Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, fir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Biron. Well, fir, be it as the ftile fhall give us cause to climb in the merrinefs. Coft. The matter is to me, fir, as concerning Jaquenetta, The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner.2 Eiron. In what manner? Ceft. In manner and form following, fir; all thofe three: I was feen with her in the manor house, fitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following.-Now, fir, for the manner-it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman; for the form,-in fome form. Biron. For the following, fir? Coft. As it fhall follow in my correction; And God defend the right! King. Will you hear this letter with attention? Biron. As we would hear an oracle. Coft. Such is the fimplicity of man to hearken after the flefh. King. [reads.] Great deputy, the welkin's vicegerent, and fole dominator of Navarre, my foul's earth's God, and body's foftering patron, Cof. Not a word of Coftard yet. King. So it is, Coft. It may be fo: but if he fay it is fo, he is, in telling true, but fo, fo.. King, Peace. Coft-be to me, and every man that dares not fight! King. No words. Coft.of other men's fecrets, I befeech you. King. A quibble between the file that must be climbed to pafs from one field to another, and ftyle, the term expreffive of manner of writing in regard to language. STEEVENS. 2 i. e. in fact. STEEVENS. A forenfick term. A thief is faid to be taken with the manner. i. ea mainour or manour, (for fo it is written in our old law-books,) when he is apprehended with the thing ftolen in his poffeffion. The thing that he has taken was called mainour, from the Fr. manier, manu tractare. MALONE. King. So it is, befieged with fable-colour'd melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to the most wholefame phyfick of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myfelf to walk. The time, when? About the fixth hour; when beafts maft greze, birds beft peck, and men fit down to that nourishment which is called fupper. So much for the time when : Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walk'd upon : it is ycleped, thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obfcene and most prepofterous event, that draweth from my fnow-white pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here thou vieweft, beholdeft, furveyeft, or feeft: But to the place, where,-It ftandeth north-north-east and by east from the weft corner of thy curious-knotted garden :3 There did I fee that low-fpiritedfrain, that base minnow of thy mirth,4 Coft. Me. King--that unletter'd fmall-knowing foul, Coft. Me. King-that fhallow vaffal, Coft. Still me. King-vbich, as I remember, hight Coftard, King-forted and conforted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edit and continent canon, with-with-withbut with this I passion to say wherewith. Caft. With a wench. King-with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more fweet understanding, a woman. Him I (as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have fent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy fweet Grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and eftimation. Dull. Me, an't fhall pleafe you; I am Antony Dull. King. For Jaquenetta, (fo is the weaker veel called, which I apprehended with the aforefaid fwain,) I keep her as 3 Ancient gardens abounded with figures of which the lines interfected each other in many directions. STEEVENS.✔ 4 The base minnow of thy mirth, is the contemptible little object that contributes to thy entertainment. Shakspeare makes Coriolanus characterize the tribunitian infolence of Sicinius, under the fame figure. VOL. II, And these were called Knots of which there as many forms as there are devices in Garden brains" – Sage an old book on Gendering Wm Lawson 6th edn to 1676 . 5 veffel of thy law's fury; and fhall, at the leaft of thy feet notice, bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty, Don Adriano de Armado. Biron. This is not fo well as I look'd for, but the best that ever I heard. King. Ay, the beft for the worst. But, firrah, what say you to this? Coft. Sir, I confess the wench. King. Did you hear the proclamation? Coft. I do confefs much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it. King. It was proclaim'd a year's imprisonment, to be taken with a wench. Caft. I was taken with none, fir; I was taken with a damofel. King. Well, it was proclaimed damofel. Coff. This was no damofel neither; fir, fhe was a virgin. King. It is fo varied too; for it was proclaim'd, virgin. Coff. If it were, I deny her virginity; I was taken with a raid. King, This maid will not ferve your turn, fir. Coft. This maid will ferve my turn, fir. King. Sir, I will pronounce your fentence; You fhall faft a week with bran and water. Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and por ridge. King. And Don Armado fhall be your keeper.My lord Biron fee him deliver'd o’er.— And go we, lords, to put in practice that Which each to other hath so strongly fworn. [Exeunt. Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, Sirrah, come on. Coft. I fuffer for the truth, fir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and there fore, 5 This feems to be a phrase adopted from scripture. See Epift. to the Romans, ix. 22. "—the veel of wrath." Mr. M. Mafon would read vassal instead of vessel. STEEVENS. fore, Welcome the four cup of profperity! Affliction may one day fmile again, and till then, "Sit thee down, forrow! SCENE II. Another part of the fame. Armado's House. Enter ARMADO and MOTH, [Exeunt. Arm. Boy, what fign is it, when a man of great fpirits grows melancholy? Moth. A great fign, fir, that he will look fad. Arm. Why, fadnefs is one and the felf-fame thing, dear imp.6 Moth. No, no; O lọrd, fir, no. Arm. How can't thou part fadnefs and melancholy, my tender juvenal ?7 Moth, By a familiar demonftration of the working, my tough fenior. Arm. Why tough fenior? why tough fenior? Moth. Why tender juvenal? why tender juvenal ? Arm. I fpoke it, tender juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy young days, which we may nominate tender. Moth. And I, tough fenior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. L 2 Arm. 6 Imp was anciently a term of dignity. Lord Cromwell, in his laft letter to Henry VIII. prays for the imp bis fon. It is now used only in contempt or abhorrence; perhaps in our author's time it was ambiguous, in which state it fuits well with this dialogue. JOHNSON. Pistol falutes King Henry V. by the fame title. STEEVENS. The word literally means a graff, fip, scion, or fucker: and by metonymy comes to be used for a boy or child. The imp, his fon, is no more than his infant fon. It is now fet apart to fignify young fiends; as the devil and bis imps. Dr. Johnson was mistaken in fuppofing this a word of dignity. It oc curs in The Hiftory of Celeftina the Faire, 1596: "the gentleman has three fonnes, very ungracious impes, and of a wicked nature.' RITSON. 7 Juvenal is youth. STEEVENS. 8 Old and tough, young and tender, is one of the proverbial phrases cɔllected by Ray. STEEVENS. Arm. Pretty, and apt. Math. How mean you, fir? I pretty, and my faying apt or Lapt, and my faying pretty ? Arm. Thou pretty, because little. Moth. Little pretty, becaufe little: Wherefore apt? Moth. Speak you this in my praife, mafter? Arm. In thy condign praife. Moth. I will praise an eel with the fame praise. Arm. What? that an eel is ingenious? Moth. That an eel is quick. Arm. I do fay, thou art quick in answers: Thou heat'ft my blood. Moth. I am answer'd, fir. Arm. I love not to be crofs'd. Moth. He speaks the mere contrary, croffes love not him.§ [Afide. Arm. I have promised to study three years with the duke. Moth. You may do it in an hour, fir. Arm. Impoffible. Moth. How many is one thrice told? Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fitteth the fpirit of a tapter.2 Moth. You are a gentleman, and a gamefter, fir. Arm. I confefs both; they are both the varnish of a complete man. Moth. Then, I am fure, you know how much the gross fum of deuce-ace amounts to. Arm. It doth amount to one more than two. Moth. Which the base vulgar do call, three. Moth. Why, fir, is this fuch a piece of study?? Now here is three ftudied, ere you'll thrice wink: and how easy it is to put years to the word three, and ftudy three years in two words, the dancing horfe will tell you. 3 9 By croffes he means money. JoHNSON. Arm. 2 Again, in Troilus and Creffida: "A tapfter's arithmetick may foon bring his particulars therein te a total." STEEVENS. 3 Bankes's barfe, which play'd many remarkable pranks. Sir Walter Raleigh (Hftory of the World, firft Part, p. 178.) fays, "If Banks had lived |