litter'd under Mercury; who, as I am, was likewise a fnapper-up of unconfider'd trifles: with die and drab, I purchas'd this caparison; and my revenue is the filly cheat'. Gallows, and knock, are too powerful on the high-way; beating and hanging are terrors to me: for the life to come, I fleep out the thought of it.-A prize! a prize!

SCENE III.

Enter Clown.

Clo. Let me fee,-Every eleven weather tods, every tod yields pound and odd fhilling; fifteen hundred fhorn, what comes the wool to?

Aut. If the fpringe hold, the cock's mine

[Afide. Clo. I cannot do't without compters.-Let me fee, what am I to buy for our sheep-fhearing feaft, three pound of fugar, five pound of currants, rice-what will this fifter of mine do with rice? but my. father hath made her mistress of the feast, and fhe lays it on. She hath made me four and twenty nofe-gays for the fhearers; three-man-fong-men all, and very good ones, but they are moft of them means and bases; but one Puritan among them, and he fings pfalms to horn-pipes. I muft have faffron to colour the wardenpies, mace- -dates- -none- -that's out of my

note: nutmegs, feven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pound of prunes, and as many raifins o'th' fun.

Aut. Oh, that ever I was born!

Clo. I'th' name of* me

[Groveling on the ground.

Aut. Oh, help me, help me; pluck but off thefe. rags, and then death, death

Clo. Alack, poor foul, thou haft need of more rags. to lay on thee, rather than have these off.

Aut. Oh, Sir, the loathfomenefs of them offends. me, more than the ftripes I have receiv'd, which are. mighty ones, and millions.

Clo. Alas, poor man! a million of beating may come to a great matter.

Aut. I am robb'd, Sir, and beaten, my money and apparel ta'en from me, and these deteftable things put upon me.

Clo. What, by a horse-man, or a footman..
Aut. A foot-man, fweet Sir, a foot-man.

Clo. Indeed, he fhould be a foot-man, by the garments he hath left with thee; if this be a horseman's coat, it hath feen very hot fervice. Lend me thy hand, I'll help thee. Come, lend me thy hand.

[Helping him up. Aut. Oh! good Sir, tenderly, oh!

Clo. Alas, poor foul.

Aut. O good Sir, foftly, good Sir: I fear, Sir, my fhoulder-blade is out.

Clo. How now? canft ftand?

Aut. Softly, dear Sir; good Sir, foftly; you ha' done me a charitable office.

Clo. Doft lack any money? I have a little money for thee.

Aut. No, good fweet Sir; no, I beseech you, Sir; I have a kinfman not past three quarters of a mile hence, unto whom I was going; I fhall there have money, or

* I believe me fhould be blotted out.
U 4

any

any thing I want: offer me no money, I pray you; that kills my heart.

Clo. What manner of fellow was he, that robb'd you?

Aut. A fellow Sir, that I have known to go about with trol-my-dames: I knew him once a fervant of the prince I cannot tell, good Sir, for which of his virtues it was, but he was certainly whipp'd out of the court.

Clo. His vices, you would fay; there's no virtue whipp'd out of the court; they cherish it to make it ftay there, and yet it will no more but abide.

*

Aut. Vices I would fay, Sir. I know this man well, he hath been fince an ape-bearer, then a process-ferver, a bailiff; then he compass'd a motion of a prodigal fon, and married a tinker's wife within a mile where my land and living lies; and, having flown over many knavish profeffions, he fettled only in a rogue; fome call him Autolycus.

Clo. Cut upon him, prig! for my life, prig;-he haunts wakes, fairs, and bear-baitings,

Aut. Very true, Sir; he, Sir, he; that's the rogue, that put me into this apparel.

Clo. Not a more cowardly rogue in all Bohemia; if you had but look'd big, and fpit at him, he'd have

run.

Aut. I must confefs to you, Sir, I am no fighter; I am false at heart that way, and that he knew, I warrant him.

Clo. How do you now?

and pace

Aut. Sweet Sir, much better than I was; I can ftand, and walk, I will even take my leave of you, foftly towards my kinfman's.

2 with trol-my-dames:] Troumadame, French. The game of nine-holes. WARBURTON.

to abide, here, muft fignify, to fojourn, to live for a

time without a fettled habitation. 3 motion of the prodigal fon,]

i.e.

the Puppet-hew, then called Motions. A term frequently occurring in our author. WARB.

Clo

Clo. Shall I bring thee on thy way? Aut. No, good-fac'd Sir; no, fweet Sir. Clo. Then, farewel, I must go to buy spices for our Theep-fhearing.

[Exit. Aut. Profper you, fweet Sir !-Your purfe is not hot enough to purchase your spice. I'll be with you at your fheep-fhearing too: if I make not this cheat bring out another, and the fhearers prove fheep, let me be unroll'd, and my name put into the book of virtue 4.

of you

[Exit.

unufual weeds to each part

Do give a life: no fhepherdefs, but Flora

Peering in April's front. This your fheep-fhearing Is as a meeting of the petty gods,

And you the Queen on't.

Per. Sir, my gracious Lord,

To chide at your extremes it not becomes me 5:

4 let me be unroll'd, and my name put into the book of virtue !] Begging gipfies, in the time of our author, were in gangs and companies, that had fomething of the fhew of an incorporated body. From this noble fociety

he wishes he may be unrolled if he does not fo and fo.

WARBURTON.

5 Your extremes.] That is, your exceffes, the extravagance of your praifes.

Oh

Oh pardon, that I name them: your high self,

The gracious mark o'th' land, you have obfcur'd
With a fwain's wearing; and me, poor lowly maid,
Moft goddefs-like prank'd up. But that our feasts
In every mefs have folly, and the feeders
Digeft it with a cuilom, I fhould blush

To fee you fo attired; fworn, I think,
To fhew myself a glass 7.

Flo. I blefs the time,

When my good falcon made her flight a-cross
Thy father's ground.

Per. Now Jove afford you caufe!

To me the difference forges dread, your greatness
Hath not been us'd to fear; even now I tremble
To think, your father, by fome accident,
Should pafs this way, as you did: oh, the fates!
How would he look, to fee his work, so noble,
Vilely bound up! what would he fay, or how

"The gracious mark o' th' land.] The object of all men's notice and expectation.

7

fworn, I think, To fhew myself a glass.] i. e. one would think that in putting on this habit of a fhepherd, you had fworn to put me out of countenance; for in this, as in a glass, you fhew me how much below yourself you must defcend before you can get upon a level with ane. The fentiment is fine, and expreffes all the delicacy, as well as humble modefty of the character. But the Oxford Editor alters it to,

fwoon, I think, To fhew myself a glass. What he means I don't know. But Perdita was not fo much given to wooning, as appears by

her behaviour at the King's threats, when the intrigue was discovered. WARBURTON.

Dr. Thirlby inclines rather to Sir T. Hanmer's emendation, which certainly makes an eafy fenfe, and is in my opinion preferable to the present reading. But concerning this paffage I know not what to decide.

8 His work fo noble, &c.] It is impoffible for any man to rid his mind of his profeffion. The authourfhip of Shakespeare has supplied him with a metaphor, which rather than he would lofe it, he has put with no great propriety into the mouth of a country maid. Thinking of his own works, his mind paffed naturally to the Binder. I am glad that he has no hint at an Editor.

Should