Phebe, meet; And as I love no woman, I'll meet.So, fare you well; I have left you commands. Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. Touch. To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey; to-morrow will we be married. Aud. I do desire it with all my heart: and I hope it is no dishonest desire, to desire to be a woman of the world. Here come two of the banished duke's pages. Enter two Pages. 1 Page. Well met, honest gentleman. Touch. By my troth, well met: Come, sit, sit, and a song. 2 Page. We are for you: sit i' the middle. 1 Page. Shall we clap into 't roundly, without hawking, or spitting, or saying we are hoarse; which are the only prologues to a bad voice? 2 Page. I' faith, i' faith; and both in a tune, like two gypsies on a horse. 2 SONG.3 I. It was a lover, and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, That o'er the green corn-field did pass In the spring time, the only pretty rank time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; a woman of the world.] To go to the world, is to be married. So, in Much Ado about Nothing: "Thus (says Beatrice) every one goes to the world, but I." An anonymous writer supposes, that in this phrase there is an allusion to Saint Luke's Gospel, xx. 34: "The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage." Steevens. 3 The stanzas of this song are in all the editions evidently transposed: as I have regulated them, that which in the former copies was the second stanza is now the last. II. Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, III. This carol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, How that a life was but a flower In spiring time, &c. IV. And therefore take the present time, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino; For love is crowned with the prime In spring time, &c. Touch. Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untuneable.5 The same transposition of these stanzas is made by Dr. Thirlby, in a copy containing some notes on the margin, which I have perused by the favour of Sir Edward Walpole. Johnson. 4 the only pretty rank time,] Thus the modern editors. The old copy reads: In the spring time, the onely pretty rang time. I think we should read: In the spring time, the only pretty ring time. i. e. the aptest season for marriage; or, the word only, for the sake of equality of metre, may be omitted. Steevens. The old copy reads-rang time. The emendation was made by Dr. Johnson. Mr. Pope and the three subsequent editors read-the pretty spring time. Mr. Steevens proposes-"ring time, i. e. the aptest season for marriage." The passage does not deserve much consideration. Malone. In confirmation of Mr. Steevens's reading, it appears from the old calendars that the spring was the season of marriage. Douce. 5 Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untuneable.] Though it is thus in all the printed copies, it is evident, from the sequel of the dialogue, that the poet wrote as I have reformed in my text, untimeable.Time and tune, are frequently misprinted for one another in the old editions of Shakspeare. Theobald. This emendation is received, I think, very undeservedly, by Dr. Warburton. Johnson. The reply of the Page proves to me, beyond any possibility of doubt, that we ought to read untimeable, instead of untuneable, 1 Page. You are deceived, sir; we kept time, we lost not our time. Touch. By my troth, yes; I count it but time lost to hear such a foolish song. God be with you; and God mend your voices! Come, Audrey. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another Part of the Forest. Enter Duke senior, AMIENS, JAQUES, ORLANDO, Duke S. Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy Orl. I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not; As those that fear they hope, and know they fear.6 notwithstanding Johnson rejects the amendment as unnecessary. A mistake of a similar nature occurs in Twelfth Night. M. Mason. The sense of the old reading seems to be -Though the words of the song were trifling, the musick was not (as might have been expected) good enough to compensate their defect. Steevens. 6 As those that fear they hope, and know they fear.] This strange nonsense should be read thus: As those that fear their hap, and know their fear. i. e. As those that fear the issue of a thing when they know their fear to be well grounded. Warburton. The depravation of this line is evident, but I do not think the learned commentator's emendation very happy. I read thus: As those that fear with hope, and hope with fear. Or thus, with less alteration: As those that fear, they hope, and now they fear. The author of The Revisal would read: Johnson. As those that fear their hope, and know their fear. Steevens. Perhaps we might read: As those that feign they hope, and know they fear. Blackstone. I would read: As those that fear, then hope: and know, then fear. I have little doubt but it should run thus: Musgrave. As those who fearing hope, and hoping fear. This strongly expresses the state of mind which Orlando was in at that time; and if the words fearing and hoping were contracted in the original copy, and written thus:-fears-hop) a practice not unusual at this day) the g might easily have been mistaken for y, a common abbreviation of they. M. Mason. I believe this line requires no other alteration than the addition of a semi-colon: Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE. Ros. Patience once more, whiles our compact is urg'd: You say, if I bring in your Rosalind, You will bestow her on Orlando here? [To the Duke. Duke S. That would I, had I kingdoms to give with her. Ros. And you say, you will have her, when I bring her? [To ORL. Orl. That would I, were I of all kingdoms king. [To PHE. Phe. That will I, should I die the hour after. Ros. You say, that, you'll have Phebe, if she will? [Exeunt Ros. and CEL. Duke S. I do remember in this shepherd-boy Some lively touches of my daughter's favour. Orl. My lord, the first time that I ever saw him, Methought he was a brother to your daughter: As those that fear; they hope, and know they fear. Henley. The meaning, I think, is, As those who fear,-they, even those very persons, entertain hopes, that their fears will not be realized; and yet at the same time they well know that there is reason for their fears. Malone. 7 Keep your word, Phebe,] The old copy reads-Keep you your word; the compositor's eye having probably glanced on the line next but one above. Corrected by Mr. Pope. Malone. To make these doubts all even.] Thus, in Measure for Measure : 66 yet death we fear, "That makes these odds all even." Steevens. But, my good lord, this boy is forest-born; Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. Jaq. There is, sure, another flood toward, and these couples are coming to the ark! Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools." Touch. Salutation and greeting to you all! Jaq. Good my lord, bid him welcome; This is the motley-minded gentleman, that I have so often met in the forest: he hath been a courtier, he swears. Touch. If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure;1 I have flattered a lady; I have been politick with my friend, smooth with mine enemy; I have undone three tailors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one. Jaq. And how was that ta'en up? Touch. 'Faith, we met, and found the quarrel was upon the seventh cause.2 9 Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, &c.] What strange beasts? and yet such as have a name in all languages? Noah's ark is here alluded to; into which the clean beasts entered by sevens, and the unclean by two, male and female. It is plain then that Shakspeare wrote, here come a pair of unclean beasts, which is highly humorous. Warburton. Strange beasts are only what we call odd animals. There is no need of any alteration. Johnson. A passage, somewhat similar, occurs in A Midsummer Night's Dream: "Here come two noble beasts in, a moon and a lion." Steevens. 11 sc. ii: trod a measure;] So, in Love's Labour's Lost, Act V, "To tread a measure with you on this grass." See note on this passage. Reed. Touchstone, to prove that he has been a courtier, particularly mentions a measure, because it was a very stately solemn dance. So, in Much Ado about Nothing: " - the wedding mannerly modest, as a measure full of state and ancientry." Malone. -- 2 and found the quarrel was upon the seventh cause.] So all the copies; but it is apparent, from the sequel, that we must read-the quarrel was not upon the seventh cause. Johnson. By the seventh cause, Touchstone, I apprehend, means the lie seven times removed; i. e. the retort courteous, which is removed |