Those that much covet, are with gain fo fond,
That what they have not, (that which they poffefs",)
They scatter and unloofe it from their bond,
And fo, by hoping more, they have but lefs;
Or, gaining more, the profit of excess

Is but to furfeit, and fuch griefs fuftain,

That they prove bankrupt in this poor-rich gain.

The aim of all is but to nurfe the life

With honour, wealth, and cafe, in waining age;
And in this aim there is fuch thwarting ftrife,
That one for all, or all for one we gage;
As life for honour, in fell battles' rage;

Honour for wealth; and oft that wealth doth coft
The death of all, and all together, loft,

6 That what they have not, (that which they poffefs,)] Thus the quarto 1594. The edition of 1616 reads:

Thofe that much covet, are with gain fo fond,

That oft they have not that which they poffefs;
They fcatter and unloofe it, &c,

The alteration is plaufible, but not neceffary. If it be objected to the reading of the first copy, that these misers cannot scatter what they have not, (which they are made to do, as the text now ftands,) it should be obferved, that the fame objection lies to the paffage as regulated in the latter edition; for here alfo they are faid to fcatter and unloofe it," &c. although in the preceding line they were said "oft not to bave it." Poetically speaking, they may be faid to scatter what they have not, i. e. what they cannot be truly faid to have; what they do not enjoy, though poffeffed of it. Understanding the words in this fenfe, the old reading may

remain.

A fimilar phraseology is found in Daniel's Rofamond, 1592: "As wedded widows, wanting what we bave." Again, in Cleopatra, a tragedy, by the fame authour, 1594: "their state thou ill defineft,

"And liv't to come, in prefent pineft;
"For what thou baft, thou ftill doft lacke:
"O mindes tormentor, bodies wracke:
"Vaine promifer of that fweete reste,
"Which never any yet poffeft."

“Tam avaro deeft quod habet, quam quod non habet," is one of the fentences of Publius Syrus. MALONE.

So that in vent'ring ill', we leave to be
The things we are, for that which we expect;
And this ambitious foul infirmity,

In having much, torments us with defect
Of that we have: fo then we do neglect

The thing we have; and, all for want of wit,
Make fomething nothing, by augmenting it.

Such hazard now muft doting Tarquin make,
Pawning his honour to obtain his luft;
And, for himfelf, himself he must forfake:
Then where is truth, if there be no self-trust?
When fhall he think to find a stranger juft,

When he himself himself confounds, betrays
To flanderous tongues, and wretched hateful days??

Now ftole upon the time the dead of night",
When heavy fleep had clos'd up mortal eyes;
No comfortable ftar did lend his light,

No noife but owls' and wolves' death-boding cries:
Now ferves the feafon that they may furprife

The

7 So that in vent'ring ill,-] Thus the old copy. The modern editions read:

So that in vent'ring all,

But there is no need of change. In venturing ill, means, from an evil Spirit of adventure, which prompts us to cover what we are not poffeffed of. MALONE.

8 Make fomething nothing, by augmenting it.] Thus, in Macbeth : "fo I lofe no honbur

"By feeking to augment it," &c. STEEVENS.

-bimfelf confounds,] i. e. deftroys. See Vol. V. p. 506, n. 4.

MALONE.

9-and wretched hateful days?] The modern editions read, unintelligibly:

To flanderous tongues, the wretched hateful lays. MALONE.
Now ftole upon the time the dead of night, &c.] So, in Macbeth :
-Now o'er the one half world

"Nature feems dead, and wicked dreams abufe
"The curtain'd fleep: now witchcraft celebrates
"Pale Hecat's offerings; and wither'd murder,
"Alarum'd by his fentinel, the wolf,

"Whofe bowl's his watch, thus with his ftealthy pace,
"With Tarquin's ravishing fides, towards his defign
"Moves like a ghoft," MALONE.

New

The filly lambs; pure thoughts are dead and ftill,
While luft and murder wake, to ftain and kill.

And now this luftful lord leap'd from his bed,
Throwing his mantle rudely o'er his arm;
Is madly tofs'd between defire and dread;
The one sweetly flatters, the other feareth harm;
But honest Fear, bewitch'd with luft's foul charm,
Doth too too oft betake him to retire,
Beaten away by brain-fick rude Defire.

His falchion on a flint he foftly fmiteth,
That from the cold ftone fparks of fire do fly;
Whereat a waxen torch forthwith he lighteth,
Which must be lode-ftar to his luftful eye3;
And to the flame thus fpeaks advisedly:

As from this cold flint I enforc'd this fire,
So Lucrece muft I force to my defire*.

Here pale with fear he doth premeditate
The dangers of his loathfome enterprise,
And in his inward mind he doth debate

Now Role upon the time the dead of night,
When beavy fleep bad clos'd up mortal eyes;
No comfortable ftar did lend kis light-

-pure thoughts are dead and still,

What

While luft and murder wake-] From this and two following paffages in the poem before us, it is hardly poffible to fuppofe but that Mr. Rowe had been perufing it before he fat down to write The Fair Peni

tent:

"Once in a lone and fecret hour of night,

"When every eye was clos'd, and the pale moon,
"And filent fars-

"Fierceness and pride, the guardians of ber honour,

Were lull'd to reft, and love alone was waking." STEEVENS.

2 Doth too too oft betake him to retire,] That is, Fear betakes himself to flight. MALONE.

3

lode-ftar to bis luftful eye;] So, in A Midsummer-Night's Dream :
"Your eyes are lode-ftars" STEEVENS.

4 As from this cold flint I enforc'd this fire,

So Lucrece must I force to my defire.]

« Limus

What following forrow may on this arife:
'Then looking fcornfully, he doth defpife

His naked armour of ftill-flaughter'd luft,
And justly thus controls his thoughts unjuft.

Fair torch, burn out thy light, and lend it not
To darken her whofe light excelleth thine"!
And die, unhallow'd thoughts, before you blot
With your uncleanness that which is divine!
Offer pare incenfe to fo pure a shrine:

Let fair humanity abhor the deed

That spots and ftains love's modeft fnow-white weed?,

O fhame to knighthood and to fhining arms!
O foul dishonour to my houthold's grave!
O impious act, including all foul harms!
A martial man to be soft fancy's flave!
True valour ftill a true refpect fhould have;
Then my digreffion is fo vile, fo base,
That it will live engraven in my face.

"Limus ut hic durefcit, et hæc ut cera liquefcit,
"Uno eodemque igni; fic noftro Daphnis amore.

Virg. Ec. 8. STIEVENS. 5-armour of fill-flaughter'd luft,] i. e. ftill flaughtering; unless the poet means to defcribe it as a paffion that is always a killing, but never dies.

STEEVENS.

• Fair torch, burn out thy light, and lend it not

To darken ber whofe light excelleth thine !] In Othello, we meet with the fame play of terms:

"Put out the light, and then put out the light :

"If I quench thee," &c. MALONE.

7 —love's modeft fnow-white weed.] Wed, in old language, is garMALONE.

ment.

8-foft fancy's flave!] Fancy for love or affection. So, in A MidJummer Night's Dream:

"Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers." MALONE.

9 Then my digreflion-] My deviation from virtue. So, in Love's Labour's Loft: "I will have that fubject newly writ o'er, that I may example my digreffion by fome mighty precedent." MALONE.

Again, in Romeo and Juliet:

Thy noble fhape is but a form in wax, "Digreffing from the valour of a man."

STEEVENS.

Yea,

1

Yea, though I die, the fcandal will furvive,
And be an eye-fore in my golden coat;,
Some loathfome dash the herald will contrive',
To cipher me, how fondly I did dote ;
That my pofterity, fham'd with the note,
Shall curfe my bones, and hold it for no fin
To wish that I their father had not been.

What win I, if I gain the thing I feek?
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy.
Who buys a minute's mirth, to wail a week"?
Or fells eternity, to get a toy?

For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Or what fond beggar, but to touch the crown,
Would with the fceptre ftraight be ftrucken down?

If Collatinus dream of my intent,

Will he not wake, and in a desperate rage
Poft hither, this vile purpose to prevent?
This fiege that hath engirt his marriage,
This blur to youth, this forrow to the fage,
This dying virtue, this furviving fhame,
Whofe crime will bear an ever-during blame?

3 the scandal will survive,

And be an eye-fore in my golden coat;

Some loathfome dash the herald will contrive,] In the books of heraldry a particular mark of disgrace is mentioned, by which the ef. cutcheons of thofe perfons were anciently diftingufhed, who " dijcourteaufly used a widow, maid, or wife, against her will." There were likewife formerly marks of difgrace for him that revoked a challenge, or went from bis word; for him who fled from bis colours, &c. In the prefent inftance our authour feems to allude to the mark first mentioned. MALONE. Some loathfome dash the berald will contrive,] So, in King John: "To look into the blots and ftains of right."

Again, in Drayton's Epiftle from Queen Isabel to King Richard II: "No baftard's mark doth blot my conquering fhield."

This distinction, whatever it was, was called in ancient heraldry a blot or difference. STEEVENS.

* Who buys a minute's mirth, to wail a week?] So, in K. Rich. III: "Eighty odd years of forrow have I feen,

"And each bour's joy wreck'd with a week of tern." STEEV.

Again, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre:

"Where's hourly trouble for a minute's cafe," MALONE.

H 2

O, what