Prin. When she shall challenge this, you will reject her. King. Upon mine honour, no. Prin. Peace, peace, forbear ;. Your oath once broke, you force not to for swear. King. Despise me, when I break this oath of mine. Prin. I will; and therefore keep it :-Rosaline, What did the Russian whisper in your ear? Ros. Madam, he swore, that he did hold me dear As precious eye-sight; and did value me Most honourably doth uphold his word. King. What mean you, madam? by my life, my troth, I never swore this lady such an oath. Biron. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. Cost. O Lord, Sir, it were pity you should get your living by reckoning, Sir. Biron. How much is it? Cost. O Lord, Sir, the parties themselves, the actors, Sir, will show whereuntil it doth amount: for my own part, 1 am, as they say, but to par fect one man,-e'en one poor man; Pompion the great, Sir. Biron. Art thou one of the worthies? Cost. 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. [Exit COSTARD. King. Birón, they will shame us, let them not approach. Biron. We are shame-proof, my lord: and 'tis some policy Ros. By heaven, you did; and to confirm it To have one show worse than the king's and his plain, You gave me this: but take it, Sir, again. King. My faith, and this, the princess I did give; I knew her by this jewel on her sleeve. Prin. Pardon ine, Sir, this jewel did she wear; And lord Biron, I thank him, is my dear :- Some numble-news, some trencher-knight, some That smiles his cheek in years; and knows the trick To make my lady laugh, when she's dispos'd,- [To BOYET. company. King. I say they shall not come. Prin. Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you now; That sport best pleases, that doth least know how: Where zeal strives to content, and the contents 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 expense of thy royal sweet breath, as will utter a brace of words. [ARMADO converses with the KING, and Prin. Doth this man serve God? 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 schoolmaster is exceeding fantastical; too, too vain; toe, 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 Maccabæus. And if these four worthies in their first show thrive, These four will change habits, and present the + Conspiracy. Rule. 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 halfpenny, Pompey proves the best worthy. Enter NATHANIEL arm'd, for Alexander. Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander: By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might: [ander. My 'scutcheon plain declares, that I am AlisBoyet. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands too right. Biron. Your nose smells, no, in this, most tender-smelling knight. Prin. The conqueror is dismay'd; Proceed, good Alexander. Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander ;— Boyet. Most true, 'tis right; you were so, Alisander. Biron. Pompey the great. Cost. Your servant, and Costárd. Biron. Take away the conqueror, take away Alisander. Cost. O Sir, [To NATH.] you have overthrown Alisander the conqueror! You will be scraped out of the painted cloth for this: your lion, that holds his poll-ax sitting on a closestool, will be given to A-jax: 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 mild man ; an honest man, look you, and soon dash'd! He is a marvellous good neighbour, insooth; 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, Whose club kill'd Cerberus, that threeheaded canus ! And, when he was a babe, a child, a shrimp, Thus did he strangle serpents in his Biron. Because thou hast no face. Hol. What is this? Boyet. A cittern head. Dum. The head of a bodkin. Biron. A death's face in a ring. Long. The face of an old Roman coin, scarce seen. Boyet. The pummel of Cæsar's faulchion, Biron. Ay, and worn in the cap of a toothdrawer: And now, forward; for we have put thee in countenance. Hol. You have put me out of countenance. Biron. False; we have given thee faces. Hol. But you have out-fac'd them all. Biron. 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. Biron. For the ass to the Jude; give it him; Jud-as, away. Hol. This is not generous, not gentle, not humble. Boyet. A light for Monsieur Judas; it grows dark, he may stumble. Prin. Alas, poor Machabæus, how hath he been baited ! Enter ARMADO armed, for Hector. Biron. Hide thy head, Achilles; here comes Hector in arms. Dum. Though my mocks come home by me, I will now be merry. King. Hector was but a Trojan in respect of this. Boyct. But is this Hector? Dum. I think, Hector was not so cleantimber'd. Long. His leg is too big for Hector. 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 Long. Stuck with cloves. Arm. Peace. The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty, From morn till night, out of his pavalion. I am that flower, Dum. That mint. Long. That columbine. Arm. Sweet lord Longaville, rein thy tongue. Long. I must rather give it the rein; for it runs against Hector. Dum. Ay, and Hector's a greyhound. Arm. The sweet war-man is dead and rotten; sweet chucks, beat not the bones of the buried: when he breath'd, he was a man-But I will forward with my device: Sweet royalty, [to the PRINCESS.] bestow on me the sense of hearing. [BIRON whispers COSTARD. Prin. Speak, brave Hector; we are much delighted. Arm. I do adore thy sweet grace's slipper. Arm. This Hector far surmounted Hanni. bal, Cost. The party is gone, fellow Hector, she Forbid the smiling courtesy of love, is gone; she is two months on her way. Arm. What meanest thou? The holy suit which fain it would convince; 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 tentates? 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! Prin. I understand you not; my griefs are double. Biron. Honest plain words best pierce the ear And by these badges understand the king. Biron. Greater than great, great, great, great Play'd foul play with our oaths; your beauty,ladies, Pompey, Pompey the huge! Dum. Hector trembles. Hath much deforin'd us, fashioning our bumours Biron. Pompey is mov'd :-More Ates, Arm. By the north pole, I do challenge thee. Moth. Master, let me take yon a button-bole 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; 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. Which party-coated presence of loose love Prin. We have receiv'd your letters full o Your favours, the ambassadors of love; In their own fashion, like a merriment. Long. So did our looks. Ros. We did not quote them so. King. Now, at the latest minute of the hour Mier. I am sorry, madain; for the news I Graut us your loves. bring, Prin. A time methinks, too short Is heavy in my tongue. The king your father-To make a world-without-end bargain in ; Mer. Even so; my tale is told. 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 ? For all your fair endeavours; and entreat, King. The extreme parts of time extremely All canses to the purpose of his speed; No, no, my lord, your grace is perjur'd much Change not your offer made in heat of blood: Nip not the gaudy blossoms of our love, King. If this, or more than this, I would deny, Ros. You must be purged too, your sins are rank; You are attaint with faults and perjury; A twelvemonth shall you spend, and never rest, Dum. But to what to me, my love? but what to me? Kath. A wife !-A beard, fair health, and honesty ; With three-fold love I wish you all these three. Dum. O shall I say, I thank you, gentle wife? Kath. Not so, my lord;-a twelvemonth and a day I'll mark no words that smooth-fac'd wooers say: Come when the king doth to my lady come, Then, if I have much love, I'll give you some. Dum. I'll serve thee true and faithfully till then. Kath. Yet swear not, lest you be fors worn again. Long. What says Maria? Mar. At the twelvemonth's end, I'll change my black gown for a faithful friend. Long. I'll stay with patience; but the time is long. Mar. The liker you; few taller are so young. Biron. Studies my lady? mistress, look on me, Behold the window of my heart, mine eye. What humble suit attends thy answer there; Impose some service on me for thy love. Ros. Oft have I heard of you, my lord Birón, Before I saw you and the world's large tongue Proclaims you for a man replete with mocks; Full of comparisons and wounding flouts ; Which you on all estates will execute, That lie within the mercy of your wit: To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain; And, therewithal, to win me, if you please, (Without the which I am not to be won,) You shall this twelvemonth term from day to day Visit the speechless sick, and still converse With all the fierce endeavour of your wit, Biron. 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 spirit, Whose influence is begot of that loose grace, Of him that hears it, never in the tongue King. Come, Sir, it wants a twelvemonth and a day, And then 'twill end. Biron. That's too long for a play. Enter ARMADO. Arm. Sweet majesty, vouchsafe me,- 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 esteemed 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. Arm. Holla! approach. Eater HOLOFERNES, NATHANIEL, MOTH, This side is hyems, winter; this Ver, the spring; the one maintained by the owl, the other by the cuckoo. Ver, begin. Then nightly sings the staring owl, To-who; To-whit, to-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. IV. When all aloud the wind doth blow. And coughing drowns the parson's saw, And birds sits brooding in the snow, To-whit, to-who, a merry note. While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. Arm. The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs of Apollo, You, that way; we, this way. Exeunt. Vehement. Immediate. COMEDY OF ERRORS. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THE Menaechmi of Plautus (translated by an anonymous author in 1595,) furnished Shakspeare with the principal incidents of this play. It is one of his earliest productions. Stevens thinks that the piece is not entirely of his writing. The singularity of the plot gives occasion to many amusing perplexities; but they are repeated till they become wearisome, and varied till they become unintelligible. Were it possible to procure in the representation, two Dromios, or two Antipholus's, of whom one should be exactly the counterpart of the other, no powers of perception or of memory, would enable an audience to carry their recollection of each individual beyond the termination of a second act. The very facility of invention with which the resembling individuals are made to puzzle and to thwart each other, would so confound the senses of a spectator, that he would soon be as much bewildered as the parties themselves: whereas the zest of the entertainment depends upon his being able accurately to retain the personal identity of each; without which, be may be involved in the intricacy, but cannot enjoy the humour, occasioned by similarity of person, and contrariety of purpose. Mr. Stevens has justly observed, that this comedy "exhibits more intricacy of plot than distinc tion of character; and that attention is not actively engaged, since every one cau tell how the denouement will be effected." SCENE 1.-A Hall in the DUKE's Palace. Enter DUKE, ÆGEON, Jailer, Officer, and Ege. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, bloods, Excludes all pity from our threat'ning looks. Name of a coin. Nay, more, If any, born at Ephesus, be seen My woes end likewise with the evening sun. cause Why thou departedst from thy native home; Ege. A heavier task could not have been im- Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable: • Markets. |