Arm. A moft acute juvenal; voluble and free of grace! By thy favour, sweet welkin, I must sigh in thy face: Most rude melancholy, valour gives thee place. My herald is return'd.

Re-enter Moth and Coftard.

Moth. A wonder, mafter; here's a Coftard broken in

a fhin.

b

Arm. Some enigma, fome riddle: come,—thy ' l'envoy ;

-begin.

Coft. No egma, no riddle, no l'envoy; no falve in the male, Sir: O Sir, plantain, a plain plantain; no l'envoy, no l'envoy, or falve, Sir, but a plantain !

Arm. By virtue thou enforceft laughter; thy filly thought, my spleen; the heaving of my lungs provokes me to ridiculous smiling: O, pardon me, my stars! Doth the inconfiderate take falve for l'envoy, and the word l'envoy for a falve?

Moth. Doth the wife think them other? is not l'envoy f a falve?

Arm. No, page; it is an epilogue or discourse, to make plain

Some obfcure precedence that hath tofore been fain.
I will example it :

The fox, the ape, and the humble bee,

Were ftill at odds, being but three:

There's the moral: Now the l'envoy.

Coftard]-a head.

l'envoy]-the name of certain lines, formerly

placed at the conclufion of a poem, for the purpose of conveying its moral, or addreffing it to fome particular perfon.

< no falve in the male,]—in the matter-no need of any in the case of a broken fhin-in the mail-within the fillet or bandage wrapt-in them all, Sir-round his fhin. By virtue of thy fimplicity.

с

d

my Spleen ;]-moves my spleen.

f a falve?]-a falute at parting.

Moth.

Moth. I will add the l'envoy; Say the moral again.
Arm. The fox, the ape, and the humble-bee,
Were still at odds, being but three:
Moth. Until the goofe came out of door,

h Staying the odds by adding four.

Now will I begin your moral, and do you follow with my l'envoy.

The fox, the ape, and the humble-bee,

Were ftill at odds, being but three:

Arm. Until the goofe came out of door,

Staying the odds by adding four.

Moth. A good l'envoy, ending in the goofe; Would you defire more?

Coft. The boy hath fold him a bargain, a goofe, that's

flat:

Sir, your penny-worth is good, an your goose be fat. To fell a bargain well, is as cunning as fast and loose : Let me fee a fat l'envoy; ay, that's a fat goofe.

Arm. Come hither, come hither: How did this argument begin?

Moth. By faying, that a Coftard was broken in a fhin. Then call'd you for the l'envoy.

Coft. True, and I for a plantain; thus came your ar gument in:

Then the boy's fat l'envoy, the goofe that you bought; And he ended the market.

k

Arm. But tell me; how was there a Coftard broken in a fhin?

Moth. I will tell you fenfibly.

Coft. Thou haft no feeling of it, Moth; I will fpeak that l'envoy:

moral]-moral enigma.

Staying the odds by adding four]

Putting an end to them, by making up four.

i Coftard]-the name of an apple, and below it means a crab-ftick. the market]-Three women and a goose make a market." PROV.

I, Costard,

I, Coftard, running out, that was fafely within,
Fell over the threshold, and broke my fhin.
Arm. We will talk no more of this matter.
Coft. 'Till there be more matter in the fhin.
Arm. Sirrah, Coftard, I will enfranchise thee.

Coft. O, marry me to one Frances;-I fmell fome l'envoy, fome goofe, in this.

Arm. By my fweet foul, I mean, fetting thee at liberty, enfreedoming thy perfon; thou wert immur'd, reftrained, captivated, bound.

Coft. True, true; and now you will be my purgation, and let me loose.

Arm. I give thee thy liberty, fet thee from durance; and, in lieu thereof, impose on thee nothing but this: Bear this fignificant to the country maid Jaquenetta: there is remuneration; [Giving him money.] for the beft ward of mine honour, is, rewarding my dependants. Moth, follow.

[Exit.

Moth. 'Like the sequel, I. Signior Coftard, adieu. [Ex. Coft. My fweet ounce of man's flefh! my "incony Jew!

Now will I look to his remuneration. Remuneration! O, that's the Latin word for three farthings: three farthings —remuneration.—What's the price of this inkle? a penny: -No, I'll give you a remuneration: why, it carries it-Remuneration !—why, it is a fairer name than French crown. I will never buy and fell out of this word.

Enter Biron.

Biron. O, my good knave Coftard! exceedingly well met.

1 Like the fequel, I.]-As clofe as the conclufion does the premifes. incony Jew!]-choice, precious.

"Moft brifky juvenal, and eke most lovely Jew."

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Act III, S. 1. Thif.

Coft. Pray you, Sir, how much carnation ribbon may a man buy for a remuneration?

Biron. What is a remuneration?

Coft. Marry, fir, half-penny farthing.

Biron. O, why then, three-farthing-worth of filk.
Coft. I thank your worship: God be with

Biron. O, ftay, flave; I must employ thee:
As thou wilt win my favour, good my knave,
Do one thing for me that I fhall entreat.

Coft. When would you have it done, fir?
Biron. O, this afternoon.

you.

Coft. Well, I will do it, fir: Fare you well.
Biron. O, thou knoweft not what it is.

Coft. I fhall know, fir, when I have done it.

Biron. Why, villain, thou must know first.

Coft. I will come to your worship to-morrow morning. Biron. It must be done this afternoon. Hark, flave, it is but this.

The princess comes to hunt here in the park,

And in her train there is a gentle lady;

When tongues fpeak fweetly, then they name her name, And Rofaline they call her: ask for her;'

And to her fweet hand fee thou do commend This feal'd-up counfel. There's thy "guerdon; go. [Gives him money.

Coft. Guerdon,-O fweet guerdon! better than remuneration; eleven-pence farthing better: Moft fweet guerdon !-I will do it, fir, in ° print.-Guerdon-remuneration.

[Exit. Biron. O! And I, forfooth, in love! I, that have been love's whip;

A very beadle to a humourous figh;

A critic; nay, a night-watch conftable;
A domineering pedant o'er the boy,

Than whom no mortal fo magnificent!

This wimpled, whining, purblind, wayward boy;
This fignior Junio's giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid;
Regent of love-rhimes, lord of folded arms,
The anointed fovereign of fighs and groans,
Liege of all loiterers and malecontents,
Dread prince of plackets, king of codpieces,
Sole imperator, and great, general

Of trotting paritors,-O my little heart!-
And I to be a 'corporal of his field,

And wear" his colours like a tumbler's hoop!

W

w What? I! I love! I fue! I feek a wife!
A woman, that is like a German clock,
Still a repairing; ever out of frame;
And never going aright, being a watch,
But being watch'd that it may ftill go right?
Nay, to be perjur'd, which is worst of all:
And, among three, to love the worst of all;
A whitely wanton with a velvet brow,

X

With two pitch balls ftuck in her face for eyes;
Ay, and, by heaven, one that will do the deed,
Though Argus were her eunuch and her guard:
And I to figh for her! to watch for her!
To pray for her! Go to; it is a plague
That Cupid will impose for my neglect

fo magnificent]-a greater braggart.

r

whimpled,]-hooded

whimp'ring. fignior Junio's]-fenior-junior,-old young manfignier Julio's-Julio Romano's emblematical painting of love-a boy attired in vaft armour, and bearing gigantic weapons.

t

strotting paritors]-apparitors, difpatched by Cupid to cite fornicators. corporal of his field,]-one of his aid de camps-of his file. bis colours-the willow garland, as a tumbler does his hoop, hanging on one shoulder, and falling under the oppofite arm.

"What? what? I love!

* whitely]-pale-faced.