Proud with his form, in his eye pride expreffed :
His tongue, all impatient to fpeak and not fee,
Did ftumble with hafte in his eye-fight to be;
All fenfes to that fenfe did made their repair,
To feel only looking on faireft of fair;
Methought, all his fenfes were lock'd in his eye,
As jewels in cryftal for fome Prince to buy ;

Who tendring their own worth, from whence they were glaft,

Did point out to buy them, along as you past.
His face's own margent did quote fuch amazes,
That all eyes faw his eyes inchanted with gazes:
I'll give you Aquitain, and all that is his,

An you give him for my fake but one loving kiss.
Prin. Come, to our pavilion: Boyet is difpos'd.
Boyet. But to fpeak that in words, which his eye
hath difclos'd:

I only have had a mouth of his eye,

By adding a tongue which I know will not lie. Rofa. Thou art an old love-monger, and speakest fkilfully.

Mar. He is Cupid's grandfather, and learns news of him. Rofa. Then was Venus like her mother, for her father is but grim.

Boyet. Do you hear, my mad wenches?

Mar. No.

Boyet. What then, do you fee?

Rofa. Ay, our way to be

gone.

Boyet. You are too hard for me. (11)

[Exeunt.

SCENE

(11) Boyet. You are too hard for me.] Here, in all the books, the 2d Act is made to end : but in my opinion very mistakenly. I have ventur'd to vary the regulation of the four laft Acts from the printed copies, for thefe reafons. Hitherto, the 2d Act has been of the extent of 7 pages; the 3d but of 5 ; and the 5th of no lefs that 29. And this difproportion of length has crouded too many incidents into fome Acts, and left the others quite barren. I have now reduced them into a much better equality; and diftributed the business likewife (fuch as it is,) into a more uniform caft. The plot now lies thus. In the first Act, Navarre and his companions fequefter themfelves, by oath, for three years from converfation, women, feafting, &c.

1 2

refolving

SCENE, the Park; near the Palace.

1

Enter Armado and Moth.

Arm. W Arble, child; make passionate my

hearing.

Moth. Concolinel

fenfe of

[Singing Arm.

refolving a life of contemplation, and to relieve their ftudy, at intervals, with Armado and Coftard. The Princefs of France's arrival is prepared. Amado's ridiculous paffion for a country wench, and his,

and Coftard's characters, are open'd..

In the 2d Act, The

Prince's with her Ladies arrives, and explains the reafon of her coming. Navarre behaves fo courteously to her, that Boyet, one of her Lords, a letter by Coflard to his Miftrefs Jaquenetta. Biron likewife fends a billet-doux by Coffard to Rofaline, one of the French Ladies; and in a foliloquy confeffes his being in love, tho' against his oath-

In the

third Act, the Princess and her Ladies, preparing to kill a Deer in the mil

The two

and

take gives that, which Armado had directed to Jaquenetta. pedants, Sir Nathaniel, and Holefernes are introduc'd. Jaquenetta produces Biron's letter, deliver'd by Coflard's mistake to her, requesting them to read it: who, obferving the contents, fend it by Coflard and Jaquenetta to the King. Biron, ftanding perdue in the park, over hears the King, Longaville, and Dumain confeffing their paffions for their respective miftreffes; and coming forward, reproaches them with their perjury. Jaquenetta and Coftard bring the letter (as they were order'd by the Pedants) to the King, who bids Biron read it. He, finding it to be his own letter, tears it in a paffion for Coflard's mistake. The Lords, picking it up, find it to be of Biren's handwriting an addrefs to Rofaltne. biron pleads guilty and all the votarifts at laft confent to continue their perjury, and addrefs their feveral miftreffes with fome mafque or device.dants (returning from their dinner) enter into a difcourfe fuitable to -In the fourth Act, the Pe their characters. Armado comes to them, tells them, he is enjoin'd by the King to frame fome mafque for the entertainment of the Princefs, and craves their learned affiftance. They propofe to re prefent the nine worthies, and go out to prepare themfelves. The Princefs and her Ladies talk of their feveral lovers, and the prefents made to them. Boyet brings notice, that the King and his Lords are coming to addrefs them, difguis'd like Muscovites. The Ladies pro pofe to be mafk'd, and exchange the Favours with one another, which were given them by their lovers: that fo they, being deceiv'd, may every one addrefs the wrong perfon. This accordingly hits, and they

are

Arm. Sweet Air! go, tenderness of years; take this key, give inlargement to the fwain; bring him feitinately hither: I must employ him in a letter to my love. Moth. Mafter, will you win your love with a French brawl?

Arm. How mean't thou, brawling in French?

Math. No, my compleat mailer (12); but to jig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet (13), humour it with turning up your eyelids; figh a note and fing a note; fometimes through the throat, as if you fwallow'd love with finging love; fometimes through the nofe, as if you fnuft up love by fmelling love; with your hat penthoufe-like o'er the fhop of your eyes; with your arms croft on your thin-belly doublet, like a rabbet on a spit ; or your hands in your

Cefard

are rallied from off the fpot by the Ladies: who triumph in this exploit, and rofolve to banter them again, when they return in their own perfons. In the laft Act, the King and his Lords come to the Princess's tent, and all confefs their loves. enters to tell the approach of the worthies mafque; which finifa'd, news is brought of the death of the Princess's father. The King and the Lords renewing their love-fuits, the Ladies agree to marry them at a twelve-month's end, under certain injunctions; and fo the play Thus the ftory (tho' clogg'd with fome abfurdities,) has its proper refts: the action rifes by gradations, according to rules: and the plot is embroil'd and difengaged, as it ought; as far as the nature of the fable will admit.

ends..

(12) Moth. No, my compleat mafter, &c.] This whole fpeech has been fo terribly confufed in the pointing, through all the editions hitherto, that not the leaft glimmering of fenfe was to be pick'd out have regulated the paffage, I think, Moth delivers both

of it. As

good fenfe and good humour.

(13) Canary to it with your feet,] So All's Well that, &c. A&t. 2.

Sc. 2.

I have feen a Medecin,

That's able to breathe life into a stone,

Quicken a rock, and make you dance Canary
With sprightly fire and motion; &c.

From both these paffages the Canary feems to have been a dance of much spirit and agility. Some dictionaries tell us, that this dance derived its name, as it is probable it might, from the Islands so call'd. But Richlet gives us a defcription of it the moft conformable to our author; dance, ou l'on remue fort vite les piez. A dance, in which the feet are shifted with great fwiftnefs.

13

pocket,

pocket, like a man after the old painting; and keep not too long in one tune, but a fnip and away; thefe are complements, thefe are humours; thefe betray nice wenches that would be betray'd without thefe, and make the men of note (14): do you note men, that are moft affe&ted to thefe;

Arm. How haft thou purchas'd this experience?
Moth. By my pen of obfervation.

Arm. But O, but O

Moth. The hobby-horfe is forgot. (15)

Arm.

(14) thefe betray nice wenches, that would be betray'd witheut thefe, and make them men of note. Thus all the editors, with a fagacity worthy of wonder. But who will ever believe, that the cdd attitudes and affectations of lovers, by which they betray young wenches, fhould have power to make thofe young wenches men of note? This is a transformation, which, I dare fay, the poet never thought of. His meaning is, that they not only inveigle the young Girls, but make the men taken notice of too, who affect them. "reduc'd the paffage to good fenfe, in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd, by cafhiering only a fingle letter: and Mr. Pope, in his last impression, has vouchfat'd to embrace my correction.

(15) Arm. But 0, but 0

Moth. The hobby-hotfe is forget.] The humour of this reply of Moth's to Armado, who is fighing in love, cannot be taken without a little explanation: nor why there fhould be any room for making fuch a reply. A quotation from Hamlet will be neceflary on this occafion;

Ór elfe fhall he fuffer not thinking on, with the bobby-berfe, whofe Epitaph is, For ob! for ob! the Hubby-barfe is forget. And another from Beaumont and Fletcher in their Women pleased. Soto. Shall the Ibby-horse be forgot then?

The hopeful Hobby horfe? fhall he lie founder'd? In the rites formerly obferv'd for the celebration of May-day, befides thofe now us'd of hanging a pole with garlands, and dancing round it, a boy was dreft up reprefenting maid Marian; another, like a Friar; and another rode on a Hobby-horse, with bells jingling, and painted ftreamers. After the Reformation took place, and Precifians multiplied, thefe latter rites were look'd upon to favour of Paganism; and then maid Marian, the Friar, and the poor Hobby horfe were turn'd out of the games. Some, who were not fo wifely precife, but regretted the difufe of the Hobby-borse, no doubt, fatiriz'd this suspicion of idolatry, and archly wrote the Epitaph above alluded to. Now Moth, hearing Armado groan ridiculouny, and cry out, But ob! but humourofly pieces out his exclamation with the fequel of

ob!

Arm. Call'st thou my love hobby-horse?

Moth. No, mafter; the hobby horfe is but a colt, and your love, perhaps a hackney: but have you forgot your love?

Arm. Almost I had.

Moth. Negligent ftudent, learn her by heart.

Arm. By heart, and in heart, boy.

Moth. And out of heart, mafter all thofe three I

will prove.

Arm. what wilt thou prove?

:

Moth. A man, if I live. And this by, in, and out of, upon the inftant: by heart you love her, becaufe your heart cannot come by her: in heart you love her, because your heart is in love with her; and out of heart you love her, being out of heart that you cannot enjoy

her.

Arm. I am all these three.

Moth. And three times as much more; and yet nothing at all.

Arm. Fetch hither the fwain, he must carry me a letter. Moth. A meffage well fympathiz'd; a horfe to be embaffador for an afs.

Arm. Ha, ha; what fay't thou?

Moth. Marry, Sir, you muft fend the afs upon the horfe, for he is very flow-gated: but I go. Arm. The way is but fhort; away.

Is

Moth. As fwift as lead, Sir.

Arm. Thy meaning, pretty ingenious?

not lead a metal heavy, dull and flow?

Moth. Minimè, honeft mafter; or rather, mafter, no.

this epitaph: which is putting his mafter's love-paffion, and the lofs of the Hobby-borse, on a footing. The Zealot's deteftation of this Hobby-horfe, I think is excellently fneer'd at by B. Jonfon in his Bartholomew-fair. In this Comedy, Rabby-Bufy, a Puritan, is brought into the fair: and being ask'd by the toyman to buy Rattles, Drums Babies, Hobby-borfes, &c. He immediately in his zeal cries out: Peace, with thy apocryphal wares, thou prophane publican! Thy Bells, Thy Dragons, and thy Tobit's dogs. Thy Hobby-borse is an idol, a very idol, a fierce and rank idol; and thou the Nebuchadnezzar, the proud Nebuchadnezzar of the fair, that fet'st it up for children to fall down to and worship.

I 4

Arm.