Sear'd otherwife, no worse of worst extended; 7 King. Methinks, in thee fome bleffed Spirit doth fpeak His powerful found, within an organ weak; extended; With vileft torture let my life be ended. When this alteration first came into my mind, I fuppofed Helen to mean thus, First, I venture what is dearest to me, my maiden reputation; but if your diftruft extends my character to the worst of the worst, and fuppofes me Jeared against the fenfe of infamy, I will add to the ftake of reputation, the stake of life. This certainly is fenfe, and the language as grammatical as many other paffages of Shakespeare. Yet we may try another experiment. Fear otherwife to worst of wort extended; With vileft torture let my life be ended. That is, let me at under the greatest terrors poffible. Yet once again we will try to find the right way by the glimmer of Hanmer's emendation, who reads thus, Sear'a; And my maiden name otherwife the worst of orft extended, &c. Perhaps it were better thus, my maiden name Sear'd; otherwise the worst to worst extended; With vilift torture let my life be ended. 7 Methinks in thee fome bled Spirit doth Speak His powerful found, within an organ weak] To Speak a found is a barbarifm: For to speak fignifies to utter an articulate found, i. e. a voice. So Shakepeare, in Love's Labour's Loft, fays with propriety, And when love fpeaks the voice of all the Gods. To speak a found therefore is improper, tho' to utter a jound is not; because the word utter may be applied either to an articulate or inarticulate. Befides, the conftruction is vicious with the two ablatives, in thee, and, within an organ weak. The lines therefore fhould be thus read and pointed. Methinks, in thee fome bleed But the Oxford Editor would be only fo far beholden to this emendation, as to enable him to make fenfe of the lines another way, whatever become of the rules of criticism or ingenuous dealing. It And what impoffibility would fay In common fenfe, fenfe faves another way. Hel. If I break time, or flinch in property And well deferv'd! Not helping, death's my fee: 2 King. Make thy demand. Hel. But will you make it even? King. Ay, by my fcepter, and my hopes of heaven. Hel. Then fhalt thou give me, with thy kingly hand, What Hufband in thy power I will command. Exempted be from me the arrogance To chufe from forth the royal blood of France; 1 It powerful founds within an organ weak. WARBURT. in thee hath estimate:] May be counted among the gifts enjoyed by thee. 9 Youth, Beauty, wisdom, courage all] The verse wants a foo. VIRTUE, by mifchance, has dropt out of the line. WARBURTON. d prime] Youth; the fpring or morning of life. 2 King. Make thy demand. Hel. But will you make it even? King. Ay, by my Scepter and my hopes of help.] The King But could have but a very flight Hope of Help from her, scarce enough to fwear by: and therefore Helen might fufpect he meant to equivocate with her Befides, obferve, the greatest Part of the Scene is ftrictly in Rhime: and there is no Shadow of Reason why it fhould be interrupted here. I rather imagine the Poet wrote, Ay, by my Scepter, and my Hopes of Heaven. THIRLBY. With any branch or IMAGE of thy ftate: Shakespeare unquestionably wrote IMPAGE, grafting. IMPE a graff, or flip, 4 or But fuch a one thy vaffal, whom I know King. Here is my hand, the premises obferv'd, More fhould I queftion thee, and more I muft; Give me fome help here, hoa! if thou proceed Count. SCENE IV. Changes to Roufillon. Enter Countess and Clown. [Exeunt. YOME on, Sir; I fhall now put you to the height of your breeding. Clo. I will fhew myfelf highly fed, and lowly taught; I know, my bufinefs is but to the court. Count. But to the court? why, what place make you special, when you put off that with fuch contempt? But to the court! Clo. Truly, Madam, if God have lent a man any manners, he may eafily put it off at court: he that cannot make a leg, put off's cap, kifs his hand, and fay nothing, has neither leg, hands, lip, nor cap; and, indeed, fuch a fellow, to fay precifely, were not for the court: but for me, I have an anfwer will ferve all men. Count. Marry, that's a bountiful answer that fits all quéstions. Clo. It is like a barber's chair, that fits all buttocks; or fucker: by which the means one of the fons of France. So Caxton calls our Prince Arthur, that noble IMP of fame. WARB. the 1 the pin buttock, the quatch-buttock, the brawn-buttock, or any buttock. Count. Will your anfwer ferve fit to all questions? Clo. As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an attorney, as your French crown for your taffaty punk, as Tib's rufh for Tom's fore-finger, as a pancake for Shrove Tufugy, a morris for Mey-day, as the nail to his hole, the cuckold to his horn, as a fcolding quean to a wrangling knave, as the nun's lip to the friar's mouth; nay, as the pudding to his fkin, Count Have you, I fay, an answer of fuch fitnefs for all queftions? Clo From below your duke, to beneath your conftable, it will fit any question. Count. It must be an answer of most monftrous fize, that must fit all demands. Clo. But a trifle neither, in good faith, if the learned should speak truth of it: here it is, and all that belongs to't. Afk me, if I am a courtier ;-it fhall do you no harm to learn. 3 Count. To be young again, if we could. I will be a fool in a question, hoping to be the wifer by your anfwer. I pray you, Sir, are you a courtier ? there's a fimple putting off-more, more, a hundred of them. Clo. O Lord, Sir Count. Sir, I am a poor friend of yours, that loves you. Clo. O Lord, Sir thick, thick, fpare not me. meat. . Clo. O Lord, Sir, rant you. nay put me to't, I war Count. You were lately whip'd, Sir, as I think. 3 To be young again, —]. The lady cenfures her own levity in trifling with her jeter, as a ridiculous attempt to return back to youth. Clo. O Lord, Sir,fpare not me. Count. Do you cry, O Lord, Sir, at your whipping, and spare not me? indeed, your O Lord, Sir, is very fequent to your whipping: you would anfwer very well to a whipping, if you were but bound to't. Clo. I ne'er had worfe luck in my life, in my O Lord, Sir; I fee, things may ferve long, but not ferve ever. Count. I play the noble houfwife with the time, to entertain it so merrily with a fool. Clo. O Lord, Sir-why, there't ferves well again. Count. An end, Sir; to your business: give Helen this, And urge her to a prefent anfwer back. Commend me to my kinfmen, and my fon: Cla. Not much commendation to them ? you, you under Count. Not much imployment for you, you ftand me. Clo. Moft fruitfully, I am there before my legs. Laf. SCENE V. Changes to the Court of France. Enter Bertram, Lafeu, and Parolles. TH [Exeunt. HEY fay, miracles are paft; and we have our philofophical perfons to make modern, and familiar, things fupernatural and caufelefs. Hence is it, that we make trifles of terrors; enfconfing ourfelves into feeming knowledge, when we should fubmit ourselves to an unknown fear ". Par. Why, 'tis the rareft argument of wonder that hath fhot out in our later times. Ber. And fo 'tis. unknown fear.] Fear is here the object of fear. Laf. |