Par. Oh! Inter. Oh, pray, pray, pray. Mancha ravancha dulche. Lord. Ofceoribi dulcbos volivorco. Inter. The General is content to spare thee yet, And, hood-winkt as thou art, will lead thee on To gather from thee. Haply thou may'st inform Something to fave thy life. Par. Oh let me live, And all the fecrets of our Camp I'll fhew; - Their force, their purpofes: nay, I'll speak that Which you will wonder at. Inter. But wilt thou faithfully? Par. If I do not, damn me. Inter. Acordo linta. Come on, thou art granted space. [Exit. [A bort alarum within. Lord. Go, tell the Count Roufillon and my brother, We've caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled 'Till we do hear from them. Sol. Captain, I will. Lord. He will betray us all unto ourselves, Inform 'em That. Sol. So I will, Sir. Lord. 'Till then I'll keep him dark and fafely lockt. Dia. No, my good Lord, Diana. Ber. Titled Goddess, And worth it with addition! but, fair foul, In your fine frame hath love no quality? Dia. She then was honeft. Ber. So fhould you be. Dian. No. My Mother did but duty: fuch, my Lord, Ber. No more o' that! I pr'ythee do not strive against my vows: By love's own sweet constraint, and will for ever Dia. Ay, fo you ferve us, No more o' that! I pr'ythee do not firive against my vows: I was compell'd to her. ] I know not well what Bertram can mean by entreating Diana not to firive against his vows. Diana has juft mentioned his wife, fo that the vows feem to relate to his marriage. In this fense, not Diana, but Himself, ftrives against his vows. His vows indeed may mean vows made to Diana; but, in that cafe, to frive against is not properly used for to reject, nor does this fenfe cohere well with his firft exclamation of impatience at the mention of his wife. No more of that! Perhaps we might read, I pr'ythee, do not drive against my vows. I have another conceit upon this paffage, which I would be thought to offer without much confidence. No more of that! I pr'ythee do not shrive I was compell'd to her. When a young profligate finds his courtship fo gravely repreffed by an admonition of his duty, he very naturally defires the girl not to take upon her the office of a confeffor. 'Till we serve you: but when you have our roses, You barely leave our thorns to prick ourselves, And mock us with our barenefs. Ber. How have I fworn! Dia. 'Tis not the many oaths, that make the truth; But the plain fingle vow, that is vow'd true; 'What is not holy, that we fwear, not 'bides, But take the High'ft to witnefs: then, pray tell me, I What is not holy, that we Swear not BY,] Yes, nothing is more common than fuch kind of oaths. But Diana is not here accufing Bertram for fwearing by a Being not holy, but for fwearing to an unholy purpofe; as is evident from the preceding lines. 'Tis not the many oaths, that make the Truth: But the plain fimple vow, that is vow'd true. The line in queftion, therefore, is evidently corrupt, and fhould be read thus, What is not holy, that we fear, not 'BIDES, i.e. If we fwear to an unholy purpose the oath abides not, but is diffolved in the making. This is an answer to the purpose. She fubjoins the reason two or three lines after, this has no holding, To fwear by bim, whom I proteft to love, That I will work against bim. i. e. That oath can never hold whofe fubject is to offend and difplease that Being, whom, I profefs, in the act of fwearing by him, to love and reverence, - What may have mifled the editors into the common reading was, perhaps, miftaking Ber tram's words above, By love's own fweet constraint, to be an oath; whereas it only fignifies, being constrained by love. WARBURTON. This is an acute and excellent conjecture, and I have done it the due honour of exalting it to the text; yet, methinks, there is fomething yet wanting. The following words, but take the Higb'ft to witness, even though it be understood as an anticipation or affumption in this fense, - but now fuppofe that you take the Highest to witnefs, has not sufficient relation to the antecedent fentence. I will propose a reading nearer to the furface, and let it take its chance. Bert. How have Ifworn! we fwear not by, But take the High'ft to witness. Bertram means to enforce his fuit, by telling her, that she has bound himself to her, not by the petty proteftations usual among lovers, but by vows of greater folemnity. She then makes a proper and rational reply. If I fhould fwear by Jove's great Attributes Therefore your oaths Are words, and poor conditions but unfeal'd; At least in my opinion. Ber. Change it, change it: Be not fo holy-cruel. Love is holy, And my integrity ne'er knew the crafts, That you do charge men with: ftand no more off, But give thyfelf unto my fick defires, Which then recover. Say, thou art mine; and ever My love, as it begins, fhall fo perfever. Dia. I fee, that men make hopes in fuch affairs That we'll forfake ourselves. Give me that ring. Ber. I'll lend it thee, my Dear, but have no power To give it from me. Dia. Will you not, my Lord? Ber. It is an Honour 'longing to our House, Dia. Mine Honour's fuch a ring; Ber. Here, take my ring. My Houfe, my Honour, yea, my life be thine, * To fwear by him whom 1 pro- That I will work against him] This paffage likewise appears to me corrupt. She fwears not by him whom she loves, but by Ju I piter. I believe we may read, to fwear to him. There is, fays fhe, no holding, no confiftency, in fwearing to one that I love him, when I fwear it only to injure him. Dia. Dia. When midnight comes, knock at my chamber window; I'll order take, my Mother fhall not hear. [Exit. Dia. For which live long to thank both heaven and me. You may fo in the end. My Mother told me juft how he would woo, unjustly win. [Exit. |