Arm. Most sweet Hercules!-More authority, dear boy, name more; and, sweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage. Moth. Samson, master: he was a man of good carriage, great carriage; for he carried the town-gates on his back, like a porter, and he was in love. Arm. O well-knit Samson! strong-jointed Samson! I do excel thee in my rapier, as much as thou didst me in carrying gates. I am in love too. Who was Samson's love, my dear Moth? Moth. A woman, master. Arm. Of what complexion? Moth. Of all the four, or the three, or the two, or one of the four. Arm. Tell me precisely of what complexion. Arm. Is that one of the four complexions? Moth. As I have read, sir; and the best of them too. Arm. Green, indeed, is the colour of lovers; but to have a love of that colour, methinks, Samson had small reason for it. He, surely, affected her for her wit. Moth. It was so, sir, for she had a green wit. Arm. My love is most immaculate white and red. Moth. Most maculate thoughts 2, master, are masked under such colours. Arm. Define, define, well-educated infant. Moth. My father's wit, and my mother's tongue, assist me! Arm. Sweet invocation of a child; most pretty, and pathetical! Moth. If she be made of white and red, Her faults will ne'er be known; 2 Most MACULATE thoughts,] So the first quarto, 1598, rightly; but the folio has immaculate. For blushing cheeks by faults are bred, For still her cheeks possess the same, A dangerous rhyme, master, against the reason of white and red. Arm. Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar 5? Moth. The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since, but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, nor the tune. Arm. I will have that subject newly writ o'er, that I may example my digression by some mighty precedent. Boy, I do love that country girl, that I took in the park with the rational hind Costard: she deserves well. Moth. [Aside.] To be whipped; and yet a better love than my master. Arm. Sing, boy: my spirit grows heavy in love. Moth. And that's great marvel, loving a light wench. Arm. I say, sing. Moth. Forbear till this company be past. Enter DULL, COSTARD, and JAQUENETTA. Dull. Sir, the duke's pleasure is, that you keep Costard safe and you must let him take no delight, nor no penance; but a' must fast three days a week. For this damsel, I must keep her at the park; she is allowed for the day-woman. Fare Fare you well. 3 For BLUSHING] The original 4to. and first folio have blush-in. The emendation was made by the editor of the second folio. Which NATIVE she doth owe.] i. e. Of which she is naturally possessed.-See note 1. p. 45, and note 4. p. 136. 5 - the King and the Beggar ?] See Percy's Reliques, vol. i. p. 202, edit. 1812. What Moth says shows that the ballad was older than Shakespeare's time. 6 for the day-woman.] A "day-woman" is a dairy-woman, or milk-wo Arm. I do betray myself with blushing.-Maid. Jaq. Man. Arm. I will visit thee at the lodge. Jaq. That's hereby. Arm. I know where it is situate. Jaq. Lord, how wise you are! Arm. I will tell thee wonders. Arm. I love thee. Jaq. So I heard you say. Arm. And so farewell. Jaq. Fair weather after you! Dull. Come, Jaquenetta, away 8. [Exeunt DULL and JAQUENETTA. Arm. Villain, thou shalt fast for thy offences, ere thou be pardoned. Cost. Well, sir, I hope, when I do it, I shall do it on a full stomach. Arm. Thou shalt be heavily punished. Cost. I am more bound to you than your fellows, for they are but lightly rewarded. Arm. Take away this villain: shut him up. Moth. Come, you transgressing slave: away! Cost. Let me not be pent up, sir: I will fast, being loose. Moth. No, sir; that were fast and loose: thou shalt to prison. Cost. Well, if ever I do see the merry days of desolation that I have seen, some shall see man. Upon the line in Chaucer's "Nonnes Preestes Tale," "For she was, as it were, a maner dey," Tyrwhitt observes, "It probably meant, originally, a day-labourer in general, though it may since have been used to denote particularly the superintendent of a Dayerie." See Du Cange in v. Daeria, Dayeria. "With that face?] The folio has " with what face?" but the oldest reading, that of the 4to, 1598, seems the most pointed. 8 Come, Jaquenetta, away.] This speech, which probably belongs to Dull, the constable, is assigned in the old copies to Costard, who is called Clown. At the same time, it was very natural for Costard to wish Jaquenetta to go. Moth. What shall some see? Cost. Nay nothing, master Moth, but what they look upon. It is not for prisoners to be too silent" in their words; and therefore I will say nothing: I thank God I have as little patience as another man, and therefore I can be quiet. [Exeunt MOTH and COSTARD. Arm. I do affect the very ground, which is base, where her shoe, which is baser, guided by her foot, which is basest, doth tread. I shall be forsworn, (which is a great argument of falsehood,) if I love; and how can that be true love, which is falsely attempted? Love is a familiar; love is a devil: there is no evil angel but love. Yet was Samson so tempted 1o, and he had an excellent strength: yet was Solomon so seduced, and he had a very good wit. Cupid's butt-shaft is too hard. for Hercules' club, and therefore too much odds for a Spaniard's rapier. The first and second cause will not serve my turn"; the passado he respects not, the duello he regards not his disgrace is to be called boy, but his glory is, to subdue men. Adieu, valour! rust, rapier! be still, drum! for your manager is in love; yea, he loveth. Assist me some extemporal god of rhyme, for, I am sure, I shall turn sonneteer 12. Devise wit, write pen, for I am for whole volumes in folio. 9 to be too silent] "Too" is omitted in the folio. [Exit. 10 Yet was Samson so tempted,] The folio transposes "was Samson ;" though "was Solomon," in the next line, shows that the verb ought to precede its nominative. "The first and second cause will not serve my turn ;] See Touchstone's dissertation on the causes of quarrel in "As You Like It." A. v. sc. 4. 12 I shall turn sonneteer.] The old reading is, "I shall turn sonnet," which was altered by Sir T. Hanmer, and the sense seems to require the change. If the words, as Mr. Amyot suggests to me, had been, "I shall turn a sonnet," it would have been clear enough without alteration, taking "turn a sonnet " in the sense of "turn a sentence." ACT II. SCENE I. Another part of the Park. A Pavilion and Tents at a distance. Enter the PRINCESS of France, ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, BOYET, Lords, and other Attendants. Boyet. Now, madam, summon up your dearest spirits. Consider whom the king your father sends, Of all perfections that a man may owe, As nature was in making graces dear, When she did starve the general world beside, And prodigally gave them all to you. Prin. Good lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, To know his pleasure; and in that behalf, |