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Jonad. Why doth the king of Israel rejoice? Why sitteth David crown'd with Rabbah's rule? Behold, there hath great heaviness befall'n In Amnon's fields by Absalon's misdeed; And Amnon's shearers and their feast of mirth, Absalon hath o'erturned with his sword; Nor liveth any of King David's sons To bring this bitter tidings to the king.

Dav. Ay me, how soon are David's triumphs dash'd!

How suddenly declineth David's pride!
As doth the daylight settle in the west,
So dim is David's glory and his gite.2
Die, David; for to thee is left no seed
That may revive thy name in Israel.

Jonad. In Israel is left of David's seed. Comfort your lord, you servants of the king.Behold, thy sons return in mourning weeds, And only Amnon Absalon hath slain.

Enter ADONIA with other Soxs of DAVID. Dav. Welcome, my sons; dearer to me you are Than is this golden crown or Hanon's spoil. Oh, tell me, then, tell me, my sons, I say, How cometh it to pass that Absalon

Hath slain his brother Amnon with the sword? Ad. Thy sons, O king, went up to Amnon's fields,

To feast with him and eat his bread and oil;
And Absalon upon his mule doth come,
And to his men he saith, When Amnon's heart
Is merry and secure, then strike him dead,
Because he forced Thamar shamefully,

And hated her, and threw her forth his doors.'
And this did he; and they with him conspire,
And kill thy son in wreak of Thamar's wrong.
Dav. How long shall Judah and Jerusalem
Complain, and water Sion with their tears?
How long shall Israel lament in vain,
And not a man among the mighty ones
Will hear the sorrows of King David's heart!
Amnon, thy life was pleasing to thy lord,
As to mine ears the music of my lute,

1 As when the sun, &c. Hawkins, who (Preface to The Origin of the English Drama, vol. i. p. 11) justly praises this simile, had forgotten the following lines of Spenser:-

At last, the golden orientall gate

Of greatest heaven 'gan to open fayre;
And Phoebus, fresh as brydegrome to his mate,
Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawic hayre;
And hurl'd his glist'ring beams through gloomy ayre.'
The Faerie Queene, B. 1, c. 5, st. 2.

-DYCE.

2 gite-a gown; used here metaphorically for splendour, brightness.

Or songs that David tuneth to his harp;
And Absalon hath ta'en from me away
The gladness of my sad distressed soul.
[Exeunt JOAB and some others.
Enter Woman of Thecoa.

Wo. of T. [kneeling.] God save King David, king of Israel,

And bless the gates of Sion for his sake! Dav. Woman, why mournest thou? rise from the earth;

Tell me what sorrow hath befall'n thy soul.
Wo. of T. [rising.] Thy servant's soul, O king,
is troubled sore,

And grievous is the anguish of her heart;
And from Thecoa doth thy handmaid come.
Dav. Tell me, and say, thou woman of Thecos
What aileth thee, or what is come to pass.

Wo. of T. Thy servant is a widow in Thecon.
Two sons thy handmaid had; and they, my lord,
Fought in the field, where no man went betwixt,
And so the one did smite and slay the other.
And, lo! behold, the kindred doth arise,
And cry on him that smote his brother,
That he therefore may be the child of death;
'For we will follow and destroy the heir.'
So will they quench that sparkle that is left,
And leave nor name nor issue on the earth
To me or to thy handmaid's husband dead.
Dav. Woman, return; go home unto thy
house:

I will take order that thy son be safe.
If any man say otherwise than well,
Bring him to me, and I shall chastise him;
For, as the Lord doth live, shall not a hair
Shed from thy son or fall upon the earth.
Woman, to God alone belongs revenge:
Shall, then, the kindred slay him for his sin?
Wo. of T. Well hath King David to his hand-
maid spoke:

But wherefore, then, hast thou determinèd
So hard a part against the righteous tribes,
To follow and pursue the banished,
Whenas' to God alone belongs revenge?
Assuredly thou saist against thyself:
Therefore call home again the banished,
Call home the banished, that he may live,
And raise to thee some fruit in Israel.

Dav. Thou woman of Thecoa, answer me,
Answer me one thing I shall ask of thee
Is not the hand of Joab in this work?
Tell me, is not his finger in this fact?

Wo. of T. It is, my lord; his hand is in this work:

Assure thee, Joab, captain of thy host,
Hath put these words into thy handmaid's mouth;
And thou art as an angel from on high,
To understand the meaning of my heart:
Lo, where he cometh to his lord the king.

Re-enter JOAB.

Dav. Say, Joab, didst thou send this woman in To put this parable for Absalon ?

Joab. Joab, my lord, did bid this woman speak;
And she hath said, and thou hast understood.
Dav. I have, and am content to do the thing.
Go fetch my son, that he may live with me.
Joab. [kneeling.] Now God be blessed for King
David's life!

Thy servant Joab hath found grace with thee,
In that thou sparest Absalon thy child. [Rises.
A beautiful and fair young man is he;
In all his body is no blemish seen;
His hair is like the wire of David's harp,

1 Whenas-when.

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Ah, Absalon, my son! ah, my son, Absalon!
But wherefore do I vex thy spirit so?
Live, and return from Gesur to thy house;
Return from Gesur to Jerusalem:
What boots it to be bitter to thy soul?
Amnon is dead, and Absalon survives.

Abs. Father, I have offended Israel,
I have offended David and his house;
For Thamar's wrong hath Absalon misdone:
But David's heart is free from sharp revenge,
And Joab hath got grace for Absalon.

Dav. Depart with me, you men of Israel,
You that have follow'd Rabbah with the sword,
And ransack Amnon's richest treasuries.-
Live, Absalon, my son, live once in peace:
Peace [be] with thee, and with Jerusalem!
[Exeunt all except ABSALON.
Abs. David is gone, and Absalon remains,
Flowering in pleasant springtime of his youth:
Why liveth Absalon, and is not honour'd

Of tribes and elders and the mightiest ones,
That round about his temples he may wear
Garlands and wreaths set on with reverence;
That every one that hath a cause to plead
Might come to Absalon and call for right?
Then in the gates of Sion would I sit,
And publish laws in great Jerusalem;
And not a man should live in all the land
But Absalon would do him reason's due:
Therefore I shall address me, as I may,
To love the men and tribes of Israel.

[Exit.

Enter DAVID, ITHAY, SADOC, AHIMAAS, JONATHAN, and others; DAVID barefoot, with some loose covering over his head; and all mourning. Dav. Proud lust, the bloodiest traitor to our souls,

Whose greedy throat nor earth, air, sea, or heaven,

Can glut or satisfy with any store,

Thou art the cause these torments suck my blood,
Piercing with venom of thy poison'd eyes
The strength and marrow of my tainted bones.
To punish Pharaoh and his cursed host,
The waters shrunk at great Adonai's voice,
And sandy bottom of the sea appear'd,
Offering his service at his servant's feet;
And, to inflict a plague on David's sin,
He makes his bowels traitors to his breast,
Winding about his heart with mortal gripes.
Ah, Absalon, the wrath of Heaven inflames
Thy scorched bosom with ambitious heat!
And Satan sets thee on a lofty! tower,
Showing thy thoughts the pride of Israel,
Of choice to cast thee on her ruthless stones
Weep with me, then, ye sons of Israel;
Lie down with David, and with David mourn
Before the Holy One that sees our hearts;

[Lies down, and all the rest after him.
Season this heavy soil with showers of tears,
And fill the face of every flower with dew;
Weep, Israel, for David's soul dissolves,
Lading the fountains of his drowned eyes,
And pours her substance on the senseless earth!
Sa. Weep, Israel; oh, weep for David's soul,

1 lofty-lustie' is another reading.

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Then weep, you heavens, and, all you clouds, dissolve,

That piteous stars may see our miseries,
And drop their golden tears upon the ground,
For witness how they weep for David's woes!

Sa. Now let my sovereign raise his prostrate bones,

And mourn not as a faithless man would do;
But be assur'd that Jacob's righteous God,
That promis'd never to forsake your throne,
Will still be just and pure in his vows.

Dav. Sadoc, high priest, preserver of the ark,
Whose sacred virtue keeps the chosen crown,
I know my God is spotless in his vows,
And that these hairs shall greet my grave in

peace:

But that my son should wrong his tender'd' soul,
And fight against his father's happiness,
Turns all my hopes into despair of him,
And that despair feeds all my veins with grief.
Ith. Think of it, David, as a fatal plague
Which grief preserveth, but preventeth not;
And turn thy drooping eyes upon the troops
That, of affection to thy worthiness,

Do swarm about the person of the king:
Cherish their valours and their zealous loves
With pleasant looks and sweet encouragements.

Dav. Methinks the voice of Ithay fills mine ears. Ith. Let not the voice of Ithay loathe thine

ears,

Whose heart would balm thy bosom with his

tears.

Dav. But wherefore go'st thou to the wars
with us?

Thou art a stranger here in Israel,
And son to Achis, mighty king of Gath;
Therefore return, and with thy father stay.
Thou cam'st but yesterday; and should I now,
Let thee partake these troubles here with us?
Keep both thyself and all thy soldiers safe:
Let me abide the hazards of these arms,
And God requite the friendship thou hast show'd.
Ith. As sure as Israel's God gives David life,
What place or peril shall contain the king,
The same will Ithay share in life and death.
Dav. Then, gentle Ithay, be thou still with us,
A joy to David, and a grace to Israel.-
Go, Sadoc, now, and bear the ark of God
Into the great Jerusalem again:
If I find favour in his gracious eyes,
Then will He lay his hand upon my heart
Yet once again before I visit death;
Giving it strength, and virtue to mine eyes,
To taste the comforts and behold the form
Of his fair ark and holy tabernacle:
But if He say, 'My wonted love is worn,
And I have no delight in David now,'
Here lie I armèd with an humble heart

1 tender'd-loved.

T'embrace the pains that anger shall impose, And kiss the sword my Lord shall kill me with. Then, Sadoc, take Alimaas thy son,

With Jonathan son to Abiathar;

And in these fields will I repose myself,
Till they return from you some certain news.

Sa. Thy servants will with joy obey the king, And hope to cheer his heart with happy news.

[Exeunt SADOC, AHIMAAS, and JONATHAN. Ith. Now, that it be no grief unto the king, Let me for good inform his Majesty, That, with unkind and graceless Absalon, Achitophel, your ancient counsellor, Directs the state of this rebellion.

Dav. Then doth it aim with danger at my

crown.

Oh Thou, that hold'st his raging bloody bound Within the circle of the silver moon,

That girds earth's centre with his watery scarf,
Limit the counsel of Achitophel,

No bounds extending to my soul's distress,
But turn his wisdom into foolishness!

Enter CUSAY with his coat turned and head
covered.

Cu. Happiness and honour to my lord the king!

Dav. What happiness or honour may betide His state that toils in my extremities?

Cu. Oh, let my gracious sovereign cease these griefs,

Unless he wish his servant Cusay's death,
Whose life depends upon my lord's relief!
Then let my presence with my sighs perfume
The pleasant closet of my sovereign's soul.

Dav. No, Cusay, no; thy presence unto me
Will be a burden, since I tender1 thee,
And cannot brook thy sighs for David's sake:
But if thou turn to fair Jerusalem,
And say to Absalon, as thou hast been
A trusty friend unto his father's seat,

So thou wilt be to him, and call him king,
Achitophel's counsel may be brought to naught.
Then having Sadoc and Abiathar,

All three may learn the secrets of my son,
Sending the message by Ahimaas,
And friendly Jonathan, who both are there.

Cu. Then rise, referring the success to Heaven.
Dav. Cusay, I rise; though with unwieldy

bones

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ABSALON, AMASA, ACHITOPHEL, with the Concubines of DAVID, and others, are discovered in great state; ABSALON crowned.

Abs. Now, you that were my father's concubines,

Liquor to his inchaste and lustful fire,

Have seen his honour shaken in his house,
Which I possess in sight of all the world;
I bring ye forth for foils to my renown,
And to eclipse the glory of your king,
Whose life is with his honour fast enclos'd
Within the entrails of a jetty cloud,
Whose dissolution shall pour down in showers
The substance of his life and swelling pride:
Then shall the stars light earth with rich aspects,
And heaven shall burn in love with Absalon,
Whose beauty will suffice to chase all mists,
And clothe the sun's sphere with a triple fire,
Sooner than his clear eyes should suffer stain,
Or be offended with a lowering day.

1 tender-love.

First Conc. Thy father's honour, graceless Absalon,

And ours thus beaten with thy violent arms, Will cry for vengeance to the host of heaven, Whose power is ever arm'd against the proud, And will dart plagues at thy aspiring head For doing this disgrace to David's throne.

Second Conc. To David's throne, to David's holy throne,

Whose sceptre angels guard with swords of fire,
And sit as eagles on his conquering fist,
Ready to prey upon his enemies:

Then think not thou, the captain of his foes,
Wert thou much swifter than Azahell' was,
That could outpace the nimble-footed roe,
To 'scape the fury of their thumping? beaks,
Or dreadful scope of their commanding wings.
Ach. Let not my lord the king of Israel
Be angry with a silly woman's threats;
But, with the pleasure he hath erst enjoy'd,
Turn them into their cabinets again,
Till David's conquest be their overthrow.

Abs. Into your bowers, ye daughters of disdain, Gotten by fury of unbridled lust,

And wash your couches with your mourning

tears,

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Abs. Amasa, no; but let thy martial sword
Empty the veins of David's armed men,
And let these foolish women 'scape our hands
To recompense the shame they have sustain'd.
First, Absalon was by the trumpet's sound
Proclaim'd through Hebron, king of Israel;
And now is set in fair Jerusalem
With complete state and glory of a crown:
Fifty fair footmen by my chariot run,

And to the air whose rupture3 rings my fame,
Where'er I ride, they offer reverence.
Why should not Absalon, that in his face
Carries the final purpose of his God,
That is, to work him grace in Israel,
Endeavour to achieve with all his strength
The state that most may satisfy his joy,
Keeping his statutes and his covenants pure?
His thunder is entangled in my hair,
And with my beauty is his lightning quench'd:
I am the man he made to glory in,
When by the errors of my father's sin
He lost the path that led into the land
Wherewith our chosen ancestors were bless'd.

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Abs. Then welcome, Cusay, to King Absalon.-
And now, my lords and loving counsellors,
I think it time to exercise our arms
Against forsaken David and his host.
Give counsel first, my good Achitophel,
What times and orders we may best observe
For prosperous manage1 of these high exploits.
Ach. Let me choose out twelve thousand va-
liant men:

And, while the night hides with her sable mists
The close endeavours cunning soldiers use,
I will assault thy discontented sire;
And, while with weakness of their weary arms,
Surcharg'd with toil, to shun thy sudden power
The people fly in huge disorder'd troops

To save their lives, and leave the king alone,
Then will I smite him with his latest wound,
And bring the people to thy feet in peace.

Abs. Well hath Achitophel given his advice.
Yet let us hear what Cusay counsels us,
Whose great experience is well worth the ear.
Cu. Though wise Achitophel be much more

meet

To purchase hearing with my lord the king,
For all his former counsels, than myself,
Yet, not offending Absalon or him,
This time it is not good nor worth pursuit;
For, well thou know'st, thy father's men are

strong,

Chafing as she-bears robbed of their whelps:
Besides, the king himself a valiant man,
Train'd up in feats and stratagems of war;
And will not, for prevention of the worst,
Lodge with the common soldiers in the field;
But now, I know, his wonted policies

Have taught him lurk within some secret cave,
Guarded with all his stoutest soldiers;
Which, if the forefront of his battle faint,
Will yet give out that Absalon doth fly,
And so thy soldiers be discouragèd:
David himself withal, whose angry heart
Is as a lion's letted3 of his walk,

Will fight himself, and all his men to one,
Before a few shall vanquish him by fear.
My counsel therefore is, with trumpet's sound
To gather men from Dan to Bersabe,

That they may march in numbers like sea-sands,
That nestle close in [one] another's neck:
So shall we come upon him in our strength,
Like to the dew that falls in showers from
heaven,

And leave him not a man to march withal.
Besides, if any city succour him,

The numbers of our men shall fetch us ropes,
And we will pull it down the river's stream,
That not a stone be left to keep us out.

Abs. What says my lord to Cusay's counsel
now?

Ama. I fancy Cusay's counsel better far Than that is given us from Achitophel; And so, I think, doth every soldier here.

All. Cusay's counsel is better than Achi-
tophel's.

Abs. Then march we after Cusay's counsel all:
Sound trumpets through the bounds of Israel,
And muster all the men will serve the king,
That Absalon may glut his longing soul
With sole fruition of his father's crown.

Cu. Thus hath the power of Jacob's jealous
God

Fulfill'd his servant David's drifts by me,
And brought Achitophel's advice to scorn.

Enter SADOC, ABIATHAR, AHIMAAS, and
JONATHAN.

Sa. God save Lord Cusay, and direct his zeal
To purchase David's conquest 'gainst his son!
Abi. What secrets hast thou glean'd from
Absalon?

Cu. These, sacred priests that bear the ark of
God:-

Achitophel advis'd him in the night

To let him choose twelve thousand fighting

men,

And he would come on David at unwares,
While he was weary with his violent toil:
But I advis'd to get a greater host,
And gather men from Dan to Bersabe,
To come upon him strongly in the fields.
Then send Ahimaas and Jonathan
To signify these secrets to the king,
And will him not to stay this night abroad;
But get him over Jordan presently,
Lest he and all his people kiss the sword.

Sa. Then go, Ahimaas and Jonathan,
And straight convey this message to the king.
Ahi. Father, we will, if Absalon's chief spies
Prevent not this device, and stay us here.

Enter SEMEI.

[Exeunt.

Sem. The man of Israel that hath rul'd as king,
Or rather as the tyrant of the land,
Bolstering his hateful head upon the throne
That God unworthily hath blessed him with,
Shall now, I hope, lay it as low as hell,
And be depos'd from his detested chair.
Oh that my bosom could by nature bear
A sea of poison, to be pour'd upon

His cursed head, that sacred balm hath grac'd
And consecrated king of Israel!

Or would my breath were made the smoke of

hell,

Infected with the sighs of damned souls,
Or with the reeking of that serpent's gorge
That feeds on adders, toads, and venomous roots,
That, as I open'd my revenging lips

To curse the shepherd for his tyranny,
My words might cast rank poison to his pores,
And make his swoln and rankling sinews crack,
Like to the combat-blows that break the clouds
When Jove's stout champions fight with fire.
See where he cometh that my soul abhors!
I have prepar'd my pocket full of stones
To cast at him, mingled with earth and dust,
Which, bursting with disdain, I greet him with.

Enter DAVID, JOAB, ABISAI, ITHAY, and others.
Come forth, thon murderer and wicked man:
The Lord hath brought upon thy cursed head
The guiltless blood of Saul and all his sons,
Whose royal throne thy baseness hath usurp'd,
And, to revenge it deeply on thy soul,

The Lord hath given the kingdom to thy son,
And he shall wreak the traitorous wrongs of
Saul:

Ach. [aside.] III shall they fare that follow thy Even as thy sin hath still importun'd Heaven, attempts,

That scorns the counsel of Achitophel.

[Exeunt all except CUSAY.

1 manage-management.

2 latest-last, or fatal.

So shall thy murders and adultery

Be punish'd in the sight of Israel,

As thou deserv'st, with blood, with death, and

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3 letted-hindered.

1 will-desire.

Abis. Why doth this dead dog curse my lord the king?

Let me alone to take away his head.

Dav. Why meddleth thus the son of Zeruia
To interrupt the action of our God?
Semei useth me with this reproach
Because the Lord hath sent him to reprove
The sins of David, printed in his brows

With blood, that blusheth for his conscience'
guilt;

Who dares, then, ask him why he curseth me?
Sem. If, then, thy conscience tell thee thou
hast sinn'd,

And that thy life is odious to the world,
Command thy followers to shun thy face,
And by thyself here make away thy soul,
That I may stand and glory in thy shame.

Dav. I am not desperate, Semei, like thyself,
But trust unto the covenant of my God,
Founded on mercy, with repentance built,
And finish'd with the glory of my soul.

To send his men of war against his son,
And hazard not his person in the field.

Dav. Thanks to Abiathar, and to you both,
And to my Cusay, whom the Lord requite;
But ten times treble thanks to his soft hand,
Whose pleasant touch hath made my heart to
dance,

And play him praises in my zealous breast,
That turn'd the counsel of Achitophel
After the prayers of his servant's lips.
Now will we pass the river all this night,
And in the morning sound the voice of war,
The voice of bloody and unkindly war.

1

Joab. Then tell us how thou wilt divide thy

men,
And who shall have the special charge herein.
Dav. Joab, thyself shall for thy charge conduct
The first third part of all my valiant men;
The second shall Abisai's valour lead;

The third fair Ithay, which I most should grace
For comfort he hath done to David's woes;

Sem. A murderer, and hope for mercy in thy And I myself will follow in the midst.
end!

Hate and destruction sit upon thy brows
To watch the issue of thy damned ghost,
Which, with thy latest gasp, they'll take and tear,
Hurling in every pain of hell a piece.
Hence, murderer, thou shame to Israel!
Foul lecher, drunkard, plague to heaven and
earth!
[Throws again at DAVID.
Joab. What is it piety in David's thoughts
So to abhor from laws of policy
In this extremity of his distress,

To give his subjects cause of carelessness?
Send hence the dog with sorrow to his grave.
Dav. Why should the sons of Zeruia seek to
check 2

His spirit, which the Lord hath thus inspir'd?
Behold my son, which issued from my flesh,
With equal fury seeks to take my life:
How much more, then, the son of Jemini,
Chiefly since he doth naught but God's com-
mand?

It may be He will look on me this day
With gracious eyes, and for his cursing bless
The heart of David in his bitterness.

Sem. What! dost thou fret my soul with suf-
ferance ? 3

Oh that the souls of Isboseth and Abner,
Which thou sent'st swimming to their graves in
blood,

With wounds fresh bleeding, gasping for revenge,
Were here to execute my burning hate!
But I will hunt thy foot with curses still:
Hence, monster, murderer, mirror of contempt!
[Throws again at DAVID.

Enter AHIMAAS and JONATHAN.

Ahi. Long life to David; to his enemies death!
Dav. Welcome, Ahimaas and Jonathan.
What news sends Cusay to thy lord the king?
Ahi. Cusay would wish my lord the king
To pass the river Jordan presently,
Lest he and all his people perish here;
For wise Achitophel hath counsell'd Absalon
To take advantage of your weary arms,
And come this night upon you in the fields.
But yet the Lord hath made his counsel scorn,
And Cusay's policy with praise preferred;
Which was to number every Israelite,
And so assault you in their pride of strength.
Jonath. Abiathar, besides, entreats the king

1 abhor-shrink.

2 The sons of Zeruia are Abisai and Joab.

sufferance-suffering, endurance.

Ith. That let not David; for, though we should
fly,

Ten thousand of us were not half so much
Esteem'd with David's enemies as himself:
Thy people, loving thee, deny thee this.

Dav. What seems them best, then, that will
David do.

But now, my lords and captains, hear his voice
That never yet pierc'd piteous heaven in vain;
Then let it not slip lightly through your ears;—
For my sake spare the young man Absalon.
Joab, thyself did'st once use friendly words
To reconcile my heart incens'd to him:
If, then, thy love be to thy kinsman sound,
And thou wilt prove a perfect Israelite,
Friend him with deeds, and touch no hair of

him,

Not that fair hair with which the wanton winds
Delight to play, and love to make it curl,
Wherein the nightingales would build their nests,
And make sweet bowers in every golden tress,
To sing their lover every night asleep.
Oh, spoil not, Joab, Jove's fair ornaments,
Which He hath sent to solace David's soni!
The best, ye see, my lords, are swift to sin.
To sin, our feet are wash'd with milk of roes,♦
And dried again with coals of lightning.

O Lord, Thou see'st the proudest sin's poor slave,
And with his bridle pull'st him to the grave!
For my sake, then, spare lovely Absalon.
Ith. We will, my lord, for thy sake favour him.
[Exeunt

Enter ACHITOPHEL with a halter.
Ach. Now hath Achitophel order'd his house,
And taken leave of every pleasure there;
Hereon depend Achitophel's delights,
And in this circle must his life be clos'd.

1 unkindly-unnatural, against kindred.
2 Friend-befriend.

3 Jove's-Jehovah's.

4 Milk of roes.-Walker, who (Shakespeare's Versifica tion, &c., p. 18) quotes this as if the reading of the old copy was milk of roses,' justly calls it a strange pas | sage.'-DYCE.

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5 And with his bridle, &c.-'This line,' says Mr. Collier, as printed by the Rev. Mr. Dyce, exhibits almost the solitary verbal blemish of his edition. It there stands,

"And with his bridle pull'st him to the grave;"

as if David, addressing the Lord, said, "Thou pull'st man to the grave with the bridle of sin; " whereas the meaning is, that "sin with his bridle pulls man to the grave." The passage would read better could we alter and in the last line to "who."'

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