Dull. What is Dictynna?

Sir Nath. A title to Phoebe, to Luna, to the moon. Hol. The moon was a month old, when Adam

was no more;

And raught not to five weeks, when he came to five score.

The allusion holds in the exchange.2

Dull. 'Tis true indeed; the collusion holds in the exchange.

Hol. God comfort thy capacity! I say, the allusion holds in the exchange.

Dull. And I say the pollusion holds in the exchange; for the moon is never but a month old; and I say beside, that 'twas a pricket that the princess killed.

Hol. Sir Nathaniel, will you hear an extemporal epitaph on the death of the deer? and, to humor the ignorant, I have called the deer the princess killed, a pricket.

Sir Nath. Perge, good master Holofernes, perge ; so it shall please you to abrogate scurrility.

Hol. I will something affect the letter; 3 for ït argues facility.

• The praiseful princess pierced and prick'd a pretty pleasing pricket;

Some say, a sore; but not a sore, till now made sore with shooting.

1 Reached.

• The riddle is as good when I use the name of Adam as when I use the name of Cain.

I will practise alliteration.

The dogs did yell; put to sore, then sorel1 jumps from thicket;

Or pricket, sore, or else sorel; the people fall a hooting.

If sore be sore, then L to sore makes fifty sores; 20

sore L!

Of one sore I a hundred make, by adding but one more L.'

Sir Nath. A rare talent!

Dull. If a talent be a claw, look how he claws him with a talent! 3

Hol. This is a gift that I have, simple, simple; a foolish extravagant spirit, full of forms, figures, shapes, objects, ideas, apprehensions, motions, revolutions: these are begot in the ventricle of memory, nourished in the womb of pia mater, and delivered upon the mellowing of occasion. But the gift is good in those in whom it is acute, and I am thankful for it.

Sir Nath. Sir, I praise the Lord for you, and so may my parishioners; for their sons are well tutored by you, and their daughters profit very greatly under you: you are a good member of the commonwealth.

Hol. Mehercle, if their sons be ingenious, they shall want no instruction; if their daughters be capable, I will put it to them: but, vir sapit qui pauca loquitur; a soul feminine saluteth us.

1 A buck of the third year.

2 In allusion to L being the numeral for fifty.

3 In our author's time the talon of a bird was frequently, written talent.'

Enter JAQUENETTA and COSTARD.

Jaq. God give you good morrow, master person. Hol. Master person,-quasi pers-on: and if one should be pierced, which is the one?

Cos. Marry, master schoolmaster, he that is likest to a hogshead.

Hol. Of piercing a hogshead! a good lustre of conceit in a turf of earth: fire enough for a flint; pearl enough for a swine: 'tis pretty: it is well.

Jaq. Good master parson, be so good as read me this letter; it was given me by Costard, and sent me from Don Armatho. I beseech you, read it.

Hol. Fauste, precor, gelida quando pecus omne sub umbra

Ruminat,—and so forth. Ah, good old Mantuan!
I may speak of thee as the traveller doth of Venice;
-Vinegia, Vinegia,

Chi non te vede, ei non te pregia.

Old Mantuan! old Mantuan! Who understandeth thee not, loves thee not.-Ut, re, sol, la, mi, ja.Under pardon, sir, what are the contents? or, rather, as Horace says in his-What, my soul, verses?

Sir Nath. Ay, sir, and very learned.

Hol. Let me hear a staff, a stanza, a verse. Lege, domine!

Sir Nath. If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love?

Ah, never faith could hold, if not to beauty vow'd!