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Bir. [afide.] This is the liver vein, which makes fleth a deity;

A green goofe, a goddess: pure, pure idolatry. God amend us, God amend! we are much out o' the way.

Enter DUMAIN, with a paper.

Long. By whom fhall I fend this?-Company! stay.

[Stepping afide. Bir. [afide.] All hid, all hid, an old infant play; Like a demy-god here fit I in the sky,

And wretched fouls' fecrets heedfully o'er-eye.

More facks to the mill! O heavens, I have my wish; Dumain transform'd: four woodcocks in a difh! Dum. O moft divine Kate!

Bir. O most prophane coxcomb!

[afide.

Dum. By heaven, the wonder of a mortal eye! Bir. By earth fhe is not, corporal; there you lie.

[afide.

Dum. Her amber hairs for foul have amber quoted. Bir. An amber-colour'd raven was well noted.

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Bir. Ay, as fome days; but then no fun must shine.

[afide.

Dum. O that I had my wish!

Long. And I had mine!

[afide.

King. And I mine too, good Lord!

Cafide.

Bir. Amen, fo I had mine: is not that a good word?

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Dum. I would forget her; but a fever she Reigns in my blood, and will remember'd be.

Bir. A fever in your blood! why, then incifion Would let her out in fawcers; Sweet mifprifion! [afide. Dum. Once more I'll read the ode that I have writ. Bir. Once more I'll mark how love can vary wit.

Dum. "On a day, (alack the day!).
"Love, whofe month is ever May,
"Spy'd a bloffom, paffing fair,
"Playing in the wanton air:

[afide.

"Through the velvet leaves the wind,
"All unfeen, 'gan paffage find;
"That the lover, fick to death,
"Wifh'd himself the heaven's breath.
"Air, quoth he, thy cheeks may blow;
"Air, would I might triumph fo!
"But alack, my hand is fworn,
"Ne'er to pluck thee from thy thorn:
✰“ Vow, alack, for youth unmeet;
"Youth fo apt to pluck a fweet.
"Do not call it fin in me,
"That I am forfworn for thee:
"Thou for whom Jove would fwear,
"Juno but an Ethiope were;

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"And deny himself for Jove,
"Turning mortal for thy love."

This will I fend, and fomething else more plain,
That fhall exprefs my true love's fasting pain.
O, would the king, Biron, and Longaville,
Were lovers too! Ill, to example ill,

Would from my forehead wipe a perjur'd note;
For none offend, where all alike do dote.
E

Long.

Long. Dumain, [advancing.] thy love is far from charity,

That in love's grief defir'ft fociety:

You may look pale, but I fhould blush, I know,
To be o'er-heard, and taken napping fo.

King. Come, fir, [advancing.] you blush; as his, your cafe is fuch;

You chide at him, offending twice as much:
You do not love Maria; Longaville
Did never fonnet for her fake compile ;
Nor never lay his wreathed arms athwart
His loving bofom, to keep down his heart.
I have been closely shrowded in this bush,
And mark'd you both, and for you both did blush.
I heard your guilty rhimes, obferv'd your fashion;
Saw fighs reek from you, noted well your paffion :
Ah me! fays one; O Jove! the other cries;
One, her hairs were gold, crystal the other's eyes:
You would for paradise break faith and troth;

[To LONG. And Jove, for your love, would infringe an oath. [To DUMAIN.

What will Biron fay, when that he shall hear
Faith infringed, which fuch zeal did swear?
How will he fcorn? how will he spend his wit?
How will he triumph, leap, and laugh at it?
For all the wealth that ever I did fee,

I would not have him know so much by me.

Bir. Now ftep I forth to whip hypocrify. [Defcends. Ah, good my liege, I pray thee, pardon me : Good heart, what grace haft thou, thus to reprove Thefe worms for loving, that are most in love? Your eyes do make no coaches; in your tears There is no certain princess that appears :

You'll

You'll not be perjur'd, 'tis a hateful thing;
Tush, none but minstrels like of fonneting.
But are you not afham'd? nay, are you not,
All three of you, to be thus much o'er-shot?
You found his mote; the king your mote did fee;
But I a beam do find in each of three.

O, what a scene of foolery have I feen,
Of fighs, of groans, of forrow, and of teen!
O me, with what ftrict patience have I fat,
To fee a king transformed to a gnat!
To fee great Hercules whipping a gig,
And profound Solomon to tune a jig,
And Neftor play at pufh-pin with the boys,
And critic Timon laugh at idle toys!

Where lies thy grief, O tell me, good Dumain?
And, gentle Longaville, where lies thy pain?
And where my liege's? all about the breaft:-
A caudle, ho!

King. Too bitter is thy jeft.

Are we betray'd thus to thy over-view?

Bir. Not you by me, but I betray'd to you;
I that am honeft; I, that hold it fin
To break the vow I am engaged in ;
I am betray'd, by keeping company
With men like men, of ftrange inconftancy.
When shall you fee me write a thing in rhime?
Or
groan for Joan? or spend a minute's time
In pruning me? When shall you hear that I
Will praife a hand, a foot, a face, an eye,
A gait, a ftate, a brow, a breast, a waist,
A leg, a limb?---

King. Soft; Whither away fo faft?
A true man, or a thief, that gallops fo?

Bir. I poft from love; good lover, let me go.

E 2

Enter

Enter JAQUENETTA, and COSTARD.

Jaq. God blefs the king!

[Offers a paper

King. What present haft thou there?

Coft. Some certain treason.

King. What makes treafon here?
Coft. Nay, it makes nothing, fir.
King. If it mar nothing neither,

The treafon, and you, go in peace away together.
Faq. I befeech your grace, let this letter be read;
Our parfon mifdoubts it; 'twas treafon he said.
King. Biron, read it over.-
Where hadft thou it?

Jaq. Of Coftard.

King. Where hadft thou it?

[Giving him the letter,

Coft. Of Dun Adramadio, Dun Adramadio. King. How now! what is in you? why doft thou tear it?

Bir. A toy, my liege, a toy; your grace needs not fear it.

Long. It did move him to paffion, and therefore let's hear it.

Dum. It is Biron's writing, and here is his name, [Picks up the pieces. Bir. Ah, you whorefon loggerhead, [To COST.] you were born to do me fhame.

Guilty, my lord, guilty; I confefs, I confefs.
King. What?

Bir. That you three fools lack'd me fool to make up the mefs:

He, he, and you, and you, my liege, and I,

Are pick-purfes in love, and we deserve to die.
O, difmifs this audience, and I fhall tell you more.
Dum. Now the number is even.

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