61

For he hath wit to make an ill shape good,
And shape to win grace though he had no wit.
Iaw him at the Duke Alençon's once;
And much too little of that good I saw
Is my report to his great worthiness.

Ros. Another of these students at that time
Was there with him, if I have heard a truth.
Biron they call him; but a merrier man,
Within the limit of becoming mirth,
I never spent an hour's talk withal:
His eve begets occasion for his wit;
For every object that the one doth catch
The other turns to a mirth-moving jest,
Which his fair tongue, conceit's expositor,
Delivers in such apt and gracious words
That aged ears play truant at his tales
And younger hearings are quite ravished;
So sweet and voluble is his discourse.

70

Ros. Not till it leave the rider in the mire.
Biron. What time o' day?

Ros. The hour that fools should ask.
Biron. Now fair befall your mask!
Ros. Fair fall the face it covers!
Biron. And send you many lovers!
Ros. Aren, so you be none.
Biron. Nay, then will I be gone.
King. Madam, your father here doth inti-

mate

131

The payment of a hundred thousand crowns;
Being but the one half of an entire sum
Disbursed by my father in his wars.
But say that he or we, as neither have,
Received that sum, yet there remains unpaid
A hundred thousand more; in surety of the

which,

140

One part of Aquitaine is bound to us,
Although not valued to the money's worth.
If then the king your father will restore
But that one half which is unsatisfied,
We will give up our right in Aquitaine,
And hold fair friendship with his majesty,
But that, it seems, he little purposeth,
For here he doth demand to have repaid
A hundred thousand crowns; and not demands,
On payment of a hundred thousand crowns,
To have his title live in Aquitaine;
Which we much rather had depart withal
And have the money by our father lent
Than Aquitaine so gelded as it is.

Dear princess, were not his requests so far 150 From reason's yielding, your fair self should make

A yielding 'gainst some reason in my breast And go well satisfied to France again.

Prin. You do the king my father too much

wrong

170

All liberal reason I will yield unto.
Meantime receive such welcome at my hand
As honor without breach of honor may
Make tender of to thy true worthiness:
You may not come, fair princess, in my gates;
But here without you shall be so received
As you shall deem yourself lodged in my heart,
Though so denied fair harbor in my house.
Your own good thoughts excuse me, and fare-
well:

To-morrow shall we visit you again.

Prin. Sweet health and fair desires consort your grace!

King Thy own wish wish I thee in every

place!

[Erit.

Biron. Lady, I will commend you to mine, own heart.

180'

She is an heir of Falconbridge. Long. Nay, my choler is ended. She is a most sweet lady.

Not a word with him but a jest.
Boyet.
And every jest but a word.
Prin. It was well done of you to take him
at his word.

Boyet. I was as willing to grapple as he

was to board.

Mar. Two hot sheeps, marry.
Boyet.

And wherefore not ships? No sheep, sweet lamb, unless we feed on your 220

lips.

Mar. You sheep, and I pasture: shall that finish the jest?

Boyet. So you grant pasture for me.

Mar

[Offering to kiss her. Not so, gentle beast:

My lips are no common, though several they be.

Boyet. Belonging to whom?

Mar.

To my fortunes and me. Prin Good wits will be jangling; but,

gentles, agree :

This civil war of wits were much better used On Navarre and his book-men; for here 'tis abused.

Boyet. If my observation, which very seldom lies,

By the heart's still rhetoric disclosed with

eyes,

Deceive me not now, Navarre is infected. 230 Prin. With what?

Boyet. With that which we lovers entitle

affected.

Prin. Your reason?

Boget. Why, all his behaviors did make

their retire

sense of Moth.

ACT III.

SCENE I. The same.

Enter ARMADO and MOTH.

Warble, child; make passionate my hearing.

Concolinel.

[Singing.

Arin. Sweet air! Go, tenderness of years; take this key, give enlargement to the swain, bring him festinately hither: I must employ him in a letter to my love.

Moth. Master, will you win your love with a French brawl?

Arm. How meanest thou? brawling in
French?

Moth. No, my complete master but to fig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet, humor it with turning up your erelids, sigh a note and sing a note, sometime through the throat, as if you swallowed love with singing love, sometime through the nose, as if you snuffed up love by smelling love; with your hat penthouse-like o'er the shop of your eyes with your arms crossed on your thin-belly doublet like a rabbit on a spit; or your hands in your pocket like a man after the old painting; and keep not too long in one time, but a snip and away. These are complements, these are humors; these betray nice wenches, that would be betrayed without these; and make them men of note-do you note me ?-that most are affected to these. Arm. How hast thou purchased this experience ?

Moth. By my penny of observation.
Arn.
But O, but 0,-

Moth

Arm.

The hobby-horse is forgot.'

30

Callest thou my love 'hobby-horse' ? Moth. No, master; the hobby-horse is but

Moth. A man, if I live; and this, by, in, and without, upon the instant: by heart you love her, because your heart cannot come by her; in heart you love her, because your heart is in love with her; and out of heart you love her, being out of heart that you cannot enjoy her.

Arm. I am all these three.

Moth. And three times as much more, and yet nothing at all. 50 Arm. Fetch hither the swain: he must carry me a letter.

Moth. A message well sympathized; a horse to be ambassador for an ass.

Arm. Ha, ha! what sayest thou?

Moth. Marry, sir, you must send the ass upon the horse, for he is very slow-gaited. But I go.

Arm. The way is but short
Moth. As swift as lead, sir.

Arm.

away!

The meaning, pretty ingenious?

Is not lead a metal heavy, dull, and slow ? 60 Moth. Minimè, honest master; or rather,

Arm. The fox, the ape, the humble-bee, 90 Were still at odds, being but three. Moth. Until the goose came out of door,

And stay'd the odds by adding four. Now will I begin your moral, and do you follow with my l'envoy.

The fox, the ape, and the humble-bee, Were still at odds, being but three. Arm. Until the goose came out of door,

Staying the odds by adding four. 100 Moth. A good l'envoy, ending in the goose: would you desire more?

Cost. The boy hath sold him a bargain, a goose, that's flat.

Sir, your pennyworth is good, an your goose

be fat.

To sell a bargain well is as cunning as fast and loose:

Let me see; a fat l'envoy; ay, that's a fat goose.

Arm. Come hither, come hither. How did this argument begin?

Moth. By saying that a costard was broken in a shin.

Then call'd you for the l'envoy.

Cost. True, and I for a plantain: thus came your argument in;

Then the boy's fat l'envoy, the goose that you bought;

And he ended the market.

110

Arm. But tell me how was there a costard broken in a shin?

Moth. I will tell you sensibly.

Cost. Thou hast no feeling of it, Moth: I will speak that l'envoy:

I Costard, running out, that was safely within,

Fell over the threshold and broke my shin. Arm. We will talk no more of this matter.

Cost. Till there be more matter in the shin. Arm. Sirrah Costard, I will enfranchise thee.

Cost. O, marry me to one Frances: I smell some l'envoy, some goose, in this.

Arm. By my sweet soul, I mean setting thee at liberty, enfreedoming thy person; thou wert immured, restrained, captivated, bound. Cost. True, true; and now you will be my purgation and let me loose.

Arm. I give thee thy liberty, set thee from durance; and, in lieu thereof, impose on thee nothing but this: bear this significant [giring a letter] to the country maid Jaquenetta, there is remuneration; for the best ward of mine honor is rewarding my dependents. Moth, Exit

Follow.

th. Like the sequel, I. Signior Costard, adieu

Cost. My sweet ounce of man's fiesh! my

incony Jew! [Exit Moth Now will I look to his rem mneration. Remuneration! O, that's the Latin word for three farthings: three farthings-remuneration.— 'What's the price of this inkle ?'-' One penny. No, I'll give you a remuneration: why, it carries it. Remuneration! why, it is a fairer name than French crown. I will never buy and sell out of this word, Enter BIRON.

Biron. O, my good knave Costard! exceed ingly well met.

Cost. Pray you, sir, how much carnation ribbon may a man buy for a remuneration ? Biron. What is a remuneration ? Cost. Marry, sir, halfpenny farthing. Biron. Why, then, three-farthing worth of silk. 150

Cost. I thank your worship: God be wi you!

Biron. Stay, slave: I must employ thee: As thou wilt win my favor, good my knave, Do one thing for me that I shall entreat. Cost. When would you have it done, sir? Biron. This afternoon.

Cost.
Biron.
Cost. I shall know, sir, when I have done it.
Biron. Why, villain, thou must know first.
Cost. I will come to your worship to-mer-
row morning.

Well, I will do it, sir: fare you well.
Thou knowest not what it is.

161

Baron. It must be done this afternoon. Hark, slave, it is but this :

The princess comes to hunt here in the park,
And in her train there is a gentle lady;
When tongues speak sweetly, then they name
her name,

And Rosaline they call her ask for her:
And to her white hand see thou do commend
This seal'd-up counsel. There's thy guerdon;
go.
170 [Giring him a shilling!
Cost. Gardon. O sweet gaidon! better than
remuneration, a'leven-pence farthing better :
most sweet gardon ! I will do it, sir, in print.
Gardon! Remuneration!
Biron. And I, forsooth, in love! I, that
have been love's whip;

[Exit.

Still a-repairing, ever out of frame,
And never going aright, being a watch,
But being watch'd that it may still go right!
Nay, to be perjured, which is worst of all;
And, among three, to love the worst of all;
A wightly wanton with a velvet brow,
With two pitch-balls stuck in her face for eyes;
Ay, and, by heaven, one that will do the deed
Though Argus were her eunuch and her guard:
And I to sigh for her! to watch for her!
To pray for her! Go to; it is a plague
That Cupid will impose for my neglect
Of his almighty dreadful little might.

Well, I will love, write, sigh, pray, sue and groan:

Some men must love my lady and some Joan.

ACT IV.

SCENE I. The same.

[Exit.

Enter the Princess, and her train, a Forester, BOYET, ROSALINE, MARIA, and KATHARINE. Prin. Was that the king, that spurred his horse so hard

Against the steep uprising of the hill?

Boyet. I know not, but I think it was not he. Prin. Whoe'er a' was, a' show'd a mount

ing mind.

Well, lords, to-day we shall have our dispatch:
On Saturday we will return to France.
Then, forester, my friend, where is the bush
That we must stand and play the murderer in?
For. Hereby, upon the edge of yonder cop-
pice;

A stand where you may make the fairest shoot. Prin. I thank my beauty, I am fair that shoot,

11

And thereupon thou speak'st the fairest shoot.
For. Pardon me, madam, for I meant not so.
Prin. What, what? first praise me and
again say no ?

O short-lived pride! Not fair? alack for woe!
For. Yes, madam, fair.
Prin.
Nay, never paint me now:
Where fair is not, praise cannot mend the brow.
Here, good my glass, take this for telling true:
Fair payment for foul words is more than due.
For. Nothing but fair is that which you in-
herit.

20

Prin. See, see, my beauty will be saved by merit !

O heresy in fair, fit for these days!
A giving hand, though foul, shall have fair
praise.

But come, the bow: now mercy goes to kill,
And shooting well is then accounted ill.
Tous will I save my credit in the shoot:
Not wounding, pity would not let me do't;
If wounding, then it was to show my skill,
That more for praise than purpose meant to

kill.

And out of question so it is sometimes, Glory grows guilty of detested crimes,

30

Boyet [reads]. 'By heaven, that thou art fair, is most infallible; true, that thou art beauteous; truth itself, that thou art lovely. More fairer than fair, beautiful than beauteous, truer than truth itself, have commiseration on thy heroical vassal! The magnanimous and most illustrate king Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and indubitate beggar Zenelophon; and he it was that might rightly say, Veni, vidi, vici; which to annothanize in the vulgar, -O base and obscure vulgar !-videlicet, He came, saw, and overcame: he came, one; saw two; overcame, three. Who came? the king: why did he come? to see: why did he see ? to overcome: to whom came he? to the beggar what saw he ? the beggar: who overcame he? the beggar. The conclusion is victory on whose side? the king's. The captive is enriched on whose side? the beggar's.