Laf. Then here's a man ftands, that hath bought his pardon.

I would, you had kneel'd, my Lord, to ask me mercy;' And that at my bidding you could fo ftand up.

King. I would, I had; fo I had broke thy pate, And ask'd thee mercy for't.

Laf. Goodfaith, acrofs:-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; (12) I have feen a medicin,
That's able to breathe life into a ftone;

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.

If

King. What her is this?

Laf. Why, Doctor-fhe: my Lord, there's one arriv'd, 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,
Wisdom and conftancy, hath amaz'd me more
Than I dare blame my weakness: will
For that is her demand, and know her bufsiness ?
fee her,
That done, laugh well at me.

King. Now, good Lafeu,

you

Bring in the admiration, that we with thee

May spend our wonder too, or take off thine,

By wond'ring how thou took'st it.

Laf. Nay, I'll fit you,

And not be all day neither.

[Exit Lafen.

(12) I bave seen a Medecine,] Lafen does not mean that he has feen a remedy, but a person bringing fuch remedy. I therefore imagine, our author ufed the French word, medecin, i. e. a Phyfician; this agrees with what he fubjoins immediately in reply to the King. Why, Doctor-She;-and-write to her a love-line.

B 2

King

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,
That dare leave two together; fare you well.

[Exit.

King. Now, fair one, do's your bufinefs 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 praife towards 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 so;
And hearing your high Majefty is touch'd
With that malignant caufe, wherein the honour
Of my dear father's gift ftands chief in power,
I come to tender it, and my appliance,
With all bound humblenefs.

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

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

To empericks; or to diffever fo

Our great felf and our credit, to esteem

A fentelefs help, when help paft fense we deem.
Hel. My duty then fhall pay me for my pains;
I will no more enforce mine office on you;

Humbly

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'st 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 'gainst remedy:
He that of greatest works is finisher,
Oft does them by the weakest minifter:
So holy writ in babes hath judgment fhown,

When judges have been babes; great floods have flown,
From fimple fources; and great feas have dry'd,
When mir'cles have by th' greateft been deny'd.
Oft expectation fails, and moft oft there
Where most it promifes: and oft it hits
Where hope is coldeft, and despair moft fits.

King. I must not hear thee; fare thee well, kind maid;
Thy pains, not us'd, muft by thyfelf be paid:
Proffers, not took, reap thanks for their reward.
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 most 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
Myfelf against the level of mine aim,

But know I think, and think I know most fare,
My art is not paft power, nor you paft cure.

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

Hel. The greatest grace lending grace,
Ere twice the horfes of the fun fhall bring
Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring;
Ere twice in murk and occidental damp
Moift Hesperus hath quench'd his fleepy lamp;
Or four and twenty times the pilot's glass

B 3

Hath

Hath told the thievifh minutes how they pafs;
What is infirm from your found parts fhall fly,
Health fhall live free, and fick nefs freely die.
King. Upon thy certainty and confidence,
What dar'ft thou venture?

Hel. Tax of impudence,

A ftrumpet's boldnefs, a divulged fhame
Traduc'd by odious ballads: my maiden's name
Sear'd otherwife, no worfe of worst extended;
With vileft torture let my life be ended.

King. Methinks, in thee fome bleffed fpirit doth speak His powerful found, within an organ weak;

And what impoffibility would flay

In common fenfe, fenfe faves another way.
Thy life is dear; for all that life can rate
Worth name of life, in thee hath estimate:
(13) Youth, beauty, wifdom, courage, virtue, all
That happiness and prime can happy call;
Thou this to hazard, needs must intimate
Skill infinite, or monftrous desperate.
Sweet practifer, thy phyfick I will try;
That minifters thine own death, if I die.
Hel. If I break time, or flinch in property

Of what I fpoke, unpitied let me die,

And well deferv'd! not helping, death's my fee;
But if I help, what do you promise me?
King. (14) Make thy demand.

Hel.

(13) Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, all &c.] This verfe is too fhort by a foot; and apparently fome diffyllable is drop'd out by milchance. Mr. Warburton concurr'd with me in conjecture to supply the verse thus:

Youth, beauty, wifdem, courage, virtue, all &c.

Helena had laid a particular ftrefs on her maiden reputation; and the
King, afterwards, when he comes to speak of her to Bertram, says i
If the be

All that is virtuous, (fave, what thou diflik ft,
A poor phyfician's daughter;) thou diflik'ft

Of virtue for her name:

(14) King. Make thy demand.

Hel. But will you make it even?

King. Ay, by my scepter and my hopes of help.]

The

Hel. But will you make it even?

King. Ay, by my fcepter, and my hopes of heav'n. Hel. Then fhalt thou give me, with thy kingly hand, What husband in thy power I will command. Exempted be from me the arrogance

To chufe from forth the royal blood of France;
My low and humble name to propagate
With any branch or image of thy ftate:
But fuch a one thy vaffal, whom I know
Is free for me to afk, thee to bestow.

King. Here is my hand, the premifes obferv'd,
Thy will by my performance fhall be ferv'd:
So, make the choice of thine own time; for I,
Thy refolv'd patient, on thee ftill rely.

More fhould I question thee, and more I muft;
(Tho' more to know, could not be more to truk :)
From whence thou cam'ft, how tended on,but reft
Unqueftion'd welcome, and undoubted bleft.
Give me fome help here, hoa! if thou proceed
As high as word, my deed fhall match thy deed. [Exeunt.

Enter Countess, and Clown.

Count. height of your breeding

NOME on, Sir; I fhall now put you to the

Clo. I will fhew myfelf highly fed, and lowly taught; 1 know, my bufinefs is but to the court.

Count. But to the court? why, what place make you fpecial,

but to when you put off that with fuch contempt?·

court!

Clo. Truly, Madam, if God have lent a man any manners, he may eafily put it off at court: he that The King could have but a very flight hope of help from her, fcarce enough to fwear by: and therefore Helen might fufpect, he meant to equivocate with her. Befides, obferve, the greatest part of the scene is frictly in rhyme: and there is no fhadow of reafon why it should be interrupted here. I rather imagine, the poet wrote; Ay, by my feepter, and my bopes of heav'n.

B.4

Dr. Thirlby.

cannot