No woman may approach his silent court: PRIN. All pride is willing pride, and yours is so.— Know you the man? MAR. I know him, madam; at a marriage feast, Between lord Perigort and the beauteous heir Of Jaques Falconbridge, solemnized In Normandy, saw I this Longaville : A man of sovereign parts he is esteem'd ; Well fitted in the arts, glorious in arms; Nothing becomes him ill, that he would well. The only soil of his fair virtue's gloss (If virtue's gloss will stain with any soil), Is a sharp wit match'd with too blunt a will; Whose edge hath power to cut, whose will still wills It should none spare that come within his power. PRIN. Some merry mocking lord, belike: is't so? MAR. They say so most, that most his humours know. PRIN. Such short-liv'd wits do wither as they grow. Who are the rest? KATH. The young Dumain, a well-accomplish'd Of all that virtue love, for virtue lov'd: Ros. Another of these students at that time (*) Folio, 1623, she. (†) Folio, 1623, as. athis virtuous duke?] The titles of king and duke were used indifferently both by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. PRIN. Why, will shall break it; will, and nothing else. KING. Your ladyship is ignorant what it is. PRIN. Were my lord so, his ignorance were wise, But pardon me, I am too sudden-bold; [Gives a paper. KING. Madam, I will, if suddenly I may. PRIN. You will the sooner, that I were away; b Well fitted in the arts,-] The older copies omit the article, which was supplied in the second folio. For you'll prove perjur'd, if you make me stay. BIRON. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once? Ros. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once? BIRON. I know you did. Ros. How needless was it then to ask the question! BIRON. You must not be so quick. Ros. "T is long of you that spur me with such questions! BIRON. Your wit's too hot, it speeds too fast, 't will tire. Ros. Not till it leave the rider in the mire. Ros. The hour that fools should ask. BIRON. Now fair befall your mask! BIRON. Nay, then will I be gone. KING. Madam, your father here doth intimate The payment of a hundred thousand crowns; Being but the one-half of an entire sum, Disbursed by my father in his wars. But say, that he, or we, (as neither have,) We will give up our right in Aquitain, And hold fair friendship with his majesty. But that, it seems, he little purposeth, For here he doth demand to have repaid a An hundred thousand crowns; and not demands, PRIN. You do the king my father too much wrong, And the reputation of your name, PRIN. Where that and other specialties are bound; KING. It shall suffice me: at which interview, As you shall deem yourself lodg'd in my heart, Though so denied fairt harbour in my house. Your own good thoughts excuse me, and farewell: To-morrow we shall visit you again. PRIN. Sweet health and fair desires consort your grace! KING. Thy own wish wish I thee in every place! [Exeunt KING and his train. BIRON. Lady, I will commend you to my own heart.b Ros. 'Pray you, do my commendations; I would be glad to see it. BIRON. I would you heard it groan. Ros. Is the fool sick? BIRON. Sick at the heart. [Exit LONG. BIRON. What's her name, in the cap? BOYET. Katharine, by good hap. BIRON. Is she wedded, or no? BOYET. To her will, sir, or so. BIRON. You are welcome, sir; adieu! BOYET. Farewell to me, sir, and welcome to you. [Exit BIRON.-Ladies unmask. MAR. That last is Biron, the merry madcap lord; Not a word with him but a jest. BOYET. And every jest but a word. PRIN. It was well done of you to take him at his word. BOYET. I was as willing to grapple, as he was to board. MAR. Two hot sheeps, marry! And wherefore not ships? No sheep, sweet lamb, unless we feed on your lips. MAR. You sheep, and I pasture: Shall that finish the jest? BOYET. So you grant pasture for me. MAR. [Offering to kiss her. Not so, gentle beast; (*) First folio, if. c No poynt,-] The same diminutive pun on the French negation, Non point, is repeated in Act V. Sc. 2: "Dumain was at my service, and his sword; As jewels in crystal for some prince to buy; Did point you to buy them, along as you pass'd. BOYET. But to speak that in words, which his eye hath disclos'd: I only have made a mouth of his eye, BOYET. With that which we lovers entitle, By adding a tongue which I know will not lie. affected. PRIN. Your reason? BOYET. Why, all his behaviours did make their retire To the court of his eye, peeping thorough desire: (*) First folio, do. My lips are no common, though several they be.] The difficulty in this passage has arisen from the particle though, which appears to destroy the antithesis between common, i.e. public land, and several, which, in the ordinary acceptation, implies enclosed or private property. If, however, we take both Ros. Thou art an old love-monger, and speak'st [Singing. ARM. Sweet air!-Go, tenderness of years! take this key, give enlargement to the swain, bring him festinately hither; I must employ him in a letter to my love. MOTH. Master,* will you win your love with a French brawl? (2) ARM. How meanest thou? brawling in French? MOTH. No, my complete master: but to jig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary" to it with your + feet, humour it with turning up your eyelids; sigh a note, and sing a note; sometime through b the throat, as if you swallowed love with singing love; sometime through the nose, as if you snuffed up love by smelling love; with your hat, penthouselike, o'er the shop of your eyes; with your arms crossed on your thin-belly doublet, like a rabbit on a spit; or your hands in your pocket, like a man after the old painting; and keep not too long in one tune, but a snip and away: These are complements, these are humours; these betray nice wenches, that would be betrayed without these ; and make them men of note, (do you note, men?) that most are affected to these. ARM. How hast thou purchased this experience? MOTH. the hobby-horse is forgot.(4) have thin belly-doublet; but surely thin-belly, "like a rabbit on a spit," is more humorous. By my penny of observation.] The early copies read penne, which, with peny, penni, pennie, was an old form of spelling the word. "My penny,' "his penny," "her penny," was a popular phrase formerly. See Note (3), Illustrative Comments on Act III. |