An your waist, mistress, were as slender as my wit,
One o' these maids' girdles for your waist should be fit.
Are not you the chief woman? you are the thickest here.
Prin. What's your will, sir? what's your will? 52
Cost. I have a letter from Monsieur Berowne to one Lady Rosaline.
Prin. O thy letter, thy letter! He's a good friend of mine.
Stand aside, good bearer. Boyet, you can carve;
Break up this capon.
Boyet. I am bound to serve.— 56
This letter is mistook; it importeth none here:
It is writ to Jaquenetta.
Prin. We will read it, I swear.
Break the neck of the wax, and every one give ear.
Boyet. [Reads.] 'By heaven, that thou art fair, 60
is most infallible; true, that thou art beauteous;
truth itself, that thou art lovely. More fairer than
fair, beautiful than beauteous, truer than truth
itself, have commiseration on thy heroical vas- 64
sal. The magnanimous and most illustrate
king Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and
indubitate beggar Zenelophon, and he it was
that might rightly say veni, vidi, vici; which to 68
anatomize in the vulgar—O base and obscure
vulgar!—videlicet, he came, saw, and overcame:
he came, one; saw, two; overcame, three. Who
came? the king: Why did he come? to see: Why 72
did he see? to overcome: To whom came he? to
56 capon: love-letter; cf. n.
57 importeth: concerns
65 illustrate: illustrious
67 indubitate: indubitable
Zenelophon: Penelophon (in the old ballad)
69 anatomize: analyze, explain
