Efcal. Do you hear how he misplaces? [To Angelo, Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for stew'd prunes; fir, we had but two in the house, which at that very distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-difh, a difh of fome three pence; your honours have feen fuch difhes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes.

Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the difh, fir. Clown. No, indeed, fir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right. But to the point: As I fay, this mistress Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I faid, for prunes; and having but two in the dish, as I faid; master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the reft, as I faid, and, as I fay, paying for them very honeftly; for, as you know, mafter Froth, I could not give you three pence again.

Froth. No, indeed.

Clown. Very well: you being then, if you be remembred, cracking the ftones of the forefaid prunes, Froth. Ay, foI did, indeed.

Clown. Why, very well: I telling you then, if you be remembred, that fuch a one, and fuch a one, were paft cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you.

Froth. All this is true.

Clown. Why, very well then.

Efcal. Come, you are a tedious fool to the purpofe. What was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to complain of? come to what was done to her.

Clown. Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet, Efcal. No, fir, nor I mean it not.

Clown. Sir, but you fhall come to it, by your ho nour's leave: And, 1 befeech you, look into mafter Froth here, fir; a man of fourfcore pound a year; VOL. II.

D

whole

whofe father dy'd at Hallowmas. Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth?

Froth. All-holland eve.

Clown. Why, very well; I hope here be truths He, fir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, fir; 'twas in the Bunch of grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to fit, Have you not?

Froth. I have fo; because it is an open room, and good for winter.

Clown. Why, very well then. I hope here be truths.

Ang. This will laft out a night in Russia,

When nights are longeft there. I'll take my leave, And leave you to the hearing of the eaufe; Hoping, you'll find good caufe to whip them all. Efcal. I think no lefs. Good morrow to your lord[Exit Angelo. Now, fir, come on: What was done to Elbow's wife, once more?

ship.

Clown. Once, fir? there was nothing done to her

once.

Elb. I beseech you, fir, afk him what this man did to my wife.

Clown. I beseech your honour, afk me.

Efcal. Well, fir; what did this gentleman to her? Clown. I befeech you, fir, look in this gentleman's face.-Good mafter Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis for a good purpose.-Doth your honour mark his face?

Efcal. Ay, fir, very well.

Clown. Nay, I beseech you, mark it well.

Efcal. Well, I do fo.

Clown. Doth your honour fee any harm in his face? Efcal. Why, no.

Clown. I'll be fuppos'd upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him. Good then; if his face be the worst thing about him, how could mafter Froth do

the

the conftable's wife any harm? I would know that of your honour.

Efcal. He's in the right; conftable, what say you

to it?

Elb. First, an' it like you, the house is a refpected house; next, this is a refpected fellow; and his miftress is a respected woman.

Clown. By this hand, fir, his wife is a more refpected person than any of us all.

Elb. Varlet, thou lieft; thou lieft, wicked varlet: the time is yet to, come, that fhe was ever respected with man, woman, or child.

Clown. Sir, fhe was refpected with him before he marry'd with her.

Efcal. Which is the wifer here? Justice or Iniquity? Is this true?

4

Elb. O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with her, before I was marry'd to her? If ever I was refpected with her, or fhe with me, let not your worship think me the poor duke's officer: Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or I'll have mine action of battery on thee.

Eftal. If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your action of flander too.

Elb. Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is't your worship's pleasure I fhall do with this wicked caitiff?

Efcal. Truly, officer, because he hath fome offences in him, that thou wouldst difcover if thou couldft, let him continue in his courfes, 'till thou know'ft what they are.

Elb. Marry, I thank your worship for it: thou fecft,

+ Juftice or Iniquity?] Thefe were, I fuppofe, two perfonages well known to the audience by their frequent appearance in the old moralities. The words therefore, at that time, produced a com bination of ideas, which they have now loft. JOHNSON.

5

Hannibal,] Miftaken by the conftable for Cannibal, JOHNSON.

thou wicked varlet now, what's come upon thee. Thou art to continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue.

Efcal. Where were you born, friend? [To Froth. Froth. Here in Vienna, fir.

Efcal. Are you of fourfcore pounds a year?

Froth. Yes, and't please you, fir.

Efcal. So.-What trade are you of, fir?

[To the Clown.

Clown. A tapfter; a poor widow's tapfter.
Efcal. Your mistress's name?

Clown. Mistress Over-done.

Efcal. Hath fhe had any more than one husband?
Clown. Nine, fir: Over-done by the last.

Efcal. Nine! Come hither to me, master Froth. Master Froth, I would not have you acquainted with tapfters; they will draw you,' master Froth, and you will hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear no more of you.

Froth. I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never come into any room in a taphouse, but I am drawn in.

Efcal. Well; no more of it, mafter Froth; farewell. Come you hither to me, mafter tapfter; what's your name, master tapfter?

Clown. Pompey.
Efcal. What elfe?

Clown. Bum, fir.

Efcal. Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you; fo that, in the beaftlieft fenfe, you are Pompey the Great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd; Pompey, howfoever you colour it in being a tapfter;

they will draw you,] Draw has here a cluster of senses. As it refers to the tapfter, it fignifies to drain, to empty; as it is related to bang, it means to be conveyed to execution on a hurdle. In Froth's anfwer, it is the fame as to bring along by fome motive or power. JOHNSON. Are

Are you not? come, tell me true; it fhall be the better for you.

Clown. Truly, fir, I am a poor fellow that would live.

Efcal. How would you live, Pompey? by being a bawd? What do you think of the trade, Pompey? is it a lawful trade?

Clown. If the law will allow it, fir.

Efcal. But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it fhall not be allowed in Vienna,

Clown. Does your worship mean to geld and spay all the youth in the city?

Efcal. No, Pompey.

Clown. Truly, fir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then. If your worship will but take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds.

Efcal. There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you: it is but heading and hanging.

Clown. If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten years together, you'll be glad to give out a commiffion for more heads. If this law hold in Vienna ten years, I'll rent the fairest house in it, after three pence a bay': If you live to fee this come to pafs, fay, Pompey told you fo.

Efcal. Thank you, good Pompey: and in requital

1 Pllrent the fairest house in it, for three pence a bay :] Mr. Theobald found that this was the reading of the old books, and he follows it out of pure reverence for antiquity; for he knows nothing of the meaning of it. He fuppofes bay to be that projection called a bay-window; as if the way of rating houfes was by the number of their bay-windows. But it is quite another thing, and fignifies the fquared frame of a timber houfe; each of which divifions or fquares is called a bay. Hence a building of fo many bays.

WARBURTON.

A bay of building is, in many parts of England, a common term, of which the beft conception that I could ever attain, is, that it is the space between the main beams of the roof; fo that a barn croffed twice with beams is a barn of three bays. JOHNSON.