more; left it be rather thought you ore i let it be rather

Helena 36, than to have

affect a forrow,

Hel. I do affect a forrow, indeed, but I have it too." elo do affect a lo Laf. Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead, exceffive grief the enemy to the living. od En Count. (2) If the living be not enemy to the grief, the excess s makes it foon mortal. to gantol sai vuo Ber. Madam, I defire your holy wishes.T Laf. How understand we that?

Count. Be thou bleft, Bertram, and fucceed thy father In manners as in fhape: thy blood and virtue

Contend for Empire in thee, and thy goodness
Share with thy birth-right! Love all, truft a few,
Do
be able for thine enemy.
wrong to
Rather in power, than ufe; and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key: be check'd for filence,
But never tax'd for speech. What heav'n more will,
That thee may furnish, and my prayers pluck down,
Fall on thy head! farewel, my Lord;

'Tis an unfeafon'd courtier, good my Lord,

Advise him.

Laf. He cannot want the best, tinaw ng I That fhall attend his love.

Count. Heav'n blefs him! Farewel, Bertram.

[Exit Countess. Ber. [To Hel.] The beft withes, that can be forg'd in your thoughts, be fervants to you: be comfortable mother, your Miftrefs, and make much of her. La Farewel, pretry Lady, you must hold the credit your father oqib 2456 294 [Exeunt Ber and Laf.

to my

of

Hel. Oh, were that all! I think not on my father; And these great tears grace his remembrance more, mit Than thofe I fhed for him. What was he likelwo I have forgot him. My imagination eft vod

(2) If the living be enemy to the grief, the excess makes it fion mortal. } This feems very obfcure; but the addition of a negative perfectly difpels all the mift. If the living be not enemy, &c. Exceflive grief an enemy to the living, faye rief, 1. e. frive to conquer it, Lofen: Yes, replies, the Counters if the living be not enemy to the excefs makes it it foon mortal.

A 4

1200 Mr. Warburton. Carries

Carries no favour in it, but my Bertram's.
I am undone; there is no living, none,
If Bertram be away. It were all one
That I fhould love a bright partic'lar ftar,
And think to wed it; he is fo above me :
In his bright radiance and collateral light
Muft I be comforted, not in his fphere.
Th' ambition in my love thus plagues itfelf;
The hind, that would be mated by the lion,
Muft die for love. 'Twas pretty, tho' a plague,
To fee him every hour; to fit and draw
His arched brows, his hawking eye, his curls,
In our heart's table: heart, too capabler
Of every line and trick of his fweet favour!---
But now he's gone, and my idolatrous fancy
Muft fanctify his relicks. Who comes here?

Enter Parolles.

One that goes with him; I love him for his fake,
And yet I know him a notorious liar;

Think him a great way fool, folely a coward;
Yet thefe fix'd evils fit fo fit in him,

That they take place, when virtue's fteely bones
Look bleak in the cold wind; full oft we fee
Cold wisdom waiting on fuperfluous folly.

Par. Save you, fair Queen.

Hel. And you, Monarch.

Par. No.

Hel. And, no.

Par. Are you meditating on virginity?
Hel. Ay: you have some stain of foldier in

you; let

me ask you a queftion. Man is enemy to virginity, how may we barricado it against him?

Par. Keep him out.

Hel. But he affails; and our virginity, though valiant, in the defence yet is weak: unfold to us fome warlike refiftance.

Par. There is none: man, fetting down before you, will undermine you and blow you up.

Hel. Blefs our poor virginity from underminers and

blowers

blowers up!-Is there no military policy, how virgins might blow up men?

Par. Virginity being blown down, man will quicklier be blown up: marry, in blowing him down again, with the breach yourselves made, you lofe your city. (3) It is not politick in the commonwealth of nature, to preferve virginity. Lofs of virginity is rational increase; and there was never virgin got, 'till virginity was first loft. That, you were made of, is metal to make virgins. Virginity, by being once loft, may be ten times found: by being ever kept, it is ever loft; 'tis too cold a companion; away with't.

Hel. I will ftand for't a little, though therefore I die. a virgin,

Par. There's little can be faid in't; 'tis against the rule of nature. To fpeak on the part of virginity, is to accufe your mother; which is moft infallible difobedience. He, that hangs himself, is a virgin: virginity murders itself, and fhould be buried in highways out of all fanctified limit, as a defperate offendrefs against nature. Virginity breeds mites; much like a cheese; confumes itself to the very paring, and fo dies with feeding its own ftomach. Befides, virginity is peevish, proud, idle, made of felf-love, which is the moft prohibited fin in the canon. Keep it not, you cannot chufe but lofe by't. Out with't; within ten years it will make itself two, which is a goodly increase, and the principal itself not much the worse. Away with't.

Hel. How might one do, Sir, to lose it to her own liking?

Par. Let me fee. Marry, ill, to like him that ne'er it likes. 'Tis a commodity will lofe the glofs with lying. The longer kept, the lefs worth: off with't, while 'tis vendible. Anfwer the time of request. Vir

(3) It is not politick in the commonwealth of nature to preserve virginity, Lefs of virginity is rational increafe; and there was never virgin got, till virginity was first loft. The context feems to me rather to require-national increafe; tho' I have not ventur'd to disturb the text, as the other reading will admit of a meaning.

A 5.

ginity,

ginity, like an old courtier, wears her cap out of fashion; richly fuited, but unfuitable; just like the b.ooch and the tooth-pick, which we wear not now: your date is better in your pye and your porridge, than in your cheek; and your virginity, your old virginity, is like one of our French wither'd pears; it looks ill, it eats drily; marry, 'tis a wither'd pear: it was formerly better; marry, yet 'tis a wither'd pear. Will you any thing with it?

Hel. Not my virginity yet.

There hall your mafter have a thousand loves,
A mother, and a mistress, and a friend,
A phoenix, captain, and an enemy,
A guide, a goddess, and a Sovereign,
A counfellor, a traitrefs, and a dear;
His humble ambition, proud humility;
His jarring concord; and his difcord dulcet;
His faith, his fweet difafter; with a world
Of pretty fond adoptious chriftendoms,

That blinking Cupid goffips. Now fhall he

I know not, what he fhall-God fend him well!.
The court's a learning place--and he is one——
Par. What one, i' faith?

Hel. That I wish well-'tis pity

Par. What's pity?

Hel. That withing well had not a body in't,
Which might be felt; that we the poorer born,
Whose bafer ftars do fhut us up in wishes,
Might with effects of them follow our friends;
And fhew what we alone muft think, which never
Returns us thanks.

יז

Enter Page.

Page. Monfieur Parelles,

My Lord calls for you.

[Exit Page.

Par. Little Helen, farewel; if I can remember thee, I will think of thee at court.

Hel. Monfieur Parolles, you were born under a charitable ftar.

Par. Under Mars, I.

Hel.

Hel, Lefpecially think, under Mars.

Par Why under Mars?

Hel. The wars have kept you fo under, that you mut needs be born under Mars.

Par. When he was predominant.

Hel. When he was retrograde, I think, rather.
Par.
Why think you fo

Hel. You go fo much backward, when you fight.
Par. That's for advantage.

Hel. So is running away, when fear propofes fafety: but the compofition, that your valour and fear makes in you, is a virtue of a good wing, and I like the wear well.

Par. I am fo full of bufineffes, as I cannot anfwer the acutely: I will return perfect courtier, in the which, my inftruction fhall ferve to naturalize thee, fo thou wilt be capable of courtiers counfel, and underftand what advice fhall thrust upon thee; elfe thou dieft in thine unthankfulness, and thine ignorance makes thee away; farewel. When thou haft leifure, fay thy prayers; when thou haft none, remember thy friends; get thee a good hufband, and ufe him as he ufes thee: fo farewel. [Exit.

Hel. Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie," Which we afcribe to heav'n. The fated sky Gives us free fcope; only, doth backward pull Our flow defigns, when we ourfelves are dull. What power is it, which mounts my love fo high, That makes me fee, and cannot feed mine eye? The mightieft fpace in fortune nature brings To join like likes; and kifs, like native things.. Impoffible be ftrange attempts, to thofe That weigh their pain in fenfe; and do fuppofe, What hath been, cannot be. Who ever ftrove To fhew her merit, that did mifs her love? The King's difeafe-my project may deceive me, But my intents are fix'd, and will not leave me. [Exit.

SCENE