Moth. A wonder, master! here's a costard1 broken in a shin. Arm. Some enigma, some riddle: come, thy l'envoy; begin. Cost. No egma, no riddle, no l'envoy; no salve in these all, sir: O, sir, plantain, a plain plantain no l'envoy, no l'envoy; no salve, sir, but a plantain ! Arm. By virtue, thou enforcest laughter; thy silly thought my spleen; the heaving of my lungs provokes me to ridiculous smiling. O, pardon me, my stars! Doth the inconsiderate take salve for l'envoy, and the word l'envoy for a salve? 80 Moth. Do the wise think them other? is not l'envoy a salve? Arm. No, page: it is an epilogue or discourse, to make plain Some obscure precedence that hath tofore been sain. I will example it: The fox, the ape and the humble-bee, Were still at odds, being but three. There's the moral. Now the l'envoy. Moth. I will add the l'envoy. Say the moral again. 1 Costard, head. Arm. The fox, the ape, the humble-bee, 90 Were still at odds, being but three. Moth. Until the goose came out of door, And stay'd the odds by adding four. [Now will I begin your moral, and do you? follow with my l'envoy. The fox, the ape, and the humble-bee, Were still at odds, being but three. Arm. Until the goose came out of door, Staying the odds by adding four.] Moth. A good l'envoy, ending in the goose: would you desire more? 101 Arm. But tell me; how was there a costard broken in a shin? Moth. I will tell you sensibly. Cost. Thou hast no feeling of it, Moth: I will speak that l'envoy: I Costard, running out, that was safely within, Fell over the threshold, and broke my shin. Arm. We will talk no more of this matter. Cost. Till there be more matter in the shin. Arm. Sirrah Costard, I will enfranchise thee. Cost. O, marry me to one Frances: I smell some l'envoy, some goose, in this. 123 Arm. By my sweet soul, I mean setting thee at liberty, enfreedoming thy person: thou wert immured, restrained, captivated, bound. Cost. True, true; and now you will be my purgation and let me loose. Arm. I give thee thy liberty, set thee from durance; and, in lieu thereof, impose on thee Biron. O, my good knave Costard! exceedingly well met. Cost. Pray you, sir, how much carnation ribbon may a man buy for a remuneration? Biron. What is a remuneration? Cost. Marry, sir, halfpenny farthing. Biron. Why, then, three-farthing worth of silk. Cost. I thank your worship: God be wi' you! Biron. Stay, slave; I must employ thee: As thou wilt win my favour, good my knave, Do one thing for me that I shall entreat. Cost. When would you have it done, sir? Biron. This afternoon. 150 And Rosaline they call her: ask for her; Cost. Gardon, O sweet gardon! better than remuneration, a 'leven-pence farthing better: most sweet gardon! I will do it, sir, in print. Gardon! Remuneration! [Exit. 174 Biron. And I, forsooth, in love! I, that have been love's whip; A very beadle to a humorous sigh; 180 Enter the PRINCESS, and her train, a Forester, BOYET, ROSALINE, MARIA, and KATHARINE. Prin. Was that the king, that spurr'd his horse so hard Against the steep uprising of the hill? Boyet. I know not; but I think it was not he. Prin. Whoe'er a' was, a' show'd a mounting mind. Well, lords, to-day we shall have our dispatch: On Saturday we will return to France. [Then, forester, my friend, where is the bush {That we must stand and play the murderer in? For. Hereby, upon the edge of yonder coppice; A stand where you may make the fairest shoot. Prin. I thank my beauty, I am fair that shoot, 11 And thereupon thou speak'st, the fairest shoot. O short-liv'd pride! Not fair? alack for woe! Here, good my glass, take this for telling true: Fair payment for foul words is more than due. For. Nothing but fair is that which you inherit. 20 Boyet [reads]. "By heaven, that thou art fair, is most infallible; true, that thou art beauteous; truth itself, that thou art lovely. More fairer than fair, beautiful than beauteous, truer than truth itself, have commiseration on thy heroical vassal! The magnanimous and most illustrate king Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and indubitate beggar Penelophon; [and he it was that might rightly say, Veni, ridi, vici; which to anatomize in the vulgar,O base and obscure vulgar!-videlicet, He came, saw, and overcame: he came, one; saw, two; overcame, three. Who came? the king: why did he come? to see: why did he see? to overcome: to whom 1 God dig-you-den, God give you good even. 2 Break up this capon, open this letter. came he? to the beggar: what saw he? the beggar: who overcame he? the beggar. The conclusion is victory: on whose side? the king's. The captive is enrich'd: on whose side? the beggar's. The catastrophe is a nuptial: on whose side? the king's: no, on both in one, or one in both. ] I am the king; for so stands the comparison: thou the beggar; for so witnesseth thy lowliness. Shall I command thy love? I may shall I enforce thy love? I could: shall I entreat thy love? I will. What shalt thou exchange for rags? robes; for tittles? titles; for thyself? me. Thus, expecting thy reply, I profane my lips on thy foot, my eyes on thy picture, and my heart on thy every part. Thine, in the dearest design of industry, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO. 90 "Thus dost thou hear the Nemean lion roar 'Gainst thee, thou lamb, that standest as his prey. Submissive fall his princely feet before, And he from forage will incline to play: But if thou strive, poor soul, what art thou then? Food for his rage, repasture for his den." Prin. What plume of feathers is he that indited this letter? What vane? what weathercock? did you ever hear better? Boyet. I am much deceived but I remember the style. Prin. Else your memory is bad, going o'er it erewhile. Boyet. This Armado is a Spaniard, that keeps here in court; 100 Ros. Shall I come upon thee with an old saying, that was a man when King Pepin of France was a little boy, as touching the hit it? Boyet. So I may answer thee with one as old, that was a woman when Queen Guinover of Britain was a little wench, as touching the hit it. Ros. Thou canst not hit it, hit it, hit it, Thou canst not hit it, my good man, Boyet. An I cannot, cannot, cannot, An I cannot, another can. 130 [Exeunt Ros. and Kath. Cost. By my troth, most pleasant: how both did fit it! Mar. A mark marvellous well shot, for they both did hit it. Boyet. A mark! O, mark but that mark! A mark, says my lady! Let the mark have a prick in 't, to mete at, if it may be. Mar. Wide o' the bow hand! i' faith, your hand is out. Cost. Indeed, a' must shoot nearer, or he'll ne'er hit the clout. Boyet. An if my hand be out, then belike your hand is in. Cost. Then will she get the upshoot by cleaving the pin. 1 Suitor, formerly pronounced "shootor." |