SCENE III.

Paris. A Room in the KING'S Palace.

Enter BERTRAM, LAFEU, and PAROLLES.

Laf. They say, miracles are past; and we have our philosophical persons, to make modern and familiar things supernatural and causeless'. Hence is it, that we make trifles of terrors, ensconcing ourselves into seeming knowledge, when we should submit ourselves to an unknown fear.

Par. Why, 'tis the rarest argument of wonder, that hath shot out in our latter times.

Ber. And so 'tis.

Laf. To be relinquished of the artists,—

Par. So I say; both of Galen and Paracelsus.
Laf. Of all the learned and authentic fellows,
Par. Right; so I say.

Laf. That gave him out incurable,—

Par. Why, there 'tis; so say I too.

Laf. Not to be helped,

Par. Right; as 'twere a man assured of an—
Laf. Uncertain life, and sure death.

Par. Just, you say well; so would I have said.
Laf. I may truly say, it is a novelty to the world.
Par. It is, indeed: if you will have it in showing,
you shall read it in,-what do you call there?—

Laf. A showing of a heavenly effect in an earthly

actor.

Par. That's it I would have said; the very same.

9 MODERN and familiar things supernatural and CAUSELESS.] "Modern" is often used by Shakespeare for common. See p. 44 of this vol., note 4. Upon the word "causeless," Coleridge has the subsequent remark :-" Shakespeare, inspired, as it might seem, with all knowledge, here uses the word 'causeless' in its strict philosophical sense ;-cause being truly predicable only of phenomena, that is, things natural, and not of noumena, or things supernatural." Lit. Rem. ii. 121.

Laf. Why, your dolphin is not lustier: 'fore me, I speak in respect—

Par. Nay, 'tis strange; 'tis very strange, that is the brief and the tedious of it; and he is of a most facinorous spirit, that will not acknowledge it to be theLaf. Very hand of heaven.

Par. Ay, so I say.

Laf. In a most weak

Par. And debile minister, great power, great transcendence; which should, indeed, give us a further use to be made, than alone the recovery of the king, as to be

Laf. Generally thankful.

Enter KING, HELENA, and Attendants.

Par. I would have said it; you say well. Here comes the king.

10

Laf. Lustick, as the Dutchman says10: I'll like a maid the better, whilst I have a tooth in my head. Why, he's able to lead her a coranto'.

Par. Mort du vinaigre?! Is not this Helen?
Laf. 'Fore God, I think so.

King. Go, call before me all the lords in court.

[Exit an Attendant.

Sit, my preserver, by thy patient's side;

And with this healthful hand, whose banish'd sense
Thou hast repeal'd, a second time receive

10 LUSTICK, as the Dutchman says:] This word came into common use from Holland in the beginning of the seventeenth century: it occurs, among other authorities, in Dekker and Webster's "Wyat's History," 1607:—

"If my old master be hang'd, why so;

If not, why rustick and lustick."

When the Rev. A. Dyce published his edition of Webster's Works in 1830, he doubted the existence of a copy of this play dated 1612. The Duke of Devonshire has one in his collection.

1

to lead her a CORANTO.] A species of dance often mentioned in writers of Shakespeare's time. It was of a very active and lively description. "Coranto" occurs again in "Twelfth Night," A. i. sc. 3.

2 Mort du vinaigre !] The old copy has Mor du vinager; most likely a corruption of Mort du vinaigre, an affected exclamation by Farolles.

The confirmation of my promis'd gift,
Which but attends thy naming.

Enter several Lords.

Fair maid, send forth thine eye: this youthful parcel
Of noble bachelors stand at my bestowing,

O'er whom both sovereign power and father's voice
I have to use thy frank election make.

Thou hast power to choose, and they none to forsake.
Hel. To each of you one fair and virtuous mistress
Fall, when love please!—marry, to each, but one3.

Laf. I'd give bay curtal', and his furniture,

My mouth no more were broken" than these boys',
And writ as little beard.

King.

Peruse them well:

Not one of those but had a noble father.

Hel. Gentlemen,

Heaven hath through me restor'd the king to health. All. We understand it, and thank heaven for you. Hel. I am a simple maid; and therein wealthiest, That, I protest, I simply am a maid.—

Please it your majesty, I have done already:

The blushes in my cheeks thus whisper me,

"We blush, that thou should'st choose; but, be refus'd, Let the white death sit on thy cheek for ever:

We'll ne'er come there again."

King.
Who shuns thy love, shuns all his love in me.
Hel. Now, Dian, from thy altar do I fly,

Make choice; and, see,

And to imperial Love, that god most high,

3

marry, to each, but one.] i. e. I wish a mistress to each of you, with one exception. This is Monck Mason's judicious explanation of the passage.

- bay curtal,] i. e. a bay, docked horse.

5 My mouth no more were BROKEN--] A broken mouth is a mouth which has lost some of its teeth.

6 And to imperial Love,] So the first folio, "Love" being printed without a capital. These words illustrate curiously the progress of error. The second folio has "imperial Iove," the 7 in love having been mistaken for a capital I. The third folio alters "imperial” to impartial; so that "imperial Love" of the first folio becomes "impartial Jove" in the third.

Do my sighs stream.-Sir, will you hear my

1 Lord. And grant it.

Hel.

suit?

Thanks, sir: all the rest is mute". Laf. I had rather be in this choice, than throw amesace for my life.

Hel. The honour, sir, that flames in your fair eyes, Before I speak, too threateningly replies:

Love make your fortunes twenty times above
Her that so wishes, and her humble love!
2 Lord. No better, if you please.
Hel.
My wish receive,
Which great Love grant! and so I take my leave.

Laf. Do all they deny her? An they were sons of mine, I'd have them whipped, or I would send them to the Turk to make eunuchs of.

Hel. [To 3 Lord.] Be not afraid that I your hand should take;

I'll never do you wrong for your own sake:
Blessing upon your vows! and in your bed
Find fairer fortune, if you ever wed!

Laf. These boys are boys of ice, they'll none have her: sure, they are bastards to the English; the French ne'er got them.

Hel. You are too young, too happy, and too good, To make yourself a son out of my blood.

4 Lord. Fair one, I think not so.

Laf. There's one grape yet',-I am sure, thy father

7 Thanks, sir: all the rest is mute.] In other words, "I have no more to say to you ;" and she therefore proceeds to the second lord.

than throw AMES-ACE for my life.] "Ames-ace," or both aces, was the lowest throw upon two dice: to throw ames-ace is an expression often met with, indicating ill luck. Lafeu is contrasting it with the happy chance of being the choice of Helena.

9 LAF. There's one grape yet,] In the folios, the whole of this speech is given to Ol. Lord, meaning probably "Old Lafeu," as he is sometimes called in the prefixes. Theobald assigned "There's one grape yet" to Lafeu, and " I am sure thy father drank wine" to Parolles, making Lafeu conclude with "If thou be'st not an ass," &c. addressed to Parolles. Hanmer and Warburton adopted this distribution, which does not however seem necessary. Lafeu must anticipate Bertram's refusal of Helena, in order to make the latter part of what he'says apply to him.

VOL. III.

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drank wine. But if thou be'st not an ass, I am a youth of fourteen: I have known thee already.

Hel. [To BERTRAM.] I dare not say, I take you; but I give

Me, and my service, ever whilst I live,

Into your guiding power.-This is the man.

King. Why then, young Bertram, take her; she's thy

wife.

Ber. My wife, my liege? I shall beseech your high

ness,

In such a business give me leave to use

The help of mine own eyes.

King.

What she has done for me?

Ber.

Know'st thou not, Bertram,

Yes, my good lord;

But never hope to know why I should marry her.
King. Thou know'st, she has rais'd me from my
sickly bed.

Ber. But follows it, my lord, to bring me down
Must answer for your raising? I know her well:
She had her breeding at my father's charge.
A poor physician's daughter my wife?-Disdain
Rather corrupt me ever!

King. "Tis only title thou disdain'st in her, the which
I can build up. Strange is it, that our bloods,
Of colour, weight, and heat, pour'd all together,
Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off
In differences so mighty. If she be

All that is virtuous, (save what thou dislik'st,
A poor physician's daughter) thou dislik'st
Of virtue for the name; but do not so:
From lowest place when virtuous things proceed',
The place is dignified by the doer's deed:
Where great additions swell's, and virtue none2,

1 From lowest place WHEN virtuous things proceed,] The old reading is whence for "when," a necessary correction, made by Theobald at the suggestion of Thirlby.

2 Where great additions SWELL's, and virtue none,] So the old copy, which