You put our Page out: go, you are allowed';
Die when you will, a fmock fhall be your fhrowd.
You leer upon me, do you; there's an eye,
Wounds like a leaden fword.

Boyet. Full merrily

Hath this brave Manage, this Career been run:
Biron. Lo, he is tilting ftrait. Peace, I have done.

Enter Coftard.

Welcome, pure wit, thou parteft a fair fray.
Coft. O Lord, Sir, they would know
Whether the three Worthies fhall come in, or no
Biron. What are there but three?
Coft. No, Sir, but it is very fine;
For every one purfents three.

Biron. And three times three is mine?

Coft. Not fo, Sir, under correction. Sir; I hope, it is not fo.

You cannot beg us7, Sir; I can affure you; Sir, we

know

What we know: I hope, three times three, Sir-
Biron. Is not nine.

Coft. Under correction, Sir, we know where until it doth amount.

Biron. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. Coft. O Lord, Sir, it were pity you should get your living by reckoning, Sir.

Biron. How much is it?

Caft. O Lord, Sir, the parties themfelves, the actors, Sir, will fhew where until it doth amount; for my own part, I am, as they fay, but to perfect one man in one poor man, Pompion the Great, Sir.

6 go, you are allow'd ;] . e. you may fay what you will; you are a licenfed fool, a common jetter. So Twelfth Night. There is no flander in an allow'd fool. WARBURTON.

7 You cannot beg us.
.] That is,
we are not fools, our next rela-
tions cannot beg the wardship of
our perfons and fortunes. One
of the legal tefts of a natural is
to try whether he can number.

Biron. Art thou one of the Worthies?

Coft. It pleased them to think me worthy of Pompion the Great; for mine own part, I know not the degree of the Worthy; but I am to stand for him. Biron. Go bid them prepare.

Coft. We will turn it finely off, Sir, we will take fome care.

King. Biron, they will fhame us; let them not ap[Exit Coft. Biron. We are fhame-proof, my lord; and tis fome

proach.

policy

To have one Show worse than the King's and his Company.

King. I fay, they fhall not come.

Prin. Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you

now;

That sport best pleases that doth least know how
Where zeal ftrives to content, and the contents
Dies in the zeal of that which it presents;"
Their form, confounded, makes most form in mirth;
When great things, labouring, perifh in their birth.,
Biron. A right description of our sport, my lord.

SCENE IX.

· Enter Armado.

Arm. Anointed, I implore fo much expence of thy royal sweet breath, as will utter a brace of words. Prin. Doth this man ferve God?

Biron. Why afk you?

Prin. He fpeaks like a man of God's making. Arm. That's all one, my fair, fweet, honey monarch; for, I proteft, the schoolmafter is exceeding fantastical; too, too vain; too, too vain: but we will put it, as they fay, to fortuna de la guerra. wifh you the peace of mind, moft royal coupple

ment.

I

King. Here is like to be a good prefence of Worthies he prefents Heator of Trey; the fwain, Pompy the Great; the parish curate, Alexander; Armado's page, Hercules; the pedant, Judas Mackabeus.

And if these four Worthies in their first Show thrive, Thefe four will change habits, and prefent the other five. Biron. There are five in the firft Show.

King. You are deceiv'd, 'tis not fo.

Biron. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-prieft, the fool, and the boy.

A bare throw at Novum, and the whole world again, Cannot prick out five fuch, take each one in's vein. King. The fhip is under fail, and here he comes amain.

Enter Coftard for Pompey.

Coft. I Pompey am

? A bare throw at Novum.] This paffage I do not understand. I fancy that Novum fhould be Novem, and the fame allufion is VOL. II.

intended between the play of
nine pins and the play of the
nine worthies, but it lies too
deep for my investigation.
P

Boyet.

Boyet. You lye, you are not he.

Coft. I Pompey am

Boyet. With Libbard's head on knee 1.

Biron. Well faid, old mocker: I muft needs be friends with thee.

Coft. I Pompey am, Pompey furnam'd the Big.
Dum. The Great.

Coft. It is Great, Sir; Pompey, furnam'd the Great; That oft in field, with targe and fhield,

Did make my foe to fweat:

And travelling along this coast, 1 here am come by chance; And lay my arms before the legs of this fweet Lafs of France.

If your ladyship would say, " thanks-Pompey," I had done.

Prin. Great thanks, great Pompey.

Coft. 'Tis not fo much worth; but, I hope, I was perfect. I made a little fault in great.

Biron. My hat to a half-penny, Pompey proves best Worthy.

Enter Nathanael for Alexander.

the

Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's Commander;

By east, weft, north, and fouth, I fpread my conquering

might;

My 'Scutcheon plain declares, that I am Alifander. Boyet. Your nofe says, no, you are not; for it stands too right.

Biron. Your nose smells, no, in this, most tender smelling Knight.

'With Libbard's head on knee.] This alludes to the old heroic habits, which on the knees and

fhoulders had ufually, by way of ornament, the resemblance of a Leopard's or Lion's head.

WARBURTON.

Prin. The Conqueror is difmaid: proceed, good

Alexander.

Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's Commander.

Boyet. Most true, 'tis right; you were fo, Alifander. Biron. Pompey the Great,

Coft. Your fervant, and Costard.

Biron. Take away the Conqueror, take away Alifander.

Coft. O Sir, you have overthrown Alifander the Conqueror. [To Nath.] You will be scraped out of the painted cloth for this; your lion that holds the pollax fitting on a close-ftool, will be given to Ajax*; he will be then the ninth Worthy. A Conqueror, and afraid to speak? run away for fhame, Alifander. [Exit Nath.] There, an't fhall please you; a foolish mild man; an honest man, look you, and foon dafh'd. He is a marvellous good neighbour, infooth, and a very good bowler; but for Alifander, alas, you fee, how 'tis-a little o'erparted-but there are Worthies a coming will speak their mind in fome other fort. Biron. Stand afide, good Pompey.

Enter Holofernes for Judas, and Moth for Hercules. Hol. Great Hercules is prefented by this imp,

Whose club kill'd Cerberus, that three-headed And when he was a babe, a child, a fhrimp, [canus; Thus did he strangle ferpents in his manus:

Quoniam, he feemeth in minority;

Ergo, I come with this apology

[To Moth.] Keep fome ftate in thy Exit, and vanish.

2

Hol. Judas I am.

Dum. A Judas!

Hol. Not Ifcariot, Sir.

Alluding to the arms given to the nine Worthies in the old

[Exit Moth.

* There is a conceit of Ajax

and Ajakes.

Hiftory.

HANMER.