King. Rebuke me not for That, which you pro voke ;

The virtue of your eye muft break my oath. Prin. You nick-name virtue; vice you should have spoke :

For virtue's office never breaks men's troth,
Now, by my maiden honour, yet as pure
As the unfully'd lilly, I proteft,

A world of torments though I fhould endure,
I would not yield to be your house's guest;
So much I hate a breaking cause to be
Of heav'nly oaths, vow'd with integrity,
King. O, you have liv'd in defolation here,
Unseen, unvifited, much to our fhame.
Prin. Not fo, my lord; it is not so, I swear;
We have had paftimes here, and pleasant game,
A mefs of Ruffians left us but of late.

King. How, Madam, Ruffians?

Prin. Ay, in truth, my lord;

Trim gallants, full of courtship, and of state.

Rof. Madam, fpeak true. It is not fo, my lord; My lady, to the manner of these days,

In courtesy gives undeserving praise.

We four, indeed, confronted were with four
In Ruffian habit: here they stay'd an hour,
And talk'd apace; and in that hour, my lord,
They did not bless us with one happy word.
I dare not call them fools; but this I think,
When they are thirsty, fools would fain have drink,

The virtue of your eye MUST break my oath.] Common fenfe requires us to read,

MADE break my oath,

i. e. made me. And then the reply is pertinent-It was the force of your beauty that made me break my oath, therefore you ought not to upbraid me with a

crime which you yourself was the caufe of. WARBURTON.

I believe the author means that the virtue, in which word goodness and power are both comprifed, muft diffolve the obligation of the oath. The princefs, in her anfwer, takes the most in vidious part of the ambiguity,

Biron. This jeft is dry to me. Fair, gentle, fweet, Your wit makes wife things foolish; when we greet With eyes best seeing heaven's fiery eye,

By light we lose light; your capacity

Is of that nature, as to your huge store

Wife things feem foolish, and rich things but poor. Rof. This proves you wife and rich; for in my eye

Biron. I am a fool, and full of poverty.

Rof. But that you take what doth to you belong, It were a fault to fnatch words from my tongue. Biron. O, I am yours, and all that I poffefs. Rof. All the fool mine?

Biron. I cannot give you lefs.

Rof. Which of the vizors was it that you wore? Biron. Where? when? what vizor? why demand you this?

Rof. There, then, that vizor, that fuperfluous Cafe, That hid the worfe, and fhew'd the better face. King. We are defcried; they'll mock us now downright.

Dum. Let us confefs, and turn it to a jeft.

Prin. Amaz'd, my lord? why looks your Highness fad?

Rof. Help, hold his brows, he'll fwoon: why look you pale?

Sea-fick, I think, coming from Muscovy.

Biron. Thus pour the ftars down plagues for Per jury.

Can any face of brafs hold longer out?

Here ftand I, lady, dart thy skill at me;

Bruise me with fcorn, confound me with a flout;

Thrust thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance;
Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit;

And I will with thee never more to dance,
Nor never more in Ruffian habit wait.

This is a very lofty and elegant compliment.

O! ne

O! never will I truft to fpeeches penn'd,

Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue, Nor never come in vizor to my friend,

Nor woo in rhime, like a blind harper's fong. Taffata-phrafes, filken terms precife,

Three-pil'd hyperboles, fpruce affectation, Figures pedantical, thefe fummer-flies,

Have blown me full of maggot oftentation: I do forfwear them; and I here proteft,

By this white glove, (how white the hand, God
knows!)

Henceforth my wooing mind fhall be expreft
In ruffet yeas, and honeft kersey noes:
And to begin, wench, (fo God help me, law!)
My love to thee is found, fans crack or flaw.
Rof. Sans, fans, I pray you.

Biron. Yet I have a trick

Of the old rage: bear with me, I am fick.
I'll leave it by degrees: foft, let us fee;
Write', Lord have mercy on us, on thofe three,
They are infected, in their hearts it lies.;
They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes;
Thefe lords are vifited, you are not free;
For the lord's tokens on you both I fee.

Prin. No, they are free, that gave these tokens

to us.

Biron. Our ftates are forfeit, seek not to undo us. Rof. It is not fo; for how can this be true 2, That you stand forfeit, being those that fue? Biren. Peace, for I will not have to do with you. Rof.

Write, &c.] This was the infcription put upon the door of the houses infected with the plague, to which Biron compares the love of himself and his companions; and pursuing the metaphor finds the tokens likewife on the ladies. The tokens of the

plague are the firft fpots or dif colorations by which the infec tion is known to be received.

2

how can this be true

That you should forfeit, being

thofe that Jue.] That is, how can those be liable to forfeiture that begin the process. The

jeft

Rof. Nor fhall not, if I do as I intend.

Biron. Speak for yourselves, my wit is at an end. King. Teach us, fweet Madam, for our rude tranfgreffion

Some fair excuse.

Prin. The fairest is confeffion.

Were you not here, but even now, disguis'd?

King. Madam, I was.

Prin. And were you well advis'd?

King. I was, fair Madam.

Prin. When you then were here,

What did you whisper in your lady's ear?

King. That more than all the world I did refpec

her.

Prin. When the fhall challenge this, you will reject her.

King. Upon mine honour, no.
Prin. Peace, peace, forbear:

Your oath once broke, you force not to forfwear3.
King. Despise me, when I break this oath of mine.
Prin. I will, and therefore keep it. Rofaline,
What did the Ruffian whisper in your ear.

Rof. Madam, he fwore, that he did hold me dear As precious eye-fight; and did value me Above this world; adding thereto, moreover, That he would wed me, or elfe die my lover. Prin. God give thee joy of him! the noble lord Moft honourably doth uphold his word.

King. What mean you, Madam? by my life, my troth,

I never swore this lady such an oath.

Rof. By heav'n, you did; and to confirm it plain, You gave me this; but take it, Sir, again.

jeft lies in the ambiguity of fue, which fignifies to projecute by law, or to offer a petition."

3 You force not to forfwear.] You force not is the fame with

you make no difficulty. This is a very juft obfervation. The crime which has been once committed, is committed again with lefs reluctance.

King. My faith, and this, to th' Princess I did give; I knew her by this jewel on her fleeve.

Prin. Pardon me, Sir, this jewel did fhe wear:
And lord Biron, I thank him, is my Dear.
What? will you have me? or your pearl again?
Biron. Neither of either: I remit both twain.
I fee the trick on't; here was a confent,

(Knowing aforehand of our merriment)
To dash it like a Christmas comedy.

Some carry-tale, fome please-man, fome flight zany,
Some mumble-news, fome trencher-knight, fome
Dick,

That fmiles his cheek in years 4, and knows the trick
To make my lady laugh, when she's difpos'd,
Told our intents before; which once difclos'd,
The ladies did change Favours, and then we,
Following the figns, woo'd but the fign of the:
Now to our perjury to add more terror,
We are again forfworn; in will, and error 5.
Much upon this it is.And might not You
[To Boyet.

Foreftal our sport, to make us thus untrue?
Do not you know my lady's foot by th' fquier,
And laugh upon the apple of her eye,
And ftand between her back, Sir, and the fire,
Holding a trencher, jefting merrily?