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

‘tis nothing but some brabling paltry fray,

Devised to pick men’s pockets in the throng.

ARDEN

Is’t nothing else? Come Franklin let us away. (Exeunt.

WILL

What mends shall I have for my broken head?

PRENTICE

Marry, this ‘mends, that if you get you not away

All the sooner, you shall be well beaten and sent to the counter.

(Exit prentice.

WILL

Well, I’ll be gone, but look to your signs,

For I’ll pull them down all.

Shakebag, my broken head grieves me not so much

As by this means Arden hath escaped. (here enters GREENE

I had a glimpse of him and his companion.

GREENE

Why, sirs, Arden’s as well as I;

I met him and Franklin going merrily to the ordinary.

What, dare you not do it?

WILL

Yes, sir, we dare do it; but, were my consent to give again,

We would not do it under ten pound more.

I value every drop of my blood at a french crown.

I have had ten pounds to steal a dog,

And we have no more here to kill a man;

You should do it your self.

GREENE

I pray thee, how came thy head broke?

WILL

Why, thou seest it is broke, dost thou not?

SHAKEBAG

Standing against a stall, watching Arden’s coming,

Whereupom arose a brawl, and in the tumult

Arden escaped us and passed by unthought on.

But forbearance is no acquittance;

Another time we’ll do it, I warrant thee.

GREENE

I pray thee, Will, make clean thy bloody brow,

And let us bethink us on some other place

Where Arden may be met with handsomely.

Remember how devoutly thou hast sworn

To kill the villain; think upon thine oath.

WILL

Tush, I have broken five hundred oaths!

But wouldst thou charm me to effect this deed,

Tell me of gold, my resolution’s fee;

Say thou seest Mosbie kneeling at my knees,

Offering me service for my high attempt,

And sweet Alice Arden, with a lap of crowns,

Comes with a lowly curtsey to the earth,

Saying ‘take this but for the quarterage,

Such yearly tribute will I answer thee.’

SHAKEBAG

I cannot paint my valor out with words:

But, give me place and opportunity,

Such mercy as the starven lioness,

When she is dry sucked of her eager young,

Shows to the prey that next encounters her,

On Arden so much pity would I take.

GREENE

So should it fare with men of firm resolve.

And now, sirs, seeing that this accident

Of meeting him in paul’s hath no success,

Let us bethink us of some other place

Whose earth may swallow up this Arden’s blood.

(here enters MICHAEL

see, yonder comes his man: and wot you what

The foolish knave’s in love with Mosbie’s sister,

And for her sake, whose love he cannot get

Unless Mosbie solicit his suit,

The villain hath sworn the slaughter of his master.

We’ll question him, for he may stead us much.

How now, Michael, whither are you going?

And I am going to prepare his chamber.

GREENE

Where supped master Arden?

MICHAEL

At the nag’s head, at the eighteen pence ordinary.

How now, master Shakebag, what Black Will!

God’s dear lady, how chance your face is so bloddy?

WILL

Go to, sirrah, there is a chance in it;

This sauciness in you will make you be knocked.

MICHAEL

Nay, and you be offended, I’ll be gone.

GREENE

Stay, Michael, you may not ‘scape us so.

Michael, I know you love your master well.

MICHAEL

Why, so I do; but wherefore urge you that?

GREENE

Because I think you love your mistress better.

MICHAEL

So think not I; but say, i’ faith, what if I should?

SHAKEBAG

Come to the purpose, Michael; we hear

You have a pretty love in feversham.

MICHAEL

Why, have I two or three, what’s that to thee?

WILL

You deal too mildly with the peasant, thus it is:

‘tis known to us that you love Mosbie’s sister;

We know besides that you have ta’en your oath

To further Mosbie to your mistress’ bed,

And kill your master for his sister’s sake.

Now, sir, a poorer coward than yourself

Was never fostered in the coast of kent:

How comes it then that such a knave as you

Dare swear a matter of such consequence?

GREENE

Ah, WILL

WILL

Tush, give me leave, there’s no more but this:

Sith thou hast sworn, we dare discover all.

And hadst thou or should’st thou utter it,

We have devised a complat under hand,

What ever shall betide to any of us,

To send thee roundly to the devil of hell.

And therefore thus: I am the very man,

Marked in my birth hour by the destinies,

To give an end to Arden’s life on earth;

Thou but a member but to whet the knife

Whose edge must search the closet of his breast.

Thy office is but to appoint the place,

And train thy master to his tragedy;

Mine to perform it when occasion serves.

How and what way we may conclude his death.

SHAKEBAG

So shalt thou purchase Mosbie for thy friend,

And by his friendship gain his sister’s love.

GREENE

So shall thy mistress be thy favorer,

And thou disburdened of the oath thou made.

MICHAEL

Well, gentlemen, I cannot but confess,

Sith you have urged me so apparently,

That I have vowed my master Arden’s death,