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And every one his love-feat will advance

Unto his feveral mistress; which they'll know
By favours several, which they did beftow.

Prin. And will they fo? the gallants shall be
tafk'd:

For, ladies, we will every one be mask'd;
And not a man of them fhall have the grace,
Defpight of fuit, to fee a lady's face.

Hold, Rofaline, this favour thou shalt wear;
And then the king will court thee for his dear :
Hold, take you this, my fweet, and give me thine ;
So fhall Biron take me for Rofaline.-

And change your favours too; fo fhall your loves
Woo contrary, deceiv'd by these removes.

Rof. Come on then, wear the favours moft in
fight.

Cath. But, in this changing, what is your intent?
Prin. The effect of my intent is to cross theirs ;
They do it but in mocking merriment;

And mock for mock is only my intent.
Their feveral councils they unbofom fhall
To loves miftook; and fo be mock'd withal,
Upon the next occafion that we meet,
With vifages difplay'd, to talk, and greet.

Rof. But fhall we dance, if they defire us to❜t?
Prin. No; to the death, we will not move a foot:
Nor to their penn'd fpeech render we no grace :
But, while 'tis fpoke, each turn away her face.
Boyet. Why, that contempt will kill the fpeaker's
heart,

And quite divorce his memory from his part.

in Ruffia was, at that time, a matter that much ingroffed the concern and converfation of the publick. There had been feveral embaffies employed thither on that occafion; and several tracts of the manners and state of that nation written: fo that a mask of Mufcovites was as good an entertainmenment to the audience of that time, as a coronation has been fince. WARBURTON.

Prin. Therefore I do it; and I make no doubt, The reft will ne'er come in, if he be out. There's no fuch fport, as fport by fport o'erthrown; To make theirs ours, and ours none but our own: So fhall we stay, mocking intended game;

And they, well mock'd, depart away with fhame.

[Sound.

Boyet. The trumpet founds; be mafk'd, the mafkers [The ladies mafk.

come.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, Dumain, and attendants, difguifed like Mufcovites; Moth with mufick, as for a masquerade.

Moth. All hail, the richest beauties on the earth!
Boyet. Beauties, no richer than rich taffata. 4
Moth. A boly parcel of the fairest dames.

[The ladies turn their backs to him.

That ever turn'd their-backs-to mortal views.

Biron. Their eyes, villain, their eyes.

Moth. That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal views. Out

Biron. True; out, indeed.

Moth. Out of your favours, heavenly Spirits, vouchSafe Not to behold.

Biron. Once to behold, rogue.

Moth. Once to behold with your fun-beamed eyes— With your fun beamed eyes

4 Beauties, no richer than rich taffata.] i. e. the taffata masks they wore to conceal themselves. All the editors concur to give this line to Biron; but, furely, very abfurdly for he's one of the zealous admirers, and hardly would make fuch an inference. Boyet is fneering at the parade of their addrefs, is in the fecret of the ladies' ftratagem, and makes himself fport at the abfurdity of their proem, in complimenting their beauty, when they were mafk'd. It therefore comes from him with the utmost propriety.

Ff3

THEOBALD.

Boyet

Boyet. They will not answer to that epithet: You were best call it daughter-beamed eyes.

Moth. They do not mark me, and that brings me

out.

Biron. Is this your perfectness? be gone, you

rogue.

Rof. What would thefe ftrangers? know their minds, Boyet.

If they do fpeak our language, 'tis our will
That fome plain man recount their purposes:
Know, what they would.

Boyet. What would you with the princess ?
Biron. Nothing, but peace and gentle vifitation.
Rof. What would they, fay they ?

Boyet. Nothing, but peace and gentle vifitation.
Rof. Why, That they have; and bid them fo be

gone.

Boyet. She fays, you have it; and you may be gone.

King. Say to her, we have meafur'd many miles, To tread a meafure with her on the grafs.

Boyet. They fay, that they have meafur'd many a mile,

To tread a measure with you on this grafs.

Rof. It is not fo. Afk them how many inches Is in one mile if they have measur'd many, The measure then of one is eafily told.

Boyet. If, to come hither you have meafur'd miles, And many miles; the princefs bids you tell, How many inches do fill up one mile?

Biron. Tell her, we measure them by weary steps.

Boyet. She hears herself.

Rof. How many weary steps

Of many weary miles, you have o’ergone,

Are number'd in the travel of one mile?

Biron. We number nothing that we spend for

you;

I

Our

Our duty is fo rich, fo infinite,

That we may do it ftill without accompt.
Vouchsafe to fhew the funfhine of your face,
That we (like favages) may worship it.

Rof. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. King. Bleffed are clouds, to do as fuch clouds do! Vouchsafe, bright moon, and thefe thy ftars, to

fhine

(Those clouds remov'd) upon our watery eyne. Rof. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter; Thou now requeft'ft but moon-fhine in the water. King. Then in our measure vouchfafe but one change:

Thou bid'ft me beg, this begging is not strange. Rof. Play, mufick, then: Nay, you must do it foon.

Not yet; no dance:-Thus change I like the

moon.

King. Will you not dance? How come you thus eftrang'd?

Rof. You took the moon at full: but now fhe's chang'd.

King. Yet ftill fhe is the moon, and I the man. The mufick plays, vouchfafe fome motion to it. Rof. Our ears vouchfafe it.

King. But your legs fhould do it.

Rof. Since you are ftrangers, and come here by chance,

We'll not be nice: take hands;-we will not dance. King. Why take you hands then?

Rof. Only to part

friends:

Curt'fy, fweet hearts; and fo the measure ends.

5 Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy ftars, -] When queen Elizabeth asked an ambassadour how he liked her ladies, It is hard, faid he, to judge f fars in the presence of the fun.

Ff 4

JOHNSON.

King,

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King. More measure of this measure; be not nice
Rof. We can afford no more at fuch a price.
King, Prize yourselves then; what buys your
company?

Rof. Your abfence only.

King. That can never be.

Rof. Then cannot we be bought

and fo, adieu;

Twice to your visor, and half once to you!

King. If you deny to dance, let's hold more chat, Rof. In private then,

King. I am beft pleas'd with that.

Biron. White-handed mistress, one fweet word with thee.

Prin. Honey, and milk, and fugar; there is three. Biron. Nay then, two treys; (an if you grow fo nice,)

Metheglin, wort, and malmfey-Well run, dice! There's half a dozen fweets,

Prin. Seventh fweet, adieu!

Since you can cog,

• I'll play no more with you.

Biron. One word in fecret.

Prin. Let it not be sweet.

Biron. Thou griev'ft my gall,

Prin. Gall? bitter.

Biron. Therefore meet.

Dum. Will you vouchfafe with me to change a

word.

Mar. Name it.

Dum. Fair lady.

Mar. Say you fo? fair lord :—

Take that for your fair lady.

Dum. Please it you,

As much in private, and I'll bid adieu.

Since you can cog,] To cog fignifies to falfifg the dice,

and to falfify a narrative, or te lye. JOHNSON.

Cath.

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