Mend him who can: the ladies call him, fweet; too swift to make the found equal; and therefore a mean or tenor is the fweeteft." Again, in Herod and Antipater, 1622: Thus fing we defcant on one plain-fong, kill; "Four parts in one; the mean excluded quite." Again, in Drayton's Barons' Wars. Cant. iii. "The bafe and treble married to the mean." STEEVENS. 8 —as white as whales bone:] As white as whale's bone is a proverbial comparifon in the old poets. In The Faery Queen, B. III. c. i. ft. 15: "Whofe face did feem as clear as crystal stone, "And eke, through feare, as white as whales bone." And in L. Surrey, fol. 14, edit. 1567: "I might perceive a wolf, as white as whales bone, "A fairer beast of fresher hue, beheld I never none." Skelton joins the whales bone with the brighteft precious stones, in defcribing the pofition of Pallas: "A hundred fteppes mounting to the halle, "One of jafper, another of whales bone; "Of diamantes, pointed by the rokky walle," Crowne of Lawrell, p. 24. edit. 1736. T. WARTON. as whales bone] The Saxon genitive cafe. So, in A Midfummer-Night's Dream: "Swifter than the moones fphere." It should be remember'd that fome of our ancient writers fuppofed ivory to be part of the bones of a whale. The fame fimile occurs in the old black letter romance of Syr Eglamoure of Artoys, no date : "The erle had no chylde but one, "A mayden as white as whales bone." Again, in the ancient metrical romance of Syr Ifembras, bl. 1. no date: "His wyfe as white as whales bone." Again, in The Squbr of Low Degree, bl. 1. no date: "Lady as white as whales bone." Again, in Nath's Lenten Stuff, &c. 1599: - his herrings which were as white as whales bone," &c. STLEVENS. This white whale his bone, now fuperfeded by ivory, was the And confciences, that will not die in debt, That put Armado's page out of his part! my Enter the Princefs, ufher'd by BOYET; ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, and attendants. BIRON. See where it comes! - Behaviour, what wert thou, Till this man show'd thee? and what art thou now?? KING. All hail, fweet madam, and fair time of day! PRIN. Fair, in all hail, is foul, as I conceive. KING. Conftrue my fpeeches better, if you may. PRIN. Then with me better, I will give you leave. tooth of the Horfe-whale, Morfe, or Walrus, as appears by King Alfred's preface to his Saxon tranflation of Orofius. HOLT WHITE. Till this man show'd thee? and what art thou now?] Thefe are two wonderfully fine lines, intimating that what courts call manners, and value themfelves fo much upon teaching, as a thing no where else to be learnt, is a modeft filent accomplishment under the direction of nature and common fenfe, which does its office in promoting focial life without being taken notice of. But that when it degenerates into fhow and parade, it becomes an unmanly contemptible quality. WARBURTON. What is told in this note is undoubtedly true, but is not comprized in the quotation. JOHNSON. Till this man fhow'd thee?] The old copies read-Till this mad man," &c. STEEVENS. An error of the prefs. The word mad must be ftruck out. KING. We came to vifit you; and purpose now To lead you to our court: vouchfafe it then. PRIN. This field fhall hold me; and fo hold your vow: Nor God, nor I, delight in perjur'd men. KING. Rebuke me not for that which you provoke ; The virtue of your eye must break my oath.1 PRIN. You nick-name virtue: vice you fhould have spoke ; For virtue's office never breaks men's troth. A world of torments though I fhould endure, PRIN. Not fo, my lord; it is not fo, I fwear; We have had paftimes here, and pleasant game; A mefs of Ruffians left us but of late. KING. How, madam? Ruffians? PRIN. Ay, in truth, my lord; Trim gallants, full of courtship, and of state. Ros. Madam, fpeak true:-It is not fo my lord; My lady, (to the manner of the days,) In courtefy, gives undeferving praise.' The virtue of your eye must break my oath.] I believe our author means that the virtue, in which word goodness and power are both comprifed, muft diffolve the obligation of the oath. The princefs, in her anfwer, takes the most invidious part of the ambiguity. JOHNSON. 3 My lady, (to the manner of the days,) In courtesy, gives undeferving praife.] To the manner of the We four, indeed, confronted were with four fweet,+ Your wit makes wife things foolish: when we greet' Is of that nature, that to your huge store Ros. This proves you wife and rich; for in my eye, BIRON. I am a fool, and full of poverty. days, means according to the manner of the times.-Gives undeferving praife, means praife to what does not deferve it. M. MASON. 4 Fair, gentle feet,] The word fair, which is wanting in the two elder copies, was restored by the fecond folio. Mr. Malone reads " My gentle sweet." "My fair, feet honey monarch" occurs in this very scene, P. 349. STEEVENS. Sweet is generally ufed as a fubftantive by our author, in his addreffes to ladies. So, in The Winter's Tale: When you fpeak, fweet, "I'd have you do it ever." Again, in The Merchant of Venice: "And now, good sweet, fay thy opinion.” Again, in Othello: "- -O, my fweet, "I prattle out of tune." The editor of the fecond folio, with lefs probability, (as it appears to me,) reads-fair, gentle, fweet. MALONE. when we greet, &c.] This is a very lofty and elegant compliment. JOHNSON. Ros. But that you take what doth to you belong, It were a fault to fnatch words from my tongue. BIRON. O, I am yours, and all that I poffefs. Ros. All the fool mine? BIRON. I cannot give you lefs. Ros. Which of the vifors was it, that you wore? BIRON. Where? when? what vifor? why demand you this? Ros. There, then, that vifor; that fuperfluous cafe, That hid the worse, and fhow'd the better face. KING. We are defcried: they'll mock us now downright. DUM. Let us confefs, and turn it to a jeft. PRIN. Amaz'd, my lord? Why looks your highnefs fad? Ros. Help, hold his brows! he'll fwoon! Why look you pale? Sea-fick, I think, coming from Mufcovy. BIRON. Thus pour the ftars down plagues for perjury. Can any face of brafs hold longer out?Here ftand I, lady; dart thy fkill at me; Bruise me with fcorn, confound me with a flout; Thruft thy fharp wit quite through my ignorance; Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit; And I will with thee never more to dance, Nor never more in Ruffian habit wait. O! never will I truft to fpeeches penn'd, Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue; Nor never come in vifor to my friend; ' Nor woo in rhyme, like a blind harper's fong: my friend;] i. e. miftrefs. So, in Measure for Measure: he hath got his friend with child." STEEVENS. |