3

Much upon this it is:-And might not you [To Boyet
Foreftal our sport, to make us thus untrue?
Do not you know my lady's foot by the fquier,
"And laugh upon the apple of her eye?
And ftand between her back, fir, and the fire,
Holding a trencher, jefting merrily?
You put our page out: Go, you are allow'd;
Die when you will, a fmock fhall be your fhrowd.
You leer upon me, do you? there's an eye,
Wounds like a leaden fword.

Boyet. Full merrily

3

Hath this brave manage, this career, been run.
Biron. Lo, he is tilting ftrait! Peace, I have done,
Enter Coftard.

Welcome pure wit! thou parteft a fair fray.
Coft. O Lord, fir, they would know
Whether the three worthies fhall come in, or no.

Biron. What are there but three?

Coft. No, fir, but it is very fine;

For every one pursents three.

Biron. And three times three is nine?

Coft. Not fo, fir; under correction, fir; I hope, it is not fo.

You cannot beg us,+ fir; I can affure you fir, we know what we know:

I hope, three times three, fir

Biron. Is not nine.

3 by the Squier,] Efquierre, French, a rule, or Square.

REVISAL. --Go, you are allow'd;] i. e. you may say what you will; you are a licensed fool, a common jefter. So Twelfth Night, There is no flander in an allow'd fool. WARBURTON. You cannot beg us, -] That is, we are not fools, our next relations cannot beg the wardship of our perfons and fortunes. One of the legal tefts of a natural is to try whether he can number.

Gg3

JOHNSON.

Coft.

Coft. Under correction, fir, we know whereuntil it doth amount.

Biron. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. Coft. O Lord, fir, it were pity you should get your living by reckoning, fir,

Biron. How much is it?

Coft. O Lord, fir, the parties themselves, the actors, fir, will fhew whereuntil it doth amount: for my own part, I am, as they fay, but to perfect one man in one poor man; Pompion the Great, fir.

Biron. Art thou one of the worthies?

Coft. It pleased them to think me worthy of Pompion the Great: for mine own part, I know not the degree of the worthy; but I am to ftand for him. Biron. Go, bid them prepare.

Coft. We will turn it finely off, fir; we will take fome

care.

Kiag. Biron, they will fhame us, let them not approach. [Exit Coft. Biron. We are shame-proof, my lord; and 'tis fome policy

To have one show worse than the king's and his com

pany,

King. I fay, they fhall not come.

Prin. Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you now; That sport beft pleafes, that doth least know how."

That sport beft pleafes, which doth leaft know how.
Where zeal frives to content, and the contents

Dies in the zeal of that which it presents;

Their form, &c.

The third line may be read better thus,

-the contents

Die in the zeal of him which them prefents.

This fentiment of the Princefs is very natural, but lefs generous than that of the Amazonian Queen, who fays, on a like occafion, in Midfummer-Night's Dream,

I love not to fee wretchedness d'ercharg'd,
Nor duty in bis fervice perishing.

I

JOHNSON.

Where

Where zeal ftrives to content, and the contents
Dies in the zeal of that which it presents;

There form, confounded, makes moft form in mirth; When great things, labouring, perish in their birth. Biron. A right defcription of our fport, my lord. Enter Armado."

Arm. Anointed, I implore fo much expence of thy royal fweet breath, as will utter a brace of words. Prin. Doth this man ferve God?

Biron. Why afk you?

Prin. He speaks not like a man of God's making. Arm. That's all one, my fair, sweet, honey monarch: for, I proteft, the school-mafter is exceeding fantaftical; too, too vain; too, too vain: But we will put it, as they fay, to fortuna della guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, moft royal couplement.

King. Here is like to be a good presence of worthies: He prefents Hector of Troy; the fwain, Pompey the Great; the parish curate, Alexander; Armado's page, Hercules; the pedant, Judas Macchabæus. And if these four worthies in their firft fhow thrive, These four will change habits, and prefent the other five. Biron. There are five in the first fhow.

King. You are deceiv'd, 'tis not so.

Biron. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-prieft, the fool, and the boy.

8

A bare throw at novum, and the whole world again, Cannot prick out five fuch, take each one in his vein,

7 Enter Armado.] The old copies read-Enter Braggart.

King.

STEEVENS.

8 A bare throw at novum,-] This paffage I do not understand. I fancy that novum should be novem, and that fome allufion is intended between the play of wine pins and the play of the nine wor thies, but it lies too deep for my inveftigation. JOHNSON.

Novum appears from the following paflage in Green's Tu quoque, to have been fome game at dice." Change your game for dice; "we are a full number for novum." Again in A Woman never

Gg 4

vex'd,

King. The fhip is under fail, and here fhe comes amain.

Enter Coftard for Pompey.

Caft. I Pompey am.

Boyet. You lye, you are not he.

Coft. 1 Pompey am

Boyet. With libbard's head on knee."

Biron. Well faid, old mocker: I must needs be friends with thee.

Coft. I Pompey am, Pompey furnam'd the Big.
Dum. The Great.

Coft. It is Great, fir; Pompey furnam'd the Great, That oft in field, with targe and fhield, did make my foe to

Sweat:

And travelling along this coaft, Ihere am come by chance z And lay my arms before the legs of this fweet lafs of France. If your ladyship would fay, Thanks-Pompey, I had done.

Prin. Great thanks, great Pompey.

Coft. 'Tis not fo much worth; but, I hope, I was perfect. I made a little fault in great.

Biron. My hat to a half-penny, Pompey proves the best worthy.

Enter Nathaniel for Alexander.

Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander;

By east, weft, north,and fouth, I spread my conquering might:

vex'd," What ware deal you in? cards, dice, bowls, or pigeonholes; fort them yourselves, either paffage, novum, or mum"chance." STEEVENS.

With libbard's head on knee.] This alludes to the old heroic habits, which on the knees and fhoulders had ufually, by way of ornament, the resemblance of a leopard's or lion's head.

WARBURTON.

The libbard, as fome of the old English gloffaries inform us, is the male of the panther. STEEVENS.

My

My Scutcheon plain declares, that I am Alifander. Boyet. Your nofe fays, no, you are not; for it ftands too right.

Biron. Your nofe fmells, no, in this, most tender
fmelling knight.

Prin. The conqueror is difmay'd: proceed, good
Alexander.

Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's
commander.

Boyet. Most true, 'tis right; you were fo, Alifander.
Biron. Pompey the Great,--

Coft. Your fervant, and Coftard.

Biron. Take away the conqueror, take away Alifan

der.

2

Coft. O, fir, you have overthrown Alifander the 'conqueror. [To Nath.] You will be fcraped out of the painted cloth for this: your lion, that holds his pollax' fitting on a close-ftool, will be given to A-jax; he will then be the ninth worthy. A conqueror, and afraid to speak! run away for fhame, Alifander. [Exit Nath.] There, an't fhall pleafe you! a foolish mild man; an honest man, look you, and foon dash'd! He is a marvellous good neighbour, infooth, and a very good bowler: but, for Alifander, alas, you see, how 'tis ; a little o'erparted-But there are worthies a coming will speak their mind in fome other fort. Biron. Stand afide, good Pompey.

lion, that bolds his poll-ax, fitting on a clofe-flool,] Alluding to the arms given to the nine worthies in the old history. HANMER. Ajax ;] There is a conceit of Ajax and a jakes. JOHNSON. This conceit, paltry as it is, was used by Ben Jonfon, and Camden the antiquary. Ben. among his Epigrams, has these two lines, "And I could with, for their eterniz'd fakes,

"My mufe had plough'd with his that fung Ajax." So Camden, in his Remains, having mentioned the French word pet, fays, "Enquire, if you understand it not, of Cloacina's chaplains, or ch as are well read in A-jax." STEEVENS.

Enter