The running of one glass.7

Cam.

Who does infect her?

Leon. Why he, that wears her like her medal, hanging

About his neck, Bohemia: Who,-if I

Had fervants true about me; that bare eyes

To fee alike mine honour as their profits,

Their own particular thrifts,-they would do that
Which fhould undo more doing :9 Ay, and thou,
His cup-bearer,-whom I, from meaner form
Have bench'd, and rear'd to worship; who may'st see
Plainly, as heaven fees earth, and earth fees heaven,
How I am galled,-might'ft befpice a cup,

To give mine enemy a lafting wink ;

Which draught to me were cordial.

Cam.
Sir, my lord,
I could do this; and that with no rafh potion,
But with a ling'ring dram, that should not work
Maliciously, like poifon : 2 But I cannot
Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress,
So fovereignly being honourable.

I have lov'd thee,3.

7 i. e. of one hour-glass.

Mr. Malone reads-bis medal.

STEEVENS.

Leon.

The old copy has—ber medal, which was evidently an error of the press, either in confequence of the compofitor's eye glancing on the word her in the preceding line, or of an abbreviation being used in the Mf. It fhould be remembered that it was customary for gentlemen, in our author's time, to wear jewels appended to a ribbon round the neck. MALONE.

I fuppofe the poet meant to fay, that Polixenes were her, as he would have. worn a medal of her, about his neck. Sir Chriftopher Hatton is represented with a medal of Queen Elizabeth appended to his chain. STEEVENS. 9 The latter word is ufed here in a wanton fenfe. MALONE.

2

with no rash petion,

Maliciously, like poifon :

Rafb is bafty, as in K. Henry IV. P. II: "raf gunpowder." Maliciously is malignantly, with effects openly hurtful. JoHNSON.

3 The laft hemiftich affign'd to Camillo muft have been mistakenly placed to him. It is difrefpect and infolence in Camillo to his king, to tell him that he has once lov'd him.-I have ventured at a tranfpofition, which feems felf-evident. Camillo will not be perfuaded into a fufpicion of the difloyalty imputed to his miftrefs. The king, who believes nothing but his jealoufy, provoked that Camillo is fo obftinately diffident, finely starts into a rage, and cries:

I've lov'd thee-Make't thy queftion, and go ret!

Lean. Make't thy queftion, and go rot! 4 Doft think, I am fo muddy, fo unfettled,

Το

i. e. I have tendered thee well, Camillo, but I here cancel all former refpect at once. If thou any longer make a question of my wife's difloyalty, go from my presence, and perdition overtake thee for thy stubbornnefs. THEOBALD.

I have admitted this alteration, as Dr. Warburton has done, but am not convinced that it is neceffary. Camillo, defirous to defend the queen, and willing to fecure credit to his apology, begins, by telling the king that be bas loved him, is about to give inftances of his love, and to infer from them his prefent zeal, when he is interrupted. JOHNSON.

I bave lov'd thee,] In the first and fecond folio, these words are the conclufion of Camillo's fpeech. The later editors have certainly done right in giving them to Leontes; but I think they would come in better at the end of the line:

Make that thy question, and go rot !—I have lov'd thee. TYRWHITT. I have restored the old reading. Camillo is about to tell Leontes how much he had loved him. The impatience of the king interrupts him by faying: Make that thy question, i. e. make the love of which you boaft, the fubject of your future converfation, and go to the grave with it. Question, in our author, very often has this meaning. So, in Measure for Measure: "But in the lofs of queftion" i. e. in converfation that is thrown away. Again, in Hamlet: questionable fhape" is a form propitious to converfation. Again, in As you like it: "an unquestionable fpirit" is a fpirit unwilling to be converfed with. STEEVENS.

I think Steevens right in reftoring the old reading, but mistaken in his interpretation of it. Camillo is about to exprefs his affection for Leontes, but the impatience of the latter will not fuffer him to proceed. He takes no notice of that part of Camillo's fpeech, but replies to that which gave him offence-the doubts he had expreffed of the Queen's mifconduct; and fays- Make that thy question and go rot." Nothing can be more natural than this interruption. M. MASON.

The commentators have differed much in explaining this paffage, and fome have wished to transfer the words " I have lov'd thee," from Camillo to Leontes. Perhaps the words "being honourable" fhould be placed in a parenthefis, and the full point that has been put in all the editions after the latter of these words, ought to be omitted. The fenfe will then be: Having ever had the highest refpect for you, and thought you fo eftimable and honourable a character, so worthy of the love of my mistress,"I cannot believe that she has played you falfe, bas difhonoured you. However, the text is very intelligible as now regulated. Camillo is going to give the king inftances of his love, and is interrupted. I fee no fufficient reafon for transferring the words, I bave lov'd thee, from Camillo to Leontes. In the original copy there is a comma at the end of Camillo's fpeech, to denote an abrupt fpeech. MALONE.

4 This refers to what Camillo has just said relative to the queen's chaftity. MALONE,

To appoint myself in this vexation? fully
The purity and whiteness of my fheets,
Which to preferve, is fleep; which being spotted,
Is goads, thorns, nettles, tails of wafps ?
Give fcandal to the blood o'the prince my fon,
Who, I do think, is mine, and love as mine;
Without ripe moving to't? Would I do this?
Could man fo blench? 5

Cam.

I must believe you, fir;
I do; and will fetch off Bohemia for❜t:

Provided, that when he's remov'd, your highness
Will take again your queen, as yours at firft;
Even for your fon's fake; and, thereby, for fealing
The injury of tongues, in courts and kingdoms
Known and allied to yours.

Thou doft advise me,

Leon.
Even fo as mine own courfe have fet down :
I'll give no blemish to her honour, none.
Cam. My lord,

Go then; and with a countenance as clear
As friendship wears at feafts, keep with Bohemia,
And with your queen: I am his cupbearer;
If from me he have wholesome beverage,
Account me not your fervant.

Do't, and thou haft the one half of my heart;

Do't not, thou fplit'st thine own.

Cam.

I'll do't,

my lord.

Leon. I will feem friendly, as thou haft advis'd me. [Exit.
Cam. O miferable lady !-But, for me,

What cafe ftand I in? I must be the poifoner
Of good Polixenes: and my ground to do't
Is the obedience to a mafter; one,
Who, in rebellion with himself, will have
All that are his, fo too.-To do this deed,
Promotion follows: If I could example

Of

5 To blench is to start off, to fhrink. Leontes means-could any man

fo ftart or fly off from propriety of behaviour? STEEVENS.

6 An allufion to the death of the queen of Scots. The play therefore

was written in king James's time.

BLACKSTONE.

Of thoufands, that had ftruck anointed kings,
And flourish'd after, I'd not do't: but fince
Nor brafs, nor ftone, nor parchment, bears not one,
Let villainy itself forfwear't. I must

Forfake the court: to do't or no, is certain

To me a break-neck. Happy ftar, reign now!
Here comes Bohemia.

Pol.

Enter POLIXENES.

This is ftrange! methinks,

My favour here begins to warp. Not fpeak?
Good-day, Camillo.

Cam.

Hail, moft royal fir!

Pol. What is the news i'the court?

Cam.

None rare, my

Pol. The king hath on him fuch a countenance,
As he had loft fome province, and a region,
Lov'd as he loves himfelf: even now I met him
With customary compliment; when he,
Wafting his eyes to the contrary, and falling
A lip of much contempt, fpeeds from me; 7 and
So leaves me, to confider what is breeding,
That changes thus his manners.

Cam. I dare not know, my lord.

lord

Pol. How! dare not? do not. Do you know, and dare

not

Be intelligent to me? 8 'Tis thereabouts;

For, to yourself, what you do know, you muft;
And cannot fay, you dare not. Good Camillo,
Your chang'd complexions are to me a mirror,
Which shows me mine chang'd too: for I must be
A party in this alteration, finding

Myfelf thus alter'd with it.

7 This is a stroke of nature worthy of Shakspeare. Leontes had but moment before affured Camillo that he would feem friendly to Polixenes, according to his advice; but on meeting him, his jealoufy gets the better of his refolution, and he finds it impoffible to restrain his hatred.

M. MASON

i. e. do you know, and dare not confefs to me that you know ?

VOL. III.

N

TYRWNITT.

Came

Cam.

There is a fickness

Which puts fome of us in diftemper; but
I cannot name the disease; and it is caught
Of you, that yet are well.

Pol.

How! caught of me?
Make me not fighted like the bafilifk:

I have look'd on thousands, who have fped the better
By my regard, but kill'd none fo. Camillo,-
As you are certainly a gentleman; thereto
Clerklike, experienc'd, which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents' noble names,
In whofe fuccefs we are gentle,9-I beseech you,
If you know aught which does behove my knowledge
Thereof to be inform'd, imprison it not

In ignorant concealment.

Cam.

I may not anfwer.

Pol. A ficknefs caught of me, and yet I well!
I must be answer'd.-Doft thou hear, Camillo,
I conjure thée, by all the parts of man,

Which honour does acknowledge,-whereof the leaft
Is not this fuit of mine,-that thou declare
What incidency thou doft guefs of harm

Is creeping toward me; how far off, how near;
Which way to be prevented, if to be;

If not, how best to bear it.

Cam.
Sir, I'll tell you;
Since I am charg'd in honour, and by him
That I think honourable: Therefore, mark
Which must be even as swiftly follow'd, as
I mean to utter it; or both yourself and me
Cry, loft, and fo good-night.

my

counfel;

I know not whether fuccefs here does not mean fucceffion.

Pal.

JOHNSON.

Gentle in the text is evidently oppofed to fimple; alluding to the diftinction between the gentry and yeomanry.

In whofe fuccefs we are gentle, may, indeed, mean in confequence of whofe fuccefs in life, &c. STEEVENS.

Succefs feems clearly to have been used for fucceffion by Shakspeare, in this, as in other inftances. HENLEY.

I think Dr. Johnson's explanation of fuccefs the true one. ΜΑΣΟΝΣ.