Have at you, then, affection's men at arms! And where that you have vowed to study, lords, The nimble spirits in the arteries; Do we not likewise see our learning there? 1 This hemistich is omitted in all the modern editions except that by Mr. Boswell. It is found in the first quarto and first folio. 2 i. e. our true books, from which we derive most information; the eyes of woman. And therefore finding barren practisers, Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?1 From women's eyes this doctrine I derive: Shakspeare had read of "the gardens of the Hesperides," and thought the latter word was the name of the garden. Some of his contemporaries have made the same mistake. 2 Few passages have been more discussed than this. The most plausible interpretation of it is, "Whenever love speaks, all the gods join their voices in harmonious concert." Or for love's sake, a word that loves all men ;1 For charity itself fulfils the law; And who can sever love from charity? King. Saint Cupid, then! And, soldiers, to the field! Biron. Advance your standards, and upon them, lords: Pell-mell, down with them. But be first advised, In conflict that you get the sun of them.2 Long. Now to plain-dealing; lay these glozes by Shall we resolve to woo these girls of France? King. And win them too: therefore let us devise Some entertainment for them in their tents. Biron. First, from the park let us conduct them thither; Then, homeward, every man attach the hand We will with some strange pastime solace them, corn; And justice always whirls in equal measure! Light wenches may prove plagues to men forsworn; If so, our copper buys no better treasure. [Exeunt. 1 i. e. that is pleasing to all men. So in the language of the time :it likes me well, for it pleases me. 2 In the days of archery, it was of consequence to have the sun at the back of the bowmen, and in the face of the enemy. ACT. V. SCENE I. Another part of the same. Enter HOLOFERNES, SIR NATHANIEL, and DULL. Hol. Satis quod sufficit. Nath. I praise God for you, sir. Your reasons' at dinner have been sharp and sententious; pleasant without scurrility, witty without affection, audacious without impudency, learned without opinion, and strange without heresy. I did converse this quondam day with a companion of the king's, who is intituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Armado. 2 Hol. Novi hominem tanquam te. His humor is lofty, his discourse peremptory, his tongue filed, his eye ambitious, his gait majestical, and his general behavior vain, ridiculous, and thrasonical.3 He is too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odd, as it were, too peregrinate, as I may call it. Nath. A most singular and choice epithet. [Takes out his table-book. Hol. He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument. I abhor such fanatical phantasms, such insociable and point-devise companions; such rackers of orthography, as to speak, doubt, fine, when he should say, doubt; det, when he should pronounce, debt: d, e, b, t; not, d, e, t. He clepeth a calf, cauf; haf, hauf: neighbor, vocatur, nebor, neigh, abbreviated, ne. This is abhominable, (which he would call abominable;) it insinuateth me of insanie. Ne intelligis, domine? To make frantic lunatic. 1 Reason here signifies discourse; audacious is used in a good sense for spirited, animated, confident; affection is affectation; opinion is obstinacy, opiniâtreté. 2 Filed is polished. 3 Thrasonical is vain-glorious, boastful. 4 Picked, that is, too nice in his dress. 5 A common expression for exact, precise, or finical. Nath. Laus deo, bone intelligo. Hol. Bone?-bone, for bene; Priscian a little scratched; 'twill serve. Enter ARMADO, MOTH, and COSTARD. Nath. Videsne quis venit? Hol. Video et gaudeo. Arm. Chirra! Hol. Quare Chirra, not sirrah? [TO MOTH Arm. Men of peace, well encountered. Hol. Most military sir, salutation. Moth. They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps. [To COSTARD, aside. Cost. O, they have lived long in the alms-basket of words! I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word; for thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus;1 thou art easier swallowed than a flap-dragon.2 Moth. Peace; the peal begins. Arm. Monsieur, [To HoL.] are you not lettered? Moth. Yes, yes; he teaches boys the horn-book. What is a, b, spelt backward with a horn on his head? Hol. Ba, pueritia, with a horn added. Moth. Ba, most silly sheep, with a horn.-You hear his learning. Hol. Quis, quis, thou consonant ? Moth. The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth, if I. Hol. I will repeat them, a, e, I.— Moth. The sheep; the other two concludes it; o, u. Arm. Now by the salt wave of the Mediterraneum, a sweet touch, a quick venew3 of wit. Snip, snap, quick and home: it rejoiceth my intellect; true wit. 1 This word, whencesoever it comes, is often mentioned as the longest word known. 2 A flap-dragon was some small combustible body set on fire and put afloat in a glass of liquor. It was an act of dexterity in the toper to swallow it without burning his mouth. 3 A hit. |