pale ?

That hid the worse, and few'd the better face.

King. We are defcried; they'll mock us now downright.
Dum. Let us confess, and turn it to a jeft.
Prin. Amaz'd, my Lord? why looks your Highness fad?

Reja. Help, hold his brows, he'll swoon: why look you
Sea-sick, I think, coming from Muscovy.
Biron. Thus pour the stars down plagués for perjury.

Can any face of brass hold longer out? Here stand l, Lady, dart thy skill at me;

Bruise me with scorn, confound me with a flout, Thruit thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance;

Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit; And I will with thee never more to dance,

Nor never more in Russian habit wait. O! never will I trust to speeches pen’d,

Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue; Nor never come in vizor to my friend,

Nor woo in rhime like a blind harper's fong; Taffata-phrafes, filken terms precise,

Three-pil'd hyperboles, spruce affectation. Figures pedantical, thefe fummer-flies,

Have blown me full of maggot oftentation, I do forswear them; and I here protest,

By this white glove, (how white the hand, God

knows!)
Henceforth my wooing mind shall be exprest

In ruffet yeas, and honeit kersy noes :
And to begin, wench, fo God help me, law,
My love to thee is found, sans crack or flaw.

Raja. Sans, fans, I pray you.

Biron. Yet I have a trick
Of the old rage: bear with me, I am sick.
I'll leave it by degrees : foft, let us fee;
Write, Lord have mercy on us, on those three

;
They are infected, in their hearts it lies ;
They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes :
These Lords are visited, you are not free;
For the Lord's tokens on you both I see.

Prin. No, they are free, that gave these tokens to us.
Biron, Our states are forfeit, seek not to undo us.

Rosa. It is not so; for how can this be true,
That
you

stand forfeit, being those that fue ?
Biron. Peace, for I will not have to do with you.
Rofa. Nor shall not, if I do as I intend.
Biron. Speak for yourselves, my wit is at an end.

King. Teach us,sweet Madam, forourrude transgression
Some fair excuse.

Prin. The faireft is confeffion.
Were you not here, but even now, disguis’d?

King. Madam, I was.
Prin. And were you well advis'd ?
King. I was, fair Madam.

Prin. When you then were here,
What did you whisper in your Lady's ear?

King. That more than all the world I did respect her,
Prin. When he hall challenge this, you will rejecther,
King. Upon mine honour, no.

Prin. Peace, peace, forbear:
Your oath once broke, you force not to forswear.

King. Despise me when I break this oath of mine,

Prin. I will, and therefore keep it. Rosaline,
What did the Rusian whisper in your ear?

Rifa. Madam, he swore, that he did hold me dear
As precious eye-fight; and did value me
Above this world, adding thereto moreover,
That he would wed me, or else die my lover.

Prin. God give thee joy of him! the noble Lord
Most honourably doth uphold his word,

King. What mean you, Madam? by my life, my troth, I never swore this Lady such an oath.

Rofa. By heav'n, you did; and to confirm it plain, You gave me this: but take it, Sir, again.

King. My faith, and this, to th' Princess I did give ;
I knew her by this jewel on her fleeve.

Prin. Pardon me, Sir, this jewel did the wear :
And Lord Biron, I thank him, is my dear,'
What? will you have me? or your pearl again?
LS

Biron

Birry. Neither of either ; I remit both twain.
lied the trick on't; here was a consent,
(Knowin' af rehand of our merriment)
To düill it like a Chrijinas comedy.
Some cairy tale, come please-man, fome slight zany,
Some mumble-n" ss, forje trencher-knight, fome Dick,
That iniiles his cheek in jeers, and knows the trick (48)
To make m; Lady laugh, when the’s dispos'd,
Told our intents before ; which once disclos'd,
The Ladies did change furours, and then we,
Following the signs, wood but the sign of the :
Now to our perjury to add more terror,
We are again forsworn, in will and error.
Much upon this it is.--And might not you [To Boyet.
Forestal our sport, to make us thus untrue ?
Do not you know my Lady's foot by th' squier,

And laugh upon the apple of her eye,
And stand between her back, Sir, and the fire,

Holding a trencher, jefting merrily?
You put our page out: go, you are allow'd ;
Die when you will, a smock shall be your shroud.
You leer upon me, do you? there's an eye
Wounds like a leaden sword.

Boyet. Full merrily
Hath this brave manage, this career been run.
Biron. Lo, he is tilting strait. Peace, I have done.

Enter Costard.
Welcome, pure wit, thou parteft a fair fray.

Cost. O Lord, Sir, they would know
Whether the three worthies Mall come in, or no.

Biron. What, are there but three ?

Coft.. No, Sir, but it is vara fine ? For every one pursents three.

Biron. And three times thrice is nine ?

(48) That smiles bis cheek in years,] Thus the whole set of impresa fions: but I canngi for my heart coinprehend the sense of this phrase. I am persuadid, I have reftor'd the poets word and meaning. Boyet's 'character was that of a ficerer, jeerer, mocker, carping blade.

Coft.

Cost. Not so, Sir, under correction, Sir; I hope, it it is not fo. You cannot beg us, Sir; I can assure you, Sir, we know what we know: I hope, three times thrice, Sir

Biron. Is not nine.

Çoft. Under correction, Sir; we know whereuntil it doth amount.

Biron. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine.

Coft. O Lord, Sir, it were pity you Mould get your living by reckoning, Sir.

Biron. How much is it?

Coft. O Lord, Sir, the parties themselves, the actors, Sir, will thew whereuntil it doth amount; for my own part, I am, as they say, but to perfect one man in one poor man, Pompion the Great, Sir.

Biron. Art thou one of the worthies ?

Coft. It pleased them to think me worthy of Pompion. the great: for mine own part, I know not the degree of the worthy; but I am to stand for him.

Biron. Go bid them prepare.

Cost. We will turn it finely off, Sir, we will take some care.

King. Biron, they will shame us; let them not approach.

Exit Coit. Biron. We are shame-proof, my Lord; and’ris some

policy To have one thow worse than the King's and his company.

King. I say, they shall not come.

Prin. Nay, my good Lord, let me o’er-rüle you now; That sport best pleases, that doth least know how. Where zeal strives to content, and the contents Dies in the zeal of that which it presents ; Their form, confounded, makes moft form in mirth ; When great things, labouring, perish in their birth. 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. Prin. Doth this man ferve 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 proteft, the schoolmaster is exceeding fantastical; too, 100 vain ; too, tco vain : but we will put it, as they say, to fortuna de la guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, moft royal cupplement.

King. Here is like to be a good presence of worthies : he presents Plector of Troy, the swain Pompey the Great, the parish-curate Alexander, Armado's page Her cules, the pedant Judas Machabeus. And if these four worthies in their first show thrive, These four will change habits, and present the other five.

Diron. There are five in the first show.
King. You are deceiv’d, 'tis not fo.
Biron. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-priest,

the fool, and the boy.
A bare throw at Novum, and the whole world again
Cannot prick out five such, take each one in's vein.
King. The ship is under fail, and here she comes amain.

Evier Coftard for Pompey.
Coff. I Pompey ammo
Boyet. You lye, you are not he.
Coff. I Pompey am-
Beyet. With Liblard's head on knee. (49)

Biion. Well said, old mocker : I must needs be friends with thee.

Cot. I Pompey am, Pompey furnam’d the Big.
Dumn. The Great.

Cot. It is Great, Sir ; Pompey, surnam'd the Great ; Wat oft in field, with targe and field,

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 fu'eet loss of France. If your Ladyship would say, “thanks Pompey, I had done.

(49) with Libbard's bead on knee.] This alludes to thofe oldfashion'd garments, upon the knees and elbows of which it was frequent to have, by way of ornament, a Leopard's, or Lion's head. This accoutrement the French call'd une masquine,