William Shakespeare - The Complete Apocryphal Works of William Shakespeare - All 17 Rare Plays in One Edition

MOSBIE

Alice, what’s he that comes yonder?

Knowest thou him?

ALICE

Mosbie, be gone: I hope ‘tis one that comes

To put in practice our intended drifts. (Exit MOSBIE

GREENE

Mistress Arden, you are well met.

I am sorry that your husband is from home,

When as my purposed journey was to him:

Yet all my labor is not spent in vain,

For I suppose that you can full discourse

And flat resolve me of the thing I seek.

ALICE

What is it, master Greene? If that I may

Or can with safety, I will answer you.

GREENE

I heard your husband had the grant of late,

Confirmed by letters patent from the king.

Of all the lands of the abbey of feversham,

Generally intitled, so that all former grants

Are cut off; whereof I myself had one;

But now my interest by that is void.

This is all, mistress Arden; is it true or no?

ALICE

True, master Greene; the lands are his in state,

And whatsoever leases were before

Are void for term of master Arden’s life;

He hath the grant under the chancery seal.

GREENE

Pardon me, mistress Arden, I must speak

For I am touched. Your husband doth me wrong

To wring me from the little land I have.

My living is my life, only that

Resteth remainder of my portion.

Desire of wealth is endless in his mind,

And he is greedy gaping still for gain;

Nor cares he though young gentlemen do beg,

And so, as he shall wish the abbey lands

Had rested still, within their former state.

But seeing he hath taken my lands, I’ll value life

As careless, as he is careful for to get,

And tell him this from me, I’ll be revenged,

And so, as he shall wish the abbey lands

Had rested still, within their former state.

ALICE

Alas, poor gentleman, I pity you,

And woe is me that any man should want,

God knows ‘tis not my fault, but wonder not

Though he be hard to others, when to me,

Ah master Greene, god knows how I am used.

GREENE

Why, mistress Arden, can the crabbed churl

Use you unkindly, respects he not your birth,

Your honorable friends, nor what you brought?

Why, all kent knows your parentage, and what you are.

ALICE

Ah, master Greene, be it spoken in secret here,

I never live good day with him alone:

When he is at home, then have I forward looks,

Hard words and blows, to mend the match withal;

And though I might content as good a man,

Yet doth he keep in every corner trulls,

And weary with his trugs at home,

Then rides he straight to London, there forsooth

He revels it among such filthy ones,

As counsel him to make away his wife;

Thus live I daily in continual fear,

In sorrow, so dispairing of redress

As every day I wish with hearty prayer,

That he or I were taken forth the world.

GREENE

Now trust me mistress Alice, it grieveth me,

GREENE

Ay, god’s my witness, I mean plain dealing,

For I had rather die then lose my land.

ALICE

Then master Greene be counselled by me:

Endanger not your self for such a churl,

But hire some cutter for to cut him short,

And here’s ten pound, to wager them with all,

When he is dead you shall have twenty more.

And the lands whereof my husband is possess’d,

Shall be intitled as they were before.

GREENE

Will you keep promise with me?

GREENE

Then here’s my hand I’ll have him so dispatch’d,

I’ll up to London straight, I’ll thither post,

And never rest, till I have compass’d it,

Till then farewell.

And whosoever doth attempt the deed,

A happy hand I wish, and so farewell. -

All this goes well: Mosbie, I long for thee

To let thee know all that I have contrived.

(here enters Mosbie and CLARKE

MOSBIE

How now, Alice, what’s the news?

ALICE

Such as will content thee well, sweet heart.

MOSBIE

Well, let them pass a while, and tell me Alice,

How have you dealt and tempered with my sister,

What, will she have my neighbor, clarke, or no?

ALICE

What, master Mosbie! Let him woo him self.

Think you that maids look not for fair words?

Go to her, clarke; she’s all alone within;

Michael my man is clean out of her books.

CLARKE

I thank you, mistress Arden, I will in;

And if fair Susan and I can make agree,

You shall command me to the utterMost,

As far as either goods or life may stretch. (Exit CLARKE

MOSBIE

Now, Alice, let’s hear thy news.

ALICE

They be so good that I must laugh for joy,

Before I can begin to tell my tale.

MOSBIE

Let’s hear them, that I may laugh for company.

ALICE

This morning, master Greene, Dick Greene I mean,

From whom my husband had the abbey land,

Came hither, railing, for to know the truth

Whether my husband had the lands by grant.

I told him all, whereat he stormed amain

And swore he would cry quittance with the churl,

And, if he did deny his interest,

Stab him, whatsoever did befall himself.

When as I saw his choler thus to rise,

I whetted on the gentleman with words;

And, to conclude, Mosbie, at last we grew

To composition for my husband’s death.

I gave him ten pound to hire knaves,

by some device to make away the churl;

When he is dead, he should have twenty more