Manchester. The Mill.
[Enter the Miller, his man Trotter, and Manville.]
MILLER.
I tell you, sir, it is no little grief to me, you should
so hardly conseit of my daughter, whose honest report,
though I say it, was never blotted with any title of
defamation.
MANVILLE.
Father Miller, the repair of those gentlemen to your house
hath given me great occasion to mislike.
MILLER.
As for those gentlemen, I never saw in them any evil intreaty.
But should they have profered it, her chaste mind hath proof
enough to prevent it.
TROTTER.
Those gentlemen are so honest as ever I saw: For yfaith one
of them gave me six pence to fetch a quart of Seck.--See,
maister, here they come.
[Enter Mountney and Valingford.]
MILLER.
Trotter, call Em. Now they are here together, I’ll have this
matter throughly debated.
[Exit Trotter.]
MOUNTNEY.
Father, well met. We are come to confer with you.
MANVILLE.
Nay, with his daughter rather.
VALINGFORD.
Thus it is, father, we are come to crave your friendship in
a matter.
MILLER.
Gentlemen, as you are strangers to me, yet by the way of
courtesy you shall demand any reasonable thing at my hands.
MANVILLE.
What, is the matter so forward they came to crave his good
will?
VALINGFORD.
It is given us to understand that your daughter is sodenly
become both blind and deaf.
MILLER.
Marie, God forbid! I have sent for her. In deed, she
hath kept her chamber this three days. It were no little
grief to me if it should be so.
MANVILLE.
This is God’s judgement for her treachery.
[Enter Trotter, leading Em.]
MILLER.
Gentlemen, I fear your words are too true. See where
Trotter comes leading of her.--What ails my Em? Not blind,
I hope?
EM.
[Aside.] Mountney and Valingford both together! And
Manville, to whom I have faithfully vowed my love! Now, Em,
suddenly help thy self.
MOUNTNEY.
This is no desembling, Valingford.
VALINGFORD.
If it be, it is cunningly contrived of all sides.
EM.
[Aside to Trotter.] Trotter, lend me thy hand, and as thou
lovest me, keep my counsell, and justify what so ever I say
and I’ll largely requite thee.
TROTTER.
Ah, thats as much as to say you would tell a monstrous,
terrible, horrible, outragious lie, and I shall sooth it--
no, berlady!
EM.
My present extremity will me,--if thou love me, Trotter.
TROTTER.
That same word love makes me to do any thing.
EM.
Trotter, wheres my father?
TROTTER.
Why, what a blind dunce are you, can you not see? He
standeth right before you.
[He thrusts Em upon her father.]
EM.
Is this my father?--Good father, give me leave to sit where
I may not be disturbed, sith God hath visited me both of my
sight and hearing.
MILLER.
Tell me, sweet Em, how came this blindness? Thy eyes are
lovely to look on, and yet have they lost the benefit of
their sight. What a grief is this to thy poor father!
EM.
Good father, let me not stand as an open gazing stock to
every one, but in a place alone, as fits a creature so
miserable.
MILLER.
Trotter, lead her in, the utter overthrow of poor Goddards
joy and only solace.
[Exit the Miller, Trotter and Em.]
MANVILLE.
Both blind and deaf! Then is she no wife for me; and glad
am I so good occasion is hapned: Now will I away to Chester,
and leave these gentlemen to their blind fortune.
[Exit Manville.]
MOUNTNEY.
Since fortune hath thus spitefully crost our hope, let us
leave this quest and harken after our King, who is at this
day landed at Lirpoole.
[Exit Mountney.]
VALINGFORD.
Go, my Lord, I’ll follow you.--Well, now Mountney is gone,
I’ll stay behind to solicit my love; for I imagine that I
shall find this but a fained invention, thereby to have us
leave off our suits.
[Exit Valingford.]