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  • Title: Fair Em (Quarto 1, 1593)
  • Editor: Brett Greatley-Hirsch

    • ISBN:

    Copyright Digital Renaissance Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: Anonymous
    Editor: Brett Greatley-Hirsch
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Fair Em (Quarto 1, 1593)

    Enter Zweno king of Denmarke with Rosilio,
    1260and other attendants.
    Zweno. Rosilio, Is this the place whereas the Duke William
    should meete mee?
    Rosilio. It is, and like your grace.
    Zweno. Goe captaine away, regard the charge I gaue:
    1265See all our men be martialed for the fight.
    Dispose the Wardes as lately was deuised.
    And let the prisoners vnder seuerall gardes
    Be kept apart vntill you heare from vs.
    Let this suffise, you know my resolution.
    1270If William Duke of Saxon be the man,
    That by his answere sent vs, he would send
    Not words but wounds: not parleis but alarmes,
    Must be descider of this controuersie.
    Rosilio, stay with mee, the rest begone. Exeunt.
    1275Enter William, and Demarch with other attendants
    William. All but Demarch go shroud you out of sight,
    For I will goe parley with the Prince my selfe.
    Demarch. Should Zweno by this parley call you foorth,
    Vpon intent iniuriously to deale:
    1280This offereth too much oportunitie.
    William. No no Demarch, that were a breach
    Against the law of Armes: therefore begon,
    And leaue vs here alone. Exeunt.
    I see that Zweno is maister of his worde.
    1285Zweno, William of Saxonie greeteth thee
    Either well or yll, according to thy intent.
    If well thou wish to him and Saxonie,
    He bids thee frindly welcome as he can.
    If yll thou wish to him and Saxanie,
    1290He must withstand thy mallice as he may.
    Zweno. William, for other name and title giue I none
    To him, who were he worthie of those honours
    That Fortune and his predecessors left,
    I ought by right and humaine courtesie
    1295To grace his style with Duke of Saxonie.
    But for I finde a base degenerate mynde,
    I frame my speech according to the man,
    And not the state that he vnworthie holdes.
    William. Herein Zweno dost thou abase thy state,
    1300To breake the peace which by our auncesters
    Hath heretofore bene honourably kept.
    Zweno. And should that peace for euer haue been kept,
    Had not thy selfe beene author of the breach:
    Nor stands it with the honor of my state,
    1305Or nature of a father to his childe,
    That I should so be robbed of my daughter,
    And not vnto the vtmost of my power
    Reuenge so intollerable an iniurie.
    William. Is this the colour of your quarrell Zweno?
    1310I well perceiue the wisest men may erre.
    And thinke you I conueyed away your daughter Blanch?
    Zweno. Art thou so impudent to denye thou didst?
    When that the proofe thereof is manifest?
    William. What proofe is there?
    1315Zweno. Thine owne confession is sufficient proofe.
    William. Did I confesse I stole your daughter Blanch?
    Zweno. Thou didst confesse thou hadst a Ladie hence.
    William. I haue and do.
    Zweno. Why that was Blanch my daughter.
    1320William. Nay, that was Mariana,
    who wrongfully thou detainest prisoner.
    Zweno. Shamelesse persisting in thy ill,
    Thou doest mayntaine a manifest vntrothe,
    As shee shall iustifie vnto thy teethe.
    1325Rosilio fetch her and the Marques hether.
    Exit Rosilio for Mariana.
    William. It cannot be I should be so deceiued.
    Demarch. I heard this night among the souldiers,
    That in their watch they tooke a pensiue Ladie:
    1330Who at the appoyntment of the Lord Dirot is yet in keeping.
    What she is I know not,
    Onely thus much, I ouer-hard by chance.
    Welliam. And what of this.
    Demarch. It may be Blaunch the King of Denmarkes daughter.
    1335William. It may be so: but on my lyfe it is not?
    Yet Demarch, goe and fetch her strayght.
    Enter Rosilio with the Marques.
    Rosilio. Pleaseth your highnes, here is the Marques and Mariana.
    Zweno. See here, Duke William, your competitors
    1340That were consenting to my daughters scape.
    Let them resolut you of the trueth hereing,
    And here I vowe and solemly protest,
    That in thy presence they shall lose their heds:
    Vnlesse I here where as my daughter is.
    1345William. O Marques Lubeck how it grieueth me,
    That for my sake thou shouldest indure these bondes.
    Beiudge my soule that feeles the martirdome.
    Marques. Duke William, you know it is for your cause,
    It pleaseth thus the King to misconceiue of me,
    1350And for his pleasure doth me iniurie.
    Enter Demarch with the Ladie Blaunch.
    Demarch. May it please your hightnes,
    Here is the Ladie you sent me for,
    William. Awaie Demarch, what tellest thou me of Ladies?
    1355I so detest the dealing of their sex,
    As that I count a louers state to be the base
    And vildest slauerie in the world.
    Demarch. What humors are these: heres a straunge alteration.
    Zweno. See Duke William, is this Blaunch or no?
    1360You know her, if you see her I am sure.
    William. Zweno I was deceiued, yea vtterly deceiued,
    Yet this is shee: this same is Ladie Blaunch
    And for mine error, here I am content
    To do whatsoeuer Zweno shall set downe.
    1365Ah cruell Mariana thus to vse
    The man which loued and honored thee with his heart.
    Mariana. When first I came into your highnes court,
    And William often importing me of loue:
    I did deuise to ease the griefe your daughter did sustain,
    1370Shee should meete Sir William masked as I it were.
    This put in proofe, did take so good effect,
    As yet it seemes his grace is not resolued,
    But it was I which he conueid awaie.
    William. May this be true? It cannot be but true.
    1375Was it Ladie Blaunch which I conueid awaie?
    Vnconstant Mariana,
    Thus to deale with him which ment to thee nought but faith.
    Blaunch. Pardon deere father my follyes that are past,
    Wherein I haue neglected me dutie
    1380Which I in reuerence ought to shew your grace,
    For led by loue I thus haue gone astray,
    And now repent the errors I was in.
    Zweno. Stand vp deare daughter though thy fault deserues
    For to be punisht in the extremest sort.
    1385Yet loue that couers multitude of sinns
    Makes loue in parents winke at childrens faults.
    Sufficeth Blaunch thy father loues thee so,
    Thy follies past he knowes but will not know.
    And here Duke William take my daughter to thy wife.
    1390For well I am assured she loues thee well.
    William. A proper coniuntion: as who should saie,
    Lately come out of the fyer,
    I would goe thrust my selfe into the flame.
    Let Maistres nice goe Saint it where she list,
    1395And coyly quaint it with dissembling face.
    I hold in scorne the fooleries that they vse,
    I being free will neuer subiect my selfe
    to any such as shee is vnderneth the Sunne.
    Zweno. Refusest thou to take my daughter to thy wife?
    1400I tel thee Duke, this rash deniall
    May bring more mischiefe on thee then thou canst avoide.
    William. Conseit hath wrought such generall dislike
    Through the false dealing of Mariana,
    That vtterly I doe abhore their sex.
    1405They are all disloyall, vnconstant, all vniust:
    Who tryes as I haue tryed,
    And findes as I haue founde,
    Will saie thers no such creatures on the ground.
    Blanch. Vnconstant Knight, though some deserue no trust
    1410Thers others faithfull, louing, loyall, & iust.
    Enter to them Valingford with Em and the Miller,
    and Mountney, and Manuile, and Elner.
    Willi. How now Lord Valingford what makes these women here?
    Ualing. Here be two women, may it please your grace,
    1415that are contracted to one man,
    And are in strife whether shall haue him to their husband.
    William. Stand foorth women and saie,
    To whether of you did he first giue his faith.
    Em. To me forsooth.
    1420Elner. To me my gratious Lord.
    William. Speak Manuile, to whether didst thou giue thy faitth?
    Manuile. To saie the troth: this maide had first my loue.
    Elner. Yea Manuile, but there was no witnesse by.
    Em. Thy conscience Manuile a hundred witnesses.
    1425Elner. Shee hath stolne a conscience to serue her own turne.
    But you are deceiued, yfaith he will none of you.
    Manuile. Indeede, dred Lord, so deere I held her loue,
    As in the same I put my whole delight.
    But some impediments which at that instant hapned,
    1430Made me forsake her quite,
    For which I had her fathers franke consent.
    William. What were the impediments?
    Manuile. Why shee could neither heare nor see.
    William. Now shee doth both. Mayden, how were you cured?
    1435Em. Pardon my Lord, Ile tell your grace the troth,
    Be it not imputed to mee as discredite.
    I loued this Manuile so much, that still methought
    When he was absent did present to mee
    The forme and feature of that countenance
    1440Which I did shrine an ydoll in mine heart.
    And neuer could I see a man methought
    That equald Manuile in my partiall eye.
    Nor was there any loue betweene vs lost,
    But that I held the same in high regard,
    1445Vntill repaire of some vnto our house,
    Of whome my Manuile grewe thus iealous:
    As if he tooke exception I vouchsafed
    To heare them speake, or saw them when they came:
    On which I straight tooke order with my selfe
    1450To voide the scrupule of his conscience,
    By counterfaiting that I neither sawe nor heard,
    Any wayes to rid my hands of them.
    All this I did to keepe my Manuiles loue,
    Which he vnkindly seekes for to rewarde.
    1455Maluile. And did my Em to keepe her faith with mee
    Dissemble that shee neither heard nor sawe.
    Pardon me sweet Em, for I am onely thine.
    Em. Lay off thy hands, disloyall as thou art,
    Nor shalt thou haue possession of my loue,
    1460That canst so finely shift thy matters off.
    Put case I had beene blinde and could not see,
    As often times such visitations falles
    That pleaseth God which all things doth dispose:
    Shouldest thou forsake mee in regard of that?
    1465I tell thee Manuile, hadst thou beene blinde,
    Or deafe, or dumbe, or else what impediments
    might befall to man, Em would haue loued and kept,
    And honoured thee: yea, begde if wealth had faylde
    For thy releefe.
    1470Manuile. Forgiue mee sweete Em.
    Em. I do forgiue thee with my heart,
    And will forget thee too if case I can:
    But neuer speake to mee, nor seeme to know mee.
    Manuile. Then farewell frost:
    1475Well fare a wench that will.
    Now, Elner I am thine owne my gyrle.
    Elner. Mine Manuile? thou neuer shalt be myne.
    I so detest thy villanie.
    That whilest I liue I will abhor thy company.
    1480Manuile. Is it come to this? of late, I had choyce of twaine
    On either side to haue me to her husband:
    And now am vtterly reiected of them both.
    Valingford. My Lord this gentleman when time was
    Stood some-thing in our light,
    1485And now I thinke it not amisse
    To laugh at him that sometime scorned at vs.
    Mountney. Content my Lord, inuent the forme.
    Ualingford. Then thus.
    William. I see that women are not generall euils.
    1490Blanch is faire: Methinkes I see in her,
    A modest countenance, a heauenly blush.
    Zweno, receiue a reconciled foe,
    Not as thy friend, but as thy sonne in law,
    If so that thou be thus content.
    1495Zweno. I ioy to see your grace so tractable.
    Here take my daughter Blanch,
    And after my desease the Denmark crowne.
    William. Now sir, how stands the case with you?
    Manuile. I partly am perswaded as your grace is,
    1500My lord, he is best at ease that medleth least.
    Valingford. Sir may a man be so bolde,
    As to craue a word with you?
    Manuile. Yea, two or three: what are they?
    Valingford. I say, this maide will haue thee to her husband.
    1505Mountney. And I say this: and therof will I lay an hundred pound.
    Ualingf. And I say this: whereon I will lay as much.
    Manuile. And I say neither: what say you to that?
    Mountney. If that be true: then are we both deceiued.
    Manuile. Why it is true, and you are both deceiued.
    1510Marques. In mine eyes, this is the proprest wench.
    Might I aduise thee, take her vnto thy wife.
    Zweno. It seemes to me, shee hath refused him.
    Marques. Why theres the spite.
    Zweno. If one refuse him, yet may he haue the other.
    1515Marques. He will aske but her good will, and all her friends.
    Zweno. Might I aduise thee, let them both alone.
    Manuile. Yea, thats the course, and thereon wil I stand.
    Such idle loue hencefoorth I will detest.
    Valingford. The Foxe will eat no grapes, and why?
    1520Mountney. I know full well, because they hang too hye.
    William. And may it be a Millers daughter by her birth?
    I cannot thinke but shee is better borne.
    Valingford. Sir Thomas Goddard hight this reuerent man,
    Famed for his vertues and his good successe:
    1525Whose fame hath beene renowmed through the world.
    William. Sir Thomas Goddard welcome to thy Prince,
    And faire Em, frolike with thy good father.
    As glad am I to finde Sir Thomas Goddard
    As good Sir Edmund Treford on the plaines:
    1530He like a sheepheard, and thou our countrie Miller.
    Miller. And longer let not Goddard liue a day,
    Then he in honour loues his soueraigne.
    William. But say Sir Thomas, shall I giue thy daughter?
    Miller. Goddard and all that he hath,
    1535Doth rest at the pleasure of your Maiestie.
    William. And what sayes Em to louely Ualingford?
    It seemde he loued you well,
    That for your sake durst leaue his King.
    Em. Em restes at the pleasure of your highnes:
    1540And would I were a wife for his desert.
    William. Then here Lord Valingford,
    Receiue faire Em.
    Here take her, make her thy espoused wife.
    Then goe we in, that preparation may be made,
    1545to see these nuptials solemly performed.
    Exeunt all. Sound drummes and Trumpets.
    FINIS.
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