Lend me the flourish of all gentle tongues,- A wither'd hermit, five-score winters worn, O, if in black my lady's brows be deckt, Have at you then, affection's men at arms: And where that you have vow'd to study, lords, 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; Or,keeping what is sworn, you will prove fools. King. Saint Cupid, then! and, soldiers, to 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? 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,— 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. 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? 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 ?- 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. I 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. My red dominical, my golden letter: Prin. But what was sent to you from fair 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. And wait the season, and observe the times, 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, The third he caper'd, and cried, All goes well: 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; Woo contrary, deceiv'd by these removes. Ros. Come on then; wear the favours most They do it but in mocking merriment; 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. 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 Twice to your visor, and half once to you! 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, |