Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Hol. Quis, quis, thou confonant?

Moth. The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if I. (37)

Hol. I will repeat them, a e I

Moth. The fheep; the other two concludes it, o, u. Arm. Now by the falt wave of the Mediterraneum, a fweet touch, a quick venew of wit; fnip, fnap, quick and home; it rejoiceth my intellect; true wit.

Moth. Offer'd by a child to an old man: which is

wit-old.

Hol. What is the figure? what is the figure?
Moth. Horns.

Hol. Thou difputeft like an infant; go, whip thy gigg.

Moth, Lend me your horn to make one, and I will whip about your infamy (38) circùm circà; a gigg of

a cuckold's horn.

Coft. An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread; hold, there is the very remuneration I had of thy mafter, thou halfpenny purse of wit, thou pidgeon-egg of difcretion. O, that the heav'ns were so pleased, that thou wert but my bastard! what a joyful father wouldst thou make me? go to, thou haft it ad dunghill; at the finger's ends, as they fay.

Hol. Oh, I fmell falfe latine, dunghil for unguem.

Arm. Arts-man, preambula; we will be fingled from the barbarous. Do you not educate youth at the chargehoufe on the top of the mountain?

Hol. Or, Mons the hill.

(37) The laft of the five Vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth if I: Hol. I will repeat them, a e I

Moth. The Sheep: the other two concludes it out.] Wonderful Sagacity again! All the Editions agree in this Reading; but is not the laft, and the fifth, the fame Vowel Tho' my Correction reftores but a poor Conundrum, yet if it reftores the Poet's Meaning, it is the Duty of an Editor to trace him in his lowest Conceits. By, O, U, Moth would Oh, You. i. e. You are the Sheep ftill, either way; no Matter, which of Us repeats them.

mean

(38) I will whip about your Infamy unum cita;] Here again all the Editions give us Jargon inftead of Latine. But Moth would certainly say, circùm circà: i. e. about and about.

L 3

Arm.

[ocr errors][merged small]

Arm. At your fweet pleafure, for the mountain.
Hol. I do, fans question.

Arm. Sir, it is the King's moft fweet pleasure and affection, to congratulate the Princess at her Pavilion, in the pofteriors of this day, which the rude multitude call the afternoon.

Hol. The pofterior of the day, moft generous Sir, is liable, congruent, and measurable for the afternoon : the word is well cull'd, choice, fweet, and apt, I do affure you, Sir, I do affure.

[ocr errors]

Arm. Sir, the King is a noble gentleman, and my familiar; I do affure ye, my very good friend; for what is inward between us, let it pafs- I do befeech thee, remember thy curtefie-I beseech thee, apparel thy head, — and and among other importunate and moft ferious defigns, and of great import indeed too but let that pass: for I must tell thee, it will pleafe his Grace (by the world) fometime to lean upon my poor fhoulder, and with his royal finger thus dally with my excrement, with my muftachio; but fweet heart, let that pafs. By the world, Irecount no fable; fome certain fpecial honours it pleaseth his Greatness to impart to Armado, a foldier, a man of travel, that hath feen the world; but let that pafs

the very all of all is-but fweet heart, I do implore fecrecy that the King would have me present the Princefs (fweet chuck) with fome delightful oftentation, or fhow, or pageant, or antick, or fire-work. Now, understanding that the Curate and your fweet felf are good at fuch eruptions, and fudden breaking out of mirth, (as it were) I have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your affistance.

Hol. Sir, you shall prefent before her the nine Worthies. Sir, as concerning fome entertainment of time, fome show in the pofterior of this day, to be rendred by our affiftants at the King's command, and this most gallant, illuftrate and learned gentleman, before the Princess: I fay, none fo fit as to prefent the nine Worthies.

Nath.

Nath. Where will you find men worthy enough to present them?

Hol. Jofbua, your felf; this gallant man, Judas Macabeus; this fwain (because of his great limb or joint) fhall pafs Pompey the great; and the page, Hercules.

Arm. Pardon, Sir, error: he is not quantity enough for that Worthy's thumb; he is not fo big as the end

of his club.

Hol. Shall I have audience? he fhall prefent Hercules in minority: his Enter and Exit fhall be ftrangling a fnake; and I will have an apology for that purpose.

Moth. An excellent device: for if any of the audience hiss, you may cry; "well done, Hercules, now "thou crufheft the fnake;" that is the way to make an offence gracious, tho' few have the grace to do it. Arm. For the reft of the Worthies, Hol. I will play three my self. Moth. Thrice-worthy gentleman! Arm. Shall I tell you a thing?

Hol. We attend.

Arm. We will have, if this fadge not, an Antick. I beseech you, follow.

Hol. Via! good-man Dull, thou haft fpoken no word all this while.

Dull. Nor understood none neither, Sir.

Hol. Allons we will employ thee.

Dull. I'll make one in a dance, or fo: or I will play on the taber to the Worthies, and let them dance the hay.

Hol. Moft dull, honeft, Dull, to our Sport away.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, before the Princess's Pavilion.

Enter Princefs, and Ladies.

Prin. Weet hearts, we fhall be rich ere we depart, If Fairings come thus plentifully in.

A lady wall'd about with diamonds!

Look you, what I have from the loving King.

Rofa. Madam, came nothing elfe along with That?

L 4

Prin.

Prin. Nothing but this? yes, as much love in rhyme, (39)

As would be cram'd up in a sheet of paper,
Writ on both fides the leaf, margent and all;
That he was fain to feal on Cupid's name.

Rofa. That was the way to make his God-head wax, For he hath been five thousand years a boy.

Cath. Ay, and a fhrewd unhappy gallows too. Rofa. You'll ne'er be friends with him; he kill'd your fifter.

Cath. He made her melancholy, fad and heavy, And fo fhe died; had fhe been light, like you, Of fuch a merry, nimble, ftirring fpirit, She might have been a grandam ere the dy'd. And fo may you; for a light heart lives long. Rofa. What's your dark meaning, moufe, of this light word?

Cath. A light condition, in a beauty dark.

Rofa. We need more light to find your meaning

out.

Cath. You'll marr the light, by taking it in snuff:
Therefore I'll darkly end the argument.

Rofa. Look, what you do; and do it still i'th' dark.
Cath. So do not you, for you are a light wench.
Rofa. Indeed, I weigh not you; and therefore light.
Cath. You weigh me not; O, that's, you care not
for me.

Rofa. Great reafon; for paft Cure is ftill paft Care.(40) Prin. Well bandied both; a fet of wit well play'd. But, Rofaline, you have a Favour too:

Who fent it? and what is it?

(39)

as much Love in Rhyme,

As would be cram'd up in a Sheet of Paper,

Writ on both fides the Leaf, margent and all.]

I dare not affirm This to be an Imitation, but it carries a mighty Refemblance of this Paffage in the Beginning of Juvenal's first Satire. fummi plenâ jàm margine libri

Scriptus, & in tergo, nec dùm finitus Oreftes.

(40)- for paft Care is ftill paft Cure.] The Tranfpofition which I have made in the two Words, Care and Cure, is by the Direction of the ingenious Dr. Thirlby. The Reason fpeaks for it felf.

Rofa.

Rofa. I would, you knew.'

And if my face were but as fair as yours,
My favour were as great; be witness this.
Nay, I have verses too, I thank Biron.
The numbers true; and were the numbring too,
I were the fairest Goddess on the ground.
I am compar'd to twenty thousand fairs.
O, he hath drawn my picture in his letter.
Prin. Any thing like?

Rofa. Much in the letters, nothing in the praise.
Prin. Beauteous as ink; a good conclufion.

Cath. Fair as a text B in a copy-book.

Rofa. Ware pencils. How? let me not die your debter,

My red dominical, my golden letter.

O, that your face were not fo full of Oes!

Cath. Pox of that jeft,and I beshrew all fhrews: (41) Prin. But what was fent to you from fair Dumaine? Cath. Madam, this glove.

Prin. Did he not fend you twain?
Cath. Yes, madam; and moreover,
Some thousand verses of a faithful lover.

A huge translation of hypocrifie,
Vildly compil'd, profound fimplicity.

Mar. This, and thefe pearls, to me fent Longaville; The letter is too long by half a mile.

Prin. I think no lefs; doft thou not wish in heart, The chain were longer, and the letter fhort?

Mar. Ay, or I would thefe hands might never part. Prin. We are wife girls, to mock our lovers for't. Rofa. They are worfe fools to purchase mocking so. That fame Biron I'll torture, ere I go.

O, that I knew he were but in by th' week,

(41) Prin. Pox of that jeaft, and I beforew all Shrews. As the Princess has behav'd with great Decency all along hitherto, there is no Reason to be affign'd why she should start all at once into this courfe Dialect. But I am perfwaded, the Editors only have made her go out of Character. In fhort, Rofaline and Catharine are rallying one another without Referve; and to Catharine this firft Line certainly belong'd, and therefore I have ventur'd once more to put her in Poffeffion of it.

How

« ZurückWeiter »