The time is fair again.

Ber. My high repented blames,

Dear Sovereign, pardon to me.
King. All is whole.

Not one word more of the confumed time,
Let's take the inftant by the forward top;
For we are old, and on our quick'ft decrees
Th' inaudible and noifelefs foot of time

You remember

Steals, ere we can effect them.
The daughter of this Lord?
Ber. Admiringly, my Liege. At first
I ftuck my choice upon her, ere my heart
Durft make too bold a herald of my tongue :
Where the impreffion of mine eye enfixing,
Contempt his fcornful perfpective did lend me,
Which warp'd the line of every other favour;
Scorn'd a fair colour, or exprefs'd it ftoll'n;
Extended or contrasted all proportions

5 SCORN'D a fair colour, or express'd it foll'n;] First, it is to be obferved, that this young man's cafe was not indifference to the fex in general, but a very ftrong attachment to one; therefore he could not forn a fair colour, for it was that which had captivated him. But he might very naturally be faid to do what men, ftrongly attach'd to one, commonly do, not allow beauty in any face but his miftrefs's. And that this was the thought here, is evident,

1. From the latter part of the verse,

or exprefs'd it foll'n; 2 From the preceding verfe, Which warp'd the line of every other favour;

3. From the following verfes, Extended or contracted all proportions VOL. III.

To a moft hideous object:

To

Secondly, It is to be observed, that he defcribes his indifference for others in highly figurative expreffions. Contempt is brought in lending him her perfpective. glafs, which does its office properly by warping the lines of all other faces; by extending or contracing into a hideous object; or by expreffing or fhewing native red and white as paint. But with what propriety of fpeech can this glafs be faid to forn, which is an affection of the mind? Here then the metaphor becomes miferably mangled; but the foregoing obfervation will lead us to the genuine reading, which is,

SCORCH'D a fair colour, or exprefs'd it ftoll'n;

i. e. this glafs reprefented the owner as brown or tanned; or, if not fo, caufed the native coCc 2 lour

To a most hideous object: thence it came,

That she, whom all men prais'd, and whom myself, Since I have loft, have lov'd, was in mine eye

The duft that did offend it.

King. Well excus'd :·

That thou do'ft love her, ftrikes fome fcores away
From the great 'compt; but love, that comes too late,
Like a remorseful pardon flowly carried,

To the great fender turns a four offence,
Crying, that's good that is gone: our rafh faults
Make trivial price of serious things we have,
Not knowing them, until we know their grave.
Oft our displeasures, to ourfelves unjust,
Destroy our friends, and, after, weep their duft:
Our own love, waking, cries to fee what's done,
While fhameful hate fleeps out the afternoon.
Be this fweet Helen's knell; and now, forget her.
Send forth your amorous token for fair Maudlin,
The main confents are had, and here we'll stay
To see our widower's fecond marriage-day.
Count. Which better than the firft, O dear heav'n
blefs.
Or,

lour to appear artificial. Thus he fpeaks in character, and confiftently with the reft of his speech. The emendation reftores integrity to the figure, and, by a beautiful thought, makes the fornful perspective of contempt do the office of a burningglass. WARBURTON. It was but juft to infert this note, long as it is, becaufe the commentator feems to think it of importance. Let the reader judge.

Our own love, waking, &c.] These two lines I thould be glad to call an interpolation of a player. They are ill connected with the former, and not very clear or proper in themselves. I believe

the authour made two couplets to the fame purpose, wrote them both down that he might take his choice, and fo they happened to be both preferved.

For fleep I think we should read flept. Love cries to fee what was done while hatred flept, and fuffered mifchief to be done. Or the meaning may be, that hatred ftill continues to fierp at eafe, while love is weeping; and fo the prefent reading may ftand.

7 Which better than the fr,

O dear Heav'n, bief, Or, e'er they meet, in me, O Nature, ceafe! I have ventured, against the Authority of the printed Copies, to prefix the Countefi's

Or, ere they meet, in me, O nature, cease!
Laf. Come on, my foh, in whom my houfe's name
Must be digested: give a favour from you
To fparkle in the fpirits of my daughter,
That the may quickly come. By my old beard,
And ev'ry hair that's on't, Helen, that's dead,
Was a fweet creature fuch a ring as this,

The laft that e'er fhe took her leave at court,
I faw upon her finger.

Ber. Her's it was not.

King. Now, pray you, let me fee it: For mine eye, While I was speaking, oft was faften'd to't. This ring was mine; and, when I gave it Helen, I bade her, if her fortunes ever stood

Neceffitied to help, that by this token

I would relieve her.

Had you that craft to reave her

Of what fhould ftead her moft?
Ber. My gracious Sovereign,
Howe'er it pleases you to take it fo,
The ring was never her's.

Count. Son, on my life,

I've seen her wear it, and fhe reckon'd it

At her life's rate.

Laf. I'm fure, I faw her wear it.

8

Ber. You are deceiv'd, my Lord, fhe never faw it In Florence was it from a cafement thrown me, Wrap'd in a paper, which contain'd the name

Countess's Name to thefe two Lines. The King appears, indeed, to be a Favourer of Bertram: but if Bertram fhould make a bad Hufbard the fecond Time, why fhould it give the King fuch mortal Pangs? A fond and difappointed Mother might reafonably not defire to live to fee fuch a Day and from her

8 In Florence

the Wish of dying, rather than to behold it, comes with Propriety. THEOBALD. as t from a cafement] Bertram fill continues to have too little virtue to deferve He en. He did not know indeed that it was Helen's ring, but he knewthat he had it not from a window.

Cc 3

Of

1

Of her that threw it: Noble fhe was, and thought
I ftood engag'd; but when I had fubfcrib'd
To mine own fortune, and inform'd her fully,
I could not anfwer in that course of honour
As fhe had made the overture, fhe ceaft
In heavy fatisfaction, and would never
Receive the ring again.

King. Plutus himself,

That knows the tinct and multiplying medicine,
Hath not in nature's mystery more science,

Than I have in this ring. 'Twas mine, 'twas Helen's,
Whoever gave it you: then if you know,

That you are well acquainted with yourself,

Confefs 'twas hers, and by what rough enforcement
You got it from her. She call'd the Saints to furety,
That she would never put it from her finger,
Unless she gave it to yourself in bed,

(Where you have never come) or fent it us

9- Noble he was, and
thought
I food engag'd; I don't
-]
understand this Reading; if we
are to understand, that the thought
Bertram engaged to her in Af-
fection, infnared by her Charms,
this Meaning is too obfcurely ex-
prefs'd. The Context rather
makes me believe, that the Poet

wrote,

noble he was, and thought
I food ungag'd;-
1. e. unengag'd: neither my
Heart, nor Perfon, difpos'd of.
THEOBALD.

The plain meaning is, when
fhe faw me receive the ring,
fhe thought me engaged to her.

King. Plutus himself,
That knows the tinct and mul-
tiplying medicine,] Plutus
the grand alchimift, who knows
the tincture which confers the
properties of gold upon bafe

metals, and the matter by which gold is multiplied, by which a fmall quantity of gold is made to communicate its qualities to a large mafs of metal.

In the reign of Henry the fourth a law was made to forbid all men thenceforth to multiply gold, er ufe any craft of multiplication. Of which law Mr. Beyte, when he was warm with the hope of tranfmutation, procured a repeal. then if you know, That you are well acquainted

2

-

uth yourself, i. e. then if you be wife. A ftrange way of expreffing so trivial a thought! WARBURTON.

The true meaning of this frange expreffion is, you kn that your faculties are fo found, as that jou have the proper confciousness of your own actions, and are able to recollect and relate what you have done, tell me, &c.

Upon

Upon her

great disaster.

Ber. She never faw it.

King. Thou fpeak'ft it falfely, as I love mine honour ; And mak❜ft conject'ral fears to come into me, Which I would fain fhut out; if it should prove That thou art fo inhuman-'twill not prove foAnd yet I know not-thou didft hate her deadly, And he is dead; which nothing, but to close Her eyes myself, could win me to believe, More than to fee this ring. Take him away.

[Guards feize Bertram. My fore-past proofs, howe'er the matter fall, 3 Shall tax my fears of little vanity,

Having vainly fear'd too little. Away with him,
We'll fift this matter further.

Ber. If you fhall prove,

This ring was ever hers, you fhall as easy
Prove that I husbanded her bed in Florence,

Where

yet she never was.

SCENE

[Exit Bertram guarded.

V.

Enter a Gentleman.

King. I'm wrap'd in difmal thinkings.

Gent. Gracious Sovereign,

Whether I've been to blame or no, I know not :

Here's a petition from a Florentine,

Who hath fome four or five removes come fhort +

3 My fore-paft proofs, bowe'er the matter fall, Shall tax my fears of little vanity,

Having vainly feared too little.] The proofs which I have already kad, are fufficient to fhow that my fears were not vain and irrational. I have rather been hi

To

therto more eafy than I ought, and have unreasonably had too little fear.

4 Who hath FOR four or five

removes come hort] We fhould read, Who bath SOME four er five removes come fort. So in King Lear,

For that I am SOME twelve or Cc4 fourteen