Act IV, Scene vi

Enter ROBIN, DICK, the HORSE-COURSER, and a CARTER.

CARTER. Come, my masters, I'll bring you to the best beer in

Europe.—What, ho, hostess! where be these whores?

Enter HOSTESS.:

HOSTESS. How now! what lack you? What, my old guess!<201> welcome.

ROBIN. Sirrah Dick, dost thou<202> know why I stand so mute?

DICK. No, Robin: why is't?

ROBIN. I am eighteen-pence on the score. but say nothing; see

if she have forgotten me.

HOSTESS. Who's this that stands so solemnly by himself? What,

my old guest!

ROBIN. O, hostess, how do you? I hope my score stands still.

HOSTESS. Ay, there's no doubt of that; for methinks you make no

haste to wipe it out.

DICK. Why, hostess, I say, fetch us some beer.

HOSTESS. You shall presently.—Look up into the hall there, ho!

[Exit.—Drink is presently brought in.]

DICK. Come, sirs, what shall we do now<203> till mine hostess comes?

CARTER. Marry, sir,<204> I'll tell you the bravest tale how a

conjurer served me. You know Doctor Faustus?

HORSE-COURSER. Ay, a plague take him! here's some on's have cause

to know him. Did he conjure thee too?

CARTER. I'll tell you how he served me. As I was going to

Wittenberg, t'other day,<205> with a load of hay, he met me, and

asked me what he should give me for as much hay as he could eat.

Now, sir, I thinking that a little would serve his turn, bad him

take as much as he would for three farthings: so he presently

gave me my<206> money and fell to eating; and, as I am a cursen<207>

man, he never left eating till he had eat up all my load of hay.

ALL. O, monstrous! eat a whole load of hay!

ROBIN. Yes, yes, that may be; for I have heard of one that has eat

a load of logs.

HORSE-COURSER. Now, sirs, you shall hear how villanously he

served me. I went to him yesterday to buy a horse of him, and

he would by no means sell him under forty dollars. So, sir,

because I knew him to be such a horse as would run over hedge

and ditch and never tire, I gave him his money. So, when I had

my horse, Doctor Faustus bad me ride him night and day, and spare

him no time; but, quoth he, in any case, ride him not into the

water. Now, sir, I thinking the horse had had some quality<208>

that he would not have me know of, what did I but rid<209> him

into a great river? and when I came just in the midst, my horse

vanished away, and I sate straddling upon a bottle of hay.

ALL. O, brave doctor!

HORSE-COURSER. But you shall hear how bravely I served him for

it. I went me home to his house, and there I found him asleep.

I kept a hallooing and whooping in his ears; but all could not

wake him. I, seeing that, took him by the leg, and never rested

pulling till I had pulled me his leg quite off; and now 'tis at

home in mine hostry.

ROBIN. And has the doctor but one leg, then? that's excellent;

for one of his devils turned me into the likeness of an ape's face.

CARTER. Some more drink, hostess!

ROBIN. Hark you, we'll into another room and drink a while, and

then we'll go seek out the doctor.

[Exeunt.]