King. What ring was yours, I pray you?

Dia.

The fame upon your finger.

Sir, much like

King. Know you this ring? this ring was his of late.
Dia. And this was it I gave him, being a-bed.

King. The ftory then goes falfe, you threw it him

Out of a cafement.

Dia.

I have spoke the truth.

Enter PAROLLES.

Ber. My lord, I do confess, the ring was hers.
King. You boggle fhrewdly, every feather starts you..
Is this the man you speak of

Dia.

Ay, my lord.

King. Tell me, but, firrah, tell me true, I charge you, Not fearing the displeasure of your master,

(Which, on your juft proceeding, I'll keep off,) By him, and by this woman here, what know you?

Par. So pleafe your majefty, my mafter hath been an honourable gentleman; tricks he hath had in him, which gentlemen have.

King. Come, come, to the purpose: Did he love this woman?

Par. 'Faith, fir, he did love her; But how?"

King. How, I pray you?

Par. He did love her, fir, as a gentleman loves a woman. King. How is that?

Par. He loved her, fir, and loved her not.

King. As thou art a knave, and no knave:-What an

equivocal companion 8 is this?

Par. I am a poor man, and at your majesty's command.

7 But boru perhaps belongs to the King's next speech:

But how, bow, I pray you?

Laf.

This fuits better with the King's apparent impatience and folicitude for Helena. MALONE.

Surely, all transfer of these words is needlefs. Hamlet addreffes fuch another flippant interrogatory to himself: "The mouse-trap. Marry, bow Tropically." STEEVENS.

8

companion-] i. c. fellow. STEEVENS,

Laf. He's a good drum, my lord, but a naughty orator.
Dia. Do you know he promised me marriage?
Par. 'Faith, I know more than I'll speak.

King. But wilt thou not speak all thou know'ft!

Par. Yes, fo please your majesty; I did go between them, as I faid; but more than that, he loved her, for, indeed, he was mad for her, and talk'd of Satan, and of limbo, and of furies, and I know not what: yet I was in that credit with them at that time, that I knew of their going to bed; and of other motions, as promifing her marriage, and things that would derive me ill will to speak of, therefore I will not fpeak what I know.

King. Thou haft fpoken all already, unlefs thou canft fay they are married: But thou art too fine in thy evidence ;9 therefore ftand aside.

This ring, you fay, was yours?

Dia.

Ay, my good lord. King. Where did you buy it? or who gave it you? Dia. It was not given me, nor I did not buy it.

King. Who lent it you?

Dia.

It was not lent me neither.

King. Where did you find it then?
Dia.

I found it not.

King. If it were yours by none of all these ways, How could you give it him?

Dia.

I never gave it him. Laf. This woman's an eafy glove, my lord; fhe goes off

and on at pleasure.

King. This ring was mine, I gave it his first wife.
Dia. It might be yours, or hers, for aught I know.
King. Take her away, I do not like her now;
To prifon with her: and away with him.—
Unlefs thou tell'ft me where thou hadʼst this ring,
Thou dieft within this hour.

9 Too fine, too full of fineffe; too artful. A French expreffion-trep fie. MALONE.

7

King. I think thee now fome common customer."
Dia. By Jove, if ever I knew man, 'twas you.
King. Wherefore haft thou accus'd him all this while!
Dia. Because he's guilty, and he is not guilty;
He knows, I am no maid, and he'll fwear to't:
I'll fwear, I am a maid, and he knows not,
Great king, I am no ftrumpet, by my life;
I am either maid, or else this old man's wife.

[Pointing to LAFEU. King. She does abuse our ears; to prifon with her. Dia. Good mother, fetch my hail.-Stay, royal fir; [Exit Widow.

The jeweller, that owes the ring, is fent for,
And he fhall furety me. But for this lord,
Who hath abus'd me, as he knows himself,
Though yet he never harm'd me, here I quit him :
He knows himself, my bed he hath defil'd;3
And at that time he got his wife with child:
Dead though the be, the feels her young one kick;
So there's my riddle, One that's dead, is quick :
And now behold the meaning.

3 The dialogue is too long, fince the audience already knew the whole tranfaction; nor is there any reason for puzzling the King and playing with his paffions; but it was much easier than to make a pathetical interview between Helen and her husband, her mother, and the King. JOHNSON. 4 This word is used, not very properly, for enchanter. JOHNSON. Shakspeare invariably ufes the word exorcift, to imply a person who can raife fpirits, not in the usual sense of one that can lay them.

M. MASON. Such was the common acceptation of the word in our author's time.

MALONE.

Ber.

Both, both; O, pardon!
Hel. O, my good lord, when I was like this maid,
I found you wond'rous kind. There is your ring,
And, look you, here's your letter; This it fays,
When from my finger you can get this ring,
And are by me with child, &c.-This is done:
Will you be mine, now you are doubly won ?

Ber. If the, my liege, can make me know this clearly, I'll love her dearly, ever, ever dearly.

Hel. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue, Deadly divorce ftep between me and you!

O, my dear mother, do I fee you living?

Laf. Mine eyes fmell onions, I fhall weep anon:-Good Tom Drum, [To PAROLLES.] lend me a handkerchief: So, I thank thee; wait on me home, I'll make fport with thee 2 Let thy courtefies alone, they are feurvy ones.

King. Let us from point to point this story know,
To make the even truth in pleafore flow :---
If thou be'ft yet a fresh uncropped flower,
Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower;
For I can goef, that, by thy honest aid,
Thou kept'ft a wife herfeif, thyself a maid.---
Of that and all the progrefs more and lefs,
Refolvedly more leifure fhali exprefs;
All yet feems well; and, if it cnd fo meet,
The bitter pat, more welcome is the sweet.

Advancing.

The king's a beggar, now the play is done : 5
All is well ended, if this fuit be won,
That you express content; which we will
With ftrife to please you, day exceeding day:

G 3

pay,

[Flouri.

Our

5 Though thefe lines are fufficiently intelligible in their obvious fenfe, yet perhaps there is fome aliufion to the old tale of The King and the Bggar, which was the fubject of a ballad, and, as it should feem from the following lines in King Richard II. of fome popular interlude alfo :

"Our fcene is altered from a fericus thing,

"And now chang'd to the beggar and the king." MALONE.

Ours be your patience then, and yours our parts ;6
Your gentle hands lend us, ond take our hearts.

[Exeunt.

6 The meaning is: Grant us then your patience; hear us without interruption. And take cur parts; that is, support and defend us.

JOHNSON. This play has many delightful scenes, though not fufficiently probable, and fome happy characters, though not new, nor produced by any deep knowledge of human nature. Parolles is a boafter and a coward, fuch as bas always been the fport of the ftage, but perhaps never raised more laughter or contempt than in the hands of Shakspeare.

I cannot reconcile my heart to Bertram; a man noble without generofity, and young without truth; who marries Helen as a coward, and leaves Ler as a profligate when she is dead by his unkindness, sneaks home to a fecond marriage, is accufed by a woman whom he has wronged, defends himself by falfehood, and is difmiffed to happiness.

The story of Bertram and Diana had been told before of Mariana and Angelo, and, to confefs the truth, scarcely merited to be heard a second time, JoHNSON.