of Infanity: (Ne intelligis, Domine?) to make frantick, lunatick?

Nath. Laus Deo, bone, intelligo.

Hol. Bone?

bone, for benè; Prifcian a little

fcratch'd; 'twill serve.

SCENE II.

Enter Armado, Moth and Coftard.

Nath. Videfne quis venit?
Hol. Video, & gaudeo.

Arm. Chirrah.

Hol. Quare Chirrah, not Sirrah?

Arm. Men of Peace, well encountred.

Hl. Most military Sir, falutation.

Math. They have been at a great feaft of languages, and stole the fcraps. [To Coftard afide. Coft. O, they have liv'd long on the Alms-basket of words. I marvel, thy mafter hath not eaten thee for a word; for thou art not fo long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier fwallowed than a flap-dragon.

Moth. Peace, the peal begins.

Arm. Monfieur, are you not letter'd?

Moth. Yes, yes, he teaches boys the horn-book: What is A B fpelt backward with a horn on his head? Hol. Ba, pueritia, with a horn added.

Moth. Ba, moft filly fheep, with a horn. You hear his learning.

Hol. Quis, quis, thou confonant?

the pedant worse than Shakespeare made him; who, without doubt,

wrote INSANITY.

WARBURTON. There feems yet fomething wanting to the integrity of this paffage, which Mr. Theobald has

in the moft corrupt and difficult places very happily restored. For ne intelligis Domine, to make frantick, lunatick, I read (nonne intelligis, Domine ?) to be mad, frantick, lunatick.

N 4

Moth.

Moth. The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if I2.

Hol. I will repeat them, a, e, I.

Moth. The fheep; the other two concludes it, o, u. Arm. Now by the falt wave of the Mediterraneum, a fweet touch, a quick venew of wit; fnip, fnap, quick and home; it rejoiceth my intellect; true wit.

Moth. Offered by a child to an old man: which is wit-old.

Hol. What is the figure? what is the figure?
Moth. Horns.

Hol. Thou difputeft like an infant; go, whip thy
gigg.

Moth. Lend me your horn to make one, and I will whip about your infamy' circùm circà; a gigg of a cuckold's horn.

Coft. An' I had but one penny in the world, thou fhouldft have it to buy ginger-bread; hold, there is the very remuneration I had of thy mafter, thou halfpenny purfe of wit, thou pigeon-egg of difcretion. O, that the heav'ns were so pleased, that thou wert but my baftard! what a joyful father wouldst thou make me? go to, thou haft it ad dunghill; at the fingers' ends, as they fay.

Hol. Oh, I fmell falfe Latin, dung bill for unguem. Arm. Arts-man, præambula; we will be fingled

2 In former Editions: The laft of the five Vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth if I:

I.

Hol. I will repeat them, a, e,

Moth. The Sheep:-the other trvo concludes it out.] is not the loft, and the fifth, the fame Vowel? Though my Correction reftores but a poor Conundrum, yet if it reftores the Poet's Meaning, it is the Duty of an Editor to trace him in his loweft Con

ceits. By, Q, U, Meth would mean Oh, You-i. e. You are the Sheep ftill, either way; no matter which of Us repeats them. THEOBALD.

3 I will whip about your Infa my unum cita;] Here again all the Editions give us Jargon inftead of Latin. But Moth would certainly mean, circum circa : i. e. about and about: tho' it may be defign'd, he should mistake the Terms. THEOBALD. from

from the barbarous. Do you not educate youth at the charge-house on the top of the mountain?

Hol. Or, Mons the hill.

Arm. At your fweet pleasure, for the mountain?
Hol. I do, fans queftion.

Arm. Sir, it is the King's most sweet pleasure and affection, to congratulate the Princefs at her Pavilion, in the pofterior of this day, which the rude multitude call the afternoon.

Hol. The pofterior of the day, moft generous Sir, is liable, congruent, and measurable for the afternoon : the word is well cull'd, choice, fweet, and apt, I do affure you, Sir, I do affure.

--

Arm. Sir, the King is a noble gentleman, and my fa miliar; I do affure ye, my very good friend;-for what is inward between us, let it pafs-I do befeech thee, remember thy curtefy-I befeech thee, apparel thy head, and among other importunate and most serious defigns, and of great import indeed too-but let that pafs: for I must tell thee, it will please his Grace (by the world) fometime to lean upon my poor fhoulder, and with his royal finger thus dally with my * excrement, with my muftachio; but fweet heart, let that pafs. By the world, I recount no fable; fome certain fpecial honours it pleaseth his Greatness to impart to Armado, a foldier, a man of travel, that hath feen the world; but let that pafs the very all of all is-but fweet heart, I do implore feerefy. that the King would have me prefent the Princefs (fweet chuck) with fome delightful oftentation, or show, or pageant, or antick, or fire-work. Now, understanding that the Curate and your fweet felf are good at fuch eruptions, and fudden breaking out of mirth (as it were) I have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your affiftance.

Ho!. Sir, you fhall prefent before her the nine Wor

• The authour has before call'd the beard valour's excrement in the Merchant of Venice.

4

thies.

thies. Sir, as concerning fome entertainment of time, fome show in the posterior of this day, to be rendred by our affistance at the King's command, and this most gallant, illustrate and learned gentleman, before the Princess: I fay, none fo fit as to prefent the nine Worthies.

Nath. Where will you find men worthy enough to prefent them?

Hol. Joshua,yourfelf; this gallant man, Judas Macabeus; this fwain (because of his great limb or joint) fhall pafs Pompey the great; and the page Hercules.

Arm. Pardon, Sir, error: he is not quantity enough for that Worthy's thumb; he is not fo big as the end of his club.

Hol. Shall I have audience? he fhall present Hercules in minority: his Enter and Exit fhall be ftrangling a fnake; and I will have an apology for that purpose.

Moth. An excellent device: for if any of the audience hifs, you may cry; "well done, Hercules, now "thou crufheft the fnake;" that is the way to make an offence gracious, tho' few have the grace to do it. Arm. For the rest of the Worthies, Hol. I will play three myself. Moth. Thrice-worthy gentleman! Arm. Shall I tell you a thing?

Hol. We attend.

Arm. We will have, if this fadge not, an Antick. I befeech you, follow.

Hol. Via! good man Dull, thou haft fpoken no word all this while.

Dull. Nor underftood none neither, Sir.

Hol. Allons; we will employ thee.

Dull. I'll make one in a dance, or fo: or I will play on the tabor to the Worthies, and let them dance the hay.

Hol. Moft dull, honeft, Dull, to our Sport away.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

Prin. S

SCENE III.

Before the Princess's Pavilion.

Enter Princess, and Ladies.

WEET hearts, we fhall be rich ere we depart,
If Fairings come thus plentifully in.

A lady wall'd about with diamonds!

Look you, what I have from the loving King.

Rof. Madam, came nothing else along with That? Prin. Nothing but this? Yes, as much love in rhime,

As would be cram'd up in a fheet of paper,
Writ on both fides the leaf, margent and all;
That he was fain to feal on Cupid's name.

Rof. That was the way to make his God-head wax,
For he hath been five thousand years a boy.
Cath. Ay, and a fhrewd unhappy gallows too.
Rof. You'll ne'er be friends with him; he kill'd your
fifter.

Cath. He made her melancholy, fad and heavy,
And fo fhe died; had she been light, like you,
Of fuch a merry, nimble, ftirring fpirit,

She might have been a grandam ere fhe dy'd.
And fo may you; for a light heart lives long.
Rof. What's your dark meaning, moufe, of this
light word?

Cath. A light condition, in a beauty dark.
Ref. We need more light to find your meaning out.
Cath. You'll marr the light, by taking it in fnuff:
Therefore I'll darkly end the argument.

Rof. Look, what you do; and do it ftill i'th' dark. Cath. So do not you, for you are a light wench. Rof. Indeed, I weigh not you; and therefore light. Cath. You weigh me not; O, that's, you care not for me.

Rof.