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22
The
Second
Part of
EPILOGUE
[Spoken by a Dancer.]
First, my fear; then, my curtsy; last my
speech. My fear is, your displeasure, my
curtsy, my duty, and my speech, to beg your
pardon. If you look for a good speech now, you 4
undo me; for what I have to say is of mine
own making; and what indeed I should say
will, I doubt, prove mine own marring. But to
the purpose, and so to the venture. Be it known 8
to you, — as it is very well, — I was lately here in
the end of a displeasing play, to pray your
patience for it and to promise you a better. I
did mean indeed to pay you with this ; which, 12
if like an ill venture it come unluckily home, I
break, and you, my gentle creditors, lose. Here,
I promised you I would be, and here I commit
my body to your mercies: bate me some and I 16
will pay you some; and, as most debtors do,
promise you infinitely.
If my tongue cannot entreat you to acquit me,
will you command me to use my legs ? and yet 20
that were but light payment, to dance out of your
debt. But a good conscience will make any
possible satisfaction, and so will I. All the
gentlewomen here have forgiven me : if the 24
gentlemen will not, then the gentlemen do not
agree with the gentlewomen, which was never
seen before in such an assembly.
One word more, I beseech you. If you be not 28
too much cloyed with fat meat, our humble
Epilogue; cf. n. 7 doubt: fear
14 break: become bankrupt 16 bate: remit
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