1 Sold. Here 'tis : here's a paper; shall I read it to you? Par. I do not know if it be it, or no. Ber. Our interpreter does it well. Fr. Gent. Excellently. 1 Sold. [Reads.] "Dian, the count's a fool, and full of gold," Par. That is not the duke's letter, sir: that is an advertisement to a proper maid in Florence, one Diana, to take heed of the allurement of one count Rousillon, a foolish idle boy, but, for all that, very ruttish. I pray you, sir, put it up again. 1 Sold. Nay, I'll read it first, by your favour. Par. My meaning in't, I protest, was very honest in the behalf of the maid; for I knew the young count to be a dangerous and lascivious boy, who is a whale to virginity, and devours up all the fry it finds. Ber. Damnable, both-sides rogue! 1 Sold. [Reads.] "When he swears oaths, bid him drop gold, and take it; After he scores, he never pays the score: And say, a soldier, Dian, told thee this. Men are to mell with 3, boys are not to kiss : "Thine, as he vow'd to thee in thine ear, Ber. He shall be whipped through the army, with this rhyme in's forehead. Fr. Env. This is your devoted friend, sir; the manifold linguist, and the armipotent soldier. Ber. I could endure any thing before but a cat, and now he's a cat to me. 3 Men are to MELL with,] i. e. Meddle with: from the Fr. mesler, or possibly the same word as middle, and hence medley and motley. 4 - but not WHERE he does owe it.] It is "when he does owe it" in the folios, but in that of 1632, the property of the old annotator, when is amended to "where" with apparent fitness: the when is settled by the words "who pays before," but the count does not pay "where" the money is due. 5 I could endure any thing before but a CAT,] Bertram therefore was one of those described by Shylock, ("Merchant of Venice," A. iv. sc. 1, p. 323,) who could not endure "a harmless necessary cat." 1 Sold. I perceive, sir, by our general's looks, we shall be fain to hang you. Par. My life, sir, in any case! not that I am afraid to die; but that, my offences being many, I would repent out the remainder of nature. Let me live, sir, in a dungeon, i' the stocks, or any where, so I may live. 1 Sold. We'll see what may be done, so you confess freely: therefore, once more to this captain Dumaine. You have answered to his reputation with the duke, and to his valour: what is his honesty? Par. He will steal, sir, an egg out of a cloister: for rapes and ravishments he parallels Nessus. He professes not keeping of oaths; in breaking them he is stronger than Hercules. He will lie, sir, with such volubility, that you would think truth were a fool: drunkenness is his best virtue; for he will be swine-drunk, and in his sleep he does little harm, save to his bed-clothes about him; but they know his conditions, and lay him in straw. I have but little more to say, sir, of his honesty he has every thing that an honest man should not have; what an honest man should have, he has nothing. Fr. Gent. I begin to love him for this. Ber. For this description of thine honesty? A pox upon him for me he is more and more a cat. 1 Sold. What say you to his expertness in war? Par. Faith, sir, he has led the drum before the English tragedians,-to belie him, I will not, and more of his soldiership I know not; except, in that country, he had the honour to be the officer at a place there called Mile-end, to instruct for the doubling of files: I would do the man what honour I can, but of this I am not certain. I perceive, sir, by OUR general's looks,] The folios have it "by your general's looks;" but a letter too much has been accidentally inserted. The modern editors have invariably substituted the for our. Soon after Parolles is brought in, hoodwinked, the "I Soldier" says to him, "Our general bids you to answer," &c. 7 Faith, sir, he has led the drum before the English tragedians,] The actors of Shakespeare's day, and a little earlier, usually went about the country, preceded by a drum, to give notice of their arrival in any town where they wished to perform. Dekker, in his “Belman of London,” 4to, 1608, mentions the practice when players "travelled upon the hard hoof from village to village." Many writers might be quoted, and various other particulars regarding' strolling players may be seen in Hist. Engl. Dram. Poetry, &c. iii. 435. 8 he had the honour to be the officer at a place there called MILE-END,] Mile-end was the place where the citizens of London were often mustered and trained. See "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," Dyce's edit. Vol. ii. p. 217. Fr. Gent. He hath out-villained villany so far, that the rarity redeems him. Ber. A pox on him! he's a cat still. 1 Sold. His qualities being at this poor price, I need not ask you, if gold will corrupt him to revolt. Par. Sir, for a quart d'ecu' he will sell the fee-simple of his salvation, the inheritance of it; and cut the entail from all remainders, and a perpetual succession for it perpetually. 1 Sold. What's his brother, the other captain Dumaine? Fr. Env. Why does he ask him of me? 1 Sold. What's he? Par. E'en a crow o' the same nest; not altogether so great as the first in goodness, but greater a great deal in evil. He excels his brother for a coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the best that is. In a retreat he out-runs any lackey; marry, in coming on he has the cramp. 1 Sold. If your life be saved, will you undertake to betray the Florentine? Par. Ay, and the captain of his horse, count Rousillon. 1 Sold. I'll whisper with the general, and know his pleasure. Par. [Aside.] I'll no more drumming; a plague of all drums! Only to seem to deserve well, and to beguile the supposition of that lascivious young boy the count, have I run into this danger. Yet who would have suspected an ambush, where I was taken? 1 Sold. There is no remedy, sir, but you must die. The general says, you, that have so traitorously discovered the secrets of your army, and made such pestiferous reports of men very nobly held, can serve the world for no honest use; therefore, you must die. Come, headsman, off with his head. Par. O Lord, sir! let me live, or let me see my death. 1 Sold. That shall you; and take your leave of all your friends. [Unmuffling him. So, look about you: know you any here? Fr. Env. God bless you, captain Parolles. Fr. Env. Captain, what greeting will you to my lord Lafeu? I am for France. 9 for a QUART D'ECU] A quart d'ecu is the fourth part of the smaller French crown; about eightpence of our money. It is usually spelt cardecue, as here in the old copies: it occurs again afterwards. Fr. Gent. Good captain, will you give me a copy of the sonnet you writ to Diana in behalf of the count Rousillon ? an I were not a very coward, I'd compel it of you; but fare you well. [Exeunt BERTRAM, Frenchmen, &e. 1 Sold. You are undone, captain; all but your scarf, that has a knot on't yet. Par. Who cannot be crushed with a plot? 1 Sold. If you could find out a country where but women were, that had received so much shame, you might begin an impudent nation. Fare you well, sir; I am for France too: we shall speak of you there. Par. Yet am I thankful: if my heart were great, "Twould burst at this. Captain I'll be no more; But I will eat, and drink, and sleep as soft As captain shall: simply the thing I am Shall make me live. Who knows himself a braggart, That every braggart shall be found an ass. [Exit. [Exit. SCENE IV. Florence. A Room in the Widow's House. Enter HELENA, Widow, and DIANA. Hel. That you may well perceive I have not wrong'd you, One of the greatest in the Christian world. Shall be my surety; 'fore whose throne, 'tis needful, Time was I did him a desired office, Dear almost as his life; which gratitude Through flinty Tartar's bosom would peep forth, We have convenient convoy. You must know, 1 His grace is at MARSEILLES, to which place] Marseilles, for the sake of the verse, must be pronounced as a trisyllable. It is here spelt Marcella in the old copies, and we have had it Marcellus in "The Taming of the Shrew," A. ii. sc. 1, p. 481 in that form it occurs again in this scene. I am supposed dead: the army breaking, My husband hies him home; where, heaven aiding, We'll be before our welcome. Wid. Gentle madam, You never had a servant, to whose trust Hel. And helper to a husband. But O, strange men! Dia. Let death and honesty Go with your impositions, I am your's Hel. Yet, I fray you3 But with the word: the time will bring on summer, And be as sweet as sharp. We must away; "All's well that ends well:" still the fine's the crown; [Exeunt. 2 Nor You, mistress,] The folio, 1623, reads, "Nor your mistress." None of the later folios correct the obvious error. 3 Yet, I FRAY you] We prefer Blackstone's emendation to that of the corr. fo. 1632, the old text being "But I pray you." Of course adopting "fray" we cannot, like the old annotator, alter "word" to world, nor is it necessary. Helena assures Diana that there is only the word "suffer to " fray" or frighten her, and that a summer of happiness will follow in due time. 4- - and time REVILES us:] i. e. Reproaches us for delay: it is "revives us in the folios, and altered to "reviles" in the corr. fo. 1632. "Revives us" is clearly nonsense; and "revies us," to which Mr. Singer would change it, even worse, making the heroine adopt a figure from the gaming table, in a manner altogether unlikely, and unintelligible to her hearers. It would not have surprised us, if the emendation in the corr. fo. 1632 had been invites for "revives," and the misprint would not be by any means unprecedented. VOL. II. Rr |
