ARMADO. Anointed, I
implore so much expense of thy royal sweet
breath as will utter a brace of words.
[Converses apart with the KING, and delivers a paper]
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Doth this man serve God?
BEROWNE. Why ask you?
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. 'A speaks not like a man of God his making.
ARMADO. That is all one, my fair, sweet, honey
monarch; for, I
protest, the
schoolmaster is
exceeding fantastical; too too vain,
too too vain; but we will put it, as they say, to fortuna de la
guerra. I wish you the peace of mind, most royal couplement!
Exit ARMADO
KING. Here is like to be a good presence of Worthies. He presents
Hector of Troy; the swain, Pompey the Great; the
parish curate,
Alexander; Arinado's page, Hercules; the pedant, Judas
Maccabaeus.
And if these four Worthies in their first show thrive,
These four will change habits and present the other five.
BEROWNE. There is five in the first show.
KING. You are deceived, 'tis not so.
BEROWNE. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-priest, the fool, and
the boy:
Abate throw at novum, and the whole world again
Cannot pick out five such, take each one in his vein.
KING. The ship is under sail, and here she comes amain.
Enter COSTARD, armed for POMPEY
COSTARD. I Pompey am-
BEROWNE. You lie, you are not he.
COSTARD. I Pompey am-
BOYET. With libbard's head on knee.
BEROWNE. Well said, old mocker; I must needs be friends with thee.
COSTARD. I Pompey am, Pompey surnam'd the Big-
DUMAIN. The Great.
COSTARD. It is Great, sir.
Pompey surnam'd the Great,
That oft in field, with targe and
shield, did make my foe to
sweat;
And travelling along this coast, I bere am come by chance,
And lay my arms before the legs of this sweet lass of France.
If your ladyship would say 'Thanks, Pompey,' I had done.
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Great thanks, great Pompey.
COSTARD. 'Tis not so much worth; but I hope I was perfect.
I made a little fault in Great.
BEROWNE. My hat to a halfpenny, Pompey proves the best Worthy.
Enter SIR NATHANIEL, for ALEXANDER
NATHANIEL. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander;
By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might.
My scutcheon plain declares that I am Alisander-
BOYET. Your nose says, no, you are not; for it stands to right.
BEROWNE. Your nose smells 'no' in this, most tender-smelling
knight.
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. The
conqueror is dismay'd. Proceed, good
Alexander.
NATHANIEL. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander-
BOYET. Most true, 'tis right, you were so, Alisander.
BEROWNE. Pompey the Great!
COSTARD. Your servant, and Costard.
BEROWNE. Take away the
conqueror, take away Alisander.
COSTARD. [To Sir Nathaniel] O, Sir, you have
overthrown Alisander
the
conqueror! You will be scrap'd out of the painted cloth for
this. Your lion, that holds his poleaxe sitting on a close-stool,
will be given to Ajax. He will be the ninth Worthy. A
conquerorand afeard to speak! Run away for shame, Alisander.
[Sir Nathaniel retires] There, an't shall please you, a foolish
mild man; an honest man, look you, and soon dash'd. He is a
marvellous good neighbour, faith, and a very good bowler; but for
Alisander- alas! you see how 'tis- a little o'erparted. But there
are Worthies a-coming will speak their mind in some other sort.
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Stand aside, good Pompey.
Enter HOLOFERNES, for JUDAS; and MOTH, for HERCULES
HOLOFERNES. Great Hercules is presented by this imp,
Whose club kill'd Cerberus, that three-headed canus;
And when be was a babe, a child, a shrimp,
Thus did he strangle serpents in his manus.
Quoniam he seemeth in minority,
Ergo I come with this apology.
Keep some state in thy exit, and
vanish. [MOTH retires]
Judas I am-
DUMAIN. A Judas!
HOLOFERNES. Not Iscariot, sir.
Judas I am, ycliped Maccabaeus.
DUMAIN. Judas Maccabaeus clipt is plain Judas.
BEROWNE. A kissing
traitor. How art thou prov'd Judas?
HOLOFERNES. Judas I am-
DUMAIN. The more shame for you, Judas!
HOLOFERNES. What mean you, sir?
BOYET. To make Judas hang himself.
HOLOFERNES. Begin, sir; you are my elder.
BEROWNE. Well followed: Judas was hanged on an elder.
HOLOFERNES. I will not be put out of countenance.
BEROWNE. Because thou hast no face.
HOLOFERNES. What is this?
BOYET. A cittern-head.
DUMAIN. The head of a bodkin.
BEROWNE. A death's face in a ring.
LONGAVILLE. The face of an old Roman coin,
scarce seen.
BOYET. The pommel of Coesar's falchion.
DUMAIN. The carv'd-bone face on a flask.
BEROWNE. Saint George's half-cheek in a
brooch.
DUMAIN. Ay, and in a
brooch of lead.
BEROWNE. Ay, and worn in the cap of a tooth-drawer. And now,
forward; for we have put thee in countenance.
HOLOFERNES. You have put me out of countenance.
BEROWNE. False: we have given thee faces.
HOLOFERNES. But you have outfac'd them all.
BEROWNE. An thou wert a lion we would do so.
BOYET. Therefore, as he is an ass, let him go.
And so adieu, sweet Jude! Nay, why dost thou stay?
DUMAIN. For the latter end of his name.
BEROWNE. For the ass to the Jude; give it him- Jud-as, away.
HOLOFERNES. This is not
generous, not gentle, not humble.
BOYET. A light for Monsieur Judas! It grows dark, he may stumble.
[HOLOFERNES retires]
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Alas, poor Maccabaeus, how hath he been baited!
Enter ARMADO, for HECTOR
BEROWNE. Hide thy head, Achilles; here comes Hector in arms.
DUMAIN. Though my mocks come home by me, I will now be merry.
KING. Hector was but a Troyan in respect of this.
BOYET. But is this Hector?
DUMAIN. I think Hector was not so clean-timber'd.
LONGAVILLE. His leg is too big for Hector's.
DUMAIN. More calf, certain.
BOYET. No; he is best indued in the small.
BEROWNE. This cannot be Hector.
DUMAIN. He's a god or a
painter, for he makes faces.
ARMADO. The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty,
Gave Hector a gift-
DUMAIN. A gilt nutmeg.
BEROWNE. A lemon.
LONGAVILLE. Stuck with cloves.
DUMAIN. No, cloven.
ARMADO. Peace!
The armipotent Mars, of lances the almighty,
Gave Hector a gift, the heir of Ilion;
A man so
breathed that certain he would fight ye,
From morn till night out of his pavilion.
I am that flower-
DUMAIN. That mint.
LONGAVILLE. That columbine.
ARMADO. Sweet Lord Longaville, rein thy tongue.
LONGAVILLE. I must rather give it the rein, for it runs against
Hector.
DUMAIN. Ay, and Hector's a greyhound.
ARMADO. The sweet war-man is dead and
rotten; sweet chucks, beat
not the bones of the buried; when he
breathed, he was a man. But
I will forward with my
device. [To the PRINCESS] Sweet royalty,
bestow on me the sense of hearing.
[BEROWNE steps forth, and speaks to COSTARD]
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Speak, brave Hector; we are much delighted.
ARMADO. I do adore thy sweet Grace's slipper.
BOYET. [Aside to DUMAIN] Loves her by the foot.
DUMAIN. [Aside to BOYET] He may not by the yard.
ARMADO. This Hector far surmounted Hannibal-
COSTARD. The party is gone, fellow Hector, she is gone; she is two
months on her way.
ARMADO. What meanest thou?
COSTARD. Faith, unless you play the honest Troyan, the poor wench
is cast away. She's quick; the child brags in her belly already;
'tis yours.
ARMADO. Dost thou infamonize me among potentates? Thou shalt die.
COSTARD. Then shall Hector be whipt for Jaquenetta that is quick by
him, and hang'd for Pompey that is dead by him.
DUMAIN. Most rare Pompey!
BOYET. Renowned Pompey!
BEROWNE. Greater than Great! Great, great, great Pompey! Pompey the
Huge!
DUMAIN. Hector trembles.
BEROWNE. Pompey is moved. More Ates, more Ates! Stir them on! stir
them on!
DUMAIN. Hector will
challenge him.
BEROWNE. Ay, if 'a have no more man's blood in his belly than will
sup a flea.
ARMADO. By the North Pole, I do
challenge thee.
COSTARD. I will not fight with a pole, like a Northern man; I'll
slash; I'll do it by the sword. I bepray you, let me borrow my
arms again.
DUMAIN. Room for the incensed Worthies!
COSTARD. I'll do it in my shirt.
DUMAIN. Most
resolute Pompey!
MOTH. Master, let me take you a buttonhole lower. Do you not see
Pompey is uncasing for the
combat? What mean you? You will lose
your reputation.
ARMADO. Gentlemen and soldiers,
pardon me; I will not
combat in my
shirt.
DUMAIN. You may not deny it: Pompey hath made the
challenge.
ARMADO. Sweet bloods, I both may and will.
BEROWNE. What reason have you for 't?
ARMADO. The naked truth of it is: I have no shirt; I go woolward
for penance.
BOYET. True, and it was enjoined him in Rome for want of linen;
since when, I'll be sworn, he wore none but a dishclout of
Jaquenetta's, and that 'a wears next his heart for a favour.
Enter as
messenger, MONSIEUR MARCADE
MARCADE. God save you, madam!
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Welcome, Marcade;
But that thou interruptest our merriment.
MARCADE. I am sorry, madam; for the news I bring
Is heavy in my tongue. The King your father-
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Dead, for my life!
MARCADE. Even so; my tale is told.
BEROWNE. WOrthies away; the scene begins to cloud.
ARMADO. For mine own part, I
breathe free
breath. I have seen the