The Witch............................................................................................................................................................1

Thomas Middleton ...................................................................................................................................1

I.i. [The grounds of the Lord Governor's house, a banquet laid out] .......................................................1

II.i. [Antonio's house]............................................................................................................................17

III.i. [The Duke's palace].......................................................................................................................33

IV.i. [The Duke's palace].......................................................................................................................48

V.i. [Antonio's house]............................................................................................................................60

To the truly worthy and generously affected Thomas Holmes, Esquire: Noble Sir, As a true testimony of my

ready inclination to your service, I have, merely upon a taste of your desire, recovered into my hands, though

not without much difficulty, this ignorantly illfated labour of mine. Witches are, ipso facto, by the law

condemn'd, and it only, I think, hath made her lie so long in an imprison'd obscurity. For your sake alone, she

hath thus far conjur'd herself abroad, and bears no other charms about her but what may tend to your

recreation, nor no other spell but to possess you with a belief that as she, so he that first taught her to enchant,

[Aside] Sweet venery be with thee, and I at the tail of my wish: I am a little headstrong, and so are most of

the company. I will to the witches: they say they have charms and tricks to make a wench fall backwards, and

lead a man herself to a country house some mile out of the town, like a firedrake. There be such whoreson

Your spirits are then more unconscionable than bakers. You'll have liv'd then, mother, sixscore year to the

hundred; and methinks after sixscore years, the devil might give you a cast, for he's a fruiterer too, and has

been from the beginning. The first apple that e'er was eaten came through his fingers: the costermonger's then

I hold to be the ancientest trade, though some would have the tailor prick'd down before him.

[Aside] Truly the devil's in her, I think. How one villain smells out another straight! There's no knavery but is

nos'd like a dog, and can smell out a dog's meaning.Mother, I pray give me leave to ramble abroad tonight

Urchins, elves, hags, satyrs, pans, fawns, [silens], kit with the candlestick, tritons, centaurs, dwarfs, imps, the

spoorn, the mare, the man i' th' oak, the hellwain, the firedrake, the puckle! A ab hur hus!

There's the bravest young gentleman within, and the fineliest drunk; I thought he would have fall'n into the

vessel. He stumbled at a pipkin of child's grease, reel'd against Stadlin, overthrew her, and in the tumbling

I was fain to throw the cat upon her to save her honesty, and all little enough: I cried out still, "I pray be

[Aside] You shall see him go nigh to be so unmannerly, he'll make water before my mother anon.

I thank your worship, sir; how comes your handkercher so sweetly thus beray'd? Sure 'tis wet sucket, sir.

How apt and ready is a drunkard now to reel to the devil! Well, I'll even in and see how he eats, and I'll be

These bastards come upon poor venturing gentlewomen ten to one faster than your legitimate children. If I

had been married, I'll be hanged if I had been with child so soon now. When they are once husbands, they'll

be whipp'd ere they take such pains as a friend will do, to come by water to the back door at midnight, there

stay perhaps an hour in all weathers, with a pair of reeking watermen, laden with bottles of wine, chewets,

and currant custards. I may curse those egg pies; they are meat that help forward too fast.

Your kissing married folks [spoil] all the maids that ever live i' th' house with 'em.

Oh, here he comes with his bags and bottles; he was born to lead poor watermen, and I.

[Takes the letter and reads.] "I pray send your sister down all speed to me. I hope it will prove much for her

good, in the way of her preferment. Fail me not, I desire you, son, nor let any excuse of hers withhold her; I

"Necte tribus nodis," Nick of the tribe of noddies, "ternos colores," that makes turn'd colours, "nodo et

Veneris," goes to his venery like a noddy, "dic vincula," with Dick the vintner's boy. Here were a sweet

charm now if this were the meaning on't, and very likely to overcome an honourable gentlewoman. The

whoreson old hellcat would have given me the brain of a cat once in my handkercherI bade her make

sauce with't with a vengeanceand a little bone in the [nethermost] part of a wolf's tail

I warrant you, he that cannot be careful of a quean can be careful of nobody: 'tis every man's humour, that. I

Oh softly, sweet sir; should your mistress meet me now in her own house, I were undone forever.

[Aside] They're all going abirding tonight: they talk of fowls i' th' air that fly by day; I am sure they'll be a

company of foul sluts there tonight: if we have not mortality after it, I'll be hang'd, for they are able to putrefy

Well, mother, I thank your kindness. You must be gambolling i' th' air and leave me to walk here like a fool

Though the fates have endued me with a pretty kind of lightness that I can laugh at the world in a corner on't,

and can make myself merry on fastingnights to rub out a supper (which were a precious quality in a young,

formal studient), yet let the world know there is some difference betwixt my jovial condition and the lunary

state of madness. I am not quite out of my wits: I know a bawd from an aqua vite shop, a strumpet from

wildfire, and a beadle from brimstone. Now shall I try the honesty of a great woman soundly; she reck'ning

the duke's made away, I'll be hang'd if I be not the next now. If I trust her, as she's a woman, let one of her

long hairs wind about my heart and be the end of me, which were a piteous, lamentable tragedy, and might be

Nay, I know not that, sir. I am not acquainted greatly with the blade; I am sure 'tis a good scabbard, and that

I do not care to see't. To tell you troth, sir, 'tis only a holiday thing, to wear by a man's side.

Draw it, or I'll rip thee down from neck to navel, though there's small glory in't.

[Aside] I know as well as can be when my mother's mad and our great cat angry, for one spits French then

They fare but too well when they come [hither]: they eat up as much tother night as would have made me a

[Aside] A tune? 'Tis to the tune of [damnation] then, I warrant you, and that song hath a villainous burthen.

Enter L[ord] Governor, Isabella, [Sebastian disguised,] Florida, Francisca, Abberzanes, Gaspero [and other

4. I.i. [The grounds of the Lord Governor's house, a banquet laid out], page = 4