Clo. If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure; I have flatter'd a lady; I have been politick with my friend, fmooth with mine enemy; I have undone three taylors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one. Jaq. And how was that ta'en up? Clo. 'Faith, we met; and found, the quarrel was upon the seventh caufe. 7 faq. How the feventh cause ?—Good my lord, like this fellow. Duke Sen. I like him very well. 8 Clo. God'ild you, fir, I defire of you the like: I prefs in here, fir, amongst the reft of the country copulatives, to fwear, and to forfwear; according as marriage binds, and blood breaks: -A poor virgin, fir, an ill-favour'd thing, fir, but mine own ;-a poor humour of mine, fir, to take that that no man elfe will. Rich honefty dwells like a miser, fir, in a poor houfe; as your pearl, in your foul oyster. Duke Sen. By my faith, he is very swift and fententious. "We found the quarrel was upon the seventh caufe.] So all the copies; but it is apparent from the fequel that we must read, the quarrel was not upon the feventh caufe. JOHNSON. 8-I defire you of the like.] We fhould read, I defire of you the like. On the Duke's faying, I like him very well, he replies, I defire you will give me caufe that I may like you too. WARBURTON. I have not admitted the alteration, because there are other examples of this mode of expreffion. JOHNSON. 9 According as marriage binds, and blood breaks ] The conftruction is, to wear as marriage binds. Which I think is not English. 1 fufpect Shakespeare wrote it thus, to fwear and to forfwear, ac cording as marriage BIDS and blood BIDS break. WARBURTON. I cannot difcover what has here puzzled the commentator: fwear according as marriage binds, is to take the oath enjoin'd in the ceremonial of marriage. JoHNSON. Clo. Clo. According to the fool's bolt, fir, and fuch dulcet difeafes.? Jaq. But, for the feventh caufe: how did you find the quarrel on the seventh cause ? Clo. Upon a lye feven times removed; (bear your body more feeming, Audrey) as thus, fir. I did diflike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he sent me word, if I faid his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was. This is call'd the Retort courteous. If I fent him word again, it was not well cut, he would fend me word, he cut it to please himself. This is call'd the Quip modeft. If again, it was not well cut, he difabled my judgment. This is call'd the Reply churlifh. If again, it was not well cut, he would anfwer, I fpake not true. This is call'd the Reproof valiant. If again, it was not well cut, he would fay, Ilye. This is called the Countercheck quarrelsome; and so, the Lye circumftantial, and the Lye direct. Jaq. And how oft did you fay, his beard was not well cut? Clo. I durft go no further than the Lye circumftantial, nor he durft not give me the Lye direct; and fo we meafur'd fwords and parted. Jeq. Can you nominate in order now the degrees of the lye? 1 1 Dulcet difeafes.] This I do not understand. For diseases it is eafy to read difcourfes: but, perhaps the fault may lie deeper. JOHNSON. As thus, fir; I did diflike the cut of a courtier's beard;] This folly is touched upon with high humour by Fletcher in his Queen of Corinth. -Has he familiarly Diflik'd your yellow flach, or faid your doublet or drawn pour jwerd, Cry'd' was ill mounted? Has be given the lye In circle or oblique er femicircle Or direct parallel; you must challenge him. WARE. Cla. 3 Clo. O fir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as you have books for good manners. I will name you the degrees. The firft, the Retort courteous; the fecond, the Quip modeft; the third, the Reply churlifh; the fourth, the Reproof valiant; the fifth, the Countercheck quarrelfome; the fixth, the Lye with circumftance; the feventh, the Lye direct. All these 20 fir, we quarrel in print, by the book;] The poet has, in this fcene, rallied the mode of formal duelling, then fo prevalent, with the highest humour and addrefs: nor could he have treated it with a happier contempt, than by making his clown fo knowing in the forms and preliminaries of it. The particular book here alluded to is a very ridiculous treatife of one Vincentio Saviolo, intitled, Of bonour and honourable quarrels, in quarto, printed by Wolf, 1594 The first part of this tract he entitles, A difcourfe moft neceffary for all gentlemen that have in regard their honours, touching the giving and receiving the lye, whereupon the Duello and the Combat in divers forms doth enfue; and many other inconveniences for lack only of true knowledge of honor, and the RIGHT UNDERSTANDING OF WORDS, which here is fet down. The contents of the feveral chapters are as follow. I. What the reafon is that the party unto whom the lye is given ought to become challenger, and of the nature of lies. II. Of the manner and diverfity of lies. III. Of the lye certain, or direct. IV. Of conditional lies, or the lye circumftantial. V. Of the lye in general. VI. Of the lye in particular. VII. Of foolish lies. VIII. A conclufion touching the wresting or returning back of the lye, or the countercheck quarrelfome. In the chapter of conditional lies, fpeaking of the particle 1F, he says,-Conditional lies be fuch as are given conditionally, thus-IF thou haft faid fo or fo, then thou lieft. Of thefe kind of lies, given-in this manner, often arife much contention, whereof no fure conclufion can arife. By which he means, they cannot proceed to cut one another's throat, while there is an IF between. Which is the reafon of Shakespeare making the Clown say, I knew when seven juftices could not make up a quarrel: but when the parties were met themselves, one of them thought but of an IF, as if you faid fo, then I faid fo, and they fbook bands, and fwore brothers. Your 1 is the only peacemaker; much virtue in 1F. Caranza was another of these authentick authors upon the Duello. Fletcher in his laft act of Love's Pilgrimage ridicules him with much humour. WARBURTON. 3 books for good manners.] One of thefe books I have feen. It is entitled The Boke of Nurture, or Schole of good Manners, for Men, Servants, and Children, with fans puer ad menfam; black letter without date. STEEVENS. you you may avoid, but the Lye direct; and you may avoid that too, with an If. I knew, when feven juf tices could not take up a quarrel; but when the parties were met themselves, one of them thought but of an If, as, If you faid fo, then I faid fo; and they fhook hands, and fwore brothers. Your If is the only peace-maker; much virtue in If. Jaq. Is not this a rare fellow, my lord? he's good at any thing, and yet a fool. Duke Sen. He uses his folly like a stalking-horse, and under the presentation of that, he shoots his wit. * Enter Hymen, Rofalind in woman's cloaths, and Celia. STILL MUSICK. Hym. Then is there mirth in heaven, Good Duke, receive thy daughter, That thou might'ft join her band with bis, Rof. To you I give myself; for I am yours. [To the Duke. To you I give myself; for I am yours. [To Orlando. Duke Sen. If there be truth in fight, you are my daughter. Orla. If there be truth in fight, you are my Rofalind. Enter Hymen.] Rofalind is imagined by the reft of the compeny to be brought by enchantment, and is therefore introduced by a fuppofed aerial being in the character of Hymen. JOHNSON. 5 If there be truth in fight.] The answer of Phebe makes it probable that Orlando fays, if there be truth in fhape: that is, if a form may be trufted; if one cannot ufurp the form of another. JOHNSON. Phe. If fight and shape be true, Why, then, my love adieu! Rof. I'll have no father, if you be not he. I'll have no husband, if you be not he. Of these most strange events: If truth holds true contents. You and you no cross fhall part; [To the Duke. [To Orlando. [To Phebe. [To Orlando and Rofalind. You and you are heart in heart: You to his love must accord, [To Oliver and Celia. [To Phebe. [To the Clown and Audrey. Whiles a wedlock-hymn we fing, SON G. Wedding is great Juno's crown," O bleffed bond of board and bed! If truth holds true contents.] That is. if there be truth in truth, anlefs truth fails of veracity. JOHNSON. 1 Wedding is, &c.] Catullus, addreffing himself to Hymen, has this stanza : Que tuis cartat facris, Non queat dare præfides VOL. III. JOHNSON. |