Yellowhammer’s house.
Enter Yellowhammer and his Wife.
MAUDLIN
O husband, husband, she will die, she will die,
There is no sign but death.
YELLOWHAMMER
‘Twill be our shame then.
MAUDLIN
O, how she’s changed in compass of an hour.
YELLOWHAMMER
Ah, my poor girl! Good faith, thou wert too cruel
To drag her by the hair.
MAUDLIN
You would have done
As much, sir, to curb her of her humour.
YELLOWHAMMER
’Tis curbed sweetly, she catched her bane o’ th’ water.
Enter Tim.
MAUDLIN
How now, Tim?
TIM
Faith, busy, mother, about an epitaph
Upon my sister’s death.
MAUDLIN
Death! She is not dead, I hope?
TIM
No: but she means to be, and that’s as good,
And when a thing’s done, ’tis done,
You taught me that, mother.
YELLOWHAMMER
What is your tutor doing?
TIM
Making one too, in principal pure Latin,
Culled out of Ovid de Tristibus.
YELLOWHAMMER
How does your sister look, is she not changed?
TIM
Changed? Gold into white money was never so changed,
As is my sister’s colour into paleness.
Enter Moll.
YELLOWHAMMER
O, here she’s brought, see how she looks like death.
TIM
Looks she like death, and ne’er a word made yet?
I must go beat my brains against a bed post,
And get before my tutor.
[Exit.]
YELLOWHAMMER
Speak, how dost thou?
MOLL
I hope I shall be well, for I am as sick
At heart as I can be.
YELLOWHAMMER
‘Las my poor girl,
The doctor’s making a most sovereign drink for thee,
The worst [ingredients], dissolved pearl and amber;
We spare no cost, girl.
MOLL
Your love comes too late,
Yet timely thanks reward it. What is comfort,
When the poor patient’s heart is past relief?
It is no doctor’s art can cure my grief.
YELLOWHAMMER
All is cast away then;
Prithee, look upon me cheerfully.
MAUDLIN
Sing but a strain or two, thou wilt not think
How ‘twill revive thy spirits: strive with thy fit,
Prithee, sweet Moll.
MOLL
You shall have my good will, Mother.
MAUDLIN
Why, well said, wench.
[MOLL]
[Sings] Weep eyes, break heart,
My love and I must part;
Cruel fates true love do soonest sever,
O, I shall see thee, never, never, never.
O, happy is the maid whose life takes end,
Ere it knows parent’s frown, or loss of friend.
Weep eyes, break heart,
My love and I must part.
Enter Touchwood Senior with a letter.
MAUDLIN
O, I could die with music: well sung, girl.
MOLL
If you call it so, it was.
YELLOWHAMMER
She plays the swan,
And sings herself to death.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
By your leave, sir.
YELLOWHAMMER
What are you, sir? Or what’s your business, pray?
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
I may be admitted, though the brother
Of him your hate pursued, it spreads no further;
Your malice sets in death, does it not, sir?
YELLOWHAMMER
In death?
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
He’s dead: ’twas a dear love to him,
It cost him but his life, that was all, sir:
He paid enough, poor gentleman, for his love.
YELLOWHAMMER
[Aside] There’s all our ill removed, if she were well now. —
Impute not, sir, his end to any hate
That sprung from us; he had a fair wound brought that.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
That helped him forward, I must needs confess:
But the restraint of love, and your unkindness,
Those were the wounds that from his heart drew blood;
But being past help, let words forget it, too:
Scarcely three minutes ere his eyelids closed
And too eternal leave of this world’s light,
He wrote this letter, which by oath he bound me,
To give to her own hands; that’s all my business.
YELLOWHAMMER
You may perform it then, there she sits.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
O, with a following look.
YELLOWHAMMER
Ay, trust me, sir,
I think she’ll follow him quickly.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
Here’s some gold
He willed me to distribute faithfully
Amongst your servants.
YELLOWHAMMER
‘Las, what doth he mean, sir?
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
How cheer you, mistress?
MOLL
I must learn of you, sir.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
Here’s a letter from a friend of yours,
And where that fails, in satisfaction
I have a sad tongue ready to supply.
MOLL
How does he, ere I look on’t?
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
Seldom better,
H’as a contented health now.
MOLL
I am most glad on’t.
MAUDLIN
Dead, sir?
YELLOWHAMMER
He is. Now, wife, let’s but get the girl
Upon her legs again, and to church
Roundly with her.
MOLL
O, sick to death he tells me:
How does he after this?
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
Faith, feels no pain
At all, he’s dead, sweet mistress.
MOLL
Peace close mine eyes. [Swoons.]
YELLOWHAMMER
The girl, look to the girl, wife.
MAUDLIN
Moll, daughter,
Sweet girl, speak, look but once up, thou shalt have
All the wishes of thy heart that wealth can purchase.
YELLOWHAMMER
O, she’s gone forever, that letter broke her heart.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
As good now, then, as let her lie in torment,
And then break it.
Enter Susan.
MAUDLIN
O Susan, she thou lovedst so dear is gone.
SUSAN
O sweet maid!
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
This is she that helped her still,
I’ve a reward here for thee.
YELLOWHAMMER
Take her in,
Remove her from our sight, our shame, and sorrow.
TOUCHWOOD SENIOR
Stay, let me help thee, ’tis the last cold kindness
I can perform for my sweet brother’s sake.
[Exeunt Touchwood Senior and Susan, carrying Moll].
YELLOWHAMMER
All the whole street will hate us, and the world
Point me out cruel: it is our best course, wife,
After we have given order for the funeral,
To absent ourselves, till she be laid in ground.
MAUDLIN
Where shall we spend that time?
YELLOWHAMMER
I’ll tell thee where, wench,
Go to some private church, and marry Tim
To the rich Brecknock gentlewoman.
MAUDLIN
Mass, a match,
We’ll not lose all at once, somewhat we’ll catch.
Exit [with Yellowhammer].