Then my account I well may give, And in the stocks avouch it. Aut. Vices I would say, sir. I know this man well: he hath been since an ape-bearer; then process-server, My traffic is sheets; when the kite builds, look to les- a bailiff; then he compassed a motion of the prodigal ser linen. My father named me Autolycus; who song, and married a tinker's wife within a mile, where being, as I am, littered under Mercury, was likewise a my land and living lies; and, having flown over many snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. With die, and knavish professions, he settled only in rogue: some drab, I purchased this caparison: and my revenue is call him Autolycus. the silly cheat. Gallows, and knock, are too powerful on the highway: beating, and hanging, are terrors to me; for the life to come, I sleep out the thought of it. - A prize! A prize! Clo. Let me see! Enter Clown. fifteen Clo. Out upon him! Prig, for my life, prig: he haunts wakes, fairs, and bear-baitings. Aut. Very true, sir; he, sir, he; that's the rogue, that put me into this apparel. Clo. Not a more cowardly rogue in all Bohemia! If you had but looked big, and spit at him, he'd have run. Aut. I must confess to you, sir, I am no fighter : I am false of heart that way;and that he knew,I warrant him. Clo. How do you now? Aut. Sweet sir, much better, than I was; I can stand, and walk: I will even take my leave of you, and pace softly towards my kinsman's. Every 'leven wether tods; every tod yields— pound and odd shilling: hundred shorn, what comes the wool to? Aut. If the springe hold, the cock's mine. Aside. Clo. I cannot do't without counters. Let me see; what am I to buy for our sheep-shearing feast? Three pound of sugar; five pound of currants: rice,-What will this sister of mine do with rice? But my father hath made her mistress of the feast, and she lays it on. She hath made me four-and-twenty nosegays for the shearers :three-man song-men all,and very good ones; but they are most of them means and bases: but one [Exit Clown.] Your Puritan amongst them, and he sings psalms to horn-purse is not hot enough to purchase your spice. I'll be pipes. I must have saffron, to colour the warden pies; with you at your sheep-shearing too: If I make not this mace,-dates,-none; that's out of my note; nutmegs, cheat bring out another, and the shearers prove sheep, seven; arace, or two, of ginger; but that I may beg; let me be unrolled, and my name put in the book of -four pound of prunes, and as many of raisins o'the virtue! sun. Aut. O, that ever I was born! [Grovelling on the ground. Clo. I'the name of me, Aut. O, help me, help me! pluck but off these rags; and then, death, death! Clo. Alack, poor soul! thou hast need of more rags to lay on thee, rather than have these off. Aut. O, sir, the loathsomeness of them offend me more than the stripes, I have received, which are mighty ones, and millions. Clo. Alas, poor mau! a million of beating may come to a great matter. Aut. I am robbed, sir, and beaten; my money and apparel ta en from me, and these detestable things put upon me. Clo. Shall I bring thee on the way? Ant. Prosper you, sweet sir! Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way, [Exit. Your sad tires in a mile-a. Enter FLORIZEL and PERDITA. Flo. These your unusual weeds to each part of you Per. Sir, my gracious lord, To chide at your extremes, it not becomes me; Clo. What, by a horse-man, or a foot-man? Aut. A foot-man, sweet sir, a foot-man. Clo. Indeed, he should be a foot-man, by the ment he hath left with thee: if this be a horse-man's coat, it hath seen very hot service. Lend me thy hand, I'll help thee:come,lend me thy hand![Helping him up. Aut. O! good sir, tenderly, oh! Clo. Alas, poor soul! Aut. O, good sir, softly, good sir! I fear, sir, my shoulder-blade is out. Clo. How now? canst stand? Aut. Softly, dear sir; [Picks his pocket.] good sir, softly; you ha' done me a charitable office. Clo. Dost lack any money? I have a little money for thee. Aut. No, good sweet sir! no, I beseech you, sir: I have a kinsman not past three quarters of a mile hence, unto whom I was going; I shall there have money, or any thing I want. Offer me no money, I pray you; that kills my heart. Clo. What manner of fellow was he, that robbed you? Aut.A fellow, sir, that I have known to go about with trol-my-dames: I knew him once a servant of the prince; I cannot tell, good sir, for which of his virtues it was, but he was certainly whipped out ofthe court. Clo.His vices, you would say; there's no virtue whipped out of court: they cherish it, to make it stay there; and yet it will no more but abide. When my good falcon made her flight across Per. Now Jove afford you canse! To me, the difference forges dread; your greatness To think, your father, by some accident, Nothing but jollity! The gods themselves, Burn hotter, than my faith. Per. O but, dear sir, Your resolution cannot hold, when 'tis Oppos'd, as it must be, by the power o'the king. Which then will speak: that you must change this purpose, Or I my life. Flo. Thou dearest Perdita, With these forc'd thoughts, I pr'ythee, darkennot Mine own, nor any thing to any, if I be not thine. To this I am most constant, Per. O lady fortune, Stand you auspicious! Enter Shepherd, with POLIXENES and CAMILLO, dis- Shep. Fye, daughter! when my old wife liv'd, upon [To Polixenes. It is my father's will, I should take on me Give me those flowers there, Dorcas!-Reverend sirs, Pol. Shepherdess, (A fair one are you,) well you fit our ages Per. Sir, the year growing ancient,— Of trembling winter,-the fairest flowers o'the season Pol. Wherefore, gentle maiden, Do you neglect them? Per. For I have heard it said, There is an art, which, in their piedness, shares Pol, Say, there be; Yet nature is made better by no mean, But nature makes that mean: so, o'er that art, That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry The dibble in earth, to set one slip of them; No more than, were I painted. I would wish, This youth should say, 'twere well; and only therefore Per. Out, alas! You'd be so lean, that blasts of January Would blow you through and through.-Now, my fair I est friend, would I had some flowers o'the spring, that might That come before the swallow dares, and take Flo. What? like a corse? Per. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on: In Whitsun' pastorals: sure, this robe of mine Flo. What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, To sing them too. When you do dance, I wish you A wave o'the sea, that you might ever do Per. O Doricles, Your praises are too large but that your youth, Flo. I think, you have As little skill to fear, as I have purpose To put you to't.-But, come; our dance, I pray! Your hand, my Perdita: so turtles pair, That never mean to part. Per. I'll wear for 'em. Pol. This is the prettiest low-born lass, that ever Ran on the green-sward: nothing she does, or seems, He looks like sooth. He says, he loves my daughter; him again. As 'twere, my daughter's eyes: and, to be plain, Pol. She dances featly. Shep. So she does any thing; though I report it, That should be silent. If young Doricles Do light upon her, she shall bring him that, Which he not dreams of. Enter a Servant. Serv. Omaster, if you did but hear the pedler at the door, you would never dance again after a tabor and pipe; no, the bagpipe could not move you: he sings several tunes, faster than you'll tell money; he utters them as he had eaten ballads, and all men's ears grew to his tunes. Clo. He could never come better; he shall come in: I love a ballad but even too well; if it bedoleful matter, merrily set down, or a very pleasant thing indeed, and sung lamentably. Serv. He hath songs, for man, or woman, of all sizes; no milliner can so fit his customers with gloves: he has the prettiest love-songs for maids; so without bawdry, which is strange; with such delicate burdens of dildos and fadings: jump her and thump her; and where some stretch-mouth'd rascal would, as it were, mean mischief, and break a foul gap into the matter, he makes the maid to answer, Whoop, do me no harm, good man; puts him off, slights him, with Whoop, du me no harm, good man! Pol. This is a brave fellow. Clo. Believe me, thou talkest of an admirable-conceited fellow. Has he any unbraided wares? Clo. Is there no manners left among maids? will they wear their plackets, where they should bear their faces? Is there not milking-time, when you are going to bed, or kiln-hole, to whistle off these secrets; but you must be tittle-tattling before all our guests? 'Tis well they are whispering. Clamour your tongues, and not a word more! Mop. I have done. Come, you promised me a tawdry lace, and a pair of sweet gloves. Clo. Have I not told thee, how I was cozened by the way, and lost all my money? Aut. And, indeed, sir, there are cozeners abroad; therefore it behoves men to be wary. Clo.Fear not thou, man, thou shalt lose nothing here. Ant I hope so, sir; for I have about me many parcels of charge. Clo. What hast here? ballads? Mop. Pray now, buy some! I love a ballad in print,a'life; for then we are sure they are true. Aut. Here's one to a very doleful tune, How a usurer's wife was brought to bed of twenty money-bags at a burden; and now she longed to eat adders' heads, and toads carbonadoed. Mop. Is it true, think you? Aut. Very true; and but a month old. Dor. Bless me from marrying a usurer! Aut. Here's the midwife's name to't, one mistress Taleporter; and five or six honest wives that were present. Why should I carry lies abroad? Mop. 'Pray you now, buy it! Clo. Come on, lay it by: and let's first see more ballads; we'll buy the other things anon. Aut. Here's another ballad, Of a fish that appeared upon the coast, on Wednesday the fourscore of April, Serv.He hath ribands of all the colours i'the rainbow; forty thousand fathom above water, and sung this balpoints,more than all the lawyers in Bohemia can learn-lad against the hard hearts of maids: it was thought, she edly handle, though they come to him by the gross; was a woman, and was turned into a cold fish; for she inkles, caddisses, cambricks, lawns: why, he sings them would not exchange flesh with one that loved her. over,'as they were gods, or goddesses; you would think, The ballad is very pitiful, and as true. a smock were a she-angel; he so chants to the sleeve- Dor. Is it true too, think you? hand, and the work about the square on't. Clo. Pr'ythee, bring him in, and let him approach singing! Per. Forewarn him, that he use no scurrilous words in his tunes! Clo. You have of these pedlers, that have more in 'em than you'd think, sister. Per. Ay, good brother, or go about to think. Lawn, as white as driven snow; Aut. Five justices' hands at it; and witnesses, more than my pack will hold. Clo. Lay it by too. Another! Aut. This is a merry ballad; but a very pretty one. Mop. Let's have some merry ones! Aut. Why, this is a passing merry one; and goes to the tune of, Two maids wooing a man: there's scarce a maid westward, but she sings it; 'tis in request, I can tell you. Mop. We can both sing it; if thou'lt bear a part, thou shalt hear: 'tis in three parts. Dor. We had the tune on't a month ago. Aut. I can bear my part; you must know, 'tis my occupation: have at it with you! SONG. A. Get you hence, for I must go ; D. Whither? M. O, whither? D. Whither? M. It becomes thy oath full well, Thou to me thy secrets tell: D. Me too, let me go thither. M. Or thou go'st to the grange, or mill: A. Neither. D. What, neither? A. Neither. Then, whither go'st? say, whither? Clo. We'll have this song out anon by ourselves: my father and the gentlemen are in sad talk, and we'll not trouble them. Come, bring away thy pack after me! Wenches, I'll buy for you both: pedler, let's have the first choice.-Follow me, girls! Aut. And you shall pay well for 'em. [Aside [Exeunt Clown, Autolycus, Dorcas,and Mopsa. Enter a Servant. Serv. Master, there is three carters, three shepherds, three neat-herds, three swine-herds, that have made themselves all men of hair; they call themselves sal- I tiers, and they have a dance which the wenches say is a gallimaufry of gambols, because they are not in't; but they themselves are o'the mind, (if it be not too rough for some, that know little but bowling,) it will please plentifully. Shep. Away! we'll none on't; here has been too much humble foolery already. I know, sir, we weary you. Pol. You weary those that refresh us. Pray, let's see these four threes of herdsmen ! Serv.One three of them, by their own report, sir, hath Your heart is full of something, that does take To load my she with knacks: I would have ransack'd Flo. Old sir, I know She prizes not such trifles as these are. The gifts, she looks from me, are pack'd and lock'd As soft, as dove's down, and as white, as it; How prettily the young swain seems to wash The hand, was fair before!-I have put you out:- Flo. Do, and be witness to't! Than he, and men, the earth, the heavens, and all: I Pol. Fairly offer'd. Cam. This shows a sound affection. Say you the like to him? Per. I cannot speak So well, nothing so well; no, nor mean better: Shep. Take hands, a bargain! — And, friends unknown, you shall bear witness to't: Flo. O, that must be I'the virtue of your daughter: one being dead, Pol. Soft, swain, awhile, 'beseech you; Flo. I have: but what of him? Is, at the nuptial of his son, a guest, He has his health, and ampler strength, indeed, Pol. By my white beard, You offer him, if this be so, a wrong In such a business. Flo. I yield all this ; But, for some other reasons, my grave sir, Pol. Let him know't! Shep. Let him, my son; he shall not need to grieve At knowing of thy choice. Flo. Come, come, he must not: Mark our contract. Pol. Mark your divorce, young sir, [Discovering himself. Shep. O, my heart! Pal. I'll have thy beauty scratch'd with briars, and More homely, than thy state. For thee, fond boy,- That thou no more shalt see this knack, (as never Per. Even here undone! Flo. I am; and by my fancy: if my reason Cam. This is desperate, sir. Flo. So call it: but it does fulfil my vow; With her, whom here I cannot hold on shore; I was not much afeard: for once, or twice, Cam. Why, how now, father? Speak, ere thou diest. Shep. I cannot speak, nor think, Nor dare to know that which I know.-O, sir, [To Florizel. You have undone a man of fourscore three, Cam. O, my lord, I would your spirit were easier for advice, Flo. Hark, Perdita. I'll hear you by and by. Cam. He's irremovable, [Takes her aside. [To Camillo. Resolv'd for flight. Now were I happy, if Save him from danger, do him love and honour, Flo. Now, good Camillo,' I am so fraught with curious business, that Cam. Sir, I think, [Going. You have heard of my poor services, i'the love, That knew'st this was the prince, and would'st adven-Have you deserv'd: it is my father's music, To speak your deeds: not little of his care To have them recompeus'd as thought on. If you may please to think I love the king, (If your more ponderous and settled project Flo. How, Camillo, May this, almost a miracle, be done? That I may call thee something more than man, |