of discretion, 149 and I will right myself like a
soldier.
[Exeunt Worthies.

King. How fares your majesty ?
Prin. Boyet, prepare; I will away to-night.
King. Madam, not so; I do beseech you, stay.
Prin. Prepare, I say.-I thank you, gracious
lords,

For all your fair endeavours; and entreat,
Out of a new-sad soul, that you vouchsafe
In your rich wisdom to excuse, or hide,
The liberal opposition of our spirits:
If over-boldly we have borne ourselves

Act V. Scene II.

In the converse of breath, your gentleness
Was guilty of it.-Farewell, worthy lord!
A heavy heart bears but a humble tongue : 150
Excuse me so, coming so short of thanks
For my great suit so easily obtain'd.
King.

The extreme part of time extremely forms 151

All causes to the purpose of his speed;

And often, at his very loose, decides
That which long process could not arbitrate:
And though the mourning brow of progeny
Forbid the smiling courtesy of love

149 I have seen the day of wrong through, &c. Armado's fantastically pompous way of saying, I have seen myself wronged, though discreetly forbearing from righting myself until I can find an opportunity of doing so with dignity.'

150. But a humble tongue. The Folio gives 'not a humble tongue;' and Theobald proposed to read 'nimble' for "humble," which at one time we thought the probable correction. Now,

the substitution of "but " for 'not' (it being a frequent error in the old copy to misprint the one word for the other) gives the more likely alteration; at the same time that it makes the sentence agree with its context, if we take the word "humble" to include the sense of 'poor,' 'lowly,' inadequate,' 'insufficient,' as well as 'meek,' and' submissive.'

151. The extreme part of time, &c. "Part" in the Folio is printed 'parts;' for which various alterations have been pro

The holy suit which fain it would convince; 152
Yet, since love's argument was first on foot,
Let not the cloud of sorrow justle it

From what it purpos'd; since, to wail friends lost,
Is not by much so wholesome-profitable,
As to rejoice at friends but newly found.

Prin. I understand you not: my griefs are dull.153

Biron. Honest plain words best pierce the ear of grief;

And by these badges understand the king,
For your fair sakes have we neglected time,
Play'd foul play with our oaths: your beauty,
ladies,

Hath much deform'd us, fashioning our humours
Even to the opposèd end of our intents:
And what in us hath seem'd ridiculous,-
As love is full of unbefitting strains ; 154
All wanton as a child, skipping, and vain;
Form'd by the eye, and therefore, like the eye,
Full of strange shapes, 155 of habits, and of forms,
Varying in subjects as the eye doth roll
To every varied object in his glance:
Which parti-coated presence of loose love
Put on by us, if, in your heavenly eyes,
Have misbecom'd our oaths and gravities,
Those heavenly eyes that look into these faults,
Suggested 156 us to make. Therefore, ladies,
Our love being yours, the error that love makes
Is likewise yours: we to ourselves prove false,
By being once false for ever to be true

To those that make us both,-fair ladies, you:
And even that falsehood, in itself a sin,
Thus purifies itself, and turns to grace.

As bombast,157 and as lining to the time:
But more devout than this in our respects
Have we not been; 158 and therefore met your loves
In their own fashion, likę a merriment.

Dum. Our letters, madam, show'd much more than jest.

Long. So did our looks.

Ros.
We did not quote 159 them so.
King. Now, at the latest minute of the hour,
Grant us your loves.

Prin.
A time, methinks, too short
To make a world-without-end bargain in.
No, no, my lord, your grace is perjur'd much,
Full of dear160 guiltiness; and therefore this
If for my love—as there is no such causę—
You will do aught, this shall you do for me;
Your oath I will not trust; but go with speed
To some forlorn and naked hermitage,
Remote from all the pleasures of the world;
There stay until the twelve celestial signs
Have brought about their annual reckoning.
If this austere insociable life

Change not your offer made in heat of blood;
If frosts, and fasts, hard lodging, and thin
weeds, 161

Nip not the gaudy blossoms of your love,
But that it bear this trial, and last love; 2
Then, at the expiration of the year,

Come challenge me, challenge me by these deserts,

And, by this virgin palm now kissing thine,

I will be thine; and, till that instant, shut
My woeful self up in a mourning house,
Raining the tears of lamentation

love;

Your favours, the embassadors of love;

And, in our maiden council, rated them

At courtship, pleasant jest, and courtesy,

posed. Mr. Staunton plausibly suggests 'dart;' but supposing 'part' to be the right word, we take it to mean 'parting,' ' departure' (with an admixture of abruptness in the sense involved), as the arrow leaves the bow. The archery technicality of "loose" renders the figurative reference manifest; and "the extreme part of time" seems to include allusion to the sudden event or occurrence of which they have just heard-the death of the Princess's father-as well as to the impending separation between the lovers and their chosen ladies. That the diction of this speech is purposely obscured by metaphor, is made evident by the Princess's reply-"I understand you not," &c., and Biron's rejoinder-"Honest plain words best pierce the ear of grief." Nevertheless, beneath the metaphorical obscurity lies a lustrous jewel of truth; namely, that 'an unexpected incident often settles in a moment what long deliberation cannot decide.'

152. Convince. Conquer; obtain by conquest.

153. My griefs are dull. The Folio misprints 'double' for "dull;" the emendation of Mr. Collier's MS. corrector 154. Strains. Propensities, wilfulnesses, vagaries. 155. Full of strange shapes. For "strange" the Folio has 'straying.'

If this thou do deny, let our hands part; Neither intitled in the other's heart. King. If this, or more than this, I would deny,1 To flatter up of mine with rest,16 these powers

163

164

156. Suggested. Tempted, incited. 157. Bombast. From the Italian, bombagia, cotton wool. Stuffing, wadding, used for padding out clothes; figuratively applied to inflated or tumid language, to something unreal or superfluous, to something for merely filling up or filling out the time.

158. But more devout than this in our respects, &c. The Folio prints then these are' instead of "than this in." We take the meaning of the passage to be- But we have not been more serious than this in our behaviour to you.'

159. Quote. Note, observe, remark. See Note 22, Act ii., "Two Gentlemen of Verona."

160. Dear. Used for 'dire: or rather, for dere;' which is derived from the ancient English verb 'to dere,' to hurt, to do mischief.

161. Weeds. Clothing; garments.

162. And last love. And continue still to be love.' 163. Deny. Used in the sense of 'refuse.' Act iv.,

Much Ado about Nothing."

See Note 34,

'In

164. To flatter up these powers of mine with rest. order that I might soothe or pamper these faculties of mine by leading a life of repose.'

The sudden hand of death close up mine eye!
Hence ever, then, my heart is in thy breast.
Biron. And what to me, my love? and what to

me ? 165

Ros. You must be purgèd too, your sins are
rank: 166

You are attaint with faults and perjury ;
Therefore, if you my favour mean to get,
A twelvemonth shall you spend, and never rest,
But seek the weary beds of people sick.

Dum. But 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. Oh, 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 ye be forsworn 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 167 and wounding flouts, Which you on all estates 168 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 groaning wretches; and your task shall be, With all the fierce endeavour 169 of your wit To enforce the painèd impotent to smile.

Biron. To move wild laughter in the throat of death!

165. And what to me, &c. This speech, and the next, being amplified farther on, are frequently omitted from modern editions; in the same way with those lines towards the close of the fourth Act. See Note 107, Act iv.

166 Rank. The old copies print 'rack'd' instead of "rank;" which was Rowe's emendation.

167. Comparisons. Used in the sense of jesting similes;

Arm. Sweet majesty, vouchsafe me,—
Prin. Was not that Hector ?
Dum. The worthy knight of Troy.

Arm. I will kiss thy royal finger, and take leave. I am a votary; I have vowed 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 followed in the end of our show.

King. Call them forth quickly; we will do so. Arm. Holla! approach.

Re-enter HOLOFERNES, NATHANIel, Moth, COSTARD, and others. This side is Hiems, Winter,-this Ver, the Spring;

witticisms of analogy. See Note 18, Act ii., "Much Ado about Nothing."

168. All estates. Used for all conditions of persons. 169. Fierce endeavour. Used for ardent effort, fervent exertion. 170. Dear. Used in the sense of 'dire.' See Note 160, Act v.

171. Bring. An idiom for accompany, escort. See Note 20, Act iii., "Much Ado."

SONG.

SPRING. When daisies pied 172 and violets blue,
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds 173 of yellow hue,
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,

172. Pied.

Mocks married men ; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo ;

Cuckoo, cuckoo,-oh, word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,

And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks, When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,

And maidens bleach their summer smocks, The cuckoo then, on every tree

Mocks married men; for thus sings he,

Cuckoo ;

Cuckoo, cuckoo,-oh, word of fear,

Unpleasing to a married ear!

Shakespeare uses this word to express particoloured; flecked with divers hues. See Note 11, Act iii., "Tempest." Shakespeare's "daisies pied" are Burns's "wee, modest, crimson-tipped flowers."

173. Cuckoo-buds. Most probably, cowslips.

174. Blows his nail. This expression, besides, as here, signifying to blow the finger-ends to give them warmth, meant also (as an idiom of the period), to remain baffled, to pass away vexatiously lost time; equivalent to the more modern phrase, 'to kick one's heels,' 'to go whistle.'

175. Keel Originally meant merely to 'cool;' from the

When icicles hang by the wall,

And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,174
And Tom bears logs into the hall,

And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp'd, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-who;

Tu-whit, tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel 175 the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,

And coughing drowns the parson's saw,176
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs 17 hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl;
Tu-who:

Tu-whit, tu-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.