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HOL. I will overglance the fuperfcript. To the fnow-white hand of the most beauteous Lady Rofaline. I will look again on the intellect of the letter, for the nomination of the party writing to the perfon written unto:

Your Ladyfhip's in all defired employment, BIRON. Sir Nathaniel, this Biron is one of the votaries with the king; and here he hath framed a letter to a fequent of the ftranger queen's, which, accidentally, or by the way of progreffion, hath mifcarried.Trip and go, my fweet; deliver this paper into the royal hand of the king; it may concern much: Stay not thy compliment; I forgive thy duty; adieu.

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JAQ. Good Coftard, go with me.-Sir, God fave your life!

COST. Have with thee, my girl.

[Exeunt COST. and JAQ. NATH. Sir, you have done this in the fear of God, very religiously; and, as a certain father faith—

HOL. Sir, tell, not me of the father, I do fear colourable colours. But, to return to the verses; Did they please you, Sir Nathaniel?

NATH. Marvellous well for the pen.

HOL. I do dine to-day at the father's of a certain

9 writing] Old Copies -- written. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. The first five lines of this fpeech were reftored to the right owner by Mr. Theobald. Inftead of Sir Nathaniel, the old copies have Sir Holofernes. Corrected by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

2 Trip and go, my Sweet;] Perhaps originally the burthen of a fong. So, in Summer's Laft Will and Teftament, by Nathe, 1600: Trip and go, heave and hoe, "Up and down, to and fro

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MALONE.

These words are certainly part of an old popular fong. There is an ancient mufical medley beginning, Trip and go hey!

RITSON.

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colourable colours.] That is fpecious, or fair feeming appearances. JOHNSON.

pupil of mine; where if, before repaft, it fhall pleafe you to gratify the table with a grace, I will, on my privilege I have with the parents of the forefaid child or pupil, undertake your ben venuto; where I will prove thofe verfes to be very unlearned, neither favouring of poetry, wit, nor invention: I befeech your fociety.

NATH. And thank you too: for fociety, (faith the text,) is the happiness of life.

HOL. And, certes,' the text moft infallibly concludes it.—Sir, [ To Duli. ] I do invite you too; you fhall not fay me, nay: pauca verba. Away; the gentles are at their game, and we will to our recre[Exeunt.

ation.

SCENE III.

Another part of the fame.

Enter BIRON, with a paper.

BIRON. The king he is hunting the deer; I am courfing myself: they have pitch'd a toil, I am toiling in a pitch; pitch, that defiles; defile! a foul word. Well, Set thee down, forrow! for fo, they fay, the fool said, and fo fay I, and I the fool.. Well proved, wit! By the lord, this love is as mad as Ajax: it kills fheep; it kills me, 'I a fheep: Well

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♦ —before repast,] Thus the quarto. Folio-being repaft. MALONE. -certes,] i. e. certainly, in truth. So, in Chaucer's Wif of Bathes Tale, v. 6790:

“ And certes, fire, though non au&oritee
"Were in no book," &c. STEEVENS.

6 -I am toiling in a pitch;] Alluding to lady Rosaline's complexion, who is through the whole play reprefented as a black beauty. JOHNSON. this love is as mad as Ajax: it kills Sheep; it kills me,] This

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is given as a proverb in Fuller's Gnomologia. RITSON.

proved again on my fide! I will not love: if I do, hang me; i'faith, I will not. O, but her eye,— by this light, but for her eye, I would not love her; yes, for her two eyes. Well, do nothing in the world but lie, and lie in my throat. By heaven, I do love and it hath taught me to rhyme, and to be melancholy; and here is part of my rhyme, and here my melancholy. Well, she hath one o' my fonnets already, the clown bore it, the fool fent it, and the lady hath it: fweet clown, fweeter fool, fweeteft lady! By the world, I would not care a pin if the other three were in: Here comes one with a paper; God give him grace to groan! [Gets up into a tree.

Enter the King, with a paper.

KING. Ah me!

BIRON. [afide.] Shot, by heaven!-Proceed, sweet Cupid; thou haft thump'd him with thy bird-bolt under the left pap:-I'faith fecrets.

KING. [reads.] So fweet a kifs the golden fun gives not To thofe fresh morning drops upon the rofe, As thy eye-beams, when their fresh rays have fmote The night of dew that on my cheeks down flows: Nor fhines the filver moon one half fo bright

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Through the transparent bofom of the deep,
As doth thy face through tears of mine give light;
Thou fhin'ft in every tear that I do weep:

6 The night of dew, that on my cheeks down flows:] This phrase however quaint, is the poet's own. He means, the dew that nightly flows down his cheeks. Shakspeare, in one of his other pieces, ufes night of dew for dewy night, but I cannot at prefent recolle& in which. STEEVENS.

7 Nor fhines the filver moon one half fo bright,

Through the transparent befom of the deep,

As doth thy face through tears-] So, in our poet's Venus and Adonis:

No drop but as a coach doth carry thee,
So rideft thou triumphing in my woe;
Do but behold the tears that fwell in me,
And they thy glory through my grief will show:
But do not love thyfelf; then thou wilt keep
My tears for glaffes, and fill make me weep.
O queen of queens, how far doft thou excel!
No thought can think, nor tongue of mortal tell.—
How shall the know my griefs? I'll drop the paper;
Sweet leaves, fhade folly. Who is he comes here?
[Steps afide.

Enter LONGAVILLE, with a paper.

What, Longaville! and reading! liften, ear.
BIRON. Now, in thy likenefs, one more fool,

appear!

LONG. Ah me! I am forfworn.

BIRON. Why, he comes in like a perjure, wear

ing papers.

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[ Afide.

[ Afide.

KING. In love, I hope; Sweet fellowship in

fhame!

BIRON. One drunkard loves another of the name.

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But hers, which through the cryftal tears gave light, "Shone, like the moon in water, feca by night.' MALONE he comes in like a perjure,] The punishment of perjury is to wear on the breaft a paper expreffing the crime. JOHNSON. Thus Holin/hed, p. 838, fpeaking of cardinal Wolfey, fo punilhed perjurie with open punishment, and open papers wear. ing, that in his time it was lefs ufed."

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Again, in Leicester's Commonwealth, "the gentlemen were all taken and caft into prifon, and afterwards were fent down to Lud. low, there to wear papers of perjury. STEEVENS.

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9 In love, I hope, &c.] In the old copy this line is given to Longaville. The prefent regulation was made by Mr. Pope.

MALONE.

VOL. VII.

T

LONG. Am I the first that have been perjur'd so ?

[Afide.

BIRON. I could put thee in comfort; not by two,

that I know:

[Afide.

Thou mak'it the triumviry, the corner-cap of fo

ciety,

The fhape of love's Tyburn that hangs up fimplicity.

LONG. I fear, thefe ftubborn lines lack power to

move:

O fweet Maria, emprefs of my love!

Thefe numbers will I tear, and write in profe. BIRON. O, rhymes are guards on wanton Cupid's [ Afide.

hofe:

Disfigure not his flop.
LONG.

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This fame fhall go.

[He reads the fonnet.

Did not the heavenly rhetorick of thine eye

(Gainft whom the world cannot hold argument,) Perfuade my heart to this falfe perjury?

Vows, for thee broke, deferve not punishment.

20, rhymes are guards on wanton Cupid's hofe:

Disfigure not his flop. ] The old copies read -Shop. STEEVENS. All the editions happen to concur in this error: but what agreement in fenfe is there between Cupid's hofe and his shop? or what relation can thofe two terms have to one another? or, what, indeed, can be understood by Cupid's shop? It muft undoubtedly be corrected, as I have reformed the text.

:

Slops are large and wide-kuee'd breeches, the garb in fashion in our author's days, as we may observe from old family pictures; but they are now worn only by boors and fea-faring men and we have dealers whofe fole bufinefs it is to furnish the failors with fhirts, jackets, &c. who are called flop-men, and their shops, flopShops. THEOBALD.

I fuppofe this alludes to the ufual tawdry drefs of Cupid, when he appeared on the flage. In an old tranflation of Cafa's Galateo is this precept: Thou must wear no garments, that be over much daubed with garding: that men may not fay, thou haft Ganimedes hofen, or Cupides doublet. FARMER.

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