Dum. Some salve for perjurie.

Ber. O'tis more then neede.

Have at you then affections men at armes,
Consider what you first did sweare unto:
To fast, to study, and to see no woman:
Flat treason against the Kingly state of youth.
Can you fast? your stomacks are too young:
And abstinence ingenders maladies.

Say,

310

And where that you have vow'd to studie (Lords)
In that each of you have forsworne his Booke.
Can you still dreame and pore, and thereon looke.
For when would you my Lord, or you, or you,
Have found the ground of studies excellence,
Without the beauty of a womans face;
From womens eyes this doctrine I derive,
They are the Ground, the Bookes, the Achadems,
From whence doth spring the true Promethean fire.
Why, universall plodding poysons up

The nimble spirits in the arteries,
As motion and long during action tyres
The sinnowy vigour of the travailer.
Now for not looking on a womans face,
You have in that forsworne the use of eyes:
And studie too, the causer of your vow.
For where is any Author in the world,
Teaches such beauty as a womans eye:
Learning is but an adjunct to our selfe,
And where we are, our Learning likewise is.
Then when our selves we see in Ladies eyes,
With our selves.

Doe we not likewise see our learning there?
O we have made a Vow to studie, Lords,

311. against: 'gainst-IQ.

320

330

335. With our selves out-2-4F.

And in that vow we have forsworne our Bookes:
For when would you (my Leege) or you, or you?
In leaden contemplation have found out
Such fiery Numbers as the prompting eyes,
Of beauties tutors have inrich'd you with:
Other slow Arts intirely keepe the braine:
And therefore finding barraine practizers,
Scarce shew a harvest of their heavy toyle.
But Love first learned in a Ladies eyes,
Lives not alone emured in the braine:
But with the motion of all elements,
Courses as swift as thought in every power,
And gives to every power a double power,
Above their functions and their offices.
It addes a precious seeing to the eye:
A Lovers eyes will gaze an Eagle blinde.
A Lovers eare will heare the lowest sound.
When the suspicious head of theft is stopt.
Loves feeling is more soft and sensible,

Then are the tender hornes of Cockled Snayles.
Loves tongue proves dainty, Bachus grosse in taste,
For Valour, is not Love a Hercules?

Still climing trees in the Hesporides.

340

350

Subtill as Sphinx, as sweet and musicall,

360

As bright Apollo's Lute, strung with his haire.

And when Love speakes, the voyce of all the Gods, Make heaven drowsie with the harmonie.

Never durst Poet touch a pen to write,

Untill his Inke were tempred with Loves sighes:
O then his lines would ravish savage eares,

And plant in Tyrants milde humilitie.
From womens eyes this doctrine I derive.
They sparcle still the right promethean fire,
They are the Bookes, the Arts, the Achademes,

370

That shew, containe, and nourish all the world.
Else none at all in ought proves excellent.

Then fooles you were these women to forsweare:
Or keeping what is sworne, you will prove fooles,
For Wisedomes sake, a word that all men love:
Or for Loves sake, a word that loves all men.
Or for Mens sake, the author of these Women:
Or Womens sake, by whom we men are Men.
Let's once loose our oathes to finde our selves,
Or else we loose our selves, to keepe our oathes:
It is religion to be thus forsworne.
For Charity it selfe fulfills the Law:
And who can sever love from Charity.

380

Kin. Saint Cupid then, and Souldiers to the field. Ber. Advance your standards, & upon them Lords. Pell, mell, downe with them: but be first advis'd, In conflict that you get the Sunne of them.

Long. Now to plaine dealing, Lay these glozes by, Shall we resolve to woe these girles of France? 390 Kin. And winne them too, therefore let us devise, Some entertainment for them in their Tents.

Ber. First from the Park let us conduct them thither, Then homeward every man attach the hand Of his faire Mistresse, in the afternoone We will with some strange pastime solace them: Such as the shortnesse of the time can shape, For Revels, Dances, Maskes, and merry houres, Fore-runne faire Love, strewing her way with flowres. Kin. Away, away, no time shall be omitted, 400 That will be time, and may by us be fitted. 1 weeds Ber. Alone, alone sowed Cockell,1 reap'd no Corne,

378. author: authors-CAPELL.

402. Alone, alone: Allons! allons!-THEOBALD.

And Justice alwaies whirles in equall measure:

Light Wenches may prove plagues to men forsworne, If so, our Copper buyes no better treasure.

Enter the Pedant, Curate and Dull.

Pedant. Satis quid sufficit.

Exeunt.

Curat. I praise God for you sir, your reasons at dinner have beene sharpe & sententious: pleasant without scurrillity, witty without affection,1 audacious without impudency, learned without opinion, and strange without heresie: I did converse this quondam day with a companion of the Kings, who is intituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Armatho. laffectation 10

Ped. Novi hominum tanquam te, His humour is lofty, his discourse peremptorie: his tongue filed, his eye ambitious, his gate majesticall, and his generall behaviour vaine, ridiculous, and thrasonicall. He is too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odde, as it were, too peregrinat, as I may call it.

18

Curat. A most singular and choise Epithat, Draw out his Table-booke. Peda. He draweth out the thred of his verbositie, finer then the staple of his argument. I abhor such phanaticall phantasims, such insociable and poynt devise companions, such rackers of ortagriphie, as to speake dout fine, when he should say doubt; det, when he shold pronounce debt; debt, not det: he clepeth a Calf, Caufe: halfe, haufe: neighbour vocatur nebour; neigh abreviated

3. quid: quod-RowE.

II. bominum: hominem-3-4F.

ne: this is abhominable, which he would call abhominable: it insinuateth me of infamie: ne inteligis domine, to make franticke, lunaticke?

Cura. Laus deo, bene intelligo.

Peda. Bome boon for boon prescian, a little scratcht, 'twil

serve.

Enter Bragart, Boy [and Costard].

Curat. Vides ne quis venit?

Peda. Video, & gaudio.

Brag. Chirra.

Peda. [To Moth] Quari Chirra, not Sirra?
Brag. Men of peace well incountred.

Ped. Most millitarie sir salutation.

31

Boy. [Aside to Costard] They have beene at a great feast of Languages, and stolne the scraps.

40

Clow. O they have liv'd long on the almes-basket of words. I marvell thy M. hath not eaten thee for a word, for thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus: Thou art easier swallowed then a flapdragon.

Page. Peace, the peale begins.

Brag. [To Hol.] Mounsier, are you not lettred? Page. Yes, yes, he teaches boyes the Horne-booke: What is Ab speld backward with the horn on his head? Peda. Ba, puericia with a horne added. Pag. Ba most seely Sheepe, with a horne: his learning.

Peda. Quis quis, thou Consonant?

26-7. call abbominable: call abbominable-IQ.

27. infamie: insanie-THEOBALD. ne: anne-GLOBE.

50

: you heare

30. Bome boon for boon prescian: Bon, bon, fort bon! Priscian -CAPELL, CAMBRIDGE. 36. Quari: Quare-HANMER.