MOst sacred Maiestie, whose great desertes,
Thy Subiect England; nay, the World admires:
Which, Heauen graunt still increase; O may your Prayse
Multiplying with your houres, your Fame still rayse:
Embrace your Counsell: Loue, with Fayth, them guide:
That both as one bench, by each others side,
So may your life passe on, and runne so euen,
That your firme zeale, plant you a Throne in Heauen:
Where smiling Angels shall your guardians bee
From blemisht Traytors, stayn’d with Periurie:
And as the night’s inferiour to the day,
So be all earthly Regions, to your sway.
Be as the Sunne to Day, the Day to Night;
For, from your Beames, Europe shall borrow light.
Mirthe drown your boosome, faire Delight your minde,
And may our Pastime, your Contentment finde.
Exit.
A ii.
Printerʼs ornament
Printerʼs ornamentTen persons may esily
play it. The King, and Rombelo,
}for one. King Valencia,
}for one. Mucedorus the Prince of Valencia,
}for one. Anselmo,
}for one. Amadine the Kings daughter of
Aragon,
}for one. Segasto a Noble man,
}for one. Enuie, Tremelio a Captaine,
Bremo a wild man.}for one. Comedie, a Boy, an old woman,
Ariena, Amadines mayde,
}for one. Collin a Counseller, a Messenger,
}for one. Mouse the Clowne,
}for one.Printerʼs ornament
Printerʼs ornament
A most pleasant Comedie of
Mucedorus the Kinges Sonne of Valencia, and
Amadine the Kings Daughter of Aragon.
Enter Comedie ioyfully, with a Garland of Bayes on her head.
WHy so; thus doe I hope to please;
Musicke reuiues, and Mirth is tollerable;
Comedie play thy part, and please:
Make merry them that comes to ioy with thee
Ioy thē good gentles, I hope to make you laugh
Sound foorth Bellonas siluer tuned stringes,
Time fittes v well, the day and place is ours.
What monstrous vgly Hagge is this,
That dares controule the pleasures of our will?
Vaunt churlish curre, besmeard with gorie blood,
That seemst to check the blossom of delight,
And stiffe the sound of sweete Bellonasbearthbreath.
Blush monster, blush, and poste away with shame,
That seekest disturbance of a Goddesse deeds.
Post hence thy selfe, thou counterchecking trull,
I will possesse this habite spight of thee,
And gaine the glory of thy wished port:
Iʼle thunder Musicke shall apale the Nymphes,
And make them shiuer their clattering strings,
Flying for succour to their Danish caues.
Sound Drummes within, and cry stab, stab. Hearken, thou shalt heare a noyse,
Shall fill the ayre with a shrilling sound,
A3.And
The Comedie
And thunder Musicke to Gods aboue:
Mars shall himsefehimselfe breath downe
A peereless Crowne vpon braue Enuies head,
And raise his chiuall with a lasting fame:
In this braue Musicke Enuie takes delight,
Where I may see them wallow in their blood,
To spurne at Armes and Legges quite shiuered off,
And heare the cryes of many thousand slaine:
How lik’st thou this my trull? thiʼs sport alone for me.
Vaunt bloody curre, nurst vp with Tygers sap,
That so dost quaile a Womans minde;
Comedie is milde, gentle, willing for to please, And seekes to gaine the loue of all estates:
Delighting in Mirth, mixt all with louely tales,
And bringeth thinges with treble ioy to passe:
Thou bloody, enuious, disdayner of mens ioyes,
Whose name is fraught with bloody stratagems,
Delights in nothing but in spoyle and death,
Where thou mayst trample in their luke-warme blood,
And graspe their hearts within thy cursed pawes:
Yet vaile thy minde, reuenge thou not on mee,
A silly Woman begges it at thy hands:
Giue me the leave to vtter out my Play;
Forbeare this place, I humbly craue thee hence,
And mixe not Death mongst pleasing Comedies,
That treates nought else but pleasure and delight:
If any sparke of humaine rests in thee,
Forbeare, be gone, tender the suite of mee.
Why so I will, forbeare shall be such,
As treble death shall crosse thee with despight,
And make thee mourne where most thou ioyest,
Turning thy mirth into a deadly dole:
Whirling thy pleasures with a peale of death,
And drench thy methods in a sea of Blood:
This will I doe? thus shall I beare with thee:
And more, to vexe thee with a deeper spight,
I will with threats of blood begin thy Play,
Fauouring thee with Enuie and with Hate.
Then vgly Monster, doe thy worst,
I will defend them in despight of thee:
And though thou thinkst with tragicke fumes
To praue my Play vnto my deepe disgrace,
I force it not, I scorne what thou canst doe:
Ile grace it so, thy selfe shall it confesse,
From Tragicke stuffe, to be a pleasant Comedie.
Much blame were mine, if I should other deeme,
Nor can coy Fortune contrary allow:
But my Anselmo, loth I am to say, I must estrange that frendship,
Misconsture not, tis from the Realme, not thee:
Though Landes part Bodies, Heartes keepe companie;
Thou knowst that I imparted often haue,
Priuate relations with my royall Sire
Had, as concerning beauteous Amadine,
Rich Aragons bright Iewell; whose face (some say)
That blooming Lillies neuer shone so gay,
Excelling, not exceld: yet least Report
Does mangle Veritie, boasting of what is not,
Wing’d with Desire; thither Ile straight repaire,
And be my Fortunes as my Thoughts are, faire.
If thou my welfare tender, then no more,
Let Loues strong Magicke, charme thy triuiail phrase,
Wasted as vainely, as to gripe the Sunne:
Augment not then more answers; locke thy lippes,
Vnlesse thy wisedome suite me with disguise,
According to my purpose.
That my Anselmo, and none else but that,
Maske Mucedorus from the vulgar view,
That habite suites my minde; fetch me that weede.
Exit Anselmo. Better then Kinges, haue not disdaind that state,
And much inferiour, to obtaine their mate.
Enter Anselmo with a Shepheards coate. So, let our respect commaund thy secrecie,
At once a briefe farewell,
Delay to louers, is a second hell.
O horrible terrible! Was euer poore Gentleman so
scard out of his seauen Senses? A Beare? nay sure it cannot be a
Beare; but some Diuell in a Beares Doublet: for a Beare could
neuer haue had that agilitie, to haue frighted me: Well, Ile see
my Father hangʼd, before Ile serue his Horse any more: Well,
Ile carry home my Bottle of Hay, and for once, make my Fa-
thers Horse turne Puritane and obserue Fasting dayes; for he
gets not a bit. But soft, this way she followed me, therefore Ile
take the other Path; and because Ile be sure to haue an eye on
him, I will take handes with some foolish Creditor, and make
euery step backward.
As he goes backwards the Beare comes in, and he tumbles ouer her,
and runnes away and leaues his bottle of Hay behind him. Enter Segasto running, and Amadine after him,
being pursued with a Beare.
Stay Lady stay, and be no more dismayde,
That cruell Beast, most mercilesse and fell,
Which hath bereaued thousands of their liues:
Affrighted many with his hard pursues,
Prying from place to place to find his Prey,
Prolonging thus his life by others death,
His Carcasse now lies headlesse voyde of breath.
Thankes worthy Shepheard thankes a thousand times,
This gift assure thy selfe contentes me more
Then greatest bountie of a mightie Prince,
Although he were the monarch of the world.
Most gratious Goddesse, more then mortall wight,
Your heauenly hue of right importes no lesse:
Most glad am I, in that it was my chance,
To vndertake this enterprise in hand,
Which doth so greatly glad your Princely minde.
No Goddesse Shepheard, but a mortall wight,
A mortall wight distressed as thou seest:
My Father heere is King of Arragon,
I, Amadine his onely daughter am:
And after him, sole heire vnto the Crowne:
Now whereas it is my Fathers will
To marrie me vnto Segasto,
One whose wealth, through Fathers former vsurie,
Is knowne to be no lesse then wonderfull:
We both of custome often times did vse
(Leauing the Court) to walke within the fields
For recreation, especially the Spring,
In that it yeelds great store of rare delights:
And passing further then our wonted walkes:
Scarse entred were within these lucklesse Woods,
But right before vs downe a steepe-fall hill,
A monstrous vgly Beare did hie him fast
To meete vs both: I faint to tell the rest.
Good shepheard, but suppose the gastly lookes,
The hideous feares, the thousand hundred woes,
Which at this instant Amadine sustaind.
Well Shepheard, for thy worthy valour tried,
Endangering thy selfe to set me free,
Vnrecompensed sure thou shalt not be:
In Court thy courage shall be plainely knowne,
Throughout the Kingdome will I spread thy name,
To thy renowne and neuer dying fame:
And that thy courage may be better knowne,
Beare thou the Head of this most monstrous Beast,
In open sight, to euery Courtiers view:
So will the King my Father thee reward.
Come lets away, and guard me to the Court.
When heapes of harmes do houer ouer head,
Tis time as then (some say) to looke about,
And so insuing harmes to chuse the least:
But hard, yea haplesse is that wretches chance,
Lucklesse his lot, and Caytiue-like accurst,
At whose procedings Fortune euer frownes:
My selfe I meane, most subiect vnto thrall:
For I, the more I seeke to shunne the worst,
The more by proofe I find my selfe accurst.
Ere-whiles assaulted with an vgly Beare,
Faire Amadine in company all alone:
Foorthwith by flight I thought to saue my selfe,
Leauing my Amadine vnto her shiftes:
For death it was for to resist the Beare,
And death no lesse, of Amadines harmes to heare.
Accursed I, in lingring life thus long,
In liuing thus, each minute of an houre
Doth pierce my heart with dartes of thousand deaths:
If she by flight, her furie doe escape,
What will she thinke?
B2.Will
The Comedie
Will she not say, yea flatly to my face,
Accusing me of meere disloyaltie,
A trustie friend is tride in time of neede?
But I, when she in danger was of death,
And needed me, and cried, Segasto helpe:
I turnd my backe and quickly ranne away,
Vnworthie I to beare this vitall breath:
But what; what needs these plaints?
If Amadine do liue, then happie I,
She will in time forgiue and so forget:
Amadine is mercifull, not Iuno like,
In harmefull heart to harbor hatred long.
I tell you what sir, as I was going afielde to serue my
fathers great Horse, and carried a bottle of hay vpon my head:
now do you see sir, I fast hudwinckt, that I could see nothing, I
perceiuing the Beare comming, I threw my hay into the hedge,
and ran away.
Ha, ha, ha,: I neuer saw Beare go a milking in all my life.
But harke you sir: I did not looke so high as her arme,
I saw nothing but her white head, and her white belly.
I plaine Mouse without either welt or gard:
But do you heare sir, I am but a very young Mouse, for my taile
is scarse growne out yet? looke you here else.
Faith sir I know not that, but if you would faine know,
aske my fathers great Horse, for he hath been halfe a yeare lon-
ger with my Father then I haue.
This seemes to be a merrie fellow,
I care not if I take him home with me:
Mirth is a comfort to a troubled minde,
A merrie Man, a merrie Maister makes.
How sayst thou sirra, wilt thou dwell with me?
Your Lands? away, you are no Maister for me: Why do
you thinke that I am so mad, to go seeke my liuing in the Lands
amongst the Stones, Bryers, and Bushes, and teare my Holy-
day apparell: not I by your leaue.
Shall I not? then heerʼs my hand, Ile dwell with you:
And harke you sir, now you haue entertained me, I will tell you
what I can do: I can keepe my Tongue from picking and stea-
ling, and my Hands from lying and slaundering, I warrant you,
as well as euer you had Man in all your life.
Now braue Lords, our Warres are brought to end,
Our foes the foyle, and we in safety rest:
It vs behooues to vse such clemency in peace,
As valour in the warres:
It is as greate honour to be bountifull at home,
As to be Conquerors in the field:
Therefore my Lords, the more to my content,
Your liking, and your Countries safegard,
We are dispos’d in marriage for to giue
Our Daughter to Lord Segasto heere,
Who shall succeede the Diademe after mee,
And raigne hereafter as I tofore haue done,
Your sole and lawfull King of Arragon,
What say you Lordings, like you of my aduice?
Thankes good my Lords, if long Adrostus liue,
He will at full requite your curtesies.
Tremelio, in recompence of thy late valour done,
Take
of Mucedorus.
Take vnto thee the Catalone, a Prince
Lately our Prisoner taken in the Warres:
Be thou his Keeper, his ransome shall be thine,
Wee’le thinke of it when leasure shall affoord:
Meane while do vse him well, his father is a King.
Then march we on to Court, & rest our wearied limbs.
But Collin, I haue a tale in secret kept for thee,
When thou shalt heare a watch-word from thy King,
Thinke then, some waighty matter is at hand,
That highly shall concerne our State:
Then Collin, looke thou be not farre from me:
And for the seruice thou tofore hast done,
Thy truth, and valour proou’d in euery point,
I shall with bounties thee inlarge therefore:
So guard vs to the Court.
Marie then I can; straight to the Kitchin-dresser to Iohn the Cooke, and get mee a good peece of Beefe and Brewis, and
then to the Butterie hatch to Thomas the Butler, for a Iacke of
Beere; and there, for an houre Ile so belabour my selfe: and
therefore I pray you call me not till you thinke I haue done, I
pray you good Maister.
Well sir, away.
Tremelio, this it is; thou knowest the valour of Segasto,
Spread
of Mucedorus.
Spread through all the Kingdome of Aragon,
And such as haue found triumph and fauours:
Neuer daunted at any time: But now a Shepheard,
Admired at in Court for Worthinesse,
And Segastos honour layd aside:
My will therefore is this, that thou doest finde some meanes to
worke the Shepheards death: I know thy strength sufficient to
performe my desire, and thy loue no otherwise then to reuenge
my iniuries.
Thankes good my Lord: And in good time,
See where he commeth, stand by a while,
And you shall see me put in practise your intended drift:
Haue at thee Swaine if that I hit thee right.
Hold Shepheard hold, spare him kill him not,
Accursed villaine, tell me, What hast thou done?
Ah Tremelio trustie Tremelio, I sorrow for thy death,
And since that thou liuing didst prooue faithfull to
Segasto, so Segasto now liuing will honour the dead
Corpes of Tremelio with reuenge.
Bloud thirstie villaine, borne and bred in mercilesse murther,
Tell me, how durst thou be so bold,
As once to lay thy handes vpon the least of mine?
Assure thy selfe thou shalt be vsde according to the law.
Behold the fickle state of man, alwayes mutable, neuer
at one.
Sometimes we feede on fancies with the sweete of our desires:
Sometimes againe, we feele the heate of extreame miseries.
Now am I in fauour about the Court and Countrey:
To morrow those fauours will turne to frownes,
To day I liue reuenged on my foe,
To morrow I die, my foe reuenged on me.
No passenger this morning? what not one?
A chance that seldome doth befall.
What not one? then ly thou there,
And rest thy selfe till I haue further need:
Now Bremo, sith thy leasure so affoords,
An endlesse thing, who knowes not Bremoes strength:
Who like a King commander within these woods,
The Beare, the Boare, dares not abide my sight,
But haste away to saue themselues by flight:
The christall waters in the bubling Brookes,
When I come by, doth swiftly slide away.
And claps themselues in closets vnder bankes,
Afraide to looke bold Bremo in the face:
The aged Oakes at Bremoes breath doth bowe,
And all thinges else are still at my commaund.
Else
of Mucedorus.
Else what would I?
Rend them in peeces, and plucke them from the earth,
And each way else I would reuenge my selfe.
Why who comes heere, with whom I dare not fight;
Who fights with me and doth not dy the death? not one,
What fauour shewes this sturdie sticke to those
That here within these Woodes are combatants with mee?
Why Death, and nothing else but present death,
With restlesse Rage, I wander through these Woods:
No creature heere, but feareth Bremoes force,
Man, Woman, Child, Beast and Bird,
And euery thing that doth approch my sight,
Are forct to fall, if Bremo once doe frowne.
Come Cudgell come, my partner in my spoyles,
For here I see this day it will not be:
But when it fals that I encounter any,
One patte suffizeth for to work my will.
What, comes not one? then lets be gone,
A time will serue, when we shall better speed.
Exit. Enter the King, Segasto, the Shepheard, and the Clowne, with others.
Dread Soueraigne, I must needes confesse,
I slue this Captaine in mine owne defence,
Not of any malice, but by chaunce:
But mine accuser hath a further meaning.
Dread Soueraigne and wellbeloued Sire;
On bended knee I craue the life of this condemned Shepheard,
which heretofore preserued the life of thy sometime distressed
Daughter
Preseruʼd the life of my sometime distressed daughter,
How can that be? I neuer knew the time
Wherein thou wast distrest: I neuer knew the day,
But that I haue maintained thy estate,
As best beseem’d the daughter of a King:
I neuer saw the Shepheard vntill now;
How comes it then, that he preseru’d thy life?
Once walking with Segasto in the Woods,
Further then our accustomed manner was,
Right before vs downe a steepe-fall hill,
A monstronsmonstrous vgly Beare did hie him fast
To meet vs both: now whether this be true,
I referre it to the credite of Segasto.
The Beare being eager to obtaine his prey,
Made forward to vs with an open mouth,
As if he meant to swallow vs both at once:
The sight whereof did make vs both to dread:
But specially your daughter Amadine,
Who for I saw no succour incident,
But in Segastos valour, I grew desperate:
And he most coward-like began to flie,
Left me distrest to be deuour’d of him:
How say you Segasto, is it not true?
Then I amazde, distressed all alone,
Did hie me fast to scape that vgly Beare:
But all in vaine, for why he reached after me,
And hardly I did oft escape his pawes:
Till at the length this Shepheard came,
And brought to me his head.
Come hither Boy, Loe heere it is, which I present vnto your
(Maiesty.
Segasto, cease to accuse the Shepheard,
His worthinesse deserues a recompence:
All we are bound to doe the Shepheard good:
Shepheard, whereas it was my sentence thou shouldst die,
So shall my sentence stand, for thou shalt die.
But soft Segasto, not for this offence:
Long mayst thou liue, and when the Sisters shall decree,
To cut in twaine the twisted thread of life,
Then let him die: for this, I set him free,
And for thy valour I will honour thee.
O Maister heare you; you haue made a fresh hand now,
You would beslowbeshrew you: what will you do now? You haue lost me a good occupation by the meanes:
Faith Maister, now I cannot hang the Shepheard,
I pray you let me take the paines to hang you:
It is but halfe an howers exercise.
And you shall hang for companie,
For leauing me alone:
Shepheard stand foorth, and heare my sentence.
Shepheard be gone within three dayes, in paine of my displea-
sure: Shepheard be gone, Shepheard begon, begon, begon, be-
gon Shepheard, Shepheard Shepheard.
Ye goodly groues partakers of my songs,
In time tofore when Fortune did not frowne,
Powre foorth your plaints, and waile a while with me:
And thou bright Sunne my comfort in the cold,
Hide, hide thy face, and leaue me comfortlesse.
Yee holsome hearbes and sweete smelling sauours,
Yea each thing else prolonging life of man.
Change, change your wonted course,
That I wanting your ayde, in wofull sort may die.
Well Shepheard, harke what I shall say,
I will returne vnto my Fathers Court,
There for to prouide me of such necessaries
As for my journey I shall thinke most fit:
This being done, I will returne to thee,
Do thou therefore appoint the place
Where wee may meete.
Downe in the valley, where I slue the Beare,
And there doth grow a faire broad branched Beech,
That ouershades a Well: So who comes first,
Let them abide the happie meeting of vs both:
How like you this?
Tis well Segasto, that thou hast thy will,
Should such a Shepheard, such a simple Swaine as he,
Eclipse thy credite famous through the Court?
No, plie Segasto plie, let it not in Aragon be sayd,
A Shepheard hath SegstoesSegastoes honour wonnne.
God graunt my long delay procures no harme,
Nor this my tarrying frustrate my pretence:
My Mucedorus surely stayes for mee,
D.And
The Comedie
And thinkes me ouer-long, at length I come,
My present promise to performe:
Ah what a thing is firme vnfaigned loue,
What is it which true loue dares not attempt?
My Father he may make, but I must match:
Segasto loues, but Amadine must like
Where likes her best; compulsion is a thrall:
No, no, the heartie choyce, is all in all.
The Shepheards vertue Amadine esteemes.
But what? me thinkes my Shepheard is not come:
I muse at that, the hower is at hand:
Well, here Ile rest till Mucedorus come.
She sits downe. Enter Bremo looking about, hastily takes hold of her.
A happy prey; now Bremo feed on flesh:
Dainties Bremo dainties, thy hungry panch to fill,
Now glut thy greedy guts with luke-warme bloud:
Come fight with me, I long to see thee dead.
Now Bremo, play thy part.
How now, What sudden chaunce is this?
My Limmes doe tremble, and my Sinowes shake:
My
of Mucedorus.
My vnweakned Armes hath lost their former force:
Ah Bremo, Bremo, what a foyle hast thou,
That yet at no time wast afraid,
To dare the greatest Gods to fight with thee,
He strikes. And now wants strength for one downe driuing blow?
Ah how my courage fayles, when I should strike;
Some new-come spirit abiding in my breast;
Shall I spare her Bremo? Spare her, do not kill,
Saith spare her, which neuer spared any.
To it Bremo, to it: say againe;
I cannot weeld my weapons in my hand:
Me thinkes I should not strike so faire a one,
I thinke her Beautie hath bewitcht my force,
Or else within me, altred Natures course.
Aie Woman! wilt thou liue in Woods with me?
It was my will an houre agoe and more,
As was my promise, for to make returne;
But other businesse hindred my pretence.
It is a world to see, when men appoyntes,
And purposely one certaine thing decrees,
How many thinges may hinder his intent:
VVhat one would wish, the same is farthest off,
But yet thʼappoynted time can not be past;
Nor hath her presence yet preuented me:
Well, heere Ile stay, and expect her comming.
Hold him, hold him, hold him: heer’s a stirre indeed: here came hew after the crier? & I was set close at mother Nips house,
D2.and
The Comedie
and there I cald for three pots of ale, as tis the maner of vs Cour-
tiers. now sirra I had taken the maiden-head of two of them:
Now as I was lifting vp the third to my mouth, there came, hold
him, hold him: now I could not tell whom to catch hold on;
but I am sure I caught one, perchance a may be in this pot: well
Ile see: Masse I cannot see him yet: Well, Ile looke a little fur-
ther: Masse he is a little slaue if a be here: why heerʼs no body:
all this goes well yet. But if the old Trot should come for her
pot, I marie thereʼs the matter. But I care not, Ile face her out,
and cal her old rustie, dustie, mustie, fustie, crustie Fierbrand and
worse then all that, and so face her out of her pot, but soft, heere
she comes.
Cap me and thou darest:
Search me whether I haue it or no.
She searcheth him, and he drinkith ouer her head, and casteth downe the
Pot, she stombleth at it: then they fall together by the eares: she takes up
her Pot, and goes out. Enter Segasto.
How, reare the whole Towne? euen go your selfe, it is
more then I can doe: Why do you thinke I can reare a Towne,
that can scarce reare a Pot of Ale to my head:
I should reare a Towne, should I not?
What a foole is she to runne away with the Shepheard?
Why, I thinke I am a litle handsomer Man, then the Shepheard,
my selfe: But tell me Maister; must I make a Priuie search, or
search in the Priuie?
Oh, now am I in an Office: now will I to that old fire-
brands house, and will not leaue one place vnsearched: Nay
Ile to the Ale-stand, and drinke as long as I can stand: and when
I haue done, Ile let out all the rest, to see if he be not hid in the
Barrell: and if I find him not there, Ile to the Cupbord; Ile not
leaue one corner of her house vnsearched: yʼfayth ye old crust,
I will be with you now.
Exit. Sound Musicke. Enter the King of Valentia, Anselmo, Roderigo,
Lord Barachius, with others.
Enough of Musicke, it but ads to torment;
Delights to vexed spirits, are as Dates
Set to a sickly man; which rather cloy, then comfort:
Let mee intreate you, to intreat no more.
Which sudden gleame, with molestation,
But sooner loose their sight-fort;
Tis Gold bestowd vpon a Ryotor,
Which not relieues, but murders him:
Tis a Drugge giuen to the healthfull,
Which infects, not cures.
How can a Father that hath lost his Sonne,
A Prince both wise, vertuous, and valiant,
Take pleasure in the idle actes of Time?
No, no; till Mucedorus I shall see againe,
All ioy is comfortlesse, all pleasure paine.
In Aragon my Liege; and at his parture,
Bound my secrecie
By his affectious loue, not to disclose it:
But care of him, and pittie of your age,
Makes my tongue blab, what my breast vow’d concealment.
Thou not decieuʼst me; I euer thought thee
What I find thee now, an vright loyall man.
But what desire, or young-fed humour
Nurst within the braine,
Drew him so priuatly to Aragon?
See our prouision be in readinesse,
Collect vs followers, of the comliest hue,
For our chiefe guardions, we will thither wend:
The christall eye of Heauen shall not thrise wincke,
Nor the greene Flood, sixe times his shoulders turne,
Till we salute the Aragonian King.
Musicke speake loudly, now the season’s apt,
For former dolours are in pleasure wrapt.
Exeunt omnu.Enter
of Mucedorus. Enter Mucedorus to disguise himselfe.
Now Mucedorus, whither wilt thou goe?
Home to thy Father, to thy natiue soyle;
Or trie some long abode within these Woodes:
Well I will hence depart and hie me home.
What, hie me home said I? that may not be,
In Amadine restes my felicitie.
Then Mucedorus, doe as thou didst decree,
Attire thee Hermit-like within these Groues;
Walke often to the Beech, and view the Well,
Make Settles there, and seat thy selfe thereon,
And when thou feelest thy selfe to be athirst,
Then drinke a heartie draught to Amadine,
No doubt she thinkes on thee,
And will one day come pledge thee, at this Well.
Come Habite, thou art fit for me,
He disguiseth himselfe. No Shepheard now, a Hermite must I be:
Mee thinkes this fittes me very well;
Now must I learne to beare a walking Staffe,
And exercise some grauitie withall.
Yes that I can, tis this; my Maister & Amadine, walking
one day abroad, neerer to these Woodes then they were vsed (a-
bout what I cannot tell) but towards them comes rūning a great
Beare: now my Maister he plaide the man, and ran away; and
Amadine, crying after him: now sir, comes mee a Shepheard
and hee strikes off the Beares Head: now whether the Beare
were dead before or no, I cannot tell; for bring twentie Beares
before me, and bind their hands and feete, and Ile kill them all.
Now euer since Amadine hath bin in loue with the Shepheard,
and for good-will sheeʼs euen run away with the Shepheard.
Scribe him, aye I warrant you that I can; a was a little,
low, broad, tall, narrow bigge, wel-fauoured fellow: a Ierkin of
white cloth, and buttons of the same cloth.
Nay I say Rusher, and I prooue mine Office good: for
looke sir, when any comes from vudervnder the Sea, or so, & a Dogge
chaunce to blow his nose backward, then with a whippe I giue
him the good time of the day & strow Rushes presently; there-
fore I am a Rusher: a high Office I promise yee.
Why where it is best beeing, either in the Kitchin a ea-
ting, or in the Butterie drinking: but if you come, I will pro-
uide for thee a peece of Beefe & Brewes knuckle deepe in fatte:
pray you take paines; remember maister Mouse.
Ay sir, I warrant, I will not forget you.
Ah Amadine! What should become of thee?
Whither shouldst thou goe so long vnknowne?
With Watch and Ward each passage is beset,
So that she cannot long escape vnknowne.
Doubtlesse she hath lost her selfe within these Woods,
And wandering too and fro, she seekes the Well,
Which
of Mucedorus.
Which yet she can not find; therefore will I seeke her out.
As like the Woods, of Bremoes crueltie:
Though I were dumbe, and could not answere him,
The Beastes themselues would with relenting teares,
Bewaile thy sauage and vnhumaine deedes.
Haue I not saued thee from sudden death,
Giuing thee leaue to liue, that thou mightst loue,
And dost thou whet me on to crueltie?
Come kisse me (sweete) for all my fauours past.
See how she flinges away from me;
I will follow, and giue attend to her.
Denie my Loue, a worme of Beautie:
I will chastice thee: come, come,
Prepare thy head vpon the Blocke.
O spare me Bremo, Loue should limit life,
Not to be made a murderer of himselfe.
If thou wilt glut thy louing heart with blood,
Encounter with the Lion, or the Beare,
And like a Woolfe, prey not vpon a Lambe.
Why then dost thou repine at me?
If thou wilt loue me, thou shalt be my Queene,
I will crowne thee with a Complet made of Iuorie,
And make the Rose and Lillie waite on thee:
Ile rend the burley Branches from the OxeOke,
To shadow thee from burning Sunne.
The Trees shall spread themselues where thou dost goe,
And as they spread, Ile trace along with thee.
Thou shalt be fedde with Quailes and Partriges,
With Black-birds, Larkes, Thrushes, and Nightingales:
Thy drinke shalt be Goates milke and christall Water,
Distilled from the Fountaines, and the clearest Springes:
E.And
The Comedie
And all the dainties that the Woods afford,
Ile freely giue thee, to obtaine thy loue.
The day Ile spend, to recreate my Loue
With all the pleasures that I can deuise:
And in the night, Ile be thy bedfellow,
And louingly imbrace thee in mine armes.
The Satyrs & the Wood-nimphes shall attend on thee,
And lull thee asleepe with Musicks sound:
And in the morning when thou doest awake,
The Larke shall sing, good-morrow to my Queene:
And whilest he singes, Ile kisse mine Amadine.
When thou art vp, the Wood-lanes shall be strowed
With Violets, Cowslips, and sweete Marigolds,
For thee to trample and to trace vpon:
And I will teach thee how to kill the Deare,
To chase the Hart, and how to rouse the Roe,
If thou wilt lieue to loue and honour me.
Welcome sir, an houre agoe I lookt for such a guest:
Be merrie Wench, weele haue a frolicke Feast;
Heer’s flesh enough for to suffice vs both:
Say sirra, wilt thou fight, or doest thou meane to die?
In time of yore, when men like brutish Beastes,
Did lead their liues in loathsome Celles and Woods,
And
of Mucedorus.
And wholly gaue themselues to witlesse Will;
A rude vnruly route: then, man to man became,
A present prey, then Might preuailed,
The weakest went to Walles:
Right was vnknowne, for Wrong was all in all:
As men thus liued in their great out-rage,
Behold one Orpheus came, as Poets tell,
And them from Rudenesse vnto Reason brought:
Who lead by Reason, some forsooke the Woods,
In stead of Caues, they built them Castles strong;
Cities and Townes were founded by them then:
Glad were they, they found such ease,
And in the end, they grew to perfect amitie,
Waying their former wickednesse:
They tearm’d the time wherein they liued then,
A Golden age, a goodly Golden age.
Now Bremo, (for so I heare thee called)
If men which liued tofore, as thou doest now,
Wilde in Wood, addicted all to spoyle,
Returned were by worthy Orpheus meanes;
Let me like Orpheus, cause thee to returne
From Murther, Bloodshed, and like crueltie:
What should we fight before we haue a cause?
No, lets liue, and loue togeather faythfully.
Ile fight for thee.
I thought so; it was an Hermite that walked a solitarie
life in the woods.
Well, get you to dinner, and after, neuer leave seeking, till you
bring some newes of them, or Ile hang you both.
Vnknowne to any heere within these Woods,
With bloudy Bremo do I leade my life:
The Monster he, doth murder all he meetes,
He
of MucedornsMucedorus.
He spareth none, and none doth him escape:
Who would continue, who but onely I
In such a cruell cutthroats companie?
Yet Amadine is there, how can I chuse;
A silly soule, how often times she sits
And sighes, and cals, come Shepheard come:
Sweete Mucedorus come and set me free,
When Mucedorus (Peasant) stands her by,
But heere she comes: What newes faire Lady,
As you walke these woods?
Pardon my boldnesse, faire Lady; sith we both
May safely talke now, out of Bremos sight:
Vnfold to me, so if you please, the full discourse
How, when, and why, you came into these Woods,
And fell into this bloody Butchers hands.
If needes I must, loe heere it is againe.
When as we both had lost the sight of thee,
It grieu’d vs both; but specially thy Queene:
Who in thy absence, euers feares the worst,
Least some mischaunce befall your royall Grace.
E3.Shall
The Comedie
Shall my sweete Bremo wander through the Woods,
Toyle too and fro, for to redresse my want,
Hazard his life, and all to chearish me?
I like not this, quoth she:
And therevpon crauʼd to know of me
If I could teach her handle Weapons well.
My answere was, I had small skill therein,
But gladsome (mighty King) to learne of thee:
And this was all.
Then haue at thine:
He strikes him downe dead. So, lie there and die; a death no doubt, according to desert,
Or else a worse, as thou deseruʼst a worse.
Ay that’s a question whereof you may not be resolued,
You khowknow that I am bannisht from the Court?
I know likewise each passage is beset,
So that we cannot long escape vnknowne:
Therefore my will is this that we returne:
Right through the thickets to the Wild-mans Caue,
And there a while liue on his prouision,
Vntill the search and narrow Watch be past:
This is my counsell, and I thinke it best.
Nay soft sir; are you heere? a bots on you,
I was like to be hanged for not finding you:
We would borrow a certaine stray Kings daughter of you:
A Wench, a Wench sir, we would haue.
Well Amadine, it onely restes in thee,
(Without delay) to make thy choyce of three:
There standes Segasto, heere a Shepheard standes,
There standes the third: now make thy choyce.
And Amadine; why, wilt thou none but mee?
I can not keepe thee as thy Father did;
I haue no Landes for to maintaine thy state:
Moreouer, if thou meane to be my Wife,
Commonly this must be thy vse,
To bed at midnight, vp at foure;
Drudge all day, and trudge from place to place,
Whereby our dayly victuall for to winne:
And last of all, which is the worst of all;
No Princesse then, but plaine a Shepheards wife.
Then know that, which nere tofore was knowne;
I am no Shepheard, no Aragonian I,
But borne of Royall blood: my Father’s of Valencia King,
My Mother Queene: who for thy sacred sake,
Tooke this hard taske in hand.
Well now I see Segasto shall not speed:
But Mucedorus, I as much doe ioy
To see thee heere within our Court of Aragon,
As if a Kingdome had befalne me this time:
I with my heart, surrender her to thee;
He giues her to him. And looke what right to Amadine I haue.
Goe to sir, away, post you to the King,
Whose heart is fraught with carefull doubts;
Glad him vp, and tell him these good newes,
And we will follow as fast as we may.
Breake heart, and end my pallade woes,
My Amadine, the comfort of my life:
How can I ioy, except she were in sight?
Her absence breedes sorrow to my soule,
And with a thunder, breakes my heart in twaine.
Such ioy as death, I doe assure me that,
And nought but death, vnlesse of her I heare,
And that with speed, I cannot sigh thus long:
But what a tumult doe I heare within?
What, doe mine eyes behold my Daughter Amadine? Rise vp deare Daughter, and let these my imbracing Armes
Shew some token of thy Fathers ioy,
Which euer since thy departure, hath languished in sorrow.
Deare Father, neuer were your sorrowes
Greater then my griefes:
Neuer you so desolate, as I comfortlesse:
Yet neuerthelesse, acknowledging my selfe
To be the cause of both; on bended knees,
I humbly craue your Pardon.
No cause to feare, I caused no offence,
But this; desiring thy Daughters vertues for to see,
Disguisde my selfe from out my fathers Court,
Vnknowne to any, in secret I did rest,
And passed many troubles neere to death:
So hath your Daughter my partaker been,
As you shall know hereafter more at large:
Desiring you, you wilt giue her to mee,
Euen as mine owne, and soueraigne of my life:
Then shall I thinke my trauels are well spent.
With all my heart: but this,
Segasto claymes my Promise made tofore,
That he should haue her as his onely wife,
Before my Counsell, when we came from Warre.
Segasto, may I craue thee let it passe,
And giue Amadine as wife to Mucedorus?
Why harke you Maister; bones, what haue you done?
What, giuen away the Wench you made me take such paines
for? you are wise indeed: Masse and I had knowne of that, I
would haue had her my selfe: fayth Maister, now we may goe
to breakfast with a Woodcock-pie.
Come on my Lords, letʼs now to Court,
Where we may finish vp the ioyfullest day
F2.That
The Comedie
That euer hapt to a distressed King:
Were but thy Father the Valencia Lord,
Present in view of this combining knot.
A shout within. Enter a Messenger. What shout was that?
Rise honour of my age, food to my rest:
Condemne not (mightie King of Aragon)
My rude behauiour, so compeld by Nature,
That manners stood vnknowledged.
What we haue to recite, would tedious prooue.
By declaration; therefore in, and feast:
To morrow the performance shall explaine,
What Words conceale; till then, Drummes speake, Belles ring,
Giue plausiue welcomes to our brother King.
Sound Drummes and Trumpets.Exeunt omnes. Enter Comedie and Enuie.
How now Enuie? What, blushest thou alreadie?
Peepe foorth, hide not thy head with shame,
But with a courage, prayse a Womans deedes:
Thy threates were vaine, thou couldst doe me no hurt,
Although thou seemest to crosse me with despight,
I ouerwhelm’d and turned vpside downe thy blocks,
And made thy selfe to stumble at the same.
Though stumbled, yet not ouerthrowne,
Thou canst not draw my heart to mildnesse:
Yet must I needes confesse, thou hast done well,
And playde thy part, with mirth and pleasant glee:
Say all this, yet canst thou not conquere mee,
Although this time thou hast got;
Yet not the Conquest neither:
Enuie, spit thy gall,
Plot, worke, contriue; create new fallacies,
Teame from thy Wombe each minute a blacke Traytor,
Whose blood and thoughts haue twins conception:
Studie to act deedes yet vnchronicled,
Cast natiue Monsters in the moldes of Men;
Case vicious Diuels vnder sancted Rochets:
Vnhaspe the Wicket where all periureds roost,
And swarme this Ball with treasons; doe thy worst,
Thou canst not (hel-hound) crosse my steare to night,
Nor blind that glorie, where I wish delight.
Why thus;
From my foule Studie will I hoyst a Wretch,
A leane and hungry Neager Canniball:
Whose iawes swell to his eyes, with chawing Malice:
And him Ile make a Poet.
This scrambling Rauen, with his needie Beard,
Will I whet on to write a Comedie.
Wherein shall be compos’d darke sentences,
Pleasing to factious braines.
And euery other where, place me a Iest,
Whose high abuse, shall more torment then blowes:
Then I my selfe (quicker then Lightning)
Will flie me to a puisant Magistrate,
And waighting with a Trencher, at his backe,
In midst of iollitie, rehearse those gaules,
(With some additions) so lately vented in your Theator:
He vpon this, cannot but make complaint,
Ha, ha, ha, I laugh to heare thy folly;
This is a trap for Boyes, not Men, nor such,
Especially desertfull in their doinges,
Whose stayʼd discretion, rules their purposes.
I and my faction, doe eschew those vices:
But see, O see; the weary Sunne for rest
Hath laine his golden compasse to the West,
Where he perpetuall bide, and euer shine,
As Dauids of-spring, in his happy Clime.
Stoope Enuie stoope, bow to the Earth with mee,
Lets begge our Pardons on our bended knee.
Glorious and wise Arch-Casar on this earth,
At whose appearance, Enuie’s stroken dumbe,
And all bad thinges, cease operation;
Vouchsafe to pardon our vnwilling errour,
So late presented to your Gracious view,
And weele endeuour with excesse of paine,
To please your senses in a choyser straine.
Thus we commit you to the armes of Night;
Whose spangled carkasse, would for your delight,
Striue to excell the Day; be blessed then:
Who other wishes, let him neuer speake.
Amen.
To Fame and Honour we commend your rest;
Liue still more happie, euery houre more blest.
FINIS.
Printerʼs ornament
Annotations
Exit.
In Q16, this stage direction is placed on the following line, after Amadine has finished
speaking.
desires
Pronounced with three syllables.
halfe an houre.
Despite its omission from Q16, this line is significant because it references a joke
from earlier in the play. After learning that Mucedorus has been pardoned from his
hanging (which Mouse was to execute), Mouse urges to Segasto to agree to be hanged
in Mucedorusʼ place. As part of his attempt to persuade Segasto, Mouse claims that
the hanging is but half an hourʼs exercise.
Prosopography
Janelle Jenstad
Janelle Jenstad is a Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director
of The Map of Early Modern London, and Director of Linked Early Modern Drama Online. With Jennifer Roberts-Smith and Mark Kaethler, she co-edited Shakespeare’s Language in Digital Media: Old Words, New Tools (Routledge). She has edited John Stow’s A Survey of London (1598 text) for MoEML and is currently editing The Merchant of Venice (with Stephen Wittek) and Heywood’s 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody for DRE. Her articles have appeared in Digital Humanities Quarterly, Elizabethan Theatre, Early Modern Literary Studies, Shakespeare Bulletin, Renaissance and Reformation, and The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. She contributed chapters to Approaches to Teaching Othello (MLA); Teaching Early Modern Literature from the Archives (MLA); Institutional Culture in Early Modern England (Brill); Shakespeare, Language, and the Stage (Arden); Performing Maternity in Early Modern England (Ashgate); New Directions in the Geohumanities (Routledge); Early Modern Studies and the Digital Turn (Iter); Placing Names: Enriching and Integrating Gazetteers (Indiana); Making Things and Drawing Boundaries (Minnesota); Rethinking Shakespeare Source Study: Audiences, Authors, and Digital Technologies (Routledge); and Civic Performance: Pageantry and Entertainments in Early Modern London (Routledge). For more details, see janellejenstad.com.
Sofia Spiteri
Sofia Spiteri is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in History at the University
of Victoria. During the summer of 2023, she had the opportunity to work with LEMDO
as a recipient of the Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Award (VKURA). Her work
with LEMDO primarily includes semi-diplomatic transcriptions for The Winterʼs Tale and Mucedorus.
William Jones
Bookseller trading at the sign of the Gun near Holborn Conduit. Active from freedom
in 1587 to death in 1618.BBTI 39109.
Orgography
LEMDO Team (LEMD1)
The LEMDO Team is based at the University of Victoria and normally comprises the project
director, the lead developer, project manager, junior developers(s), remediators,
encoders, and remediating editors.
University of Victoria (UVIC1)
https://www.uvic.ca/
Metadata
Authority title
Mucedorus, Quarto 3
Type of text
Primary Source Text
Publisher
University of Victoria on the Linked Early Modern Drama Online Platform
Transcribed according to the DRE Editorial Guidelines. Instances of misdistributed
type and compositorial spelling errors have been tagged with
<choice>
,
<sic>
, and
<corr>
. In cases where the speech prefix was omitted in the 1610 text but it was clear from
context that a new speech had begun, sp elements have been wrapped around the speech
but no speaker tag was added.
Edition
Released with LEMDO Classroom 0.2.1
Sponsor(s)
LEMDO Website
LEMDO’s own website, published at lemdo.uvic.ca, is generated using the same technology that builds all the anthologies.
Encoding description
Encoded in TEI P5 according to the LEMDO Customization and Encoding Guidelines. The
encoding makes the following assumptions (rendered based on the _semi-dip.scss file):
text is aligned left and set in Roman type unless otherwise specified; titlepage components
and running titles are centered; signatures are centered and letterspaced; running
titles are centered and set in italic type; catchwords are aligned right; speech prefixes
are indented and set in italic type; and stage directions are set in italic type and
aligned left unless the stage element has a place attribute. Where this playbook differs
generally from LEMDOʼs default assumptions, the TEI Header includes one or more tagsDecl
elements describing this playbookʼs particular imposition and composition. Where this
playbook contains local deviations from its own general patterns, the encoding includes
element-level and inline CSS to describe the playbookʼs unique features.
Licensed for reuse under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, the corrected semi-diplomatic transcription of Mucedorus is freely downloadable without permission under the following conditions: (1) credit
must be given to Sofia Spiteria, DRE, and LEMDO in any subsequent use of the files and/or data; (2) derivatives must
be shared under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license; and (3) commercial uses are not
permitted without the knowledge and consent of the Sofia Spiteria, DRE, and LEMDO.
