he sits at work;
Be not afraid, man; she's but a woman,
And women the most cowards seldom fear:
Think but upon my former principles,
And twenty pound to a drachm,[7] you speed.

ANS. Ay, say you so?

FUL. Beware of blushing, sirrah,
Of fear and too much eloquence!
Rail on her husband, his misusing her,
And make that serve thee as an argument,
That she may sooner yield to do him wrong.
Were it my case, my love and I to plead,
I have't at fingers' ends: who could miss the clout,
Having so fair a white, such steady aim.
This is the upshot: now bid for the game.

[ANSELM _advances_.

ANS. Fair mistress, God save you!

FUL. What a circumstance
Doth he begin with; what an ass is he,
To tell her at the first that she is fair;
The only means to make her to be coy!
He should have rather told her she was foul,
And brought her out of love quite with herself;
And, being so, she would the less have car'd,
Upon whose secrets she had laid her love.
He hath almost marr'd all with that word fair. [_Aside_.[8]]

ANS. Mistress, God save you!

FUL. What a block is that,
To say, God save you! is the fellow mad?
Once to name God in his ungodly suit.

MRS ART. You are welcome, sir. Come you to speak with me
Or with my husband? pray you, what's your will?

FUL. She answers to the purpose; what's your will?
O zounds, that I were there to answer her.

ANS. Mistress, my will is not so soon express'd
Without your special favour, and the promise
Of love and pardon, if I speak amiss.

FUL. O ass! O dunce! O blockhead! that hath left
The plain broad highway and the readiest path,
To travel round about by circumstance:
He might have told his meaning in a word,
And now hath lost his opportunity.
Never was such a truant in love's school;
I am asham'd that e'er I was his tutor.

MRS ART. Sir, you may freely speak, whate'er it be,
So that your speech suiteth with modesty.

FUL. To this now could I answer passing well.

ANS. Mistress, I, pitying that so fair a creature--

FUL. Still fair, and yet I warn'd the contrary.

ANS. Should by a villain be so foully us'd,
As you have been--

FUL. _As you have been_--ay, that was well put in!

ANS. If time and place were both convenient[9]--
Have made this bold intrusion, to present
My love and service to your sacred self.

FUL. Indifferent, that was not much amiss.

MRS ART. Sir, what you mean by service and by love,
I will not know; but what you mea