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examine, you must call the watch that are their accufers.

To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the defteft way, let the Watch come forth; mafters, I charge you in the Prince's name accufe thefe men.

Enter Watchmen.

I Watch. This man faid, Sir, that Don John the Prince's brother was a villain.

To. Cl. Write down, Prince John a villain; why this is flat perjury, to call a Prince's brother villain. Bora. Mafter town-clerk ——

To. Cl. Pray thee, fellow, Peace; I do not like thy look, I promife thee.

Sexton. What heard you him fay elfe?

2 Watch. Marry, that he had receiv'd a thousand ducats of Don John, for accufing the lady Hero wrongfully.

To. Cl. Flat burglary, as ever was committed.
Dogb. Yea, by th' mafs, that it is.

Sexton. What elfe, fellow?

I Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon

6 To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the easiest Way, let the Watch come forth. This, eafieft, is a Sophiftication of our modern Editors, who were at a Lofs to make out the corrupted Reading of the old Copies. The Quarto, in too, and the first and fecond Editions in Felio all concur in reading;

Yea, marry, that's the efteft way, &c.

A Letter happen'd to flip out at Prefs in the firft Edition; and 'twas too hard a Task for the subfequent Editors to put it in, or

guefs at the word under this accidental Depravation. There is no doubt, but the Author wrote, as I have restor'd the Text;

Yea, marry, that's the defteft way, &c.

i. e. the readinft, most commodi-
ous Way. The word is pure
Saxen. Deaplice, debite, congrue,
duely, htly. Leværelice, oppor
tune, commode, fitly, conveniently,
feasonably, in good time, com-
modiously

Vid. Spelman's Saxon. Gloff.
THEOBALD.

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his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole affembly, and not marry her.

To. Cl. O villain! thou wilt be condemn'd into everlasting redemption for this. Sexton. What elfe?

2 Watch. This is all.

Sexton. And this is more, mafters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning fecretly ftoll'n away: Hero was in this manner accus'd, and in this very manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this fuddenly dy'd. Master Constable, let these men be bound and brought to Leonato; I will go before, and fhew him their examination.

Dogb. Come let them be opinion'd.
Sexton. Let them be in hand'.

Sexton. Let them be in the hands of Coxcomb.] So the Editions. Mr. Theobald gives the words to Conrade, and fays, But why the Sexton fhould be fo pert upon his Brother Officers, there Seems no reason from any fuperior qualifications in him; or any fuf. picion he fhers if knowing their ignorance. This is ftrange. The Sexton throughout fhews as good. fenfe in their Examination as any Judge upon the bench could do. And as to his fufpicion of their ignorance, he tells the Town clerk That he goes not the way to examine. The meannefs of his name hindered our Editor from feeing the Goodness of his Sense. But this Sexton was an Ecclefiaftic of one of the inferior Orders called the Sacriftan, and not a Brother Officer, as the Editor calls him. 1 uppofe the book from whence the Poet took his fubject was fome old English novel tranflated from the Italian, where

[Exit.

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the word Sagriftano was rendered Sexton. As in Fairfax's Godfrey of Boulogne.

When Phoebus next unclos'd his wakeful eye,

Up rofe the SEXTON of that place prophane. The paffage then in question is to be read thus,

Sexton. Let them be in hand.

(Exit. Conr. Off, Coxcomb! Degberry would have them pinion'd. The Sexton fays, it was fufficient if they were kept in fafe cuftody, and then goes out. When one of the watchmen comes up to bind them, Conrade fays, Off, Coxcomb! as he fays afterwards to the Conftable, Away! you are an afs.-But the Editor adds, The old Quarto gave me the fift umbrag, for placing it to Conrade. What these words mean I don't know: But I fufpect the old Quarto divides the paffage as I have done. WARB.

There

Conr. Off, Coxcomb.

Dogb. God's my life, where's the Sexton? let him write down the Prince's officer Coxcomb: come, bind them, thou naughty varlet.

Conr. Away! you are an afs, you are an afs

Degb Doft thou not fuípect my place? doft thou not fulpect my years? O that he were here to write me down an afs! but, maflers, remember, that I am an afs; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an afs; no, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as fhall be prov'd upon thee by good witness; I am a wife fellow, and which is more, an officer; and which is more, an houfholder; and which is more, as pretty a piece of flefh as any in Melina, and one that knows the law; go to, and a rich fellow enough; go to, and a fellow that hath had loffes; and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handfome about him; bring him away; O, that I had been writ down an ais! [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

I

Before Leonato's Houfe.

Enter Leonato and Antonio.

ANTONIO.

F you go on thus, you will kill yourself;
And 'tis not wifdom thus to fecond grief
Against yourself.

Leon. I pray thee, ceafe thy counfel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitlefs
As water in a fieve; give not me counfel,
Nor let no Comforter delight mine ear,

There is nothing in the old quarto different in this fcene from the common copies, except that the names of two actors, Kempe

and Coley, are placed at the beginning of the fpeeches, intlead of the proper words.

But

But fuch a one whofe wrongs do fuite with mine.
Bring me a father, that fo lov'd his chill,
Whole joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him fpeak of patience;

Meafure his woe the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every strain for fìrain:
As thus for thus, and fuch a grief for fuch,
In every lineament, branch, flape and form.
If fuch a one will fmile and ftroke his beards,
And, Sorrow wag! cry, hem, when he fhould groan
Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk
With candle-wafters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.

But there is no fuch man; for, brother, men
Can counfel, and give comfort to that grief

8 If fuch a one will Smile, and ftroke his Beard, And hallow, wag, cry hem, when be should groan,] Mr. Rowe is the firft Authority that I can find for this Reading But what is the Intention, or how are we to expound it? “ If a Man will "builo, and whoop, and filget, "and wriggle about, to fhew a "Pleafure when He fhould "groan," &c. This does not give much Decorum to the Sentiment. The old Quarto, and the 1st and 2d Felio Editions all read,

And forrow, wagge; cry lem,&c. We don't, indeed, get much by this Reading; tho', I flatter myfelf, by a flight Alteration, it has led me to the true one,

And Sorrow wage; cry, hem!

when he should gro. n; i. e. If fuch a one will combat with, frive against Sorrow, &c. Nor is this Word infrequent with pur Author in thefe Significa

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Sir Thomas Hanmer, and after him Dr. Warburton, for wag, read waive, which is, I fuppole, the fame as, put afide, or shift of None of thefe conjectures facisty me, nor perhaps any other reader. I cannot but think the true reading nearer than it is imagined. I point thus,

If fuch an one will smile, and
Arcke bis beard,
And, fo row, wag! cry; hem,

when he should groan;
That is, If he will smile, ard
cry, forrow, be gone, and hem in-
fiead of greaning. The order in
which and and cry are placed is
harfh, and this harfhnefs made
the fenfe mistaken. Range the
words in the common order, and
my reading will be free from all
difficulty.

If juch an one will Smile, and
froke his beard,
Cry, forrow, wag! and hem
exhen be fould groan.

Which

Which they themselves not feel; but tafting it,
Their counsel turns to paffion, which before -
Would give preceptial medicine to rage;
Fetter ftrong madnefs in a filken thread;
Charm ach with air, and agony with words.
No, no, 'tis all mens office to speak patience
To thofe, that wring under the load of forrow;
But no man's virtue, nor fufficiency,

To be fo moral, when he fhall endure

The like himself; therefore give me no counsel;
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood; For there was never yet philofopher,

That could endure the tooth-ach patiently;
However they have writ the ftyle of Gods',
And made a pifh at chance and fufferance.
Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself:
Make thofe, that do offend you, fuffer too.

Leon. There thou fpeak'ft reafon; nay, I will do fo. My foul doth tell me, Hero is bely'd;

And that fhall Claudio know, fo fhall the Prince;
And all of them, that thus difhonour her.

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SCENE II.

Enter Don Pedro, and Claudio.

Ant. Here comes the Prince and Claudio haftily. Pedro. Good den, good den.

than advertisement. ] That is, than admonition, than moral inftruction.

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However they have writ the

ftyle of Gods.] This alJudes to the extravagant titles the Stoics gave their wife men. Sapiens ille cum Diis, ex pari, vivit. Senec. Epift. lix. Jupiter

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