Page images
PDF
EPUB

Upon that poor and broken bankrupt there?
Thus most invectively he pierceth through
The body of the country, city, court,"
Yea, and of this our life; fwearing, that we
Are mere ufurpers, tyrants, and what's worse,
To fright the animals, and to kill them up.
In their affign'd and native dwelling-place.

DUXE. And did you leave him in this contemplation? LORD. We did, my lord, weeping and commenting Upon the fobbing deer..

DUKE. Shew me the place:

[ocr errors]

I love to cope him in these fullen fits,
For then he's full of matter.

LORD. I'll bring you to him ftraight.

SHAKESPEARE.

DUKI.

That

CHAP. X.

DUKE AND JAQUES.

WHY, how now, Monfieur, what a life is this,

your poor friend muft woo your company?

What! you look merrily.

JAQ. A fool, a fool ;-I met a fcol i' th' foreft, A motely fool; a miserable varlet !

As I do live by food I met a fool,

Who laid him down and basked him in the fun,
And rail'd on Lady Fortune in good terms;

In good fet terms, and yet a motely fool.
Good-morrow fool, quoth I. No Sir, quoth he,
Call me not fool, till Heav'n hath fent me fortune;
And then he drew a dial from his poak,

And

And looking on it with lack-luftre eye,

Says very wifely, It is ten o'clock:

Thus may we fee, quoth he, how the world wags:]
'Tis but an hour ago fince it was nine,

And after one hour more 'twill be eleven ;
And fo from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot,
And thereby hangs a tale. When I did hear
The motley fool thus moral on the time,
My lungs began to crow like chanticleer;
That fools should be fo deep contemplative :
And I did laugh, fans intermiffion,

An hour by his dial. O noble fool !'

A worthy fool! motley's the only wear.

DUKE. What fool is this?

JAQ. O worthy fool! one that hath been a courtier,

And fays, if ladies be but young and fair,

They have the gift to know it: and in his brain,

Which is as dry as the remainder-biscuit

After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd.
With obfervations, the which he vents

In mangled forms. O that I were a fool!
I am ambitious for a motely coat.

DUKE. Thou shalt have one.

JAQ. It is my only fuit;

Provided that you weed your better judgments
Of all opinion, that grows rank in them,
That I am wife. I must have liberty
Withal, as large a charter as the wind,
To blow on whom I please; for fo fools have;

And they that are most galled with my folly

They

They most muft laugh. And why, Sir, muft they fo?
The way is plain, as way to parish church ?
He whom a fool does very wifely hit,
Doth very foolishly; although he fmart,
Not to feem fenfelefs of the bob. If not,
The wife man's folly is anatomiz'd

Even by the fquand'ring glances of a fool.
Invest me in my motley, give me leave

To speak my mind, and I will through and through
Cleanfe the foul body of th' infected world,

If they will patiently receive my medicine.

DUKE. Fie on thee! I can tell what thou would'st do.. JAQ What, for a counter, would I do but good? DUKE. Moft mifchievous foul fin, in chiding fin;

For thou thyself haft been a libertine,

And all th' emboffed fores and headed evils,
That thou with licence of free foot haft caught,
Would't thou difgorge into the general world.
JAQ. Why, who cries out on pride,
That can therein tax any private party -
Doth it not flow as hugely as the sea,
Till that the very means do ebb ?
What woman in the city do I name,
When that I fay, the city-woman bears
The coft of princes on unworthy shoulders?
Who can come in, and say, that I mean her;
When fuch a one as fhe, fuch is her neighbour?
Or what is he of basest function,

That fays his bravery is not on my coft;

Thinking, that I mean him, but therein fuits

His folly to the metal of my speech?

There then; how then? what then? let me fee wherein

My

My tongue has wrong'd him; if it do him right,
Then he hath wrong'd himself; if he be free,
Why, then my taxing, like a wild goofe, flies

Unclaim'd of any man.

CHAP. XI.

SHAKSPEARE.

HENRY AND LORD CHIEF JUSTICE.

CH. JUST. I AM affur'd, if I be measur'd rightly

Your Majefty hath no juft caufe to hate me.

P. HEN. No! might a Prince of my great hopes forget So great indignities you laid upon me?

What! rate, rebuke, and roughly send to prison
Th' immediate heir of England! was this eafy?
May this be wash'd in Lethe and forgotten?

CH. JUST. I then did ufe the perfon of your father;
The image of his power lay then in me:
And in the administration of his law,
While I was bufy for the commonwealth,
Your highness pleafed to forget my place,
The majesty and pow'r of law and juftice,
The image of the King whom I prefented;
And ftruck me in my very feat of judgment:
Whereon, as an offender to your father,
I gave bold way to my authority,

And did commit you. If the deed were ill,
Be you contented, wearing now the garland,
To have a fon fet your decrees at nought:
To pluck down juftice from your awful bench,
To trip the courfe of law, and blunt the sword
That guards the peace and safety of your person :
Nay more, to fpurn at your moft royal image,

And

And mock your working in a fecond body,

Queftion your royal thoughts, make the cafe yours;
Be now the father, and propose a son ;

Hear your own dignity fo much profan'd;
See your most dreadful laws fo loosely flighted;
Behold yourself fo by a son disdained:
And then imagine me taking your part,
And in your pow'r fo filencing your fon.
After this cold confid'rance, fentence me;
And, as you are a king, speak in your ftate,
What I have done that misbecame my place,
My perfon, or my Liege's sovereignty.

P. HEN. You are right, Juftice, and you weigh this well: Therefore ftill bear the balance and the fword:

And I do wish your honours may increase,

Till you do live to see a son of mine
Offend you, and obey you, as I did :
So fhall I live to speak my father's words;
Happy am I, that have a man fo bold
That dares do juftice on my proper fon;
And no less happy, having fuch a fon,
That would deliver up his greatness so
Into the hand of Justice.

-You committed me';

For which I dó commit into your hand

Th' unftain'd fword that your have us❜d to bear ;
With this rememb'rance, that you use the same

There is my hand,

With a like bold, juft, and impartial spirit,
As you have done 'gainst me.
You shall be as a father to my youth:

My voice fhall found as you do prompt mine ear;

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »