Though his false finger have profan'd the ring,
Mine shall not do his Julia so much wrong.
Jul. She thanks you.

Sil. What say'st thou?

Jul. I thank you, madam, that you tender her. Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much. Sil. Dost thou know her?

Jul. Almost as well as I do know myself: To think upon her woes, I do protest,

That I have wept a hundred several times.

Sil. Belike, she thinks that Proteus hath forsook her.
Jul. I think she doth, and that's her cause of sorrow.
Sil. Is she not passing fair? ́

Jul. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is.
When she did think my master lov'd her well,
She, in my judgment, was as fair as you;
But since she did neglect her looking-glass,
And threw her sun-expelling mask away,
The air hath starv'd the roses in her cheeks,
And pinch'd the lily-tincture of her face,
That now she is become as black as I.

Sil. How tall was she?

Jul. About my stature; for, at pentecost*,
When all our pageants of delight were play'd,
Our youth got me to play the woman's part,
And I was trimm'd in madam Julia's gown,
Which served me as fit, by all men's judgments,
As if the garment had been made for me:
Therefore, I know she is about my height.
And at that time I made her weep a-good',
For I did play a lamentable part :
Madam, 'twas Ariadne, passioning
For Theseus' perjury, and unjust flight;
Which I so lively acted with my tears,
That my poor mistress, moved therewithal,
Wept bitterly; and, would I might be dead,

.

at pentecost,] "Pageants" (the word here, as it seems, used for plays) were usually represented at Whitsuntide.

5

weep A-GOOD,] i. e. In good earnest. The expression is very common in old writers, and Malone collected a needless number of examples.

6 Madam, 'twas Ariadne, PASSIONING

For Theseus' perjury,] So in Chapman's "Blind Beggar of Alexandria," 1598, as quoted by Steevens: "What! art thou passioning over the picture of Cleanthes?" Spenser also uses "passion " as a verb.

If I, in thought, felt not her

very sorrow.

Sil. She is beholding to thee, gentle youth.Alas, poor lady! desolate and left!

I weep myself, to think upon thy words.

Here, youth; there is my purse: I give thee this
For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lov'st her.
Farewell.

[Exit SILVIA.

Jul. And she shall thank you for't, if e'er you know her.—

A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful.

I hope my master's suit will be but cold,

Since she respects my mistress' love so much’.
Alas, how love can trifle with itself!

Here is her picture. Let me see: I think,
If I had such a tire, this face of mine
Were full as lovely as is this of her's;
And yet the painter flatter'd her a little,
Unless I flatter with myself too much.
Her hair is auburn, mine is perfect yellow :
If that be all the difference in his love,
I'll get me such a colour'd periwig.
Her eyes are green as grass, and so are mine:
Ay, but her forehead's low, and mine's as high.
What should it be, that he respects in her,
But I can make respective in myself,
If this fond love were not a blinded god?
Come, shadow, come, and take this shadow up,

For 'tis thy rival.-Oh thou senseless form!

Thou shalt be worshipp'd, kiss'd, lov'd, and ador'd,
And, were there sense in his idolatry,

My substance should be statue in thy stead'.

7 Since she respects my mistress' love so much.] It has been objected by Sir T. Hanmer, that after Silvia has gone out, and Julia left alone, she still keeps up her character of servant to Proteus, and talks of her "master" and "mistress ;" but nothing could surely be more natural, and in the very next line Shakespeare makes Julia excuse it :

"Alas, how love can trifle with itself!"

8 Her eyes are GREEN as GRASS,] In the folio, 1623, the words are "Her eyes are grey as glass:" in the folio, 1632, they stand printed " Her eyes are grey as grass." Grass is never grey, although glass may be so. The emendation in the corr. fo. 1632 is, "Her eyes are green as grass," which we may accept as the text, seeing that green eyes were formerly considered a great beauty. In "The Two Noble Kinsmen," A. v. sc. 1, (edit. Dyce, xi. p. 420,) Emilia speaks of "Diana's rare green eye." See also" Romeo and Juliet,” A. iii. sc. 5, Vol. v. p. 173. "My substance should be STATUE in thy stead.] In the time of Shakespeare there was frequently some confusion when writers spoke of statues and paintings;

I'll use thee kindly for thy mistress' sake,
That us'd me so; or else, by Jove I vow,
I should have scratch'd out your unseeing eyes,
To make my master out of love with thee.

[Exit.

ACT V. SCENE I.

The Same. An Abbey.

Enter EGLAMOUR.

Egl. The sun begins to gild the western sky,

And now it is about the very hour,

That Silvia at friar Patrick's cell should meet me 1o.

She will not fail; for lovers break not hours,

Unless it be to come before their time,

So much they spur their expedition.

Enter SILVIA.

See, where she comes!-Lady, a happy evening.
Sil. Amen, amen! go on, good Eglamour,

Out at the postern by the abbey-wall.

I fear, I am attended by some spies.

Egl. Fear not the forest is not three leagues off; If we recover that, we are sure enough.

[Exeunt.

possibly, because it was not unusual to paint statues, in the same way that our poet's bust was originally painted at Stratford-upon-Avon; and as the statue of Hermione in "The Winter's Tale" must be supposed to be painted. Of this confusion of terms many instances might be quoted, although here the distinction seems meant to be preserved. Reed contends at length that "statue" ought to be printed statua: there is not the slightest pretext for it, since the line requires it to be a dissyllable. Upon this point see, particularly, Vol. iii. p. 107, Vol. iv. p. 297, and Vol. v. pp. 327. 346.

10 THAT Silvia at friar Patrick's cell should meet me.] This is one of the cases in which we feel tolerably well assured, that a word has been thrust into the line, which spoils the measure, and did not proceed from the pen of the poet. All is regular excepting this line, and we might either read,

"Silvia at friar Patrick's cell should meet me;"

or, treating Silvia as a trisyllable,

"That Silvia at Patrick's cell should meet me.'

Just below we have "expedition" used as a word of five syllables, as was not unusual with Shakespeare and his fellow-dramatists.

SCENE II.

The Same. A Room in the DUKE'S Palace.

Enter THURIO, PROTEUS, and JULIA.

Thu. Sir Proteus, what says Silvia to my suit?
Pro. Oh, sir! I find her milder than she was;
And yet she takes exceptions at your person.
Thu. What! that my leg is too long?

Pro. No, that it is too little.

Thu. I'll wear a boot, to make it somewhat rounder.

Jul. [Aside.] But love will not be spurr'd to what it

loaths'.

Thu. What says she to my face?

Pro. She says it is a fair one.

Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies: my face is black.

Pro. But pearls are fair, and the old saying is,

Black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes.

Jul. [Aside.] 'Tis true, such pearls as put out ladies' eyes; For I had rather wink than look on them".

Thu. How likes she my discourse?

Pro. Ill, when you talk of war.

Thu. But well, when I discourse of love and peace?

Jul. [Aside.] But better, indeed, when you hold your

peace.

Thu. What says she to my valour?

Pro. Oh, sir! she makes no doubt of that.

Jul. [Aside.] She needs not, when she knows it cowardice. Thu. What says she to my birth?

Pro. That you are well deriv’d.

Jul. [Aside.] True; from a gentleman to a fool.

Thu. Considers she my large possessions?

1 Jul. But love will not be spurr'd to what it loaths.] This line is given in the old copies to Proteus; but, as Boswell suggested, it seems to belong to Julia, who stands by, and comments on what is said: a similar mistake is made in all the folios, just afterwards, as regards Thurio. In neither case is any alteration suggested in the corr. fo. 1632.

2

than look on them.] This speech, assigned in the old editions to Thurio, certainly belongs to Julia.

3 Considers she my LARGE possessions?] The epithet is supplied by the corr. fo. 1632; and already, on p. 115, we have seen Thurio's "huge possessions mentioned.

Pro. Oh! ay; and pities them.

Thu. Wherefore ?

Jul. [Aside.] That such an ass should owe them.
Pro. That they are out by lease *.

Jul. Here comes the duke.

Enter DUKE, angrily.

Duke. How now, sir Proteus! how now, Thurio!

Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late?

Thu. Not I.

Pro. Nor I.

Duke. Saw you my daughter?

Pro. Neither.

Duke. Why, then

She's fled unto that peasant Valentine,

And Eglamour is in her company.

'Tis true; for friar Laurence met them both,

As he in penance wander'd through the forest:
Him he knew well; and guess'd that it was she,
But, being mask'd, he was not sure of it":
Besides, she did intend confession

At Patrick's cell this even, and there she was not.
These likelihoods confirm her flight from hence:
Therefore, I pray you, stand not to discourse,
But mount you presently; and meet with me
Upon the rising of the mountain-foot,

That leads towards Mantua, whither they are fled.
Dispatch, sweet gentlemen, and follow me.

[Exit in haste.

4 That they are out by lease.] Lord Hailes was of opinion that Thurio and Proteus meant different things by the word "possessions;" Thurio referring to his lands, and Proteus to his mental endowments. If so, the point of the answer of Proteus seems to be, that as Thurio's mental endowments were "out by lease," he had none of them in his own keeping. This interpretation seems rather overstrained, and the meaning of Proteus may be only, that Thurio's possessions were let (as Steevens says) on disadvantageous terms. Neither explanation satisfies us, for no reason is assigned for pitying Thurio's possessions: he was rather to be pitied than they, which would, in some degree, support Lord Hailes' view of the subject. 3 Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late?] The second folio reads, "Which of you, say, saw sir Eglamour of late?" an attempt to mend the line of the folio, 1623, which only makes bad worse. The correct reading doubtless was,

"Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late?'

6 he was not sure of IT:] "Sure of her " says the corr. fo. 1632, but there seems no reason for the change. Above, on the entrance of the Duke, "angrily (spelt angerly) is from the same authority. Lower down, "in haste," when the Duke makes his exit, was likewise added by the old annotator.