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Mar.

Leon. To satisfy my lady.

Why will you kill me?

Mar. Why would she have me kill'd?
Now, as I can remember, by my troth,
I never did her hurt in all my life:
I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn
To any living creature: believe me, la,
I never kill'd a mouse, nor hurt a fly:
I trod upon a worm against my will,
But I wept for it. How have I offended,

Wherein my death might yield her any profit,
Or my life imply her any danger?

Leon. My commission

Is not to reason of the deed, but do it.

Mar. You will not do't for all the world, I
hope.

You are well favour'd, and your looks foreshow
You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately,
When you caught hurt in parting two that fought:
Good sooth, it show'd well in you: do so now:
Your lady seeks my life; come you between,
And save poor me, the weaker.

[blocks in formation]

[Leonine runs away.

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90

Sec. Pirate. A prize! a prize!

Third Pirate. Half-part, mates, half-part.

Come, let's have her aboard suddenly.

[Exeunt Pirates with Marina.

Re-enter LEONINE.

Leon. These roguing thieves serve the great

pirate Valdes;

And they have seized Marina.

There's no hope she will return. dead,

And thrown into the sea.

Let her go:

I'll swear she's

But I'll see further:

Perhaps they will but please themselves upon her,
Not carry her aboard. If she remain,

Whom they have ravish'd must by me be slain.

[Exit.

SCENE II. Mytilene. A room in a brothel.

Enter Pandar, Bawd, and BoULT.

Pand. Boult !

Boult. Sir?

Pand. Search the market narrowly; Mytilene

is full of gallants.

We lost too much money this

mart by being too wenchless.

Bawd. We were never so much out of creatures. We have but poor three, and they can do no more than they can do; and they with continual action are even as good as rotten.

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Pand. Therefore let's have fresh ones, what- 10 e'er we pay for them. If there be not a conscience to be used in every trade, we shall never prosper.

Bawd. Thou sayest true: 'tis not our bringing up of poor bastards,-as, I think, I have brought up some eleven

Boult. Ay, to eleven; and brought them down again. But shall I search the market?

Bawd. What else, man? The stuff we have, a strong wind will blow it to pieces, they are so pitifully sodden.

Pand. Thou sayest true; they're too unwhole17. to eleven, to the age of eleven.

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some, o' conscience. The poor Transylvanian is dead, that lay with the little baggage.

Boult. Ay, she quickly pooped him, she made him roast-meat for worms. But I'll go search the market. [Exit.

Pand. Three or four thousand chequins were as pretty a proportion to live quietly, and so give

over.

Bawd. Why to give over, I pray you? is it a shame to get when we are old?

Pand. O, our credit comes not in like the commodity, nor the commodity wages not with the danger therefore, if in our youths we could pick up some pretty estate, 'twere not amiss to keep our door hatched. Besides, the sore terms we stand upon with the gods will be strong with us for giving over.

Bawd. Come, other sorts offend as well as we. Pand. As well as we! ay, and better too; we offend worse. Neither is our profession any trade; it's no calling. But here comes Boult.

Re-enter BOULT, with the Pirates and MARINA.

Boult. [To Marina] Come your ways.

masters, you say she's a virgin?

First Pirate. O, sir, we doubt it not.

My

Boult. Master, I have gone through for this piece, you see: if you like her, so; if not, I have lost my earnest.

Bawd. Boult, has she any qualities?

Boult. She has a good face, speaks well, and

25. pooped, despatched ; properly said of a ship fatally struck by the wind.

29. as pretty a proportion, a fair enough portion (to live on, giving up our business).

30

40

50

37. hatched, closed (with a half-door).

47. gone through, done my utmost, made the highest offer.

48. piece, creature.

has excellent good clothes: there's no further necessity of qualities can make her be refused. Bawd. What's her price, Boult?

Boult. I cannot be bated one doit of a thousand pieces.

Pand. Well, follow me, my masters, you shall have your money presently. Wife, take her in ; instruct her what she has to do, that she may not be raw in her entertainment.

[Exeunt Pandar and Pirates.

Bawd. Boult, take you the marks of her, the colour of her hair, complexion, height, age, with warrant of her virginity; and cry 'He that will give most shall have her first.' Such a maidenhead were no cheap thing, if men were as they have been. Get this done as I command you. Boult. Performance shall follow. [Exit. Mar. Alack that Leonine was so slack, so slow! He should have struck, not spoke; or that these

pirates,

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Not enough barbarous, had not o'erboard thrown me 70 For to seek my mother!

Bawd. Why lament you, pretty one?

Mar. That I am pretty.

Bawd. Come, the gods have done their part

in you.

Mar. I accuse them not.

Bawd. You are light into my hands, where you are like to live.

Mar. The more my fault

Το scape his hands where I was like to die.
Bawd. Ay, and you shall live in pleasure.
Mar. No.

Bawd. Yes, indeed shall you, and taste gentle

55. I cannot be bated, I cannot

get them to reduce the price to

'78. live, pass your life.

me.

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men of all fashions: you shall fare well; you shall have the difference of all complexions. What! do you stop your ears?

Mar. Are you a woman?

Bawd. What would you have me be, an I be not a woman?

Mar. An honest woman, or not a woman. Bawd. Marry, whip thee, gosling: I think I shall have something to do with you. Come, you're a young foolish sapling, and must be bowed as I would have you.

Mar. The gods defend me!

Bawd. If it please the gods to defend you by men, then men must comfort you, men must feed you, men must stir you up. Boult's returned.

Re-enter BOULT.

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Now, sir, hast thou cried her through the market? Boult. I have cried her almost to the number 100 of her hairs; I have drawn her picture with my voice.

Bawd. And I prithee tell me, how dost thou find the inclination of the people, especially of the younger sort?

Boult. 'Faith, they listened to me as they would have hearkened to their father's testament. There was a Spaniard's mouth so watered, that he went to bed to her very description.

Bawd. We shall have him here to-morrow with 110 his best ruff on.

Boult. To-night, to-night. But, mistress, do you know the French knight that cowers i' the hams?

Bawd. Who, Monsieur Veroles?

Boult. Ay, he: he offered to cut a caper at

116. offered, made an effort,

which resulted only in a 'groan.'

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