The Complete Apocryphal Works of William Shakespeare - All 17 Rare Plays in One Edition. William ShakespeareЧитать онлайн книгу.
trust me, you show a noble mind,
That rather than you’ll live with him you hate,
You’ll venture life, and die with him you love.
The like will I do for my Susan’s sake.
ALICE
Yet nothing could inforce me to the deed
But Mosbie’s love. Might I without control,
Enjoy thee still, then Arden should not die:
But seeing I cannot, therefore let him die.
MOSBIE
Enough, sweet Alice; thy kind words make me melt.
Your trick of poisoned pictures we dislike;
Some other poison would do better far.
ALICE
Ay, such as might be put into his broth,
And yet in taste not to be found at all.
CLARKE
I know your mind, and here I have it for you.
Put but a dram of this into his drink,
Or any kind of broth that he shall eat,
And he shall die within an hour after.
ALICE
As I am a gentlewoman, clarke, next day
Thou and Susan shall be married.
MOSBIE
And I’ll make her dowry more than I’ll talk of, CLARKE
CLARKE
Yonder’s your husband. Mosbie, I’ll be gone.
(here enters Arden and FRANKLIN
ALICE
In good time; see where my huskand comes,
master Mosbie, ask him the question yourself. Exit clarke
MOSBIE
Master Arden, being at London yesternight,
The abbey lands, whereof you are now possessed,
Were offered me on some occasion
by Greene, one of sir antony ager’s men:
I pray you, sir, tell me, are not the lands yours?
Hath any other interest herein?
ARDEN
Mosbie, that question we’ll decide anon.
As for the lands, Mosbie, they are mine
by letters patent from his majesty.
But I must have a mandate for my wife;
They say you seek to rob me of her love:
Villain, what makes thou in her company?
She’s no companion for so base a groom.
MOSBIE
Arden, I thought not on her, I came to thee,
But rather than I pocket up this wrong.
FRANKLIN
What will you do, sir?
MOSBIE
Revenge it on the proudest of you both.
(then Arden draws forth Mosbie’s sword.
ARDEN
So, sirrah, you may not wear a sword,
The statute makes against artificers.
I warrant that I do. Now use your bodkin,
Your spanish needle, and your pressing iron,
For this shall go with me; and mark my words,
You goodman butcher, ‘tis to you I speak:
The next time that I take thee near my house,
Instead of legs I’ll make thee crawl on stumps.
MOSBIE
Ah, master Arden, you have injured me:
I do appeal to God and to the world.
FRANKLIN
Why, canst thou deny thou wert a butcher once?
MOSBIE
Measure me what I am, not what I was.
ARDEN
Why, what art thou now but a velvet drudge,
A cheating steward, and base minded peasant.
MOSBIE
Arden, now thou hast belched and vomited
The rancorous venom of thy mis-swoll’n heart,
Hear me but speak: as I intend to live
With god and his elected saints in heaven,
I never meant more to solicit her;
And that she knows, and all the worldshall see,
I loved her once; - sweet Arden, pardon me,
I could not choose, her beauty fired my heart!
Forget them, Mosbie: I had cause to speak,
When all the knights and gentlemen of kent
Make common table-talk of her and thee.
MOSBIE
Who lives that is not touched with slanderous tongues.
FRANKLIN
Then, Mosbie, to eschew the speech of men,
Upon whose general bruit all honor hangs,
Forbear his house.
ARDEN
Forbear it! Nay, rather frequent it more.
To warn him on the sudden from my house
Were to confirm the rumor that is grown.
MOSBIE
by my faith, sir, you say true,
And therefore will I sojourn here a while,
Until our enemies have talked their fill.
And then, I hope, they’ll cease, and at last confess
How causeless they have injured her and me.
ARDEN
And I will lie at London all this term
To let them see how light I weigh their words. (here enters ALICE
ALICE
Husband sit down, your breakfast will be cold.
ARDEN
Come, master Mosbie, will you sit with us?
MOSBIE
I can not eat, but I’ll sit for company.
ARDEN
Sirrah Michael, see our horse be ready.
ALICE
Husband, why pause ye? Why eat you not?
ARDEN
I am not well; there’s something in the broth
That is not wholesome: didst thou make it, Alice?
ALICE
I did, and that’s the cause it likes not you.
(then she throws down the broth on the ground.
There’s nothing that I do can please your taste;
You were best to say I would have poisoned you.
I cannot speak or cast aside