For he hath wit to make an ill shape good,
And shape to win grace, tho' he had no wit.
I saw him at the Duke Alanson's once,
And much too little of that good I saw,
Is my report to his great worthiness.

Rofa. Another of these students at that time
Was there with him, as I have heard a truth,
Biron they call him; but a merrier man,
Within the limit of becoming mirth,
I never spent an hour's talk withal.
His eye begets occafion for his wit;
For every object, that the one doth catch,
The other turns to a mirth-moving jeft;
Which his fair tongue (conceit's expofitor)
Delivers in fuch apt and gracious words,
That aged ears play truant at his tales;
And younger hearings are quite ravished;
So sweet and voluble is his difcourse.

Prin. God bless my ladies, are they all in love,
That every one her own hath garnished
With fuch bedecking ornaments of praife!
Mar. Here comes Boyet.

Enter Boyet.

Prin. Now, what admittance, Lord?

Boyet. Navarre had notice of your fair approach;

And he and his competitors in oath
Were all addrest to meet you, gentle lady,
Before I came: marry, thus much I've learnt,
He rather means to lodge you in the field,
Like one that comes here to besiege his Court,
Than feek a difpenfation for his oath,
To let you enter his unpeopled house.
Here comes Navarre.

Enter the King, Longaville, Dumain, Biron, and

Attendants.

King. Fair Princess, welcome to the Court of Na

varre.

Prin. Fair, I give you back again; and welcome I have not yet: the roof of this Court is too high to be yours; and welcome to the wide fields, too base to be

mine.

King. You shall be welcome, Madam, to my Court. Prin. I will be welcome then; conduct me thither. King. Hear me, dear lady, I have sworn an oath. Prin. Our Lady help my lord! he'll be forsworn. King. Not for the world, fair Madam, by my will. Prin. Why, Will shall break its will, and nothing

elfe.

King. Your ladyship is ignorant what it is.
Prin. Were my Lord so, his ignorance were wife,

Where now his knowledge must prove ignorance.
I hear, your Grace hath sworn out house-keeping:
'T'is deadly fin to keep that oath, my Lord;

And fin to break it.

:

But pardon me, I am too fudden bold :
To teach a teacher ill beseemeth me.
Vouchsafe to read the purpose of my Coming,
And fuddenly resolve me in my fuit.

King. Madam, I will, if suddenly I may.
Prin. You will the fooner, that I were away;
For you'll prove perjur'd, if you make me stay.
Biron. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once?
Rof. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once?..
Biron. I know, you did.

Rof. How needless was it then to ask the question ?
Biron. You must not be so quick.
Ros. 'Tis long of you, that spur me with fuch

questions.

Biron. Your wit's too hot, it speeds too fast, 'twill

tire.

Rof. Not 'till it leave the rider in the mire.
Biron. What time o' day ?

Rof. The hour, that fools should ask.
Biron. Now fair befall your mask!
Rof. Fair fall the face it covers!
Biron. And send you many lovers!
Rof. Amen, so you be none !
Biron. Nay, then will I be gone.

King. Madam, your father here doth intimate The payment of a hundred thousand crowns; Being but th' one half of an intire sum, Disbursed by my father in his wars. But say, that he, or we, as neither have, Receiv'd that sum; yet there remains unpaid A hundred thousand more; in furety of the which, One part of Aquitain is bound to us, Although not valu'd to the mony's worth : If then the King your father will restore But that one half which is unfatisfy'd, We will give up our right in Aquitain, And hold fair friendship with his Majesty : But that, it feems, he little purposeth, For here he doth demand to have repaid An hundred thousand crowns; and not demands, (7) On payment of an hundred thousand crowns, To have his title live in Aquitain; Which we much rather had depart withal, And have the mony by our father lent, Than Aquitain so gelded as it is. Dear Princess, were not his requests fo far From reason's yielding, your fair self should make

(7)

And not demands

One payment of an hundred thousand Crowns,
To have his Title live in Aquitaine.]

The old Books concur in this Reading, and Mr. Pope has embraced it; tho', as I conceive, it is ftark Nonsense, and repugnant to the Circumstance suppos'd by our Poet. I have, by reforming the Pointing, and throwing out a single Letter, restor'd, I believe, the genuine Sense of the Passage. Aquitain was pledg'd, it seems, to Navarre's father, for 200000 Crowns. The French King pretends to have paid one Moiety of this Debt, (which Navarre knows nothing of,) but demands this Moiety back again: infstead whereof (fays Navarre) he should rather pay the remaining Moiety, and demand to have Aquitain redeliver'd up to him. This is plain and easy Reafoning upon the Fact suppos'd; and Navarre declares, he had rather

i

A yielding 'gainst some reason in my breast;
And go well satisfied to France again.

Prin. You do the King my father too much wrong,

And wrong the reputation of your name,
In so unseeming to confess receipt
Of that, which hath so faithfully been paid.
King. I do protest, I never heard of it;
And if you prove it, I'll repay it back,
Or yield up Aquitain.

Prin. We arrest your word :
Boyet, you can produce acquittances
For such a fum, from special officers
Of Charles his father.

King. Satisfie me fo.

Boyet. So please your Grace, the packet is not come,
Where that and other specialties are bound :
To morrow you shall have a fight of them.

King. It shall fuffice me; at which interview,
All liberal reason I will yield unto :
Mean time, receive such welcome at my hand,
As honour without breach of honour may
Make tender of, to thy true worthiness.
You may not come, fair Princess, in my gates;
But here, without, you shall be fo receiv'd,
As you shall deem your felf lodg'd in my heart,
Tho' so deny'd fair harbour in my house:
Your own good thoughts excuse me, and farewel;
To morrow we shall visit you again.

Prin. Sweet health and fair defires confort your

Grace!

King. Thy own Wish wish I thee, in every place.
[Exit.

Biron. Lady, I will commend you to my own heart.
Rof. I pray you, do my commendations;

I would be glad to fee it.

Biron. I would, you heard it groan.

Rof. Is the fool fick?

Biron. Sick at the heart.

Rof. Alack, let it blood.

Biron. Would that do it good?

Rof.

Rof. My physick says, ay.
Biron. Will you prick't with your eye ?
Rof. No, poynt, with my knife.
Biron. Now God save thy life!
Rof. And yours from long living!
Biron. I cannot stay thanksgiving.

[Exit.

Dum. Sir, I pray you a word: what lady is that

fame ?

Boyet. The heir of Alanson, Rosaline her name. Dum. A gallant lady; Monfieur, fare you well.

[Exit.

Long. I beseech you, a word: what is she in white? Boyet. A woman sometimes, if you saw her in the

light.

Long. Perchance, light in the light; I defire her

name.

Boyet. She hath but one for her self; to defire That,

were a shame.

Long. Pray you, Sir, whose daughter ?
Boyet. Her mother's, I have heard.
Long. God's blessing on your beard!
Boyet. Good Sir, be not offended.

She is an heir of Faulconbridge.

Long. Nay, my choller is ended :

She is a most sweet lady.

Boyet. Not unlike, Sir; that may be. [Exit Long.

Biron. What's her name in the cap?

Boyet. Catharine, by good hap.

Biron. Is she wedded, or no?

Boyet. To her will, Sir, or fo.

Biron. You are welcome, Sir: adieu!

Boyet. Farewel to me, Sir, and welcome to you.

[Exit Biron.

Mar. That last is Biron, the merry mad-cap lord ; Not a word with him but a jest.

Boyet. And every jest but a word.

Prin. It was well done of you to take him at his

word.

Boyet. I was as willing to grapple, as he was to board. Mar. Two hot sheeps, marry.

Boyet,