bonorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art eafier swallowed

than a flap-dragon.

6

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? Hal. BA, pueritia, with a horn added.

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

Hol. Quis, quis, thou confonant?

Moth. The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if I.7

Hol. I will repeat them, a, e, I.—

Moth. The sheep: 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. Offer'd 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

Honorificabilitudinitatibus.] This word, whencefoever it comes, is often mentioned as the longest word known JOHNSON.

7 Moth. The third of the five vowels, &c.] In former editions: The laft of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if 1; Hol. I will repeat them, a, e, I

Moth. The sheep :— -the other two concludes it out.

Is not the last and the fifth the fame vowel? Though my correction reitores but a poor conundrum, yet if it reftores the poet's meaning, it is the duty of an editor to trace him in his lowest conceits. By O, U, Moth would mean-Oh, you-i. e. You are the fheep fill, either way; no matter which of us repeats them.

THEOBALD.

will

8

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 fhouldst have it to buy ginger-bread hold, there is: the very remuneration I had of thy mafter, thou half-penny penny purfe of wit, thou pigeon egg of difcretion." O, that the heavens were so pleased, that thou wert but my baftard! what a joyful father wouldft thou make me? Go to, thou haft it ad dunghill; at the finger's ends, as they say.

Hol. Oh, I fmell falfe Latin; dunghill for unguem. Arm. Arts-man, præambula; we will be fingled from the barbarous. Do you not educate youth at the charge houfe on the top of the mountain? Hol. Or, Mons the hill.

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

Arm. Sir, it is the king's most sweet pleasure and affection, to congratulate the princess at her pavilion, in the pofteriors of this day; which the rude multitude call, the afternoon.

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

Arm. Sir, the king is a noble gentleman; and my familiar, (I do affure you,) very good friend :-For what is inward between us, let it pafs :- do befeech thee, remember thy courtesy ;-I beseech thee, apparel thy head:-and among other importunate and moft ferious 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 up

9 I will whip about your infamy unum cita :] Here again all the editions give us jargon instead of Latin. But Moth would certainly mean, circum circa: i. e. about and about: tho' it may defigned he should mistake the terms. THEOBALD.

be

1

on

on my poor fhoulder; and with his royal finger,
thus, daily with my excrement, with my muftachio
but fweet heart, let that pafs. By the world, I re-
count no fable; fome certain special honours it
pleafeth his greatnefs 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 fecrefy,--that the king would
have me present the princefs (fweet chuck) with
fome delightful oftentation, or fhow, or pageant, or
antick, or fire-work. Now, understanding that the
curate and your sweet felf are good at fuch eruptions,
and fudden breakings out of mirth, (as it were) I
have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your
affistance.

Hol. Sir, you fhall prefent before her the nine
worthies. Sir Nathaniel, as concerning: fome en-
tertainment of time, fome fhow in the posterior of
this day, to be rendred by our affistance, at the
king's command; and this moft gallant, illuftrate,
and learned gentleman, before the princefs: I fay,
none fo fit as to prefent the nine worthies.

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

Hol. Joshua, yourself; myself or this gallant gentleman, Judas Maccabæus; this fwain (because of his great limb or joint) fhail pass Pompey the great; 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 shall prefent Hercules in minority: his Enter and Exit fhall be ftrang

dally with my excrement,] The authour has before called the beard valour's excrement in the Merchant of Venice. JOHNSON.

4

ling a snake; and I will have an apology for that purpose.

Moth. An excellent device! fo 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 reft 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 beseech you, follow.

Hol. Via! good man Dull, thou hast spoken no word all this while.

Dull. Nor understood 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.

SCENE II.

Before the Princess's Pavilion.

Enter Princess, and Ladies.

[Exeunt.

Prin. Sweet 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 elfe along with that?

2 if this fadge not,] i. e. fuit not. this word are given in Twelfth Night.

More inftances of the ufe of
STEEVENS.

Prin.

Prin. Nothing but this? Yes, as much love in

rhime,

As would be cramm'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 the been light, like you,
Of fuch a merry, nimble, ftirring fpirit,

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

Cath. A light condition, in a beauty dark.
Rof. We need more light to find your meaning

out.

Cath. You'll mar the light, by taking it in fnuff: Therefore, I'll darkly end the argument.

3

Rof. Look, what you do; you do it ftill i' the
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. Great reafon; for, Paft cure is still paft

care.

Prin. Well bandied both; a fet of wit well play'd.

to make his God-head wax ;] To wax anciently fignified to grow. It is yet faid of the moon, that the waxes and wanes. STEEVENS.

for paft care is fill paft cure.] The tranfpofition which I have made in the two words, care and cure, is by the direction of the ingenious Dr. Thirlby. THEOBALD.

But,