It is the lesser blot modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds? 'tis true: O heaven! were man But constant, he were perfect: that one error Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the sins: Inconstancy falls off, ere it begins: What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy Let me be blest to make this happy close: ever. Jul. And I mine. Enter Outlaws, with DUKE and THURIO. Out. A prize! a prize! a prize! Val. Forbear: forbear, I say; it is my lord the duke. — Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd, Banished Valentine. Duke. Sir Valentine! Thu. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine. Val. Thurio, give back, or else embrace thy death. Come not within the measure of my wrath: Do not name Silvia thine; if once again, Verona shall not hold thee. Here she stauds: "Verona shall not hold thee," is the reading of the only au thentic copy. Theobald proposed the reading, Milan shall not behold thee," which has been adopted by all subsequent editors but there is no authority for the change. If the reading be erroneous Shakespeare must be held accountable for this as well as some other errors in his early productions. Take but possession of her with a touch; Thu. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I. 9 Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou, To make such means for her as thou hast done, And leave her on such slight conditions.— Now, by the honour of my ancestry, I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine, And think thee worthy of an empress' love. Thou art a gentleman, and well deriv'd: happy. I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, Duke. I grant it for thine own, whate'er it be. They are reformed, civil, full of good, And fit for great employment, worthy lord. Duke. Thou hast prevail'd; I pardon them, and thee: Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. «To make such means for her," to make such interest tor, to take such disingenuous pains about her. 10 That is, repeal the sentence of banishment. "That is, that I have been living with. H H 12 Come, let us go: we will include 12 all jars Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold With our discourse to make your grace to smile: What think you of this page, my lord? Duke. I think the boy bath grace in him: he blushes. Val. I warrant you, my lord; more grace than boy. Duke. What mean you by that saying? Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along, That you will wonder what hath fortuned.Come, Proteus; 'tis your penance, but to hear The story of your loves discovered: That done, our day of marriage shall be yours; One feast, one house, one mutual happiness. [Exeunt. 18 Include here used for conclude. This is another of Shak speare's Latinisms. 13 Triumphs are pageants, such as masks and shows. INTRODUCTION ΤΟ THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, as we have it, was first printed in the folio of 1623, where it occupies the third place in the list of Comedies. An imperfect and probably fraudulent edition, however, came out in 1602, and was reprinted in 1619. In this edition the play is but about half as long as in the authentic copy of 1623; the scenes following each other in the same order, except in one instance; and some prose parts being printed in the manner of verse. Much question has been made, whether the impression of 1602 were from a correct copy of an unfinished play, or from a report stolen at the theatre and mangled in the stealing. Of course every reader of Shakespeare has heard the tradition that Queen Elizabeth, upon witnessing the performance of Henry IV., was so taken with Falstaff that she forthwith requested the Poet to represent him in the quality of a lover; in compliance with which request he wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor. Queen Elizabeth was indeed a great woman, and did some great things but if it were certain that she was thus the occasion of this play, there are many who would not scruple to set it down as the best thing she had any agency in bringing to pass; and another many who might regard it as the best but one. If this be wrong, there is no help for it; for such, assuredly, will always be the case so long as men can ❝laugh and grow fat." But there is much diversity of judgment touching the amount of credit due to this tradition. Mr. Collier says: "When traced to its source, it can be carried back no further than 1702: John Denn s in that year printed his Comical Gallant,' founded upon The Merry Wives of Windsor,' and in the dedication he states that the comedy was written at the command of Queen Elizabeth, and by her direction; and she was so eager to see it acted, that she commanded it to be finished in fourteen days.' Dennis gives no authority for any part of this assertion: but because he knew Dryden, it is supposed to have come from him; and because Dryden was acquainted with Davenant, it has been conjectured that the latter communicated it to the former. We own that we place little or no reliance on the story, especially recollecting that Dennis had to make out a case in favor of his alterations, by showing that Shakespeare had composed the comedy in an incredibly short period, and consequently that it was capable of improvement." All which is clever and spirited enough, but strikes us as a rather too summary disposing of the matter; the tradition not being incredible in itself, nor the immediate sources of it unentitled to confidence: for, granting that "Dennis had to make out a case in favour of his alterations." would he not be more likely to avail himself of something generally received, than to get up so questionable a fabrication? The date of his statement was but eighty-six years after the Poet's death;-a time when much traditionary matter, handed down from the reign of Elizabeth, was doubtless in circulation, that had not yet got into print: Dennis moved more or less in the literary circle of which Dryden was the centre; and that circle, however degenerate, was the lineal successor of the glorious constellation gathered about Shakespeare. It is considerable that Dennis gave no reason for the Queen's alleged request; which reason Rowe a few years later stated to be the pleasure she had from Falstaff in Henry IV. ; — a difference of statement that rather goes to accredit the substance of the tradition, because it looks as if both drew from a common source, not one from the other; each using such and so much of the traditionary matter as would best serve his turn. Their account, or rather, perhaps, the general belief from which it was taken, was received by Pope, Theobald, and other contemporaries, — men who would not be very apt to let such a matter go unsifted, or help to give it currency unless they thought there was good ground for it. An excellent and pleasant conceited comedy of Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor" was entered in the Regis ters of the Stationers' Company, Jan. 18, 1602. The title-page of the edition which came out soon after reads thus: "A most pleasant and excellent conceited comedy of Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor; intermixed with sundry variable and pleasing humours of Sir Hugh the Welch Knight, Justice Shallow, and his wise Cousin M. Slender; with the swaggering vein of Ancient Pistol, and Corporal Nym. By William Shakespeare. As it hath been divers times acted by the Right Honour able my Lord Chamberlain's servants; both before Her Majesty, and elsewhere." We may set it down, therefore, as tolerably certain that The Merry Wives of Windsor was performed before the Queen near the close of 1601, notwithstanding the opinion of |