Bartholomew Fayre Act 1. Scene 6

Purecraft, Win, John, Busy, Salomon.

Now, the blaze of the beauteous Discipline, fright
away this evil from our House! how now Win-
the-fight, Child: how do you? Sweet Child, speak to me.

Win.
Yes, forsooth.

Pur.
Look up, sweet Win-the-fight, and suffer not the
Enemy to enter you at this Door, remember that your
Education has bin with the purest; what polluted one
was it, that nam'd first the unclean Beast, Pig, to you,
Child?

Win.
(Uh, uh.)

Joh.
Not I, o' my sincerity Mother: she long'd above
three hours e'er she would let me know it; who was it
Win?

Win.
A prophane black thing with a Beard, John.

Pur.
O! resist it, Win-the-fight, it is the Tempter, the
wicked Tempter, you may know it by the fleshly mo-
tion of Pig, be strong against it, and it's foul temptati-
ons, in these assaults, whereby it broacheth Flesh and
Blood, as it were on the weaker side, and pray against
it's carnal provocations; good Child, sweet Child, pray.

Joh.
Good Mother, I pray you, that she may eat some
Pig, and her belly full too; and do not you cast away
your own Child, and perhaps one of mine, with your
tale of the Tempter: how do you, Win? Are you not
sick?

Win.
Yes, a great deal, John, (uh, uh.)

Pur.
What shall we do? call our zealous Brother Bu-
sy hither, for his faithful fortification in this charge of
the adversary; Child, my dear Child, you shall eat Pig,
be comforted, my sweet Child.

Win.
I, but i' the Fair, Mother.

Pur.
I mean i' the Fair, if it can be any way made
or found lawful; where is our Brother Busy? Will he not
come? look up, Child.

Joh.
Presently, Mother, as soon as he has cleans'd
his Beard. I found him fast by the Teeth, i' the cold
Turkey-pie i' the Cupboard, with a great white Loaf
on his left-hand, and a Glass of Malmsey on his right.

Pur.
Slander not the Brethren, wicked one.

Joh.
Here he is now, purified Mother.

Pur.
O Brother Busy! your help here to edifie and
raise us up in a scruple; my Daughter Win-the-fight is
visited with a natural Disease of Women; call'd, A long-
ing to eat Pig.

Joh.
I Sir, a Bartholmew-Pig: and in the Fair.

Pur.
And I would be satisfied from you, Religiously-
wise, whether a Widow of the sanctified Assembly, or
a Widows Daughter, may commit the act without of-
fence to the weaker Sisters.

Bus.
Verily, for the Disease of Longing, it is a Disease,
a carnal Disease, or Appetite, incident to Women:
and as it is carnal, and incident, it is natural, very natu-
ral: Now Pig, it is a Meat, and a Meat that is nourish-
ing, and may be long'd for, and so consequently eaten;
it may be eaten; very exceeding well eaten: but in the
Fair, and as a Bartholmew-Pig, it cannot be eaten; for
the very calling it a Bartholmew-Pig; and to eat it so, is
a spice of Idolatry, and you make the Fair no better than
one of the high Places. This I take it is the state of the
question. A high place.

Joh.
I, but in state of necessity: Place should give
place, Mr. Busy, (I have a conceit left yet.)

Pur.
Good Brother, Zeal-of-the-land, think to make it
as lawful as you can.

Joh.
Yes Sir, and as soon as you can: for it must be
Sir; you see the danger my little Wife is in, Sir.

Pur.
Truly, I do love my Child dearly, and I would
not have her miscarry, or hazard her first fruits, if it
might be otherwise.

Bus.
Surely, it may be otherwise, but it is subject to
construction, subject, and hath a face of offence with
the weak, a great face, a foul face, but that face may
have a veil put over it, and be shaddowed as it were, it
may be eaten, and in the Fair, I take it, in a Booth, the
Tents of the wicked: the place is not much, not very
much, we may be Religious in midst of the prophane, so
it be eaten with a reformed Mouth, with sobriety, and
humbleness; not gorg'd in with gluttony, or greediness;
there's the fear: for, should she go there, as taking pride
in the place, or delight in the unclean dressing, to feed
the vanity of the Eye, or the lust of the Palate, it
were not well, it were not fit, it were abominable, and
not good.

Joh.
Nay, I knew that afore, and told her on't; but
courage, Win, we'll be humble enough, we'll seek out
the homeliest Booth i' the Fair; that's certain, rather
then fail, we'll eat it o' the Ground.

Pur.
I, and I'll go with you my self, Win-the-fight, and
my Brother Zeal of-the-land shall go with us too, for our
better consolation.

Win.
Uh, uh.

Joh.
I, and Salomon too Win, (the more the merrier)
Win, we'll leave Rabby Busy in a Booth. Salomon, my
Cloke.

Sal.
Here, Sir.

Bus.
In the way of comfort to the weak, I will go
and eat. I will eat exceedingly, and prophesie; there
may be a good use made of it too, now I think on't:
by the publick eating of Swines Flesh, to profess our
hate and loathing of Judaism, whereof the Brethren
stand taxed. I will therefore eat, yea I will eat exceed-
ingly.

Joh.
Good i' faith, I will eat heartily too, because I
will be no Jew, I could never away with that stiffnecked
generation: and truly, I hope my little one will be like
me, that cries for Pig so i' the Mothers Belly.

Bus.
Very likely, exceeding likely, very exceeding
likely.