
n1774
And know I show you him the rather
To find who hath the best man to his father.
848Mistress Generous. [Aside to the musicians] Strike! ——
Music. A GALLANT enters as before to him.
849Whetstone.Now, gentlemen, make me your precedent, learn your duties, and do as I do — He kneels and addresses the GALLANT.] A blessing, Dad.
[After blessing him, the GALLANT exits.]
850Bantam.*n1757
] Whet. Q ; Arthur (Egan). The speaker clearly cannot be Whetstone, and the speaker might be any of the three gentlemen. Bantam, as the first one teased, has had time to calm down enough to resolve to find revenge another day. Arthur is calm when he is not personally under attack, but in other scenes he has reacted violently against Whetstone, more than others.
Come, come, let’s home. We’ll find some other time
n1757
When to dispute of these things —*n1758
This verse line is interrrupted and never completed, but the attempt at verse demonstrated the speaker's desire to appear dignified and thoughtful.
n1758
851Whetstone.Nay, gentlemen, no parting in spleen†gs195
regarded as the seat of melancholy or depression (OED 1b); or more strongly describes a fit of bad temper (OED 7a); from the point of view of a prankster, spleen is the seat of mirth (OED 1c)
! Since we have begun in mirth, let’s not end in melancholy; you see there are more by-blows than bear the name. It is grown a great kindred in the kingdom. Come, come, all friends! Let’s into the cellar†gg1538
wine-cellar
and conclude our revels†gs193
music, dancing, and spectacles of wonder forming an evening's entertainment (here, ironic)
in a lusty health.†gg2833
drink to everyone's health
gs195
gg1538
gs193
gg2833
[The gentlemen attempt to draw their weapons.]
852Shakestone.I fain would strike, but cannot!
853Bantam.Some strange fate holds me.
854Arthur.Here then all anger end.
Let none be mad at what they cannot mend.
[ARTHUR, BANTAM, and SHAKESTONE exit, followed by the jeering WHETSTONE].
855Mall.Now say what’s next?
856Mistress Generous.I’th’ mill there lies
A soldier yet with unscratched eyes.
Summon the sisterhood together,
For we with all our spirits will thither;
And such a caterwauling keep,
That he in vain shall think to sleep.
Call Meg and Doll, Tib, Nab, and Jug.
We’ll try our utmost art and skill
To fright the stout knave in the mill.They exit.
Edited by Helen Ostovich