Fleeter than arrows, bullets, wind, thought, swifter things.

Ros. Not one word more, my maids; break off, break off.

Bir. By heaven, all dry-beaten with pure scoff!

King. Farewell, mad wenches; you have simple wits.

[Exeunt King, Lords, and Blackamoors]. Prin. Twenty adieus, my frozen Muscovits. Are these the breed of wits so wond'red at ? 266 Boyet. Tapers they are, with your sweet breaths puff'd out.

Ros. Well-liking wits they have; gross, gross; fat, fat.

Prin. O poverty in wit, kingly-poor flout! Will they not, think you, hang themselves tonight?

270

And we that sell by gross, the Lord doth know,
Have not the grace to grace it with such show.
This gallant pins the wenches on his sleeve; 21
Had he been Adam, he had tempted Eve.
'A can carve too, and lisp; why, this is he
That kiss'd his hand away in courtesy ;
This is the ape of form, monsieur the nice.
That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice
In honourable terms; nay, he can sing
A mean most meanly; and in ushering
Mend him who can. The ladies call him sweet;
The stairs, as he treads on them, kiss his feet.
This is the flower that smiles on every one,
To show his teeth as white as whale's bone;
And consciences, that will not die in debt,
Pay him the due of honey-tongu'd Boyet.
King. A blister on his sweet tongue, with my
heart,

The virtue of your eye must break my oath. Prin. You nickname 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 unsullied lily, I protest,

A world of torments though I should endure,
I would not yield to be your house's guest;
So much I hate a breaking cause to be
Of heavenly oaths, vow'd with integrity.
King. O, you have liv'd in desolation here,
Unseen, unvisited, much to our shame.
Prin. Not so, my lord; it is not so, I swear;
We have had pastimes here and pleasant

game.

A mess of Russians left us but of late.
King. How, madam! Russians!
Prin.

Ay, in truth, my lord Trim gallants, full of courtship and of state. Ros. Madam, speak true. It is not so, my lord.

My lady, to the manner of the days,

In courtesy gives undeserving praise.
We four indeed confronted were with four
In Russian habit; here they stay'd an hour,
And talk'd apace; and in that hour, my lord.
They did not bless us with one happy word. =

That hid the worse and show'd the better face. Kong. Aside. We were descried; they'll

mock us now downright.

Im. Let us confess and turn it to a jest. SPO Fr. Amaz'd, my lord? Why looks your highness sad?

E. Help, hold his brows! he'll swoon!
Why look you pale?

ek. I think, coming from Muscovy.
Thus pour the stars down plagues for per-
jury.

Can any face of brass hold longer out?
and I; lady, dart thy skill at me,

395

se me with scorn, confound me with a Bot;

thy sharp wit quite through my igno

Some fair excuse.

Prin.

The fairest is confession.

Were not you here but even now disguis'd? King. Madam, I was.

Prin.

And were you well advis'd?

King. I was, fair madam.

Prin.

436

When you then were here, What did you whisper in your lady's ear? King. That more than all the world I did respect her. Prin. When she shall challenge this, you will reject her.

King. Upon mine honour, no.

Prin.

Peace, peace! forbear. Your oath once broke, you force not to for

Prin. I will; and therefore keep it. Rosaline,

What did the Russian whisper in your ear?
Ros. Madam, he swore that he did hold me

dear

445

As precious eyesight, and did value me
Above this world; adding thereto, moreover,
That he would wed me, or else die my lover.
Prin. God give thee joy of him! The noble
lord

Most honourably doth uphold his word.
King. What mean you, madam? By my life,
my troth,

450

I never swore this lady such an oath. Ros. By heaven, you did; and to confirm it plain,

You gave me this; but take it, sir, again. King. My faith and this the Princess I did give.

455

I knew her by this jewel on her sleeve.
Prin. Pardon me, sir, this jewel did she

how;

Where zeal strives to content, and the contents

Dies in the zeal of that which it presents. Their form confounded makes most form in mirth,

When great things labouring perish in their birth.

Bir. A right description of our sport, my lord.

Enter Braggart [ARMADO].

Arm. Anointed, I implore so much expense of thy royal sweet breath as will utter a brace of words.

[Converses apart with the King, and
delivers him a paper.]

Prin. Doth this man serve God?
Bir. Why ask you?

Prin. A speaks not like a man of God's making.

Arm. That is all one, my fair, sweet, honey [ monarch; for, I protest, the schoolmaster is exceeding fantastical; too too vain, too too vain but we will put it, as they say, to fortuna de la guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, most royal couplement! [Exit.

King. Here is like to be a good presence of Worthies. He presents Hector of Troy; the swain, Pompey the Great; the parish curate Alexander; Armado's page, Hercules; the ped ant, Judas Maccabæus;

54

And if these four Worthies in their first shov thrive,

These four will change habits, and present th other five.

Bir. There is five in the first show. King. You are deceived; 't is not so. Bir. The pedant, the braggart, the hedgepriest, the fool, and the boy:

Abate throw at Novum, and the whole worl again

Cannot pick out five such, take each one in hi

Boget. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands too right.

Br. Your nose smells "no" in this, most tender-smelling knight.

Prin. The conqueror is dismay'd. Proceed, good Alexander.

570

Nati. "When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander,`

Bet. Most true, 't is right; you were so, Alisander.

B. Pompey the Great,

Your servant, and Costard.

Br. Take away the conqueror, take away [375 Lanier.

fast. To Sir Nath.] O, sir, you have overwn Alisander the conqueror! You will be pd out of the painted cloth for this. Your that holds his poll-axe sitting on a close- [80 will be given to Ajax; he will be the ninth Why. A conqueror, and afeard to speak! away for shame, Alisander. [Nath. retires.]

, an 't shall please you, a foolish mild , an honest man, look you, and soon dash'd. is a marvellous good neighbour, faith, [585 a very good bowler; but, for Alisander, * you show 't is, -a little o'erparted. But are Worthies a-coming will speak their d some other sort. [Exit Curate. 590 Pria. Stand aside, good Pompey. Ise Podant 'HOLOFERNES, for Judas, and the Boy MOTH), for Hercules.

"Great Hercules is presented by this imp. Waeclub kill'd Cerberus, that three-headed

when he was a babe, a child, a shrimp, Vid he strangle serpents in his manus. 595 the seemeth in minority,

I come with this apology."

Keep some state in thy exit, and van[Moth retires.]

A Judas!

Not Iscariot, sir.

. I am. yeliped Maccabæus."

Jud-as, away!

Hol. This is not generous, not gentle, not humble.

Boyet. A light for Monsieur Judas! It grows dark, he may stumble. [Hol. retires.] Prin. Alas, poor Maccabæus, how hath he been baited!

Enter Braggart [ARMADO, for Hector].

Bir. Hide thy head, Achilles; here comes [635 Hector in arms.

Dum. Though my mocks come home by me, I will now be merry.

King. Hector was but a Troyan in respect of this.

Boyet. But is this Hector?

640

King. I think Hector was not so clean-tim

ber'd.

600

Bir. A lemon.

Long. Stuck with cloves.

Dum. No, cloven.

Judas Maccabæus clipt is plain Ju

Arm. Peace!

650

635

"The armipotent Mars. of lances the almighty,