Peer Reviewed
- Edition: The Honest Whore, Part 1
The Honest Whore, Part 1 (Modern)
- Introduction
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Acknowledgements
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Abbreviations
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Introduction
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Analysis of the Plays
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: The Plays in Performance
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Textual Introduction
- The Honest Whore, Parts 1 and 2: Appendices
- Texts of this edition
- Facsimiles
1915[4.2]
4.2.0.1Enter Fustigo [with bandaged head], Crambo, and Poh.
Hold up your hands, gentlemen. [Giving money] Hereʼs one, two, three – 1917nay, I warrant they are sound pistoles, and without flaws; I 1918had them of my sister, and I know she uses to put up nothing 1919thatʼs cracked – three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine; by 1920this hand, bring me but a piece of his blood, and you shall 1921have nine more. Iʼll lurk in a tavern not far off, and provide 1922supper to close up the end of the tragedy. The linen-draperʼs, 1923remember. Stand toʼt, I beseech you, and play your parts perfectly.
Look you, signor, ʼtis not your gold that we weigh.
Nay, nay, weigh it and spare not. If it lack one grain of corn, 1926Iʼll give you a bushel of wheat to make it up.
But by your favour, signor, which of the servants 1928is it? Because weʼll punish justly.
Marry, ʼtis the head man. You shall taste him by his 1930tongue – a pretty, tall, prating fellow, with a Tuscalonian beard.
Tuscalonian? Very good.
Codʼs life, I was neʼer so thrummed since I was a 1933gentleman. My coxcomb was dry-beaten as if my hair had been 1934hemp.
4.2.8Crambo
Weʼll dry-beat some of them.
Nay, it grew so high that my sister cried ‘Murder!ʼ out, 1936very manfully. I have her consent, in a manner, to have him 1937peppered; else Iʼd not doʼt to win more than ten cheaters do at a 1938rifling. Break but his pate or so, only his mazer, because 1939Iʼll have his head in a cloth as well as mine; heʼs a linen-1940draper, and may take enough. I could enter mine action of 1941battery against him, but we may ʼhaps be both dead and rotten 1942before the lawyers would end it.
No more to do but ensconce yourself iʼthʼ tavern. 1944Provide no great cheer: a couple of capons, some pheasants, 1945plovers, an orangeado pie or so. But, how bloody soeʼer the 1946day be, sally you not forth.
No, no; nay, if I stir, some body shall stink. Iʼll not budge; 1948Iʼll lie like a dog in a manger.
Well, well, to the tavern. Let not our supper be raw, 1950for you shall have blood enough, your bellyful.
Thatʼs all, so God saʼ me, I thirst after: blood for blood, 1952bump for bump, nose for nose, head for head, plaster for 1953plaster. And so farewell. What shall I call your names? Because Iʼll 1954leave word, if any such come to the bar.
My name is Corporal Crambo.
And mine Lieutenant Poh.
4.2.15.1Exit.
Poh is as tall a man as ever opened oyster; I would 1958not be the devil to meet Poh. Farewell.
Nor I, by this light, if Poh be such a Poh.
4.2.17.1Exeunt.