Dum. Dark needs no candles now, for dark is light. Biron. Your mistreffes dare never come in rain, For fear their colours fhould be wash'd away. King. 'Twere good, yours did: for, Sir, to tell you plain, I'll find a fairer face not wash'd to day : Biron. I'll prove her fair, or talk 'till dooms-day here. King. No devil will fright thee then fo much as fhe. Dum. I never knew man hold vile ftuff fo dear. Long. Look, here's thy love; my foot and her face fee. Biron. O, if the streets were paved with thine eyes, Our loving lawful, and our faith not torn. this evil. fome flattery for Long O, fome Authority how to proceed; Some tricks, fome quillets, how to cheat the devil. Biron. O, 'tis more than need. Have at you then, Affection's Men at arms; And where that you have vow'd to ftudy, (Lords) K 4 From From whence doth fpring the true Promethean fire: Now, for not looking on a woman's face, And in that vow we have forfworn our books : (26) A Lover's Ear will hear the lowest Sound, When the fufpicious Head of Theft is ftop'd.] Love's I have ventur'd to fubftitute a Word here, against the Authority of all the printed Copies. There is no Contraft of Terms, betwixt a Lover and a Thief: but betwixt a Lover and a Man of Thrift there is a remarkable Antithefis. Nor is it true Love's Feeling is more foft and fenfible, Than are the tender horns of cockled fnails. Love's Tongue proves dainty Bacchus grofs in Tafte; Still climbing trees in the Hefperides? (27) As bright Apollo's lute, ftrung with his hair: in Fact, I believe, that a Thief, harden'd to the Profe.ion, is always fufpicious of being apprehended; but He may fleep as found as an honefter Man. But, according to the Ideas we have of a Mifer, a Man who makes Lucre and Pelf his fole Object and Purfuit, his Sleeps are broken and difturb'd with perpetual Apprehenfions of being robb'd of his darling Treafure: confequently, his Ear is upon the attentive Bent, even when he fleeps best. (27) For Valour is not Love a Hercules, Still climbing Trees in the Hefperides ?] I have here again ventur'd to tranfgrefs against the printed Books. The Poet is here observing how all the Senses are refin'd by Love. But what has the poor Senfe of Smelling done, not to keep its Place among its Brethren? Then Hercules's Valour was not in climbing the Trees, but in attacking the Dragon gardant. I rather think, the Poet meant, that Hercules was allured by the Odour and Fragrancy of the golden Apples.. (28) And when Love Speaks, the Voice of all the Gods, Make Heaven drowfie with the Harmony.] As this is writ and pointed in all the Copies, there is neither Senfe, nor Concord; as will be obvious to every understanding Reader. The fine and eafy Emendation, which I have inferted in the Text, I owe to my ingenious Friend Mr. Warburton. His Comment on Heaven being drowfie with the Harmony is no lefs ingenious; and therefore, I'll fubjoin it in his own Words. "Mufick, we muft obferve, in our Author's time "had a very different Ufe to what it has now. At prefent, "it is only employ'd to raise and inflame the Paffions; then, to " calm and allay all kind of Perturbations. And, agreeable to "this Observation, throughout all Shakespeare's Plays, where "Musick is either actually used, or its Power defcrib'd, 'tis "always faid to be for thefe Ends, K5 Never. Never durft Poet touch a pen to write, From womens eyes this doctrine I derive: For charity it felf fulfils the law; And who can fever love from charity? King. Saint Cupid, then! and, foldiers, to the field! Pell-mell, down with them; but be firft advis'd, Long. Now to plain-dealing, lay these glozes by; King. And win them too; therefore let us devise Some entertainment for them in their Tents. Biron. First, from the Park let us conduct them thi ther; Then homeward every man attach the hand Of his fair mistress; in the afternoon We will with fome ftrange paftime folace them, Biron. Allons! Allons! fown Cockle reap'd no corn; (29) And juftice always whirls in equal measure; Light wenches may prove plagues to men forfworn ; If fo, our copper buys no better treasure. [Exeunt. SCENE, the Street. Enter Holofernes, Nathaniel and Dull. HOLOFERNE S. Atis, quod fufficit. SA Nath. I praife God for you, Sir, your reafons at dinner have been sharp and fententious; pleasant without Scurrility, witty without affectation, audacious without Impudency, learned without opinion, and ftrange without herefy: I did converfe this quondam-day with a companion of the King's, who is entituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Armado. His humour is: Hol. Novi hominem, tanquam te. lofty, his difcourfe peremptory, his tongue filed, his eyeambitious, his gate majeftical, and his general behaviour vain, ridiculous, and thrafonical. He is too piqued, too fpruce, too affected, too odd, as it were; too peregri nate, as I may call it. Nath. A moft fingular and choice epithet. [draws out his table book. (29) Alone, alone, fow'd Cockrel,] The Editors, fure, could have no Idea of this Paffage. Biron begins with a repetition in French of what the King had faid in English; Away, away! and then proceeds with a proverbial Expreffion, inciting them to what he had before advis'd, from this Inference; if We only fow Cockle, we shall never reap Corn. i. e. If we don't take the proper Measures for winning these Ladies, we shall never atchieve them. Mr. Warburtons. Hol |