Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

And then comes answer (6) like an ABC-book :
O Sir, fays answer, at your best command,
At your employment, at your fervice, Sir:-
No, Sir, fays queftion, I, fweet Sir, at yours,
(7) And fo e'er anfwer knows what question would,
Saving in dialogue of compliment;

And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean and the river Po;

It draws towards fupper in conclufion, fo.
But this is worshipful fociety.

And fits the mounting spirit like myself:
For he is but a baftard to the time,
That doth not fmack of obfervation;
[And fo am I, whether I fmack or no :]
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, outward accoutrement;
But from the inward motion to deliver

(6) Like an a, b, c book:] An a, b, c book, or, as they spoke and wrote it, an abfey book, is a catechifm.

(7) And fo e'er answer knows what question would,

grows

SAVING in dialogue of compliment ;] In this fine fpeech Faulconbridge would fhew the advantages and prerogatives of men of worship. He obferves, particularly, that be has the traveller at command (people at that time, when a new world was difcovering, in the highest eftimation.) At the first intimation of his defire, to hear ftrange ftories, the traveller complies, and will fcarce give him leave to make his question, but e'er answer knows what question would-What then, why according to the prefent reading, it towards fupper-time. And is not this worshipful fociety? To spend all the time between dinner and fupper Before either of them knows what the other would be at. Read SERVING inftead of faving, and all this nonfenfe is avoided; and the account stands thus, E'er anfwer knows what question would be at, my fra"veller ferves in his dialiqué of compliment, which is his ftanding "difh at all tables; then he comes to talk of the Alps and Ape"nines, &c. and, by the time this difcourfe concludes, it draws "towards fupper." All this is fenfible and humourous; and the phrafe of ferving in is a very pleafant one to denote that this was his worship's fecon I courfe. What follows thews the romantic tarn of the voyagers of that time; how greedily their relations were fwallowed, which he calls freer poifon for the age's tooth; and how acceptable it made men at court-For it fall firew the footflips of my rifing. And yet the Oxford Editor fays, by this fweet poifon is meant flattery. WARBURTON. This pallage is obfcure; but such an irregularity and perplexity runs thro' the whole fpeech, that I think this emendation not neceffary.

Sweet,

Sweet, sweet, fweet poifon for the age's tooth;
(8) Which tho' I will not practise to deceive,
Yet, to avoid deceit, I mean to learn ;

For it fhall ftrew the footsteps of my rifing.
(9) But who comes in fuch hafte, in riding robes ?
What woman-poft is this? hath fhe no husband,
That will take pains (1) to blow a horn before her?
O me! it is my mother; now, good lady,
What brings you here to court so hastily ?

SCENE IV.

Enter Lady Faulconbridge, and James Gurney. Lady. Where is that flave, thy brother, where is he, That holds in chase mine honour up and down? Phil. My brother Robert, old Sir Robert's fon, (2) Colbrand the giant, that fame mighty man, Is it Sir Robert's fon, that you feek fo?

Lady. Sir Robert's fon? ay, thou unrev'rend boy, Sir Robert's fon; why scorn'ft thou at Sir Robert ? He is Sir Robert's fon, and fo art thou.

Philip. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave a while? Gur. Good leave, good Philip.

Philip. (3), Philip !

-fparrow- -James;

There's toys abroad; anon I'll tell thee more.

[Exit James.

(8) Which thougb, &c.] The conftruction will be mended, if inftead of which though, we read, this though.

(9) But who comes in.] Milton, in his tragedy, introduces Dalilab with fuch an interrogatory exclamation.

(1) To blow a born.] He means, that a woman who travelled about like a poft was likely to born her husband.

(2) Colbrand was a Danish giant, whom Guy of Warwick difcomfited in the prefence of king Atbelfian. The combat is very pompously defcribed by Drayton in his Polyolbion.

(3) Philip, fparrow, James ;] I think the Poet wrote, Philip! Spare me, James.

i. e. don't affront me with an appellation that comes from a Family which I difclaim.

WARBURTON.

The old reading is far more agreeable to the character of the speaker.

Dr. Gray obferves, that Skelton has a poem to the memory of Philip Sparrow; and Mr. Pope in a fhort note remarks, that a Sparrow is called Philip.

Madam,

:

Madam, I was not old Sir Robert's fon,
Sir Robert might have eat his part in me
Upon Good Friday, and ne'er broke his faft
Sir Robert could do well; marry, confefs!
Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it ;
We knew his handy-work; therefore, good mother,
To whom am I beholden for thefe limbs ?

Sir Robert never holpe to make this leg.

Lady. Haft thou confpired with thy brother too, That, for thine own gain, should'ft defend mine hohour?

What means this fcorn, thou most untoward knave ?
Phil. (4) Knight, Knight, good mother-

lifco like

-Bafi

(4) Knight, Knight, • good mother, Bafilifco like.] Thus muft this Paffage be pointed; and, to come at the Humour of it, I must clear up an old Circumftance of Stage-Hiftory. Faulconbridge's Words here carry a concealed Piece of Satire on a ftupid Drama of that Age, printed in 1599, and called Soliman and Perfeda. In this Piece there is the Character of a bragging cowardly Knight, called Bafilifco. His Pretenfion to Valour is fo blown and seen through, that Pifton, a Buffoon-fervant in the Play, jumps upon his back, and will not difengage him, till he makes Bafilifco fwear upon his dudgeon dagger to the Contents, and in the Terms, he dictates to him: As, for instance, Baf. O, Ifwear, I fear.

Pift. By the Contents of this Blade.
Baf. By the Contents of this Blade.
Pift. I, the aforefaid Bafilifco.
Baf. I, the aforefaid Bafilifco.

Knight, good fellow, knight, knight,

Pift. Knave, good fellow, knave, knave,

So that 'tis clear, our Poet is fneering at this Play; and makes Philip, when his mother calls him Knave, throw off that Reproach by humourously laying claim to his new Dignity of Knightbood; as Bafilifo arrogantly infifts on his Title of Knight in the Paffage above quoted. The old Play is an execrable bad one; and, I fuppofe, was fufficiently exploded in the Reprefentation: Which might make this Circumftance fo well known, as to become the Butt for a Stage farcafm. THEOBALD.

Knight, Knight, good mother-Bafilifco like.] The words allude to an expreffion in an old foolish play, then the common butt of ridicule, but the beauty of the paffage confifts in his alluding, at the fame time, to his high original. His father, Richard the first, was furr.amed Coeur-de-lion. And the Cor Leonis, a fixed ftar of the firft magnitude, in the fign Leo, is called Bafilifco.

Could one have thought it!

WARBURTON.

What

fhoulder

:

What! I am dub'd; I have it on my
But, mother, I am not Sir Robert's fon;
I have disclaim'd Sir Robert, and my land;
Legitimation, name, and all is gone :
Then, good my mother, let me know my
father
Some proper man, I hope; who was it, mother?
Lady. Haft thou deny'd thyfelf a Faulconbridge?
Phil. As faithfully, as I deny the devil.

Lady. King Richard Coeur-de-lion was thy father
By long, and vehement fuit, I was feduc'd
To make room for him in my husband's bed.
Heav'n lay not my tranfgreffion to my charge!
Thou art the iffue of my dear offence,
Which was fo ftrongly urg'd paft my defence.
Phil. Now, by this light, were I to get again,
Madam, I would not with a better father.
(5) Some fins do bear their privilege on earth,
And fo doth yours; your fault was not your folly.
Needs muft you lay your heart at his difpofe,
Subjected tribute to commanding love,"
Againft whofe fury, and unmatched force,
The awless lion could not wage the fight;
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hands.
He, that perforce robs lions of their hearts,
May eafily win a woman's. Ay, my mother,
With all my heart, I thank thee for
my father.
Who lives and dares but fay, thou didst not well
When I was got, I'll fend his foul to hell.
Come, lady, I will fhew thee to my kin,

And they fhall fay, when Richard me begot,
If thou hadit faid him nay, it had been fin ;
Who fays, it was, he lyes; I fay, 'twas not.

[Exeunt.

(5) Some fins-There are fins, that, whatever be determined of them above, are not much cenfured on earth.

ACT

ACT II.

SCENE I.

Before the Walls of Angiers in France.

Enter Philip King of France, Lewis the Dauphin, the Archduke of Auftria, Conftance, and Arthur.

BEFORE

LEWIS.

EFORE Angiers well met, brave Auftria.
Arthur! that great fore-runner of thy blood
(6) Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart,
And fought the holy wars in Palefline,

(7) By this brave Duke came early to his grave:
And for amends to his pofterity,

(8) At our importance hither is he come, To fpread his colours, boy, in thy behalf; And to rebuke the ufurpation

Of thy unnatural uncle, English John.

Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither.
Arthur. God fhall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's death
The rather, that you give his off-fpring life;
Shadowing their right under your wings of war.
I give you welcome with a pow'rless hand,
But with a heart full of unstained love:
Welcome before the gates of Angiers, Duke.

(6) Richard, that robb'd, &c.] So Raftal in his Chronicle. It is fayd that a Lyon was put to kynge Richard, beynge in prifon, to have devoured him, and when the lyon was gapynge he put his arme in his mouth, and pulled the lyon by the harte fo hard that he flewe the lyon, and therefore fome fay he is called Rycbarde Coeur de lyon; but fome fay he is called Cœur de lyon, because of his boldness and hardy stomake. Dr GRAY.

(7) By this brave Duke, &c.] This is not true. Richard was made prifoner by the Duke of Auftria, but was releafed for an exorbitant ranfome, and was afterwards killed with a cross-bow, before the castle of Chalons.

(8) At our importante.] At my importunity.

[blocks in formation]

Dr. GRAY.

Lewis.

« AnteriorContinuar »