Title:  Beaumont & Fletcher’s Works (1 of 10) — The Custom of the Country

Author:  Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
Edited by Arnold Glover

Release Date:  April 15, 2004 [EBook #12039]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of this project gutenberg EBOOK Beaumont & Fletcher V1 ***

Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Charles M. Bidwell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team.

THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY.

* * * * *

Persons Represented in the Play.

Count Clodio, Governour and a dishonourable pursuer of Zenocia. 
Manuel du Sosa, Governour of Lisbon, and Brother to Guiomar. 
Arnoldo, A Gentleman contracted to Zenocia. 
Rutilio, A merry Gentleman Brother to Arnoldo. 
Charino, Father to Zenocia. 
Duarte, Son to Guiomar, a Gentleman well qualified but vain glorious. 
Alonzo, a young Portugal Gentleman, enemy to Duarte. 
Leopold, a Sea Captain Enamour’d on Hippolyta. 
Zabulon, a Jew, servant to Hippolyta. 
Jaques, servant to Sulpitia. 
Doctor. 
Chirurgion. 
Officers. 
Guard. 
Page. 
Bravo. 
Knaves, of the Male Stewes. 
Servants.

WOMEN.

Zenocia, Mistress to Arnoldo, and a chaste Wife. 
Guiomar, a vertuous Lady, Mother to Duarte. 
Hippolyta, a rich Lady, wantonly in Love with Arnoldo. 
Sulpitia, a Bawd, Mistress of the Male Stewes.

* * * * *

The Scene sometimes Lisbon, sometimes Italy.

* * * * *

The principal Actors were Joseph Taylor. Robert Benfeild. John Lowin. William Eglestone. Nicholas Toolie. Richard Sharpe. John Underwood. Thomas Holcomb.

* * * * *

Actus primus.  Scena prima.

Enter Rutilio, and Arnold[o].

Rut. Why do you grieve thus still?

Arn. ’Twould melt a Marble, And tame a Savage man, to feel my fortune.

Rut. What fortune?  I have liv’d this thirty years, And run through all these follies you call fortunes, Yet never fixt on any good and constant, But what I made myself:  why should I grieve then At that I may mould any way?

Arn. You are wide still.

Rut. You love a Gentlewoman, a young handsom woman, I have lov’d a thosand, not so few.

Arn. You are dispos’d.

Rut. You hope to Marry her; ’tis a lawful calling
And prettily esteem’d of, but take heed then,
Take heed dear Brother of a stranger fortune
Than e’re you felt yet; fortune my foe is a friend to it.