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  • Title: The Honest Whore, Part 1 (Quarto 2, 1604)
  • Editor: Joost Daalder

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-490-5

    Copyright Digital Renaissance Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Authors: Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton
    Editor: Joost Daalder
    Peer Reviewed

    The Honest Whore, Part 1 (Quarto 2, 1604)

    Enter Castruchio, Pioratto, and Fluello.
    425Cast: Signior Pioratto, signior Fluello, shalls be merry? shalls
    play the wags now?
    Flu: I, any thing that may beget the childe of laughter.
    Cast: Truth I have a prettie sportive conceit new crept into
    my braine, will moove excellent mirth.
    430Pio: Let's ha't, let's ha't, and where shall the sceane of mirth (lie?
    Cast. At signior Candidoes house, the patient man; nay the
    monstrous patient man; they say his bloud is immoveable, that
    he haz taken all patience from a man, and all constancie from
    a woman.
    435Flu: That makes so many whores nowadaies.
    Cast: I, and so many knaves too.
    Pio: Well sir.
    Cast: To conclude, the report goes, hee's so milde, so affa-
    ble, so suffering, that nothing indeede can move him: now do
    440but thinke what sport it will be to make this fellow (the mirror
    of patience) as angry, as vext, and as madde as an English cuc-
    kolde.
    Flu. O, t'were admirable mirth, that: but how wilt be done
    signior?
    445Cast: Let me alone, I have a tricke, a conceit, a thing, a de-
    vise will sting him yfaith, if he have but a thimble full of blood
    in's belly, or a spleene not so bigge as a taverne token.
    Pio: Thou stirre him? thou moove him? thou anger him?
    alas, I know his approoved temper: thou vex him? why hee
    450haz a patience above mans iniuries: thou maist sooner raise a
    spleene
    The converted Curtezan.
    spleene in an Angell, than rough humour in him: why ile give
    you instance for it. This wonderfully temperd signior Candido
    vpon a time invited home to his house certaine Neapolitane
    lords of curious taste, and no meane pallats, conjuring his wife
    455of all loves, to prepare cheere fitting for such honourable tren-
    cher-men. She (just of a womans nature, covetous to try the
    vttermost of vexation, and thinking at last to get the starte of
    his humour,) willingly neglected the preparation, and became
    vnfurnisht, not onely of daintie, but of ordinarie dishes. He (ac-
    460cording to the mildenesse of his breast,) entertained the lords,
    and with courtly discourse beguiled the time (as much as a Cit-
    tizen might do:) To conclude, they were hungry lordes, for
    there came no meate in; their stomacks were plainely gulld,
    and their teeth deluded, and (if anger could have seizd a man,)
    465there was matter enough yfaith to vexe any Citizen in the
    world, if he were not too much made a foole by his wife.
    Flu: I, ile sweare for't: sfoote, had it beene my case, I should
    ha plaide mad trickes with my wife and family: first I would
    ha spitted the men, stewd the maides, and bak't the mistresse,
    470and so served them in.
    Pio: Why t'would ha tempted any blood but his,
    And thou to vexe him? thou to anger him
    With some poore shallow jest?
    Cast: Sblood signior Pioratto, (you that disparage my con-
    475ceit,) ile wage a hundred duckats vppon the head on't, that it
    mooves him, frets him, and galles him.
    Pio: Done, tis a lay, ioyne golls on't: witnes signior Fluello.
    Cast: Witnes, tis done:
    Come, follow me; the house is not farre off,
    480Ile thrust him from his humour, vex his breast,
    And win a hundred duckats by one jest. Exeunt.
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