That hath a mint of phrases in his brain; For interim to our studies, shall relate, In high-born words, the worth of many a knight BIRON. Armado is a most illustrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight. LONG. Costard the swain and he shall be our sport; And, so to study, three years is but short. Enter DULL with a letter, and COSTARD DULL. Which is the Duke's own person? DULL. I myself reprehend his own person, for I am his Grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood. BIRON. This is he. you. DULL. Signior Arme- Arme - commends There's villany abroad: this letter will tell you more. 182 tharborough] third-borough, constable. Thus the First Folio. The first quarto reads Farborough, doubtless by way of reproducing the constable's mispronunciation. 170 180 COST. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me. KING. A letter from the magnificent Armado. BIRON. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words. LONG. A high hope for a low heaven: God grant us patience! BIRON. To hear? or forbear laughing? LONG. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. BIRON. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness. COST. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The matter of it is, I was taken with the manner. BIRON. In what manner? Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three I was seen with her in the manor-house, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is in manner and form following. Now, sir, for the manner, it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for the form, in some form. BIRON. For the following, sir? COST. As it shall follow in my correction: and God defend the right! KING. Will you hear this letter with attention? 199 taken with the manner]" in flagrante delicto." According to Cowell's Law Dictionary (1607), "Mainour alias manour. . . in a legal sense denoteth the thing that a thief taketh or stealeth; as to be taken with the mainour is to be taken with the thing stolen about him." 190 200 210 COST. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh. KING [reads]. "Great deputy, the welkin's vicegerent, and sole dominator of Navarre, my soul's earth's god, and body's fostering patron." COST. Not a word of Costard yet. KING [reads]. "So it is," COST. It may be so: but if he say it is so, he is, in telling true, but so. KING. Peace! COST. Be to me, and every man that dares not fight! KING. No Words! COST. Of other men's secrets, I beseech you. KING [reads]. "So it is, besieged with sable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper: so much for the time when. Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest: but to the place where, — it standeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden: there did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth," - 236 curious-knotted] with flower-beds intersecting one another with some complication. Cf. Lyly's Euphues, in Works, ed. R. W. Bond, i, 187:"Gardeiners who in their curious knottes mixe Hisoppe wyth Time." 220 237 COST. Me? KING [reads]. "that unlettered small-knowing soul," — KING [reads]. "that shallow vassal," COST. Still me? KING [reads]. "which, as I remember, hight Costard," - KING [reads]. "sorted and consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, which with, -0, with-but with this I passion to say wherewith," — COST. With a wench. KING [reads]. "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, Anthony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation." DULL. Me, an 't shall please you: I am Anthony Dull. KING [reads]. "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 compliment of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty. DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO." BIRON. 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? 255, 256 vessel] The word is used as in the New Testament; both the lines in which it figures echo scriptural phrases. Cf. "the weaker vessel" 1 Peter, i, 7; and "the vessels of wrath," Rom. ix, 22. 240 248 261 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 taken with a damsel. KING. Well, it was proclaimed damsel. COST. This was no damsel 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. 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. And go we, lords, to put in practice that [Exeunt King, Longaville, and Dumain. BIRON. 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 271 280 289 |