Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing?

Long. To hear meekly, fir, to laugh moderately; or to forbear both.

Biron. Well, fir, be it as the ftile fhall give us cause to climb in the merrinefs.

Coft. The matter is to me, fir, as concerning Jaquenetta.

The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner.9 Biren. In what manner?

Coft. In manner and form, following, fir; all thofe three. I was feen with her in the manor houfe, fitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following. Now, fir, for the manner: it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for the form, in fome form.

Biron. For the following, fir?

Coft. As it fhall follow in my correction; and God defend the right?

King. Will you hear the letter with attention?
Biron. As we would hear an oracle.

Coft. Such is the fimplicity of man to hearken after

the flesh.

King. [Reads.] Great deputy, the welkin's vice-gerent, and fole dominator of Navarre, my ful's earth's God, and body's feft'ring patron

them, it will be but a low acquifition at beft." This our poet calls a lor having: and it is a fubftantive which he ufes in feveral other paffages. THEOBALD.

It is fo ufed in Macbeth, a&ti.

9

-great prediction

"Cf noble having, and of royal hope." STEEVENS. -taken with the manner.] The following question arifing from thefe words fhews we should read, taken in the manner.

And this was the phrafe in ufe to fignify, taken in the fact. So Dr. Donne, in his letters, But if I melt into melancholy while I write, I shall be taken in the manner; and I fit by one, too tender to theft impreffions. WARBURTON.

Wub the manner, and in the manner, are expreffions, ufed indifferently by our old writers. STEEVENS.

Coft.

Coft. Not a word of Costard yet:

King. So it is

Coft. It may be fo: but if he fay it is fo, he is, in telling true, but fo, fo.

King. Peace

Coft. Be to me, and every man that dares not fight!
King No words-

Coft. Of other men's fecrets, I beseech you.

King. So it is, Befieged with fable-coloured melancholy, I did commend the black oppreffing humour to the most wholesome phyfick of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentleman, betock myself to walk. The time, when? About the fixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men fit down to that nourishment which is call'd fupper. So much for the time, when. Now for the ground, which; which, I mean, I walk'd upon; it is yclep'd, thy park. Then for the place, where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most prepofterous event, that drawerb from my fnow-white pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here thou vieweft, beholdeft, furveyeft, or feeft. But to the place, where; It ftandeth northnorth-east and by east from the west corner of thy curiousknotted garden. There did I fee that low-fpirited fwain, that bafe minow of thy mirth,' (Coft. Me?) that unletter'd fmall-knowing foul, (Coft. Me?) that shallow vaffal, (Coft. Still Me?) which, as I remember, hight Coftard; (Coft. O me!) forted and conforted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edit and continent canon, with, with-O with, but with this, I paffion to say wherewith:

Coft. With a wench.

King. With a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more understanding, a woman. Him, I (as

bafe minnow of my mirth,] A minnow is a little fish which cannot be intended here. We may read, the bafe minion of thy mirth. JOHNSON.

VOL. II.

my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have fent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy fweet grace's officer, Anthony Dull: a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and eftimation.

Dull. Me, an't fhall please you: I am Anthony Dull.

King. For Jaquenetta, (fo is the weaker vessel call'd which I apprehended with the aforefaid fwain) I keep her as a veffel of thy law's fury; and shall at the leaft of thy fweet notice bring her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning beat of duty,

Don Adriano de Armado. Biron. This is not fo well as I look'd for, but the best that ever I heard.

King. Ay; the best for the worst. But, firrah, what say you to this?

Coft. Sir, I confefs the wench.

King. Did you hear the proclamation?

Coft. I do confefs much of the hearing it, but little of the marking of it.

King. It was proclaim'd a year's imprisonment to be taken with a wench.

Coft. I was taken with none, fir, I was taken with a damofel.

King. Well, it was proclaimed damofel.

Coft. This was no damofel neither, fir, fhe was a virgin.

King. It is fo varied too, for it was proclaim'd virgin.

Coft. If it were, I deny her virginity: I was taken with a maid.

King. This maid will not ferve your turn, fir.
Coft. This maid will ferve my turn, fir.

King. Sir, I will pronounce fentence; you fhall

faft a week with bran and water.

Coft. I had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge,

King.

King. And Don Armado fhall be your keeper,
My lord Biron, see him delivered o'er.
And go we, lords, to put in practice that,

Which each to other hath so strongly sworn. [Exeunt, Biron. I'll lay my head to any good man's hat, These oaths and laws will prove an idle fcorn, Sirrah, come on.

Coft. I fuffer for the truth, fir: for true it is, I was taken with Jaquenetta, and Jaquenetta is a true girl; and therefore, welcome the four cup of profperity! affliction may one day smile again, and until then, fit thee down, forrow! [Exeunt

SCENE II.

ARMAD O's HOUSE.

Enter Armado and Moth,

Arm. Boy, what fign is it, when a man of great fpirit grows melancholy?

Moth. A great fign, fir, that he will look fad. Arm. Why, fadnefs is one and the felf-fame thing, dear imp.

Moth. No, no; O lord, fir, no.

Arm. How can't thou part fadnefs and melancholy, my tender Juvenal ?

Moth. By a familiar demonftration of the working, my tough fignior,

Arm. Why, tough fignior? why, tough fignior?

2 dear imp] Imp was anciently a term of dignity. Lord Crome well in his last letter to Henry VIII. prays for the imp his fon. It is now used only in contempt or abhorrence; perhaps in our authour's time it was ambiguous, in which fta e it faits well with this dialogue. JOHNSON.

Pistol falutes king Henry V. by the fame title, STEEVENS,

Moth. Why, tender Juvenal? why, tender Juvenal?

Arm. I fpoke it, tender Juvenal, as a congruent epitheton, appertaining to thy younger days, which we may nominate, tender.

Moth. And I tough fignior, as an appertinent title to your old time, which we may name tough. Arm. Pretty and apt.

Moth. How mean you, fir? I pretty, and my faying apt? or I apt, and my faying pretty? Arm. Thou pretty, becaufe little.

Moth. Little! pretty, becaufe little wherefore

apt?

Arm. And therefore apt, because quick.
Moth. Speak you this in my praise, master?
Arm. In thy condign praife.

Moth. I will praise an eel with the fame praise.
Arm. What, that an eel is ingenious.

Moth. That an eel is quick.

Arm. I do fay, thou art quick in answers. Thou heat'ft my blood

Moth. I am answer'd, fir.

Arm. I love not to be crofs'd.

Moth. He fpeaks the clean contrary, croffes love

not him. 3

Arm. I have promis'd to ftudy three years with the duke.

Moth. You may do it in an hour, fir.
Arm. Impoffible.

Moth. How many is one thrice told?

Arm. I am ill at reckoning, it fits the spirit of a tapfter.

Moth. You are a gentleman and a gamester, fir.

3 croffes love not him.] By croes he means money. So in As you like it, the Clown fays to Celia, if I should bear you, I should bear no cross. JOHNSON.

Arm.