8

Laf. Goodfaith, across-but, my good Lord,

'tis thus ;

Will you be cur'd of your infirmity?

King. No.

Laf. O, will you eat no grapes, my royal fox? Yes, but you will, my noble grapes; an if

My royal fox could reach them: I have feen a medicine, That's able to breathe life into a stone;

Quicken a rock, and make you dance Canary

With sprightly fire and motion; whofe fimple touch
Is powerful to araife King Pepin, nay,

To give great Charlemain a pen in's hand,
And write to her a love-line.

King. What her is this?

Laf. Why, doctor-fhe: my Lord, there's one arriv'd,

If you will fee her. Now, by my faith and honour,
If feriously I may convey my thoughts

In this my light deliverance, I have spoke
With one, that in her fex, her years, profeffion,
Wifdom and conftancy, hath amaz'd me more
Than I dare blame my weakness: will you fee her,
For that is her Demand, and know her bufiness?
That done, laugh well at me.

King. Now, good Lafeu,

Bring in the admiration, that we with thee
May spend our wonder too, or take off thine,
By wond'ring how thou took'ft it.

8 - across-] This word, as has been already obferved, is ufed when any pafs of wit mif

deed rejected without great lofs but I believe they are ShakeSpeare's words. You will eat, fays Lafeu, no grapes. Yes, but you will eat fuch noble grapes as I bring you, if you could reach them.

1

By profeffion is
ration of the
her coming.

her years, profeffion,] meant her declaend and purpose of WARBURTON.

Laf.

Laf. Nay, I'll fit you,

And not be all day neither.

[Exit Lafeu.

King. Thus he his fpecial nothing ever prologues, Laf. [Returns.] Nay, come your ways.

[Bringing in Helena.

King. This hafte hath wings, indeed.

Laf. Nay, come your ways,

This is his majefty, fay your mind to him;
A traitor you do look like; but fuch traitors
His Majefty feldom fears: I'm Creffid's uncle 2,
That dare leave two together; fare you well. [Exit.

King. Now, fair One, do's your business follow us? Hel. Ay, my good Lord.

Gerard de Narbon was my father,

In what he did profefs, well found.

King. I knew him.

Hel. The rather will I fpare my praise toward him Knowing him, is enough: on's bed of death Many receipts he gave me, chiefly one, Which, as the deareft iffue of his practice, And of his old experience th' only darling, He bade me ftore up, as a triple eye,

Safer than mine own two: more dear I have fo
And hearing your high Majefty is touch'd
With that malignant caufe, wherein the honour 3
Of my dear father's gift ftands chief in
I come to tender it, and my appliance,
With all bound humbleness.

King. We thank you, maiden;
But may not be fo credulous of cure,

2

power,

Troilus and Creffida.

wherein the power

Of my dear father's gift ftands chief in honour.

When

When our most learned doctors leave us; and
The congregated college have concluded,
That labouring art can never ransome nature
From her unaidable eftate: we must not
So ftain our judgment, or corrupt our hope,
To prostitute our paft-cure malady
To empericks; or to diffever fo

Our great felf and our credit, to esteem
A fenfelefs help, when help paft fenfe we deem.
Hel. My duty then fhall pay me for my pains;
I will no more enforce mine office on you;
Humbly intreating from your royal thoughts
A modeft one to bear me back again.

King. I cannot give thee lefs, to be call'd grateful; Thou thought'ft to help me, and fuch thanks I give, As one near death to thofe that with him live; But what at full I know, thou know'ft no part;

I knowing all my peril, thou no art.

Hel. What I can do, can do no hurt to try,
Since you fet up your reft 'gainft remedy.
He that of greatest works is finisher,
Oft does them by the weakest minister :
So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown,

When judges have been babes; great floods have flown
From fimple fources; and great seas have dry'd,
When mir'cles have by th' greatest been deny'd +,
Oft expectation fails, and most oft there

Where most it promifes: and oft it hits
Where hope is coldeft, and defpair most fits.

King. I must not hear thee; fare thee well, kind

Maid;

Thy pains, not us'd, muft by thyfelf be paid:

When miracles have by th' greatest been deny'd] I do not fee the import or connection of this line. As the next line

X 4

ftands without a correfpondent rhyme, I fufpect that fomething has been loft.

Proffers,

Proffers, not took, reap thanks for their reward.

1

Hel. Infpired merit fo by breath is barr'd:
It is not fo with him that all things knows,'
As 'tis with us, that fquare our guefs by fhows:
But moft it is prefumption in us, when
The help of heav'n we count the act of men.
Dear Sir, to my endeavours give confent,
Of heav'n, not me, make an experiment.
I am not an impoftor, that proclaim
5 Myself against the level of mine aim;
But know I think, and think I know moft fure,
My art is not paft power, nor you past cure.

King. Art thou fo confident? within what space Hop'it thou my cure?

Hel. The greatest grace lending grace,
Ere twice the horses of the fun shall bring
Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring;
Ere twice in murk and accidental damp
Moift Hesperus hath quench'd his fleepy lamp;
Or four and twenty times the pilot's glass
Hath told the thievifh minutes how they pafs;
What is infirm from your found parts fhall fly,
Health fhall live free, and ficknets freely die.
King. Upon thy certainty and confidence,
What dar'it thou venture?

Hel. Tax of impudence,

A ftrumpet's boldness, a divulged fhame"
Traduc'd by odious ballads: my maiden's name

Seal'd

Sear'd otherwife, no worse of worst extended;
With vileft torture let my life be ended.

King. Methinks, in thee fome bleffed Spirit doth fpeak

His powerful found, within an organ weak;

1