Yet Hermia ftill loves you: then be content.
Lrs. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love:

Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd;
And reafon fays you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their feafon :
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reafon; *
And touching now the point of human skill,'
Reason becomes the marshal to my will,+

2

till now ripe not to reafon ;] i. e. do not ripen to it. Ripe, in the present inftance, is a verb. So, in As you like it : And fo, from hour to hour, we ripe, and ripe-."

STEEVENS.

touching now the point of human kill,] i. e. my fenfes being now at the utmost height of perfection. So, in King Henry VIII:

"I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness."

STEEVENS.

4 Reafon becomes the marshal to my will,] That is, My will now follows reafon. JOHNSON.

So, in Macbeth:

"Thou marshal'ft me the way that I was going."

STEEVENS.

A modern writer [Letters of Literature, 8vo. 1785,] contends that Dr. Johnfon's explanation is inaccurate. The meaning, fays he, is," my will now obeys the command of my reafon, not my will follows my reafon. Marshal is a director of an army, of a turney, of a feaft. Sydney has ufed marshal for herald or pourfuivant, but improperly."

Of fuch flimzy materials are many of the hyper-criticisms compofed, to which the labours of the editors and commentators on Shakspeare have given rife. Who does not at once perceive, that Dr. Johnson, when he fpeaks of the will following reafon, ufes the word not literally, but metaphorically?" My will follows or obeys the dictates of reafon." Or that, if this were not the cafe, he would yet be juftified by the context, (And leads me—) and by the paffage quoted from Macbeth?-The heralds, diftinguished by the names of" poursuivants at arms," were likewife called marshals. See Mintheu's DICT. 1617, in v. MALONE.

1

And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's ftories, written in love's richest book."

HEL. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery
born?

When, at your hands, did I deferve this fcorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,

Deferve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my infufficiency?

Good troth, you do me wrong, good footh, you do,
In fuch difdainful manner me to woo.

But fare you well: perforce I must confefs,

I thought you lord of more true gentleness.3
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,

Should, of another, therefore be abus'd!

[Exit.

Lrs. She fees not Hermia :-Hermia, fleep thou

there;

And never may'st thou come Lyfander near!
For, as a furfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the ftomach brings;
Or, as the herefies, that men do leave,
Are hated most of thofe they did deceive;
So thou, my furfeit, and my herefy,
Of all be hated; but the most of me!
And all my powers, addrefs your love and might,
To honour Helen, and to be her knight! [Exit.
HER. [Starting.] Help me, Lyfander, help me!
do thy beft,

To pluck this crawling ferpent from my breaft!

2

leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook

Love's ftories, written in love's richest book.] So, in Romeo and Juliet:

3

what obfcur'd in this fair volume lies,

"Find written in the margin of his eyes,

"This precious book of love." STEEVENS.

true gentleness.] Gentleness is equivalent to what, in modern language, we should call the Spirit of a gentleman. PERCY.

:

Ah me, for pity !-what a dream was here?
Lyfander, look, how I do quake with fear:
Methought, a ferpent eat my heart away,
And you fat fmiling at his cruel prey :—
Lyfander! what, remov'd? Lyfander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? fpeak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves; I fwoon almost with fear.
No?-then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death, or you, I'll find immediately." [Exit.

4 And you-] Inftead of you, the firft folio reads yet. Mr. Pope firft gave the right word from the quarto 1600. STEEVENS. 5 Speak, of all loves;] Of all loves is an adjuration more than once used by our author. So, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, A& II. fc. viii:

66

to fend her your little page, of all lovės.”

STEEVENS.

6 Either death, or you, I'll find immediately.] Thus the ancient copies, and fuch was Shakspeare's ufage. He frequently employs either, and other fimilar words, as monofyllables. So, in King Henry IV. P. II.

"Either from the king, or in the present time." Again, in K. Henry V.

Either paft, or not arriv'd to pith and puiffance." Again, in Julius Cæfar:

"Either led or driven, as we point the way." -Again, in K. Richard III.

"Either thou wilt die by God's just ordinance,—” Again, in Othello:

Either in difcourfe of thought, or actual deed.”

So alfo, Marlowe in his Edward II. 1598:

"Either banish him that was the cause thereof." The modern editors read-Or death or you, &c. MALONE.

ACT III. SCENE I."

The fame. The Queen of Fairies lying afleep.

Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING.

Bor. Are we all met?

QUIN. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal: This green plot fhall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tyring-houfe; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the duke.

Bor. Peter Quince,

QUIN. What fay'ft thou, bully Bottom?

Bor. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby, that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a fword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How anfwer you that? SNOUT. By'rlakin, a parlous fear.

6 In the time of Shakspeare there were many companies of players, fometimes five at the fame time, contending for the favour of the publick. Of thefe fome were undoubtedly very unskilful and very poor, and it is probable that the defign of this fcene was to ridícule their ignorance, and the odd expedients to which they might be driven by the want of proper decorations. Bottom was perhaps the head of a rival houfe, and is therefore honoured with an afs's head. JOHNSON.

7 Enter Quince, &c.] The two quartos 1600, and the folio, read only, Enter the Clowns. STEEVENS.

By'rlakin, a parlous fear.] By our ladykin, or little lady, as ifakins is a corruption of by my faith. The former is used in Prefton's Cambyfes:

"The clock hath stricken vive, ich think, by laken."

STAR. I believe, we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

Bor. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue: and let the prologue feem to fay, we will do no harm with our fwords; and that Pyramus is not killed indeed: and, for the more better affurance, tell them, that I Pyramus am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: This will put them out of fear.

QUIN. Well, we will have fuch a prologue; and it fhall be written in eight and fix.9

Bor. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.

SNOUT. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
STAR. I fear it, I promise you.

Bor. Masters, you ought to confider with yourfelves to bring in, God fhield us! a lion among ladies, is a moft dreadful thing: for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion, living; and we ought to look to it.

SNOUT. Therefore, another prologue muft tell, he is not a lion.

Bor. Nay, you must name his name, and half his

Again, in Magnificence, an interlude, written by Skelton, and printed by Raftell:

66

By our lakin, fyr, not by my will.”

Parlous is a word corrupted from perilous, i. e. dangerous. So Phaer and Twyne tranflate the following paffage in the Eneid, Lib. VII. 302:

"Quid Syrtes, aut Scylla mihi? quid vafta Charybdis

Profuit?"

"What good did Scylla me? What could prevail Charybdis

wood?

"Or Sirtes parlous fands?" STEEVENS.

in eight and fix.] i. e. in alternate verses of eight and fix

fyllables. MALONE.

3