Imatges de pàgina
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the heaven; and anon falleth like a crab on the face of terra, the soil, the land, the earth.

Nath. Truly, Master Holofernes, the epithets 8 are sweetly varied, like a scholar at the least: but, sir, I assure ye, it was a buck of the first head. Hol. Sir Nathaniel, haud credo.

Dull. 'Twas not a haud credo; 'twas a pricket. 12 Hol. Most barbarous intimation! yet a kind of insinuation, as it were, in via, in way, of explication; facere, as it were, replication, or, rather, ostentare, to show, as it were, his inclina- 16 tion, after his undressed, unpolished, uneducated, unpruned, untrained, or, rather, unlettered, or, ratherest, unconfirmed fashion,-to insert again my haud credo for a deer.

Dull. I said the deer was not a haud credo; 'twas a pricket.

Hol. Twice sod simplicity, bis coctus!

20

O thou monster Ignorance, how deformed dost thou

look!

24

Nath. Sir, he hath not fed of the dainties that are bred in a book.

He hath not eat paper, as it were; he hath not drunk ink: his intellect is not replenished; he is only an animal, only sensible in the duller parts: 28 And such barren plants are set before us, that we

thankful should be,

Which we [of] taste and feeling are, for those parts

that do fructify in us more than he;

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For as it would ill become me to be vain, indiscreet, or a fool:

So were there a patch set on learning, to see him in a school:

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But, omne bene, say I; being of an old Father's mind, Many can brook the weather that love not the wind. Dull. You two are book-men: can you tell me by your wit,

What was a month old at Cain's birth, that's not five weeks old as yet?

36

Hol. Dictynna, goodman Dull: Dictynna, goodman Dull.

Dull. What is Dictynna?

Nath. A title to Phoebe, to Luna, to the moon.

Hol. The moon was a month old when Adam was

no more;

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And raught not to five weeks when he came to five

score.

The allusion holds in the exchange.

Dull. 'Tis true indeed: the collusion holds in the exchange.

Hol. God comfort thy capacity! I say, the 44 allusion holds in the exchange.

Dull. And I say the pollusion holds in the exchange, for the moon is never but a month old; and I say beside that 'twas a pricket that the 48 princess killed.

Hol. Sir Nathaniel, will you hear an extemporal epitaph on the death of the deer? and, to humour the ignorant, [I have] call'd the deer the 52 princess killed, a pricket.

32 patch: clown, fool; cf. n. 34 Cf. n.

41 raught: reached

50 extemporal: extemporary

33 omne bene: all's well

37 Dictynna: a name given to Diana; cf. n. 42 allusion: jest, riddle; cf. n.

Nath. Perge, good Master Holofernes, perge; so it shall please you to abrogate scurrility.

Hol. I will something affect the letter; for it 56 argues facility.

"The preyful princess pierc'd and prick'd a pretty pleasing pricket;

Some say a sore; but not a sore, till now made sore with shooting.

The dogs did yell; put L to sore, then sorel jumps from thicket;

60

Or pricket, sore, or else sorel; the people fall a

hooting.

If sore be sore, then L to sore makes fifty sores one

sorel!

Of one sore I a hundred make, by adding but one

more L.'

Nath. A rare talent!

Dull. [Aside.] If a talent be a claw, look how he claws him with a talent.

64

Hol. This is a gift that I have, simple, simple; a foolish extravagant spirit, full of forms, figures, 68 shapes, objects, ideas, apprehensions, motions, revolutions. These are begot in the ventricle of memory, nourished in the womb of pia mater, and delivered upon the mellowing of occasion. 72 But the gift is good in those in whom it is acute, and I am thankful for it.

Nath. Sir, I praise the Lord for you, and so may my parishioners; for their sons are well 76 tutored by you, and their daughters profit very

54 Perge: proceed

56 affect the letter: make use of alliteration

59 sore: a deer of the fourth year
60 sorel: a deer of the third year
66 claws: scratches pleasantly, flatters

70 ventricle: a division of the brain here called pia mater

65 talent: talon

greatly under you: you are a good member of the commonwealth.

Hol. Mehercle! if their sons be ingenuous, they 80 shall want no instruction; if their daughters be capable, I will put it to them. But, vir sapit qui pauca loquitur. A soul feminine saluteth us.

Enter Jaquenetta and the Clown [Costard]. Jaq. God give you good morrow, Master parson. 84 Hol. Master parson, quasi pers-on? And if one should be pierced, which is the one?

Cost. Marry, Master schoolmaster, he that is likest to a hogshead.

Hol. Of piercing a hogshead! a good lustre of conceit in a turf of earth; fire enough for a flint, pearl enough for a swine: 'tis pretty; it is well.

88

Jaq. Good Master parson [giving a letter to 92 Nathaniel], be so good as read me this letter: it was given me by Costard, and sent me from Don Armado: I beseech you, read it.

Hol. Fauste, precor gelida quando pecus 96 omne sub umbra Ruminat, and so forth. Ah! good old Mantuan. I may speak of thee as the traveller doth of Venice:

Old

-Venetia, Venetia,

Chi non te vede, non te pretia.

100

Mantuan! old Mantuan! Who understandeth thee not, loves thee not. Ut, re, sol, la, mi, fa. Under pardon, sir, what are the con- 104 tents? or, rather, as Horace says in his-What, my soul, verses?

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Nath. Ay, sir, and very learned.

Hol. Let me hear a staff, a stanze, a verse: 108 lege, domine.

Nath. 'If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love?

Ah! never faith could hold, if not to beauty vow'd; Though to myself forsworn, to thee I'll faithful

prove;

112

Those thoughts to me were oaks, to thee like osiers bow'd.

Study his bias leaves and makes his book thine eyes, Where all those pleasures live that art would comprehend:

If knowledge be the mark, to know thee shall

suffice.

116

Well learned is that tongue that well can thee commend;

All ignorant that soul that sees thee without wonder; Which is to me some praise, that I thy parts admire. Thy eye Jove's lightning bears, thy voice his dreadful thunder,

120

Which, not to anger bent, is music and sweet fire. Celestial as thou art, O pardon love this wrong, That sings heaven's praise with such an earthly tongue!'

Hol. You find not the apostrophas, and so 124 miss the accent: let me supervise the canzonet. Here are only numbers ratified; but, for the elegancy, facility, and golden cadence of poesy, caret. Ovidius Naso was the man: and why, 128 indeed, Naso, but for smelling out the odori

109 lege, domine: read, master
114 his bias: i.c. its natural tendency
124 apostrophas: apostrophes; cf. n.
128 caret: it is wanting

126 numbers ratified; cf. n. 129 Naso: from 'nasus,' nose

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