Laf. Indeed, Sir, if your metaphor ftink, I will ftop my nose against any man's' metaphor. Pr'ythee, get thee further.

Par. Pray you, Sir, deliver me this paper.

Clo. Foh! pr'ythee, ftand away; a paper from fortune's close-stool, to give to a Nobleman! look, here he comes himself.

Enter Lafeu.

Here is a pur of fortune's, Sir, or fortune's cat, (but not a mufk-cat ;) that hath fali'n into the unclean fishpond of her difpleasure, and, as he fays, is muddied withal. Pray you, Sir, ufe the carp as you may; for he looks like a poor, decayed, ingenious, foolish-rafcally knave. I do pity his diftrefs in my fimilies of comfort, and leave him to your Lordship.

Par. My Lord, I am a man whom fortune hath cruelly fcratch'd.

Laf. And what would you have me to do? 'tis too late to pare her nails now. Wherein have you play'd

Indeed, Sir, if your metaphor ftink, I will flop my nofe against any man's metaphor.] Nothing could be conceived with greater humour, or juftnefs of fatire, than this fpeech. The ufe of the flinking metaphor is an odious fault, which grave writers often commit. It is not uncommon to see moral declaimers against vice. defcribe her as Hefiod did the Fury Triftitia:

Τῆς ἐκ οίνων μύξαι γεν. Upon which Longinus justly obferves. that, inftead of giving a terrible image, he has given a very nafty one. Cicero cautions well against it, in his book de Orat. Quoniam bat, fays he,

the knave with fortune, that she should scratch you, who of herfelf is a good Lady, and would not have knaves thrive long under her? there's a Quart-d'ecu for you let the juftices make you and fortune friends; I am for other business.

Par. I beseech your honour, to hear me one fingle word.

Laf. You beg a fingle penny more. Come, you fhall ha't, fave your word.

Par. My name, my good Lord, is Paroles.

Laf. You beg more than one word then. Cox' my paffion! give me your hand. How does your drum? Par. O my good Lord, you were the first that found

me.

Laf. Was I, in footh? and I was the first that loft thee.

Par. It lies in you, my Lord, to bring me in fome grace, for you did bring me out.

Laf. Out upon thee, knave! doft thou put upon me at once both the office of God and the Devil? one brings thee in grace, and the other brings thee out. [Sound Trumpets.] The King's coming, I know, by his trumpets. Sirrah, inquire further after me, I had talk of you last night; tho' you are a fool and a kuave, you fhall eat; go to, follow.

Par. I praife God for you.

[Exeunt.

had no more wit than virtue. Though jutlice required that he fhould be detected and expofed, yet his vices fit fo fit in him that he is not at laft fuffered to starve.

SCENE

SCENE III.

Flourish. Enter King, Countefs, Lafeu, the two
French Lords, with attendants.

King. We loft a jewel of her, our esteem. Was made much poorer by it; but your fon, As mad in folly, lack'd the fenfe to know Her eftimation home 2.

Count. 'Tis past, my Liege;

And I beseech your Majefty to make it
Natural rebellion, done i'th' blade of youth
When Oil and fire, too ftrong for reason's force,
O'erbears it, and burns on.

King. My honour'd Lady,

I have forgiven and forgotten all;

Tho' my revenges were high bent upon him,

And watch'd the time to fhoot.

Laf. This I must fay,

But first I beg my pardon, the

young

Lord

Did to his Majefty, his Mother, and his Lady,
Offence of mighty note; but to himself
The greateft wrong of all. He lost a wife,
Whole beauty did astonish the furvey

Of richeft eyes; whofe words all ears took captive;
Whofe dear perfection, hearts, that fcorn'd to serve,
Humbly call'd miftrefs.

1

King. Praifing what is loft,

efleem] Dr. Warburton in Theobald's edition altered this word to eftate, in his own he lets it stand and explains it by worth or eftate. But efteem is here reckoning or estimate. Since the lofs of Helen with her virtues and qualifications, our account is funk, what we have to reckon qurfelves

VOL. III.

king of, is much poorer than before.

2

home.] That is completely, in its fall extents,

3-blade of youth, In the spring of early life, when the man is yet green. Oil and fire fuit but ill with blade, and therefore Dr. Warburton reads, blaze of youth.

Makes the remembrance dear. Well-call him

hither;

We're reconcil'd, and the first view shall kill
All repetition let him not afk our pardon.
The nature of his great offence is dead,
And deeper than oblivion we do bury
Th' incenfing relicks of it. Let him approach,
A stranger, no offender; and inform him,
So 'tis our will he should.

Gent. I fhall, my Liege.

King. What fays he to your daughter? Have you spoke ?

Laf. All that he is, hath reference to your High

nefs.

King. Then fhall we have a match. I have letters fent me,

That fet him high in fame.

SCENE IV.

Enter Bertram

Laf. He looks well on't.
King. I'm not a day of feafon,

For thou may'ft fee a fun-fhine and a hail
In me at once; but to the brightest beams
Distracted clouds give way; fo ftand thou forth.

kill

the first view fhall

All repetition: ] The firft interview fhall put an end to all recollection of the past. Shake Speare is now haftening to the end of the play, finds his matter fufficient to fill up his remaining scenes, and therefore, as on other fuch occafions, contracts his dialogue and precipitates his action. Decency required that

Bertram's double crime of cruelty and difobedience, joined likewife with fome hypocrify, fhould raife more refentment; and that though his mother might eafly forgive him, his king fhould more pertinaciously vindicate his own authority and Helen's merit: of all this StateSpeare could not be ignorant, but Shakespeare wanted to conclude his play.

The

The time is fair again.

Ber. My high repented blames,

Dear Sovereign, pardon to me.
King. All is whole.

You remember

Not one word more of the confumed time,
Let's take the inftant by the forward top;
For we are old, and on our quick'ft decrees
Th' inaudible and noifelefs foot of time
Steals, ere we can effect them.
The daughter of this Lord?
Ber. Admiringly, my Liege. At first
I ftuck my choice upon her, ere my heart
Durft make too bold a herald of my tongue :
Where the impreffion of mine eye enfixing,
Contempt his fcornful perfpective did lend me,
Which warp'd the line of every other favour;
Scorn'd a fair colour, or exprefs'd it ftoll'n ';
Extended or contracted all proportions

SCORN' D a fair colour, or exprefs'd it ftol'n;] Fir, it is to be obferved, that this young man's cafe was no: indifference to the fex in general, but a very ftrong attachment to one; there fore he could not corn a fair co lour, for it was that which had captivated him. But he might very naturally be faid to do what men, ftrongly attach'd to one, commonly do, not allow beauty in any face but his thirefs's. And that this was the thought here, is evident,

1. From the latter part of the verfe.

or express'd it foll'n; 2. From the preceding verfe, Which warp'd the line of every other favour;

3. From the following verfes, Extended or contracted all proportions

To a moft hideous object :

Το

Secondly, It is to be obferved, that he defcribes his indifference for others in highly figurative expreffions. Contempt is brought in lending him her perspective. glafs, which does its office properly by warping the lines of all other faces; by extending or contracting into a hide us object; or by expreffing or fhewing native red and white as paint. But with what propriety of fpeech can this glafs be faid to jcorn, which is an affection of the mind? Here then the metaphor becomes miferably mangled; but the foregoing obfervation will lend us to the genuine reading. which is, SCORCH'D a fair colour, or ex

press'd it ftol'n; i. e. this glafs reprefented, the owner as brown or tanned: or, if not fo, caufed the native coCc 2 lour