Costard.
Jaq.
God give you good morrow, master parson.* note
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.
Nath.
Fauste precor gelida quando pecus omne sub umbrâ ruminat,
and so forth. Ah good old Mantuan, I may speak of
thee as the traveller doth of Venice; Venechi, venache a, qui
non te vide, i non te piaech. Old Mantuan, old Mantuan.
Who understandeth thee not, loves thee not. ut re sol la mi fa.
Hol.
Under pardon Sir, what are the contents? or rather,
as Horace says in his: What! my soul! verses!
Nath.
Ay Sir, and very learned.
Hol.
Let me hear a staff, a stanza, a verse; Lege Domine.
Nath.
If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love?
Ah, never faith could hold, if not to beauty vow'd;
Though to my self forsworn, to thee I'll faithful prove,
Those thoughts to me were oaks, to thee like osiers bow'd.
Study his biass leaves, and makes his book thine eyes;
Where all those pleasures live, that art would comprehend:
If knowledge be the mark, to know thee shall suffice,
Well learned is that tongue, that well can thee commend.
-- 130 --
All ignorant that Soul, that sees thee without wonder:
Which is to me some praise, that I thy parts admire;
Thy eye Jove's lightning bears, thy voice is dreadful thunder;
Which not to anger bent, is musick, and sweet fire.
Celestial as thou art, Oh pardon, love, this wrong,
That sings heav'ns praise with such an earthly tongue.
Hol.
You find not the Apostrophes, and so miss the accent.
Let me supervise the cangenet.
Nath.
Here are only numbers ratify'd, but for the elegancy,
facility, and golden cadence of poesie caret: Ovidius Naso was
the man. And why indeed Naso, but for smelling out the
odoriferous flowers of fancy? the jerks of invention imitary is
nothing: so doth the hound his master, the ape his keeper,
the tir'd horse his rider: But Damosella Virgin, was this directed
to you?
Jaq.
Ay Sir, from one Monsieur Biron, one of the strange
Queen's lords.
Nath.
I will overglance the superscript. To the snow-white
hand of the most beauteous lady Rosaline. I will look again on
the intellect of the letter, for the nomination of the party
writing, to the person written unto.
Your Ladyship's in all desir'd employment, Biron.
Dull.
Sir Holofernes, this Biron is one of the votaries with
the King, and here he hath fram'd a letter to a sequent of
the stranger Queen's, which accidentally or by the way of
progression hath miscarry'd. Trip and go my sweet; deliver
this paper into the hand of the King; it may concern much;
stay not thy complement; I forgive thy duty: adieu.
Jaq.
Good Costard go with me. Sir, God save your life.
Cost.
Have with thee, my girl.
[Exe. Cost. and Jaq.
-- 131 --
Nath.
Sir, you have done this in the fear of God, very religiously:
and as a certain father saith—
Hol.
Sir, tell not me of the father, I do fear colourable
colours. But to return to the verses: did they please you, Sir
Nathaniel?
Nath.
Marvellous well for the pen.
Hol.
I do dine to-day at the father's of a certain pupil of
mine; where if (being repast) it shall please you to gratifie the
table with a grace: I will on my privilege I have with the parents
of the aforesaid child or pupil, undertake your ben venuto,
where will I prove those verses to be very unlearned, neither
savouring of poetry, wit or invention. I beseech your society.
Nath.
And thank you too: for society (saith the text) is the
happiness of life.
Hol.
And certes the text most infallibly concludes it. Sir,
I do invite you too; you shall not say me nay: Pauca verba.
Away, the gentles are at their game, and we will to our recreation.
[Exeunt.
George Sewell [1723–5], The works of Shakespear in six [seven] volumes. Collated and Corrected by the former Editions, By Mr. Pope ([Vol. 7] Printed by J. Darby, for A. Bettesworth [and] F. Fayram [etc.], London) [word count] [S11101].
