Without the Beauty of a Woman's Face;
From Womens Eyes this Doctrine I derive,
They are the Ground, the Books, the Academs,
From whence doth spring the true Promethean Fire:
Why, univerfal plodding poifons up
The nimble Spirits in the Arteries;
As Motion and long Action tires
The finnewy Vigour of the Traveller.
Now for not looking on a Woman's Face,
You have in that forfworn the use of Eyes:
And Study too, the caufer of your Vow.
For where is any Author in the World,
Teaches fuch Beauty as a Woman's Eye:
Learning is but an Adjun& to our self,
And where we are, our Learning likewife is.
Then when our felves we fee in Lady's Eyes,
Do we not likewife fee our Learning there?
O, we have made a Vow to ftudy, Lords,
And in that Vow we have forfworn 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 Beauties Tutors have enrich'd you with?
Other flow Arts entirely keep the Brain;
And therefore finding barren Practisers,
Scarce fhew a Harvest of their heavy Toil.
But Love first learned in a Lady's Eyes,
Lives not alone imured in the Brain:
But with the motion of all Elements,
Courses as fwift 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 Sounds
When the fufpicious Head of Theft is stopt.
Love's feeling is more foft and fenfible,

Than are the tender Horns of cockled Snails:
Love's Tongue proves dainty Bacchus grofs in Tafte;
For Valour, is not Love a Hercules?

Still climing Trees in the Hefperider.

Subtle as a Sphinx, as fweet and mufical

As bright Apollo's Lute, ftrung with his Hair:
And when Love speaks, the Voice of all the Gods,
Make Heav'n drowfie with the Harmony.
Never durft 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 Womens Eyes this Doctrine I derive :
They sparkle still the right Promethean Fire,
They are the Books, the Arts, the Academes,
That fhew, contain, and nourish all the World;
Elfe none at all in ought proves excellent.
Then Fools you were, thefe Women to forfwear:
Or keeping what is fworn, you will prove Fools.
For Wisdom's fake (a Word that all Men love)
Or for Love's fake, a Word that loves all Men:
Or for Mens fake, the Author of thefe Women,
Or Womens fake, by whom we Men are Men;
Let us once lose our Oaths, to find our felves;
Or else we lose our felves, to keep our Oaths.
It is Religion to be thus forfworn,

For Charity it felf fullfils the Law;

And who can fever Love from Charity?

King. Saint Cupid then, and Soldiers to the Field. Biron. Advance your Standards, and upon them, Lords; Pell, mell, down with them: But be firft advis'd,

In Conflict that you get the Sun of them.

Long. Now to Plain-dealing, lay these Gloffes by, Shall we refolve to woo thefe Girls of France.

King. And win them too; therefore let us devife
Some Entertainment for them at their Tents.

Biron. First from the Park let us conduct them thither,
Then homeward every Man attach the Hand
Of his fair Miftrefs; inthe Afternoon
We will with some strange Paftime folace them,
Such as the shortnefs of the time can shape:
For Revels, Dances, Masks, and merry Hours,
Forerun fair Love, ftrewing her Way with Flowers.
"King. Away, away, no time fhall be omitted,
That will be time, and may by us be fitted.

VOL. I.

Ff

Biron

Biron. Alone, alone fowed Cockel, reap'd no Corn,
And Juftice always whirls in equal Measure:
Light Wenches may prove Plagues to Men forfworn,
If fo, our Copper buys no better Treasure.

A CT V.

SCENE I.

Enter Holofernes, Nathaniel, and Dull.

1

[Exeunt.

Hol. Si qt. I praife God for you, Sir, your Reasons at
Atis quod fufficit.

Dinner have been sharp and fententious; pleasant without Scur-
rility, witty without Affectation, audacious without Impu-
dency, learned without Opinion, and strange without Herefie:
I did converse this quondam-Day with a Companion of the
King's, who is intituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano
de Armado.

Hol. Novi hominem tanquem te. His Humour is lofty, his Discourse peremptory, his Tongue filed, his Eye ambitious, his Gate majestical, and his general Behaviour vain, ridiculous, and Thrafonical. He is too picked, too fpruce, too affected, too odd, as it were, too peregrinate, as I may call it.

Nath. A moft fingular and choice Epithet,

Draws out his Table-Book. Hol. He draweth out the Thred of his Verbofity finer than the Staple of his Argument. Iabhor fuch phanatical Phantafms, fuch infociable and point devife Companions, fuch Rackers of Orthography, as'do speak dout fine, when he should fay doubt; det, when he fhould pronounce debt; d, e, b, t; not det: He clepeth a Calf, Cauf: half, hauf: Neighbour vocatur nebour; neigh abreviated ne: This is abominable, which we would call abominable: It infinuateth me of Infamy: Ne intelligis Domine, to make Frantick, Lunatick. Nath. Laus deo, bene intelligo.

Hol. Bome boon for boon prefcian; a little fearch, 'twill ferve.

Enter

Enter Armado, Moth and Coftard.

Nath. Vides-ne quis nevit?

Hol. Video, & gaudeo.

Arm. Chirra.

Hol. Quare Chirra, not Sirra?

Arm. Men of Peace well incountred.
Hol. Moft Military Sir, Salutation.

Moth. They have been at a great Feaft of Languages, and ftole the Scraps.

Coft. O they have liv'd long on the Alms-basket of Words. I marvel thy Mafter hath not eaten thee for a Word, for thou art not fo long by the Head as Honorificabilitudinitatibus: Thou art easier fwallow'd than a Flap-dragon. Moth. Peace, the Peal begins.

Arm. Monfieur, are you not lettered?

Moth. Yes, yes, he teaches Boys the Horn-book: What is Ab fpelt backward with the Horn on his Head? Hol. Ba, pueritia with a Horn added.

Moth. Ba, moft filly Sheep, with a Horn. You hear his Learning.

Hol. Quis, quis, thou Confonant?

Moth. The laft of the five Vowels, if you repeat them, or the fifth if I.

Hol. I will repeat them, a e

Moth. The Sheep; the other two concludes it ou.

Arm. Now by the falt Wave of the Mediteraneum, a fweet Tutch, 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 Witold.

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 unum cita, a Gigg of a Cuckold's Horn.

Coft. And 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 Half-penny Purfe of Wit, thou Pidgeon-egg of Difcretion. O, and the Heav'ns were fo pleafed that thou wert but my Baftard! What a joyful Fa

Ff2

ther

ther wouldst thou make? Go too, thou hast it ad dungbil, at the Finger's ends, as they fay.

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

Arm. Artf-man preambula; we will be fingled from the Barbarous. Do you not educate Youth at the Charge-house on the Top of the Mountain.

Hol. Or Mons on the Hill.

Arm. At your fweet Pleasure, for the Mountain.
Hol. I do fans question.

Arm. Sir, it is the King's moft fweet Pleafure and Affection, to congratulate the Princefs 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 meafurable for the Afternoon: The Word is well cull'd, choice, fweet, and apt, I do affure you Sir, I do affure.

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 pass- -I do befeech thee, remember thy Curtefie-I befeech thee apparel thy Head, and among other importunate and moft ferious Defigns, and of great import indeed too-But let that pafs, for I must tell thee it will please his Grace (by the World) fometime to lean upon my poor Shoulder, and with his Royal Finger thus dally with my Excrement, with my Muftachio; but, fweet Heart, let that pafs. By the World I recount no Fable; fome certain fpecial Honours it pleaseth his Greatnefs to impart to Armado a Soldier, 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 fecretly, that the King would have me prefent the Princess (fweet Chuck) with fome delightful Oftentation, or Show, 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 Affiftance.

Hol. Sir, you fhall 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 moft gal

lant,