7

Courtier to convince the honour of my miftrefs; if in the holding or lofs of that, you term her frail. I do nothing doubt, you have store of thieves, notwithstanding I fear not my ring.

Phil. Let us leave here, Gentlemen.

Poft. Sir, with all my heart. This worthy Signior, I thank him, makes no ftranger of me; we are familiar at first.

Iach. With five times fo much converfation, I fhould get ground of your fair Miftrefs; make her go back, even to the yielding, had I admittance, and opportunity to friend.

Poft. No, no.

Iach. I dare thereupon pawn the moiety of my eftate to your ring, which, in my opinion, o'er-values it fomething. But I make my wager rather against your confidence than her reputation, and to bar your offence herein too, I durft attempt it against any Lady in the world.

Poft. You are a great deal abus'd in too bold a perfuafion; and, I doubt not, you'd fuftain what you're worthy of, by your attempt.

Iach. What's that?

Poft. A repulfe; though your attempt, as you call it, deferves more; a punishment too.

Phil, Gentlemen, enough of this; it came in too fuddenly, let it die as it was born; and I pray you, be better acquainted.

9

Iach. Would, I had put my eftate and my neighbour's, on th' approbation of what 1 have spoke. Poft. What Lady would you chufe to affail?

Tach. Yours; who in conftancy, you think, stands fo fafe. I will lay you ten thousand ducats to your

ring, that, commend me to the Court where your Lady is, with no more advantage than the opportunity of a fecond conference, I will bring from thence that honour of hers, which you imagine fo referv'd.

Poft. I will wage against your gold, gold to it: my ring I hold dear as my finger, 'tis part of it.

Iach. You are a friend, and therein the wiser; if you buy ladies' flesh at a million a dram, you cannot preferve it from tainting. But, I fee, you have fome Religion in you, that you fear.

Poft. This is but a cuftom in your tongue; you bear a graver purpose, I hope.

Iach. I am the master of my Speeches, and would undergo what's spoken, I swear.

Post. Will you? I fhall but lend my diamond 'till your Return; let there be covenants drawn between us. My Miftrefs exceeds in goodness the hugenefs of your unworthy thinking. I dare you to this match; here's my ring.

Phil. I will have it no Lay.

Iach. By the Gods it is one.

If I bring you no

fufficient teftimony that I have enjoy'd the dearest bo dily part of your mistress, my ten thousand ducats are yours, fo is your diamond fo is your diamond too; if I come off, and

Iach. You are a friend, and therein the wifer;] I correct it, You are afraid, and therein the wifer.

What lachime fays, in the clofe of his fpeech, determines this to have been our Poet's reading. But, I fee, you have fome Religion in you, that you fear.

WARBURTON. Friend will bear a proper sense. You are a friend to the Lady, and therein the wifer, as you will not expofe her to hazard; and that you fear, is a proof of your re-.

ligious fidelity.

leave

2 lach. If I bring you No Sufficient teftimony that I have erjoy'd the dearest bodily part of your mistress, my ten thousand ducats are YOURS; fo is your diamond too; if I come off, and leave her in fuch honour as you have trust in, fhe your jewel, this your jewel, and my gold are yours, &c.

Polt. I embrace thefe conditions, &c.] This was a wager between the two fpeakers. Tachimo declares the conditions of it; and Pofthumus embraces them: as well

he

leave her in fuch honour as you have truft in, fhe your jewel, this your jewel, and my gold are yours; provided, I have your commendation, for my more free entertainment.

Poft. I embrace thefe conditions; let us have articles. betwixt us; only, thus far you fhall answer. If you make your voyage upon her, and give me directly to understand you have prevail'd, I am no further your enemy, fhe is not worth our debate; if the remain unfeduc'd, you not making it appear otherwife, for your ill opinion, and th' affault you have made to her. chastity, you fhall anfwer me with your fword.

Iach. Your hand, a covenant. We will have these things fent down by lawful counfel, and ftraight away for Britain; left the bargain fhould catch cold, and ftarve. I will fetch my gold, and have our two wagers recorded.

Pft. Agreed.

[Exeunt Pofthumus and Iachimo.

French. Will this hold, think you?

Phil. Signior Iachimo will not from it. Pray let us follow 'em.

he might; for lachime mentions only that of the two conditions, which was favourable to Pofthumus, namely, that if his wife preferved her honour he should win : concerning the other, in cafe the preferved it not, Iachimo, the accurate expounder of the wager, is filent. To make him talk more in character, for we find him sharp enough in the profecution of his bet, we should trike out the negative, and read the reft thus, If I bring you fufficient teftimony that I have enjoy'd, &c. my ten thousand ducats are MINE; fe'is your dia

[Exeunt.

mond too. If I come off, and leave her in fuch honour, &c. she your j wel, &c. and my gold are yours. WARBURTON.

I once thought this emendation right, but am now of opinion, that Shakespeare intended that Iachim, having gained his purpofe, fhould defignedly drop the invidious and offenfive part of the wager, and to flatter Pofthumus, dwell long upon the more pleaf. ing part of the reprefentation. One condition of a wager implies the other, and there is no need to mention both.

Enter Queen, Ladies, and Cornelius with a Phial.

Queen. W

HILE yet the dew's on ground, ga

ther thofe flowers:

Make hafte-Who has the note of them?

1 Lady. I, Madam.

Queen. Dispatch.

[Exeunt Ladies.

Now, mafter Doctor, you have brought those drugs? Cor. Pleafeth your Highnefs, ay; here they are, Madam.

But I beseech your Grace, without offence,

My confcience bids me afk, wherefore you have
Commanded of me thefe most pois'nous compounds
Which are the movers of a languifhing death;
But, though flow, deadly.

Queen. I wonder, Doctor,

Thou afk'ft me fuch a question; have I not been
Thy pupil long? haft thou not learn'd me how
To make perfumes? diftil? preferve? yea, fo,
That our great King himself doth woo me oft

For

my confections? having thus far proceeded, Unlefs thou think'ft me dev'lifh, is't not meet That I did amplify my judgment in

3 Other conclufions? I will try the forces
Of these thy compounds on fuch creatures as
We count not worth the hanging, but none human,
To try the vigour of them, and apply
Allayments to their act; and by them gather
Their fev'rat virtues and effects.

3 Other conclufions?-] Other ton, an angler that tries concluexperiments. I commend, fays Wal- fions, and improves his art.

Cor.

Cor. 4 Your Highness

Shall from this practice but make hard your heart;
Befides, the feeing thefe effects will be
Both noifome and infectious.

Queen. O, content thee.

Enter Pifanio.

Here comes a flatt'ring rafcal, upon him
Will I first work; he's for his master,
And enemy to my fon. How now, Pifanio?
Doctor, your fervice for this time is ended

Take your own way.

Cor. I do fufpect you, Madam;

But you fhall do no harm.

Queen. Hark thee, a word.

5

[To Pifanio.

Cor. [Solus] I do not like her. She doth think,

fhe has

Strange ling'ring poifons; I do know her spirit,

And will not truft one of her malice with

A drug of fuch damn'd nature. Thofe, he has,
Will ftupify and dull the sense a while;

Which firft, perchance, fhe'll prove on cats and dogs,
Then afterwards up higher; but there is

No danger in what fhew of death it makes,

4 Your Highnes

Shall from this practice but

make hard your heart;] There is in this paffage nothing that much requires a note, yet I cannot forbear to push it forward into obfervation. The thought would probably have been more amplified, had our authour lived to be fhocked with fuch experiments as have been published in later times, by a race of men that have practifed tortures without pity, and related them without

fhame, and are yet fuffered to erect their heads among human beings.

Cape faxa manu, cape robora, paftor.

5 I do not like her. -] This foliloquy is very inartificial. The fpeaker is under no ftrong preffure of thought; he is neither refolving, repenting, fufpecting, nor deliberating, and yet makes a long speech, to tell himfelf what himielf knows.

T 4

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