7

Moth. A holy Parcel of the fairest Dames that ever turn'd their Backs to mortal Views.

[The Ladies turn their Backs to him.

Biron. Their Eyes, Villain, their Eyes.

Moth. That ever turn'd their Eyes to mortal Views. Out-
Biron. True; out indeed.

Moth. Out of your Favours heav'nly Spirit, vouchsafe not to behold.

Biron. Once to behold, Rogue.

Moth. Once to behold with your Sun-beamed EyesWith your Sun-beamed Eyes

Biron. They will not answer to that Epithete;
You were beft call it Daughter-beam'd Eyes.

Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings me out,
Biron. Is this your Perfectnefs? Begone, you Rogue,
Rofa. What would these Strangers?

Know their Minds, Boyet.

If they do fpeak our Language, 'tis our Will
That fome plain Man recount their Purposes.
Know what they would?

gone.

Boyet. What would you with the Princefs?
Biron. Nothing but Peace and gentle Vifitation.
Rofa. Why that they have, and bid them fo be
Boyet. She fays you have it, and
have it, and you may be gone.
King. Say to her we have meafur'd many Miles,
To tread a Measure with you on the Grafs.

Boyet. They fay that they have measur'd many a Mile,
To tread a Meafure with you on this Grass.
Rofa. It is not fo. Ask them how
many
Inches
Is in one Mile? If they have measur'd many,

The Measure then of one is eafily told.

Boyet. If to come hither you have meafur'd Miles, And many Miles; the Princefs bids you tell,

How many Inches doth fill up one Mile?

Biron. Tell her we measure them by weary Steps,
Boyer. She hears her felf.

Rofa. How many weary Steps

Of many weary Miles you have o'er-gone,
Are numbred in the Travel of one Mile?

Biron. We number nothing that we spend for

Our Duty is fo rich, fo infinite,

you,

That

That we may do it ftill without Accompt.
Vouchsafe to fhew the Sunshine of your Face,
That we (like Savages) may worship it.

Rofa. My Face is but a Moon, and clouded too.
King. Bleffed are Clouds, to do as fuch Clouds do.
Vouchfafe, bright Moon, on these thy Stars to shine,
(Thofe Clouds remov'd) upon our watery Eyne.
Rafa. O vain Petitioner, beg a greater Matter;
Thou now requests but Moon-fhine in the Water.
King. Then in our measure, vouchsafe but one Change;
Thou bid'ft me beg, this Begging is not ftrange.
Rofa. Play Mufick then; nay you must do it foon.
Not yet no Dance; thus change I like the Moon.
King. Will you not dance; how come you thus eftrang'd?
Rofa. You took the Moon at Full, but now he's chang'd.
King. Yet ftill fhe is the Moon, and I the Man.

Rofa. The Mufick plays, vouchfafe fome Motion to it: Our Ears vouchsafe it.

King. But your Legs fhall do it.

Rofa. Since you are Strangers, and come here by chance, We'll not be nice, take Hands, we will not dance. King. Why take you Hands then?

Rofa. Only to part Friends.

Curtfie fweet Hearts, and fo the Measure ends.

King. More Measure of this Measure; be not nice.
Rofa. We can afford no more at fuch a Price.

King. Price your felves then; what buys your Com

pany?

Rofa. Your Abfence only.

King. That can never be.

Rofa. 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 Chat.

Rofa. In private then.

King. I am beft pleas'd with that.

Biron, White-handed Miftrefs, one fweet Word with thee.

Prin. Honey, and Milk, and Sugar; there is three.

Biron. Nay then two Treys; and if you grow fo nice, Methegline, Wort, and Malmfey; well run Dice: There's half a dozen Sweets.

1

Biron. Alone, alone fowed Cockel, reap'd no Corn,
And Justice 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.

[Exeunt.

Hol. Satis ano. Inife God for you, Sir, your Reafons at

Dinner have been sharp and fententious; pleasant without Scurrility, witty without Affectation, audacious without Impudency, 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 should 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 prescian; 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 sweet 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 difputest 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 fhouldft have it to buy Ginger-bread; Hold, there is the very Remu neration I had of thy Mafter, thou Half-penny Purfe of Wit, thou Pidgeon-egg of Difcretion. O, and the Heav'ns were fo pleased, that thou wert but my Baftard! What a joyful Fa

Ff2

ther

ther wouldst thou make? Go too, thou haft it ad dunghil, 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 Pleasure 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 measurable 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 pafs-I do befeech thee, remember thy Curtefie-I befeech thee apparel thy Head, and among other importunate and most serious 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,