1 Bine. They fwore, that you were almost fick for me. [for me.. Beat. They fwore, that you were well-nigh dead Bene. 'Tis no fuch matter :-Then, you do not love me? Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompence. Leon. Come, coufin, I am fure you love the gentleman. Claud. And I'll be fworn upon't, that he loves her; For here's a paper, written in his hand, A halting fonnet of his own pure brain, Fashion'd to Beatrice. Hero. And here's another, Writ in my coufin's hand, stolen from her pocket Containing her affection unto Benedick. Bene. Bull Jove, fir, had an amiable low; Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands againft And fome such strange bull leapt your father's cow, our hearts! - Come, I will have thee; but, by this And got a calf in that fame noble feat, Claud. For this I owe you here come other reck'nings. Which is the lady I must seize upon ? Ant. This fame is the, and I do give you her. Claud. Why, then she's mine: Sweet, let me fee your face. [hand Lem. No, that you fhall not, till you take her Before this friar, and fwear to marry her. Claud. Give me your hand before this holy friar; I am your husband, if you like of me. Hero. And when I liv'd, i was your other wife: [Unmasking, And when you lov'd, you were my other husband. Claud. Another Hero? Hero. Nothing certainer : One Hero dy'd defil'd; but I do live, Pedro. The former Hero Hero, that is dead! liv'd. Friar. All this amazement can I qualify; Bene. Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice? Beat. Why, no, no more than reason. light, I take thee for pity. Beat. I would not deny you;-but, by this good day, I yield upon great perfuafion; and, partly, to fave your life, for I was told, you were in a confumption. Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth. [Killing ber. Pedro. How doft thou, Benedick the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Doft thou think I care for a fatire, or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall wear nothing handfome about him: In brief, fince I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can fay against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have faid againtt it; for man is a giddy thing, and this my conclufion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinfman, live unbruis'd, and love my cou fin. 15 Claud. I had well hoped, thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee out of thy fingle life, to make thee a double dealer ;. which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my coufin do not look exceedingly narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends: -let's have a dance ere we are marry'd, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards. Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, mufick.-Prince, thou art fad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than one Beat. Why, then, my coufin, Margaret, and devife thee brave punithments for him.-Strike up Urfula, pipers. [Dance Are much deceiv'd; for they did fwear you did. [Excunt omne DM ADRIANO DE ARMADO, { NATHANIEL, a Curate. HOLOFERNES, a Schoolmaster. COSTARD, a Clown. Моти, Page to Don Adriano de Armade. Princess of France. } Ladies, attending on the Princess. a fantastical Spa- ROSALINE, Officers, and others, Attendants upon the King and Princess. ACT I. I. SCENE Navarve. The Palace. Enter King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain. And then grace us in the disgrace of death; Ya three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville, Tour caths are paft, and now fubfcribe your names; are arm'd to do, as fworn to do, Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd; Biron. I can but fay their protestation over, King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. L2 What is the end of study? let me know. King. Why, that to know, which else we should not know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common fenfe? King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompence. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study fo, To know the thing I am forbid to know: As thus, To study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid; Or, study where to meet some mistress fine, When miftrefies from common fenfe are hid: Or, having fworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study's gain be thus, and this be fo, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: Swear me to this, and I will ne'er fay, no. King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. [vain, Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that moft Which with pain purchas'd doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book, To feek the light of truth; while truth the while, Doth falfely blind the eyefight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile: So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by lofing of your eyes. Study me how to please the eye indeed, By fixing it upon a fairer eye: Who dazzling so, that eye thall be his heed 2, That will not be deep-fearch'd with faucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won, Save base authority from others' books. These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixed ftar, Have no more profit of their fhining nights, Than those that walk and wot not what they are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; And every godfather can give a name. [ing! King. How well he's read, to reason against readDum. Proceeded 3 well, to stop all good proceeding! Long. He weeds the corn, and fill lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geefe are a-breeding. Dum. How follows that? Biron. Fit in his place and time. Dum. In reafon nothing. Biron. Something then in rhime. Long. Biron is like an envious freaping 4 froft, That bites the firft-born infants of the fpring. Bion. Well, fay I am? why should proud fum mer boaft, Before the birds have any cause to fing? Why thould I joy in an abortive birth? } | At Christmas I no more defire a rofe, And, though I have for barbarifm spoke more, King. How well this yielding refcues thee from fhame! Biron. "Item, That no woman shall come with" in a mile of my court." - [Reading.] Hath this been proclaimed? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's fee the penalty." On pain of "lofing her tongue." - [Reading.] Who devis'd this penalty? Long. Marty, that did I. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? [penalty. Long. To fright them hence with that dread Biron. A dangerous law against gentility 5! "Item, [Readirg.] If any man be feen to talk "with a woman within the term of three years, "he shall endure such public shame as the rest of "the court can poffibly devife."This article, my liege, yourself muft break; For, well you know, here comes in embaffy The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak,-A maid of grace, and complete majefty,About furrender-up of Aquitain To her decrepit, fick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain, Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. King. What fay you, lords? why, this was quite 3 Proceeled must here be the paflage then will be, That is, treacheroufly. 2 Head here means his are hon or lode-ftar. underitood in the academical fenfe of taking a degree: the meaning of He has taken his degree on the art of stopping the degrees of others." i. e. Checking. ing against politeness and urbanity. 61. e. Temptations. Mean But, But, I believe, although I feem so loth, Ang. Ay, that there is our court, you know, is haunted With a refined traveller of Spain; A man in all the world's new fashion planted, } Biran. Armado is a mort illuttrious wight, King. No words. Coft. of other men's fecrets, I beseech you. King. "So it is, befieged with fable-colour'd melancholy, I did commend the black oppreffing "humour to the most wholesome phyfick of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myfelf to walk. The time, when? "About the fixth hour; when beafts most graze, "birds beft peck, and men fit down to that nou"rifhment which is called fupper. So much for D. I myself reprehend his own perfon, for I the time when: Now for the ground which; am his grace's tharborough 3: but I would fee his " which, I mean, I walk'd upon it is ycleped, own perion in flesh and blood. And, fo to study, three years is but short, Birsa. This is he. Dail. Signier Arme-, Arme, commends you. There's villainy abroad; this letter will tell you n.ore. mе. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Bira. How low foever the matter, I hope in God for high words. Lang. A high hope for a low having 4:-God grant us patience. Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing ? Ling. To hear meekly, fir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Biram. Well, fir, be it as the stile shall give us save to climb in the merriness. Let. The matter is to me, fir, as concerning Ja- In what manner? " thy park. Then for the place where: where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and moft prepofterous event, that draweth from my fnowwhite pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here "thou vieweft, beholdest, surveyeft, or feeft:But to the place, where, It standeth northnortin-eaft and by eaft froin the weft corner of " thy curious-knotted garden: There did I fee "that low-fpirited fwain, that bafe minnow of thy "mirth," (Gufl. Me.) " that unletter'd small"knowing foul," (Coft. Me.) " that shallow vaf"fal," (Coff. Still me.) " which, as I remember, "hight Coftard," (Coft. O me!) "forted and " conforted, contrary to thy established proclaimed "edict and continent canon, with, with,-O "with, but with this I paffion to fay where"with-" C:P. In manner and form following, fir; all fae three; I was feen with her in the manor-" meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's offi ie. lively sport, or sprightly diversion. 2 Complement, in Shakspeare's time, not only fignified civility, but the external accomplishments or ornamental appendages of a character. 3 i, e. ThirdMagh, a peace-officer equal in authority to a headborough or a conftable. s A phrafe then ufed to fig object of thy mirth, 4 i. e. a low poffefpon, to fignify, taken in the tact. • Meaning, that contempubly L3 faid " faid swain) I keep her as a vessel of thy law's Arm. I spoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent "fury; and shall, at the leaft of thy sweet notice, epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which " bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments we may nominate, tender. " of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, Moth. And I, tough signior, as an appertinent "DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO." title to your old time, which we may name, Biron. This is not fo well as I look'd for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the best for the worst. But, firrah, what say you to this? Coft. Sir, I confefs the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Coft. I do confefs much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaim'd a year's imprisonment to be taken with a wench. Coft. I was taken with none, fir; I was taken with a damofel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damosel. Cof. This was no damofel neither, fir; the was a virgin. King. It is so varied too; for it was proclaim'd, virgin. Coft. If it were, I deny her virginity; I was taken with a maid. • King. This mad will not ferve your turn, fir. Coft. This maid will ferve my turn, fir. King. Sir, I will pronounce sentence; You shall faft a week with bran and water. Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. tough. Arm. Pretty, and apt. Moth. How mean you, fir? I pretty, and my faying apt? or I apt, and my faying pretty? Am. Thou pretty, because little. Mo16. Little pretty, because little: Wherefore apt ? Arm. And therefore apt, because quick. Moth. Speak you this in my praise, mafter? Moth. I will praise an eel with the fame praise, Moth. That an eel is quick. Arm. I do fay, thou art quick in anfwers; Thou heat it my blood. Moth. I am anfwer'd, fir. Arm. I love not to be crofs'd. Moth. He fpeaks the mere contrary, croffes 3 love not him. Arm. I have promised to study three years with the duke. Moth. You may do it in an hour, fir. Moth. How many is one thrice told? Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fitteth the spitit of King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper.- a tapfter. Which each to other hath so strongly fworn. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, Thefe oaths and laws will prove an idle scorn. Sirrah, come on. Coft. I fuffer for the truth, fir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and therefore, Welcome the four cup of prosperity! Affliction may one day fmile again, and till then, Sit thee down, forrow ! [Funt SCENE II. Armado's Houfe. Arm. Boy, what fign is it, when a man of great Spirit grows melancholy? Moth. You are a gentleman, and a gamefter, fir. Arm. I confefs both; they are both the varnish of a complete man. Morb. Then, I am fure, you know how much the grofs tum of deuce-ace amounts to. Arm. It doth amount to one more than two. Am. True. Mob. Why, fir, is this fuch a piece of study? Now here is three studied, ere you'll thrice wink: and how eafy it is to put years to the word three, and study three years in two words, the dancing horfe will tell you. Arm. A most fine figure! Moth. To prove you a cypher. Arm. I will hereupon confets, I am in love: and as it is bafe for a foldier to love, fo I am in love with a base wench. If drawing my fword from the reprobate thought of it, I would take defire prifoner; and rantom him to any French courtier for a new devis'd court'fy. I think fcorn Moth. A great fign, fir, that he will look fad. againft the humour of affection would deliver me Arm. Why, fadnefs is one and the telf-fame thing, dear imp4. Moth. No, no: O lord, fir, no. choly, my tender juvenal 2 ? Comfort me, boy; What great men have been in Mb. By a familiar demonftration of the work-love? ing, my tough fignior. Moth. Hercules, mafter. Arm. Why tough fignior? why tough fignior? nal? I Imp was formerly a term of dignity. 2 i. e. my tender youth. 3 Croffes here mean money. 4 This alludes to a horft belonging to one Banks, which played many remarkable pranks, and is frequently mentioned by many writers contemporary with Shakfpeare. Moth |