The dramatic works of Shakspeare, from the text of Johnson and Stevens [sic. Wanting pp

Lend me the flourish of all gentle tongues,-
Fie, painted rhetoric! O, she needs it, not:
To things of sale a seller's praise belongs;
She passes praise; then praise too short
doth blot.

A wither'd hermit, five-score winters worn,
Might shake off fifty, looking in her eye:
Beauty doth varnish age, as if new-born,
And gives the crutch the cradle's infancy.
O, 'tis the sun, that maketh all things shine!
King. By heaven, thy love is black as ebony.
Biron. Is ebony like her? O wood divine!
A wife of such wood were felicity.
O, who can give an oath? where is a book?
That I may swear, beauty doth beauty lack,
If that she learn not of her eye to look:
No face is fair, that is not full so black.
King. O paradox! Black is the badge of hell,
The hue of dungeons, and the scowl of night;
And beauty's crest becomes the heavens well.
Biron. Devils soonest tempt, resembling
spirits of light.

O, if in black my lady's brows be deckt,
It mourns, that painting, and usurping hair,
Should ravish doters with a false aspéct ;
And therefore is she born to make black fair.
Her favour turns the fashion of the days;
For native blood is counted painting now;
And therefore red, that would avoid dispraise,
Paints itself black, to imitate her brow.
Dum. To look like her, are chimney-sweep-
ers black.
[ed bright.
Long. And, since her time, are colliers connt-
King. And Ethiops of their sweet com.
plexion crack.
[is light.
Dum. Dark needs no candles now, for dark
Biron. Your mistresses dare never come in
rain,
[away.
For fear their colours should be wash'd
King. Twere good, yours did; for, sir, to
tell you plain,

Have at you then, affection's men at arms:
Consider, what you first did swear unto;-
To fast,-to study, and to see no woman;-
Flat treason 'gainst the kingly state of youth.
Say, can you fast? your stomachs are too young;
And abstinence engenders maladies.

And where that you have vow'd to study, lords,
In that each of you hath forsworn his book:
Can you still dream,and pore, and thereon look?
For when would you, iny lord, or you, or you,
Have found the ground of study's excellence,
Without the beauty of a woman's face?
From women's eyes this doctrine I derive!
They are the ground, the books, the academes,
From whence doth spring the true Promethean
Why, universal plodding prisons up [ire.
The nimble spirits in the arteries;
As motion, and long during action, tires
The sinewy vigour of the traveller.
Now, for not looking on a woman's face,
You have in that fors worn the use of eyes;
And study too, the causer of your vow:
For where is any anthor in the world,
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye?
Learning is but an adjunct to ourself,
And where we are, our learning likewise is.
Then, when ourselves we see in ladies' eyes,
Do we not likewise see our learning there?
O, we have made a vow to study, lords;
And in that vow we have forsworn our books;
For when would you, my liege, or you, or you,
In leaden contemplation, have found out
Such fiery numbers, as the prompting eyes
Of beauteous tutors have enrich'd you with?
Other slow arts entirely keep the brain;
And therefore finding barren practisers,
Scarce show a harvest of their heavy toil:
But love, first learned in a lady's eyes,
Lives not alone immured in the brain;
But with the motion of all elements,
Courses as swift as thought in every power;
And gives to every power a double power,
Above their functions and their offices.
It adds a precious seeing to the eye;
A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind;
A lover's ear will hear the lowest sound,
When the suspicious head of theft is stopp'd;
Love's feeling is more soft, and sensible,
Than are the tender horns of cockled snails;
Love's tongue proves dainty. Bacchus gross in
For valour, is not love a Hercules, [taste:
Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?
Subtle as sphinx; as sweet, and musical,
As bright Apollo's lute, strung with his hair;
And, when love speaks, the voice of all the gods
Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony.
Never durst poet touch a pen to write,
Until his ink were temper'd with love's sighs;
O, then his lines would ravish savage ears,
And plant in tyrants mild humility.
From women's eyes this doctrine I derive:
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire;
They are the books, the arts, the academes,
That show, contain, and nourish all the world;
Else, none at all in aught proves excellent :
Then fools you were these women to forswear;
Law chicane,, -3: od mat lin ne h

I'll find a fairer face not wash'd to-day. Biron. I'll prove her fair, or talk till doomsday here. [much as she. King. No devil will fright thee then so Dum. I never knew man hold vile stuff so dear. [her face see. [Showing his shoe. Long. Look, here's thy love: my foot and Biron. O, if the streets were paved with [tread! Her feet were much too dainty for such Dum. O vile! then as she goes, what up. ward lies, [head. The street should see as she walk'd over King. But what of this? Are we not all in love? [forsworn. Biron. O, nothing so sure; and thereby all King. Then leave this chat; and, good Birón,

thine eyes,

now proves

Our loving lawful, and our faith not torn. Dum. Ay, marry, there;-soine flattery for this evil.

Long. O, some authority how to proceed;
Some tricks, some quillets, how to cheat the
Dum. Some salve for perjury, [devil.
Biron.
O, 'tis more than need!

Or,keeping what is sworn, you will prove fools.
For wisdom's sake, a word that all men love;
Or for love's sake, a word that loves all men;
Or for men's sake, the authors of these women;
Or women's sake, by whom we men are men;
Let us once lose our oaths, to find ourselves,
Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths:
It is religion to be thus forsworn:
For charity itself fulfils the law;
And who can sever love from charity?

King. Saint Cupid, then! and, soldiers, to
the field!
[them, lords;
Biron. Advance your standards, and upon
Pell-mell, down with them! but be first advis'd,
In conflict that you get the sun of them. [by:
Long. Now to plain dealing; lay these glozes
Shall we resolve to woo these girls of France?
King. And win them too: therefore let us
devise

SCENE I. Another part of the same. Enter HOLOFERNES, Sir NATHANIEL, and DULL..

Hol. Satis quod sufficit.

Nath. I praise God for you, sir: your reasons at dinner have been sharp and sententious: pleasant without scurrility, witty without affection t, audacions without impudency, learned without opinion, and strange without heresy. I did converse this quondam day with a companion of the king's, who is inti tuled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Armado.

Hol. Novi hominem tanquam te: His humour is lofty, his discourse peremptory, his tongue filed, his eye ambitious, his gait majestical, and his general behaviour vain, ridiculous, and thrasonical. He is too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odd, as it were, too peregrinate, as I may call it.

Hol. Quare Chirra, not sirrah?
Arm. Men of peace, well encounter'd.
Hol. Most military sir, salutation.
Moth. They have been at a great feast of lan
gnages, and stolen the scraps. [To COST. aside.

Cost. O, they have lived long in the almsbasket of words! I marvel, thy master hath not eaten thee for a word; for thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitati. bus: thou art easier swallowed than a flapdragon T.

book:

Moth. Peace; the peal begins. [ter'd Arm. Monsieur, [To HoL.Jare you not let Moth. Yes, yes; he teaches boys the horn[his head? What is a, b, spelt backward with a horn on Hol. Ba, pueritia, with a horn added. Moth. Ba, most silly sheep, with a horn:-You hear his learning.

Hol. Quis, quis, thou consonant? Moth. The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if I.

Nath. A most singular and choice epithet. [Takes out his table-book. 'Hol. He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument.it;

Hol. I will repeat them, a, c, i,—
Moth. The sheep the other two concludes
o, u.

I abhor such fanatical phantasms, such insocia- Arm. Now, by the salt wave of the Medible and point-devise]| companions; such rack-terraneum, a sweet touch **, a quick venew of ers of orthography, as to speak, dout, fine, wit: snip, snap, quick and home; it rejoiceth when he should say, doubt; det, when he my intellect: true wit. should pronounce, debt; d, e, b, t; not d, e, t he clepeth a calf, cauf; haff, hauf; neighbour, vocatur, nebour, neigh, abbreviated, ne: This is abbominable, (which he would call abominable,) it insinuateth me of insanie; Ne intelligis, domine? to make frantic, lunatic.

Nath. Laus Deo, bone intelligo.

Hol. Bone?bone, for bene: Priscian a little scratch'd; 'twill serve.

Enter ARMADO, MOTH, and COSTARD.
Nath. Fidesne quis venil?

Hel. Video, & gaudeo.

Arm. Chirra!

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 disputest like an infant: go, whip thy gig.

Moth. Lend me your horn to make one, and I will whip about your infamy circum circa; A gig of a cuckold's horn!

Cost. An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread: hold, there is the very remaneration I had of thy [To MoTH. master, thou half-penny purse of wit, thou

Boastful.

Over-dressed.

Finical exactness.

A small inflammable substance, swallowed in a glass of wine. ** A hit.

pigeon-egg of discretion. O, an the heavens were so pleased, that thou wert but my bastard! what a joyful father wouldst thou make me! Go to; thou hast it ad dunghill, at the fingers' ends, as they say.

Hol. O, I smell false Latin; dunghill for unguem.

Arm. Arts-man, præambula, we will be singled from the barbarous. Do you not educate youth at the charge-house on the top of the mountain?

Hol. Or, mons, the hill.

Arm. At your sweet pleasure, for the mountain.

Hol. I do, sans question.

Arm. Sir, it is the king's most sweet pleasure and affection, to congratulate the princess at her pavilion, in the posteriors of this day; which the rude multitude call, the afternoon. Hol. The posterior of the day, most gene. rous sir, is liable, congruent, and measurable for the afternoon: the word is well cull'd, chose; sweet and apt, I do assure you, sir, I do assure.

Arm. Sir, the king is a noble gentleman; and my familiar, I do assure you, very good friend-For what is inwardt between us, let it pass-I do beseech thee, remember thy courtesy ;-I beseech thee, apparel thy head; -and among other importunate and most serious designs, and of great import indeed, too; but let that pass: for I must tell thee, it will please his grace (by the world) sometime to lean upon my poor shoulder; and with his royal finger, thus, dally with my excrement, with my mustachio: but sweet heart, let that pass. By the world, I recount no fable; some certain special honours it pleaseth his greatness to impart to Armado, a soldier, a man of travel, that hath seen the world: but let that pass.-The very all of all is, but, sweet heart, I do implore secrecy, that the king would have me present the princess, sweet chucký, with some delightful ostentation, or show, or pageant, or antic, or firework. Now, understanding that the curate and your sweet self, are good at such eruptions, and sudden breaking out of mirth, as it were, I have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your assistance.

Hol. Sir, you shall present before her the nine worthies.-Sir Nathaniel, as concerning some entertainment of time, some show in the posterior of this day, to be rendered by our assistance, the king's command, and this most gallant, illustrate, and learned gentleman,before the princess; I say, none so fit as to present the nine worthies.

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

Hol. Joshua, yourself; myself, or this gal lant gentleman, Judas Maccabæus; this swain, because of his great limb or joint, shall pass Pompey the great; the page, Hercules.

Arm. Pardon, sir, error: he is not quan

• Free-school. + Confidential.

tity enough for that worthy's thumb: he is not so big as the end of his club.

Hol. Shall I have audience? he shall present Hercules in minority: his enter and exit shall be strangling a snake; and I will have an apology for that purpose.

Moth. An excellent device! so, if any of the audience hiss, you may cry well done, Hercules! now thou crushest the snake! that is the way to make an offence gracious; though few have the grace to do it.

Arm. For the rest of the worthies ?-
Hol. I will play three myself.
Moth. Thrice worthy gentleman!
Arm. Shall I tell you a thing?
Hol. We attend.

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

Hol. Via ¶, goodman Dull! thou hast spoken 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 so; or will play on the tabor to the worthies, and let them dance the hay.

Hol. Most dull, honest Dull, to our sport, away... [Exeunt. SCENE II. Another part of the same. Before the Princess's Pavilion.. Enter the Princess, KATHARINE, ROSALINE, and MARIA.

Prin. Sweet hearts, we shall be rich ere we If fairings come thus plentifully in: [depart, A lady wall'd about with diamonds! Look you, what I have from the loving king. Ros. Madam, came nothing else along with [in rhyme,

that?

Prin. Nothing but this? yes, as much love As would be cramm'd up in a sheet of paper, Writ on both sides the leaf, margent and all; That he was fain to seal on Cupid's name.

Ros. That was the way to make his god

head wax**;

+ Beard. ** Grow. tt Formerly a term of endearment.

Chick.

Ros. Indeed, I weigh not you; and therefore light. [care not for me. Kath. You weigh me not-0, that's you Ros. Great reason; for, Past cure is still past care. [well play'd. Prin. Well bandied both; a set of wit But, Rosaline, you have a favour too : Who sent it? and what is it?

Ros.
I would, you knew:
An if my face were but as fair as yours,
My favour were as great; be witness this.
Nay, I have verses too, I thank Birón: [too,
The numbers.true; and, were the numb❜ring
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?
[praise.
Ros. Much, in the letters; nothing in the
Prin. Beauteous as ink; a good conclusion.
Kath. Fair as a text B in a copy book.
Ros. Ware pencils! How? let me not
die your debtor,

My red dominical, my golden letter:
O, that your face were not so full of O's!
Kath. A pox of that jest! and beshrew all
shrows !!

Prin. But what was sent to you from fair
Dumain?

Kath. Madam, this glove,

Prin.

Did he not send you twain? Kath. Yes, mnadam; and moreover," Some thousand verses of a faithful lover: A huge translation of hypocrisy, Vilely compil'd, profound simplicity.

Mar. This, and these pearls, to me sent Longaville;

The letter is too long by half a mile. Prin. I think no less: Dost thou not wish in heart,

The chain were longer, and the letter short? Mar. Ay, or I would these hands might

Prin. We are wise girls, to mock our lovers Ros. They are worse fools to purchase mocking so.

That same Birón I'll torture ere I go.
O, that I knew he were but in by the week!
How I would make him fawn, and beg,
A and seek;

And wait the season, and observe the times,
And spend his prodigal wits in bootless rhymes;
And shape his service wholly to my behests;
And make him proud to make me proud that
jests!

So portent-like would I o'ersway his state, That he should be my fool, and I his fate. Prin. None are so surely caught, when they are catch'd,

As wit turn'd fool: folly, in wisdom hatch'd, Hath wisdom's warrant, and the help of school; And wit's own grace to grace a learned fool. Ros. The blood of youth burns not with such As gravity's revolt to wantonness. [excess, Mar. Folly in fools bears not so strong

a note,

As foolery in the wise, when wit doth dote; Since all the power thereof it doth apply, To prove, by wit, worth in simplicity.

are they,

That charge their breath against us? say, scout,
Boyet. Under the cool shade of a sycamore,
I thought to close mine eyes some half an hour:
When, lo! to interrupt my purpos'd rest,
Toward that shade I might behold addrest
The king and his companions: warily
I stole into a neighbour thicket by,
And overheard what you shall overhear;
That, by and by, disguis'd they will be here.
Their herald is a pretty knavish page,
That well by heart hath conn'd his embassage:
Action, and accent, did they teach him there;
Thus must thou speak, and thus thy body
And ever and anon they made a doubt, [bear
Presence majestical would put him out;
For, quoth the king, an angel shalt thou see;
Yet fear not thou, but speak audaciously.
The boy reply'd, An angel is not evil;
I should have fear'd her, had she been a devil.
With that all laugh'd, and clapp'd him on

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The third he caper'd, and cried, All goes well:
The fourth turn'd on the toe, and down he fell.
With that, they all did tumble on the ground,
With such a zealous laughter, so profound,
That in this spleen ridiculous appears,
To check their folly, passion's solemn tears.
Prin. But what, but what, come they to

visit us ?

thus,

Boyet. They do, they do ; and are apparell'd Like Muscovites, or Russians: as I guess, Their purpose is, to parle, to court, and dance: And every one his love-feat will advance Unto his several mistress; which they'll know By favours several, which they did bestow. Prin. And will they so? the gallants shall

be task'd:

For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd;
And not a man of them shall have the grace,
Despite of suit, to see, a lady's face.-
Hold, Rosaline, this favour thou shalt wear;
And then the king will court thee for his dear;
Hold, take thou this, my sweet, and give me
So shall Birón take me for Rosaline. (thine;
And change you favours too; so shall your
loves

Woo contrary, deceiv'd by these removes.

Ros. Come on then; wear the favours most
in sight.
[intent?
Kath. But, in this changing, what is your
Prin. The effect of my intent is, to cross
theirs :

They do it but in mocking merriment;
And mock for mock is only my intent.
Their several counsels they unbosom shall
To loves mistook; and so be mock'd withal,
Upon the next occasion that we meet,
#With visages display'd, to talk, and greet.
Ros. But shall we dance, if they desire us
[a foot :

to't?

Prin. No; to the death, we will not move Nor to their penn'd speech render we no grace; But, while 'tis spoke, each turn away her face. Boyet. Why, that contempt will kill the speaker's heart,

And quite divorce his memory from his part.
Prin. Therefore I do it; and, I make no
The rest will ne'er come in, if he be out. [doubt,
There's no such sport, as sport by sport o'er-
thrown;
[own:
To make theirs ours, and ours none but our
So shall we stay, mocking intended game;
And they, well mock'd, depart away with

shame. [Trumpets sound within. Boyet. The trumpet sounds; be mask'd, the

maskers come. [The ladies mask. Enter the King, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN, in Russian habits, and masked; MOTH, Musicians and Attendants.

Moth. All hail, the richest beauties on the earth!

Boyet. Beauties no richer than rich taffata. Moth. A holy parcel of the fairest dames. [The Ladies turn their backs to him. That ever turn'd their-backs-to mortal views!

Biron. Their eyes, villain, their eyes. Moth. That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal views! Out

Boyet. True; out, indeed.

Moth. Out of your favours, heavenly spirits, vouchsafe

Not to behold.

Biron. Once to behold, rogue.

Moth. Once to behold with your sunbeamed eyes,

with your sun-beamed eyesBoyet. They will not answer to that epithet; You were best call it, daughter-beamed eyes. Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings

me out.

[you rogue.

Biron. Is this your perfectness? be gone, Ros. What would these strangers? know their minds, Boyet :

If they do speak our language, 'tis our will That some plain man recount their purposes: Know what they would.

Boyet. What would you with the princess? Biron. Nothing but peace, and gentle visiRos. What would they, say they? [tation. Boyet. Nothing but peace, and gentle visi tation.

[so be gone. Ros. Why, that they have; and bid them Boyet. She says, you have it, and you may

be gone.

King. Say to her, we have measur❜d many miles

To tread a measure with her on this grass. Boyet. They say, that they have measur'd many a mile,

To tread a measure with you on this grass.

Ros. It is not so: ask them, how many inches Is in one mile if they have measur'd many, The measure then of one is easily told. [miles, Boyet. If, to come hither you have measur'd And many miles; the princess bids you tell, How many inches do fill up one mile. [steps. Biron. Tell her, we measure them by weary Boyet. She hears herself.

Ros.

How many weary steps, Of many weary miles you have o'ergone, Are number'd in the travel of one mile? Biron. We number nothing that we spend Our duty is so rich, so infinite, [for you; That we may do it still without accompt. Vouchsafe to show the sunshine of your face, That we, like savages, may worship it. [too. Ros. My face is but a moon, and clouded King. Blessed are clouds, to do as such

clouds do! [to shine Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy stars, (Those clouds remov'd,) upon our wat'ry eyne. Ros. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter; Thou now request'st but moonshine in the [safe one change;

water.

King. Then, in our measure do but vouchThou bid'st me beg; this begging is not strange. Ros. Play, music, then: nay, you must do [Music plays.

it soon..

moon.

Not yet ;-no dance :-thus change I like the [thus estrang'd? King. Will you not dance? How come you Res. You took the moon at full; but now

she's chang'd.

[man.

King. Yet still she is the moon, and I the The music plays; vouchsafe some motion to it. Ros. Our ears vouchsafe it. King. But your legs should do it. Ros. Since you are strangers, and come here by chance, [dance.

We'll not be nice: take hands ;-we will not
King. Why take we hands then!
Ros.
Only to part friends :-
Court'sy, sweet hearts; and so the measure
ends.
[not nice.
King. More measure of this measure; be
Ros. We can afford no more at such a price.
King. Prize you yourselves; What buys
Ros. Your absence only. [your company?
King.
That can never be.
Ros. Then cannot we be bought: and so
adieu;

Twice to your visor, and half once to you!
King. If you deny to dance, let's hold more
Ros. In private then.
[chat.
King.
I am best pleas'd with that.
[They converse apart.
Biron. White-handed mistress, one sweet
word with thee.
[is three.

Prin. Honey, and milk, and sugar; there Biron. Nay then, two treys, (an if you grow so nice,) [dice! Metheglin, wort, and malmsey ;-Well run,

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The dramatic works of Shakspeare, from the text of Johnson and Stevens [sic ...