Act III, Scene 5

SCHOOLMASTER	Fie, fie, What tediosity and disinsanity Is here among ye! Have my rudiments Been labored so long with ye, milked unto ye, And, by a figure, even the very plum-broth And marrow of my understanding laid upon ye? And do you still cry 'how?' and 'wherefore?' You most coarse frieze capacities, ye jean judgments, Have I said, 'thus let be', and 'there let be', And 'then let be', and no man understand me? ... [III.5.10] Proh deum, medius fidius -- ye are all dunces. For why, here stand I. Here the Duke comes. There are you, Close in the thicket. The Duke appears. I meet him, And unto him I offer learned things And many figures. He hears, and nods, and hums, And then cries, 'Rare!', and I go forward. At length I fling my cap up -- mark there -- then do you, As once did Meleager and the boar, Break comely out before him, like true lovers, Cast yourselves in a body decently, ... [III.5.20] And sweetly, by a figure, trace and turn, boys.
1st COUNTRYMAN	And sweetly we will do it, master Gerald.
2d COUNTRYMAN	Draw up the company. Where's the taborer?
3d COUNTRYMAN	Why, Timothy!
TABORER	Here, my mad boys, have at ye!
SCHOOLMASTER	But I say, where's these women?
4th COUNTRYMAN	Here's Friz and Madeline.
2d COUNTRYMAN	And little Luce with the white legs, and bounding Barbara.
1st COUNTRYMAN	And freckled Nell, that never failed her master.
SCHOOLMASTER	Where be your ribbons, maids? Swim with your bodies And carry it sweetly and deliverly, And now and then a favor and a frisk
NELL	Let us alone, sir.
SCHOOLMASTER	Where's the rest o'th' music?
3d COUNTRYMAN	Dispersed as you commanded.
SCHOOLMASTER	Couple, then, And see what's wanting. Where's the babion? [to the Babion.] My friend, carry your tail without offense Or scandal to the ladies; and be sure You tumble with audacity and manhood, And when you bark, do it with judgment
BABION	Yes, sir.
SCHOOLMASTER	Quousque tandem? Here is a woman wanting!
4th COUNTRYMAN	We may go whistle -- all the fat's i' th' fire.
SCHOOLMASTER	We have, ... [III.5.40] As learned authors utter, washed a tile; We have been fatuous, and labored vainly.
2d COUNTRYMAN	This is that scornful piece, that scurvy hilding That gave her promise faithfully she would be here -- Cicely, the seamstress' daughter. The next gloves that I give her shall be dog-skin. Nay, an she fail me once -- you can tell, Arcas, She swore by wine and bread she would not break.
SCHOOLMASTER	An eel and woman, A learned poet says, unless by th' tail ... [III.5.50] And with thy teeth thou hold, will either fail -- In manners this was false position.
1st COUNTRYMAN	A fire-ill take her! Does she flinch now?
3d COUNTRYMAN	What Shall we determine, sir?
SCHOOLMASTER	Nothing; Our business is become a nullity, Yea, and a woeful and a piteous nullity.
4th COUNTRYMAN	Now, when the credit of our town lay on it, Now to be frampold, now to piss o'th' nettle! Go thy ways -- I'll remember thee, I'll fit thee! [Enter the Jailer's Daughter.]
DAUGHTER	[sings] The George Alow came from the south, ... [III.5.60] From the coast of Barbary-a; And there he met with brave gallants of war, By one, by two, by three-a. 'Well hailed, well hailed, you jolly gallants, And whither now are you bound-a? O let me have your company Till I come to the sound-a.' There was three fools fell out about an owlet -- The one he said it was an owl, The other he said nay, ... [III.5.70] The third he said it was a hawk, And her bells were cut away.
3d COUNTRYMAN	There's a dainty madwoman, master, Comes i' th' nick, as mad as a March hare. If we can get her dance, we are made again. I warrant her, she'll do the rarest gambols.
1st COUNTRYMAN	A madwoman? We are made, boys.
SCHOOLMASTER	[to the Jailer's Daughter.] And are you mad, good woman?
DAUGHTER	I would be sorry else. Give me your hand.
SCHOOLMASTER	Why?
DAUGHTER	I can tell your fortune. [She examines his hand.] You are a fool. Tell ten -- I have posed him. Buzz! ... [III.5.80] Friend, you must eat no white bread -- if you do, Your teeth will bleed extremely. Shall we dance, ho? I know you -- you're a tinker, Sirrah tinker, Stop no more holes but what you should.
SCHOOLMASTER	Dii boni -- A tinker, damsel?
DAUGHTER	Or a conjurer -- Raise me a devil now and let him play Qui passa o'th' bells and bones.
SCHOOLMASTER	Go, take her, And fluently persuade her to a peace. Et opus exegi, quod nec lovis ira, hec ignis -- Strike up, and lead her in.
2 COUNTRYMAN	Come, lass, let's trip it.
DAUGHTER	I'll lead.
3 COUNTRYMAN	Do, do.
SCHOOLMASTER	Persuasively and cunningly -- [Wind horns within.] ~~~ away, boys, I hear the horns. Give me some meditation, And mark your cue. [Exeunt all but Gerald the Schoolmaster.] ~~~ Pallas inspire me. [Enter Theseus, Pirithous, Hippolyta, Emilia, Arcite, and train.]
THESEUS	This way the stag took.
SCHOOLMASTER	Stay and edify.
THESEUS	What have we here?
PIRITHOUS	Some country sport, upon my life, sir.
THESEUS	[to the Schoolmaster.] Well sir, go forward -- we will edify. [III.5.100] Ladies, sit down -- we'll stay it. [They sit, Theseus in a chair, the others on stools.]
SCHOOLMASTER	Thou doughty Duke, all hail! All hail, sweet ladies.
THESEUS	This is a cold beginning.
SCHOOLMASTER	If you but favor, our country pastime made is. We are a few of those collected here, That ruder tongues distinguish 'villager'; And to say verity, and not to fable, We are a merry rout, or else a rabble, Or company, or by a figure, chorus, That fore thy dignity will dance a morris. ... [III.5.110] And I, that am the rectifier of all, By title, pedagogus, that let fall The birch upon the breeches of the small ones, And humble with a ferula the tall ones, Do here present this machine, or this frame; And dainty Duke, whose doughty dismal fame From Dis to Daedalus, from post to pillar, Is blown abroad, help me, thy poor well-willer, And with thy twinkling eyes, look right and straight Upon this mighty 'Moor' -- of mickle weight -- ... [III.5.120] 'Ice' now comes in, which, being glued together, Makes 'morris', and the cause that we come hither. The body of our sport, of no small study, I first appear, though rude, and raw, and muddy, To speak, before thy noble grace, this tenor At whose great feet I offer up my penner. The next, the Lord of May and Lady bright; The Chambermaid and Serving man, by night That seek out silent hanging; then mine Host And his fat Spouse, that welcomes, to their cost, ... [III.5.130] The galled traveler, and with a beck'ning Informs the tapster to inflame the reck'ning; Then the beest-eating Clown; and next, the Fool; The babion with long tail and eke long tool, Cum multis alits that make a dance -- Say 'aye', and all shall presently advance.
THESEUS	Ay, aye, by any means, dear dominie.
PIRITHOUS	Produce.
SCHOOLMASTER	[Knocks for the dance.] Intrate filii, come forth and foot it. [He flings up his cap.] Music. [The Schoolmaster ushers in May Lord, May Lady, Serving man, Chambermaid, A Country Clown, or Shepherd, Country Wench, An Host, Hostess, A He-Babion, She-Babion, A He-fool, The Jailer's Daughter, as She-fool.] [All these people appareled to the life, the men issuing out of one door and the wenches from the other. They dance a morris.] Ladies, if we have been merry, And have pleased ye with a derry, ... [III.5.140] And a derry, and a down, Say the schoolmaster's no clown. Duke, if we have pleased thee too, And have done as good boys should do, Give us but a tree or twain For a maypole, and again, Ere another year run out, We'll make thee laugh, and all this rout.
THESEUS	Take twenty, dominie. [to Hippolyta.] How does my sweetheart?
HIPPOLYTA	Never so pleased, sir.
EMILIA	'Twas an excellent dance, ... [III.5.150] And for a preface, I never heard a better.
THESEUS	Schoolmaster, I thank you. One see 'em all rewarded.
PIRITHOUS	And here's something to paint your pole withal. [He gives them money.]
THESEUS	Now to our sports again.
SCHOOLMASTER	May the stag thou hunt'st stand long, And thy dogs be swift and strong; May they kill him without lets, And the ladies eat his dowsets. [Exit Theseus and train. Wind horns within.] Come, we are all made. Dii deaeque omnes, Ye have danced rarely, wenches. [Exeunt.]

Send mail to jciccarelli@hudsonshakespeare.org with questions or comments about this web site.

[Home] [Upcoming Shows] [HSC Venues] [Past Productions] [Articles] [HSC Programs]

[Shakespeare Library] [Actor Resources] [Contact Us] [Links] [Site Map]