As I seem now: Their transformations Your resolution cannot hold, when 't is Oppos'd, as it must be, by the power o' the king; One of these two must be necessities, Which then will speak; that you must change this purpose, Or I my life. With these forc'd thoughts, I prithee, darken not Mine own, nor anything to any, if I be not thine: to this I am most constant, Lift up your countenance; as it were the day Of celebration of that nuptial, which We two have sworn shall come. Per. Stand you auspicious! O lady fortune, Enter Shepherd, with POLIXENES and CAMILLO disguised ; Clown, MOPSA, DORCAS, and others. Flo. See, your guests approach: Address yourself to entertain them sprightly, And let's be red with mirth. Shep. Fie, daughter! when my old wife liv'd, upon This day she was both pantler, butler, cook; Both dame and servant: welcom'd all: serv'd all: At upper end o' the table, now, i' the middle; With labour; and the thing she took to quench it, She would to each one sip: You are retir'd As your good flock shall prosper. Per. Sir, welcome! a [ To POL. It is my father's will I should take on me [To CAMILLO. Give me those flowers there, Dorcas.-Reverend sirs, Shepherdess, Pol. (A fair one are you,) well you fit our ages With flowers of winter. Per. Sir, the year growing ancient,- Of trembling winter,—the fairest flowers o' the season Pol. Wherefore, gentle maiden, Do you neglect them? Per. For I have heard it said, There is an art which, in their piedness, shares With great creating nature. Pol. Say, there be; Yet nature is made better by no mean, a The modern reading is, Welcome, sir. omit b Gilly'vors. We print this word as it is twice printed in the original. Some of the old authors write gillyflower, some gillofre. Gilly'vor is perhaps a contraction of gillyflower. уто # But nature makes that mean: so, over that art, That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race: This is an art Which does mend nature,-change it rather: but Pol. Then make your garden rich in gilly'vors, Per. I'll not put The dibble in earth to set one slip of them: No more than, were I painted, I would wish This youth should say, 't were well; and only therefore Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram ; The marigold, that goes to bed with the sun, And only live by gazing. Per. Out, alas! You'd be so lean, that blasts of January your flock, Would blow you through and through.-Now, my fairest I would I had some flowers o' the spring, that might That come before the swallow dares, and take The winds of March with beauty; violets, dim, eyes, Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses, Most incident to maids; bold oxlips, and The flower-de-luce being one! O! these I lack, Flo. What! like a corse? Per. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on; But quick, and in mine arms. Come, take your flowers: In Whitsun' pastorals: sure, this robe of mine Flo. What you do Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I'd have you buy and sell so; so give alms; To sing them too: When you do dance, I wish you And own no other function: Each your doing, Crowns what you are doing in the present deeds, Per. O Doricles, Your praises are too large: but that your youth, You woo'd me the false way. Flo. I think, you have As little skill to fear, as I have purpose To put you to 't.-But, come; our dance, I pray : That never mean to part. Per. I'll swear for 'em. Pol. This is the prettiest low-born lass that ever But smacks of something greater than herself; Cam. He tells her something That makes her blood look out: Good sooth, she is Clo. Mop. Come on, strike up. Now, in good time! Clo. Not a word, a word; we stand upon our manners.— Come, strike up. Here a dance of Shepherds and Shepherdesses. Pol. Pray, good shepherd, what fair swain is this Which dances with your daughter? Shep. They call him Doricles; and boasts himself To have a worthy feeding: but I have it Upon his own report, and I believe it; [Music. He looks like sooth: He says, he loves my daughter; Upon the water, as he 'll stand, and read, As 't were, my daughter's eyes: and, to be plain, Who loves another best. Pol. She dances featly. Shep. So she does anything; though I report it, That should be silent: if young Doricles Do light upon her, she shall bring him that Which he not dreams of. Enter a Servant. Serv. O master, if you did but hear the pedlar at the door, you would never dance again after a tabor and pipe; no, the a Look out. The original has look on 't. We are not quite sure that Theobald's correction is necessary. The idea reminds one of the fine lines in Donne : "Her pure and eloquent blood Spoke in her veins, and such expression wrought, You might have almost said her body thought." b Feeding-pasture. c Sooth-truth. |