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 sweet felf, are good at fuch eruptions, and fudden breakings out of mirth, as it were, I have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your affiftance.

Hol. Sir, you fhall present before her the nine worthies. Sir Nathaniel, as concerning fome entertainment of time, fome show in the pofterior of this day, to be render'd by our affiftance,-at the king's command: and this most gallant, illuftrate, and learned gentleman,-before the princefs: I fay, none fo fit as to present the nine worthies. Nath. Where will you find men worthy enough to present them?

Hol. Joshua, yourfelf; myfelf, or this gallant gentleman, Judas Maccabæus; this fwain, (because of his great limb or joint) fhall pafs Pompey the great; the page, Hercules.

Arm. Pardon, fir, 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 snake; and I will have an apology for that purpose.

Moth. An excellent device! fo, if any of the audience hifs, you may cry; well done, Hercules! now thou crusheft the fnake; 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 antick. I befeech you, follow.

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

Dull. Nor understood none neither, fir.

Hol. Allons! we will employ thee.

Dull. I'll make one in a dance or fo: or I will play on the tabor to the worthies, and let them dance the hay. Hol. Moft dull, honeft Dull, to our sport, away. [Exe.

SCENE II.

Before the Princess's Pavilion. Enter Princefs and Ladies.

Prin. Sweet hearts, we shall 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.

Rof. Madam, came nothing elfe along with that? Prin. Nothing but this? yes, as much love in rhyme, As would be cramm'd up in a fheet of paper, Writ on both fides the leaf, margent and all; That he was fain to seal on Cupid's name.

Rof. That was the way to make his god-head wax ;[4] For he hath been five thousand years a boy.

Cath. Ay, and a fhrewd unhappy gallows too. Rof. 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, stirring fpirit,

She might have been a grandam ere the dy'd:
And fo may you; for a light heart lives long.

Rof. What's your dark meaning, moufe, of this light word?

Cath. A light condition in a beauty dark.

Rof. We need more light to find your meaning out. Cath. You'll mar the light, by taking it in fnuff: Therefore, I'll darkly end the argument.

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

Rof. Great reafon; for, Paft cure is ftill paft care. 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?

Rof. 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 verfes too, I thank Biron :

[4] To 'wax,' anciently fignified to grow. It is yet faid of the moon that the waxes and wanes. STEEV.

The numbers true; and, were the numb'ring 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?

Rof. 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.

Rof. 'Ware pencils ![5] How? let me not die your debtor,

My red dominical, my golden letter.

O, that your face were not fo full of O's!

Cath. Pox of that jeft! and I befhrew all throws. Prin. But what was sent to you from fair Dumain ? Cath. Madam, this glove.

Prin. Did he not fend you twain ? Cath. Yes, madam; and moreover, Some thousand verfes of a faithful lover: A huge tranflation of hypocrify,

Vilely 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 fo.
Rof. They are worse fools to purchase mocking, so.
That fame Biron 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, and feek
And wait the season, and observe the times,
And spend his prodigal wits in bootlefs rhimes;
And fhape his fervice all to my behefts;

And make him proud to make me proud that jests!
So portent-like would I o'erfway his ftate,
That he should be my fool, and I his fate.[6]

[5] Rosaline, a black beauty, reproaches the fair Catharine for paintings

JOHNS.

[6] In old farces, to fhew the inevitable approaches of death and deftiny, the Fool of the farce is made to employ all his ftratagems to avoid Death or Fate; which very ftratagems, as they are ordered, bring the Fool, at every turn, into the very jaws of Fate. To this Shakespeare alludes again in Measure for Measure,

merely thou art death's fool';
For him thou labour'ft by thy fight to fhun,
And yet runnelt toward him till.".

WARE.

Prin. None are fo furely caught, when they are catch'd, As wit turn'd fool :[7] folly, in wifdom hatch'd, Hath wifdom's warrant, and the help of school; And wit's own grace to grace a learned fool.

Rof. The blood of youth burns not with fuch excefs, As gravity's revolt to wantonnefs.

Mar. Folly in fools bears not fo ftrong a note,
As foolery in the wife, when wit doth dote ;
Since all the power thereof it doth apply,
To prove by wit worth in fimplicity.

Enter BOYET.

Prin. Here comes Boyet, and mirth is in his face. Boyet. O, I am stabb'd with laughter! Where's her grace ?

Prin. Thy news, Boyet?

Boyet. Prepare, madam, prepare !—

Arm, wenches, arm !-encounters mounted are
Against your peace: Love doth approach difguis'd,
Armed in arguments; you'll be furpris'd.

Mufter your wits; ftand in your own defence;
Or hide your heads like cowards, and fly hence.
Prin. Saint Dennis to St. Cupid ![8] What are they,
That charge their breath against us? fay, scout, say.
Boyet. Under the cool fhade of a fycamore,
I thought to clofe my eyes fome half an hour:
When lo! to interrupt my purpos'd reft,
Toward that fhade, I might behold, addreft
The king and his companions: warily
I ftole into a neighbour thicket by,
And overheard, what you fhall overhear;
That, by and by, difguis'd they will be here.
Their herald is a pretty knavish page,

That well by heart hath conn'd his embaffage.
Action and accent did they teach him there;
Thus must thou speak, and thus thy body bear :
And ever and anon they made a doubt,
Prefence majestical would put him out:
For, quoth the king, an angel fhalt thou fee;
Yet fear not thou, but speak audaciously.

[7] Thefe are obfervarions worthy of a man who has furveyed human nature with the clofeft attention. JOHNS.

[8] The Princess of France invokes, with too much levity, the patron of her country, to oppofe his power to that of Cupid.

JOHNS.

The boy reply'd, An angel is not evil;

I fhould have fear'd her, had he been a devil.-
With that all laugh'd, and clap'd him on the fhoulder;
Making the bold wag by their praises bolder.
One rubb'd his elbow, thus ; and fleer'd and fwore,
A better fpeech was never spoke before.
Another, with his finger and his thumb,

Cry'd, Via! we will do't, come what will come.
The third he caper'd, and cry'd, All goes well:
The fourth turn'd on the toe, and down he fell.
With that, they all did tumble on the ground,
With fuch a zealous laughter, fo profound,
That in this fpleen ridiculous appears,
To check their folly, paffion's folemn tears.
Prin. But what, but what, come they to vifit us!
Boyet. They do, they do; and are apparel'd thus,
Like Mufcovites, or Ruffians: as I guess,
Their purpose is, to parley, court, and dance :
And every one his love-feat will advance
Unto his feveral miftrefs; which they'll know
By favours feveral which they did beftow.

Prin. And will they fo? the gallants fhall be task'd :-
For, ladies, we will every one be mafk'd;
And not a man of them fhall have the grace,
Defpight of fuit, to fee a lady's face.

-Hold, Rofaline, this favour thou fhalt wear;
And then the king will court thee for his dear:
Hold, take you this, my fweet, and give me thine ;
So fhall Biron take me for Rofaline.-
And change your favours too; fo fhall your loves
Woo contrary, deceiv'd by these removes.

Rof. Come on then; wear the favours moft in fight.
Cath. But, in this changing, what is your intent?
Prin. The effect of my intent is to crofs theirs ;

They do it but in mocking merriment ;
And mock for mock is only my intent.
Their feveral counfels they unbofom fhall
To loves miftook and fo be mock'd withal,
Upon the next occafion that we meet,
With vifages difplay'd, to talk, and greet.
Rof. But fhall we dance, if they defire us to't?
Prin. No; to the death, we will not move a foot:
Nor to their penn'd fpeech render we no grace;
But, while 'tis fpoke, each turn away her face.