my worth,

Yourself, held precious in the world's esteem,
To parley with the fole inheritor,
Of all perfections that a man may cwe,
Matchless Navarre ; the plea of no less weight
Than Aquitain, a dowry for a Queen.
Be now as prodigal of all dear grace,
As nature was in making graces dear,
When she did starve the general world beside, (8)
And prodigally gave them all to you.

Prin. Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise ;
Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye,
Not utter'd by base fale of chapmen's tongues.
I am less proud to hear you

tell
Than you inuch willing to be counted wise,
In spending thus your wit in praise of mine.
But now to task the tasker; good Boyet,
You are not ignorant, all-telling fame
Doth noise abroad, Navarre hath made a vow,
'Till painful ftudy shall out-wear three years,
No woman may approach his filent court;
Therefore to us seems it a needful course,
Before we enter his forbidden gates,
To know his pleasure : and in that behalf,
Bold of your worthiness, we single you
As our best moving fair solicitor.
Tell him, the daughter of the King of France,
On serious business, craving quick dispatch,
Importunes personal conference with his Grace.
Hafte, signify fo much, while we attend,
Like humble-visag'd suitors, his high will.

Boyet. Proud of employment, willingly I go. [Exitu.

Prir. All pride is willing pride, and yours is so ;
Who are the votaries, my loving Lords,
That are vow-fellows with this virtuous King ?

Lord. Langaville is one.

(8) When she did ftarve the general world belide,] Catullus has a compliment, much of this cast, to his Lestia in his 87th epigram :

-quæ cum pulcherrima tota eft,
Tum omnibus una omnes furripuit Veneres,

a

1

Prin. Know you the man?

Mar. I knew him, madam, at a marriage feat. Between Lord Perigort and the beauteous heir Of Jaques Faulconbridge folemnized. In Normandy saw I this Longaville, A man of sovereign parts he is esteemid; Well fitted in the arts, glorious in arms, Nothing becomes him ill, that he would well. The only foil of his fair virtue's gloss, (If virtue’s gloss will stain with any foil,) Is a sharp wit, match'd with too blunt a will ; Whose edge hath pow'r to cut, whose will still wills It should spare none, 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?

Cath. The young Dumain, a well-accomplish'd youth, Of all that virtue love, for virtue lov’d. Most power to do most harm, leaft knowing ill; For he hath wit to make an ill shape good, And shape to win grace, tho' he had no wit. I saw him at the Duke Alanson's once, And much too little of that good I saw, Is my report to his

great

worthiness,
Rosa. Another of these students at that time
Was there with him, as I have heard a truth;
Biron they call him; but a merrier man,
Within the limit of becoming mirth,
I never spent an hour's talk withal.
His eye begets occafion for his wit;
For every object, that the one doth catch,
The other turns to a mirth moving jest ;
Which his fair tongue (conceit's expositor)
Delivers in such apt and gracious words,
That aged ears play truant at his tales ;
And younger hearings are quite ravished ;
So sweet and voluble is his discourse.

Prin. God bless my Ladies, are they all in love,
That every one her own hath garnished

· With

varre.

With such bedecking ornaments of praise ?"
Mar. Here comes Boyet.

Enter Boyet.
Prin. Now, what admittance, Lord ?

Boyet. Navarre had notice of your fair approach;
And he and his competitors in oath
Were all addreft to meet you, gentle Lady,
Before I came : marry, thus much I've learnt,
He rather means to lodge you in the field,
Like one that comes here to besiege his Court,
Than seek a dispensation for his oath,
To let you enter his unpeopled house.
Here comes Navarre.
Enter the King, Longaville, Dumain, Biron, and

Attendants. King. Fair Princess, welcome to the Court of Na

Prin. Fair, I give you back again ; and welcome I have not yet : the roof of this Court is too high to be yours ; and welcome to the wide fields, too base to be mine.

King. You shall be welcome, Madam, to my Court. Prin. I will be welcome then ; conduct me thither. King. Hear me, dear Lady, I have sworn an oath. Prin. Our Lady help my Lord; he'll be forsworn. King. Not for the world, fair Madam, by my will. Prin. Why, Will shall break its will, and nothing else. King. Your Ladyship is ignorant what it is.

Prin. Were my Lord so, his ignorance were wise, Where now his knowledge must prove ignorance. I hear, your Grace hath sworn out house-keeping ; 'Tis deadly fin to keep that oath, my Lord; And fin to break it. But pardon me, I am too sudden bold : To teach a teacher ill befeemeth me. Vouchsafe to read the purpose of my coming, And suddenly resolve me in my suit.

Kingi King. Madam, I will, if suddenly I may.

Prin. You will the sooner, that I were away ; For you'll prove perjur’d, if you make me stay.

Biron. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once ? Ref. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once ? Biron. I know, you did. Rof. How needless was it then to ask the question ? Biron. You must not be so quick. Rol. 'Tis long of you, thatspur me with such questions. Biron. Your wit's too hot, it speeds too fast, 'cwill tire. Ref. Not 'till it leave the rider in the mire. Biron. What time o'day? Rofa. The hour that fools should alk. Biron. Now fair befall your mask ! Rofa. Fair fall the face it covers ! Biron. And send you many lovers ! Rofa. Amen, so you be none ! Biron. Nay, then will I be gone. King. Madam, your father here doth intimate The payment of a hundred thousand crowns ; Being but th’ one half of an intire sum, Disbursed by my father in his wars. But say, that he, or we, as neither have, Receiv'd that fum ; yet there remains unpaid A hundred thousand more ; in surety of the which, One

part of Aquitain is bound to us, Although not valu'd to the money's worth: If then the King your father will restore But that one half which is unsatisfy'd, 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 An hundred thousand crowns; and not demands, (9)

On (9)

- And not demands One payment of an bundred thousand crowns,

To.bave his title live in Aquitain.] The old books.concur in this reading, and Mr. Pope has embraced it ; tho', as I conceive, it is stark nonsense, and repugnant to the circumstance suppos'd by our poet, I have, by reforming the pointing,

and

On payment of an hundred thousand crowns,
To have his title live in Aquitain;
Which we much rather had depart withal,
And have the money by our father lent,
Than Aquitain so gelded as it is.
Dear Princess, were not his requests fo far
From reason's yielding, your fair self should make
A yielding 'gainst some reason in my breast;
And go well satisfied to France again.

Prin. You do the King my father too much wrong,
And wrong the reputation of your name,
In fo unseeming to confefs receipt
Of that, which hath fo faithfully been paid.

King. I do proteft, I never heard of it;
And if you prove it, I'll repay it back,
Or yield up Aquitain.

Prin. We arrest your word :
Boyet, you can produce acquittances
For such a sum, from special officers
Of Charles his father.

King. Satisfy me so.

Boyet. So please your Grace, the packet is not come, Where that and other specialties are bound : To-morrow you shall have a sight of them.

King. It shall fuffice me ; at which interview, All liberal reason I will yield unto : Mean time, receive such welcome at my hand, As honour without breach of honour may Make tender of, to thy true worthiness. You may not come, fair Princess, in my gates ; But here, without, you shall be so receiv'd, and throwing out a single letter, restor’d, I believe, the genuine sense of the passage. Aquitain was pledg’d, it seems, to Navarre's father for 200000 crowns. The French King pretends to have paid one moiety of this debt, (which Navarre knows nothing of, but demands this moiety back again : instead whereof (says Navarre) he should rather pay the remaining moiety, and demand to have Aquitain redeliver'd up to him. This is plain and easy reasoning upon the fact suppos’d; and Navarre declares, he had rather receive the residue of his debí, than detain the province mortgag'd for security of it.

As