Their herald is a pretty knavish page, Prin. But what, but what, come they to visit us? Unto his several mistress; which they'll know 5 maskers come. Boyet. The trumpet sounds; he masked, the [The ladies mask. Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain, disguised like Muscovites; Moth with musick, &c. Moth. "All hail, the richest beauties on the "earth!" Boyet. Beauties no richer than rich taffata 2. Moth. "A holy parcel of the fairest dames, [The ladies turn their backs to him, 10"That ever turn'd their backs to mortal views." Biron. Their eyes, villian, their eyes. 15 20 25 Moth. "That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal "views! "Out-" Moth." Once to behold with your sun-beamed "With your sun-beamed eyes me out. 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 [rogue. Biron. Is this your perfectness? begon, you Ros. What would these strangers? know thar minds, Boyet; If they do speak our language, 'tis our will Prin. And will they so? the gallants shall be 30 Know what they would. task'd: 35 Boyet. What would you with the princess? For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd; Ros. But shall we dance, if they desire us to't? |50| heart. 55 60 Ros. How many weary steps, Of many weary miles you have o'ergone, [you; Biron. We number nothing that we spend for Our duty is so rich, so infinite, That we may do it still without accompt. Ros. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. King. Blessed are clouds, to do as such clouds do! Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy stars, to shine (Those clouds remov'd) upon our watery eyne. • Spleen ridiculous is, a ridiculous fit. i, e. the taffata masks they wore to conceal themselves, Ros. Ros. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter; Thou now request'st but moon-shine in the water. King. Then in our measure do but vouchsafe one change: Thou bid'st me beg; this begging is not strange. Ros. Play, music, then: Nay, you must do it soon. Long. A calf, fair lady! 5 Take all, and wean it; it may prove an ox. Not yet:- -no dance:—thus change I like the moon. King. Put your legs should do it. Ros. Since you are strangers, and come here by chance, We'll not benice: take hands;-we will not dance. King. Why take you hands then? Ros. Only to part friends:-- Court'sy, sweet hearts; and so this measure ends. King. More measure of this measure; be not nice. Ros. We can afford no more at such a price. 15 20 Will you give horus, chaste lady? do not so. Kath. Then die a calf before your horns do grow. Long. One word in private with you, ere I die. Kath. Beatsoftly then, the butcher hears you cry. Boyet. The tongues of mocking wenches are as keen As is the razor's edge invisible, Cutting a smaller hair than may be seen; Above the sense of sense; so sensible Seemeth their conference; their conceits have [things. Fleeter than arrows, bullets, wind, thought, swifter Ros. Not one word more, my maids ; break off, wings, break off. Biron. By heaven, all dry-beaten with pure scoff! King. Farewel, mad wenches! you have simple wits. [Exeunt king and lords. King. Prize yourselves, then; what buys your 25 Prin. Twenty adieus, my frozen Muscovites.— 30 [three. 35 Metheglin, wort, and malmsey ;-well run, dice! Prin. Seventh sweet, adieu! Since you can cog', I'll play no more with you. Prin. Let it not be sweet." Biron. Thou griev'st any gall. Prin. Gali? bitter. Biron. Therefore meet. Ros. Well-liking wits they have; gross, gross; Prin. Biron did swear himself out of all suit. 45 [word Kath. Yes, in good faith. Prin. Go, sickness, as thou art! Ros. Well, better wits have worn plain statutecaps 2. But will you hear? the king is my love sworn. In their own shapes; for it can never be, Boyet. They will, they will, God knows: Prin. How, blow? how, blow? speak to be understood. Boyet. Fair ladies, mask'd, are roses in their bud; To cog, signifies to falsify the dice, and metaphorically, to lue. 2 Woollen caps were enjoined by act of parliament, in the year 1571, the 13th of Queen Elizabeth.-Probably the meaning is, Better wits may be found among men of inferior or more humble rank.” Dismask'd, Dismask'd, their damask sweet commixture shewn,] Prin. Avaunt perplexity! What shall we do, Ros. Good madam, if by me you'll be advis'd, 5 Boyet. Ladies,withdraw; the gallants are at hand. King. Fair sir, God save you! Where's the princess? lord. The virtue of your eye must break my oath, Prin. You nick-name virtue; vice you should have spoke; For virtue's office never breaks men's troth, Now by my maiden honour, yet as pure As the unsully'd lily, I protest, A world of torments though I should endure, Boyet.Gone to her tent: Please it your majesty, 20 Your wit makes wise things foolish: when we With eyes best seeing heaven's fiery eye, 40 Biron. See, where it comes!-Behaviour, what To lead you to our court: vouchsafe it then. Ros. Help, hold his brows! he'll swoon! Why Sea-sick, I think, coming from Muscovy. 2 i. c. The mean, in music, is That is, letting those clouds which obscured their brightness sink from before them. uncouth.. Wassels were meetings of rural mirth and intemperance. the tenor. That is, the flower or pint of courtesy. As white as whale's bone is a proverbial comparison in our ancient poets. Can Can any face of brass hold longer out?Here stand I, lady; dart thy skill at me; Bruise me with scorn, confound me with a flout; Thrust thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance; Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit; And I will wish thee never more to dance, Nor never more in Russian habit wait. O! never will I trust to speeches penn'd, Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue; Nor never come in visor to my friend; Nor woo in rhime, like a blind harper's song: Taffata phrases, silken terms precise, Three-pil'd hyperboles, spruce affectation, Figures pedantical; these summer flies Have blown me full of maggot ostentation: Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express'd Of the old rage:-bear with me, I am sick; 5 10 What did the Russian whisper in your ear? Ros. By heaven you did; and to confirm it plain, Prin. Pardon me, sir, this jewel did she wear; 15 And lord Biron, I thank him, is my dear.What; will you have me, or your pearl again? Biron. Neither of either; I remit both twain.I see the trick on't;-Here was a consent, (Knowing aforehand of our merriment) 20 To dash it like a Christmas comedy: [zany', Some carry-tale, some please-man, some slight Some mumble-news, some trencher-knight, some Dick, [trick That smiles his cheek in years; and knows the 25 To make my lady laugh, when she's dispos'd,Told our intents before: which once disclosed, The ladies did change favours; and then we, Following the signs, woo'd but the sign of she Now to our perjury to add more terror, 30 We are again forsworn; in will and error'. Much upon this it is:-And might not you [To Boyet. Forestal our sport, to make us thus untrue? Do not you know my lady's foot by the squier 1o, And laugh upon the apple of her eye?" And stand between her back, sir, and the fire, 35 [to us. Prin. The fairest is confession. King. Madam, I was. Prin. And were you well advis'd? King. I was, fair madam. Prin. When you then were here, What did you whisper in your lady's ear? [her. King. That more than all the world I did respect Prin. When she shall challenge this, you will reject her. 45 |წი King. Upon mine honour, no. Holding a trencher, jesting merrily? You put our page out: Go, you are allow'd"; Die when you will, a smock shall be your shroud. You leer upon me, do you? there's an eye, Wounds like a leaden sword. Welcome, pure wit! thou partest a fair fray. Whether the three worthies shall come in, or no. Biron. What, are there but three? For every one pursents three. Biron. And three times three is nine. Cost. Not so, sir; under correction, sir; I hope, it is not so: "That is, without French words. 'The inscrip * Our author here puns upon the * In years 1 A metaphor taken from the pile of velvet. tion put upon the doors of the houses infected with the plague. word sue, which signifies to prosecute by law, or to offer a petition. "That is, You make no difficulty to forswear. "That is, a conspiracy. "That is, a buffoon, or merry Andrew. signifies, into wrinkles. i. e. First in will, and afterwards in error. 10 From the French esquierre, a rule or square. The sense is nearly equivalent to the proverbial expression, he hath got the length of her foot; i. e. he hath humour'd her so long that he can persuade her to what be pleases. "That is, You may say what you will. You Biron. Go bid them prepare. [some care. To have one show worse than the king's and his King. I say, they shall not come. [now; 35 Arm. Anointed, I implore so much expence of thy royal sweet breath as will utter a brace of words. [Converses apart with the king.40 Prin. Doth this man serve God? Biron. Why ask you? [ing. Prin. He speaks not like a man of God's makArm. That's all one,my fair, sweet, honey monarch: for, I protest, the school-master is exceed-45 ing fantastical; too, too vain; too, too vain: But we will put it as they say, to fortuna della guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, most royal couple ment! King. Here is like to be a good presence of 50 worthies: He presents Hector of Troy; the swain, Pompey the great; the parish curate, Alexander; Armado's page, Hercules; the pedant, JudasMacchabæus.. And if these four worthies in their first show thrive, 55 1 3 And, travelling along this coast, I here am co.ne "And lay my arms before the legs of this sweet Cost. 'Tis not so much worth; but, I hope, I was perfect: I made a little fault in, great. Biron. My hat to a half-penny, Pompey proves the best worthy. Enter Nathaniel for Alexander. Nath. "When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander; By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might: [der." "My 'scutcheon plain declares, that I am AlisanBoyet. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands too rights. Biron. Your nose smells no, in this most tendersmelling knight. Prin. The conqueror is dismay'd: Proceed, good Alexander. Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander:" [der. Boyet. Most true, 'tis right; you were so AlisanBiron. Pompey the great, Cost. Your servant, and Costard. [sander. Biron. Take away the conqueror, take away AliCost. O, sir, you have overthrown Alisander the conqueror! [To Nath.] You will be scraped out of the painted cloth for this: your lion, that holds his poll-ax sitting on a close-stool, will be given to A-jax'; he will then be the ninth worthy. A conqueror, and afeard to speak! run away for shame, Alisander. [Exit Nath.] There, an't shall please you! a foolish mild man, an honest man, look you, and soon dash'd! He is a marvellous good neighbour in sooth; and a very good bowler: Meaning, we are not fools; our next relations cannot beg the wardship of our persons and fortunes. One of the legal tests of a natural is to try whether he can number. 2 Novum was an old game at dice. A phrase still in use among gardeners. This alludes to the old heroic habits, which on the knees and shoulders had usually, by way of ornament, the resemblance of a leopard's or lion's head. To relish this joke, the reader should recollect, that the head of Alexander was obliquely placed on his shoulders. Alluding to the arts given to the nine worthies in the old hisA paltry pun upon Ajax and a jakes, tory. but, |