Arm. Anointed, I implore so much expense of thy royal sweet breath as will utter a brace of words. ARMADO converses with the KING, and delivers a paper to him. Prin. Doth this man serve God? Prin. Hespeaks not like a man of God's making. Arm. That's all one, my fair, sweet, honey monarch; for, I protest, the schoolmaster is exceeding fantastical; too, too vain; too, too vain: but we will put it, as they say, to fortuna de la guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, most royal couplement! Exit. 531 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 Maccabæus. And if these four Worthies in their first show thrive, These four will change habits, and present the other five. '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.' Berowne. My hat to a halfpenny, Pompey proves the best Worthy. Enter Sir NATHANIEL armed, for Alexander. Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander; 560 By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might: My scutcheon plain declares that I am Alisander, Boyet. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands too right. Berowne. Your nose smells 'no,' in this, most tender-smelling knight. Prin. The conqueror is dismay'd. Proceed, good Alexander. There, an't shall please you: a foolish mild man; an honest man, look you, and soon dashed! He is a marvellous neighbour, faith, and a very good bowler; but, for Alisander, -alas! you see how 'tis; -a little o'erparted. But there are Worthies a-coming will speak their mind in some other sort. Prin. Stand aside, good Pompey. Enter HOLOFERNES armed, for Judas, and MOTH armed, for Hercules. Hol. Great Hercules is presented by this imp, Judas I am, Dum. A Judas! Hol. Not Iscariot, sir. Judas I am, ycleped Maccabœus. 590 MOTH retires. Dum. Judas Maccabæus clipt is plain Judas. I am that flower, Berowne. A kissing traitor. That mint. That columbine. Hol. Judas I am, Dum. The more shame for you, Judas. Arm. Sweet Lord Longaville, rein thy tongue. Long. I must rather give it the rein, for it Hol. What mean you, sir? 600 runs against Hector. Boyet. To make Judas hang himself. Dum. Ay, and Hector's a greyhound. Hol. Begin, sir: you are my elder. Arm. The sweet war-man is dead and rotten; an elder. Hol. I will not be put out of countenance. Berowne. Because thou hast no face. Hol. You have put me out of countenance. Berowne. False: we have given thee faces. Hol. But you have outfaced them all. 619 Berowne. An thou wert a lion, we would do so. Boyet. Therefore, as he is an ass, let him go. And so adieu, sweet Jude! nay, why dost thou stay? Dum. For the latter end of his name. Hol. This is not generous, not gentle, not humble. Boyet. A light for Monsieur Judas! it grows dark, he may stumble. Arm. I do adore thy sweet grace's slipper. Boyet. Aside to DUMAINE. Loves her by the foot. Dum. Aside to BOYET. 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? 670 Cost. Faith, unless you play the honest Troyan, 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. 690 Cost. Then shall Hector be whipped for Jaquenetta that is quick by him, and hanged for Pompey that is dead by him. Dum. Most rare Pompey! Boyet. Renowned Pompey! Berowne. Greater than great, great, great, great Pompey! Pompey the Huge! Dum. Hector trembles. Berowne. Pompey is moved. More Ates, more Ates! stir them on! stir them on ! Dum. Hector will challenge him. Berowne. Ay, if a' have no more man's blood in 's belly than will sup a flea. 689 Arm. By the north pole, I do challenge thee. Cost. I will not fight with a pole, like a northern man: I'll slash; I'll do it by the sword. I bepray you, let me borrow my arms again. Dum. Room for the incensed Worthies! Cost. I'll do it in my shirt. Dum. Most resolute Pompey! Moth. Master, let me take you a button-hole lower. Do you not see Pompey is uncasing for the combat? What mean you? you will lose your reputation, Arm. Gentlemen and soldiers, pardon me; e; I will not combat in my shirt. 701 Dum. You may not deny it; Pompey hath made the challenge. Arm. Sweet bloods, I both may and will. Berowne. What reason have you for 't? Arm. The naked truth of it is, I have no shirt. I go woolward for penance. Boyet. True, and it was enjoined him in Rome for want of linen; since when, I'll be sworn, he wore none but a dishclout of Jaquenetta's, and that a' wears next his heart for a favour. 711 Enter Monsieur MARCADE, a Messenger. Mar. God save you, madam! Prin. Welcome, Marcade, 650 A man so breath'd, that certain he would fight ye, From morn till night, out of his pavilion. But that thou interrupt'st our merriment. Mar. I am sorry, madam; for the news I bring Is heavy in my tongue. The king your father Arm. For mine own part, I breathe free breath. I have seen the day of wrong through the little hole of discretion, and I will right myself like a soldier. Exeunt Worthies. King. How fares your majesty? Prin. Boyet, prepare: I will away to-night. For all your fair endeavours; and entreat, The liberal opposition of our spirits, If over-boldly we have borne ourselves 730 King. The extreme parts of time extremely forms ladies, 760 Hath much deform'd us, fashioning our humours Even to the opposed end of our intents; And what in us hath seem'd ridiculous, As love is full of unbefitting strains; All wanton as a child, skipping and vain; Form'd by the eye, and therefore, like the eye, Full of strange shapes, of habits and of forms, Varying in subjects, as the eye doth roll To every varied object in his glance : Which parti-coated presence of loose love Put on by us, if, in your heavenly eyes, Have misbecom'd our oaths and gravities, Those heavenly eyes, that look into these faults, Suggested us to make. Therefore, ladies, Our love being yours, the error that love makes Is likewise yours: we to ourselves prove false, By being once false for ever to be true 769 To those that make us both,- fair ladies, you : Prin. We have receiv'd your letters full of love; Your favours, the ambassadors of love; And, in our maiden council, rated them At courtship, pleasant jest, and courtesy, As bombast and as lining to the time. 780 But more devout than this in our respects Dum. Our letters, madam, show'd much more than jest. Long. So did our looks. We did not quote them so. King. Now, at the latest minute of the hour, Grant us your loves. A time, methinks, too short Prin. To make a world-without-end bargain in. 801 Change not your offer made in heat of blood; deserts, And, by this virgin palm now kissing thine, I will be thine; and, till that instant, shut My woeful self up in a mourning house, Raining the tears of lamentation For the remembrance of my father's death. If this thou do deny, let our hands part; Neither intitled in the other's heart. 810 King. If this, or more than this, I would deny, To flatter up these powers of mine with rest, The sudden hand of death close up mine eye! Hence ever then my heart is in thy breast. Berowne. And what to me, my love? and what to me? Ros. You must be purged too, your sins are rack'd: You are attaint with faults and perjury; Before I saw you, and the world's large tongue Proclaims you for a man replete with mocks; King. Call them forth quickly; we will do so. Arm. Holla! approach. Full of comparisons and wounding flouts, Which you on all estates will execute Re-enter HOLOFERNES, NATHANIEL, MOTH, That lie within the mercy of your wit: And therewithal to win me, if you please, COSTARD, and others. To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain, This side is Hiems, Winter, this Ver, the Spring; Without the which I am not to be won, the one maintained by the owl, the other by You shall this twelvemonth term, from day to day, the cuckoo. Ver, begin. spirit, Visit the speechless sick, and still converse Berowne. To move wild laughter in the throat of death? It cannot be; it is impossible : Ros. Why, that's the way to choke a gibing Whose influence is begot of that loose grace Of him that hears it, never in the tongue 850 860 II. When shepherds pipe on oaten straws, And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks, When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws, And maidens bleach their summer smocks, The cuckoo then, on every tree, Mocks married men; for thus sings he, Cuckoo; Cuckoo, cuckoo: O word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear! Berowne. A twelvemonth! well, befall what will befall, 870 I'll jest a twelvemonth in an hospital. Prin. To the KING. Ay, sweet my lord; and so I take my leave. King. No, madam; we will bring you on your way. Berowne. Our wooing doth not end like an old play; Jack hath not Jill: these ladies' courtesy King. Come, sir, it wants a twelvemonth and a day, And then 'twill end. Arm. The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs of Apollo. You, that way: we, this our show. way. Exeunt. 932 The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace: four happy days bring in Another moon; but, O! methinks, how slow This old moon wanes; she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame or a dowager Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; 10 Exit PHILOSTRATE. Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee? 21 Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia. Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rimes, 40 Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me, The. What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid. To you your father should be as a god; Her. So is Lysander. The. In himself he is; But in this kind, wanting your father's voice, The other must be held the worthier. 50 Her. I would my father look'd but with my |