Long. Coftard the swain, and he, shall be our sport; And, fo to study, three years are but short. SCENE IL Enter Dull and Costard with a letter. Dull. Which is the King's own person? Dull. I myfelf reprehend his own perfon, for I am his Grace's Tharborough: but I would fee his own perfon in flesh and blood. Biron. This is he. Lull. Signior Arme, Armecommends you. There's villainy abroad; this letter will tell you more. Long. A high hope for a low having'; God grant us patience! Biron. To hear, or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, Sir, to laugh moderately, or to forbear both. Biron. Well, Sir, be it as the Stile shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. In former editions; Dull. Which is the Duke's own Perfon?] The King of Navarre is in several Passages, thro' all the Copies, called the Duke: but as this must have sprung rather from the Inadvertence of the Editors, than a Forgetfulness in the Poet, I have every where, to avoid Confufion, restored King to the Text. THEOBALD. ' In old editions, A high hope for a low heaven;] A low hea- THEOBALD. Coft. The matter is to me, Sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken in the manner. Coft. In manner and form, following, Sir; all those three. I was seen with her in the Manor-house, fitting with her upon the Form, and taken following her into the Park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following. Now, Sir, for the manner: it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman; for the form, in fome form. Biron. For the following, Sir? Coft. As it shall follow in my correction; and God defend the right! King. Will you hear the letter with attention? Coft. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh. King reads. G REAT deputy, the welkin's vice-gerent, and fole dominator of Navarre, my foul's earth's God, and body's foftring patron Coft. Not a word of Costard yet. King. So it is Coft. It may be so; but if he say it is so, he is, in telling true, but fo, fo. King. Peace | Coft. Be to me, and every man that dares not fight! King. No words Coft. Of other men's fecrets, I beseech you. King. So it is, Besieged with fable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black oppreffing humour to the most wholesome physick of thy health-giving air; and as I am S - taken with the manner.] The following question arifing from these words shews we should read-taken in the manner. And this was the phrase in use to fignify, taken in the fact. So Dr. 4 Donne in his letters, But if I melt into melancholy while I write, I shall be taken in the manner; and I fit by one, too tender to these impreffions. WARBURTΟΝ. a gentlea gentleman, betook myself to walk: The time, when? about the fixth hour, when beasts most graze, birds beft peck, and men fit down to that nourishment which is call'd fupper: so much for the time, when. Now for the ground, which: which, I mean, I walkt upon; it is ycleped, thy park. Then for the place, where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my fnow-white pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here thou vieweft, beboldeft, furveyest, or feest. But to the place, where ; It ftandeth north-north-east and by east from the weft corner of thy curious-knotted garden. There did I fee that low-fpirited fwain, that base minow of thy mirth', (Coft. Me?) that unletter'd fmall-knowing foul, (Coft. Me?) that shallow vaffal, (Cost. Still me?) which, as I remember, hight Costard; (Coft. O me!) forted and conforted, contrary to thy establijned proclaimed edict and continent canon, with, with- - O with, but with this, I paffion to fay wherewith : Coft. With a wench. King. With a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or for thy more understanding, a woman; him, I (as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have fent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet Grace's Officer, Anthony Dull, a man of good repute, carriage, bearing an estimation. Dull. Me, an't shall please you: I am Anthony Dull. King. For Jaquenetta, (fo is the weaker veffel call'd) which I apprehended with the aforesaid fwain, I keep her as a vaffal of thy law's fury, and shall at the least of thy sweet notice bring her to trial. Thine in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty. Don Adriano de Armado. Biron. This is not fo well as I look'd for, but the best that ever I heard. not be intended here. We may read, the base minion of thy mirth. ! King. Ay; the best for the worst. But, firrah, what say you to this? Coft. Sir, I confefs the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Coft. I do confefs much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaim'd a year's imprisonment to be taken with a wench. Coft. I was taken with none, Sir, I was taken with a damosel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damofel. Coft. This was no damosel neither, Sir, she was a virgin. King. It is so varied too, for it was proclaim'd virgin. Coft. If it were, I deny her virginity: I was taken with a maid. King. This maid will not serve your turn, Sir. King. Sir, I will pronounce sentence; you shall faft a week with bran and water. Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper. My lord Biron, see him deliver'd o'er. And go we, lords, to put in practice that, Which each to other hath so strongly sworn. [Exeunt. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, Sirrah, come on. Coft. I fuffer for the truth, Sir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and therefore welcome the four cup of profperity: affliction may one day smile again, and until then, fit thee down, forrow. [Exeunt. SCENE Arm. B SCENE VIII. Changes to Armado's House. Enter Armado, and Moth. OY, what sign is it, when a man of great Moth. A great fign, Sir, that he will look fad, dear imp'. Moth. No, no; O lord, Sir, no. Arm. How can'st thou part fadness and melancholy, my tender Juvenile? Moth. By a familiar demonstration of the working, my tough Signior. Arm. Why, tough Signior? why, tough Signior? Moth. Why, tender Juvenile? why, tender Juve nile? Arm. I spoke it, tender Juvenile, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough Signior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. Arm. Pretty and apt. Moth. How mean you, Sir, I pretty, and my say. ing apt? or I apt, and my faying pretty? Arm. Thou pretty, because little. Moth. Little! pretty, because little; wherefore apt? Arm. In thy condign praife. dear Imp.] Imp was anciently a term of dignity. Lord Cromwel in his last letter to Henry VIII. prays for the imp his fon. It is now used only in contempt or abhorrence; perhaps in our authour's time it was ambiguous, in which state it fuits well with this dialogue. Moth. |