SCENE II. Enter Puck. Puck. Now the hungry lion roars, In remembrance of a shroud. By the triple Hecat's team, To sweep the dust behind the door. Enter Oberon and Titania, with their Train. Hop as light as bird from brier; Sing and dance it trippingly. Tita. First, rehearse this song by rote: SONG AND DANCE. To the best bride-bed will we, Shall upon their children be.- And each several chamber bless, And the owner of it blest. [Exeunt Oberon, Titania, and Train. Puck. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, (and all is mended,) Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, ACT I. [COSTARD, a Clown. MOTH, Page to Armado. A Forester. Princess of France. ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, [Exit. Ladies, attending on the JAQUENETTA, a country Wench. SCENE-Navarre. Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain. King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Live register'd upon our brazen tombs, And make us heirs of all eternity. Our court shall be a little Academe, That his own hand may strike his honour down, The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves; To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die; With all these living in philosophy. Biron. I can but say their protestation over, So much, dear liege, I have already sworn, That is, To live and study here three years. But there are other strict observances: As, not to see a woman in that term; Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there: And, one day in a week to touch no food; And but one meal on every day beside; The which, I hope, is not enrolled there: And then, to sleep but three hours in the night, And not be seen to wink of all the day; (When I was wont to think no harm all night, And make a dark night too of half the day;) Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there: O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep; Not to see ladies-study-fast-not sleep. King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. Biron. By yea and nay, sir, then I swore in jest. What is the end of study? let me know. King. Why, that to know, which else we should not know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common sense? King. Ay, that is study's godlike recompense. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study so,| To know the thing I am forbid to know: As thus-To study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid; Or, study where to meet some mistress fine, When mistresses from common sense are hid: Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study's gain be thus, and this be so, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say no. King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron. Why, all delights are vaín; but that most vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book, To seek the light of truth: while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, By fixing it upon a fairer eye; That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won, are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame : Long. He weeds he corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a breeding. Dum. How follows that? Fit in his place and time. Dum. In reason nothing. Something then in rhyme. Long. Biron is like an envious sneaping frost, That bites the first-born infants of the spring. Biron. Well, say I am; why should proud summer boast, Before the birds have any cause to sing? Why should I joy in an abortive birth? At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows; But like of each thing that in season grows. So you, to study now it is too late, Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate. King. Well, sit you out: go home, Biron; adieu! Biron. No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you: And, though I have for barbarism spoke more Than for that angel knowledge you can say, Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore, And bide the penance of each three years' day. Give me the paper, let me read the same: Biron. [Reads.] Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court.-Hath this been proclaim'd? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty. [Reads.] On pain of losing her tongue.-Who devis'd this penalty? Long. Marry, that did I. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility. [Reads.] Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise. This article, my liege, yourself must break; For, well you know, here comes in embassy The French King's daughter, with yourself to speak, A maid of grace, and complete majesty,About surrender up of Aquitain To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain, Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. King. What say you, lords? why, this was quite forgot. Biron. So study evermore is overshot; While it doth study to have what it would, It doth forget to do the thing it should: And when it hath the thing it hunteth most, "Tis won, as towns with fire; so won, so lost. King, We must, of force, dispense with this decree; She must lie here on mere necessity. Biron. Necessity will make us all forsworn Three thousand times within these three years' space; For every man with his affects is born: Not by might master'd, but by special grace; If I break faith, this word shall speak for me I am forsworn on mere necessity.So to the iaws at large I write my name: [Subscribes. And he, that breaks them in the least degree, Stands in attainder of eternal shame : Suggestions are to others, as to me; But I believe, although I seem so loath, pro-I am the last that will last keep his oath. And every godfather can give a name. King. How well he's read, to reason against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good ceeding! But, is there no quick recreation granted? King. Ay, that there is: our court, you know, | birds best peck, and men sit down to that nou. is haunted With a refined traveller of Spain; A man in all the world's new fashion planted, Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight, And, so to study, three years is but short. Enter Dull, with a Letter, and Costard. Dull. Which is the duke's own person? Biron. This, fellow; What would'st? Dull. I myself reprehend his own person, for am his grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood. Biron. This is he. Dull. Signior Arme-Arme-commends you. There's villany abroad; this letter will tell you more. Cost. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low so ever the matter, I hope in God for high words. Long. A high hope for a low having: God grant us patience! Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh derately; or to forbear both." rishment which is called supper. So much for the time when: Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon: it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most prepos terous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest: But to the place, where,-It standeth north-northeast and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden: There did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth, Cost. Me. King-that unlettered small-knowing soul, King-that shallow vassal, King-which as I remember, hight Costard, King-sorted and consorted, contrary to thy King-with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more sweet understand ing, a woman. Him I (as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation. Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Antony Dull. King. For Jaquenetta, (so is the weaker vessel called, which I apprehended with the aforesaid swain,) I keep her as a vessel of thy law's fury; and shall, at the least of thy sweet notice, bring her to trial. Thine, in all complimo-ments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO. Biron. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. Cost. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner. Biron. In what manner? Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three: I was seen with her in the manor house, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following. Now, sir, for the manner,-it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman:-for the form,-in some form. Biron. For the following, sir? King. Will you hear this letter with attention ? King. [Reads.] Great deputy, the welkin's vicegerent, and sole dominator of Navarre, my soul's earth's God, and body's fostering patron, Cost. Not a word of Costard yet. Biron. This is not so well as I looked for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the best for the worst. But, sirrah, what say you to this? Cost. Sir, I confess the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Cost. I do confess much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaimed a year's imprisonment, to be taken with a wench. Cost. I was taken with none, sir; I was taken with a damosel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damosel. Cost. This was no damosel neither, sir; she was a virgin. King. It is so varied too; for it was proclaimed, virgin. Cost. If it were, I deny her virginity: I was taken with a maid. King. This maid will not serve your turn, sir. King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper. Cost. It may be so: but if he say it is so, he And go we, lords, to put in practice that is, in telling true, but so, so. King. Peace. Which each to other hath so strongly sworn.[Exeunt King, Longaville, and Dumain. These oaths and laws will prove an idle Cost. -be to me, and every man that dares Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's has, not fight! King. No words. scorn. Cost. of other men's secrets, I beseech you. Sirrah, come on. King. So it is, besieged with sable-coloured Cost. I suffer for the truth, sir; for true it is, melancholy, I did commend the black-oppress-I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta ing humour to the most wholesome physick of is a true girl; and therefore, Welcome the sour thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentle- cup of prosperity! Affliction may one day smile man, betook myself to walk. The time when? again, and till then, Sit thee down, sorrow! About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze,| [Exeunt. SCENE IL Another part of the same. Enter Armado and Moth. Arm. Boy, what sign is it, when a man of great spirit grows melancholy? Moth. A great sign, sir, that he will look sad. Arm. Why sadness is one and the self-same thing, dear imp. Moth. No, no; O lord, sir, no. Arm. How canst thou part sadness and melancholy, my tender juvenal ? Moth. By a familiar demonstration of the working, my tough senior. Arm. Why tough senior? why tough senior? Moth. Why tender juvenal? why tender juve nal? Arm. I spoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough senior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. Arm. Pretty, and apt. Moth. How mean you, sir? I pretty, and my saying apt? or I apt, and my saying pretty? Arm. Thou pretty, because little. Moth. Little pretty, because little: Wherefore apt? Arm. And therefore apt, because quick. Moth. I will praise an eel with the same praise. Arm. I do say, thou art quick in answers; Moth. I am answered, sir. Moth. He speaks the mere contrary, crosses love not him. [Aside. Arm. I have promised to study three years with the duke Arm. I confess both; they are both the varnish of a complete man. Moth. Then, I am sure, you know how much the gross sum of deuce-ace amounts to. Arm. It doth amount to one more than two. Moth. Which the base vulgar do call three. Arm. True. Moth. Why, sir, is this such a piece of study? Now here is three studied, ere you'll thrice wink and how easy it is to put years to the word three, and study three years in two words, the dancing horse will tell you. Arm. A most fine figure! Moth. To prove you a cipher. [Aside. Arm. I will hereupon confess, I am in love; and, as it is base for a soldier to love, so am I in love with a base wench. If drawing my sword against the humour of affection would deliver me from the reprobate thought of it, I would take desire prisoner, and ransom him to any French courtier for a new devised courtesy. I think scorn to sigh; methinks, I should outswear Cupid. Comfort me, boy: What great men have been in love 7 Moth. Hercules, master. Arm. Most sweet Hercules -More authority, dear boy, name more; and, sweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage. Moth. Samson, master: he was a man of good earriage, great carriage! for he carried the town-gates on his back, like a porter: and he was in love. Arm. O well-knit Samson! strong jointed Samson! I do excel thee in my rapier, as much as thou didst me in carrying gates. I am in love too -Who was Samson's love, my dear Moth ? Moth. A woman, master. Arm. Of what complexion ? Moth. Of all the four, or the three, or the two; or one of the four. Arm. Tell me precisely of what complexion ? Moth. Of the sea-water green, sir. Arm. Is that one of the four complexions? Moth. As I have read, sir; and the best of them too. Arm. Green, indeed, is the colour of lovers: but to have a love of that colour, methinks, Samson had small reason for it. He, surely, affected her for her wit Moth. It was so, sir; for she had a green wit. Arm. My love is most immaculate white and Moth. Most maculate thoughts, master, are red. masked under such colours. Arm. Define, define, well-educated infant. Moth. My father's wit, and my mother's tongue, assist me ! Arm. Sweet invocation of a child; most pretty, and pathetical! Moth. If she be made of white and red, Her faults will ne'er be known; A dangerous rhyme, master, against the reason of white and red. Arm. Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar? Moth. The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, nor the tune. Arm. I will have the subject newly writ o'er, that I may example my digression by some mighty precedent. Boy, I do love that country Find Costard: she deserves well. that I took in the park with the rational than my master. Moth. To be whipped; and yet a better love [Aside. Arm. Sing, boy: my spirit grows heavy in love. Moth. And that's great marvel, loving a light wench. Arm. I say, sing. Moth. Forbear, till this company be past. Enter Dull, Costard, and Jaquenetta. Dull. Sir, the duke's pleasure is, that you keep Costard safe: and you must let him take no delight, nor no penance; but a' must fast three days a-week: For this damsel, I must keep her at the park; she is allowed for the day-woman. Fare you well. Arm. I do betray myself with blushing.-Maid. Arm. I know where it is situate. Jaq. So I heard you say. [Exeunt Dull and Jaquenetta. Arm. Villain, thou shalt fast for thy offences, ere thou be pardoned. Cost. Well, sir, I hope, when I do it, I shall do it on a full stomach. Arm. Thou shalt be heavily punished. Cost. I am more bound to you, than your fellows, for they are but lightly rewarded. Arm. Take away this villain; shut him up. Moth. Come, you transgressing slave; away. Cost. Let me not be pent up, sir; I will fast, being loose. Moth. No, sir; that were fast and loose: thou shalt to prison. Cost. Well, if ever I do see the merry days of desolation that I have seen, some shall seeMoth. What shall some see ? Cost. Nay, nothing, master Moth, but what they look upon. It is not for prisoners to be too silent in their words; and, therefore, I will say nothing: I thank God, I have as little patience as another man; and, therefore, I can be quiet. [Exeunt Moth and Costard. Arm. I do affect the very ground, which is base, where her shoe, which is baser, guided by her foot, which is basest, doth tread. I shall be forsworn (which is a great argument of falsehood,) if I love: And how can that be true love, which is falsely attempted? Love is a familiar: love is a devil: there is no evil angel but love. Yet Samson was so tempted: and he had an excellent strength: yet was Solomon so seduced; and he had a very good wit. Cupid's butt-shaft is too hard for Hercules' club, and therefore too much odds for a Spaniard's rapier. The first and second cause will not serve my turn; the passado he respects not, the duello he regards not: his disgrace is to be called boy; but his glory is to subdue men. Adieu, valour ! rust, rapier! be still, drum! for your manager is in love; yea, he loveth. Assist me, some extemporal god of rhyme, for I am sure, I shall turn sonneteer. Devise, wit; write, pen; for I am for whole volumes in folío. [Exit. ACT II. Boyet. Proud of employment, willingly I go. That are vow-fellows with this virtuous duke? wills It should none spare that come within his power. Prin. Some merry mocking lord, belike; is't so? Mar. They say so most, that most his humours know. Prin. Such short-liv'd wits do wither as they grow, Who are the rest? Kath. The young Dumain, a well-accomplish'd Biron they call him; but a merrier man, SCENE I. Another part of the same. A Pa- For every object that the one doth catch, vilion and Tents at a distance. Enter the Princess of France, Rosaline, Maria, Katharine, Boyet, Lords, and other Attendants. Boyet. Now, madam, summon up your dearest spirits; Consider who the king your father sends; Of all perfections that a man may owe, Prin. Good lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise; Doth noise abroad, Navarre hath made a vow, Tell him, the daughter of the king of France, The other turns to a mirth-moving jest; Prin. Re-enter Boyet. Now, what admittance, lord? Boyet. Navarre had notice of your fair approach; And he, and his competitors in oath,, [The Ladies mask. Enter King, Longeville, Dumain, Biron, and Attendants. King, Fair princess, welcome to the court of Prin. Fair, I give you back again; and, welcome I have not yet: the roof of this court is too high to be yours; and welcome to the wild fields too base to be mine. King. You shall be welcome, madam, to my court. |