of thy foldiership, will fubfcribe for thee; farewel. Par. I love not many words.

SCENE XI.

[Exit.

1 Lord. No more than a fifh loves water.-Is not this a strange fellow, my Lord, that fo confidently feems to undertake this bufinefs, which he knows is not to be done; damns himself to do it, and dares better be damn'd than to do't?

2 Lord. You do not know him, my Lord, as we do; certain it is, that he will steal himself into a man's favour, and for a week escape a great deal of difcoveries; but when you find him out, you have him ever after.

Ber. Why, do you think, he will make no deed at all of this, that fo feriously he does addrefs himfelf unto?

2 Lord. None in the world, but return with an invention, and clap upon you two or three probable lies; but we have almoftimbofs'd him, you shall fee his fall to night; for, indeed, he is not for your lordship's respect.

i Lord. We'll make you fome sport with the fox, ere we case him. He was firft fmoak'd by the old lord Lafeu; when his difguife and he is parted, tell me what a sprat you shall find him; which you fhall fee, this very night.

2 Lord. I must go and look my twigs; he fhall be caught.

Ber. Your brother, he fhail go along with me. 2 Lord. As't please your lordship. I'll leave you.

2 We have almoft imbossed him.] To imbofs a deer, is to inclofe him in a wood, Milton ufes the fame word.

[Exit.

Like that felf-begotten bird
In th' Arabian woods embost,
Which no fecond knowus or third.

Ber.

Ber. Now will I lead you to the houfe, and fhew you The lafs I fpoke of.

I Lord. But you fay, fhe's honest.

Ber. That's all the fault: 1 fpoke with her but once, And found her wondrous cold; but I fent to her, By this fame coxcomb that we have i'th'wind, Tokens and letters, which fhe did re-fend; And this is all I've done; fhe's a fair creature, Will you go fee her?

1 Lord. With all my heart, my Lord.

Changes to the Widow's Houfe.

Enter Helena, and Widow.

F you misdoubt me that I am not fhe,

Hel. T

[Exeunt.

I know not, how I fhall affure you further;

But I fhall lofe the grounds I work upon.

Wid. Tho' my eftate be fallen, I was well born,
Nothing acquainted with thefe bufineffes;

And would not put my reputation now
In any staining act.

Hel. Nor would I wish you.

First, give me truft, the Count he is my husband;
And what to your fworn counsel I have spoken,
Is fo, from word to word; and then you cannot,
By the good aid that I of you fhall borrow,
Err in beftowing it.

Wid. I fhould believe you,

For you have shew'd me that, which well approves
Y'are great in fortune.

Hel. Take this purfe of gold,

And let me buy your friendly help thus far,

3 But I fall lose the grounds I work upon.] 1. e. By difcovering herself to the Count.

VOL. III.

WARBURTON.

*To

your frossrn counsel] To your private knowledge, after having required from you an cath of fecrecy. A a

Which

Which I will over-pay, and pay again

When I have found it. The Count wooes your daughter,

Lays down his wanton fiege before her beauty,
Refolves to carry her; let her confent,

As we'll direct her how, 'tis best to bear it.
Now his important blood will nought deny,
That fhe'll demand: a ring the Count does wear,
That downward hath fucceeded in his house

From fon to fon, fome four or five descents,
Since the first father wore it. This ring he holds
In most rich choice; yet in his idle fire,

To buy his will, it would not feem too dear,
Howe'er repented after.

Wid. Now I fee the bottom of your purpose.
Hel. You fee it lawful then. It is no more,
But that your daughter, ere fhe seems as won,
Defires this ring; appoints him an encounter;
In fine, delivers me to fill the time,

Herself most chaftly absent: after this,
To marry her, I'll add three thoufand crowns
To what is past already.

Wid. I have yielded :

Inftruct my daughter how the fhall perfevere,
That time and place, with this deceit so lawful,
May prove coherent. Every night he comes
With mufick of all forts, and fongs compos'd
To her unworthinefs: it nothing steads us
To chide him from our eaves, for he perfifts,
As if his life lay on't.

Hel. Why then, to night

Let us affay our plot; which if it speed, s Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed;

4 Important here, and elfewhere, is im ortunate.

5 Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed;

And

And lawful meaning in a LAW

FUL at;] To make this gingling riddle complete in all its parts, we should read the fecond

And lawful meaning in a lawful act,
Where both not fin, and yet a finful fact.
But let's about it.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

Part of the French Camp in Florence.

Enter one of the French Lords, with five or fix
Soldiers in ambush.

HE

LORD.

E can come no other way but by this hedge corner; when you fally upon him, fpeak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not yourselves, no matter; for we must not seem to understand him, unless fome one amongst us, whom we muft produce for an interpreter.

Sol. Good captain, let me be th' interpreter.

Lord. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

Sol. No, Sir, I warrant you.

Lord. But what linfy-woolfy haft thou to speak to us again?

Sol. Ev'n fuch as you speak to me.

cond line thus,

commit adultery. The riddle

And lawful meaning in a WICK- concludes thus, Where both not

ED a&t;

The fenfe of the two lines is this, It is a wicked meaning because the woman's intent is to deceive; but a lawful deed, because the man enjoys his own wife. Again, it is a lawful meaning becaufe done by her to gain her husband's estranged affection, but it is a wicked act because he goes intentionally to

fin and yet a finful fa&t. i. e. Where neither of them fin, and yet it is a finful fact on both fides; which conclufion, we fee, requires the emendation here made. WARBURTON.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads in the fame fense,

A a 2

Unlawful meaning in a lawful

aft.

Lord.

Lord. He must think us fome band of ftrangers i'th' adversary's entertainment. Now he hath a fmack of all neighbouring languages, therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy; not to know what we speak one to another, fo we feem to know, is to know ftraight our purpose: chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must feem very politick, but couch, hoa! here he comes, to beguile two hours in a fleep, and then to return and fwear the lies he forges.

Enter Parolles.

Par. Ten o'clock; within thefe three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What fhall I fay, I have done? it must be a very plaufive invention that carries it. They begin to fmoak me, and difgraces have of late knock'd too often at my door; I find, my tongue is too foul-hardy, but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.

Lord. This is the firft truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of.

[Afide. Par. What the devil thould move me to undertake the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impoffibility, and knowing I had no fuch purpofe? I muft give myself fome hurts, and fay, 1 got them in exploit; yet flight ones will not carry it. They will fay, came you off with fo little? and great ones I dare not give; wherefore what's the 7 inftance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into thefe perils.

Lord.

7 The Infiance.] The prof.

8 and buy myfelf another of Bajazet's MULE.] We fhould read, Bajezet's MUTE, i. . a