Turn then my frefheft reputation to

A favour, that may ftrike the dullest noftril Where I arrive; and my approach be fhunn'd, Nay, hated too, worfe than the great'ft infection That e'er was heard, or read!

Swear his thought over

5

CAM.
By each particular star in heaven, 3 and
By all their influences, you may as well
Forbid the fea for to obey the moon,
As or, by oath, remove, or counsel, shake,

5 Swear his thought over.

6

By each particular flar in heaven, &c.] The transposition of a fingle letter reconciles this paffage to good sense. Polixenes, in the preceding fpeech, had been laying the deepest imprecations on himself, if he had ever abus'd Leontes in any familiarity with his queen. To which Camillo very pertinently replies:

Swear this though over, &c. THEOBALD.

Swear his thought over

may perhaps mean, overfwear his prefent perfuafion, that is, endeavour to overcome his opinion, by fwearing oaths numerous as the ftars. JOHNSON.

It may mean: Though you should endeavour to wear away his jealoufy, though you fhould ftrive, by your oaths, to change his prefent thoughts."-The vulgar ftill ufe a fimilar expreffion: "To fwear a perfon down." MALONE.

This appears to me little better than nonfenfe; nor have either Malone or Johnson explained it into sense. I think therefore,that Theobald's amendment is Deceffary and well imagined.

M. MASON.

Perhaps the conftruction is" Over-fwear his thought"— i. c. ftrive to bear down, or overpower, his conception by oaths. In our author we have weigh out for outweigh, overcome for come over, &c. and over-fwear, for fwear over in Twelfth Night, A& V.

6

you may as well

STEEVENS.

Forbid the fea for to obey the moon,] We meet with the fame fentiment in The Merchant of Venice:

“You may as well go ftand upon the beach,
"And bid the main flood 'bate his ufual height."

DOUCE

6

The fabrick of his folly; whofe foundation
Is pil'd upon his faith, and will continue
The ftanding of his body.

POL.

How should this grow?

CAM. I know not: but, I am fure, 'tis fafer to Avoid what's grown, than queftion how 'tis born. If therefore you dare truft my honesty,

That lies enclofed in this trunk, which you
Shall bear along impawn'd,-away to-night.
Your followers I will whisper to the business;
And will, by twos, and threes, at several posterns,
Clear them o'the city; For myself, I'll put
My fortunes to your service, which are here
By this difcovery loft. Be not uncertain;
For, by the honour of my parents, I
Have utter'd truth: which if you feek to prove,
I dare not fland by; nor shall you be fafer
Than one condemn'd by the king's own mouth,
thereon

His execution fworn.

POL.

I do believe thee:

I faw his heart in his face. Give me thy hand;
Be pilot to me, and thy places fhall

Still neighbour mine: My fhips are ready, and

6

whofe foundation

Is pil'd upon his faith, ] This folly which is erected on the foun dation of fettled belief. STEEVENS.

7 I Saw his heart in his face.] So, in Macbeth:

8

To find the mind's conftru&tion in the face." STEEVENS. and thy places fhall

Still neighbour mine:] Perhaps Shakspeare wrote

"And thy

paces fhall, &c. Thou shalt be my conductor, and we will both purfue the fame path.-The old reading however may meanwherever thou art, I will fill be near thee. MALONE.

By places, our author means-preferments, or honours.

STEEVENS

My people did expect my hence departure
Two days ago. This jealousy

Is for a precious creature: as fhe's rare,

Muft it. be great; and, as his person's mighty,
Muft it be violent; and as he does conceive
He is difhonour'd by a man which ever
Profefs'd to him, why, his revenges muft

In that be made more bitter. Fear o'erfhades me:
Good expedition be my friend, and comfort
The gracious queen, part of his theme, but no-
thing

Of his ill-ta'en fufpicion! Come, Camillo;
I will refpect thee as a father, if

Thou bear'ft my life off hence: Let us avoid.

Good expedition be, my friend, and comfort

The gracious queen, part of his theme, but nothing

Of his ill-ta'en fufpicion!] But how could this expedition comfort the queen? on the contrary, it would increase her husband's fufpicion. We should read:

and comfort

The gracious queen's;

i. e. be expedition my friend, and be comfort the queen's friend. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton's conjecture is, I think, juft; but what fhall be done with the following words, of which I can make nothing? Perhaps the line which connected them to the reft is loft.

and comfort

The gracious queen, part of his theme, but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en fufpicion!

Jealoufy is a paffion compounded of love and fufpicion; this paffion is the theme or fubje&t of the King's thoughts. Polixenes, perhaps, wishes the queen, for her comfort, fo much of that theme or fubject as is good, but deprecates that which caufes mifery. May part of the king's prefent fentiments comfort the queen, but away with his suspicion. This is fuch meaning as can be picked out.

JOHNSON.

Perhaps the fenfe is-May that good fpeed which is my friend. comfort likewife the queen who is part of its theme, i. e. partly on whofe account` go away; but may not the fame comfort extend it felf to the groundless fufpicions of the king; i. e. may not my de

CAM. It is in mine authority, to command The keys of all the pofterns: Please your highness To take the urgent hour: come, fir, away.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

The fame.

Enter HERMIONE, MAMILLIUS, and Ladies.

HER. Take the boy to you; he fo troubles me, 'Tis paft enduring.

1. LADY,

Shall I be your play-fellow?

MAM..

Come, my gracious lord.

No, I'll none of you.

1. LADY. Why, my fweet lord?

MAM. You'll kifs me hard; and speak to me, as if

I were a baby ftill. I love you better.

parture fupport him in them! His for its is common with Shakfpeare and Paulina fays, in a subsequent scene, that she does not choofe to appear a friend to Leontes, in comforting his evils, i. c. in ftrengthening his jealoufy by appearing to acquiefce in it.

STEEVENS.

Comfort is, I apprehend, here used as a verb. Good expedition befriend me, by removing me from a place of danger, and comfort the innocent queen, by removing the object of her husband's jealoufy the queen, who is the fubject of his converfation, but without reafon the object of his fufpicion! We meet with a fimilar phrafeology in Twelfth-Night: "Do me this courteous office, as to know of the knight, what my offence to him is; it is fomething of my negligence, nothing of my purpose." MALONE.

2. LADY. And why fo, my good lord?*

Not for becaufe

MAM. Your brows are blacker; yet black brows, they fay, Become fome women beft; fo that there be not Too much hair there, but in a femicircle, Or half-moon made with a pen.

2. LADY.

Who taught you this? 9

MAM. I learn'd it out of women's faces.

now

What colour are your eye-brows?

1. LADY.

Pray

Blue, my lord.

MAM. Nay, that's a mock: I have feen a lady's

nofe

That has been blue, but not her eye-brows.

2. LADY.

Hark ye:

The queen, your mother, rounds apace: we fhall Prefent our fervices to a fine new prince,

One of these days; and then you'd wanton with us, If we would have you.

1. LADY.

She is spread of late Into a goodly bulk: Good time encounter her! HER. What wisdom ftirs amongst you? Come, fir, now

I am for you again: Pray you, fit by us,

And tell 's a tale.

8

MAM.

Merry, or fad, fhall't be?

HER. As merry as you will.
MAM.

A fad tale's best for winter:

2

my good lord?] The epithet-good, which is wanting in the old copies, is tranfplanted (for the fake of metre) from a redundant fpeech in the following page. STEEVENS.

9 Who taught you this?] You, which is not in the old copy, was added by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

2

A fad tale's best for winter:] Hence, I fuppofe, the title of the play, TYRWHITT.