Reat Deputie, the
Welkins Vicegerent, and sole domi
nator of
Nauar,
my soules earths God, and bodies
fo
string patrone:
Not a vvord of
Costard yet.
So it is.
It may be so: but if he say it is so, he is in telling
true: but so.
Peace,
No words,
So it is besieged with sable coloured melancholie,
I
did commend the blacke oppressing humour to the most
whole
some Physicke of thy health‑giuing
ayre: And as I am a Gen
tleman, betooke my selfe to
walke: the time When? about the
sixt houre, When beasts
most grase, birds best pecke, and men
sit downe to that
nourishment which is called supper: So much
for the time
When. Now for the ground Which? which I
meane I walkt vpon,
it is ycliped, Thy Parke. Then for the
place Where? where I
meane I did encounter that obscene and
most preposterous
euent that draweth from my snow‑white pen
the ebon
coloured Inke, which heere thou viewest, beholdest
suruayest, or seest. But to the place Where? It standeth
North North‐east and by East from the West corner of
thy
curious knotted garden; There did I see that low
spiri
ted Swaine, that base Minow of thy myrth,
Mee?
that vnletered small knowing soule,
Me?
that shallow
vassall
Still mee?
which as I remember, hight
Co
stard,
O me
sorted and consorted contrary to thy
e
stablished proclaymed Edict and Continet, Cannon:
Which
with, ô with, but with this I passion to say wherewith:
With a Wench.
With a childe of our Grandmother Eue,
a female;
or for thy more sweet understanding a woman: him,
I
(
as my
euer esteemed dutie prickes
me on
)
haue sent to thee, to receiue
the meed of punishment by thy sweet Graces Officer
Anthony
Dull,
a man of good repute, carriage,
bearing, & estimation
Anthony Dull
For Iaquenetta (
so is the weaker vessell
called
)
which I apprehended with the aforesaid Swaine, I
keeper her
as a vessell of thy Lawes furie, and shall at
the least of thy
sweet notice, bring her to triall. Thine
in all complements of
deuoted and heart‑burning heat
of dutie
.
Don Adriana de Armado.
This is not so well as I looked for, but the best
that euer I heard.
I the best, for the worst. But sirra, What say you
to this?
Sir I confesse the Wench.
Did you heare the Proclamation?
I doe confesse much of the hearing it, but little
of the marking of it.
It was proclaimed a yeeres imprisonment to bee
taken with a Wench.
I was taken with none sir, I was taken vvith a
Damosell.
Well, it was proclaimed Damosell.
This was no Damosell neyther sir, shee was a
Virgin.
It is so varried to, for it was proclaimed Virgin.
If it were, I denie her Virginitie: I was taken
with a Maide.
This Maid will not serue your turne sir.
This Maide will serue my turne sir.
