Action, and accent, did they teach him there;
Thus must thou speak, and thus thy body bear:
And ever anon they made a doubt,
Prefence majestical would put him out;
For, quoth the king, an angel shalt thou fee:
Yet fear not thou, but Speak audaciously :
The boy reply'd, An angel is not evil;

1 fhould have fear'd her, had she been a devil.
With that all laugh'd, and clap'd him on the shoulder;
Making the bold wag by their praises bolder.
One rubb'd his elbow, thus; and fleer'd, and fwore,
A better speech 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,

u

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 purpofe is, to parle, to court, and dance:
And every one his love-feat will advance

Unto his several miftrefs; which they'll know
By favours feveral, which they did bestow.

Prin. And will they fo? the gallants fhall be task'd:— For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd;

And not a man of them fhall have the grace,

W

Defpight of fuit, to fee a lady's face.

"this fpleen ridiculous]-ridiculous fit.

W

Via !]-Courage!

Defpight of fuit,]-Though he should entreat it moft earnestly.

Hold, Rofaline, this favour thou shalt wear;
And then the king will court thee for his dear:
Hold, take thou this my sweet, 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.
Kath. But, in this changing, what is your intent?
Prin. The effect of my intent is, to cross theirs:
They do it but in mocking merriment ;
And mock for mock is only my intent.
Their several counfels they unbosom shall
To loves mistook; and fo be mock'd withal,
Upon the next occafion that we meet,
With visages difplay'd, to talk, and greet.

Rof. But fhall we dance, if they defire us to❜t?

X

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.

Boyet. Why, that contempt will kill the fpeaker's heart, And quite divorce his memory from his part.

Prin. Therefore I do it; and, I make no doubt,
The reft will ne'er come in, if he be out.

There's no fuch sport, as fport by fport o'erthrown;
To make theirs ours, and ours none but our own :
So fhall we stay, mocking intended game;

And they, well mock'd, depart away with fhame. [Sound.

Boyet. The trumpet founds; be mafk'd, the maskers [The ladies mafk.

come.'

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain, disguised like Mufcovites; Moth with mufick, &c.

Moth. All bail, the richest beauties on the earth!

x to the death,]-we'll die firft.

Boyet.

Boyet. Beauties no richer than rich taffata.
Moth. A boly parcel of the fairest dames,

[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 vouchsafe Not to behold

Biron. Once to behold, rogue.

Moth. Once to behold with your fun-beamed eyes,

With your fun-beamed eyes

Boyet. They will not answer to that epithet ; You were beft call it daughter-beamed eyes.

Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings me out.
Biron. Is this your perfectnefs? be gone, you rogue.
Rof. What would thefe ftrangers? know their minds,
Boyet :

If they do speak our language, 'tis our will
That fome plain man recount their purposes:
Know what they would.

Boyet. What would you with the princess?
Biron. Nothing but peace, and gentle vifitation.
Rof. What would they, fay they?

Boyet. Nothing but peace and gentle visitation.
Rof. Why, that they have; and bid them fo be gone.
Boyet. She fays, you have it, and you may be gone.
King. Say to her, we have meafur'd many miles,
*To tread a measure with her on this grass.

Boyet. They fay, that they have measur'd many a mile, To tread a measure with you on this grass.

taffata.]-the masks of taffata, which they wore.
To tread a measure]—To take a dance.

Rof.

Rof. It is not fo: Afk 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 meafur'd miles,
And many miles; the princess bids you tell,

How many inches do fill up one mile.

Biron. Tell her, we meafure them by weary steps.
Boyet. She hears herself.

Rof. How many weary steps,

Of many weary miles you have o'ergone,

Are number'd in the travel of one mile?

Biron. We number nothing that we spend for you;

Our duty is fo rich, fo infinite,

That we may do it ftill without accompt.
Vouchsafe to fhew the funfhine of your face,

That we, like favages, may worship it.

Rof. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. King. Bleffed are clouds, to do as fuch clouds do! Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy ftars, to fhine (Those clouds remov'd) upon our watery eyne.

Rof. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter; Thou now request'ft but moon-fhine in the water.

King. Then in our measure do but vouchsafe one 'change:

Thou bid'ft me beg; this begging is not ftrange.

Rof. 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?

Rof. You took the moon at full; but now she's chang'd.
King. Yet ftill fhe is the moon, and I the man.

The mufick plays; vouchfafe fome motion to it.
Rof. Our ears vouchsafe it.

a change:]-turn in a dance.

King. But your legs fhould do it.

Rof. Since you are ftrangers, and come here by chance, We'll not be nice: take hands ;-we will not dance.

King. Why take you hands then?

Rof. Only to part friends :

Court'fy, fweet hearts; and fo the measure ends.

King. More measure of this measure; be not nice.
Rof. We can afford no more at fuch a price.

King. Prize yourselves then; What buys your company?
Rof. Your abfence only.

King. That can never be.

Rof. Then cannot we be bought: And fo adieu;

Twice to your vizor, and half once to you!

King. If you deny to dance, let's hold more chat.
Rof. In private then.

King. I am beft pleas'd with that.

Biron. White-handed mistress, one fweet word with thee. Prin. Honey, and milk, and sugar; there is three. Biron. Nay then, two treys, (an if you grow fo nice,) Metheglin, wort, and malmfey;-Well run, dice! There's half a dozen fweets.

Prin. Seventh fweet, adieu!

Since you can cog, I'll play no more with you.
Biron. One word in fecret.

Prin. Let it not be sweet.

Biron. Thou griev'ft my gall.

Prin. Gall? bitter.

Biron. Therefore meet.

Dum. Will you vouchfafe with me to change a word?

Mar. Name it.

Dum. Fair lady,

Mar. Say you fo? Fair lord,

cog,]-to falfify a die; to lie.

Take