Ros. This proves you wife and rich; for in my eye,—— BIRON. I am a fool, and full of poverty.

Ros. But that you take what doth to you belong,
It were a fault to fnatch words from my tongue.

BIRON. O, I am yours, and all that I poffefs.
Ros. All the fool mine?

BIRON. I cannot give you lefs.

Ros. Which of the visors was it, that you wore?
BIRON. Where? when? what vifor? why demand

this?

you

Ros. There, then, that vifor; that fuperfluous cafe, That hid the worfe, and fhow'd the better face. KING. We are defcried: they'll mock us now downright, DUM. Let us confefs, and turn it to a jeft. [fad? PRIN. Amaz'd, my lord? Why looks your highness Ros. Help, hold his brows! he'll fwoon! Why look Sea-fick, I think, coming from Mufcovy. [you pale ?— BIRON. Thus pour the stars down plagues for perjury. Can any face of brafs hold longer out?—

Here ftand I, lady; dart thy skill at me;

Bruise me with fcorn, confound me with a flout; Thrust thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance; Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit ;

And I will with thee never more to dance,
Nor never more in Ruffian habit wait.

O! never will I trust to speeches penn'd,

Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue;
friend;

Nor never come in visor to my

Nor woo in rhyme, like a blind harper's fong:

Taffata phrafes, filken terms precife,

Three-pil'd hyperboles, fpruce affectation,

Figures pedantical; these fummer-flies

Have blown me full of maggot oftentation:

I do forfwear them: and I here protest,

[knows! By this white glove, (how white the hand, God Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express'd

In ruffet yeas, and honest kersey noes:

And, to begin, wench,-fo God help me, la ! ·
My love to thee is found, fans crack or flaw.
Ros. Sans SANS, I pray you.

BIRON. Yet I have a trick

Of the old rage :-bear with me, I am fick;
I'll leave it by degrees. Soft, let us fee;—
Write, Lord have mercy on us, on those three;
They are infected, in their hearts it lies;
They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes :
These lords are vifited; you are not free,

For the Lord's tokens on you do I fee.

PRIN. No, they are free, that gave these tokens to us.

· BIRON. Our flates are forfeit, feek not to undo us.
Ros. It is not fo; For how can this be true,
That you ftand forfeit, being those that fue?
BIRON. Peace; for I will not have to do with you.
Ros. Nor fhall not, if I do as I intend.

BIRON. Speak for yourselves, my wit is at an end.
KING. Teach us, fweet madam, for our rude tranfgref-

Some fair excufe.

PRIN. The faireft is confeflion.

Were you not here, but even now, disguis'd?

KING. Madam, I was.

PRIN. And were you well advis'd?

KING. I was, fair madam.

PRIN. When you then were here,

What did you whisper in your lady's ear?

[fion

KING. That more than all the world I did refpect her. PRIN. When she fhall challenge this, you will reject her,

KING. Upon mine honour, no.

PRIN. Peace, peace, forbear;

Your oath once broke, you force not to forfwear.
KING. despise me, when I break this oath of mine.
PRIN. I will; and therefore keep it :-Rofaline,
What did the Ruffian whisper in your ear?

Ros. Madam, he swore, that he did hold me dear
As precious eye-fight; and did value me
Above, this world: adding thereto, moreover,
That he would wed me, or elfe die my lover.
PRIN. God give thee joy of him! the noble lord
Most honourably doth uphold his word.

KING. What mean you, madam? by my life, my troth, I never fwore this lady fuch an oath.

Ros. By heaven, you did; and to confirm it plain, You gave me this: but take it, fir, again.

KING. My faith, and this, the princefs I did give;
I knew her by this jewel on her fleeve.

PRIN. Pardon, me, fir, this jewel did she wear;
And lord Birón, I thank him, is my dear :-
What; will you have me, or your pearl again?
BIRON. Neither of either; I remit both twain.-
I fee the trick on't ;-Here was a confent,
(Knowing aförehand of our merriment,)
To dash it like a Christmas comedy:

Some carry-tale, fome please-man, some flight zany,
Some mumble-news, fome trencher-knight, fome Dick,—
That fmiles his cheek in years; and knows the trick
To make my lady laugh, when she's difpos'd,-
Told our intents before: which once disclos'd,
The ladies did change favours; and then we,
Following the figns, woo'd but the fign of fhe.
Now, to our perjury to add more terror,

We are again forfworn; in will and error.
Much upon this it is :-And might not you, [To Borer.
Foreftal our sport, to make us thus untrue?
Do not you know my lady's foot by the fquire,
And laugh upon the apple of her eye?
And ftand between her back, fir, and the fire,
Holding a trencher, jesting merrily?

You put our page out: Go, you are allow'd;
Die when you will, a fmock shall be your fhrowd.
You leer upon me, do you? there's an eye,
Wounds like a leaden fword.

BOYET. Full merrily

Hath this brave manage, this career, been run.

BIRON. LO, he is tilting straight! Peace; I have done. Enter COSTARD.

Welcome, pure wit! thou partest a fair fray.

COST. O Lord, fir, they would know,

Whether the three worthies fhall come in, or no.

BIRON. What, are there but three?

Cost. No, fir; but it is vara fine,

For every one pursents three.

BIRON. And three times thrice is nine.

[not fo:

COST. Not fo, fir; under correction, fir; I hope, it is

You cannot beg us, fir, I can affure

what we know:

I hope, fir, three times thrice, fir,→

BIRON. Is not nine.

you, fir; we know

COST. Under correction, fir, we know whereuntil it doth amount.

BIRON. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. COST. O Lord, fir, it were pity you should get your living by reckoning, fir.

BIRON. How much is it?

COST. O Lord, fir, the parties themselves, the actors, fir, will show whereuntil it doth amount: for my own part, I am, as they fay, but to parfect one man,—e'en one poor man; Pompion the great, fir.

BIRON. Art thou one of the worthies?

COST. It pleased them, to think me worthy of Pompion the great for mine own part, I know not the degree of the worthy; but I am to stand for him.

BIRON. Go, bid them prepare.

COST. We will turn it finely off, fir; we will take fome

care.

[Exit COSTARD. KING. Birón, they will fhame us, let them not ap

proach.

[policy BIRON. We are shame-proof, my lord: and 'tis fome To have one show worse than the king's and his company. KING. I fay, they shall not come.

PRIN. Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you now; That sport best pleases, that doth least know how Where zeal ftrives to content, and the contents Die in the zeal of them which it prefents, Their form confounded makes most form in mirth ; When great things labouring perish in their birth. BIRON. A right defcription of our fport, my lord.

Enter ARMADO.

ARM. Anointed, I implore fo much expence of thy royal fweet breath as will utter a brace of words.

[ARMADO converses with the KING, and delivers him a paper. PRIN. Doth this man ferve God?

BIRON. Why ask you?

PRIN. He speaks not like a man of God's making. ARM. That's all one, my fair, sweet, honey monarch : for, I proteft, the school-master is exceeding fantastical ; too, too vain; too, too vain: But we will put it, as they