to me and every man that dares not fight!
No words!
Of other men's secrets, I beseech you.
'So it is, besieged with sable-coloured
melancholy, I did commend the black-oppressing humour
to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving
air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to
walk. The time when. About the sixth hour; when
beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down
to that nourishment which is called supper: so much
for the time when. Now for the ground which; which,
I mean, I walked upon: it is y-cleped thy park. Then
for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter
that obscene and preposterous event, that draweth
from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which
here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest;
but to the place where; it standeth north-north-east
and by east from the west corner of thy curious-
knotted garden: there did I see that low-spirited
swain, that base minnow of thy mirth,'--
Me?
'that unlettered small-knowing soul,'--
Me?
'that shallow vassal,'--
Still me?
'which, as I remember, hight Costard,'--
O, me!
'sorted and consorted, contrary to thy
established proclaimed edict and continent canon,
which with,--O, with--but with this I passion to say
wherewith,--
With a wench.
'with a child of our grandmother Eve, a
female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, a
woman. Him I, as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on,
have sent to thee, to receive the meed of
punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Anthony
Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and
estimation.'
'Me, an't shall please you; I am Anthony Dull.
'For Jaquenetta,--so is the weaker vessel
called which I apprehended with the aforesaid
swain,--I keep her as a vessel of the law's fury;
and shall, at the least of thy sweet notice, bring
her to trial. Thine, in all compliments of devoted
and heart-burning heat of duty.
.'
This is not so well as I looked for, but the best
that ever I heard.
Ay, the best for the worst. But, sirrah, what say
you to this?
Sir, I confess the wench.
Did you hear the proclamation?
I do confess much of the hearing it but little of
the marking of it.
It was proclaimed a year's imprisonment, to be taken
with a wench.
I was taken with none, sir: I was taken with a damsel.
Well, it was proclaimed 'damsel.'
This was no damsel, neither, sir; she was a virgin