And the issue, there create, So shall all the couples three And the blots of nature's hand Shall upon their children be.- Through this palace with sweet peace: Make no stay; * Portentous. Meet me all by break of day. [Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and Train. Puck. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, (and all is mended,) That you have but slumber'd here, While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend; If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I'm an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere iong: Else the Puck a liar call. So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, But there are other strict observances: SCENE I.—Navarre.—A Park, with a Palace As, not to see a woman in that term; ACT I. in it. 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. And the huge army of the world's desires,- names; That his own hand may strike his honour down, The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified; The grosser manner of these world's delights 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. Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there: King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. Biron. Let me say no, my liege, an if you I only swore, to study with your grace, [please; And stay here in your court for three years' King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study To know the thing I am forbid to know: [so As thus-To study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid; When mistresses from common sense are hid: quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book, [while 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 Small have continual plodders ever won, King. How well he's read, to reason against This article, my liege, yourself must break; A maid of grace, and cómplete majesty,- 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; She must lie here on mere necessity. 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, Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good pro-I am forsworn on mere necessity. ceeding! Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a breeding. Dum. How follows that? Biron. Fit in his place and time. Biron. Something then in rhyme. Long. Biron is like an envious sneapingt frost, That bites the first-born infants of the spring. Before the birds have any cause to sing? Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate. Biron. No, my good lord; I have sworn to And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, from shame! Biron. [Reads] Item, That no woman shall Biron. Let's see the penalty. Long. Marry, that did 1. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? So to the laws 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; With a refined traveller of Spain; For interim to our studies, shall relate, bate. How you delight, my lords, I know not, I; 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 I 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 touch Long. To fright them hence with that dreading me. 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.— Dishonestly, treacherously. + Nipping. Garas, sports King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words. grant us patience! * Reside. + Temptations. Lively, sprightly. Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, Sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Biron. Well, Sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb to 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? Cost. As it shall follow in my correction; And God defend the right! King. Will you hear this letter with attention? Biron. As we would hear an oracle. Cost. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh. King. [Reads.] Greut 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. King. So it is, Cost. It may be so: but if he say it is so, he is, in telling true, but so, so. King. Peace. Cost.-be to me, and every man that dares not fight! King. No words. Cost. of other men's secrets, I beseech you. King. So it is, besieged with sable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, und men sit down to that nourishment 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 preposterous 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-north-east and by cast from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden: There did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth, Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Antony Dull. King. For Jaquenetia, (so is the weaker vesse 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 compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO. 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 dâmosel. 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. Cost. This maid will serve my turn, Sir. King. Sir, I will pronounce your sentence; You shall fast a week with bran and water. Cost. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper. -My lord Biron see him deliver'd o'er.And go we, lords, to put in practice that Which each to other hath so strongly SCENE II.-Another part of the same.—ARMADO'S House. 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 juvenal ? Arm. I spoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy your days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough senior, as an appert nent title to your old time, which we may aRMS tough. Arm. Pretty, and apt. L * Young man. affected her for her wit. Moth. How mean you, Sir? I pretty, and my | Samson had small reason for it. He, surely, 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. Speak you this in my praise, master? Arm. In thy condign praise. Moth. I will praise an eel with the same praise. Arm. What? that an eel is ingenious? Arm. I do say, thou art quick in answers: Thou heatest my blood. Moth. I am answered, Sir. Arm. I love not to be crossed. Moth. He speaks the mere contrary, crosses love not him." [Aside. Arm. I have promised to study three years with the duke. Moth. You may do it in an hour, Sir. Moth. How many is one thrice told? Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fitteth the spirit of a tapster. Moth. You are a gentleman, and a gamester, Sir. 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 cypher. [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 out-swear Cupid. Comfort me, boy: What great men have been in love? 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 carriage, 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, The name of a coin once current Moth. It was so, Sir; for she had a gross wit. Arm. My love is most immaculate white and red. Moth. Most maculate thoughts, master, are 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; For blushing cheeks by faults are bred, For still her cheeks possess the same, 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 digressiont by some mighty precedent. Boy, I do love that country girl, that I took in the park with the rational hind Costard; she deserves well. Moth. To be whipped; and yet a better love than my master. [Aside. Arm. Sing, boy; my spirit grows heavy in Jaq. Man. Arm. I will visit thee at the lodge. Arm. I know where it is situate. Arm. I love thee. [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; suut him up. Moth. Come, you transgressing slave; away. Cost. Let me not be pent up, Sir; I will fast being loose. Of which she is naturally possessed. +Transgression. + Dairy-woman> |