An your waist, mistress, were as slender as my wit, One o' these maids' girdles for your waist should be fit. Are not you the chief woman? you are the thickest here. Prin. What's your will, sir? what's your will? 52 Cost. I have a letter from Monsieur Berowne to one Lady Rosaline. Prin. O thy letter, thy letter! He's a good friend of mine. Stand aside, good bearer. Boyet, you can carve; Boyet. We will read it, I swear. Prin. Break the neck of the wax, and every one give ear. 56 Boyet. [Reads.] 'By heaven, that thou art fair, 60 is most infallible; true, that thou art beauteous; truth itself, that thou art lovely. More fairer than fair, beautiful than beauteous, truer than truth itself, have commiseration on thy heroical vas- 64 sal. The magnanimous and most illustrate king Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and indubitate beggar Zenelophon, and he it was that might rightly say veni, vidi, vici; which to 68 anatomize in the vulgar-O base and obscure vulgar!-videlicet, he came, saw, and overcame: he came, one; saw, two; overcame, three. Who came? the king: Why did he come? to see: Why 72 did he see? to overcome: To whom came he? to 56 capon: love-letter; cf. n. 57 importeth: concerns Zenelophon: Penelophon (in the old 69 anatomize: analyze, explain the beggar: What saw he? the beggar. Who Thine, in the dearest design of Industry, Thus dost thou hear the Nemean lion roar 88 'Gainst thee, thou lamb, that standest as his prey: 92 Submissive fall his princely feet before, And he from forage will incline to play. But if thou strive, poor soul, what art thou then? 96 Prin. What plume of feathers is he that indited this letter? What vane? what weathercock? did you ever hear better? Boyet. I am much deceiv'd but I remember the style. Prin. Else your memory is bad, going o'er it erewhile. 85 expecting: awaiting 100 89 Industry: gallantry 94 from forage: abandoning rapacity 97 plume of feathers: featherhead 10 erewhile: just now Boyet. This Armado is a Spaniard, that keeps here in court; A phantasime, a Monarcho, and one that makes sport To the prince and his book-mates. Prin. Who gave thee this letter? Cost. Thou fellow, a word. I told you; my lord. 104 Prin. To whom shouldst thou give it? From my lord to my lady. Prin. From which lord, to which lady? Cost. From my lord Berowne, a good master of mine, To a lady of France, that he call'd Rosaline. 108 Prin. Thou hast mistaken his letter. Come, lords, away. Here, sweet, put up this: 'twill be thine another day. Exeunt [Princess and Train]. Boyet. Who is the suitor? who is the suitor? Boyet. My lady goes to kill horns; but, if thou marry, Hang me by the neck if horns that year miscarry. Ros. Well then, I am the shooter. Boyet. 116 And who is your deer? Ros. If we choose by the horns, yourself: come not Mar. You still wrangle with her, Boyet, and she strikes at the brow. 120 Boyet. But she herself is hit lower. Have I hit her now? Ros. Shall I come upon thee with an old saying, that was a man when King Pepin of France was a little boy, as touching the hit it? Boyet. So I may answer thee with one as old, that was a woman when Queen Guinever of Britain was a little wench, as touching the hit it. Ros. Boyet. "Thou canst not hit it, hit it, hit it, An I cannot, another can.' 124 128 132 Exit [Rosaline]. Cost. By my troth, most pleasant: how both did. fit it! Mar. A mark marvellous well shot, for they both did hit it. Boyet. A mark! O mark but that mark; a mark, says my lady! Let the mark have a prick in 't, to mete at, if it may be. 136 Mar. Wide o' the bow hand! i' faith your hand is out. Cost. Indeed a' must shoot nearer, or he'll ne'er hit the clout. Boyet. An if my hand be out, then belike your hand is in. 120 still: ever 133 fit it: make their points 136 prick: point in the center of the target 137 Wide. hand: too far to the left 123 King Pepin; cf. n. mete: measure, aim 138 clout: white mark of cloth in the center of the target Cost. Then will she get the upshoot by cleaving the pin. 140 Mar. Come, come, you talk greasily; your lips grow foul. Cost. She's too hard for you at pricks, sir: challenge her to bowl. Boyet. I fear too much rubbing. Good night, my good owl. [Exeunt Boyet and Maria.] Cost. By my soul, a swain! a most simple clown! 144 Lord, lord, how the ladies and I have put him down! O' my troth, most sweet jests! most incony vulgar wit! When it comes so smoothly off, so obscenely, as it were, so fit. Armado, o' the one side, O! a most dainty man. 148 And his page o' t'other side, that handful of wit! Scene Two [The Same] Enter Dull, Holofernes the Pedant, and Nathaniel. Nath. Very reverend sport, truly: and done in the testimony of a good conscience. Hol. The deer was, as you know, sanguis, in blood; ripe as the pomewater, who now hangeth 4 like a jewel in the ear of cœlo, the sky, the welkin, 140 upshoot: upshot, leading shot in a competition pin: wooden pin holding up the clout 141 greasily grossly 152 pathetical nit: pleasing little fellow 142 bowl: bowling 4 pomewater: a kind of apple |