Rule a Wife and Have a WifeFletcher, JohnThis text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A00967 of text S102374 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 11073). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish.Martin MuellerIncompletely or incorrectly transcribed words were reviewed and in many cases fixed byMadeline BurgYixin XiaoThis text has not been fully proofreadEarlyPrint ProjectEvanston IL, Notre Dame IN, St.Louis, Washington MO2017Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported LicenseA00967.xmlRule a vvife and have a wife. A comoedy. Acted by His Majesties Servants. Written by John Fletcher Gent.Fletcher, John, 1579-1625.38 600dpi TIFF G4 page imagesUniversity of Michigan, Digital Library Production ServiceAnn Arbor, Michigan2003 January (TCP phase 1)99838159STC (2nd ed.) 11073.Greg, II, 598(a).Madan, I, p. 220.2522A00967
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Rule a vvife and have a wife. A comoedy. Acted by His Majesties Servants. Written by John Fletcher Gent.Rule a wife and have a wifeRule a wife and have a wife.Fletcher, John, 1579-1625.Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, 1547-1616.[4], 67, [1] p.Printed by Leonard Lichfield printer to the University,Oxford :Anno 1640.1624
The minor plot is from "El casamiento engañoso" by Cervantes.
In verse.
The title page is partly in the same setting as Fletcher's "The tragœdy of Rollo duke of Normandy", 1640.
Reproduction of the original in the British Library.
A00967shcRule a Wife and Have a WifeFletcher, JohnMadeline BurgYixin Xiao1624playcomedyshcnoA00967S102374 (STC 11073). 243360003001.23B The rate of 1.23 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the B category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words.Incorporated ~ 10,000 textual changes made to the SHC corpus by Hannah Bredar, Kate Needham, and Lydia Zoells between April and July 2015 during visits, separately or together, to the Bodleian, Folger and Houghton Libraries as well as the Rare Book Libraries at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago
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v●ilestheir chastities , Had neede weare thickerveiles.you●no Mistresse , no desire to honour Any butyourwill not this oyster open ? I know not ,●twasAnd'twasa faire one , what was yours , don Michaelabundantly●shall sleep now like an Emperour , And eatabundantlyI thank my fortune , Ile back with speedspeed●abundantly I thank my fortune , Ile back withspeedand bring him happy tidings .Le●nEnter Iuan de Castro , andLeon.civill●house , I think I have besides , as faire ascivillOr any towne in Spaine can paralell .ea●yA husband of aneasyfaith a foole , Made by her wealth , andgoverno●Then some gravegovernor, Some man of honour , yet an easy man .So●ldierYes and aSouldier, as gentle as you would wish him , A goodwar●esTis the better . Has not thewarresbred him up to anger ?●redTis the better . Has not the war●esbredhim up to anger ?le●adorne him , Goe , finde me out this man , andletme see him , If he be that motion that youit●make none of all thy friends acquainted withit▪▪ Nor bid us to thy wedding .●lameI were tooblameelse .ag●nKisse meagen; a strong fellow , There is a vigor inhave●I caught him daintily , And all he has Ihavestow'd at my devotion .●uckoldtroubled Sir . What doe you suspect , she cannotcuckoldye , Shee is a woman Sir , a very womanbles●eSuch my Michael As you mayblessethe day they enter'd here , Such for our●lantingWho are these , whatflantingthings , a woman Of rare presence , excellent●orhave all , And take their pleasure too , tisforour 'vantage , Why , whats foure daies ,too●I am satisfied ; wood I had the wench sotoo▪▪marr●edWhen she hasmarriedhim , So infinite his love is linckt untoknow●tWell , send you joy , you would not let meknow't, Yet I shall not forget ye .husband●hansome servants at my wil , where's my goodhusband▪▪ Where does he wait ?masques●to have feasts and banquets , Revells andmasqueshousekeptum dearely , And we shall have the bravesthouse keptnow sir , I must not call ye mastern●wAnd we shall have the bravest house keptnowsir , I must not call ye master she hasmee●I must not call ye master she has warn'dmee▪▪ Nor must not put my hat off to ye .dese●veThat's as you shalldeservesir .maunde●my pleasure , And not my neighbour Iusticemaunderat mee , Goe , get your best cloths on ,gen●lewomenBe sure you be not seene , dine with thegentlewomen, And behave your selfe cleanly sir , tisair●, And to be inform'd if you will take theairethis morning .madame●A willing ,madame▪▪ one that needs no spurring .body●then their potions , And in a well builtbodya poore parsnip Will play his prize , aboveH●Hethat shall counsell Ladies , That have bothd●unkelicorish and ambitious eyes , I● either ●ad , ordrunke, let him speake Gospell .th●tveniall vertues , Sailes to your mills ,thatgrinde with all occasions , Balls that lyethere●Ile have my celler lockt , no schoole keptthere▪▪ Nor no discovery● Ile t●rne my drunkardsfool●swherefores , To grasse immediatly , Ile keep allfooles, Sober or drunk , still fooles that shallfooles●keep all fooles , Sober or drunk , stillfoolesthat shall know nothing , Nothing belongseryesHe will fall againe , my life hecryesby this time , Keep him from drink , he●yHe will fall againe , my life he cryesbythis time , Keep him from drink , he hassu●eShall I weare my newsuteMadame ?repenta●●eGood madame be not so rough , withrepentance, You see now he's come roun'd agen .c●tinhabit here too ; And to that so thick , theycutlike marmalette , So various too , they'lEstifa●iamine own paradise ? Why wife I say , whyEstifania.murmur●Like froggs or winds between two doores thatmurmurs●uffepeople for the trunks afore hand , And for thestuffe.bee●echaines , and Iewels , how she smels like hungbeefe, The palsy and picklocks , fy how she belchesAlonz●Enter the Duke , Medina , Iuan de Castro ,Alonzo, Sancho , Cacafogo , Attendants .●hew, and on a sudden break , As if he wouldshewa wonder to the world Both into braveryfor sakecause will kill a thousand of ye , mercyforsakeme .thresh●umloose thoughts out of mee , As if he hadthreshtumout o'th huske .Madame●Give me a halter , is not this house mineMadame▪▪ Was not she owner of it , pray speak trulyMarg●Margher●It is all true I finde , a wild-fire takeher●▪▪ar●ant'stCaptaine , Hark in thine eare , I am thearrant'stpuppy , The miserablest Asse , but I mustcell●rs, To seek your Ladiship , I have been incellers, In private cellers , where the thirstylougI went to Church to seek you out , Tis solongsince you were there , they have forgotYo●Last to your Confessor I came , who told meYouwere too proud to pray , and here I havepo●ky●Thou stinking overstewd , poore ,pockycounter●etYour cloathes are paralells to these , allcounterfet. Put these and them on , you are a manfleldfoole , thou maist be a good souldier In openfield, but for our private service Thou art anh●stI know thouhastsome wedding ring to pawn now . Of Silverfirst●Let's doe itfirstAnd then dispute , the Ladies use may long●or'tAnd then dispute , the Ladies use may longfor't.soundedA fellowfoundedout of Charity , And moulded to the heightslove●lythe matter of her own undoing , To let aslovenlyunweildy fellow , Vnruly and selfe will'dVn●ulyundoing , To let a slovenly unweildy fellow ,Vnrulyand selfe will'd , dispose her beautiesNe●eNe'refeare it Sanchio , Weel have her free againeDuk●Duke●fifhe were married but foure daies as I amWoudlwouldI were able ,that●must provide a cradle , and what a troublesthat▪▪●vythou ? In what dark barne or tod of agedivyHast thou lyen hid ?Leon●LeonMarg●Marg●fAnd offers any thing to get accesse to ye ,ifI can make or sport or profit on him ▪ (him●ye , if I can make or sport or profit onhim▪▪ ( For he is fit for both ) she bids mehither●sure Sir , Has now no pollicie to bring himhitherb●ingNorbringyou to him , if my wit hold faire wife :humane●thee , And who ere thou art , if thou be'sthumaneIle let thee plainly know , I am cheatedsho●ldstThats it , and tis no reason but thoushouldstbe angry , Angry at heart , yet I must laugha●dcontently , This place is full of charge ,andfull of hurrey , No part of sweetnesse dwelspl●ceway then both , & keep him close in someplaceFrom the Dukes sight , and keep the Dukecheare●ullyWhat doe you feare , come , sit downe by meechearefully, My husband's safe , how doe your woundsDuk●Duke●●poilesatisfy me , Your life I know , but is it fitt'spoileyee , Is it my love doe you think .Duke●Here's to theDuke▪▪Divell●And blesse us both , for sure this is theDivell▪▪ I plainly heard it now , he will comea temptLet me be gone , Ile never moreattemptye .Duk●DukeThere●sThere'sa deep well In the next yard , if you dareplainly●tell ye , I durst be merry too ; I tell youplainlyYou have a pretty seat , you have the luckwant●art a valiant man , and thou shalt neverwant▪▪ Will this content thee ?●hankfullIle crye , and then ile bethankfull, Indeed I will , and ile be honest to yefortunes●Sir , I shall wait upon you through allfortunes