King. "that unlettered small-knowing soul,” — King. "that shallow vessel,” Cost. Still me. “which, as I remember, hight Costard,” – Cost. O me! King. - “sorted and consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, with — with, O! with- but with this I passion to say wherewith,”Cost. With a wench. King. "with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, a woman. Him I (as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation.” Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Antony Dull. King. "For Jaquenetta, (so is the weaker vessel called, which I apprehended with the aforesaid swain,) I keep her as a vessel of thy law's fury; and shall, at the least of thy sweet notice, bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO." Bir. This is not so well as I looked for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the best for the worst. But, sirrah, what say you to this? Cost. Sir, I confess the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Cost. I do confess much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaimed a year's imprisonment, to be taken with a wench. Cost. I was taken with none, sir; I was taker with a damosel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damosel. Cost. This was no damosel neither, sir; she was a virgin. King. It is so varied too; for it was proclaimed, virgin. Cost. If it were, I deny her virginity; I was taken with a maid. King. This maid will not serve your turn, sir. Cost. This maid will serve my turn, sir. King. Sir, I will pronounce your sentence: You shall fast a week with bran and water. Cost. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge. King. And Don Armado shall be your keeper. — My lord Biron, see him deliver'd o'er. And go we, lords, to put in practice that [Exeunt KING, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN. Bir. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, These oaths and laws will prove an idle scorn.Sirrah, come on. Cost. I suffer for the truth, sir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and, therefore, welcome the sour cup of prosperity! Affliction may one day smile again, and till then, sit thee down, sorrow! [Exeunt. SCENE II. ARMADO'S House in the Park. Enter ARMADO and MoTH. Arm. Boy, what sign is it, when a man of great spirit grows melancholy? Moth. A great sign, sir, that he will look sad. Arm. Why, sadness is one and the self-same thing, dear imp.' Moth. No, no; O Lord! sir, no. Arm. How canst thou part sadness and melancholy, my tender juvenal?2 Moth. By a familiar demonstration of the working, my tough senior. Arm. Why tough senior? why tough senior? Moth. Why tender juvenal? why tender juvenal? Arm. I spoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough senior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. Arm. Pretty, and apt. Moth. How mean you, sir? I pretty, and my saying apt? or I apt, and my saying pretty? Arm. Thou pretty, because little. Moth. Little pretty, because little : Wherefore apt? Arm. And therefore apt, because quick. Moth. Speak you this in my praise, master? Imp literally means a graff, scion, or shoot of a tree; hence formerly used in a good sense for offspring or child. Thus, in the Introduction to Book i. of The Faerie Queene : "And thou, most dreaded impe of highest Jove, And again, in the interview of Una and Prince Arthur, Book "Well worthy impe,' said then the Lady gent, Ana pupil fitt for such a tutor's hand!'' Of course every body knows the word is now used only for a wicked or mischievous being, -a child of the devil. That is, youth. H. Moth. I will praise an eel with the same praise. Arm. What! that an eel is ingenious? Moth. That an eel is quick. Arm. I do say, thou art quick in answers: Thou heatest my blood. Moth. I am answer'd, sir. Arm. I love not to be cross'd. Moth. [Aside.] He speaks the mere contrary: crosses love not him. 3 Arm. I have promis'd to study three years with the duke. Moth. You may do it in an hour, sir. Moth. How many is one thrice told? Arm. I am ill at reckoning: it fits the spirit of a tapster. Moth. You are a gentleman, and a gamester, sir. Arm. I confess both: they are both the varnish of a complete man. Moth. Then, I am sure, you know how much the gross sum of deuce-ace amounts to. Arm. It doth amount to one more than two. Arm. True. Moth. Why, sir, is this such a piece of study? Now here's three studied, ere you'll thrice wink : and how easy it is to put years to the word three, and study three years in two words, the dancing horse will tell you.* 3 By crosses he means money. So, in As You Like It, the Clown says to Celia, "If I should bear you, I should bear no cross." Many coins were anciently marked with a cross on one side. 4 The dancing horse was a very celebrated wonder of the Poet's time. He was the pupil and property of a person named Bankes. Sir Kenelm Digby says,· ‚—“ He would restore a glove to the due Arm. A most fine figure! Moth. [Aside.] To prove you a cipher. Arm. I will hereupon confess, I am in love: and, as it is base for a soldier to love, so am I in love with a base wench. If drawing my sword against the humour of affection would deliver me from the reprobate thought of it, I would take desire prisoner, and ransom him to any French courtier for a new-devis'd courtesy. I think scorn to sigh; methinks, I should out-swear Cupid. Comfort me, boy: What great men have been in love? Moth. Hercules, master. Arm. Most sweet Hercules! More authority, dear boy, name more; and, sweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage. Moth. Samson, master: he was a man of good carriage, great carriage! for he carried the towngates on his back, like a porter; and he was in love. Arm. O well-knit Samson! strong-jointed Samson! I do excel thee in my rapier, as much as thou didst me in carrying gates. I am in love too. Who was Samson's love, my dear Moth? Moth. A woman, master. Arm. Of what complexion?' Moth. Of all the four, or the three, or the two, or one of the four. owner, after the master had whispered the man's name in his ear; would tell the just number of pence in any piece of silver coin, newly showed him by his master." Bankes showed his horse upon the continent, and in France had a narrow escape from the Capuchins, who suspected him of being in league with the devil. There was a report that he fell a victim to a similar suspicion at Rome. Ben Jonson, in his Epigrams, speaks of "Old Banks the juggler, our Pythagoras, Grave tutor to the learned horse; both which H. |
