fo dies with feeding his own ftomach. Refides, virginity is peevish, proud, idle, made of felf-love, which is the most inhibited fin in the canon. Keep it not; you cannot choose but lose by't: Out with't: within ten years it will make itfelf ten, which is a goodly increafe; and the principal itself not much the worfe: Away with't. Hel. How might one do, fir, to lofe 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: answer the time of request. Virginity, like an old courtier, wears her cap out of fashion; richly fuited, but unfuitable; juft like inhibited fini. e. forbidden. STEEVENS. 7 The old copy reads-" within ten years it will make itself two." The emendation was made by Sir T. Hanmer, It was alfo fuggefted by Mr. Steevens, who likewife proposed to read" within two years it will make i felf two." Mr. Tollet would read-" within ten years it will make itself twelve." I formerly propofed to read Out with it: within ten months it will make itfelf two." Part with it, and within ten months' time it will double itself; i. e. it will produce a child. I now mention this conjecture (in which I once had fome confidence) only for the purpofe of acknowledging my error. I had not fufficiently attended to a former paffage in this fcene,- Virginity, by being once loft, may be ten times found," .e. may produce ten virgins. Thofe words likewife are spoken by Parolles, and add fach decifive fupport to Sir Thomas Hamer's emendation, that I have not he fitated to adopt it. The text, as exhibited in the old copy, is undoubtedly corrupt. It has already been obferved, that many paffages in the fe plays in which numbers are introduced, are printed incorrectly. MALONE. There is no reason for altering the text. A well-known obfervation of the noble earl, to whom the horses of the prefent generation owe the length of their tails, contains the true explanation of this paffage. HENLEY. I cannot help repeating on this occafion, Justice Shallow's remark : "Give me pardon, fir,-if you come with news, I take it there is but two ways;-either to utter them, or to conceal them." With this noble earl's notorious remark, I am quite unacquainted. But perhaps the critick (with a flippancy in which he has fometimes indulged himself at my expence) will rep y, Fke Piftel, "Why then lament therefore ;" or obferve, like Hamlet,that "a knavish speech fleeps in a foolith ear." STEEVEN S. 8 Parolles, in answer to the question, "How one fhall lofe virginity to her own liking?" plays upon the word liking, and fays, he must do ill, for virginity, to be fo loft, muft like bim that likes not virginity. JOHNSON. like the brooch and tooth-pick, which 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 dryly; 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.3 There fhall your mafter have a thousand loves, B. 6 A phoe 9 Thus the old copy, and rightly. Shakspeare often uses the active for the palive. The modern editors read, "which we wear not now." TYRWHITT. 2 Here is a quibble on the word date, which means both age, and a candied fruit much used in our author's time. STEEVENS. 3 Not my virginity yet.] This whole fpeech is abrupt, unconnected, and obfcure. Dr. Warburton thinks much of it fuppofititious. I would be glad to think fo of the whole, for a commentator naturally wishes to reject what he cannot understand. Something, which should connect Helena's words with those of Parolles, feems to be wanting. Hanmer has made a fair attempt by reading: Not my virginity yet. You're for the court, Some fuch claufe has, I think, dropped out, but still the first words want connection. Perhaps Parolles, going away after his harangue, said, tvill you any thing with me? to which Helen may reply.—I know not what to do with the paffage. JOHNSON. I do not perceive fo great a want of connection as my predeceffors have apprehended; nor is that connection always to be fought for, in fo careless a writer as ours, from the thought immediately preceding the reply of the fpeaker. Parolles has been laughing at the unprofitableness of virginity, especially when it grows ancient, and compares it to withered fruit. He lena properly enough replies, that hers is not yet in that state; but that in the enjoyment of her, his mafter should find the gratification of all his moft romantic withes. What Dr. Warburton fays afterwards is faid at. random, as all positive declarations of the fame kind muft of neceffity be. Were I to propofe any change, I would read should instead of hall. It does not however appear that this rapturous effufion of Helena was defigned to be intelligible to Parolles. Its obfcurity, therefore, may be its merit. It fufficiently explains what is paifing in the mind of the fpeaker,, to every one but him to whom she does not mean to explain it.. STEEVENS Perhaps we should read: "Will you any thing with us ?" i. e. will you fend any thing with us to court? to which Helena's answer would be proper enough 66 Not my virginity yet." TYRWHITT A phoenix,4 captain,' and an enemy, That 4 A phoenix, &c.] The eight lines following friend, I am perfuaded, is the nonfenfe of fome foolish conceited player. What put it into his head was Helen's faying, as it should be read for the future: There fhall your mafter have a thousand loves; I know not what be fhall-God fend him well. Where the fellow, finding a thousand loves fpoken of, and only three reckoned up, namely, a mother's, a mistress's, and a friend's, (which, by the way, were all a judicious writer could mention; for there are but there three fpecies of love in nature) he would help out the number, by the intermediate nonsense; and, because they were yet too few, he pieces out his loves with enmities, and makes of the whole fuch finished nonfenfe, as is never heard out of Bedlam. WARBURTON. 5 Our author often uses this word for a head or chief. MALONE. 6 It seems that traitress was in that age a term of endearment, for when Lafeu introduces Helena to the king, he fays," You are like a traytor, but fuch traytors his majesty does not much fear." JOHNSON. I cannot conceive that traitress (fpoken seriously) was in any age a term of endearment. From the prefent paffage, we might as well fuppofe enemy (in the last line but one) to be a term of endearment. In the other paffage quoted, Lafeu is plainly speaking ironically. TYRWHITT. Traditora, a traitress, in the Italian language, is generally used as a term of endearment. The meaning of Helen is, that the fhall prove every thing to Bertram. Our ancient writers delighted in catalogues, and always characterize love by contrarieties. STEEVENS. Falstaff, in The Merry Wives of Windfor, fays to Mrs. Ford: "Thou art a traitor to fay fo." In his interview with her, he certainly meant to ufe the language of love. Helena however, I think, does not mean to say that she shall prove every thing to Bertram, but to exprefs her apprehenfion that he will find at the court fome lady or ladies who shall prove every thing to him; (“a phoenix, captain, counsellor, traitrefs; &c.") to whom he will give all the fond names that "blinking Cupid goffips. MALONE. I believe it would not be difficult to find in the love poetry of those times an authority for most, if not for every one, of thefe whimsical titles. At least I can affirm it from knowledge, that far the greater part of them are to be found in the Italian lyrick poetry, which was the model from which our poets chiefly copied. HEATH. ? This word, which fignifies the collective body of christianity, every place That blinking Cupid goffips. Now fhall he- Hel. That I with well.-'Tis pity- Hel. That withing well had not a body in't, Enter a Page. Page. Monfieur Parolles, my lord calls for you. [Exit Page. Par. Little Helen, farewell: 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. I efpecially think, under Mars. Par. Why under Mars? Hel. The wars have fo kept you under, that you muft 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. Hel. So is running away, when fear proposes the safety: But the compofition, that your valour and fear makes in you, is a virtue of a good wing, and I like the wear well. 9 Par. place where the chriftian religion is embraced, is furely used with mych licence on the prefent occafion. STEEVENS. 8 9 And how by realities what we now muft only think. JOHNSON. is a virtue of a good wing,] Mr. Edwards is of opinion, that a virtue of a good wing refers to his nimbleness or fleetness in running away. The phrafe, however, is taken from falconry, as may appear from the following pallage in Marlton's Fawne, 1606: “ -I love my horfe after Par. I am fo full of bufineffes, I cannot anfwer thee acutely I will return perfect courtier; in the which, my inftruction shall serve to naturalize thee, fo thou wilt be capable of a courtier's counfel, and understand what advice fhall thruft upon thee; elfe thou dieft in thine unthankfulnefs, and thine ignorance makes thee away: farewell. When thou hast leifure, fay thy prayers; when thou halt none remember thy friends, get thee a good hufband, and ufe him as he ufes thee: fo farewell. 3. Hl. Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, [Exit. The after a journeying eafinefs, as he is eafy in journeying; my hawk, for the goodness of bis wing, &c." Or it may be taken from dress: So, in Every Man out of his Humour: "I would have mine such a suit without a difference ; fuch tuff, fuch a wing, fuch a fleeve," &c. Mr. Tollet ooferves, that a good wing fignifies a frong sing in Lord Bacon's Natural Hftory, experiment $66: Certainly many birds of a good sing (as kites and the like) would bear up a good weight as they fly." STEEVENS. The meaning of this pallage appears to be this: "If your valour will fuffer you to go backward for advantage, and your fear for the fame reafon will make you run away, the con pofition that your valour and fear make in you, must be a virtue that w I fly far and fwiftly."—A bird of a good wing, is a bird of fwift and ftrong fight. Though the latter part of this fentence is fenfe as it ftands, I cannot help thinking that there is an error in it, and that we ought to readAnd is like to wear well."-Inftead of "I like the wear well. 2 i. e. thou wilt comprehend it. MALONE. M. MASON. 3 She means, by what influence is my love directed to a perfon fo much above me? why am I made to difcern excellence, and left to long after it, without the food of hope? JOHNSON. 4 Things formed by nature for each other. M. MASON. 5 Thefe four lines are obfcure, and, I believe, corrupt; I shall propofe an |
