Arm. A most fine figure! Moth. To prove you a cypher. [afide. Arm. I will hereupon confefs, I am in love: and, as it is bafe for a foldier to love, so am I in love with a base wench. If drawing my fword against the humour of affection would deliver me from the reprobate thought of it, I would take defire prisoner; and ransom him to any French courtier for a new devised court'fy. I think fcorn to figh; methinks, I should out-fwear Cupid. Comfort me, boy; What great men have been in love? Moth. Hercules, master. Arm. Most sweet Hercules!-More authority, dear boy, name more; and, fweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage. Moth. Sampfon, master: he was a man of good carriage, great carriage; for he carried the town-gates on his back, like a porter: and he was in love. Arm. O well-knit Sampfon! ftrong-jointed Sampfon! I do excell thee in my rapier, as much as thou didft me in name in his ear; would tell the juft number of pence in any piece of filver coin, newly fhewed him by his master; and even obey presently his command, in discharging himself of his excrements, whenfoever he had bade him." GREY. See also Chreftoloros, or Seven Bookes of Epigrames, written by T. B. [Thomas Baftard] 1598, lib. III. ep. 17: "Of Bankes' Horse. "Bankes hath a horfe of wondrous qualitie, "For he can fight, and pifïe, and daunce, and lie, "And finde your purfe, and tell what coyne ye have: "But Bankes, who taught your horse to fmel a knave ?” Among other exploits of this celebrated beast, it is faid that he went up to the top of St. Paul's. Among the entries at Stationers' Hall is the following: Nov. 14, 1595, "A Ballad fhewing the strange qualities of a young nagg called Morocco." STEEVENS. In 1595 was published a pamphlet entitled Maroccus extaticus, or Bankes' bay borfe in a trance. A difcourfe fet downe in a merry dialogue between Bankes and bis beaft: anatomizing fome abufes and bad trickes of the age. 4to. Ben Jonfon hints at the unfortunate catastrophe of both man and horfe, which, I find, happened at Rome, where to the difgrace of the age, of the country, and of humanity, they were burnt by order of the pope, for magicians. See Don Zara del Fogo, 12mo. 1660, p. 114. REED. carrying carrying gates. I am in love too.-Who was Sampfon's love, my dear Moth? Moth. A woman, master. Arm. Of what complexion? Moth. Of all the four, or the three, or the two; or one of the four, Arm. Tell me precifely, of what complexion? Arm. Is that one of the four complexions? Moth. As I have read, fir; and the best of them too. Arm. Green, indeed, is the colour of lovers': but to have Underneath is a representation of Bankes and his horfe, copied from the pamphlet above mentioned. MALONE. ! Green indeed is the colour of lovers :] I do not know whether our Y 2 author small reason for it. Moth. It was fo, have a love of that colour, methinks, Sampfon had He, furely, affected her for her wit. fir; for fhe had a green wit. Arm. My love is moft immaculate white and red. Moth. Moft maculate thoughts, master, are mask'd under fuch colours. Arm. Define, define, well-educated infant. Moth. My father's wit, and my mother's tongue affift me! Arm. Sweet invocation of a child; moft pretty, and pathetical! Moth. If the be made of white and red, Her faults will ne'er be known ; For blushing 3 cheeks by faults are bred, For ftill her cheeks poffefs the fame, A dangerous rhime, mafter, against the reason of white and red. Arm. Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar +? Moth. The world was very guilty of fuch a ballad fome three ages fince : : but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, nor the tune. Arm. I will have that fubject newly writ o'er, that I author alludes to "the rare green eye," which in his time feems to have been thought a beauty, or to that frequent attendant on love, jealousy, to which in The Merchant of Venice, and in Othello, he has applied the epithet green-ey'd. MALONE. 2 Moft maculate thoughts,-] So the first quarto, 1598. The folio has immaculate. To avoid fuch notes for the future, it may be proper to apprize the reader, that where the reading of the text does not correfpond with the folio, without any reafon being affigned for the deviation, it is always warranted by the authority of the first quarto. MALONE. 3 For blushing-] The original copy has-blush in. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. 4 the King and the Beggar ] See Dr. Percy's Collection of eld Ballads, in three vols. STEEVENS. may may example my digreffion by fome mighty precedent. Boy, I do love that country girl, that I took in the park with the rational hind Costard"; fhe deserves well. Moth. To be whipp'd; and yet a better love than my mafter. [afide. Arm. Sing, boy; my spirit grows heavy in love. Moth. And that's great marvel, loving a light wench. Arm. I fay, fing. Moth. Forbear, till this company be past. Enter DULL, COSTARD, and JAQUENETTA. Dull. Sir, the duke's pleasure is, that you keep Coftard fafe: and you must let him take no delight, nor no penance; but a' must fast three days a-week: For this damfel, I must keep her at the park; fhe is allow'd for the day-woman. Fare you well. Arm. I do betray myself with blushing.-Maid. Arm. I will vifit thee at the lodge. Jaq. That's hereby. Arm. I know where it is fituate. Jaq. Lord, how wife you are! Arm. I will tell thee wonders. Jaq. With that face? Arm. I love thee. Jaq. So I heard you say. 5my digreffion] Digreffion on this occafion fignifies the act of going out of the right way. So, in Romeo and Juliet: "Thy noble fhape is but a form of wax, "Digreffing from the valour of a man." STEEVENS. Again, in our author's Rape of Lucrece: 6 66 my digreffion is fo vile, fo bafe, "That it will live engraven in my face." MALONE. the rational bind Coftard;] The reasoning brute, the animal with Some share of reafon. STEEVENS. I have always read irrational bind: if bind be taken in its beftial sense, Armado makes Coftard a female. FARMER. Shakspeare uses it in its beftial fenfe in Julius Cæfar, Act I, sc. iii. and as of the mafculine gender: "He were no lion, were not Romans binds." Again, in K. Henry IV. p. 1. 1c. iii: "you are a fhallow cowardly bind, and you lye." STEEVENS. Y 3 Arm. Arm. And fo farewell. Jaq. Fair weather after you! Dull. Come, Jaquenetta, away 7. [Exeunt DULL and JAQUENETTA. Arm. Villain, thou shalt faft for thy offences, ere thou be pardoned. Coft. Well, fir, I hope, when I do it, I fhall do it on a full ftomach. Arm. Thou shalt be heavily punished. Coft. I am more bound to you, than your fellows, for they are but lightly rewarded. Arm. Take away this villain; fhut him up. Moth. Come, you tranfgreffing flave; away. Coft. Let me not be pent up, fir; I will faft, being loofe. Moth. No, fir; that were faft and loofe: thou shalt to prison. Coft. Well, if ever I do fee the merry days of defolation that I have fecn, fome fhall fee Moth. What shall some fee? Coft. Nay, nothing, mafter Moth, but what they look upon. It is not for prifoners to be too filent in their words; and, therefore, I will fay nothing: I thank God, I have as little patience as another man; and, therefore I can be quiet. [Exeunt MOTH and COSTARD. Arm. I do affect the very ground, which is bafe, where her fhoe, which is bafer, guided by her foot, which is bafeft, doth tread. I fhall be forfworn, (which is a great argument of falfhood,) if I love: And how can that be true love, which is falfly attempted? Love is a familiar; love is a devil: there is no evil angel but love. Yet Sampfon was so tempted; and he had an excellent strength; yet was Solomon fo feduced; and he had a very good wit. Cupid's but-fhaft is too hard for Hercules' club, and therefore too much odds for a Spaniard's rapier. The 7 Come, &c.] To this line in the first quarto, and the firft folio, Cla. by an error of the prefs is prefixed, instead of Con. i. e. Conftable or Dull. Mr. Theobald made the neceffary correction. MALONE. 3 affect-] i, e. love. STEEVENS. |