Nathaniel. A rare talent! Dull. If a talent be a claw, look how he claws him with a talent. Love's Labour's Lost, Act iv. Sc. 2. D. John. I wonder that thou, being, as thou sayest thou art, born under Saturn, goest about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when I have cause and smile at no man's jests, eat when I have stomach and wait for no man's leisure, sleep when I am drowsy and tend on no man's business, laugh when I am merry and claw no man in his humour. Much Ado about Nothing, Act i. Sc. 3. As rude and uncivil speaches carry a marvelous great indecencie, so doe sometimes those that be overmuch affected and nice: or that doe savour of ignorance or adulation, and be in the eare of grave and wise persons no lesse offensive than the other: as when a sutor in Rome came to Tiberius the Emperor and said, I would open my case to your Majestie, if it were not to trouble your sacred businesse-sacras vestras occupationes, as the Histriographer reporteth. What meanest thou by that terme, quoth the Emperor, say laboriosus I pray thee; and so thou mast truely say, and bid him leave off such affected termes. The like undecencie used a Herald at armes sent by Charles the fifth Emperor, to Frances the first King, bringing him a message of defiance, and thinking to qualifie the bitternesse of his message with words pompous and magnificent for the king's honor, used much this terme (sacred Majestie) which was not usually given to the French king, but to say for the most part Sire. The French King neither liking of his errant, nor yet of his pompous speech, said somewhat sharply, I pray SAINT NICHOLAS' CLERKS. 177 47 thee good fellow clawe me not where I itch not with thy sacred Majestie, but goe to thy businesse, and tell thine errand in such termes as are decent betwixt enemies, for thy maister is not my frend, and turned him to a Prince of the bloud who stoode by saying, me thinks this fellow speaks like Bishop Nicholas, for on Saint Nicholas night commonly the scholars of the Countrey make them a Bishop, who like a foolish boy, goeth about blessing and preaching with so childish termes, as maketh the people laugh at his foolish counterfaite speeches.-The Arte of English Poesie, Lib. iii. Chap. 23. Cham. Good morrow, Master Gadshill. It holds current that I told you yesternight: there's a franklin in the wild of Kent hath brought three hundred marks with him in gold: I heard him tell it to one of his company last night at supper; a kind of auditor; one that hath abundance of charge too, God knows what. They are up already, and call for eggs and butter; they will away presently. Gads. Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicholas' clerks, I'll give thee this neck. Cham. No, I'll none of it: I pray thee, keep that for the hangman; for I know thou worshippest Saint Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may. 1 Henry IV., Act ii. Sc. 1. Puttenham says 'on Saint Nicholas night commonly the scholars of the Countrey make them a Bishop, who like a foolish boy, maketh the people laugh at his counterfaite speeches,' and the Chamberlain says, 'I know thou worship'st Saint Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may.' She clepes him king of graves and grave for kings. Sorrow chang'd to solace, solace mix'd with sorrow. Lewis. The Passionate Pilgrim. The shadow of your son King John, Act ii. Sc. 1. Becomes a sun and makes your son a shadow. King John. How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds, Makes deeds ill done. Biron. Act iv. Sc. 2. Let us once lose our oaths to find ourselves Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths. Love's Labour's Lost, Act i. Sc. 2. Boyet. Be now as prodigal of all dear grace As nature was in making graces dear. Act ii. Sc. 1. Maria. That last is Biron, the merry mad-cap lord: Not a word, but a jest. Boyet. And every jest a word, Act ii, Sc. 1. The only soil of his fair virtue's gloss, Act ii. Sc. 1. Duke. What pleasure was he given to? Escal. Rather rejoicing to see another merry, than merry at any thing which profess'd to make him rejoice: a gentleman of all temperance. Measure for Measure, Act ii. Sc. 1. Kath. The young Dumain, a well-accomplished youth, Of all that virtue love for virtue loved: ANTIMETAVOLE, OR THE COUNTERCHAUNGE. 49 Most power to do most harm, least knowing ill; Oli. Go to, you're a dry fool: I'll no more of you: besides, you grow dishonest. Clo. Two faults, madonna, that drink and good counsel will amend: for give the dry fool drink, then is the fool not dry: bid the dishonest man mend himself; if he mend, he is no longer dishonest; if he cannot, let the botcher mend him. Any thing that's mended is but patched virtue that transgresses is but patched with sin; and sin that amends is but patched with virtue. If that this simple syllogism will serve, so; if it will not what remedy? Twelfth Night, Act i. Sc. 5. : Ye have a figure which takes a couple of words to play with in a verse, and by making them to chaunge and shift one into others place, they do very pretily exchange and shift the sence, as thus : We dwell no there to build us bowres, And halles for pleasure and good cheare: To dwell in them whilest we are here. Meaning that we dwell not here to build, but we build to dwel, as we live not to eate, but eate to live, or thus We wish not peace to maintaine cruell warre, Or thus: If Poesie be, as some have said, D Or as the Philosopher Musonius wrote: With pleasure if we worke unhonestly and ill, A wittie fellow in Rome wrate under the image of Cæsar the Dictator these two verses in Latine, which because they are spoke by this figure of Counterchange, I have turned into a couple of English verses very well keeping the grace of the figure: Brutus for casting out of kings, was first of consuls past, Cæsar for casting consuls out, is of our kings the last. Cato, of any senatour not onely the gravest but also the promptest and wittiest in any civill scoffe, misliking greatly the engrossing of offices in Rome that one man should have many at once, and a great number goe without that were as able, said thus by Counterchange, Againe : It seems your offices are very little worth, Or very few of you worthy of offices. In trifles earnest as any man can be, In earnest matters no such trifler as he, The Arte of English Poesie, Lib. iii. Chap. 19. Shakespeare sometimes uses this figure Antimetavole or the Counterchange, and in some at least of the few passages my memory has enabled me to quote, the reader will see that he takes a couple of words to play with in a verse, and making them to change and shift |