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The Two Noble Kinsmen - Act 4, scene 3
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The Two Noble Kinsmen - Act 4, scene 3Act 4, scene 3
Scene 3
Synopsis:
The jailer’s daughter is diagnosed by the doctor as suffering from love melancholy. He prescribes that the daughter’s wooer, who still wishes to marry her, begin to court her, pretending to be Palamon.
Enter Jailer, Wooer, Doctor.DOCTOR 2571 Her distraction is more at some time of the
2572 moon than at other some, is it not?
JAILER 2573 She is continually in a harmless distemper,
2574 sleeps little, altogether without appetite, save often
2575 5 drinking, dreaming of another world, and a better;
2576 and what broken piece of matter soe’er she’s about,
2577 the name Palamon lards it, that she farces ev’ry
2578 business withal, fits it to every question.
Enter ⌜Jailer’s⌝ Daughter.
2579 Look where she comes; you shall perceive her
2580 10 behavior.⌜They stand aside.⌝
DAUGHTER 2581 I have forgot it quite. The burden on ’t was
2582 “down-a down-a,” and penned by no worse man
2583 than Geraldo, Emilia’s schoolmaster. He’s as fantastical,
2584 too, as ever he may go upon ’s legs, for in
2585 15 the next world will Dido see Palamon, and then
2586 will she be out of love with Aeneas.
DOCTOR, ⌜aside to Jailer and Wooer⌝ 2587 What stuff’s here?
2588 Poor soul.
JAILER 2589 E’en thus all day long.
DAUGHTER 2590 20Now for this charm that I told you of, you
2591 must bring a piece of silver on the tip of your
2592 tongue, or no ferry; then if it be your chance to
2593 come where the blessed spirits ⌜are,⌝ there’s a
2594 sight now! We maids that have our livers perished,
2595 25 cracked to pieces with love, we shall come there,
2596 and do nothing all day long but pick flowers with
2597 Proserpine. Then will I make Palamon a nosegay;
2598 then let him mark me then.
DOCTOR 2599 How prettily she’s amiss! Note her a little
2600 30 further.
DAUGHTER 2601 Faith, I’ll tell you, sometime we go to
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2602
barley-break, we of the blessed. Alas, ’tis a sore life2603 they have i’ th’ other place—such burning, frying,
2604 boiling, hissing, howling, chatt’ring, cursing—O,
2605 35 they have shrewd measure, take heed! If one be
2606 mad, or hang or drown themselves, thither they
2607 go, Jupiter bless us, and there shall we be put in
2608 a cauldron of lead and usurers’ grease, amongst a
2609 whole million of cutpurses, and there boil like a
2610 40 gammon of bacon that will never be enough.
DOCTOR 2611 How her brains coins!
DAUGHTER 2612 Lords and courtiers that have got maids
2613 with child, they are in this place. They shall stand
2614 in fire up to the navel and in ice up to th’ heart, and
2615 45 there th’ offending part burns and the deceiving
2616 part freezes: in troth, a very grievous punishment,
2617 as one would think, for such a trifle. Believe me,
2618 one would marry a leprous witch to be rid on ’t, I’ll
2619 assure you.
DOCTOR 2620 50How she continues this fancy! ’Tis not an engraffed
2621 madness, but a most thick and profound
2622 melancholy.
DAUGHTER 2623 To hear there a proud lady and a proud city
2624 wife howl together—I were a beast an I’d call it
2625 55 good sport. One cries “O this smoke!” ⌜th’ other,⌝
2626 “This fire!”; one cries, “O, that ever I did it behind
2627 the arras!” and then howls; th’ other curses a suing
2628 fellow and her garden house.
Sings.
2629 I will be true, my stars, my fate, etc.
Daughter exits.
JAILER 2630 60What think you of her, sir?
DOCTOR 2631 I think she has a perturbed mind, which I
2632 cannot minister to.
JAILER 2633 Alas, what then?
DOCTOR 2634 Understand you she ever affected any man
2635 65 ere she beheld Palamon?
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193
JAILER
2636
I was once, sir, in great hope she had fixed her2637 liking on this gentleman, my friend.
WOOER 2638 I did think so, too, and would account I had a
2639 great penn’orth on ’t to give half my state that both
2640 70 she and I, at this present, stood unfeignedly on the
2641 same terms.
DOCTOR 2642 That intemp’rate surfeit of her eye hath distempered
2643 the other senses. They may return and
2644 settle again to execute their preordained faculties,
2645 75 but they are now in a most extravagant vagary.
2646 This you must do: confine her to a place where
2647 the light may rather seem to steal in than be
2648 permitted.—Take upon you, young sir, her friend,
2649 the name of Palamon; say you come to eat with
2650 80 her, and to commune of love. This will catch her
2651 attention, for this her mind beats upon; other
2652 objects that are inserted ’tween her mind and eye
2653 become the pranks and friskins of her madness.
2654 Sing to her such green songs of love as she says
2655 85 Palamon hath sung in prison. Come to her stuck
2656 in as sweet flowers as the season is mistress of,
2657 and thereto make an addition of some other compounded
2658 odors which are grateful to the sense.
2659 All this shall become Palamon, for Palamon can
2660 90 sing, and Palamon is sweet and ev’ry good thing.
2661 Desire to eat with her, ⌜carve⌝ her, drink to her, and
2662 still among intermingle your petition of grace and
2663 acceptance into her favor. Learn what maids have
2664 been her companions and playferes, and let them
2665 95 repair to her with Palamon in their mouths, and
2666 appear with tokens, as if they suggested for him.—
2667 It is a falsehood she is in, which is with falsehoods
2668 to be combated. This may bring her to eat,
2669 to sleep, and reduce what’s now out of square in
2670 100 her into their former law and regiment. I have seen
2671 it approved, how many times I know not, but to
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2672
make the number more, I have great hope in this.2673 I will between the passages of this project come
2674 in with my appliance. Let us put it in execution
2675 105 and hasten the success, which doubt not will bring
2676 forth comfort.
They exit.