Dia. Good my Lord,

Afk him upon his oath; if he does think
He had not my virginity.

King. What fay'st thou to her?

Ber. She's impudent, my Lord;

And was a common gamester to the camp.

Dia. He does me wrong, my Lord; if I were fo
He might have bought me at a common price.
Do not believe him. O, behold this ring,
Whofe high refpect and rich validity
Did lack a parallel: yet, for all that,
He gave it to a commoner o'th' camp,
If I be one.

Count. He blushes, and 'tis his :

Of fix preceding ancestors, that gem

(42) Conferr'd by teftament to th' fequent iffue, Hath it been ow'd and worn. This is his wife, That ring's a thousand proofs.

King. Methought, you faid,

You faw one here in court could witnefs it.
Dia. I did, my Lord, but loath am to produce
So bad an inftrument; his name's Parolles.
Laf. I faw the man to-day, if man he be.
King. Find him, and bring him hither.
Ber. What of him?

He's quoted for a moft perfidious flave,

With all the spots o'th' world, tax'd and debofh'd,

(42) Conferr'd by teftament to th' fubfequent iue,] This is only the reading, I think, of the aft editor. I might fay, This in Mr Pope's ear is a verfe, -to return him one of his civilities: but I'll content myfelf with obving, that all the genuine copies read;

Conferr'd by teftament to th' fequentie,

So, before, in this play;

Indeed your O Lord, Sir,- is very sequent to your whipping. So, in Troilus and Creffida;

Put be thou true, lay I, to fashion in

Mv fequent protestation:

So, in Hamlet.

now, the next day

Was our fea fight; and what to his was fequent,

Thou know'ft al edy.

And in many other inftances, that might be quoted,

Which nature fickens with: but to speak truth,
Am I or that or this, for what he'll utter,
That will speak any thing?

King. She hath that ring of yours.

'Ber. I think, fhe has; certain it is, I'lik'd her,
And boarded her i'th' wanton way of youth:
She knew her diftance, and did angle for me,
Madding my eagerness with her restraint;
As all impediments in fancy's courfe
Are motives of more fancy and in fine,
Her infuit coming with her modern grace,
Subdu'd me to her rate; fhe got the ring;
And I had that, which any inferior might
At market-price have bought.

Dia. I must be patient:

You, that turn'd off a firit fo noble wife,
May justly diet me. I pray you yet,
(Since you lack virtue, I will lofe a husband,)
Send for your ring, I will return it home,
And give me mine again.

Ber. I have it not.

King. What ring was yours, I pray you?

Dia. Sir, much like the fame upon your finger. King. Know you this ring this ring was his of late. Dia. And this was it I gave him, being a-bed. King. The ftory then goes falfe, you threw it him Out of a casement.

Dia. I have spoke the truth.

Enter Parolles.

Ber. My Lord, I do confefs, the ring was hers. King. You boggle fhrewdly, every feather starts you :Is this the man you speak of?

Dia. It is, my Lord.

King. Tell me, Sirrah, but tell me true, I charge you, Not fearing the displeasure of your master,

Which on your juft proceeding I'll keep off;
By him and by this woman here, what know you?
Par. So please your Majesty, my master hath been an

honourable

honourable gentleman. Tricks he hath had in him, which gentlemen have.

King. Come, come, to the purpofe; did he love this woman?

Par. 'Faith, Sir, he did love her; but how?

King. How, I pray you?

Par. He did love her, Sir, as a gentleman loves a

woman.

King. How is that?

Par. He lov'd her, Sir, and lov'd her not.

King. As thou art a knave, and no knave; what an equivocal companion is this?

Par. I am a poor man, and at your Majefty's command.

Laf. He's a good drum, my Lord, but a naughty

orator.

Dia. Do you know, he promis'd me marriage? Par. 'Faith, I know more than I'll speak. King. But wilt thou not speak all thou know'st? Par. Yes, fo please your Majefty. I did go between them, as I faid; but more than that, he lov'd her: for, indeed, he was mad for her, and talk'd of Satan, and of limbo, and of furies, and I know not wlrat; yet I was in that credit with them at that time, that I knew of their going to bed, and of other motions, as promifing her marriage, and things that would derive me ill will to speak of; therefore I will not speak what I know.

King. Thou haft fpoken all already, unless thou canst fay they are married; but thou art too fine in thy evidence; therefore ftand afide. This ring, you fay, was yours?

Dia. Ay, my good Lord.

King. Where did you buy it? or who gave it you? Dia. It was not given me, nor did I buy it.

King. Who fent it you?

Dia. It was not lent me neither.

King. Where did you find it then?

Dia. I found it not.

King. If it were yours by none of all these ways,

VOL. III.

E

How

How could you give it him?

Dia. I never gave it him.

Laf. This woman's an eafy glove, my Lord, the goes off and on at pleasure.

King. This ring was mine, I gave it his first wife. Dia. It might be yours, or her's, for ought I know. King. Take her away, I do not like her now,

To prifon with her and away with him.

Unless thou tell'ft me where thou hadst this ring,
Thou dieft within this hour.

Dia. I'll never tell you.

King. Take her away.

Dia. I'll put in bail, my Liege.

King. I think thee now fome common cuftomer. Dia. By Jove, if ever I knew man, 'twas you. King. Wherefore haft thou accus'd him all this while? Dia. Because he's guilty, and he is not guilty; He knows, I am no maid, and he'll fwear to't.; I'll fwear, I am a maid, and he knows not. Great King, I am no ftrumpet, by my life; I'm either maid, or elfe this old man's wife.

[Pointing to Lafeu. King. She does abuse our ears; to prifon with her. Dia. Good mother, fetch my bail. Stay, royal Sir, [Exit Widow.

The jeweller that owes the ring is fent for,
And he fhall furety me. But for this Lord,
Who hath abus'd me, as he knows himself,
Tho' yet he never harm'd me, here I quit him.
He knows himself my bed he hath defil'd,
And at that time he got his wife with child;
Dead tho' fhe be, the feels her young one kick:
So there's my riddle, one that's dead is quick.
And now behold the meaning.

Enter Helena and Widow..

King. Is there no exorcist

Beguiles the truer office of mine eyes?

Is t real, that I fee?

Hel. No, my good Lord,

[To Bert.

'Tis but a fhadow of a wife you see,

The name, and not the thing.

Ber. Both, both; oh, pardon !

Hel. Oh, my good Lord, when I was like this maid,
I found you wond'rous kind; there is your ring,
And look you, here's your letter; this it fays,
When from my finger you can get this ring,

And are by me with child, &c. This is done.
Will you be mine, now you are doubly won?

Ber. If the, my Liege, can make me know this clearly, I'll love her dearly, ever, ever dearly.

Hel. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue, Deadly divorce ftep between me and you!

O, my dear mother, do I see you living?

[To Diana.

[To the Countefs. Laf. Mine eyes smell onions, I fhall weep anon: Good Tom Drum, lend me a handkerchief, [To Parolles. So, I thank thee, wait on me home. I'll make sport with thee: let thy courtefies alone, they are fcurvy ones. King. Let us from point to point this story know, To make the even truth in pleasure flow: If thou beeft yet a fresh uncropped flower, Chufe thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower; For I can guefs, that by thy honest aid, Thou kept'ft a wife herself, thyfelf a maid. Of that and all the progrefs more and less, Refolvedly more leifure fhall exprefs: All yet feems well, and if it end so meet, The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet.

[Exeunt.