Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Dum. A Judas!

Hol. Not Ifcariot, fir.→→→

Judas I am, ycleped Macchabæus."

Dam. Judas Macchabæus clipt, is plain Judas.
Biron. A kiffing traitor :-How art thou prov'd

Hol. "Judas I am,—”

Dum. The more fhame for you, Judas.
Hol. What mean you, fir?

[Judas?

[blocks in formation]

Long. The face of an old Roman coin, fcarce
Bayat. The pummel of Cæfar's faulchion.
Dam. The carv'd-bone face on a flask 2.
Baron. St. George's half-cheek in a brooch.

Dum. Ay, and in a brooch of lead.

[blocks in formation]

"I am that flower,-"

Dum. That mint.

Long. That columbine.

Arm. Sweet lord Longaville, rein thy tongue. Long. I must rather give it the rein; for it runs against Hector.

Dum. Ay, and Hector's a greyhound.

Arm. The fweet war-man is dead and rotten; fweet chucks, beat not the bones of the buried : when he breath'd, he was a man-But I will forward with my device; [To the princess] fweet royalty, beftow on me the sense of hearing.

Prin. Speak, brave Hector; we are much delighted.

Arm. I do adore thy fweet grace's flipper.
Boyet. Loves her by the foot,

Dum. He may not by the yard.

Arm. "This Hector far furmounted Hannibal,-" Caft. The party is gone, fellow Hector, the is gone, fhe is two months on her way.

Arm. What mean it thou?

Coft. Faith, unless you play the honeft Trojan,

Biron. Ay, and worn in the cap of a tooth-the poor wench is caft away: the's quick; the

drawer :

[tenance.

And now, forward; for we have put thee in coun-
Hol. You have put me out of countenance.
Biron. Falfe; we have given thee faces.
Hol. But you have out-fac'd them all.
Biron. An thou wert a lion, we would do fo.
Boyet. Therefore, as he is, an afs, let him go.
And so adieu, sweet Jude! nay, why dost thou stay?
Dum. For the latter end of his name.

Biron. For the afs to the Jude; give it him :-Jud

[ble.

as, away.
Hol. This is not generous, not gentle, not hum-
Boyet. A light for monfieur Judas; it grows dark,

he may ftumble.

Prin. Alas, poor Macchabæus, how he hath
been baited!

Enter Armado, for Hector.
Biron. Hide thy head, Achilles; here comes
Hector in arms.

Dum. Though my mocks come home by me, I
will now be merry.

King. Hector was but a Trojan 3 in refpect of this.
Boyet. But is this Hector?

Dum. I think, Hector was not fo clean timber'd.]
Long. His leg is too big for Hector.

child brags in her belly already; 'tis yours.

Arm. Doft thou infamonize me among potentates? thou shalt die.

Coff. Then fhall Hector be whipp'd, for Jaque netta that is quick by him; and hang'd, for Punipey that is dead by him.

Dum. Moft rare Pompey !
Boyet. Renowned Pompey !

Biron. Greater than great, great, great, great
Pompey! Pompey the huge!

Dum. Hector trembles.

Biron. Pompey is mov'd:-More Ates, more Ates 5; ftir them on, stir them on!

Dum. Hector will challenge him. Biron. Ay, if he have no more man's blood in's belly than will fup a flea.

Arm. By the north pole, I do challenge thee.

Coft. I will not fight with a pole, like a northern man: I'll flash; I'll do't by the fword:~I pray you, let me borrow my arms 6 again. Dum. Room for the incenfed worthies. Coft. I'll do it in my shirt.

Dum. Moft refolute Pompey !

Moth. Mafter,let me take you a button-hole lower, Do you not fee, Pompey is uncafing for the combat? 2 That is, a foldier's powder-horn,

A cittern was a mufical instrument of the harp kind. 3 A Trojan, in the time of Shakspeare, was a cant term for a thief. 4 An orange fuck with cloves appears to have been a common new-year's gift. 5 Ate was the heathen goddess who incited bloodfhed. Meaning the weapons and armour which he wore in the character of Pompey.

What

1

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

What mean you? you will lofe your reputation.
4. Gentlemen, and foldiers, pardon me; I
will not combat in my shirt.

All wanton as a child, skipping, and vain;
Form'd by the eye, and, therefore, like the eye,
Full of ftraying fhapes, of habits, and of forms,

Daw. You may not denyit; Pompey hath made Varying in fubjects as the eye doth roil
the challenge.

Arm. Sweet bloods, I both may and will.

Biron. What reason have you for't?

To every varied object in his glance:
Which party-coated prefence of loose love,
Put on by us, if, in your heavenly eyes,

Am. The naked truth of it is, I have no fhirt; Have mifbecom'd our oaths and gravities,

I go woolward 1 for penance.

Boyer. True, and it was enjoin'd him in Rome
for want of linen: fince when, I'll be fworn, he
wore none, but a difh-clout of Jaquenetta's; and
that a' wears next his heart for a favour.
Enter Mercade.

Mer. God fave you, madam!

Prin. Welcome, Mercade;

But that thou interrupt'ft our merriment.
Mer. I am forry, madam; for the news I bring,
Is heavy in my tongue. The king your father
Prin. Dead, for my life.

Mer. Even fo: my tale is told.
Biron.Worthies, away; the fcene begins to cloud.
Arm. For mine own part, I breathe free breath:
I have feen the days of wrong through the little
hole of difcretion, and I will right myfelf like a
foldier.
[Exeunt Wortbies.

King. How fares your majesty?
Prid. Boyet, prepare; I will away to-night.
King. Madam, not fo; I do beteech you, stay.
Prin. Prepare, I say.—I thank you, gracious lords,
For all your fair endeavours; and entreat,
Out of a new-fad foul, that you vouchfafe
In your rich wifdom, to excufe, or hide,
The liberal 2 oppofition of our fpirits:
Lover-boldly we have borne ourselves
In the converfe of breath, your gentleness
Was guilty of it.-Farewell, worthy lord!
A heavy heart bears not an humble tongue :
Excufe me fo, coming fo fhort of thanks
For my great fuit so easily obtain'd.

Thofe heavenly eyes, that look into thete faults,
Suggested 3 us to make: Therefore, ladies,
Our love being yours, the error that love makes.
Is likewife yours: we to ourfelves prove false,
By being once falfe for ever to be true.
To thofe that make us both, fair ladies, you;
And even that falfhood, in itfelf a fin,
Thus purifies itfelf, and turns to grace.

Prin. We have receiv'd your letters, full of love;
Your favours, the embaffadors of love;
And, in our maiden council, rated them
At courtship, pleasant jeft, and courtely,
As bombaft 4 and as lining to the time:
But more devout than this, in our refpects,
Have we not been; and therefore met your loves
In their own fathion, like a merriment. [than jeit.
Dum. Our letters, madam, fhew'd much more
Long. So did our looks.

Rof. We did not quote them fo.

King. Now, at the lateft minute of the hour,
Grant us your loves.

Prin. A tune, methinks, too fhort
To make a world-without-end bargain in :
No, no, my lord, your grace is perjur'd much,
Full of dear guiltinefs; and therefore, this,→→
If for my love (as there is no fuch caufe)
You will do aught, this fhall you do for me:
Your oath I will not truft: but go with speed
To fome forlorn and naked hermitage,
Remote from all the pleafures of the world;
There stay, until the twelve celeftial figns
Have brought about their annual reckoning:

King. Theextreme parts of time extremely forms If this auftere infociable life
All caufes to the purpote of his speed;
And often, at his very loofe, decides

That which long procefs could not arbitrate:
And though the mourning brow of progeny
Forbid the fmiling courtesy of love

The holy fuit which fain it would convince;
Yet, fince love's argument was first on foot,
Let not the cloud of forrow juttle it

Change not your offer made in heat of blood;
If froits, and fafts, hard lodging, and thin weeds,
Nip not the gaudy bloffoms of your love;
But that it bear this trial, and last love;
Then, at the expiration of the year,
Come challenge, challenge me by these deferts,
And, by this virgin-palm, now kiffing thine,
I will be thine: and till that inftant, thut

From what it purpos'd; fince, to wail friends loft, My woeful felf up in a mourning-house;

Is not by much fo wholesome, profitable,
As to rejoice at friends but newly found.

Prin. I understand you not, my griefs are double.
Biron. Honeft plain words best pierce the ear of
And by thefe badges understand the king. [grief;-
For your fair fakes have we neglected time,
Play'd foul play with our oaths; your beauty, ladies,
Hath much deform'd us, fashioning our humours
Even to the oppofed end of our intents:
And what in us hath feem'd ridiculous,
As love is full of unbefitting strains;

Raining the tears of lamentation,
For the remembrance of my father's death.
If this thou do deny, let our hands part;
Neither intitled in the other's heart.

King. If this, or more than this, I would deny,
To flatter up thefe powers of mine with reft,
The fudden hand of death close up mine eye!
Hence ever then my heart is in thy breaft.
Biron. And what to me, my love? and what to me?
Ref. You must be purged too, your fins are rank;
You are attaint with fault and perjury:

To go woolward was a phrafe appropriated to pilgrims and penitentiaries, and means, that he was cloathed in wool, and not in linen. 2 Liberal here fignifies, as has been remarked in other places, free to excefs. 3 That is, tempted us. 4 Bombaft was a stuff of loofe texture ufed formerly to fwell the garment, and thence used to signify bulk, or fhew without folidity. 5 That is, to footh, Therefore,

Therefore, if you my favour mean to get;

A twelve-month fhall you spend, and never reft, But feek the weary beds of people fick.

Dum. But what to me, my love? but what to me?

[nefty;

Biron. That's too long for a play.
Enter Armado.

Arm. Sweet majefty, vouchfafe me,→→
Prin. Was not that Hector?

Dum. That worthy knight of Troy.

Kath. A wife!a beard, fair health, and ho- | Arm. I will kifs thy royal finger, and take With three-fold love I with you all thefe three. leave: I am a votary; I have vow'd to Jaquenetta Dum. O, fhall I fay, I thank you, gentle wife? to hold the plough for her fweet love three year. Kath. Not fo, my lord;--atwelve-month and a day But, moft efteemed greatnefs, will you hear the d I'll mark no words that smooth-fac'd wooers fay: Jalogue that the two learned men have compiled, Come when the king doth to my lady come, in praife of the owl and the cuckow Then, if I have much love, I'll give you fome. have follow'd in the end of our show. Dum. I'll ferve thee true and faithfully till then. King. Call them forth quickly, we will do fo. Kath. Yet fwear not, left you be forfworn again. Arm. Holla! approach.-Long. What fays Maria?

Mar. At the twelve-month's end,

I'll change my black gown for a faithful friend.
Long. I'll stay with patience; but the time is long.
Mar. The liker you; few taller are fo young.
Biron. Studies my lady? miftrefs, look on me,
Behold the window of my heart, mine eye,
What humble fuit attends thy anfwer there;
Impofe fome service on me for thy love.

Ref. Oft have I heard of you, my lord Biron,
Before I faw you, and the world's large tongue
Proclaims you for a man replete with mocks;
Full of comparifons, and wounding flouts;
Which you on all eftates will execute,
That lie within the mercy of your wit:

To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain
And therewithal, to win me, if you please,
(Without the which I am not to be won)
You fhall this twelve-month term from day to day
Vifit the fpeechlefs fick, and ftill converse
With groaning wretches; and your task shall be,
With all the fierce endeavour of your wit,
To enforce the pained impotent to smile. [death?
Biron. To move wild laughter in the throat of
It cannot be; it is impoffible:

Mirth cannot move a foul in agony.

Rof. Why, that's the way to choak a gibing spirit,
Whofe influence is begot of that loofe grace,
Which fhallow laughing hearers give to fools:
A jeft's profperity lies in the ear

Of him that hears it, never in the tongue
Of him that makes it: then, if fickly ears,
Deaf'd with the clamours of their own dear? groans,
Will hear your idle fcorns, continue then,
And I will have you, and that fault withal;
But, if they will not, throw away that fpirit,
And I fhall find you empty of that fault,
Right joyful of your reformation.

Biron. A twelve-month? well, befal what will
befal,

I'll jeft a twelve-month in an hospital.

Prin. Ay, fweet my lord; and fo I take my leave. [To the King.

King. No, madam; we will bring you on your

way.

[play;

Biron. Our wooing doth not end like an old Jack hath not Jill: these ladies' courtesy Might well have made our fport a comedy.

id

Enter all, for the fong.

it fhould

[owl,

This fide is Hiems; winter.
This Ver, the fpring; the one maintain'd by the
The other by the cuckow.
Ver, begin.

S O N G.
SPRI N G.

When daizies pied, and wights blue,
And lady-fmacks all filver-white,
And cuckow-buds of yellow bue,

Do paint the meadows with delight,.
The cuckow then, on every tree,
Mocks marry'd men, for thus fings be,
Cuckow;
Cuckow, cuckow, 0 word of fear,
Unpleafing to a married car!
When shepherds pipe an oaten firaws,

And merry larks are plowmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their fummer jmocks,
The cuckow then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus fings be,
Guckow;

Cuckow, cuckow,―0 word of fear,
Unpleafing to a married car!

WIN T E R.
When icicles bang by the wall,

And Dick the fhepherd blows bis nail, And Tom bears logs into the ball,

And milk comes frozen bome in pail, When blood is nipt, and ways be foul,. Then nightly fings the fearing owl,

To-who;

Tu-whit, to-who, a merry note,
While greafy Joan doth keel the pot 3.
When all aloud the wind doth blotu,

And coughing drewns the parfon's faw 4,
And birds fit brooding in the fnow,

And Marian's nefe looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs bifs in the bowl,
Then nightly fings the flaring owl,
To-who;

Tu-whit, to-rubo, a merry note,
While greafy Joan doth keel the poi.

Arm. The words of Mercury are harth after the

King. Come, fir, it wants a twelve-month and a fongs of Apollo. You, that way; we, this way. And then 'twill end.

[day, |

[Exeunt omnes. 1 Fierce here means vehement, rapid. 2 Dr. Johnson thinks, that dear fhould here, as in many other places, be dere, fad, odious.i. c. Scum the pot. The word is yet ufed in Ireland. 4 i. e. his difcourfe. MIDSUMMER

[blocks in formation]

Other Fairies attending their King and Queen: Attendants on Thefeus and Hippolita.
SCENE, Athens, and a Wood not far from it.

The.

[blocks in formation]

ACT I.

The Palace of Thefeus in Athens.

EnterThefeus, Hippolita, Philofrate, with Attendants.
NOW
[OW, fair Hippolita, our nuptial hour
Dats on pace; four happy days
bring in

Another moon: but, oh, methinks, how flow
This old moon wanes! The lingers my defires,
Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,
Long withering out a young man's revenue.
Hip. Four days will quickly. fteep themselves
in nights;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a filver bow
New bent in heaven, shall behold the night
Of our folemnities.

The. Go, Philoftrate,

Hippolita, I woo'd thee with my fword,
And won thy love, doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.
Enter Egeus, Hermia, Lyfander, and Demetrius.
Ege. Happy be Thefeus, our renowned duke!
The. Thanks, good Egeus: What's the news
with thee?

Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.-
Stand forth, Demetrius;-My noble lord,
This man hath my consent to marry her :
Stand forth, Lyfander ;--and, my gracious duke,
This man hath witch'd the bofom of my child:
Thou, thou, Lyfander, thou haft given her rħimes,
And interchang'd love-tokens with my child :
Thou haft by moon-light at her window fung,
With feigning voice, veries of feigning love:
And ftol'n the impreffion of her fantaly
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds1, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweet-meats, meisengers
Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth:
[Exit Phi. With cunning haft thou filch'd my daughter's heart ;

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble fpirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals,

The pale companion is not for our pomp.

[blocks in formation]

Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubbom harshness: And, my gracious duke,
Be it fo the will not here before your grace
Confent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens;
As the is mine, I may difpofe of her :
Which fhall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death; according to our law,
Immediately provided in that cafe.

[maid:
The. What fay you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair
To you your father should be as a god ;~
One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax,
By him imprinted, and within his power
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

Her. So is Lyfander.

The. In himself he is:

But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice,-
The other muft be held the worthier.

Her. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes. The. Rather your eyes muft with his judgment look.

Her. I do intreat your grace to pardon me.
I know not by what power I am made bold;
Nor how may concern my modefty,

In fuch a prefence here, to plead my thoughts:
But I beseech your grace, that I may know
The worst that may befal me in this cafe,
If I refufe to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the fociety of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, queftion your defires,
Know of your youth 1, examine well your blood
Whether, if youyield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;
For aye to be in fhady cloifter mew'd,
To live a barren fifter all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitlefs moon.
Thrice bleffed they, that malter so their blood,
To undergo fuch maiden pilgrimage:
But earthlier happy is the rofe diftill'd,
Than that, which, withering on the virgin-thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in fingle bluffedness.

Her. So will I grow, to live, fo die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, to whofe unwith'd yoke
My foul confents not to give fovereignty.

The. Take time to paufe; and by the next new moon,

(The fealing-day betwixt my love and me, For everlafting bond of fellowship)

[ocr errors]

Ege. Scornful Lyfander ! true, he hath my love ;

And what is mine, my love fhall render him ;
And the is mine; and all my right of her
I do eftate unto Demetrius.

Lyf I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well poffefs'd; my love is more than his;
My fortunes every way as fairly rank’d,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius';
And, which is more than all these boafts can be,
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia:
Why should not I then profecute my right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
And won her foul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,

Upon this fpotted and inconftant man,

The. I must confefs, that I have heard fo much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of felf-affairs,

My mind did lofe it.-But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you fhall go with me,
I have fome private schooling for you both.→→→
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourfelf
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or elfe the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate)
To death, or to a vow of fingle life.-
Come, ny Hippolita; What cheer, my love —
Demetrius, and Egeus, go along : .

I muit employ you in fome butiness
Againft our nuptial; and confer with you
Of fomething, nearly that concerns yourselves.
Ege. With duty, and defire, we follow you.

[Exeunt Thef. Hip. Egeus, Dem. and train. Lyf. How now, my love! Why is your check fo pale ?

How chance the roses there do fade fo faft? [well

Her. Belike, for want of rain; which I could Beteem them from the tempeft of mine eyes.

Ly. Ah me! for aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or hiftory, The courie of true love never did run fmooth. But, either it was different in blood;

Her. O crois! too high to be enthrall'd to low ! Lv. Or else misgraffed, in refpect of years; Her. O fpight! too old to be engag'd to young! Iy. Or elfe it stood upon the choice of friends: Her. O hell! to chufe love by another's eye! Lyf. Or, if there were a fympathy in choice, War, death, or fickness, did lay fiege to it; Making it momentany as a found, Swift as a fhadow, fhort as any dream;

[blocks in formation]

1 i. e. confider your youth. 2 i.c. give them. 3 i. c. black. 4 Meaning, in a fudden kafly fit.

As

« AnteriorContinuar »