Jal. About my stature: for, at Pentecost, ⚫
When all our pageants of delight were play'd,
Our youth got me to play the woman's part,
And I was trimm'd in madam Julia's gown;
Which served me as fit, by all men's judgment,
As if the garment had been made for me;
Therefore, I know she is about my height.
And, at that time, I made her weep a-good, t
For I did play a lamentable part:
Madam, 'twas Ariadne, passioning
For Theseus' perjury, and unjust flight;
Which I so lively acted with my tears,
That my poor mistress, moved there withal,
Wept bitterly; and would I might be dead,
If I in thought felt not her very sorrow!

Sil. She is beholden to thee, gentle youth -
Alas, poor lady! desolate and left!—
I weep myself, to think upon thy words.
Here, youth, there is my purse; I give thee this
For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lov'st

her.

Farewell.

[Exit SILVIA. Jul. And she shall thank you for't, if e'er you know her.

A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful.
I hope my master's suit will be but cold,
Since she respects my mistress' love so much.
Alas, how love can trifle with itself!
Here is her picture: Let me see; I think,
If I had such a tire, this face of mine
Were full as lovely as is this of hers:
And yet the painter flatter'd her a little,
Unless I flatter with myself too much.
Her hair is auburn, mine is perfect yellow :
If that be all the difference in his love,
I'll get me such a colour'd periwlg.
Her eyes are grey as glass; and so are mine:
Ay, but her forehead's low, and mine's as bigh.
What should it be, that he respects in her,
But I can make respective § in myself,
If this fond love were not a blinded god?
Come, shadow, come, and take this shadow up,
For 'tis thy rival. O thou senseless form,
Thou shalt be worshipp'd, kiss'd, lov'd, and
ador'd ;

And, were there sense in his idolatry,
My substance should be statue in thy stead.
I'll use thee kindly for thy mistress' sake,
That us'd me so; or else by Jove I vow,
I should have scratch'd out your unseeing eyes,
To make my master out of love with thee.

[Exit.

ACT V.

SCENE I.-The same.-An Abbey,
Enter EGLAMOUR.

Egl. The sun begins to gild the western sky;
And now, it is about the very hour
That Silvia, at Patrick's cell, should meet me.
She will not fail; for lovers break not hours,
Unless it be to come before their time;
So much they spur their expedition.

Enter SILVIA.

See, where she comes: Lady, a happy evening!
Sil. Amen, amen! go on, good Eglamour!
Out at the postern by the abbey wall;

Pro. No; that it is too little.
Thu. I'll wear a boot, to make it somewhat
rounder.

Pro. But love will not be spurr'd to what it
loaths.

Thu. What says she to my face?
Pro. She says, it is a fair one.

Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies; my face is

black.

Enter DUKE.

Duke. How now, Sir Proteus? how BON,
Thurio ?

Which of you saw Sir Eglamour of late!
Thu. Not I.

Pro. Not I.

Duke. Saw you my daughter?

Pro. Neither.

Duke. Why, then she's fled unto that peasant
And Eglamour is in her company. Valeeune;
'Tis true; for friar Laurence met them both,
As he in penance wander'd through the forest:
Him be knew well, and guess'd that it was abe;
But, being mask'd, he was not sure of it:
Besides, she did intend confession
[not:
At Patrick's cell this even: and there she was
These likelihoods confirin her flight from bnce.
Therefore, I pray you, stand not to disrearse,
But mount you presently; and meet with me
fed:
Upon the rising of the mountain foot
That leads towards Mantua, whither they are
Despatch, sweet gentlemen, and follow me.

[Aside.

[Erit.

Thu. Why, this it is to be a peevish + girl That flies her fortune when it f llows ber : I'll after; more to be reveng'd on EgiamORT, Thau for the love of reckless; Silvia.

Erit.

Pro. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love, Than hate of Eglamour that goes with her.

I fear I am attended by some spies.

Egl. Fear not the forest is not three leagues SCENE III.-Frontiers of Mantua.-The If we recover that, we are sure enough.

[off; [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The_same.-An Apartment in the Duke's palace.

Enter THURIO, PROTEUS, and JULIA. Thu. Sir Proteus, what says Silvia to my suit? Pro. O Sir, I find her milder than she was; And yet she takes exceptions at your person. Thu. What, that my leg is too long?

Frit Jul. And I will follow more to cross that love, Than hate for Silvia, that is gone for love.

[EN.

Forest.

Enter SILVIA and OUTLAWS.

Out. Come, come,

Be patient, we must bring you to our captain.
Sil. A thousand more mischances than that

• Own.

one

Have learn'd me how to brook this patiently. 2 Out. Come, bring her away.

1 Out. Where is the gentleman that was with her ?

3 Out. Being nimble footed, he hath outrun And that's far worse than none; better have

Read over Julia's heart, thy first best love,

For whose dear sake thou did'st then rend thy It is the lesser blot, modesty finds,

Fills him with faults; makes him run through Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again.all sins;

Inconstancy falls off, ere it begins:
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye?

Plead a new sate in thy unrivall'd merit,
To which I thus subscribe,-Sir Valentine,
Thou art a gentleman, and well deriv'd;
Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserv'd her.
Val. I thank your grace; the gift hath made
me happy.

Val. Come, come, a band from either :
Let me be blest to make this happy close?
'Twere pity two such friends should be long foes.
Pro. Bear witness, heaven, I have my wish
for ever.

I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake,
To grant one boon that I shall ask of you.
Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be.
Val. These banish'd men, that I bave kept
withal,

Jul. And I have mine.

Enter OUTLAWS, with DUKE and THURIO.
Out. A prize, a prize, a prize!

Val. Forbear, I say; it is my lord the duke.
Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd,
Banish'd Valentine!

Duke. Sir Valentine!

Thu. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine.
Val. Thurio give back, or else embrace thy
death;

Come not within the measure of my wrath;
Do not name Silvia thine; if once again,
Milan shall not behold thee. Here she stands,
Take but possession of her with a touch;
I dare thee but to breathe upon my love.→

Thu. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I;
I hold him but a fool, that will endanger
His body for a girl that loves him not;
I claim her not, and therefore she is thine.

Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou,
To make such means for her as thou hast done,
And leave her on such slight conditions.-
Now, by the honour of my ancestry,
I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine,

And think thee worthy of an empresss' love.
Know then, I here forget all former griefs,

Length of my sword.

↑ Interest.

Are men endued with worthy qualities:
Forgive them what they have committed bere,
And let them be recall'd from their exile:
They are reformed, civil, full of good,
And fit for great employment, worthy lord.
Duke. Thou hast prevail'd: I pardon them,
and thee;

Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts.
Come, let us go; we will include all jars
With triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity.

Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold
With our discourse to make your grace to smile:
What think you of this page, my lord!

Duke. I think the boy bath grace in him; he

blushes.

Val. I warrant you, my lord, more grace than

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE.

SHAKSPEARE'S first draught of this trifling play, (which all the editors have concurred in censuring, and some have rejected as unworthy of its author) was written in or before 1594, and some additions were probably made to it between that year and 1597, when it was exhibited before Queen Elizabeth. Like the Taming of the Shrew, it was undoubtedly one of his earliest essays to dramatic writing; as the frequent rhymes, the imperfect versification, the artless and desultory dialogue, and the irregularity of the composition, sufficiently prove. The fable does not seem to be a work entirely of invention; and perhaps owes its birth to some novel which has yet to be discovered. The character of Armado bears some resemblance to Don Quixotte, but the play is older than the work of Cervantes; of Holofernes, another singular character, there are some traces in a masque of Sir Philip Sidney, presented before Queen Elizabeth at Wansted. Dr. Johnson says, that in this play "there are many passages mean, childish, and vulgar; and some which ought not to have been exhibited, as we are told they were, to a maiden Queen. But there are scattered through the whole many sparks of genius; nor is there any play that has more evident marks of the hand of Shakspeare."

ACT I.

in it.

Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and

DUMAIN.

King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,

SCENE-Navarre.

Live register'd upon our brazen tombs,
And then grace us in the disgrace of death;
When, spite of cormorant devouring time,
The endeavour of this present breath may buy
That bonour, which shall bate his scythe's keen
edge,

MоTH, Рage to Armado.
A Forester.

names;

Your oaths are past, and now subscribe your
SCENE I.-Navarre.-A Park, with a Palace That his own hand may strike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein:
If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do,
Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too.

Long. I am resolv'd: 'tis but a three years'
fast;

And make us heirs of all eternity.
Therefore, brave conquerors!--for so you are,
That war against your own affections,
And the huge army of the world's desires,-
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:
Navarre shall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall be a little Academe,
Still and contemplative in living art.
You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have sworn for three years' term to live with

PRINCESS OF FRANCE.
ROSALINE,
MARIA,

me,

My fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutes
That are recorded in this schedule here:

Ladies, attending on the
Princess.

KATHARINE,
JAQUENETTA, a Country Wench.

Officers, and others, Attendants on the King
and Princess.

The mind shall banquet, though the body pine:
Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bank'rout quite the
wits.

Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified;
The grosser manner of these world's delights
He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves :
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
With all these living in philosophy.

Biron. I can but say their protestation over,
So much, dear liege, I have already sworn,
That is, To live and study here three years,
But there are other strict observances:
As, not to see a woman in that term;
Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there:
And, one day in a week to touch no food;
And but one meal on every day beside;
The which, I hope, is not enrolled there:
And then, to sleep but three hours in the night,
And not be seen to wink of all the day;

And he, that breaks them in the least degree,
Stands in attainder of eternal shame:

Suggestions are to others, as to me;
But, I believe, although I seem so loath,
I am the last that will last keep his oath.
But is there no quick recreation granted?
King. Ay, that there is: our court, you know,
is haunted

With a refined traveller of Spain;
A man in all the world's new fashion planted,
That bath a mint of phrases in bis brain:
One, whom the music of his own vain tongue

Doth ravish, like enchanting harmony;
A man of compliments, whom right and wrong

Have chose as umpire of their mutiny:
This child of fancy, that Armado hight,
For interim to our studies, shall relate,