Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

The French King's daughter with yourself to speak,
A maid of grace and compleat majesty,
About furrender up of Aquitain

To her decrepit, fick, and bed-rid father:
Therefore this article is made in vain,

Or vainly comes th' admired Princess hither. King. What fay you, Lords? why, this was quite forgot. Biron. So ftudy evermore is overfhot; While it doth study to have what it would, It doth forget to do the thing it should: And when it hath the thing it hunteth moft, 'Tis won, as towns with fire; fo won, so lost. King. We must of force dispense with this decree, She muft lie here on mere neceffity.

Biron. Neceffity will make us all forfworn

Three thousand times within this three years space: For every man with his affects is born:

Not by might mafter'd, but by fpecial grace.
If I break faith, this word fhall speak for me:
I am forfworn on mere neceffity.-

So to the laws at large I write my name,

And he, that breaks them in the leaft degree,
Stands in attainder of eternal shame.

Suggeftions are to others, as to me;
But, I believe, although I feem fo loth,
I am the last that will last keep his oath.
But is there no quick recreation granted?

King. Ay,that there is; our court, you know, is haunted
With a refined traveller of Spain,

A man in all the world's new fashion planted,
That hath a mint of phrafes in his brain :
One, whom the mufick of his own vain tongue
Doth ravish, like inchanting harmony:
A man of complements, whom right and wrong
Have chofe as umpire of their mutiny.
This child of fancy, that Armado hight,

For interim to our ftudies, fhall relate
In high-born words the worth of many a knight
From tawny Spain, loft in the world's debate.

How

How you delight, my Lords, I know not, I;
But, I proteft, I love to hear him lie;
And I will ufe him for my minstrelsy.

}

Biron. Armado is a moft illuftrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight. Long. Coftard the swain, and he, shall be our sport; And, fo to ftudy, three years are but short.

Enter Dull, and Costard with a letter.

Dull. Which is the King's own person? (5)
Biron. This, fellow; what would'st?

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.

Dull. Signior Arme, Arme commends you. There's villany abroad; this letter will tell you more.

Coft. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado.

Biron. How low foever the matter, I hope in God for high words.

Long. A high hope for a low having; God grant us patience! (6)

Biron.

(5) Dull. Which is the Duke's own perfon?] The King of Navarre is in feveral paffages, thro' all the copies, call'd the Duke: but as this muft have fprung rather from the inadvertence of the editors, than a forgetfulness in the poet, I have every where, to avoid confufion, reftor'd King to the text.

(6) Abigh hope for a low heaven ;] A low heaven, fure, is a very intricate matter to conceive. But our accurate editors feem to obferve the rule of Horace, whenever a moot point staggers them, dignus vindice nodus; and where they cannot overcome a difficulty, they bring in heaven to untie the knot. As God grant us patience immediately preceded, they thought, heaven of confequence muft follow. But, I dare warrant, I have retriev'd the poet's true reading; and the meaning is this. 'Tho' you hope for high words, and should have 'them, it will be but a low acquifition at beft'. This our poet calls a low having and it is a fubftantive, which he uses in feveral other paffages.

Merry Wives of Windfor.

Not by my confent, I promise you: the gentleman is of no having, he kept company with the wild Prince and Poinz.

K. Henry

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 ftile fhall give us caufe to climb in the merrinefs.

Coft. The matteristome, Sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner. Biron. In what manner?

Coft. In manner and form, following, Sir; all thofe three. I was feen 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 fhall follow in my correction; and God defend the right!

King. Will

you hear the letter with attention ? Biron. As we would hear an oracle.

Coft. Such is the fimplicity of man to hearken after the flesh.

King Great deputy, the welkin's vice-gerent, and sole

dominator of Navarre, my foul's earth's God, and body's foftring patron

K. Henry VIII.

Is our beft having.

And again afterwards;

Our content

But par'd my prefent havings, to bestow
My bounties upon you.

Timon of Athens.

The greateft of your having lacks a half
To pay your prefent debt.

And in many other places. So, amongst the older Romans, they made a fubftantive of Habentia, in the like fignification. Nonius Marcellus furnishes an authority from Claudius Quadrigarius his annals. Verebar enim ne animos eorum inflaret habentia. For I was afraid left their havings (i. e. their riches, large circumftances) should elate their minds. St. Auflin likewife, in the lower age of Latinity, ufes it in the fame manner. And the Spaniards have from thence form'd their bazienda, which fignifies either wealth, poffeffions, ability, or business.

Coft.

Caft. Not a word of Coftard yet.

King. So it is

Coft. It may be fo; but if he fay it is fo, he is, in telling true, but fo.

King. Peace

Coft. Be to me, and every man that dares not fight! King. No words.

Coft. Of other men's fecrets, I befeech you.

King. So it is, befieged with fable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black oppreffing humour to the most wholefome phyfick of thy health-giving air; and as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk: The time, when? about the fixth hour, when beafts most graze, birds beft peck, and men fit down to that nourishment which is call'd fupper: fo much for the time, when. Now for the ground, which: which, I mean, I walk'd upon; it is ycleped, thy park. Then for the place, where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obfcene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my fnow-white pen the ebon coloured ink, which here thou vieweft, beholdeft, Jurveyeft, or feeft. 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 bafe minow of thy mirth, (Coft. Me) that unletter'd fmall-knowing foul, (Coft. Met) that fhallow vaffal, (Coft. Still me) which, as I remember, hight Coftard; (Coft. O me!) forted and conforted, contrary to thy eftablished 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-esteem'd duty pricks me on) have fent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy fweet Grace's officer, Anthony Dull, a man of good repute, carriage, bearing and eftimation.

Dull. Me, an't fhall please you: I am Anthony Dull. King. For Jaquenetta, fo is the weaker veffel call'd) which I apprehended with the aforefaid fwain, I keep her as a vafal of thy law's fury, and shall at the leaft of thy

Sweet

fweet 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.

King. Ay; the best for the worft. But, firrah, what fay 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 damofel.

King. Well, it was proclaimed damofel.

Cof. This was no damofel neither, Sir, fhe was a virgin. King. It is fo 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 ferve your turn, Sir.
Coff. This maid will serve my turn, Sir.

King. Sir, I will pronounce fentence; you shall fast a week with bran and water.

Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge.

King. And Don Armado fhall be your keeper. My Lord Biron, fee him deliver'd o'er,

And go we, Lords, to put in practice that,

Which each to other hath fo ftrongly fworn. [Exe. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, These oaths and laws will prove an idle feorn. 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: affiction may one day fmile again, and until then, fit thee down, forrow. [Exeunt.

SCENE

« PredošláPokračovať »