To fhew myfelf a glass. Flo. I blefs the time, When my good falcon made her flight a-cross Per. Now Jove afford you cause! To me the difference forges dread, your greatness Flo. Apprehend Nothing but jollity: the Gods themselves, Per. O, but, dear Sir, Your refolution cannot hold, when 'tis power o' th' King. countenance; for in this, as in a glafs, you fhew me how much be low yourself you must defcend before you can get upon a level with me. The fentiment is fine, and expreffes all the delicacy, as well as humble modefty of the character. But the Oxford Editor alters it to, -foon, I think, To fhew myself a glass. What he means I don't know. But Perdita was not fo much given to faveaning, as appears by her behaviour at the King's threats, when the intrigue was discovered. VOL. III. One One of these two must be neceffities, Which then will speak, that you must change this purpose, Or I my life.. Flo. Thou dearest Perdita, With these forc'd thoughts, I pr'ythee, darken not I be not thine. To this I am most constant, Per. O lady fortune, Stand you aufpicious! SCENE Enter Shepherd, Clown, Mopfa, Dorcas, Servants; with Polixenes and Camillo difguis'a. Flo. See, your guests approach? 77 Addrefs yourself to entertain them fprightly, And let's be red with mirth. 66 She, Fie, daughter; when my old wife liv'd, upon This day fhe was both pantler, butler, cook, "Both dame and fervant; welcom'd all, ferv'd all; "Would fing her fong, and dance her turn; now here "At upper end o'th' table, now i'th' middle: "On his fhoulder, and his; her face o' fire "With labour; and the thing fhe took to quench it "She would to each one fip." You are retired, As if you were a feafted one, and not The hoftefs of the meeting: pray you, bid Thefe Thefe unknown friends to's welcome, for it is As your good flock fhall profper. Per. Sirs, welcome. [To Pol. and Cam: It is my father's will, I fhould take on me The hoftefsfhip o'th' day; you're welcome, Sirs. Give me those flowers there, Dorcas-Reverend Sirs, "For you there's rofemary and rue, these keep "Seeming and favour all the winter long: "Grace and remembrance be unto you both, "And welcome to our fhearing! Pol. Shepherdefs, (A fair one are you,) well you fit our ages With flowers of winter. Per. "Sir, the year growing ancient, "Not yet on fummer's death, nor on the birth "Of trembling winter, the faireft flowers o'th' feason "Are our carnations, and streak'd gilly-flowers, "Which fome call nature's baftards: of that kind "Our ruftick garden's barren, and I care not "To get flips of them. Pol. Wherefore, gentle maiden, Do you neglect them? Per. For I have heard it faid, There is an art, which in their piedeness shares "With great creating nature. Pol. Say, there be; Yet nature is made better by no mean, "But nature makes that mean; fo over that art, "Which, you fay, adds to nature, is an art "That nature makes; you fee, fweet maid, we marry "A gentle fcyon to the wildest stock; "And make conceive a bark of bafer kind "By bud of nobler race. This is an art, Z 2 "Which "Which does mend nature, change it rather; but "The art itself is nature. Per. So it is. Pol. Then make your garden rich in gilly-flowers, And do not call them baftards. Per. "I'll not put "The dibble in earth, to fet one flip of them: "No more than, were I painted, I would wifh "This youth should say, 'twere well; and only there"fore Defire to breed by me.-Here's flowers for you; "Hot lavender, mints, favoury, marjoram, "The mary-gold, that goes to bed with th' fun, "And with him rifes, weeping: these are flowers "Of middle fummer, and I think, they are given "To men of middle age." Y'are very welcome Cam. I fhould leave grazing, were I of your flock, And only live by gazing. Per. "Out, alas! "You'd be fo lean, that blafts of January "Would blow you through and through. Now, my fairest friend, "I would, I had fome flowers o'th' fpring, that might "Become your time of day; and yours, and yours, "That wear upon your virgin-branches yet "Your maiden-heads growing: O Proferpina, "For the flowers now, that, frighted, thou let'ft fall "From Dis's waggon! daffadils, "That come before the fwallow dares, and take "Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses, Molt incident to maids ;) (a) gold oxlips, and [(a) gold, Oxford Editor Vulg. bold.] "The "The crown-imperial; lillies of all kinds, Flo. What? like a coarse? Per. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on; Not like a coarse; or if, not to be buried But quick, and in mine arms. Come, take your flowers; In whitfon paftorals: fure, this robe of mine Flo. What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, (fweet) I'd have you buy and fell fo; fo, give alms; And own no other function. Each your doing, Crowns what you're doing in the prefent deeds, Per. O Doricles, Your praises are too large; but that your youth, And the true blood, which peeps forth fairly through it, Do plainly give you out an unftain'd fhepherd; With wisdom I might fear, my Doricles, You woo'd me the falfe way. Flo. I think, you have As little skill to fear, as I have purpose I I think, you have As little skill to fear] To have skill to do a thing was a phrase then in ufe equivalent to our to bave reafon to do a thing. The Oxford Editor, ignorant of this, alters it to, As little skill in fear, which has no kind of sense in this place, To |