Took up a beggar's iffue at my gates; Hath drops too few to wash her clean again; Bene. Sir, fir, be patient: For my part, I am fo attir'd in wonder, Beat. O, on my foul, my coufin is bely'd. Bene. Lady, were you her bedfellow last night? Leon. Confirm'd, confirm'd! O, that is stronger made, Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron! 4 But mine, and mine I lov'd, and mine I prais'd, And mine that I was proud on; -] The fenfe requires that we fhould read, as in thefe three places. The reafoning of the fpeaker ftands thus,-Had this been my adop ted child, -his shame would not have rebounded on me. But this child was mine, as mine I loved her, praised her, was proud of her confequently, as I claimed the glory, I mufi needs be fubjected to the shame, WARBURTON. &c. Even of this fmall alteration there is no need. The speaker utters his emotion abruptly, But min, and mine that I loved, &c. by an ellipfis frequent, perhaps too frequent, both in verfe and profe. JOHNSON. For For I have only been filent fo long, And given way unto this course of fortune, A thousand blushing apparitions To start into her face; a thousand innocent shames If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here Leon. Friar, it cannot be : Thou feeft, that all the grace, that she hath left, A fin of perjury; fhe not denies it: Why feek'st thou then to cover with excuse Friar. Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of?! none: 5 Friar. What man is be you are accus'd of?] The friar had juft before boasted his great skill in fishing out the truth. And indeed, he appears by this queftion to be no fool. He was by, all the while at the accufation and heard no names mentioned. Why then should he ask her what man fhe was accused of? But in this lay the fubtilty of his examination. For, had Hero been guilty, it was very probable that in that hurry and confufion of spirits, into which the terrible infult of her lover had thrown her, the would never have obferved that the man's name was not mentioned; and fo, on this question, have betrayed herself by naming the perfon fhe was confcious of an affair with. The friar obferved this, and fo concluded, that, were the guilty, fhe would probably fall into the trap he laid for her.I only take notice of this to fhew how admirably well Shakespeare knew how to fuftain his characters. WARBURTON. If If I know more of any man alive, Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant, Friar. There is fome ftrange mifprifon in the Bene. Two of them have the very bent of ho nour; And if their wifdoms be mifled in this, The practice of it lives in John the bastard, Leon. I know not: If they fpeak but truth of her, These hands fhall tear her; if they wrong her ho nour, The proudest of them fhall well hear of it. Nor fortune made fuch havock of my means, And let my counsel fway you in this cafe. Let bent of honour,] Bent is used by our authour for the utmost degree of any paffion, or mental quality. In this play before Benedick fays of Beatrice, ber affection has its full bent. The expreffion is derived from archery; the bow has its bent, when it is drawn as far as it can be. JOHNSON. 7 Your daughter here the princes left for dead;] In former copies, Your daughter here the princess (left for dead; But Let her awhile be fecretly kept in, Leon. What fhall become of this? What will this do? Friar. Marry, this, well carry'd, fhall on her be half Change flander to remorfe; that is fome good: Into his study of imagination; And every lovely organ of her life But how comes Hero to ftart up a princess here? We have no intimation of her father being a prince; and this is the first and or ly time the is complimented with this dignity. The remotion of a fingle letter, and of the parenthefis, will bring her to her own rank, and the place to its true meaning. Your daughter here the princes left for dead; i. e. Don Pedro, prince of Arragon; and his bastard brother who is likewife called a prince. THEOBALD. -] i. e. We exaggerate the value. The allufion is to rack-rents. STEEVENS, 2 Shall Shall come apparel'd in more precious habit, Into the eye and profpect of his foul, Than when she liv'd indeed.-Then fhall he mourn, Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries. Leon. Being that I flow in grief, The smalleft twine may lead me.' Friar. 'Tis well confented; prefently away; cure.. Come, lady, die to live: this wedding day, Perhaps, is but prolong'd; have patience and [Exeunt,\ endure. • The smallest twine may lead me ] This is one of our authour's obfervations upon life. Men overpowered with diftrefs, eagerly liften to the firft offers of relief, close with every fcheme, and believe every promife. He that has no longer any confidence in himself, is glad to repofe his truft in any other that will undertake to guide him. JOHNSON. VOL. II. X Manent |