Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

a gentleman, betook myself to walk: The time, when? about the fixth bour, when beafts most graze, birds beft peck, and men fit down to that nourishment which is call'd fupper fo much for the time, when. Now for the ground, which: which, I mean, I walkt upon; it is ycleped, thy park. Then for the place, where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obfcene and most prepofterous event, that draweth from my fnow-white pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here thou vieweft, beboldft, furveyeft, or feeft. But to the place, where; It ftandeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden. There did I fee that low fpirited fwain, that bafe minow of thy mirth, (Coft. Me?) that unletter'd small-knowing foul, (Coft. Me?) that fhallow vaffal, (Coft. Still me?) which, as I remember, hight Coftard; (Coft. O ine!) forted and conforted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edit and continent canon, with, with- O with, but, with this, I paffion to say wherewith:

Coft. With a wench.

King. With a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or for thy more understanding, a woman; him, I (as my ever esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy fweet Grace's Officer, Anthony Dull, a man of good repute, carriage, bearing an estimation.

Dull. Me, an't fhall please you: I am Anthony Dull. King. For Jaquenetta, (fo is the weaker veffel call'd) which I apprehended with the aforefaid fwain, I keep her as a vaffal of thy law's fury, and shall at the least of thy fweet notice bring her to trial. Thine in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning beat of duty,

Don Adriano de Armado.

Biron. This is not fo well as I look'd for, but the best that ever I heard.

- base minow of thy mirth.] Aminow is a little fifh which can

not be intended here. We may read, the bafe minion of thy mirth,

King. Ay; the best for the worst. But, firrah, what fay you to this?

Coft. Sir, I confefs the wench.

King. Did you hear the proclamation ?

Coft. I do confefs much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it.

King. It was proclaim'd a year's imprisonment to be taken with a wench.

Coft. I was taken with none, Sir, I was taken with a damofel.

King. Well, it was proclaimed damofel.

Coft. This was no damofel neither, Sir, fhe was a virgin.

King. It is fo varied too, for it was proclaim'd virgin.

Coft. If it were, I deny her virginity: I was taken with a maid.

King. This maid will not serve your turn, Sir.
Coft. This maid will ferve my turn, Sir.

King. Sir, I will pronounce fentence; you shall fast a week with bran and water.

Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge.

King. And Don Armado fhall be your keeper. My lord Biron, fee him deliver'd o'er.

And go we, lords, to put in practice that,

Which each to other hath so strongly sworn.

[Exeunt. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, These oaths and laws will prove an idle fcorn, Sirrah, come on.

Coft, I fuffer for the truth, Sir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and therefore welcome the four cup of profperity: affliction may one day fmile again, and until then, fit thee down, forrow, [Exeunt.

SCENE

Arm.

B

[blocks in formation]

Enter Armado, and Moth.

OY, what fign is it, when a man of
fpirit grows melancholy?

[ocr errors]

great

Moth. A great fign, Sir, that he will look fad. Arm. Why, fadness is one and the self-fame thing, dear imp'.

Moth. No, no; O lord, Sir, no.

Arm. How can'ft thou part fadnefs and melancholy, my tender Juvenile?

Moth. By a familiar demonftration of the working, my tough Signior.

Arm. Why, tough Signior? why, tough Signior? Moth. Why, tender Juvenile? why, tender Juve

nile?

Arm. I fpoke it, tender Juvenile, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender.

Moth. And I, tough Signior, as an appertinent titlę to your old time, which we may name tough,

Arm. Pretty and apt.

Moth. How mean you, Sir, I pretty, and

ing apt? or I apt, and my saying pretty? Arm. Thou pretty, because little.

I

my fay

Moth. Little! pretty, because little; wherefore apt?

Arm. And therefore apt, because quick.
Moth. Speak you this in my praise, master?
Arm. In thy condign praise.

3 dear Imp.] Imp was anciently a term of dignity. Lord Cromwel in his laft letter to Henry VIII. prays for the imp bis fon. It is now used only in

contempt or abhorrence; perhaps in our author's time it was ambiguous, in which state it fuits well with this dialogue.

Moth.

Moth. I will praise an çel with the fame praise.
Arm. What? that an eel is ingenious.

Moth. That an eel is quick.

Arm. I do fay, thou art quick in answers. Thou heat'ft my blood

Moth. I am answer'd, Sir.

Arm. I love not to be croft.

Moth. He speaks the clean contrary, croffes love not him 2.

Arm. I have promis'd to study three years with the
King.

Moth. You may do it in an hour, Sir.
Arm. Impoffible.

Moth. How many is one thrice told?

Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fits the fpirit of a tapster.

Moth. You are a gentleman and a gamefter.

Arm. I confess both; they are both the varnish of a compleat man.

Moth. Then, I am fure, you know how much the grofs fum of duce-ace amounts to.

Arm. It doth amount to one more than two.
Moth. Which the bafe vulgar call, three.

Arm. True.

Moth. Why, Sir, is this fuch a piece of study? now here's three ftudied ere you'll thrice wink; and how eafy it is to put years to the word three, and ftudy three years in two words, the dancing-horfe will tell

you.

Arm. A moft fine figure.

Moth. To prove you a cypher.

Arm. I will hereupon confefs, I am in love; and, as it is bafe for a foldier to love, fo I am in love with a bafe wench. If drawing my fword against the hu

croffes love not him.] to Celia, if I should bear you, I By croes he means money. So fhould bear no cross.

in As you like it, the Clown fays

[ocr errors]

mour

mour of affection would deliver me from the reprobate thought of it, I would take Defire prisoner; and ranfom him to any French courtier for a new-devis'd curt'fy. I think it scorn to figh; methinks, I should out-fwear Cupid. Comfort me, boy; what great men

have been in love?

Moth. Hercules, master.

Arm. Moft sweet Hercules! More authority, dear boy, name more; and, fweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage.

Moth. Sampfon, master; he was a man of good carriage; great carriage; for he carried the town-gates on his back like a porter, and he was in love.

Arm. O well-knit Sampson, strong-jointed Sampfon! I do excel thee in my rapier, as much as thou didst me in carrying gates. I am in love too. Who was Sampfon's love, my dear Moth?

Moth. A woman, mafter.

Arm. Of what complexion?"

Moth. Of all the four, or the three, or the two, or one of the four.

Arm. Tell me precisely of what complexion?
Moth. Of the fea-water green, Sir.

Arm. Is that one of the four complexions?

Moth. As I have read, Sir, and the best of them too. Arm. Green, indeed, is the colour of lovers; but to have a love of that colour, methinks, Sampson had fmall reason for it. He, furely, affected her for her wit.

Moth. It was fo, Sir, for fhe had a green wit.

Arm. My love is most immaculate white and red. Moth. Moft maculate thoughts, master, are mask'd under fuch colours.

Arm. Define, define, well-educated infant.

Moth. My father's wit, and my mother's tongue, affift me!

Arm. Sweet invocation of a child, moft pathetical!

pretty and

Moth.

« ZurückWeiter »