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Chapters (43)
  1. Cover Page
  2. The Witch
  3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  4. ABBREVIATIONS
  5. INTRODUCTION
  6. FURTHER READING
  7. The Witch
  8. [DRAMATIS PERSONAE]
  9. THE WITCH
  10. [Act I,] Scene ii
  11. Act II, Scene i
  12. [Act II,] Scene ii
  13. [Act II,] Scene iii
  14. Act III, Scene i
  15. [Act III,] Scene ii
  16. [Act III,] Scene iii
  17. Act IV, Scene i
  18. [Act IV,] Scene ii
  19. [Act IV,] Scene iii
  20. Act V, Scene i
  21. [Act V,] Scene ii
  22. [Act V,] Scene iii
  23. APPENDIX
  24. In a maiden time profess’d
  25. Come Away, Hecate!
  26. Notes
  27. Thomas Holmes, Esquire
  28. Act I, Scene i
  29. [Act I,] Scene ii
  30. Act II, Scene i
  31. [Act II,] Scene ii
  32. [Act II,] Scene iii
  33. Act III, Scene i
  34. [Act III,] Scene ii
  35. [Act III,] Scene iii
  36. Act IV, Scene i
  37. [Act IV,] Scene ii
  38. Act IV Scene iii
  39. Act V, Scene i
  40. [Act V,] Scene ii
  41. [Act V,] Scene iii
  42. Appendix
  43. Footnotes
AMORETTA
Why sir! Why Almachildes!
ALMACHILDES      Not a kiss?
AMORETTA
I’ll call aloud, i’faith.
ALMACHILDES      I’ll stop your mouth.
AMORETTA
Upon my love to reputation 80
I’ll tell the duchess once more.
ALMACHILDES     ’Tis the way
To make her laugh a little.
AMORETTA      She’ll not think
That you dare use a maid of honour thus.
ALMACHILDES
Amsterdam swallow thee for a puritan
And Geneva cast thee up again, like she that sunk 85
At Charing Cross and rose again at Queenhithe!
AMORETTA
Ay, these are the holy fruits of the sweet vine sir.

[AMORETTA withdraws]

ALMACHILDES
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 90
tricks to make a wench fall backwards and lead a man
herself to a country house some mile out of the town,
like a fire-drake. There be such whoreson kind girls and
such bawdy witches, and I’ll try conclusions.

Enter DUKE, DUCHESS, L[ORD] GOVERNOR, ANTONIO and ISABELLA, FRANCISCA

DUKE
A banquet yet? Why surely, my lord governor, 95
Bacchus could never boast of a day till now
To spread his power and make his glory known.
DUCHESS
Sir you’ve done nobly. Though in modesty
You keep it from us, know we understand so much –
All this day’s cost ’tis your great love bestows 100
In honour of the bride, your virtuous niece.
GOVERNOR
In love to goodness and your presence madam –
So understood, ’tis rightly.
DUKE      Now will I
Have a strange health after all these.
GOVERNOR      What’s that my lord?
DUKE
A health in a strange cup – and’t shall go round. 105
GOVERNOR
Your grace need not doubt that, sir, having seen
So many pledged already. This fair company
Cannot shrink now for one, so it end there.
DUKE
It shall, for all ends here; here’s a full period.

[Produces a cup made out of a human skull]