Elcal. How know you that? Elb. My wife, Sir, whom I deteft before heav'n and your honour, Ejcal. How! thy wife? Elb. Ay, Sir; whom, I thank heav'n, is an honeft woman; Ffcal, Dole thou, detest her therefore Bu Elb. Ifay, Sir, I will deteft-myself alfo, as well as fe, that this house, if it be not a bawd's houfe, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty houfe. Elcal. How do thou know that, conftable? Elh. Marry Sir, by my wife; who, if he had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all unchannefs there. Efal. By the woman's means ?. 2 Elb. Ay, Sir, by miftrefs Over-don's means, but as. fe fpit in his face, fo the defy'd him. ? Clown. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not fo. 1 Elb. Prove it before these varlets. here, thou honouralle man, prove it. Ejcal. Do you hear, how he mifplaces Clean. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for few'd prewns;. Sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very diftant time flood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a disa of fome three pence; (your honours have feen fuch difhes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes.) Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the difh, Sir. : Clown. No, indeed, Sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right but to the point; as I fay, this mistress Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I fay, for prewns; and having but two in the difh, as I faid; maiter Froth here, this. very man, having eaten the reit, as I faid, and, as I fay, paying for them very honefily; for, as you know, mafter Froth, I could not give you three pence again. Froth. No, indeed. Clown, Very well; you being then, if you be remembred, cracking the ones of the forefaid prewns. Frath. Ay, fo I did, indeed. Clowne Clown. Why, very well I telling you then, if you be remembred, that fuch a one, and fuch a one, were. paft cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you.. Froth. All this is true. Clown. Why, very well then. Efcal. Come, you are a tedious fool; to the purpose:: what was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath caufe to complain of come to what was done to her. Clown. Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet. 1 Clown. Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour's leave: and, I befeech you, look into mafter Froth here, Sir, a man of fourfcore pound a year; whose father dy'd at Hallowmas. Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth? Clown. Why, very well; I hope here be truths. He, Sir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, Sir; 'twas in the bunch of grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight. to fit, have you not? Froth. I have fo, because it is an open room,' and good for winter. Clown. Why, very well then; I hope, here be truths. When nights are longeft there. I'll take my leave, Clown. Once, Sir? there was nothing done to her once. Elb. I beseech you, Sir, afk him what this man did to my wife. Clown. I befeech your honour, ask me. * Efcal. Well, Sir, what did this gentleman to her? : Clown. I beseech you, Sir, look in this gentleman's face; good mafter. Frothy look upon his honour; 'tis for for a good purpofe: doth your honour mark his face? Ejcal. Ay, Sir, very well. Clown. Nay, I beseech you, mark it well. Clown. Doth your honour fee-any harm in his face ? - Clown, I'll be fuppos'd upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him: good then; if his face be the worst thing about him, how could mafter Froth do the constable's wife any harm? I would know that of your honour. Efcal. He's in the right; conftable, what fay you to it ? Elb. First, an it like you, the house is a refpected houfe; next, this is a refpected fellow; and his mif trefs is a refpected woman. Clown. By this hand, Sir, his wife is a more refpected: perfon than any of us all. 1 Elb. Varlet, thou lieft; thou lieft, wicked, varlet ;. the time is yet to come, that he was ever refpected with man, woman, or child. Clown. Sir, fhe was refpected with him before he marry'd with her. Efcal. Which is the wifer here? Justice, or Iniquity?— Is this true? Elb. O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I refpected with her, before I was marry'd to her? If ever I was refpected with her, or the with me, let not your worship think me the poor Duke's officers prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or I'll have.... mine action of battery on thee. Efcal. If he took you a box o'th' ear, you might have your action of flander too. Elb. Marry, I thank your good worship for't: what is't your worship's pleafure I fhall do with this wickedcaitiff? Efcal. Truly, officer, becaufe he hath fome offences in him, that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let, him continue in his courfes, till thou know'ft what they are, Elb. Elb. Marry, I thank your worship for it; thou seest, thou wicked varlet now, what's come upon thee. Thou art to continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue. Efcal. Where were you born, friend? [To Froth.. Froth. Here in Vienna, Sir. Efcal. Are you of four core pounds a year Efcal. So. What trade are you of, Sir? [To the Clown. Clown. A tapfter, a poor widow's.tapfter. Clown. Miftrefs Over-don. Efcal. Hath fhe had any more than one husband?.. Clown, Nine, Sir: Over-don by the laft. Ejcal. Nine? Come hither to me, mafter Froth: matter Froth, I would not have you acquainted with tapfters; they will draw you, mafter Froth, and you will hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear no more of you. Froth. I thank your worship; for mine own part, I never come into any room in a taphoufe, but I am drawn in. Efcal. Well; no more of it, mafter Froth; farewel. [Exit Froth.. Come you hither to me, mafter tapfter; what's your name, mafter tapfter ? Clown. Pompeyst Efeal. Troth, and your bum is the greateft thing about you, fo that, in the beaftlieft fenfe, you are Pompey the great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey; how foever you colour it in being a tapfter; are you not? come, tell me true, it fhall be the better for you. Clown. Truly, Sir, I am a poor fellow that would live.mot Efcal. How would you live, Pompey ? by being a bawd? what do you think of the trade, Pompey ? is it a lawful trade? Clown. If the law will allow it, Sir. Ejcal. But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall not be allowed in Vienna, \ Clown. Does your worthip mean to geld and splay all the youth in the city? Efcal. No, Pompey. n Clown. Truly, Sir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then. If your worship will take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds. Efcal. There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you it is but heading and hanging. Clown. If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten years together, you'll be glad to give out a commiffion for more heads if this law hold in Vienna ten years, (8) I'll rent the faireft house in it, after three pence a bay if you live to fee this come to pafs, fay, Pompey told you fo... Efcal. Thank you, good Pompey ; and, in requital ofe your prophecy, hark you; I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever; no, not for dwelling where you do if I do, Pompey, (8) I'll rent the fairest boufe in it, after three pence a day.] This... i reading firft got place in Mr. Pope's impreffion, who, I prefume, did not know how to account for, bay, the reading of the old copies; and which I have reftor'd to the text. For my part, I believe, our Poet had no notion of reducing houfe-rent to a proportion by the day The meaning is this. The fashion of buildings, in our Author's time, was to have two or three femi-circular juttings out in front, (which we ftill fee in the remains of old houfes,) where the windows were plac'd: And these projections were call'd bays; as the windows. were, from them, call'd bay-winderos, or compass-windows: the lafte of which terms we meet with in our Author's Troilus and Creffida," She came to him t'other day into the compass-window Minfher tells us, the reafon of the name being given was, because. this form of building resembled a bay, or road for fhips, which is always round, and bow-ing, to break off the force of the water. So that houfes, as I faid, having not above two or three of these juttings out, the Clown fays, "the houses won't be, worth above three pence a “ bay," i. e. nine pence per year at the largest compu-¿ sation. I had almost forgot to obferve, that CHAUCER mentions a bay-window in his Court of Love. And there befde, within-a bay-rindowe, Stod one in grene, full large of bred and length, &c. I fhall |