Ber. For this defcription of thine honesty? a pox upon him for me, he is more and more a cat. Int. What fay you to his expertnefs in war? Par. Faith, Sir, h'as led the drum before the Eng lib Tragedians: to belie him, I will not; and more of his foldierfhip I know not; except, in that Country, he had the honour to be the Officer at a place there call'd Mile-end, to inftruct for the doubling of files. I would do the man what Honour I can, but of this I am not certain. Lord. He hath out-villain'd villany fo far, that the rarity redeems him. Ber. A pox on him, he's a cat ftill. Int. His Qualities being at this poor price, I heed not to ask you, if gold will corrupt him to revolt. Par. Sir, for a Quart-d'ecu, he will fell the fee-fimple of his falvation, the inheritance of it, and cut th'intail from all remainders, and a perpetual fucceffion for it perpetually. Int. What's his Brother, the other Captain Dumain? 2 Lord. Why does he ask him of me? Int. What's he? Par. Een a crow o'th' fame neft; not altogether fo great as the firft in goodnefs, but greater a great deal in evil. He excels his Brother for a Coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the beft that is. In a Retreat he out-runs any lacquey; marry, in coming on he has -the cramp: Int. If your life be faved, will you undertake to betray the Florentine? Par. Ay, and the Captain of his horfe, Count Roufillon. Int. I'll whifper with the General, and know his pleasure. Par. I'll no more drumming, a plague of all drums! Only to feem to deferve well, and to beguile the fuppofition of that lafcivious young boy the Count, have G 4 I run I run into danger, yet who would have fufpected an ambush where I was taken ?.. [Afides Int. There is no remedy, Sir, but you must die; the General fays, you, that have fo traiterously discovered the fecrets of your army, and made fuch peftiferous reports of men very nobly held, can ferve the world for no honeft ufe; therefore you must die. Come, headfman, off with his head. Par. O lord, Sir, let me live, or let me fee my death. Int. That fhall you, and take your leave of all your friends. [Unbinding bim. So, look about you; know you any here? Ber. Good morrow, noble Captain. 2 Lord. God blefs you, Captain Parolles. 2 Lord. Captain, what Greeting will you to my Lord Lafeu ? I am for France. I Lord. Good Captain, will you give me a copy of that fame Sonnet you writ to Diana in behalf of the Count Roufillon? if I were not a very coward, I'd compel it of you; but fare you well. Int. You are undone, Captain, all but that has a knot on't yet. [Exeunt. fcarf; your Par. Who cannot be crufh'd with a Plot? Int. If you could find out a Country where but women were that had receiv'd fo much fhame, you might begin an impudent Nation. Fare you well, Sir, I am for France too, we fhall fpeak of you there. [Exit. Par. Yet am I thankful: if my heart were great, "Twould burft at this. Captain I'll be no more, But I will eat and drink, and fleep as foft, As Captain fhall. Simply the thing I am Shall make me live: who knows himself a braggart, Let Let him fear this, for it will come to pass, o [Exit. Changes to the Widow's Houfe, at Florence. Enter Helena, Widow and Diana. Hel. TH A HAT you may well perceive, I have not wrong'd you, One of the Greateft in the chriftian world Shall be my Surety; 'fore whofe Throne 'tis needful, My husband hies him home; where, heaven aiding, Wid. Gentle Madam, You never had a fervant, to whofe truft Your business was more welcome. Hel. Nor you, Mistress, A Ever a friend, whofe thoughts more truly labour To recompenfe your love: doubt not, but heav'n Hath brought me up to be your Daughter's dower, As it hath fated her to be my motive 5 my motive] motive for affiftant. And And helper to a husband. But, Oftrange men! Diana. Let death and honefty Go with your impofitions, I am your's "Hel. Yet I pray you: 7 But with the word the time will bring on fummer, When briars fhall have leaves as well as thorns, And be as fweet as fharp: we must away, Our Waggon is prepar'd, and time revyes us; All's well, that ends well; ftill the fine's the crown; ? Whate'er the courfe, the end is the renown.[Exeunt. 6- When SAUCY trusting of the cozen'd thoughts Defiles the pitchy night;] i. e. makes the perfon guilty of intentional adultery. But trusting a mistake cannot make any one guilty. We should read, and point, the lines thus, When FANCY, trufting of the cozen'd thoughts, i. e. the fancy, or imagination, that he lay with his miftrefs, tho' it was, indeed, his Wife, made him incur the guilt of adultery. Night, by the ancients, was reckoned odious, obfcene, and abominable. The Poet, alluding to this, fays, with great beauty, Defiles the pitchy night. i. e. makes the night, more than ordinary, abominable. 7 But with the word, the time will bring on fummer,] With the word, i. e. in an instant of time. The Oxford Editor reads (but what he means by it I know not) Bear with the award. 8 Our waggon is prepar'd, and time revives as;] The word Revives conveys fo little fenfe, that it feems very liable to fufpicion. and time revyes us; i. e. looks us in the face, calls upon us to haften. SCENE Changes to Roufillon in France. Enter Counters, Lafeu, and Clown. Laf. No, no, no, your Son was mif-led with a fnipt-taffata fellow there, 9 whofe villainous faffron would have made all the unbak'd and dowy youth of a nation in his colour. Your daughter-inlaw had been alive at this hour; and your fon here at 9 whofe villainous faffron would have made all the unbak'd and dowy youth of a nation in his colour] Parolles is reprefented as an affected follower of the fashion, and an encourage of his mafter to run into all the follies of it; where he lays, Ufe a more spa cious ceremony to the noble Lords they wear themselves in the cap of time and tho the Devil lead the measure, fuch are to be fol lowed. Here fome particularities of fashionable dress are ridiculed. Snipt-tafata needs no explanation; but villainous faffron is more obicure. This alludes to a phantaftic fashion, then much followed, of ufing yellow ftarch for their bands and ruffs. So Fletcher, in his Queen of Corinth, Has he familiarly Diflik'd your yellow ftarch; or faid your doublet And Johnfon's Devil's an Afs. P Carmen and chimny-fweepers are got into the yellow ftarch. This was invented by one Turner, a 'tire-woman, a court-bawd; and, in all refpects, of fo infamous a character, that her invention deferved the name of villainous faffron. This woman was, afterwards, amongst the miscreants concerned in the murder of Sir Themas Overbury, for which she was hanged at Tyburn, and would die in a yellow ruff of her own invention: which made yellow Itarch fo odious, that it immediately went out of fashion. 'Tis this, then, to which Shakespear alludes: but ufing the word faffron for yellow, a new idea prefented it felf, and he purfues his thought under a quite different allufion Whofe villainous faffron would have made all the unbaked and dory youths of a nation in his colour, i. e. of his temper and difpofition. Here the general cuftom of that time, of colouring pafle with faffron, is alluded to. So in the Winter's Tale: I must have faffron to colour the warden pyes. home, |
