The king and his companions: warily
I stole into a neighbour thicket by,
And overheard what you fhall overhear;
That, by and by, difguis'd they will be here.
Their herald is a pretty knavish page,

That well by heart hath conn'd his embassage :
Action, and accent, did they teach him there;
Thus must thou speak, and thus thy body bear:
And ever and anon they made a doubt,
Prefence majestical would put him out;
For, quoth the king, an angel shalt thou fee;
Yet fear not thou, but fpeak audaciously.
The boy reply'd, An angel is not evil ;

I fhould have fear'd her, had he been a devil.

With that all laugh'd, and clapp'd him on the shoulder;

Making the bold wag by their praises bolder.

One rubb'd his elbow, thus; and fleer'd, and fwore,
A better speech was never fpoke before:

Another, with his finger and his thumb,
Cry'd, Via! we will do't, come what will come :
The third he caper'd, and cried, All goes well:
The fourth turn'd on the toe, and down he fell.
With that, they all did tumble on the ground,
With fuch a zealous laughter, fo profound,
That in this spleen ridiculous appears,
To check their folly, paffion's folemn tears.

PRIN. But what, but what, come they to vifit us?
BorET. They do, they do; and are apparel'd thus,-

Like Mufcovites, or Ruffians: as I guess,

Their purpose is, to parle, to court, and dance:
And every one his love-feat will advance

Unto his several mistress; which they'll know
By favours feveral, which they did beftow.

VOL. II.

E

PRIN. And will they fo? the gallants shall be task'd:For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd ;

And not a man of them shall have the grace,
Despite of fuit, to fee a lady's face.-

Hold, Rofaline, this favour thou fhalt wear;
And then the king will court thee for his dear;
Hold, take thou this, my sweet, and give me thine;
So fhall Birón take me for Rofaline.-

And change you favours too; fo fhall your loves
Woo contrary, deceiv'd by these removes.

Ros. Come on then; wear the favours moft in fight. KATH. But, in this changing, what is your intent? PRIN. The effect of my intent is, to cross theirs : They do it but in mocking merriment;

And mock for mock is only my intent.
Their feveral counfels they unbofom fhall
To loves miftook; and fo be mock'd withal,
Upon the next occasion that we meet,
With vifages display'd, to talk, and greet.

Ros. But shall we dance, if they defire us to't?

PRIN. No; to the death, we will not move a foot: Nor to their penn'd speech render we no grace;

But, while 'tis fpoke, each turn away her face.

BOYET. Why, that contempt will kill the fpeaker's heart,

And quite divorce his memory from his part.

PRIN. Therefore I do it; and, I make no doubt,
The reft will ne'er come in, if he be out.

There's no fuch sport, as fport by fport o'erthrown;
To make theirs ours, and ours none but our own :
So fhall we stay, mocking intended game;

And they, well mock'd, depart away with fhame.
[Trumpets found within.

come.

Borer. The trumpet founds; be mask'd, the maskers [The ladies mafk. Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN, in Ruffian babits, and mafked; MOTH, Muficians, and Attendants.

Morн. All hail, the richest beauties on the earth!
BOYET. Beauties no richer than rich taffata.
MоTH. A boly parcel of the fairest dames,

[The ladies turn their backs to him.

That ever turn'd their-backs_to mortal views!

BIRON. Their eyes, villain, their eyes.

MOTH. That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal views! Out

BOYET. True; out, indeed.

MOTH. Out of your favours, beavenly fpirits, vouchfafe Not to behold

BIRON. Once to behold, rogue.

MOTH. Once to behold with your fun-beamed eyes,

-with your fun-beamed eyes—

BOYET. They will not answer to that epithet; You were best call it, daughter-beamed eyes.

MоTн. They do not mark me, and that brings me out. BIRON. Is this your perfectness? be gone, you rogue. Ros. What would these strangers? know their minds, If they do fpeak our language, 'tis our will That some plain man recount their purposes: Know what they would.

[Boyet :

BOYET. What would you with the princess?
BIRON. Nothing but peace, and gentle vifitation.
Ros. What would they, say they?

gone,

BorET. Nothing but peace, and gentle vifitation. Ros. Why, that they have; and bid them fo be BorET. She fays, you have it, and you may be gone.

KING. Say to her, we have measur'd many miles, To tread a measure with her on this grafs.

BorET. They say, that they have measur'd many a mile,

To tread a measure with you on this grafs.
Ros. It is not fo: ask them how many inches
Is in one mile: if they have measur'd many,
The measure then of one is easily told.

BorET. If, to come hither you have meafur'd miles, And many miles; the princefs bids you tell,

How many inches do fill up one mile.

BIRON. Tell her, we measure them by weary steps. BorET. She hears herself.

Ros. How many weary steps,

Of many weary miles you have o'ergone,

Are number'd in the travel of one mile?

BIRON. We number nothing that we spend for you;

Our duty is fo rich, fo infinite,

That we may do it still without accompt.

Vouchfafe to show the sunshine of

your face,

That we, like favages, may worship it.

Ros. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. KING. Bleffed are clouds, to do as fuch clouds do! Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy stars, to shine (Those clouds remov'd,) upon our wat'ry eyne.

Ros. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter;
Thou now request'st but moonshine in the water.
KING. Then, in our measure do but vouchsafe one
change :

Thou bid'ft me beg; this begging is not ftrange.
Ros. Play, mufick, then: nay, you must do it foon.

[Mufick plays.

Not yet;-no dance: thus change I like the moon.

KING. Will you not dance? How come you thus

eftrang'd?

Ros. You took the moon at full; but now fhe's chang'd.
KING. Yet ftill fhe is the moon, and I the man.

The mufick plays; vouchfafe fome motion to it.
Ros. Our ears vouchfafe it.

KING. But your legs should do it.

Ros. Since you are strangers, and come here by chance, We'll not be nice: take hands ;-we will not dance. KING. Why take we hands then ?

Ros. Only to part friends :

Court'fy, fweet hearts; and fo the measure ends.

KING. More measure of this measure; be not nice. Ros. We can afford no more at fuch a price.

KING. Prize you yourselves; What buys your comRos. Your absence only.

KING. That can never be.

[pany?

Ros. Then cannot we be bought and so adieu ;

Twice to your visor, and half once to you!

KING. If you deny to dance, let's hold more chat.
Ros. In private then.

KING. I am beft pleas'd with that.

[They converfe apart.

BIRON. White-handed mistress, one fweet word with

thee.

PRIN. Honey, and milk, and fugar; there is three. BIRON. Nay then, two treys, (an if you grow fo nice,) Metheglin, wort, and malmfey ;-Well run, dice! There's half a dozen fweets.

PRIN. Seventh sweet, adieu !

Since you can cog, I'll play no more with you.

BIRON. One word in fecret.

PRIN. Let it not be sweet.