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, faith, and a very good bowler; but, for Alisander, alas! you see, how 'tis; a little o'er-parted. But there are Worthies a coming will speak their mind in some other sort.

Prin. Stand aside, good Pompey 10.

[Exit COSTARD.

Enter HOLOFERNES, armed for Judas; and MOTH, armed for Hercules.

Hol. "Great Hercules is presented by this imp,

Whose club kill'd Cerberus, that three-headed canis ;

And, when he was a babe, a child, a shrimp,

Thus did he strangle serpents in his manus.

Quoniam, he seemeth in minority,

Ergo, I come with this apology."

Keep some state in thy exit, and vanish.

Hol. "Judas I am,"

Dum. A Judas!

Hol. Not Iscariot, sir.

"Judas I am, yeleped Maccabeus."

Dum. Judas Maccabeus clipt is plain Judas.

[Exit MOTH.

Biron. A kissing traitor.-How art thou prov'd Judas ?
Hol. "Judas I am,".

Dum. The more shame for you,

Hol. What mean you, sir?

Judas.

Boyet. To make Judas hang himself.

Hol. Begin, sir: you are my elder.

Biron. Well follow'd: Judas was hang'd on an elder.
Hol. I will not be put out of countenance.

Biron. Because thou hast no face.

Hol. What is this?

Boyet. A cittern head.

Dum. The head of a bodkin.

939

the arms given in the old history of 'The Nine Worthies,' says Tollet, "to Alexander, the which did beare geules, a lion or, seiante in a chayer, holding a battle-ax argent." Leigh's Accidence of Armory, 1597, p. 23. The second part of the joke arises out of the similarity of sound between Ajax and a jakes.

10 Prin. Stand aside, good Pompey.] These words are assigned to the Princess in the old copies, and we have not deprived her of them, but in the corr. fo. 1632 they are transferred to the King. This alteration perhaps had been made in the day of the old corrector, but we nevertheless rely upon the more ancient autho"Exit Costard" is from the corr. fo. 1632.

rities.

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.

Dum. The carv'd-bone face on a flask.

Biron. St. George's half-cheek in a brooch.

Dum. Ay, and in a brooch of lead.

Biron. Ay, and worn in the cap of a tooth-drawer.
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 Maccabeus, 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.

Boyet. But is this Hector?

King. I think Hector was not so clean-timber'd.

Long. His leg is too big for Hector's.

Dum. More calf, certain.

Boyet. No; he is best indued in the small.

Biron. This cannot be Hector.

Dum. He's a god, or a painter; for he makes faces.
Arm. "The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty,

Gave Hector a gift,"

Dum. A gilt nutmeg

Biron. A lemon.

A light for monsieur Judas!] Torches were of old often called Judases. ? A gilt nutmeg.] The folio has "a gilt nutmeg," which is probably right; though "a gift nutmeg," the reading of the 4to, is perfectly intelligible.

Long. Stuck with cloves.

Dum. No, cloven.

Arm. Peace"!

"The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty,
Gave Hector a gift, the heir of Ilion;

A man so breath'd, that certain he would fight, yea,
From morn till night, out of his pavilion.

I am that flower,”

Dum.

Long.

That mint.

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.

sweet

Arm. The sweet war-man is dead and rotten: chucks, beat not the bones of the buried: when he breathed, he was a man.—But I will forward with my device. Sweet royalty, bestow on me the sense of hearing.

Prin. Speak, brave Hector: we are much delighted.
Arm. I do adore thy sweet grace's slipper.

Boyet. Loves her by the foot.

Dum. He may not by the yard.

Arm. "This Hector far surmounted Hannibal,”

Re-enter COSTARD, in haste, unarmed3.

Cost. The party is gone: fellow Hector, she is gone; she is two months on her way.

Arm. What meanest thou?

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 your's.

Arm. Dost thou infamonize me among potentates? Thou shalt die.

3 Arm. PEACE!] Omitted in the folio, 1623, and in the other folios.

4

when he breathed, he was a man.] These words, found in the 4to, 1598, are not in the folios.

5 Re-enter Costard, in haste, unarmed.] We have before seen (p. 170) that Costard went out at the words of the Princess "Stand aside, good Pompey." He here, according to the same authority (the corr. fo. 1632) returns in haste, to inform Armado of the condition of Jaquenetta. Unless he had gone out, it is not easy to see how he had obtained the information he brings. We have no doubt that we have here the practice of the old stage: in the printed editions it is difficult to understand precisely how the business of the scene was conducted.

• The party is gone :] In the old copies these words are printed in italic, and might be taken either as part of the speech of Armado, or as a stage-direction.

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!

Boyet. Renowned Pompey !

Biron. Greater than great, great, great, great Pompey! Pompey the huge!

Dum. Hector trembles.

Biron. Pompey is moved.-More Atés, more Atés! stir them on stir them on!

Dum. Hector will challenge him.

Biron. Ay, if a' have no more man's blood in's belly than will sup a flea.

Arm. By the north pole, I do challenge thee.

Cost. I will not fight with a pole, like a northern man: I'll slash; I'll do it by the sword.-I pray you, let me borrow my arms again.

Dum. Room for the incensed Worthies!

Cost. I'll do it in my shirt.

Dum. Most resolute Pompey!

Moth. Master, let me take you a button-hole 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.

Biron. What reason have you for't?

Arm. The naked truth of it is, I have no shirt. I go woolward for penance.

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 dishclout of Jaquenetta's, and that a' wears next his heart for a favour.

Enter Monsieur MERCADE, a Messenger.

Mer. God save you, madam.

Prin. Welcome, Mercade,

But that thou interrupt'st our merriment.

Mer. I am sorry, madam, for the news I bring

Is heavy in my tongue. The king your father-
Prin. Dead, for my life!

Mer. Even so: my tale is told.

Biron. Worthies, away!-The scene begins to cloud. 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?

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

King. The extreme parting time expressly forms'
All causes to the purpose of his speed;

And often, at his very loose, decides1

That which long process could not arbitrate:
And though the mourning brow of progeny
Forbid the smiling courtesy of love,

The holy suit which fain it would convince2;

7 A heavy heart bears BUT a humble tongue.] The misprint in this line, not for "but," which last must have been the author's word, has occasioned a good deal of difficulty. It is clear that "bears not a humble tongue" must be wrong, and the MS. emendation in the corr. fo. 1632 is so easy and natural, that Theobald adopted it, viz. “bears not a nimble tongue;" but there is, in fact, no need of any other alteration than that we have made, which only supposes the very common printer's error of not for "but :" the meaning of the Princess, of course, is that "a heavy heart can bear only a humble tongue." The practice has hitherto usually been to substitute nimble for "humble."

8 - coming Too short of thanks] Thus the 4to; the folio reads "coming so short of thanks," making the adverb so occur three times in two lines.

9 The extreme PARTING time EXPRESSLY forms] Nothing can well be happier than this emendation in the corr. fo. 1632, instead of the nonsense of the line in the old editions,

"The extreme parts of time extremely form."

The meaning is, that when it is necessary to depart with speed, every thing is made to contribute to the purpose; and the German translator naturally welcomes this emendation. Mr. Singer's emendation of "extreme haste" must have been made in extreme distress, to avoid the corr. fo. 1632.

1 And often, AT HIS VERY LOOSE, decides] "At his very loose, may mean," says Steevens, "at the moment of his parting." It can mean nothing else. 2 - convince ;] i.e. Overcome, or obtain by overcoming.