SCENE I.-Navarre. ACT A Park, with a Palace in it. Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN. King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Live register'd upon our brazen tombs, And then grace us in the disgrace of death; And make us heirs of all eternity. I. That his own hand may strike his honour down, That violates the smallest branch herein: If you are armed to do, as sworn to do, Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too." Long. I am resolv'd: 't is but a three years' fast: The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits Make rich the ribs, but bankerout the wits. Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified. The grosser manner of these world's delights He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves: To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die; With all these living in philosophy. Biron. I can but say their protestation over, So much, dear liege, I have already sworn, That is, To live and study here three years. But there are other strict observances : As, not to see a woman in that term; Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there: And, one day in a week to touch no food, And but one meal on every day beside; a The first folio, and the quartos, read oaths, and still retain it. Mr. Dyce says that, in Shakspere's writings, and in those of his contemporaries, there are instances of it applied to a preceding plural word. The second folio gives "oaths, and keep them too." The line, as we give it, is a modern alteration, which, Mr. Dyce says, was made without regard to the line a little before, "Your oaths are pass'd, and now subscribe your names," &c. Addressing the three who had sworn, your oaths is correct. But it is not incorrect to call upon them to subscribe their names to the one oath which each had taken. 81 The which, I hope, is not enrolled there : And not be seen to wink of all the day; from a King. Ay, that is study's godlike recompense. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study so, To know the thing I am forbid to know: As thus,-To study where I well may dine, When I to feast expressly am forbid; Or, study where to meet some mistress fine, When mistresses from common sense are hid: Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study's gain be thus, and this be so, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say, no. King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. Biron. Why, all delights are vain ; and that most vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book, To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light be guile : So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes. a Forbid. The old copies read "to fast expressly am forbid." Theobald first supplied feast. The converse of the oath is fast; and unless we suppose that Biron was forbid in two senses-first, in its usual meaning, and then in its ancient mode of making bid more emphatical, for-bid,-we must adopt the change. Study me how to please the eye indeed, Small have continual plodders ever won, Save base authority from others' books. These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixed star, Have no more profit of their shining nights, Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. Too much to know is, to know nought but fame; And every godfather can give a name. King. How well he's read, to reason against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese Fit in his place and time. Dum. In reason nothing. Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility." [Reads.] Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court shall possibly devise. This article, my liege, yourself must break; For, well you know, here comes in embassy The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak, A maid of grace, and complete majesty,— About surrender-up of Aquitain To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain, Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. King. What say you, lords? why, this was quite forgot. Biron. So study evermore is overshot. While it doth study to have what it would, It doth forget to do the thing it should: And when it hath the thing it hunteth most, 'Tis won, as towns with fire; so won, so lost. King. We must, of force, dispense with this decree; She must lie here on mere necessity. Three thousand times within this three For every man with his affects is born; Not by might master'd, but by special grace. If I break faith, this word shall speak for me, I am forsworn on mere necessity. So to the laws at large I write my name: Stands in attainder of eternal slame: Suggestions are to others, as to me; But, I believe, although I seem so loth; I am the last that will last keep his oath. But is there no quick recreation granted? King. Ay, that there is; our court, you know, is haunted With a refined traveller of Spain; A man in all the world's new fashion planted, That hath a mint of phrases in his brain: One whom the music of his own vain tongue Doth ravish, like enchanting harmony; A man of complements, whom right and wrong Have chose as umpire of their mutiny: This child of fancy, that Armado hight, For interim to our studies, shall relate, In high-born words, the worth of many a knight From tawny Spain, lost in the world's debate.2 How you delight, my lords, I know not, I; But, I protest, I love to hear him lie, And I will use him for my minstrelsy. Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight. Long. Costard, the swain, and he, shall be our sport; And, so to study, three years is but short. Enter DULL, with a letter, and Costard. Dull. Which is the duke's own person? Biron. This, fellow; What wouldst ? Dull. I myself reprehend his own person, for I am his grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood. Biron. This is he. Dull. Signior Arme-Arme-commends you. There's villainy abroad; this letter will tell you more. Cost. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words. Long. A high hope for a low heaven: God grant us patience! Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing ? a Suggestions-temptations. e b Complements-a man versed in ceremonial distinctions -in punctilios-a man who brings forms to decide the mutiny between right and wrong. Compliment and complement were originally written without distinction, and though the first may be taken to mean ceremonies and the second accomplishments, both the one and the other have the same origin-they each make that perfect which was wanting. In this passage we have the meaning of ceremonies; but in Act III., where Moth says "these are complements," we have the meaning of accomplishments. c Fire-new and bran-new,-that is brand-new,-new off the irons,-have each the same origin. d See Illustration, Act I. e Capell proposed to read “laughing;" which some editors adopt. G 2 83 Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Biron. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. Cost. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner." Biron. In what manner? Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three: I was seen with her in the manorhouse, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is in manner and form following. Now, sir, for the manner,—it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for the form,-in some form. Biron. For the following, sir? Cost. As it shall follow in my correction; And God defend the right! King. Will you hear this letter with attention ? Biron. As we would hear an oracle. Cost. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh. "So it is, besieged with sable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air: and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper. So much for the time when: Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest: But to the place where,-It standeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden. There did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth, Cost. Me? King. -"that unletter'd small-knowing soul, a Manner. Costard here talks law. French. A thief was taken with the mainour when he was taken with the thing stolen-hond-habend, having in the hand. b So-so in modern editions. So in early copies. Cost. Me? King. -"that shallow vassal, Cost. Still me? King. -"which as I remember, hight Costard, Cost. O me! King. -"sorted, and consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, with-with,—O with— but with this I passion to say wherewith, Cost. With a wench. King. -"with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, a woman. Him I (as my ever esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation. Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Antony Dull. King. "For Jaquenetta, (so is the weaker vessel called, which I apprehended with the aforesaid swain,) I keep her as a vessel of thy law's fury; and shall, at the least of thy sweet notice, bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO." Biron. This is not so well as I looked for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the best for the worst. But, sirrah, what say you to this? Cost. Sir, I confess the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Cost. I do confess much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaimed a year's imprisonment, to be taken with a wench. Cost. I was taken with none, sir; with a damosel. I was taken King. Well, it was proclaimed damosel. Cost. This was no damosel, neither, sir; she was a virgin. King. It is so varied too; for it was proclaimed virgin. Cost. If it were, I deny her virginity; I was taken with a maid. King. This maid will not serve your turn, sir. Cost. This maid will serve my turn, sir. King. Sir, I will pronounce your sentence; You shall fast a week with bran and water. Cost. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. be your King. And Don Armado shall keeper. My lord Biron, see him deliver'd o'er.— |