Beat. Yea, Light o' love, with your heels!-then if you husband have stables enough, you'll fee he fhall lack no barns.5 Marg. O illegitimate conftru&tion! I fcorn that with my heels. Beat. 'Tis almoft five o'clock, coufin; 'tis time you were ready. By my troth I am exceeding ill-hey ho! Marg. For a hawk, a horse, or a husband." Beat. For the letter that begins them all, H.7 8 Marg. Well, an you be not turn'd Turk, there's no more failing by the star. D 6 Beat. The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I have lately recovered it from an ancient MS. and it is as follows: SIR J. HAWKINS. 5 A quibble between barns, repofitories of corn, and bairns, the old word for children. JOHNSON. 6" Heigh bo for a busband, or the willing maid's wants made known,” is the title of an old ballad in the Pepyfian Collection, in Magdalen Col. lege, Cambridge. MALONE. 7 This is a poor jeft, fomewhat obfcured, and not worth the trouble of elucidation. Margaret afks Beatrice for what he cries, bey bo; Beatrice anfwers, for an H, that is for an ache, or pain. JOHNSON. 8 i. e. taken captive by love, and tuined a renegado to his religion, WARBURTON. This interpretation is fomewhat far-fetched, yet, perhaps, it is right, JOHNSON. Hamlet ufes the fame expreffion, and talks of his fortune's turning Turk. To turn Turk, was a common phrafe for a change of condition of opinion. STEVENS. Beat. What means the fool, trow ?9 Marg. Nothing 1; but God fend every one their heart's defire! Hero. Thefe gloves the count fent me, they are an excelfent perfume. Beat. I am ftuff'd, coufin, I cannot smell. Marg. A maid, and stuff 'd! there's goodly catching of cold. Beat. O, God help me! God help me! how long have you profefs'd apprehenfion? Marg. Ever fince you left it: Doth not my wit become: me rarely? Beat. It is not feen enough, you fhould wear itin yourcap. -By my troth, I am fick. Marg. Get you fome of this diftill'd Carduus Benedictus, and lay it to your heart; it is the only thing for a qualm.. Hero. There thou prick'ft her with a thistle. Beat. Benedictus! why Benedictus? you have fome moral in this Benedictus. Marg. Moral? no, by my troth, I have no moral meaning; I meant, plain holy-thiftle. You may think, perchance, that I think you are in love: nay, by'r lady, I am not fuch a fool to think what I lift; nor I lift not to think what I can; nor, indeed, I cannot think, if I would think my heart out of thinking, that you are in love, or that you will be in love, or that you can be in love: yet Benedick. was fuch another, and now is he become a man he fwore he would never marry; and yet now, in despite of his heart, he: 9 This obfolete exclamation of enquiry, is corrupted from I trow, or Trow you, and occurs again in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Who's there, traw ? To trowo, is to imagine, to conceive. So, in Romeo and Juliet, the Nurfe Lays: "Twas no need, I trow, to bid me trudge." STEEVENS.. "Carduus Benedictus, or bleffed thiftle (fays Cogan in his Haver of Health, 1595) fo worthily named for the fingular virtues that it Bath." This herbe may worthily be called Benedictus, or Omnimorbia, that is, a falve for every fore, not knowen to phyfitians of old time, but Jutely revealed by the speciall providence of Almighty God." STEEVENS. That is, fome feret meaning, like the moral of a fable., JOHNSO he eats his meat without grudging:4 and how you may be converted, I know not; but methinks, you look with your eyes as other women dos Beat. What pace is this that thy tongue keeps ? Re-enter URSULA. Urf. Madam, withdraw; the prince, the count, fignior Benedick, Don John, and all the gallants of the town, are come to fetch you to church. Hero. Help to drefs me, good coz, good Meg, good Ursula. SCENE V. Another Room in LEONATO's Houje. [Exeunt. Enter LEONATO, with DOG BERRY and VERGES. Leon. What would you with me, honeft neighbour? Dogb. Marry, fir, I would have fome confidence with you, that decerns you nearly. Leon. Brief, I pray you; for you fee, 'tis a bufy time with me. Dogb. Marry, this it is, fir. Verg. Yes, in truth it is, fir. Leon. What is it, my good friends? Dogb. Goodman Verges, fir, fpeaks a little off the matter: an old man, fir, and his wits are not so blunt, as, 'God help, 4 I do not fee how this is a proof of Benedick's change of mind. It would afford more proof of amorousness to fay, be eats not bis meat without grudging; but it is impoffible to fix the meaning of proverbial expreffions, perhaps, to eat meat without grudging, was the fame as, to do as orbers do and the meaning is, be is content to live by eating like other mortals, and will be content, notwithstanding bis boasts, like other mortals, to have a wife. JOHNSON Johnfon confiders this paffage too literally. The meaning of it is that Benedick is in love, and takes kindly to it. M. MASON. The meaning, I think is," and yet now, in fpite of his refolution to the contrary, he feeds on love, and likes his food." MALONE. 5 i. e. you direct your eyes toward the fame object; viz. a husband.. STEEVENS help, I would defire they were; but, in faith, honeft, as the fkin between his brows. 6 Verg. Yes, I thank God, I am as honeft as any man living, that is an old man, and no honefter than I.7 8 Dogb. Comparisons are odorous: palabras, neighbour Verges. Leon. Neighbours, you are tedious. Dogb. It pleafes your worship to fay fo, but we are the poor duke's officers; but, truly, for mine own part, if I were as tedious as a king, I could find in my heart to bestow it all of your worship. Leon. All thy tediousness on me! ha! Dogb. Yea, and 'twere a thousand times more than 'tis : for I hear as good exclamation on your worship, as of any man in the city; and though I be but a poor man, I am glad to hear it. Verg. And fo am I. Leon. I would fain know what you have to say. Verg. Marry, fir, our watch to-night, excepting your worship's prefence, have ta’en a couple of as arrant knaves as any in Meffina. Dogb. A good old man, fir; he will be talking; as they fay, When the age is in, the wit is out; God help us! it is a world to fee! Well faid, i'faith, neighbour Verges:well, 2 This is a proverbial expreffion. STEEVENS. 7 There is much humour, and extreme good fenfe under the covering of this blundering expreffion. It is a fly infinuation, that length of years, and the being much backnied in the ways of men, as Shakspeare expreffes it, take off the glofs of virtue, and bring much defilement of the manners. For, as a great wit [Swift] fays, Youth is the feafon of virtue: corruptions grow with years, and I believe the oldest rogue in England is the greatest. WARBURTON. Much of this is true, but I believe Shakspeare did not intend to bestow all this reflection on the fpeaker. JOHNSON. 8 So, in The taming of a Shrew, the Tinker fays, pocas pallabras, i. e. few words. A fcrap of Spanish, which might once have been current among the vulgar, and had appeared, as Mr. Henley observes, in The Spanish Tragedy: "Pocas pallabras, milde as the lambe." STEEVENS. 9 This ftroke of pleafantry has already occurredin Meafure for Measure, At II. fc. i. where Elbow fays:-" If it pleafe your honour, I am the foor duke's conftable." STEEVENS. 2 i. e. it is wonderful to fee. STIEVENS. well, God's a good man; An two men ride of a horfe, one muft ride behind :3-An honeft foul, i'faith, fir; by my troth he is, as ever broke bread: but, God is to be worshipp'd: All men are not alike; alas good neighbour! Leon. Indeed, neighbour, he comes too fhort of you. Leon. I must leave you. Dogb. One word, fir: our watch, fir, have, indeed, comprehended two afpicious perfons, and we would have them this morning examined before your worship. Leon. Take their examination yourself, and bring it me; I am now in great hafte, as it may appear unto you. Dogb. It fhall be fuffigance. Leon: Drink fome wine ere you go: fare you well. Enter a Meffenger. Mess. My lord, they stay for you to give your daughter to her husband. Leon. I will wait upon them; I am ready. [Exeunt LEONATO and Meffenger. Dogb. Go, good partner, go, get you to Francis Seacoal, bid him bring his pen and inkhorn to the gaol; we are now to examination these men. Verg. And we must do it wifely. Dogb. We will fpare for no wit, I warrant you; here's that [Touching his forehead.] fhall drive fome of them to a non com: only get the learned writer to fet down our excommunication, and meet me at the gaol. [Exeunt. 3 This is not out of place, or without meaning. Dogberry, in his vanity of fuperior parts, apologizing for his neighbour, obferves, that of two men on an n borse, one must ride behind. The first place of rank or underftanding can belong but to one, and that happy one ought not to despise his inferiour. JOHNSON. 4 i. e. to a non compos mentis; put them out of their wits :-or perhaps be confounds the term with non-plus. MALONE. |