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Arm.

SCENE, the Park; near the Palace.

Enter Armado and Moth.

Arble, child; make paffionate my sense of hearing.

Moth. Concolinel.

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refolving a life of contemplation, and to relieve their study, at intervals, with Armado and Coftard. The Princess of France's arrival is prepared. Armado's ridiculous paffion for a country wench, and his, and Coftard's characters, are open'd. In the 2d A&t, The Princefs with her Ladies arrives, and explains the reafon of her coming. Navarre behaves fo courteously to her, that Boyet, one of her Lords, fuspects him to be in love. Armado's amour is continued; who fends a letter by Coftard to his Miftrefs Jaquenetta. Biron likewife fends a billet-doux by Coftard to Rofaline, one of the French Ladies; and in a foliloquy confeffes his being in love, tho' against his oath.- - In the third Act, the Princess and her Ladies, preparing to killa Deer in the park, Coftard comes to deliver Biron's letter to Rofaline; but by mistake gives that, which Armado had directed to Jaquenetta. The two pedants, Sir Nathaniel, and Holofernes are introduc'd. Jaquenetta produces Biron's letter, deliver'd by Coftard's mistake to her, requesting them to read it: who, obferving the contents, fend it by Coflard and Jaquenetta to the King. Biron, ftanding perdue in the park, overhears the King, Longaville, and Dumain confeffing their paffions for their respective miftreffes; and coming forward, reproaches them with their perjury. Jaquenetta and Coftard bring the letter (as they were order'd by the Pedants) to the King, who bids Biron read it. He, finding it to be his own letter, tears it in a paffion for Coflard's mistake. The Lords, picking it up, find it to be of Biron's hand writing, and an addrefs to Rofaline. Biron pleads guilty: and all the votarifts at laft confent to continue their perjury, and addrefs their several miftrefles with fome mafque or device. In the fourth Act, the Pedants (returning from their dinner) enter into a difcourfe fuitable to their characters. Armado comes to them, tells them, he is enjoin'd by the King to frame fome mafque for the entertainment of the Princefs, and craves their learned affiftance. They propofe to reprefent the nine worthies, and go out to prepare themselves. The Princefs and her Ladies talk of their feveral lovers, and the prefents made to them. Boyct brings notice, that the King and his Lords are coming to addrefs them, difguis'd like Mufcovites. The Ladies propofe to be mafk'd, and exchange the Favours with one another, which were given them by their lovers: that fo they, being deceiv'd, may every one addrefs the wrong perfon. This accordingly hits, and they

are

Arm. Sweet Air! go, tenderness of years; take this key, give inlargement to the fwain; bring him festinately hither: I must employ him in a letter to my love. Moth. Mafter, will you win your love with a French brawl ?

Arm. How mean'ft thou, brawling in French?

Moth. No, my compleat mafter (12); but to jig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet (13), humour it with turning up your eyelids; figh a note and fing a note; fometimes through the throat, as if you fwallow'd love with finging love; fometimes through the nofe, as if you fnuft up love by fmelling love; with your hat penthoufe-like o'er the shop of your eyes; with your arms croft on your thin-belly doublet, like a rabbet on a spit; or your hands in your

are rallied from off the fpot by the Ladies; who triumph in this exploit, and refolve to banter them again, when they return in their own perfons. In the laft A&t, the King and his Lords come to the Princess's tent, and all confefs their loves. Coftard enters to tell the approach of the worthies mafque; which finish'd, news is brought of the death of the Princess's father. The King and the Lords renewing their love-fuits, the Ladies agree to marry them at a twelve-month's end, under certain injunctions; and fo the play ends. Thus the ftory (tho' clogg'd with fome abfurdities,) has its proper refts: the action rifes by gradations, according to rules and the plot is embroil'd and disengaged, as it ought; as far as the nature of the fable will admit,

(12) Moth. No, my compleat mafter, &c.] This whole fpeech has been fo terribly confufed in the pointing, through all the editions hitherto, that not the leaft glimmering of fenfe was to be pick'd out of it. As I have regulated the paffage, I think, Moth delivers both good fenfe and good bumour.

(13) Canary to it with your feet,] So All's Well that, &e. Act. 2. Sc. 2.

I have feen a Medecin,

That's able to breathe life into a stone,

Quicken a rock, and make you dance Canary

With fprightly fire and motion; &c,

From both these paffages the Canary feems to have been a dance of much fpirit and agility. Some dictionaries tell us, that this dance derived its name, as it is probable it might, from the lflands fo call'd. But Richlet gives us a description of it the most conformable to our anthor; dance, ou l'on remue fort vite les piez. A dance, in which the feet are shifted with great swiftnefs. I 3

pocket,

pocket, like a man after the old painting; and keep not too long in, one tune, but a fnip and away; these are complements, these are humours; thefe betray nice wenches that would be betray'd without these, and make the men of note (14): do you note men, that are moft affected to these?

Arm. How haft thou purchas'd this experience?
Moth. By my pen of observation.

Arm. But O, but O

Moth. The hobby-horse is forgot. (15)

Arm.

(14) thefe betray nice wenches, that would be betray'd without befe, and make them men of note. Thus all the editors, with a Lagacity worthy of wonder. But who will ever believe, that the odd attitudes and affectations of lovers, by which they betray young wenches, fhould have power to make those young wenches men of note? This is a transformation, which, I dare fay, the poet never thought of. His meaning is, that they not only inveigle the young Girls, but make the men taken notice of too, who affect them. I reduc'd the paffage to good sense, in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd, by cafhiering only a fingle letter: and Mr. Pope, in his last impreffion, has vouchfaf'd to embrace my correction.

(15) Arm. But, 0, but O

Moth. The hobby-horfe is forgot.] The humour of this reply of Moth's to Armado, who is fighing in love, cannot be taken without a little explanation: nor why there fhould be any room for making fuch a reply. A quotation from Hamlet will be neceffary on this occafion.

Or elfe fhall he fuffer not thinking on, with the bobby-borfe whofe Epitaph is, For ob! for cb ! the Hobby-borse is forgot. And another from Beaumont and Fletcher in their Women pleased. Soto. Shall the Hobby-horfe be forgot then?

The hopeful Hobby-borfe? fhall he lie founder'd ? In the rites formerly obferv'd for the celebration of May-day, befides thofe now us'd of hanging a pole with garlands, and dancing round it, a boy was dreft up reprefenting maid Marian; another, like a Friar; and another rode on a Hobby-barfe, with bells jingling, and painted ftreamers. After the Reformation took place, and Precifians multiplied, thefe latter rites were look'd upon to favour of Paganism; and then maid Marian, the Friar, and the poor Hobby-korfe were turn'd out of the games. Some, who were not fo wifely precife but regretted the difufe of the Hobby-borse, no doubt, fatiriz'd this fufpicion of idolatry, and archly wrote the Epitaph above alluded to. Now Moth, hearing Armado groan ridiculously, and cry out, But oh! but eb! humorously pieces out his exclamation with the fequel of

Arm. Call'it thou my love hobby-horse ?

Moth. No, mafter; the hobby-horfe is but a colt, and your love, perhaps a hackney: but have you forgot your love?

Arm. Almoft I had.

Moth. Negligent ftudent, learn her by heart.
Arm. By heart, and in heart, boy.

Moth. And out of heart, mafter: all those three I will prove.

Arm. What wilt thou prove?

Moth. A man, if I live. And this by, in, and out of, upon the inftant: by heart you love her, because your heart cannot come by her in heart you love her, because your heart is in love with her; and out of heart you love her, being out of heart that you cannot enjoy her.

Arm. I am all these three.

Moth. And three times as much more; and yet nothing at all.

Arm. Fetch hither the fwain, he must carry me a letter. Moth. A meffage well fympathiz'd; a horse to be embaffador for an afs.

Arm. Ha, ha; what fay'st thou?

Moth. Marry, Sir, you must fend the ass upon the horfe, for he is very flow-gated: but I go. Arm. The way is but fhort; away.

Moth. As fwift as lead, Sir,

Arm. Thy meaning, pretty ingenious? Is not lead a metal heavy, dull and flow?

Moth. Minimè, honeft mafter; or rather, mafter, no.

this epitaph: which is putting his master's love-paffion, and the lofs of the Hobby-borse, on a footing. The Zealot's deteftation of this Hobby-horle, tkink is excellently fneer'd at by B. Jonfon in his Bartholomew-fair. In this Comedy, Rabby-Bufy, a Puritan, is brought into the fair: and being afk'd by the toyman to buy Rattles, Drums, Babies, Hobby-borfes, &c. He immediately in his zeal cries out :

Peace, with thy apocryphal wares, thou prophane publican! Thy Bells, thy Dragons, and thy Tobit's dogs. Thy Hobby-borfe is an idol, a very idol, a fierce and rank idol; and thou the Nebuchadnezzar, the proud Nebuchadnezzar of the fair, that fet'ft it up for children to fall down to and worship.

I 4

Arm.

1

Arm. I fay, lead is flow.

Moth. You are too fwift, Sir, to fay fo.

Is that lead flow, Sir, which is fired from a gun?
Arm. Sweet fmoak of rhetorick?

He reputés me a cannon; and the bullet, that's he :
I fhoot thee at the swain.

Moth. Thump then, and I fly.

[Exit. Arm. A moft acute Juvenile, voluble and free of grace; By thy favour, fweet welkin, I muft figh in thy face. Most rude melancholy, valour gives thee place. My herald is return'd.

Re-enter Moth and Coftard.

Moth. A wonder, mafter, here's a Coftardbroken in a fhin. Arm.Some enigma, fome riddle; come,thy l'envoy begin. Coft. No egma, no riddle, no l'envoy; no falve in the male, Sir. O Sir, plantan, a plain plantan; no l'envoy no l'envoy, or falve, Sir, but plantan.

Arm. By virtue, thou enforceft laughter; thy filly thought, my fpleen; the heaving of my lungs provokes me to ridiculous fmiling: O pardon me, my ftars ; doth the inconfiderate take falve for l'envoy, and the word l'envoy for a falve?

Moth. Doth the wife think them other? is not l'envoy a falve?

Arm. No, page, it is an epilogue or difcourfe, to make plain

Some obfcure precedence that hath tofore been fain. I will example it. 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.

There's the moral, now the l'envoy.

Moth. I will add the l'envoy; fay the moral again.
Arm. The fox, the ape, and the humble bee,

Were still at odds, being but three.

Moth. Until the goofe came out of door,

And stay'd the odds by adding four.

A good l'envoy, ending in the goofe; would you de

fire more?

Coft.

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