First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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| Enter Countesse and Clowne. | Enter the Countess and the Clown | | AW II.ii.1.1 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Come on sir, I shall now put you to the | Come on, sir. I shall now put you to the | put (v.) force, make, compel | AW II.ii.1 | |
| height of your breeding. | height of your breeding. | | AW II.ii.2 | |
| Clown. | CLOWN | | | |
| I will shew my selfe highly fed, and lowly taught, I | I will show myself highly fed and lowly taught. I | | AW II.ii.3 | |
| know my businesse is but to the Court. | know my business is but to the court. | | AW II.ii.4 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| To the Court, why what place make you | To the court! Why, what place make you | | AW II.ii.5 | |
| speciall, when you put off that with such contempt, but | special, when you put off that with such contempt? But | put off (v.)dismiss, brush aside, spurn | AW II.ii.6 | |
| | special (adj.)particular, specific, distinctive | | |
| to the Court? | to the court! | | AW II.ii.7 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| Truly Madam, if God haue lent a man any | Truly, madam, if God have lent a man any | | AW II.ii.8 | |
| manners, hee may easilie put it off at Court: hee that cannot | manners he may easily put it off at court. He that cannot | put off (v.)pass off, palm off, foist on | AW II.ii.9 | |
| make a legge, put off's cap, kisse his hand, and say nothing, | make a leg, put off's cap, kiss his hand, and say nothing, | leg (n.)bending of a knee, genuflection, obeisance | AW II.ii.10 | |
| has neither legge, hands, lippe, nor cap; and indeed such a | has neither leg, hands, lip, nor cap; and indeed such a | | AW II.ii.11 | |
| fellow, to say precisely, were not for the Court, but for | fellow, to say precisely, were not for the court. But for | | AW II.ii.12 | |
| me, I haue an answere will serue all men. | me, I have an answer will serve all men. | | AW II.ii.13 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Marry that's a bountifull answere that fits all | Marry, that's a bountiful answer that fits all | marry (int.)[exclamation] by Mary | AW II.ii.14 | |
| questions. | questions. | | AW II.ii.15 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| It is like a Barbers chaire that fits all buttockes, the pin | It is like a barber's chair that fits all buttocks: the | | AW II.ii.16 | |
| buttocke, the quatch-buttocke, the brawn buttocke, or | pin-buttock, the quatch-buttock, the brawn-buttock, or | quatch (adj.)[unclear meaning] squat, fat, plump | AW II.ii.17 | |
| | brawn-buttock (n.)fleshy buttock, well-rounded bottom | | |
| any buttocke. | any buttock. | | AW II.ii.18 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Will your answere serue fit to all questions? | Will your answer serve fit to all questions? | fit (adv.)suitably, fittingly, appropriately | AW II.ii.19 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an Atturney, | As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an attorney, | attorney (n.)advocate, mediator, promoter | AW II.ii.20 | |
| | groat (n.)fourpenny piece | | |
| as your French Crowne for your taffety punke, as Tibs | as your French crown for your taffety punk, as Tib's | punk (n.)harlot, strumpet, whore | AW II.ii.21 | |
| | French crownbaldness caused by syphilis [often punning on the French coin] | | |
| | Tib (n.)[type name for] strumpet, harlot, whore | | |
| | taffety (adj.)finely dressed, showy, overdressed | | |
| rush for Toms fore-finger, as a pancake for Shroue- | rush for Tom's forefinger, as a pancake for Shrove | rush (n.)ring made of rushes, reed ring | AW II.ii.22 | |
| tuesday, a Morris for May-day, as the naile to his hole, | Tuesday, a morris for May-day, as the nail to his hole, | morris (n.)morris dance | AW II.ii.23 | |
| the Cuckold to his horne, as a scolding queane to a | the cuckold to his horn, as a scolding quean to a | quean (n.)bawd, jade, hussy | AW II.ii.24 | |
| | cuckold (n.)[mocking name] man with an unfaithful wife | | |
| wrangling knaue, as the Nuns lip to the Friers mouth, | wrangling knave, as the nun's lip to the friar's mouth; | knave (n.)scoundrel, rascal, rogue | AW II.ii.25 | |
| nay as the pudding to his skin. | nay, as the pudding to his skin. | pudding (n.)type of large savoury dish; dumpling, pasty | AW II.ii.26 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Haue you, I say, an answere of such fitnesse for | Have you, I say, an answer of such fitness for | | AW II.ii.27 | |
| all questions? | all questions? | | AW II.ii.28 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| From below your Duke, to beneath your Constable, | From below your duke to beneath your constable, | | AW II.ii.29 | |
| it will fit any question. | it will fit any question. | | AW II.ii.30 | |
| Lady. | COUNTESS | | | |
| It must be an answere of most monstrous size, | It must be an answer of most monstrous size | | AW II.ii.31 | |
| that must fit all demands. | that must fit all demands. | | AW II.ii.32 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| But a triflle neither in good faith, if the learned | But a trifle neither, in good faith, if the learned | | AW II.ii.33 | |
| should speake truth of it: heere it is, and all that belongs | should speak truth of it. Here it is, and all that belongs | | AW II.ii.34 | |
| to't. Aske mee if I am a Courtier, it shall doe you no harme | to't. Ask me if I am a courtier; it shall do you no harm | | AW II.ii.35 | |
| to learne. | to learn. | | AW II.ii.36 | |
| Lady | COUNTESS | | | |
| To be young againe if we could: I will bee a | To be young again, if we could! I will be a | | AW II.ii.37 | |
| foole in question, hoping to bee the wiser by your answer. | fool in question, hoping to be the wiser by your answer. | | AW II.ii.38 | |
| I pray you sir, are you a Courtier? | I pray you, sir, are you a courtier? | | AW II.ii.39 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| O Lord sir theres a simple putting off: more, | O Lord, sir! – There's a simple putting off. More, | | AW II.ii.40 | |
| more, a hundred of them. | more, a hundred of them. | | AW II.ii.41 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Sir I am a poore freind of yours, that loues you. | Sir, I am a poor friend of yours that loves you. | | AW II.ii.42 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| O Lord sir, thicke, thicke, spare not me. | O Lord, sir! – Thick, thick; spare not me. | thick (adv.)quickly, rapidly, fast | AW II.ii.43 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| I thinke sir, you can eate none of this homely | I think, sir, you can eat none of this homely | | AW II.ii.44 | |
| meate. | meat. | | AW II.ii.45 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| O Lord sir; nay put me too't, I warrant you. | O Lord, sir! – Nay, put me to't, I warrant you. | warrant (v.)assure, promise, guarantee, confirm | AW II.ii.46 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| You were lately whipt sir as I thinke. | You were lately whipped, sir, as I think. | | AW II.ii.47 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| O Lord sir, spare not me. | O Lord, sir! – Spare not me. | | AW II.ii.48 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Doe you crie O Lord sir at your whipping, | Do you cry, ‘ O Lord, sir! ’ at your whipping, | | AW II.ii.49 | |
| and spare not me? Indeed your O Lord sir, is very | and ‘ spare not me?’ Indeed your ‘ O Lord, sir!’ is very | | AW II.ii.50 | |
| sequent to your whipping: you would answere very well | sequent to your whipping: you would answer very well | sequent (adj.)following, ensuing, consequent | AW II.ii.51 | |
| | answer (v.)respond, react | | |
| to a whipping if you were but bound too't. | to a whipping, if you were but bound to't. | bind (v.), past form boundpledge, vow, be under obligation | AW II.ii.52 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| I nere had worse lucke in my life in my O Lord | I ne'er had worse luck in my life in my ‘ O Lord, | | AW II.ii.53 | |
| sir: I see things may serue long, but not serue euer. | sir!’ I see things may serve long, but not serve ever. | | AW II.ii.54 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| I play the noble huswife with the time, | I play the noble housewife with the time, | | AW II.ii.55 | |
| to entertaine it so merrily with a foole. | To entertain it so merrily with a fool. | | AW II.ii.56 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| O Lord sir, why there't serues well agen. | O Lord, sir! – Why, there't serves well again. | | AW II.ii.57 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| And end sir to your businesse: giue Hellen this, | An end, sir! To your business: give Helen this, | | AW II.ii.58 | |
| And vrge her to a present answer backe, | And urge her to a present answer back. | | AW II.ii.59 | |
| Commend me to my kinsmen, and my sonne, | Commend me to my kinsmen and my son. | commend (v.)convey greetings, present kind regards | AW II.ii.60 | |
| This is not much. | This is not much. | | AW II.ii.61 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| Not much commendation to them. | Not much commendation to them? | | AW II.ii.62 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Not much imployement for you, you vnderstand | Not much employment for you. You understand | | AW II.ii.63 | |
| me. | me? | | AW II.ii.64 | |
| Clo. | CLOWN | | | |
| Most fruitfully, I am there, before my legges. | Most fruitfully. I am there before my legs. | | AW II.ii.65 | |
| La. | COUNTESS | | | |
| Hast you agen. | Haste you again. | again (adv.)back [to a former position] | AW II.ii.66 | |
| Exeunt | Exeunt | | AW II.ii.66 | |