King. Madam, I will, if fuddenly I may. Prin. You will the fooner, that I were away; Rofa. How needless was it then to ask the question? Rofa.'Tis long of you, that fpur me with fuch questions. Rofa. The hour that fools should ask. Biron. Nay, then will I be gone. King. Madam, your father here doth intimate But say, that he, or we, as neither have, A hundred thousand more; in furety of the which, Although not valu'd to the money's worth: An hundred thousand crowns; and not demands, (9) (9) -And not demands One payment of an hundred thousand crowns, To bave bis title live in Aquitain.] On The old books concur in this reading, and Mr. Pope has embraced it; tho', as I conceive, it is ftark nonfenfe, and repugnant to the circumftance fuppos'd by our poet. I have, by reforming the pointing, and On payment of an hundred thousand crowns, Which we much rather had depart withal, Dear Princefs, were not his requests so far Prin. You do the King my father too much wrong, And wrong the reputation of your name, In fo unfeeming to confefs receipt Of that, which hath so faithfully been paid. Prin. We arreft your word : Boyet, you can produce acquittances King. Satisfy me fo. Boyet. So please your Grace, the packet is not come, Where that and other fpecialties are bound: To-morrow you fhall have a fight of them. King. It fhall fuffice me; at which interview, Mean time, receive fuch welcome at my hand, and throwing out à fingle letter, reftor'd, I believe the genuine fenfe of the paffage. Aquitain was pledg'd, it feems, to Navarre's father for 200000 crowns. The French King pretends to have paid one moiety of this debt, (which Navarre knows nothing of) but demands this moiety back again: instead whereof (fays Navarre) he fhould rather pay the remaining moiety, and demand to have Aquitain redeliver'd up to him. This is plain and easy reasoning upon the fact fuppos'd; and Navarre declares, he had rather receive the refidue of his debt, than detain the province mortgag'd for security of it. As As you fhall deem yourfelf lodg'd in my heart, Prin. Sweet health and fair defires confort your Grace! King. Thy own with wifh I thee, in every place. [Exit: Biron. Lady, I will commend you to my own heart. (10) Rofa. I pray you, do my commendations; I would be glad to fee it. Biron. I would, you heard it Rofa. Is the fool fick? Biron. Sick at the heart? Rofa. Alack, let it blood. groan. Biron. Would that do it good? Rofa. My phyfick fays ay. Biron. Will you prick't with your eye? Rofa. No, poynt, with my knife. Biron. Now God fave thy life! Roja. And yours from long living! [Exit. Long. Pray you, Sir, whofe daughter? (10) I have made it a rule throughout this edition, to replace all thofe paffages, which Mr. Pope in his impreffions thought fit to degrade. As we have no authority to call them in question for not being genuine; I confefs, as an editor, I thought I had no authority to difplace them. Tho', I muft own freely at the fame time, there are fome scenes (particularly in this play;) fo very mean and contemptible, that one would heartily wish for the liberty of expunging them. Whether they were really written by our author, whether he penn'd them in his boyish age, or whether he purposely comply'd with the prevailing vice of the times, when Puns, Conundrum, and quibbling conceits were as much in vogue, as Grimace and Arlequi mades are at this wife period, I dare not take upon me to determine. VOL. II. Boyet. I Boyet. Her mother's, I have heard. Long. God's blefling on your beard! Boyet. Good Sir, be not offended. She is an heir of Faulconbridge. Long. Nay, my choler is ended: She is a moft sweet Lady. Boyet. Not unlike, Sir; that may be. [Exit Long. Biron. What's her name in the cap? Boyet. Catharine, by good hap, Biron. Is the wedded or no? Bayet. To her will, Sir, or fo. Biron. You are welcome, Sir: adieu. Boyet. Farewel to me, Sir, and welcome to you. Mar. That laft is Biron, the [Exit. Biron. merry mad cap Lord; Not a word with him but a jest. Prin. It was well done of you to take him at his word. Boyet. And wherefore not fhips? No fheep, (fweet lamb) unless we feed on your lips. Mar. You sheep, and I pafture; fhall that finish the jeft? Boyet. So you grant pafture for me. Mar. Not fo, gentle beaft; My lips are no common, though feveral they be. Mar. To my fortunes and me. Prin. Good wits will be jangling; but, gentles, agree. This civil war of wits were much better us'd On Navarre and his book-men; for here 'tis abus'd. Boyet. If my obfervation, (which very seldom lies) By the heart's ftill rhetorick, difclos'd with eyes, Deceive me not now, Navarre is infected. Prin. With what? Boyet. With that which we lovers intitle affected. Boyet. Why, all his behaviour did make her retire Proud Proud with his form, in his eye pride expressed: Who tendring their own worth, from whence they were glaft, Did point out to buy them, along as you past. An you give him for my fake but one loving kifs. I only have had a mouth of his eye, By adding a tongue which I know will not lie. Rofa. Thou art an old love-monger, and fpeakest kilfully. Mar. He is Cupid's grandfather, and learns news of him. Rofa. Then was Venus like her mother, for her father is but grim. Boyet. Do you hear, my mad wenches? Mar. No. Boyet. What then, do you fee? Rofa. Ay, our way to be gone. [Exeunt. SCENE. (11) Boyet. You are too hard for me.] Here, in all the books, the 2d Act is made to end: but in my opinion very mistakenly. I have ventur'd to vary the regulation of the four last Acts from the printed copies, for thefe reafons. Hitherto, the 2d Act has been of the extent of 7 pages; the 3d but of 5; and the fifth of no less than 29. And this difproportion of length has crouded too many incidents into fome Acts, and left the others quite barren. I have now reduced them into a much better equality; and distributed the business likewife (fuch as it is,) into a more uniform caft. The plot now I es thus. In the first A&t, Navarre and his companions fequefter themelves, by oath, for three years from conversation, women, feasting, &c. |