M. MumbL £en so sir.

(^Here lette him tell hir a great long tale in hir eare.)
In the next scene Royster Doyster and Merygreeke ply the old nurse to bear a letter to the beloved Custance : Merygreeke standing by and stuffing the old lady with the most marvellous tales of Royster Doyster's powers and strength — how that Royster was a great hunter,
Yea and the last £lephant that ever he sawe As the beast passed by, he start out of a buske, And e'en with pure strength of armes pluckt out his great tuske : . . .
Why he wrong a club Once in a fray out of the hande of Belzebub.
Whereupon the old nurse declares that he is " a sore man by zembletee," and takes the letter.
Dame Custance scolds them all soundly for bringing her a letter from any man, and here follow several scenes of by-play among the servants, all of them resolving to be revenged upon Royster Doyster for bringing them into disfavour with their mistress. Meantime she declines even to read the letter at first, and tosses it aside. Merygreeke comes and offers the hand of Royster Doyster in mar- riage, but she refuses with all contempt. She now reads the letter, and her disdain is wrought to the highest pitch. It seems that Royster Doyster had employed a scrivener to compose the letter for him, but had copied it off him- self, and, in copying, had so changed the punctuation as
i6o SHAKSPERE AND HIS FORERUNNERS
to convert the sentiments from those of a love-letter into a tirade of abuse. How this is done comes out in the third act. Custance, in the fourth scene, finds Mery- greeke and Royster Doyster dawdling before her house.
C Custance, What gaudyng and foolyng is this afore my doore f