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

AMADINE.

Well, shepherd, sith thou sufferest this for my sake,

With thee in exile also let me live—

On this condition, shepherd, thou canst love.

MUCEDORUS.

No longer love, no longer let me live!

AMADINE. Of late I loved one indeed, now love I none but only thee.

MUCEDORUS.

Thanks, worthy princess; I borne likewise,

Yet smother up the blast,

I dare not promise what I may perform.

AMADINE.

Well, shepherd, hark what I shall say:

I will return unto my Father’s court,

There for to provide me of such necessaries,

As for our journey I shall think most fit;

This being done, i will return to thee.

Do thou, therefore, appoint the place where we may meet.

MUCEDORUS.

Down in the valley where I slew the bear:

And there doth grow a fair broad branched beech,

That overshades a well; so who comes first

Let them abide the happy meeting of us both.

How like you this?

AMADINE.

I like it very well.

MUCEDORUS.

Now, if you please, you may appoint the time.

AMADINE.

Full three hours hence, God willing, I will return.

MUCEDORUS.

The thanks that Paris gave the Grecian queen

The like doth Mucedorus yield.

AMADINE.

Then, Mucedorus, for three hours farewell.

[Exit.]

MUCEDORUS.

Your departure, lady, breeds a privy pain.

[Exit.]

SCENE II. The Court.

[Enter Segasto solus.]

SEGASTO.

Tis well, Segasto, that thou hast thy will;

Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain

As he, eclipse the credit famous through

The court? No, ply, Segasto, ply:

Let it not in Arragon be said,

A shepherd hath Segasto’s honour won.

[Enter Mouse the clown calling his master.]

MOUSE.

What ho, master, will you come away?

SEGASTO. Will you come hither? I pray you, what’s the matter?

MOUSE.

Why, is it not past eleven a clock?

SEGASTO.

How then, sir?

MOUSE.

I pray you, come away to dinner.

SEGASTO.

I pray you, come hither.

MOUSE.

Here’s such a do with you! will you never come?

SEGASTO. I pray you, sir, what news of the message I sent you about?

MOUSE.

I tell you all the messes be on the table already.

There wants not so much as a mess of mustard

half an hour ago.

SEGASTO.

Come, sir, your mind is all upon your belly;

You have forgotten what I did bid you do.

MOUSE. Faith, I know nothing, but you bade me go to breakfast.

SEGASTO.

Was that all?

MOUSE. Faith, I have forgotten it; the very scent of the meat hath made me forget it quite.

SEGASTO.

You have forgotten the arrant I bid you do?

MOUSE.

What arrant? an arrant knave, or arrant whore?

SEGASTO. Why, thou knave, did I not bid thee banish the shepherd?

MOUSE.

O, the shepherd’s bastard.

SEGASTO.

I tell thee, the shepherd’s banishment.

MOUSE.

I tell you the shepherd’s bastard shall be well kept;

I’ll look to it myself else; but I pray you, come away

to dinner.

SEGASTO. Then you will not tell me whether you have banished him or no?

MOUSE. Why, I cannot say banishment, and you would give me a thousand pounds to say so.

SEGASTO. Why, you whoreson slave, have you forgotten that I sent you and another to drive away the shepherd.

MOUSE. What an ass are you; here’s a stir indeed: here’s ‘message,’ ‘arrant,’ ‘banishment,’ and I cannot tell what.

SEGASTO. I pray you, sir, shall I know whether you have drove him away?

MOUSE. Faith, I think I have; and you will not believe me, ask my staff.

SEGASTO.

Why, can thy staff tell?

MOUSE.

Why, he was with me to.

SEGASTO.

Then happy I that have obtained my will.

MOUSE.

And happier I, if you would go to dinner.

SEGASTO.

Come, sirra, follow me.

MOUSE. I warrant you, I will not loose an inch of you, now you are going to dinner.—I promise you, I thought seven year before I could get him away.

[Exeunt.]

SCENE III. The Forest.

[Enter Amadine sola.]

AMADINE.

God grant my long delay procures no harm

Nor this my tarrying frustrate my pretence.

My Mucedorus surely stays for me,

And thinks me over long: at length I come

My present promise to perform.

Ah, what a thing is firm unfained love!

What is it which true love dares not tempt?

My father he may make, but I must match;

Segasto loves, but Amadine must like,

Where likes her best; compulsion is a thrall:

No, no, the hearty choice is all in all,

The shepherd’s virtue Amadine esteems.

But, what, me thinks my shepherd is not come.

I muse at that, the hour is sure at hand:

Well here I’ll rest till Mucedorus come.

[She sits her down.]

[Enter Bremo looking about, hastily taketh hold of her.]

BREMO.

A happy prey! now, Bremo, feed on flesh.

Dainties, Bremo, dainties, thy hungry panch to fill!

Now glut thy greedy guts with luke warm blood!

Come, fight with me, I long to see thee dead.

AMADINE.

How can she fight that weapons cannot wield?

BREMO.

What, canst not fight? then lie thou down and die.

AMADINE.

What, must I die?

BREMO.

What needs these words? I thirst to suck thy blood.

AMADINE.

Yet pity me and let me live a while.