"Yet methinks it should have its limitations. To follow nature under every circumstance might lead to the hurt of some other, and a pleasure purchased by an injury should be eschewed of all honest minds; but to follow nature with justice to yourself and others, to my thinking, be to follow the very properest guide that shall be met with any where." "On that point say I nothing at this moment," said our distinguished philosopher. "When the time cometh for speaking, believe me, I intend not to be dumb. But return we to the Stoics. Their idea of happiness is to this effect-that no external thing can affect the happiness of any man—that pain, because it belongeth not to the mind, is no evil-and that a virtuous man must be happy in all manner of torment, for that virtue is no other than happiness." 66 86 Nay, I cannot hold with them there!" cried Master Shakspeare. Indeed, it seemeth to me clean contrary to common sense. Any one who doth observe at all, knoweth that a man's happiness is almost ever in the power of circumstances any one who knoweth what pain is, must feel convinced it be an evil-and as for what they have said of virtue being happiness, it hath no truth in it, for there are few so ignorant who know not that the misconduct of others, let alone numberless other causes, may make the most virtuous person that breathes, in a state of monstrous unhappiness." "Then comes the Cyrenaic school, with Aristippus for its founder, and Democritus and Protagoras for its chiefest supporters," continued Master Bacon, without seeming to heed what the other had said. 66 They preached that the distinction between virtue and vice is nothing more than arbitrary that no one thing can be sacred or profane, just or unjust, but as it shall be agreeable or contrary to established laws and customs, for that what is considered lawful to-day, human authority may make improper to-morrow; and that present pleasure is the sovereign good of man." "O' my life those doctrines be more preposterous than the other!" exclaimed his companion. "The true distinction between virtue and vice must needs be immutable. Men's ideas of them may alter, but the qualities themselves never change at least so it seemeth to me. For instance, if a man do whatsoever good lieth in his power, and committeth no wrong to any in the doing of it, he cannot but live virtuously, no matter what may be the laws or customs where he dwelleth; and if he do the reverse of this he must live viciously under any circumstances or laws whatever. But what other system had these Greeks?" "Among others they had the system of Epicurus, which was in excellent repute of them," replied Master Bacon. "He taught that the ultimate good is happiness, which is a state in which man may be said to exist, when he enjoyeth as many good things, and endureth as few evils as may be possible to be met with in human life. He calleth pleasure good, and pain evil, which be not only good and evil in their own natures, but must be taken as the measure of whatsoever is good or evil in every object of desire or aversion, because we expect pleasure, in pursuing of one, and apprehend pain in avoiding the other. He maintaineth also, that any pleasure which preventeth the enjoyment of a greater pleasure, or produceth a greater pain, is to be eschewed; whilst that pain which removeth a greater pain or procureth a greater pleasure, is to be endured. He elsewhere proveth that temperance in the enjoyment of pleasure is no other than a state of virtue, and that virtuous conduct steadily pursued, produceth the greatest quantity of happiness human nature hath the capability to enjoy. These maxims, with sundry others of a like sort, with wonderful force of argu. ment he putteth together and buildeth into a system." "And a right famous system it must needs have been," exclaimed Master Shakspeare. "That happiness is the real aim of existence, surely none can doubt, and that the enjoyment of pleasure produceth the possession of happiness seemeth to me as little questionable; but methinks that there is greater happiness in the pleasure we afford to others than there can be in that which the individual enjoyeth exclusively, and were I inclined to set others in the pursuit of the greatest felicity, I would say, go and create the pleasures of as many as you may, without injustice to yourself or any. But as these systems of philosophy appear but so many different ideas of virtue, and of the distinctions between good and evil, and their natural results, happiness and misery, I pray you, Master Bacon, let me know what may be your opinion of these matters.' What Master Bacon's opinion was I cannot here relate, as just at that moment the two lords left that part of the room, where they had been staying, and came to the table, where, after a stately greeting from my Lord of Essex to Master Shakspeare, the four did sit down and partake of the cheer that was before them; but this omission can be no loss to the courteous reader, for if he turn to the many commendable volumes of excellent philosophy Master Bacon hath writ, he shall behold his opinions clothed with such fine arguments as I despair of being master of. CHAPTER II. Don Pedro. By my troth, a pleasant spirited lady. : Leonato. There's little of the melancholy element in her, my lord: she is never sad but when she sleeps; and not even sad then for I have heard my daughter say, she hath often dreamed of unhappiness, and waked herself with laughing. Don Pedro. She cannot bear to hear tell of a husband. O, by no means; she mocks all her wooers ont of suit. Fair angel of perfection, immortality FORD. "WHY dost take on so, Bess ?" asked the merry Alice, as she sat with her cousin in a fair chamber looking out into the open country at their house in Sherborne. "By my troth, thou art but little credit to womanhood. I will give thee up. I will forswear all relationship to thee if thou continuest to mope after this fashion. Well, if ever I be caught fretting after any man animal, the world must needs be as good as at an end. I would as soon think of taking to the making of simples for consumptive puppies. Nay, o' my life, I would sooner begin the digging of my own grave with a pap-spoon." "How thou dost talk, Alice!" exclaimed Dame Elizabeth, who seemed indeed exceeding sad at heart, as she sat with her cousin working of some tapestry, whilst a beautiful little boy, doubtless her own, was riding a cock-horse round the room upon an old sword in its scabbard, with such shouting and gladness of look as showed it was wonderful pleasant to him. "Thou knowest he hath been gone away so long a time I cannot but doubt of his safety," 66 Nay, he be safe enough I'll warrant him!" replied the other laughingly. "He knoweth that if he were to get any hurt and so vex thee I would as good as do for him. But these husbands be marvellously inclined to take care of themselves-took they as much heed of their wives now, there should be no falling out betwixt them. What a monstrous difference lieth in lovers and husbands! There is no more likelihood in the two, than may be found in a sparrow and a cod-fish. The one is always a chirruping, and billing, and hopping about one, as pleased as ever he can bethe other layeth his length where he may, careth as much for his wife as if she were a stone, and if he approach her at any time, seemeth like a very fish out of water. By my troth, methinks the difference betwixt wooing and wedlock be a difference indeed." "I have not found it so," observed her companion, “ Walter hath been ever the same to me. I do so wish he would come back! Alack! I cannot but be wretched, when day after day passeth by and bringeth me no tidings of him. Surely it is better to know the worst than to live in this state of uncertainty." 66 "I tell thee thou hast no worst to know," answered Alice, and then turning to the boy, who was shouting lustily, she cried, "Walter! if thou makest not less noise on the instant, I will kiss thee within an inch of thy life." The child stopped a moment in his course, turned his laughing face towards his pretty kinswoman, shook his curly head with a famous archness, and proceeded on his way shouting more loudly than ever. "Ah, that is so like all man animals, be they big or little," continued Alice. For a contrary humour there is not their like in this world. Dost believe it, Bess, that once upon a time one of these would needs be after caressing of me, for truly some are of so monstrous an impudency it can scarce be guessed what they would be about; but I pretty sharply gave him to know I would put up with no such thing, and threatened him with all manner of dreadful punishments made he but the slightest attempt at it. And what dost think the villain did ?" "Nay, I know not," replied her cousin. "He kissed me on the instant!" cried her merry companion, with a voice and look of such extreme solemnity, that the other could not-but smile. “And what saidst thou to that ?" inquired Dame Elizabeth. "What said I?" exclaimed Alice, seemingly in a great as tonishment. By my troth, my breath was clean taken away at so horrid a villany-I could say naught: but worse cometh to be told; for ere I could recover myself, the caitiff was for doing of it again. At that moment I fetched him so absolute a box on the ear, that ever since then he can no more hear on that side of his head than can a dead pig whistle a coranto." Here both jumped up quickly from their work, the boy in running round the room having tripped and fallen heavily on his head, and Dame Elizabeth, with a face marvellously pale, hastened to pick him up. "Be in no sort of fear, Bess," said Alice consolingly, as the other took the child into her lap as she stood by, "he cannot be hurt at so little a fall." "But he is hurt, Alice," replied the mother, regarding the motionless child with a wild sort of fearfulness; "he moveth not a limb, and his little lips have no colour in them." "There!" exclaimed her cousin, as she noticed that he moved his arms up to his head and opened his eyes, looking as if in some way frightened, "I told thee his hurt could not be much." 66 "Oh, there hath gone a weight off my heart which was nigh pressing me to the earth,' "said the other with much earnestness, as she caught the child to her breast, and then kissed him over and over again with as true a love as ever woman showed. Upon examining of him carefully, it was seen he had been but a little stunned, and could have received but a slight bruise or so, for he presently went to sleep in his mother's lap, never crying in the least, as if he had been none the worse for his tumble. This had scarce been done before there entered at the door Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, with as much mirth in his face as ought to content any honest man, and with this there was a sort of mystery, as if he was upon some trick or another that required secrecy in bringing it about. "They are come, Alice," exclaimed he in a low voice, and seemingly with a monstrous disposition to laugh outright. "Who are come, uncle ?" inquired she. 66 Why, thy lovers, wench, to be sure!" cried the old knight, bursting out into a famous chuckle. "Stephen hath much ado to keep them in their chambers, they be so furious to have sight of thee." "Oh, I did forget," said Alice laughingly, "I promised my lovers that this day I would give them an answer; and so |