part thou, Pifanio, must act for me. If thy faith be not tainted with the breach of hers, let thine hands take away her life: I shall give thee opportunity at MilfordHaven. She bath my letter for the purpose; where, if thou fear to strike, and to make me certain it is done, thou art the Pander to her dishonour, and equally to me difloyal.

Pif. What fhall I need to draw my fword? the paper Hath cut her throat already.No, 'tis flander; Whofe edge is fharper than the fword, whofe tongue Out vénoms all the worms of Nile; whofe breath Rides on the pofting winds, and doth belye

All corners of the world. Kings, Queens, and 7 ftates,
Maids, matrons, nay, the fecrets of the Grave
This viperous flander enters.

What chear, Madam?

Imo. Falfe to his bed! what is it to be falfe?

To lie in watch there, and to think on him?

To weep 'twixt clock and clock? if fleep charge na

ture,

To break it with a fearful dream of him,

And cry myself awake? That's falfe to 's bed! is't? Pif. Alas, good lady!

Imo. I falfe? thy confcience witnefs, lachimo,Thou didst accufe him of incontinency,

8

Thou then look'dft like a villain: now, methinks,
Thy favour's good enough. Some Jay of Italy,
9 Whofe mother was her painting, hath betray'd him:
Poor I am stale, a garment out of fashion;
And, for I'm richer than to hang by th' walls,

I must be ript. To pieces with me. Oh,
Men's vows are women's traitors. All good Seeming
By thy revolt, oh husband, shall be thought

Put on for villainy; not born where 't grows.;
But worn, a bait for ladies.

Pif. Good Madam, hear me

Imo. True honeft men being heard, like falfe Æneas, Were in his time thought falfe: and Sinon's Weeping Did fcandal many a holy tear; took pity From moft true wretchedness.

So thou, Pofbumus,

Wilt lay the leven to all proper men ;

Goodly, and gallant, fhall be falfe and perjur'd,
From thy great fail. Come, fellow, be thou honest,
Do thou thy mafter's bidding: when thou feeft him,
A litle witnefs my obedience. Look!

I draw the fword myself, take it, and hit
The innocent manfion of my love, my heart;

edition the M in mother happen-
ing to be reverfed at the prefs, it
came out Wother. And what
was very ridiculous, Gilden em-
ployed himself (properly enough
indeed) in finding a meaning for
it. In fhort, the true word is
MEETHER, a north country word,
fignifying beauty. So that the
fenfe of, her meether was her
painting, is, that he had only an
appearance of beauty, for which
fhe was beholden to her paint.

WARBURTON.

ly fcandalized the whole fex. His
wife here. under the fame im-
preffions of his infidelity, attend-
ed with more provoking circum-
ftances, acquits his fex, and lays
the fault where it was due. The
poet paints from nature. This
is life and manners. The man
thinks it a difhonour to the fupè-
riority of his understanding to be
jilted, and therefore flatters his
vanity into a conceit that the dif-
grace was inevitable from the ge-
neral infidelity of the fex. The
woman, on the contrary, not
imagining her credit to be at all
affected in the matter, never seeks
out for fo extravagant a confola-
tion; but at once eases her ma-
lice and her grief, by laying the
crime and damage at the door of
fome obnoxious coquet. WARB.
Hanmer reads,
lay the level
without any neceffity.

Fear

Fear not, 'tis empty of all things, but grief;
Thy mafter is not there; who was, indeed,
The riches of it. Do his Bidding, ftrike;
Thou may'st be valiant in a better caufe,
But now thou feem'ft a coward.

Pif. Hence, vile inftrument!
Thou shalt not damn my hand.
Imo. Why, I must die;

And, if I do not by thy hand, thou art
No fervant of thy mafter's.

'Gainft felf-flaughter

There is a prohibition so divine,

That cravens my weak hand: come, here's my heartSomething 's afore 't-soft, foft, we'll no defence;

[Opening her breast.

Obedient as the fcabbard!What is here?

The Scriptures of the loyal Leonatus
All turn'd to Herefy? away, away,

[Pulling his letters out of her bofcm. Corrupters of my faith! you fhall no more

Be ftomachers to my heart: thus may poor fools'
Believe falfe teachers: tho' thofe, that are betray'd,
Do feel the treafon fharply, yet the traitor

Stands in worfe cafe of woe. And thou, Pofthumus,
That fet'ft my difobedience 'gainst the King,
And mad❜ft me put into contempt the suits
Of princely fellows, fhalt hereafter find,
It is no act of common paffage, but
A ftrain of rarenefs: and I grieve myself,
To think, when thou shalt be difedg'd by her
3 Whom now thou tir'ft on, how thy memory
Will then be pang'd by me.

Pr'ythee, dispatch; Where's thy knife?

The lamb entreats the butcher.
Thou art too flow to do thy mafter's bidding,
When I defire it too.
Pif. O gracious Lady!

2 Something's afore 't-] The old copy reads, Something's afoot. 3 Whom now thou tirft on,-]

A hawk is faid to tire upon that which he pecks; from tirer, French.

Y 4

Since

Since I receiv'd command to do this business,

I have not flept one wink.

Imo. Do't, and to bed then.

Pif. I'll wake mine eye-balls first.
Imo. Wherefore then

Didft undertake it? why haft thou abus'd

So many miles, with a pretence? this place?
Mine action? and thine own? our horfes' labour?
The time inviting thee? the perturb'd Court,
For my being abfent? whereunto I never
Purpose Return. Why haft thou gone so far,
To be unbent, when thou haft ta'en thy ftand,
Th' elected deer before thee?

Pif. But to win time

To lofe fo bad employment, in the which,
I have confider'd of a course. Good lady,
Hear me with patience.

Imo. Talk thy tongue weary, fpeak,
I've heard, I am a ftrumpet; and mine ear,
Therein falfe ftruck, can take no greater wound,
Nor tent to bottom that. But, speak.

Pif. Then, Madam,

I thought, you would not back again.
Imo. Moft like,

Bringing me here to kill me.

Pif. Not fo, neither;

But if I were as wife as honeft, then

My purpose would prove well. It cannot be,
But that my master is abus'd; fome villain,
And fingular in his art, hath done you both
This curfed injury.

Imo. Some Roman Courtezan-
Pif. No, on my life.

4 Ill wake mine eye-balls firft.] Imo. Wherefore then.] This is the old reading. The modern editions for wake read break, and fupply the deficient fyllable by

ab, wherefore, I read,

I'll wake mine eye-balls out first, or, blind first.

5 To be unbent,-] To have thy bow unbent, alluding to a hunter.

I'll give him notice you are dead, and fend him
Some bloody fign of it: for 'tis commanded,
I should do fo. You fhall be mifs'd at Court,
And that will well confirm it.

Imo. Why, good fellow,

What fhall I do the while? where 'bide? how live?
Or in my life what comfort, when I am
Dead to my husband?

Pif. If you'll back to th' Court

Imo, No Court, no Father; nor no more ado
With that harsh, noble, fimple, Nothing,
That Cloten, whofe love-fuit hath been to me
As fearful as a fiege.

Pif. If not at Court,

Then not in Britain must

Imo. Where then?

you 'bide.

Hath Britain all the Sun that fhines? Day, night,
Are they not but in Britain? I' th' world's volume
Our Britain feems as of it, but not in it;

In a great pool, a fwan's neft.

There's livers out of Britain.
Pif. I'm moft glad,

Pr'ythee, think,

You think of other place: th' Ambaffador,
Lucius the Roman, comes to Milford-Haven

6

To-morrow. Now, if you could wear a mind