Enter the King, Biron, Longueville, Dumain, and attendants, difguis'd like Mufcovites; Moth with Mufick, as for a mafquerade. 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. That ever turn'd their backs to mortal views. Moth. That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal views. Out Biron. True; out, indeed. Moth. Out of your favours, heav'nly 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. 2 Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings me out. Biron. Is this your perfectness? be gone, you rogue. Rof. What would thefe ftrangers? know their minds, Boyet. Beauties, no richer than rich Taffata.] i. e. The Taffata Mafks they wore to conceal Themfelves. All the Editors concur to give this Line to Biron; but, furely, very abfurdly for he's One of the zealous Admirers, and hardly would make fuch an Inference. Boyet is fneering at the Parade of VOL. II. their Addrefs, is in the fecret of the Ladies' Stratagem, and makes himself Sport at the Abfurdity of their Proem, in complimenting their Beauty, when they were mafk'd. It therefore comes from him with the utmost Propriety. THEOBALD. If If they do speak our language, 'tis our Will Boyet. What would you with the Princefs? Boyet. Nothing, but peace and gentle vifitation. Rof. Why,That they have; and bid them so be gone, Boyet. She fays, you have it; and you may be gone. King. Say to her, we have measur❜d many miles, To tread a meafure with her on the grass. Boyet. They fay, that they have meafur'd many a mile, To tread a measure with you on this grafs. Rof. It is not fo. Afk them, how many inches Boyet. If to come hither you have meafur'd miles, Biron. Tell her, we measure them by weary steps. Boyet. She hears herself. Rof. How many weary steps Of many weary miles, you have o'ergone, Biron. We number nothing that we spend for you; Our duty is fo rich, fo infinite, That we may do it ftill without accompt. Rof. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. * Rof. O vain petitioner, beg a greater matter; Thou now requeft'ft but moon-fhine in the water. he, to judge of stars in the prefence of the fun. When Queen Elizabeth afked an ambaffadour how he liked her Ladies, It is hard, faid 4 King. King. Then in our meafure vouchfafe but one change; Thou bid'ft me beg, this begging is not strange. 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, vouchsafe fome motion to it. Rof. Our cars vouchfafe it. King. But your legs fhould do it. Rof. Since you are ftrangers, and come here by We'll not be nice; take hands;-we will not dance. Rof. Only to part friends; Curt'fy, fweet hearts, and fo the measure ends. Rof. Your abfence only. King. That can never be. Rof. Then cannot we be bought; and so, adieu; Twice to your visor, 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 miftrefs, one fweet word with thee. Prin. Honey, and milk, and fugar, there is three. nice, Methegline, wort, and malmfey;-well run, dice: J Prin. Seventh fweet, adieu; Since you can cog *, I'll play no more with you. Dum. Will you vouchfafe with me to change a word? Mar. Name it. Dum. Fair lady, Mar. Say you fo? fair lord: Take that for your fair lady. Dum. Please it you; As much in private; and I'll bid adieu. Cath. What, was your vifór made without a tongue ? Long. I know the reafon, lady, why you afk. Cath. O, for your reafon! quickly, Sir; I long. Long. You have a double tongue within your mask, And would afford my speechless vizor half. Cath. Veal, quoth the Dutch man; is not veal a calf? Long. A calf, fair lady? Cath. No, a fair lord calf. Long. Let's part the word. Cath. No, I'll not be your half; Take all, and wean it; it may prove an ox. Long. Look, how you butt yourself in these sharp mocks ! Will you give horns, chafte lady? do not fo. Cutting a smaller hair than may be feen: To cogg fignifies to falfify the dice, and to falfify a narrative, or to lye. See meth Seemeth their conference, their conceits have wings; Fleeter than arrows, bullets, wind, thought, fwifter things. Rof. Not one word more, my maids; break off, break off. Biron. By heaven, all dry-beaten with pure fcoff.-King. Farewel, mad wenches; you have simple wits. [Exeunt King and Lords. SCENE VI. Prin. Twenty adieus, my frozen Muscovites. Are thefe the Breed of wits fo wondred at? Boyet. Tapers they are, with your fweet breaths puft out. Rof. Well-liking wits they have; grofs, grofs; fat, fat. Prin. O poverty in wit-kingly?-poor flout! Will they not (think you) hang themselves to night? Or ever, but in vizors, fhew their faces? This pert Biron was out of count'nance quite. Prin. Qualm, perhaps. Cath. Yes, in good faith. Prin. Go, fick nefs as thou art! Rof. Well, better wits have worn plain ftatutecaps 3. 3 Better wits have worn plain ftatute-caps.] This line is not univerfally understood, becaufe every reader does not know But that a ftatute-cap is part of the academical habit. Lady Rofaline declares that her expectation was disappointed by thefe O 3 courtly |