Biron. True, true; we are four :Will these turtles be gone? King. Hence, Sirs; away. Cost. Walk aside the true folk, and let the traitors stay. [Exeunt CoST. and JAQ. Biron. Sweet lords, sweet lovers, O let us embrace! As true we are, as flesh and blood can be: The sea will ebb and flow, heaven show his face; Young blood will not obey an old decree : We cannot cross the cause why we were born; Therefore, of all hands must we be forsworn. King. What did these rent lines show some love of thine? Biron. Did they, quoth you? Who sees the heavenly Rosaline, That, like a rude and savage man of Inde, At the first opening of the gorgeous east, Bows not his vassal head; and, strucken blind, Kisses the base ground with obedient What peremptory eagle-sighted eye [breast? Dares look upon the heaven of her brow, That is not blinded by her majesty? King. What zeal, what fury hath inspir'd thee now? My love, her mistress, is a gracious moon; She, an attending star, scarce seen a light. Biron. My eyes are then no eyes, nor I Birón: O, but for my love, day would turn to night! Of all complexions the cull'd sovereignty Do meet, as at a fair, in her fair cheek; Where several worthies make one dignity; Where nothing wants, that want itself doth seek. Lend me the flourish of all gentle tongues,- doth blot. A wither'd hermit, five-score winters worn, Might shake off fifty, looking in her eye Beauty doth varnish age, as if new-born, And gives the crutch the cradle's infancy. O, 'tis the sun, that maketh all things shine! King. By heaven, thy love is black as ebony. Biron. Is ebony like her? O wood divine! A wife of such wood were felicity. O, who can give an oath? where is a book? That I may swear, beauty doth beauty lack, If that she learn not of her eye to look: : No face is fair, that is not full so black. King. O paradox! Black is the badge of hell, The hue of dungeons, and the scowl of night; And beauty's crest becomes the heavens well. Biron. Devils soonest tempt, resembling spirits of lights. O, if in black my lady's brows be deckt, It mourns that, painting, and usurping hair, Should ravish doters with a false aspéct; And therefore is she born to make black fair. Her favour turns the fashion of the days; For native blood is counted painting now; And therefore red, that would avoid dispraise, Paints itself black, to imitate her brow. Dum. To look like her, are chimney-sweepers black. Long. And, since her time, are colliers counted bright. crack. King. And Ethiops of their sweet complexion [is light. Dum. Dark needs no candles now, for dark Biron. Your mistresses dare never come in rain, [away. For fear their colours should be wash'd King. 'Twere good, yours did; for, Sir, to tell you plain, I'll find a fairer face not wash'd to-day. Biron. I'll prove her fair, or talk till doomsday here. King. No devil will fright thee then so much as she. Dum. I never knew man hold vile stuff so dear. Long. Look, here's thy love: my foot and her face see. [Showing his shoe. Biron. O, if the streets were paved with thine eyes, [tread! Her feet were much too dainty for such Dum. O vile! then as she goes, what upward lies [head. The street should see as she walk'd over King. But what of this? Are we not all in love? Biron. O, nothing so sure; and thereby all forsworn. King. Then leave this chat; and, good Birón, now prove Our loving lawful, and our faith not torn. Dum. Ay, marry, there;-some flattery for this evil. Long. O, some authority how to proceed; Some tricks, some quillets,* how to cheat the devil. Dum. Some salve for perjury. Biron. O, 'tis more than need?Have at you then, affection's men at arms: Consider, what you first did swear unto ;— To fast, to study, and to see no woman;Flat treason 'gainst the kingly state of youth. Say, can you fast? your stomachs are too young; And abstinence engenders maladies. And where that you have vow'd to study, lords, In that each of you hath forsworn his book: Can you still dream, and pore, and thereon look? [fire. For when would you, my lord, or you, or you, Law-chicane. It adds a precious seeing to the eye; Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony. For wisdom's sake, a word that all men love; For charity itself fulfils the law; Biron. Advance your standards, and upon them, lords; Pell-mell, down with them! but be first advis'd, In conflict that you get the sun of them. Long. Now to plain-dealing; lay these glozes by: Shall we resolve to woo these girls of France? King. And win them too: therefore let us devise Some entertainment for them in their tents. Biron. First, from the park let us conduct them thither; Then, homeward, every man attach the hand Of his fair mistress: in the afternoon We will with some strange pastime solace them, Such as the shortness of the time can shape; For revels, dances, masks, and merry hours, Fore-run fair Love, strewing her way with flowers. King. Away, away! no time shall be omitted, That will be time, and may by us be fitted. Biron. Allons! Allons!-Sow'd cockle reap'd [sure: And justice always whirls in equal meaLight wenches may prove plagues to men for no corn; learned without opinion, and strange without heresy. 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 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 perigrinate, as I may call it. 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. I abhor such fanatical phantasms, such unsociable and point-devise‡ companions; such rackers of orthography, as to speak dout, fine, when he should say, doubt; det, when he should pronounce, debt; d, e, b, t; not d, e, t: he clepeth a calf, cauf; half, hauf; neighbour, vocatur, nebour, neigh, abbreviated, ne: This is abhominable, (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 benè: Priscian a little scratch'd; 'twill serve. Enter ARMADO, MOтH, and COSTARD. Arm. Chirra! Hol. Quare Chirra, not sirrah? [То Мотн. What is a, b, spelt backward with a horn on his head? 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. Hol. I will repeat them, a, e, i. Moth. The sheep: the other two concludes it; o, u. Arm. Now, by the salt wave of the Mediterraneum, a sweet touch,|| a quick venew of wit: snip, snap, quick and home; it rejoiceth my intellect; true wit. Moth. Offer'd by a child to an old man; which is wit-old. Hol. What is the figure; what is the figure? Moth. Horns. 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 circùm círcà ; A gig of a cuckold's horn! Cost. An I had but one penny in the world, of wine. thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread; | audience hiss, you may cry: well done Her hold, there is the very remuneration I had of cules! now thou crushest the snake! that is the thy master, thou half-penny purse of wit, thou way to make an offence gracious; though few pigeon-egg of discretion. O, an the heavens have the grace to do it. 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. Arm. At your sweet pleasure, for the moun- 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 generous 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 ;-1 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 chuck, with some delightful ostentation, or show, or pageant, or antick, 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 gallant 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 quantity 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 *Free-school. + Beard. † Confidential. Chick. Arm. For the rest of the worthies?- Arm. We will have, if this fadge* not, an antick. 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 I will play on the tabor to the worthies, and let them dance the hay. Hol. Most dull, honest Dull, to our sport, away. [Exeunt. SCENE 11.-Another part of the same.—Before the PRINCESS' Pavilion. Enter the PRINCESS KATHARINE, ROSALINE, and MARIA. Prin. Sweet hearts, we shall be rich ere we depart, If fairings come thus plentifully in: Prin. Nothing but this? yes, as much love in rhyme, As would be eramm'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;‡ For he hath been five thousand years a boy. Kath. Ay, and a shrewd unhappy gallows too. Ros. You'll ne'er be friends with him; he kill'd your sister. Kath. He made her melancholy, sad, and heavy, And so she died: had she been light, like you, Of such a merry, nimble, stirring spirit, She might have been a grandam ere she died: And so may you: for a light heart lives long. Ros. What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word? Kath. A light condition in a beauty dark. Ros. We need more light to find your meaning out. Kath. You'll mar the light, by taking it in snuff;|| Therefore, I'll darkly end the argument. Ros. Look, what you do, you do it still i'the dark. Kath. So do not you; for you are a light wench. Ros. Indeed, I weigh not you; and therefore light. Kath. You weigh me not-0, that's you care not for me.. Ros. Great reason; for, Past cure is still past care. Prin. Well bandied both; a set of wit well play'd. But Rosaline, you have a favour too: Ros. I would, you knew : 1 Grow. In anger. Nay, I have verses too, I thank Birón: The numbers true; and, were the num'bring Ros. Much, in the letters; nothing in the [too, I thought to close mine eyes some half an hour: Prin. Beauteous as ink; a good conclusion. 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, madam; and, moreover, Some thousand verses of a faithful lover: A huge translation of hypocrisy ; Vilely compil'd, profound simplicity. Making the bold wag by their praises bolder. A better speech was never spoke before: Mar. This, and these pearls, to me sent Lon- Cried, Via! we will do't, come what will come: gaville; The letter is too long by half a mile. The third he caper'd, and cried, All goes well: Prin. I think no less: Dost thou not wish in With that, they all did tumble on the ground, heart, The chain were longer, and the letter short? Mar. Ay, or I would these hands might never part. [so. 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, As wit turn'd fool: folly, in wisdom hatch'd, Boyet. O, I am stabb'd with laughter! Prin. Thy news, Boyet? Boyet. Prepare, madam, prepare!— Arm'd in arguments; you'll be surpris'd: That charge their breath against us? say, scout, With such a zealous laughter, so profound, Boyet. They do, they do; and are apparell'd Like Muscovites, or Russians: as, I guess, be task'd: For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd; Hold, Rosaline, this favour thou shalt wear; So shall Birón take me for Rosaline.- Ros. Come on then; wear the favours most in sight. Kath. But, in this changing, what is your Prin. The effect of my intent is, to cross theirs: Ros. But shall we dance, if they desire us to't? foot: The rest will ne'er come in, if he be out. So shall we stay, mocking intended game; [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, Not to behold [vouchsafe Biron. Once to behold, rogue. Moth. Once to behold your sun-beamed eyes, -with your sun-beamed eyes— Boyet. They will not answer to that epithet; You were best call it daughter-beamed eyes. Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings 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 visitation. Ros. What would they, say they? Boyet. Nothing but peace and gentle visitation. Ros. Why, that they have; and bid them so be gone. 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. Boyet. If, to come hither, you have measur'd And many miles; the princess bids you tell, Boyet. She hears herself. Ros. How many weary steps, Of many weary miles you have o'ergone, [you; That we may do it still without accompt. Ros. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy stars, to shine (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 water. King. Will you not dance? How come you thus estrang'd? Ros. You took the moon at full; but now she's chang'd. King. Yet still she is the moon, and I the man; 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, We'll not be nice: take hands;-we will not dance. King. Why take we hands then? Ros. Only to part friends :[ends. Court'sy, sweet hearts; and so the measure King. More measure of this measure; be not nice. |