13301254 Enter Dogbery and his compartner with the Watch. 13321256Verges Yea, or el
se it were pitty but they
should
su
ffer
sal
- 13341258Dog. Nay, that were a puni
shment too good for them, if
13351259they
should haue any allegeance in them, being cho
sen for the
13371261Verges Well, giue them their charge, neighbour Dog
- 13391263Dogbery Fir
st, who thinke you the mo
st de
sartle
sse man
13411265Watch 1 Hugh Ote-cake
sir, or George Sea-cole, for they
13431267Dogbery Come hither neighbor Sea-cole. God hath ble
st 13441268you with a good name: to be a welfauoured man, is the gift of
13451269Fortune, but to write and reade, comes by nature.
13471270Watch 2 Both which mai
ster Con
stable.
13481271Dogbery You haue: I knew it would be your an
swer: wel,
13491272for your fauour
sir, why giue God thanks, and make no boa
st 13501273of it, and for your writing and reading, let that appeere when
13511274there is no neede of
such vanity, you are thought heere to be
13521275the mo
st sen
sle
sse and
fit man for the Con
stable of the watch:
13531276therefore beare you the lanthorne: this is your charge, You
13541277shall comprehend all vagrom men, you are to bidde any man
13571279Watch 2 How if a will not
stand?
13581280Dogbery Why then take no note of him, but let him goe,
E3 and
Much adoe
13591281and pre
sently call the re
st of the watch together, and thanke
13611283Verges If he wil not
stand when he is bidden, he is none of
13631285Dogbery True, and they are to meddle with none but the
13641286Princes
subie
cts: you
shall al
so make no noi
se in the
streetes:
13651287for, for the watch to babble and to talke, is mo
st tollerable, and
13671289Watch We will rather
sleepe than talke, we know what be
- 13691291Dogbery Why you
speake like an antient and mo
st quiet
13701292watchman, for I cannot
see how
sleeping
should o
ffend: one
- 13711293ly haue a care that your billes bee not
stolne: well, you are to
13721294cal at al the alehou
ses, and bid tho
se that are drunke get them to
13751297Dogbery Why then let them alone til they are
sober, if they
13761298make you not then the better an
swer, you may
say, they are not
13791301Dogbery If you meete a thiefe, you may
su
spe
ct him, by
13801302vertue of your o
ffice, to be no true man: and for
such kind of
13811303men, the le
sse you meddle or make with them, why the more
13831305Watch If we know him to be a thiefe,
shal we not lay hands
13851307Dogbery Truely by your o
ffice you may, but I thinke they
13861308that touch pitch will be de
filde: the mo
st peaceable way for
13871309you, if you doe take a thiefe, is, to let him
shew him
selfe what
13881310he is, and
steale out of your companie.
13891311Verges You haue beene alwayes called a mercifull manne,
13901313Dog. Truely I would not hang a dogge by my will, much
13911314more a man who hath anie hone
stie in him.
13921315Verges If you heare a child crie in the night you mu
st call to
13941317Watch How if the nur
se be a
sleepe and will not heare vs.
Dog.
about Nothing.
13961318Dog. Why then depart in peace, and let the child wake her
13971319with crying, for the ewe that will not heare her lamb when it
13981320baes, will neuer an
swer a calfe when he bleates.
14011322Dog. This is the end of the charge: you con
stable are to
14021323pre
sent the princes owne per
son, if you meete the prince in the
14041325Verges Nay birlady that I thinke a cannot.
14051326Dog. Fiue
shillings to one on't with any man that knowes
14061327the
statutes, he may
stay him, mary not without the prince be
14071328willing, for indeed the watch ought to o
ffend no man, and it is
14081329an o
ffence to
stay a man again
st his will.
14101330Verges Birlady I thinke it be
so.
14111331Dog. Ha ah ha, wel ma
sters good night, and there be any
14121332matter of weight chaunces, cal vp me, keepe your fellowes
14131333coun
sailes, and your owne, and good night, come neigh
- 14151335Watch Well ma
sters, we heare our charge, let vs goe
sitte
14161336here vppon the church bench till twoo, and then all to
14181338Dog. One word more, hone
st neighbors, I pray you watch
14191339about
signior Leonatoes doore, for the wedding being there to
14201340morrow, there is a great coyle to night, adiew, be vigitant I be
- 14261346Con. Here man, I am at thy elbow.
14271347Bor. Mas and my elbow itcht, I thought there would a
14291349Con. I will owe thee an an
swer for that, and now forward
14311351Bor. Stand thee clo
se then vnder this penthou
se, for it
14321352dri
ssells raine, and I will, like a true drunckard, vtter all to
14341354Watch Some trea
son ma
sters, yet
stand clo
se.
Bor.
Much adoe
14351355Bor. Therefore know, I haue earned of Dun Iohn a thou
- 14371357Con. Is it po
ssible that any villanie
should be
so deare?
14381358Bor. Thou
should
st rather aske if it were po
ssible any vil
- 14391359lanie
shuld be
so rich? for when rich villains haue need of poor
14401360ones, poore ones may make what price they will.
14431362Bor. That
shewes thou art vncon
firm'd, thou knowe
st 14441363that the fa
shion of a dublet, or a hat, or a cloake, is nothing to a
14481367Con. Yes the fa
shion is the fa
shion.
14491368Bor. Tu
sh, I may as well
say the foole's the foole, but
see
st 14501369thou not what a deformed theefe this fa
shion is?
14511370Watch I know that deformed, a has bin a vile theefe, this
14521371vij. yeere, a goes vp and downe like a gentle man: I remember
14541373Bor. Did
st thou not heare
some body?
14551374Con. No, twas the vane on the hou
se.
14561375Bor. See
st thou not (I
say) what a deformed thiefe this fa
shi
- 14571376on is, how giddily a turnes about all the Hot-blouds, between
14581377foureteene and
fiue and thirtie,
sometimes fa
shioning them
14591378like Pharaoes
souldiours in the rechie painting,
sometime like
14601379god Bels prie
sts in the old church window,
sometime like the
14611380shauen Hercules in the
smircht worm-eaten tape
stry, where
14621381his cod-peece
seemes as ma
ssie as his club.
14641382Con. Al this I
see, and I
see that the fa
shion weares out more
14651383apparrell then the man, but art not thou thy
selfe giddy with
14661384the fa
shion too, that thou ha
st shifted out of thy tale into telling
14681386Bor. Not
so neither, but know that I haue to night wooed
14691387Margaret the Lady Heroes gentle-woman, by the name of
14701388Hero,
she leanes me out at her mi
stris chamber window, bids
14711389me a thou
sand times good night: I tell this tale vildly. I
should
14721390fir
st tel thee how the prince Claudio and my ma
ster planted,
14731391and placed, and po
sse
ssed, by my ma
ster Don Iohn,
saw a farre
off
about Nothing.
14741392o
ff in the orchard this amiable incounter.
14761393Conr. And thought they Margaret was Hero?
14771394Bar. Two of them did, the prince and Claudio, but the di
- 14781395uel my ma
ster knew
she was Margaret, and partly by his oths,
14791396which
fir
st po
sse
st them, partly by the darke night which did
14801397deceiue them, but chiefely, by my villany, which did con
firme
14811398any
slander that Don Iohn had made, away went Claudio en
- 14821399ragde,
swore he would meet her as he was apointed next mor
- 14831400ning at the Temple, and there, before the whole congregation
14841401shame her, with what he
saw o're night, and
send her home a
- 14871403Watch 1 We charge you in the princes name
stand.
14881404Watch 2 Call vppe the right mai
ster Con
stable, wee haue
14891405here recouerd the mo
st dangerous peece of lechery, that euer
14901406was knowne in the common wealth.
14911407Watch 1 And one Deformed is one of them, I know him, a
14941410Watch 2 Youle be made bring deformed forth I warrant
14961412Conr Ma
sters, neuer
speake, we charge you, let vs obey you
14981414Bor. We are like to proue a goodly commoditie, being ta
- 15001416Conr. A commodity in que
stion I warrant you, come weele