Biron, A right description of our sport, my lord. Enter ARMADO. Arm. Anointed, I implore so much expence of thy royal sweet breath, as will utter a brace of words. [Armado converses with the King, and delivers him a Paper. Prin. Doth this man serve God? Biron. Why ask you? Prin. He speaks not like a man of God's making. Arm. That's all one, my fair, sweet, honey monarch: for, I protest, the school-master is exceeding fantastical; too, too vam; too, too vain. But we will put it, as they say, to fortuna della guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, most royal couplement! [Exit Armado. King. Here is like to be a good presence of worthies:-He presents Hector of Troy; the swain, Pompey the great; the parish curate, Alexander; Armado's page, Hercules; the pedant, Judas Machabæus. And if these four worthies in their first show thrive, These four will change habits, and present the other five. Biron. There is five in the first show. Biron. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-priest, the fool, and the boy : Abate a throw at novum*; and the whole world again, Cannot prick + out five such, take each one in his vein. King. The ship is under sail, and here she comes amain. [Seats brought for the King, Princess, &c. Pageans of the Nine Worthies. Enter COSTARD arm'd, for POMPEY. Cost. I Pompey am,——— Boyet. You lie, you are not he. Cast. I Pompey am, Boyet. With libbard's head on knee. Biron. Well said, old mocker; I must needs be friends with thee. Cost. I Pompey am, Pompey surnamed the big,Dum. The great. Cast. It is great, Sir;-Pompey surnamed the great; That oft in field, with targe and shield, did make my foe to sweat: And, travelling along this coast, I here am come by chance; And lay my arms before the legs of this sweet lass of France. If your ladyship would say Thanks, Pompey, I had done. Prin. Great thanks, great Pompey. Cost. Tis not so much worth; but, I hope, I was perfect: I made a little fault in, great. Biron. My hat to a half-penny, Pompey proves the best worthy. Enter NATHANIEL arm'd, for ALEXANDER. Nath. When in the world I lived, I was the world's commander; By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might: My 'scutcheon plain declares, that I qm Alisander. Boyet. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands too right. Biron. Your nose smells, no, in this, most tendersmelling knight. Pria. The conqueror is dismay'd: proceed, good Alexander. Nath. When in the world I lived, I was the world's Commander ; [sander. Baget, Most true, 'tis right; you were so, Alisander. Biron. Pompey the great, Cost. Your servant, and Costárd. Biron. Take away the conqueror, take away AliCost. 0, Sir, [To Nath.] you have overthrown Wader the conqueror! You will be scraped out of the painted cloth for this: your lion, that holds hipod-ax sitting on a close-stool, will be given to 4: he will be the ninth worthy. A conqueror, and afeard to speak! Run away for shame, Alisander. Nath retires.] There, an't shall please you ; a foolish hild man; an honest man, look you, and soon dasa'd! He is a marvellous good neighbour, insooth; and a very good bowler; but, for Alisander, alas, + Pick. A game with dice. he may stumble. Prin. Alas, poor Machabæus, how hath he been baited! Enter ARMADO arm'd, for HECTOR. Biron, Hide thy head, Achilles; here comes Hector in thy arms. Dum. Though my mocks come home by me, I will now be merry. King. Hector was but a Trojan in respect of this. Boyet. But is this Hector? Dum. I think, Hector was not so clean-timber'd. Long. His leg is too big for Hector. Dum. More calf, certain. Boyet. No; he is best indued in the small. Dum. He's a god, or a painter; for he makes faces. Arm. The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty, Gave Hector a gift, Dum. A gilt nutmeg. And though the mourning brow of progeny Arm. The sweet war-man is dead and rotten; Arm. I do adore thy sweet grace's slipper. Dum. He may not by the yard. Arm. This Hector far surmounted Hannibal,Cost. The party is gone, fellow Hector, she is gone she is two months on her way. Arm. What meanest thou? Cost. Faith, unless you play the honest Trojan, the poor wench is cast away: she's quick; the child brags in her belly already; 'tis yours. Arm. Dost thou infamonize me among potentates? Thou shalt die. Cost. Then shall Hector be whipp'd, for Jaquenetta that is quick by him; and hang'd, for Pompey that is dead by him. Dum. Most rare Pompey! From what it purposed; since to wail friends lost, Prin. I understand you not, my griefs are double. And by these badges understand the king. Hath much deform'd us, fashioning our humours Biron. Greater than great, great, great, great Put on by us, if in your heavenly eyes, Dum. Hector trembles. Biron. Pompey is moved:-More Atés, more Suggested us to make: therefore, ladies, Ates; stir them on! stir them on! Dum. Hector will challenge him. Biron. Ay, if he have no more man's blood in's belly than will sup a flea. Arm. By the north pole, I do challenge thee. Cost. I will not fight with a pole, like a northern mant; I'll slash; I'll do it by the sword:-1 pray you, let me borrow my arms again. Dum. Room for the incensed worthies. Dum. Most resolute Pompey! Arm. Gentlemen, and soldiers, pardon me; I will not combat in my shirt. Dum. You may not deny it; Pompey hath made the challenge. Arm. Sweet bloods, I both may and will. Boyet. True, and it was enjoin'd him in Rome for want of linen: since when, I'll be sworn, he wore none, but a dish-clout of Jaquenetta's; and that 'a wears next his heart, for a favour. Enter MERCADE. Mer. God save you madam ! Prin. Welcome, Mercade; But that thou interrupt'st our merriment. Mer. I am sorry, madam; for the news I bring, Is heavy in my tongue. The king your fatherPrin. Dead, for my life. Mer. Even so; my tale is told. Biron. Worthies, away; the scene begins to cloud. King. How fares your majesty? For my great suit so easily obtain'd. King. The extreme parts of time extremely form That which long process could not arbitrate: Até was the goddess of discord. A clown. Our love being yours, the error that love makes Your favours, the ambassadors of love; Long. So did our looks. + Ros. We did not quote them so. King. Now, at the latest minute of the hour, Grant us your loves. Prin. A time, methinks, too short To make a world-without-end bargain in : Change not your offer made in heat of blood; King. If this, or more than this, I would deny, me ? Ros. You must be purged too, your sins are rank; Dum. But what to me, my love? But what to me? + Regard. t Clothing. Kath. Not so, my lord ;-a twelvemonth and a day 1 mark no words that smooth-faced wooers say: Cune when the king doth to my lady come, Then, if I have much love, I'll give you some. Dam. I'll serve thee true and faithfully till then. Kath. Yet, swear not, lest you be forsworn again. Leng. What says Maria? Mar. At the twelvemonth's end, I change my black gown for a faithful friend. Ros. Oft have I heard of you, my lord Birón, To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain; You shall this twelvemonth term from day to day Biron. To move wild laughter in the throat of death? It cannot be; it is impossible: Mirth cannot move a soul in agony. Bas. Why, that's the way to choke a gibing spirit, Of him that hears it, never in the tongue Deaf'd with the clamours of their own dear + groans, Biron. A twelvemonth? Well, befal what will befal, I'll jest a twelvemonth in an hospital. Prin. Ay, sweet my lord; and so I take my leave. [To the King. King, No, madam: we will bring you on your way. biren. Our wooing doth not end like an old play; Jack hath not Jill: these ladies' courtesy Might well have made our sport a comedy. King. Come, Sir, it wants a twelvemonth and a day, And then 'twill end. Biron, That's too long for a play. Dum. The worthy knight of Troy. Arm. I will kiss thy royal finger, and take leave: I am a votary; I have vow'd to Jaquenetta to hold the plough for her sweet love three years. But, most esteem'd greatness, will you hear the dialogue that the two learned men have compiled, in praise of the owl and the cuckoo? It should have follow'd in the end of our show. King. Call them forth quickly, we will do so. Enter HOLOFERNES, NATHANIEL, MOTH, COSTARD and others. This side is Hiems, winter; this Ver, the spring; the one maintain'd by the owl, the other by the cuckoo. --Ver. begin. SONG. Spring. When daisies pied, and violets blue, Cuckoo, cuckoo,—O word of fear, When shepherds pipe on oaten straws, And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks, Cuckoo, cuckoo,-O word of fear, SCENE 1.-Venice.-A Street. Enter ANTONIO, SALARINO, and SALANIO. And such a want-wit sadness makes of me, Salar. Your mind is tossing on the ocean; That curt'sy to them, do them reverence, Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still Salar. My wind, cooling my broth, And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks? And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought But, tell not me; I know, Antonio Is sad to think upon his merchandize. Salan. Not in love neither? Then let's say, you are sad, Because you are not merry: and 'twere as easy For you, to laugh, and leap, and say you are merry, Becanse you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus, Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time: That they'll not shew their teeth in way of smile, Enter BASSANIO, LORENZO, and GRATIANO. Sulan. Here comes Bassanio, your most noble kinsman, Gratiano, and Lorenzo: fare you well; merry, If worthier friends had not prevented me. You grow exceeding strange; Must it be so? We two will leave you: but, at dinner time, Gra. You look not well, signior Antonio; A stage, where every man must play a part, Gra. Let me play the Fool: With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come; Ant. Believe me, no: I thank my fortune for it, Why should a man, whose blood is warm within, Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster ? Sleep when he wakes? And creep into the jaundic I love thee, and it is my love that speaks ;- Aat. Well; tell me now what lady is this same Bass. Tis not unknown to you, Antonio, Ant. I pray you, good Bassanio, let me know it; Bass. In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight Ant. You know me well; and herein spend but time, To wind about my love with circumstance; • Ready. To hold a rival place with one of them, To raise a present sum: therefore go forth, [Exeunt. SCENE II.-Belmont.-A Room in PORTIA'S House. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA. Por. By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of this great world. Ner. You would be, sweet madan, if your miseries were in the same abundance as your good fortunes are: and, yet, for aught I see, they are as sick, that surfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing. It is no mean happiness, therefore, to be seated in the mean; superfluity comes sooner Ly white hairs, but competency lives longer. Por. Good sentences, and well pronounced. Ner. They would be better, if well followed. Por. If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages, princes" palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions; I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood; but a hot temper leaps over a cold decree: such a hare is madness the youth, to skip o'er the mesher of good counsel the cripple. But this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband:-O me, the word choose! I may neither choose whom I would, nor refuse whom I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father :-Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one, nor refuse none? Ner. Your father was ever virtuous; and holy men, at their death, have good inspirations; therefore, the lottery that he hath devised in these three chests, of gold, silver, and lead, (whereof who chooses his meaning, chooses you,) will, no doubt, never be chosen by any rightly, but one who you shall rightly love. But what warmth is there in your affection towards any of these princely suitors that are already come? Por. I pray thee, over-name them; and as thou namest them, I will describe them; and, according to my description, level at my affection. Ner. First, there is the Neapolitan prince. Por. Ay, that's a colt, indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his horse; and he makes it great appropriation to his own good parts, that he can shoe him himself: I am much afraid, my lady his mother, played false with a smith. Ner. Then, is there the county Palatine. Por. He doth nothing but frown; as who should say; An if you will not have me, choose: he hears merry tales, and smiles not: I fear, he will prove the weeping philosopher when he grows old, being so full of unmannerly sadness in his youth. I had rather be married to a death's head with a bone in his mouth, than to either of these. God defend me from these two! Ner. How say you by the French lord, Monsieur. Le Bon? Por. God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man. In truth, I know it is a sm to be a mocker: but, he why, he hath a horse better than the Neapolitan's; a better bad habit of frowning than the count Palatine: he is every man in no man: if a throstle sing, he falls straight a capering; he will fence with his own shadow: if I should marry him, I should marry twenty husbands: if he would despise me, I would forgive him; for if he love me to madness, I shall never requite him. Ner. What say you then to Faulconbridge, the young baron of England? Por. You know, I say nothing to him; for he understands not me, nor I him: he hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian; and you will come into the court and swear, that I have a poor penny-worth in the English. He is a proper man's picture; but, alas! who can converse with a dumb show? How • An heady, gay youngster. Count. |