I rather would entreat thy company, But, fince thou lov'ft, love ftill, and thrive therein, Pro. Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu! When thou dost meet good hap; and, in thy danger, Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers, Val. And on a love-book pray for my fuccefs. Val. 'Tis true; for you are over boots in love, Pro. Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots*. Val 2fhapeless idleness.] The expreffion is fine, as implying that idleness prevents the giving any form or character to the manners. WARBURTON, 3 Jome Pallero fory of deep love, How young Leander crofs d the Hellefpont.] The poem of Mufæus, entitled HERO AND LEANDER, is meant. Marlowe's translation of this piece was entered on the Stationers' books, Sept. 18, 1593, and the first two Seftiads of it,with a fmall part of the third, (which was all that he had finished,) were printed, I imagine, in that, or the following year. See Blount's dedication to the edition of 1637, by which it appears that it was originally published in an imperfect state. It was extremely popular, and defervedly fo, many of Marlowe's lines being as fmooth as thofe of Dryden. Our author has quoted one of them in As you like it. He had probably read this poem recently before he wrote the prefent play; for he again alludes to it in the third act: "Why then a ladder, quaintly made of cords, 4 nay, give me not the boots.] A proverbial expreflion, though now difuled, Val. No, I will not, for it boots thee not. Pro. What? Val. To be in love, where fcorn is bought with groans; Coy looks, with heart-fore fighs; one fading moment's mirth, With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights: If haply won, perhaps, a hapless gain; Pro. So, by your circumftance, you call me fool. Methinks fhould not be chronicled for wife. Val. And writers fay, As the most forward bud Even fo by love the young and tender wit difufed, fignifying, don't make a laughing ftock of me; don't play upon me. The French have a phrate, Bailler foin en corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, Te give one the boots; to fell him a bargain. THEOBALD. Perhaps this expreffion took its origin from a fport the country people in Warwickshire ufe at their harveft-home, where one fits as judge, to try mifdemeanours committed in harvest, and the punishment for the men is to be laid on a bench, and flapped on the breech with a pair of boots. This they call giving them the boots. The boots, however, were anciently an engine of torture. See Mis Harl. 6999-48. STEEV. 5 However, but a folly &c.] This love will end in a foolish action, to produce which you are long to fpend your wit, or it will end in the lofs of your wit, which will be overpowered by the folly of love. JOHNSON. · As in the fweetest bud The eating canker dwells,] So, in our author's 70th Sonnet, That That art a votary to fond defire? Once more adieu: my father at the road Expects my coming, there to fee me shipp'd. Pro. And thither will I bring thee, Valentine. Val. Sweet Protheus no; now let us take our leave. At Milan, let me hear from thee by letters, Of thy fuccefs in love, and what news elfe Betideth here in abfence of thy friend; And I likewife will vifit thee with mine. Pro. All happiness bechance to thee in Milan! Val. As much to you at home! and fo, farewell! [Exit VALENTINE. Pro. He after honour hunts, I after love: He leaves his friends, to dignify them more; I leave myself*, my friends, and all for love. Thou, Julia, thou haft metamorphos'd me; Made me neglect my ftudies, lofe my time, War with good counfel, fet the world at nought; Made wit with mufing weak, heart fick with thought. Enter SPEED. Speed. Sir Protheus, fave you: Saw you my mafter? Pro. But now he parted hence, to embark for Milan. Speed. Twenty to one then, he is fhipp'd already; And I have play'd the theep, in lofing him. Pro. Indeed a fheep doth very often ftray, An if the fhepherd be awhile away. Speed. You conclude, that my mafter is a fhepherd then, and I a sheep?? Pro. I do. Speed. Why then my horns are his horns, whether I wake or fleep. Pro. A filly answer, and fitting well a sheep. 7 At Milan,-] The old copy has-To Milan. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond foliq. The first copy however may be right. "To Milan"-may here be intended as an imperfect sentence. I am now bound for Milan. MALONE. Ileave, &c.] Old copy-I love. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE. Made wit- i. e. thou haft made &c. MALONE. 9-a fheep] The article, which is wanting in the original copy, was supplied by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. Speed. Speed. This proves me ftill a fheep. Pro. True; and thy mafter a fhepherd. Speed. Nay, that I can deny by a circumftance. Pro. It fhall go hard, but I'll prove it by another. Steed. The thepherd feeks the theep, and not the sheep the shepherd; but I feek my mafter, and my mafter seeks not me: therefore, I am no fheep. Pro. The sheep for fodder follow the fhepherd, the fhepherd for food follows not the fheep; thou for wages followeft thy mafter, thy mafter for wages follows not thee: therefore, thou art a fheep. Speed. Such another proof will make me cry baa. Pro. But doft thou hear? gav'st thou my letter to Julia? Speed. Ay, fir: I, a loft mutton, gave your letter to her, a laced mutton'; and fhe, a laced mutton, gave me, a loft mutton, nothing for my labour. Pro. Here's too fmall a pafture for fuch a store of mut tons. Speed. If the ground be overcharg'd, you were beft flick her. Pro. Nay, in that you are aftray; 'twere beft pound you. Speed. Nay, fir, lefs than a pound fhall fhall ferve me for carrying your letter. Pro. You mistake; I mean the pound, a pinfold. Speed. From a pound to a pin? fold it over and over, "Tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to your lover. 9 I, a loft mutton, gave your letter to ber, a laced mutton;] Speed calls himself a lot mution, because he had left his mafter, and because Protheus had been proving him a fheep. But why does he call the lady a laced mutton? Wenchers are to this day called mution-mongers, and confequently the object of their paffion must be the mutton. THEOB. A laced mutton was in our author's time fo eftablished a term for a courtezan, that a street in Clerkenwell, which was much frequented by women of the town, was then called Mutton-lane. It feems to have been a phrafe of the fame kind as the French expreffion-caille coifée, and might be rendered in that language, mouton en corfet. This appellation appears to have been as old as the time of king Henry III. "Item fequitur gravis pæna corporalis, fed fine amiftione vitæ vel membrorum, fi raptus fit de concubina legitima, vel aliâ quæftum faciente, fine delectu perfonarum has quidem oves debet rex tueri pro pace fua," Bracton de Legibus, lib. ii. MALONE. : Pro. Speed. You miftook, fir; I fay fhe did nod: and you afk me, if he did nod; and I fay, I. Pro. And that fet together, is noddy. Speed. Now you have taken the pains to fet it together, take it for your pains. Pro. No, no, you fhall have it for bearing the letter. Speed. Well, I perceive, I must be fain to bear with you. Pro. Why, fir, how do you bear with me? Speed. Marry, fir, the letter very orderly; having nothing but the werd, noddy, for my pains. Pro. Befhrew me, but you have a quick wit. Speed. And yet it cannot overtake your flow purse. Pro. Come, come, open the matter in brief: What faid the ? Speed. Open your purfe, that the money, and the matbe both at once deliver'd. ter, may Pro. Well fir, here is for your pains: What faid fhe? Speed. Truly, Sir, I think you'll hardly win her. Pro. Why? Couldst thou perceive fo much from her? Speed. Sir, I could perceive nothing at all from her; no, not fo much as a ducat for delivering your letter: And being fo hard to me that brought your mind, I fear fhe'll prove as hard to you in telling your mind +. her no token but ftones; for fhe's as hard as fteel. Pro. What, faid fhe nothing? Give 2-did he nod] Thefe words have been fupplied by fome of the editors, to introduce what follows. STEEVENS. 3 They were fupplied by Mr. Theobald. In Speed's anfwer the old fpelling of the affirmative particle has been retained; otherwife the conceit of Protheus (fuch as it is) would be unintelligible. MALONE. that's noddy.] Noddy was a game at cards. STEEVENS. This play upon fyllables is hardly worth explaining. The fpeakers intend to fix the name of noddy, that is fool, on each other. RZED. 4-in telling your mind.] The editor of the fecond folio, not underftanding this, altered your to her, which has been followed in all the fubfequent editions. The old copy is certainly right. The meaning is, She being fo hard to me who was the bearer of your mind, I fear fhe will prove no less fo to you, when you addrefs her in perfon. The oppofition is between brought and telling. MALONE. Speed. |