The Complete Apocryphal Works of William Shakespeare - All 17 Rare Plays in One Edition. William ShakespeareЧитать онлайн книгу.
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
On this we ‘greed, and he is ridden straight
To London, for to bring his death about.
MOSBIE
But call you this good news?
ALICE
Ay, sweetheart, be they not?
MOSBIE
‘twere cheerful news to hear the churl were dead;
But trust me, Alice, I take it passing ill
You would be so forgetful of our state
To make recount of it to every groom.
What, to acquaint each stranger with our drifts,
Chiefly in case of murder, why, ‘tis the way
To make it open unto Arden’s self
And bring thyself and me to ruin both.
Forewarned, forearmed; who threats his enemy,
Lends him a sword to guard himself with all.
ALICE
I did it for the best.
MOSBIE
Well, seeing ‘tis done, cheerly let it pass.
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