Pet. Then have at you with my wit: I will drybeat you with an iron Wit, and put up my iron dagger: -answer me like men: When griping grief the heart doth wound, Then mufick with her filver found Why, filver found! why mufick with her filver found? What fay you, Simon Catling? 1 Muf. Marry, Sir, becaufe filver hath a fweet found. Pet. Prateft! What fay you, Hugh Rebeck? 2 Muf. I say, filver found, because musicians found for filver. Pet. Prateft too! What fay you, Samuel SoundBoard? 3 Muf. 'Faith, I know not what to say. Pet. O, I cry you mercy, you are the finger, I will fay for you. It is mufick with her filver found, becaufe muficians have no gold for founding. Then mufick with her filver found With Speedy help doth lend redress. [ Exit finging. Muf. What a peftilent knave is this fame? 2 Muf. Hang him.-Jack, come, we'll in here, tarry for the mourners, and stay dinner. [Exeunt. ACT SA CT V. SCENE I, MANTUA Enter ROMEO. FI may truft the flattering Truth of sleep, 5 The acts are here properly enough divided, nor did any better diftribution than the edi-, tors have already made, occur to me in the perufal of this play; yet it may not be improper to remark, that in the firft folio, and I fuppofe the foregoing editions are in the fame ftate, there is no divifion of the acts, and there. fore fome future editor may try, whether any improvement can be made, by reducing them to a length more equal, or interrupting the action at more proper intervals. If I may truft the flattering TRUTH of fleep,] This man was of an odd compofition to be able to make it a queftion, whether he fhould believe what he confeffed to be true. Tho' if he thought Truth capable of Flattery, he might indeed fuppofe her to be turn'd apoftate. But none of this nonfenfe came from Shakespear. He wrote, If I may truft the flattering RUTH of fleep, i. e. Pity. The compaffionate advertisement of fleep. This was a reasonable question; and the epithet given to Ruth fuits its nature. But, above all, the character which the poet always gives us of Sleep is here well defcribed in this reading; that it is pitiful, compaffionate, the Balm of burt minds, great Nature's fecond courfe, Chief nourisher of life's feaft,But because I had corrected it, -the flattering Ruth of fleep, the Oxford Editor would be even with me, and reads it, -the flattery of fleep: And he has done it. For tho' a reasonable man might make it a question, whether he should believe a compaffionate advertisement, yet who would hefitate whether he should believe a flatterer. WARBURTON. This feems to be a favourite correction, but it is not neceffary. The fenfe is, If I may only truft the honefty of fleep, which I know however not to be fo nice as not often to practise flattery. My "My bofom's Lord fits lightly on his throne, And, all this day, an unaccuftom'd fpirit Lifts me above the ground with chearful thoughts. Enter Balthafar. News from Verona How now, Balthafar? Balth. Then she is well, and nothing can be ill; Rom. Is it even fo? then I defy you, Stars! Thou know'ft my lodging,-get me ink and paper, And hire post-horfes. I will hence to-night. Balth. Pardon me, Sir, I dare not leave you thus. Your looks are pale and wild, and do import Some misadventure. 9 My bofom's Lord-] Thefe three lines are very gay and pleafing. But why does ShakeJpeare give Romeo this involuntary cheerfulness juft before the extremity of unhappiness? Perhaps to fhew the vanity of trusting to thofe uncertain and cafual exaltations or depreffions, which many confider as certain foretokens of good and evil. Rom. Rom. Tufh, thou art deceiv'd. Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do. Rom. No matter. Get thee gone, And hire those horses; I'll be with thee straight. -O [Exit Balthafar. And hereabouts he dwells, whom late I noted Here lives a caitiff wretch would fell it him. Enter Apothecary. Ap. Who calls fo loud? Rom. Come hither, man. I fee, that thou art poor. Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb. Ap. Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua's law Rom. Art thou fo bare and full of wretchedness, fouls, Doing more murders in this loathfome world, Farewel, |