Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

To fhew myfelf a glass.

Flo. I blefs the time,

When my good falcon made her flight a-cross
Thy father's ground.

Per. Now Jove afford you cause!

To me the difference forges dread, your greatness
Hath not been us'd to fear; even now I tremble
To think, your father, by fome accident,
Should pass this way, as you did: oh, the fates!
How would he look, to fee his work, fo noble,
Vildly bound up! what would he fay! or how
Should I in these my borrow'd flaunts behold
The fternness of his prefence!

Flo. Apprehend

Nothing but jollity: the Gods themselves,
Humbling their deities to love, have taken
The fhapes of beafts upon them. Jupiter
Became a bull, and bellow'd; the green Neptune
A ram, and bleated; and the fire-rob'd God,
Golden Apollo, a poor humble fwain,
As I feem now. Their transformations
Were never for a piece of beauty rarer,
Nor in a way so chafte: fince my desires
Run not before mine honour, nor my lufts
Burn hotter than my faith.

Per. O, but, dear Sir,

Your refolution cannot hold, when 'tis
Oppos'd, as it must be, by th'

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.

[ocr errors]

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
The mirth o'th' feaft; or I'll be thine, my fair,
Or not my father's. For I cannot be
Mine own, nor any thing to any, if

I be not thine. To this I am most constant,
Tho' destiny say no. Be merry, (Gentle,)
Strangle fuch thoughts as thefe, with any thing
That you behold the while. Your guefts are coming:
Lift up your countenance, as 'twere the day
Of celebration of that nuptial, which
We two have fworn fhall come.

Per. O lady fortune,

Stand you aufpicious!

SCENE

[ocr errors]

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

[ocr errors]

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
A way to make us better friends, more known.
Come, quench your bluthes, and present yourself
That which you are, miftrefs o'th' feaft. Come on,
And bid us welcome to your fheep-fhearing,

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
"The winds of March with beauty; violets dim,
"But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes,

"Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses,
"That die unmarried, ere they can behold
Bright Phabus in his ftrength; (a malady

Molt incident to maids ;) (a) gold oxlips, and

[(a) gold, Oxford Editor Vulg. bold.]

"The

"The crown-imperial; lillies of all kinds,
"The flower-de-lis being one. O thefe, I lack
"To make you garlands of, and, my fweet friend,
"To ftrow him o'er and o'er.

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;
Methinks, I play as I have feen them do

In whitfon paftorals: fure, this robe of mine
Does change my difpofition.

Flo. What you do,

Still betters what is done. When you speak, (fweet)
I'd have you do it ever; when you fing,

I'd have you buy and fell fo; fo, give alms;
Pray, fo; and for the ord'ring your affairs,
To fing them too. When you do dance, I wish you
A wave o'th' fea, that you might ever do
Nothing but that; move ftill, ftill fo,

And own no other function. Each your doing,
So fingular in each particular,

Crowns what you're doing in the prefent deeds,
That all your acts are Queens.

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

« ZurückWeiter »