Who, tendring their own worth, from whence they were glafs'd, Did point out to buy them, along as you pass'd. I only have made a mouth of his eye, By adding a tongue which I know will not lye. Rof. Thou art an old love-monger, and fpeakeft fkilfully. Mar. He is Cupid's grandfather, and learns news of him. Rof. Then was Venus like her mother, for her father is but grim. Boyet. Do you hear, my mad wenches? Mar. No. 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 ventured to vary the regulation of the four lait acts from the printed copies, for these reafons. Hitherto the zd act has been of the extent of 7 pages; the 3d of but 5; and the 5th of no less than 29. And this difproportion of length has crowded too many incidents into fome acts, and left the others quite barren. I have now reduced them into a much better equality: and diftributed the business likewise, (such as it is,) into a more uniform caft. THEOBALD. Mr. Theobald has reafon enough to propofe this alteration, but he fhould not have made it in his book without better authority or more need. I have therefore preserved his obfervation, but continued the former divifion. JoHNSON. ACT III. SCENE I. The Park; near the Palace. Enter Armado, and Moth.2 ARMADO. ARBLE, child; make paffionate my sense of WAR hearing. Moth. Concolinel 3 [Singing. Arm. Sweet air!-Go, tenderness of years; take this key, give enlargement to the fwain; bring him feftinately hither: I muft imploy him in a letter to my love. Moth. Mafter, will you win your love with a French brawl. + Arm. 2 Enter Armado and Moth.] In the folios the direction is, enter Braggart and Moth, and at the beginning of every speech of Armado ftands Brag. both in this and the foregoing fcene between him and his boy. The other perfonages of this play are likewife noted by their characters as often as by their names. All this confufion has been well regulated by the later editors. JOHNSON. 3 Concolinel] Here is apparently a fong loft. JOHNSON. I have obferved in the old comedies, that the fongs are frequently omitted. On this occafion the stage direction is generallyHere they fing-or-Cantant. Probably the performer was left to chufe his own ditty, and therefore it could not with propriety be exhibited as part of a new performance. Sometimes yet more was left to the difcretion of the ancient comedians, as I learn from the following circumftance in K. Edward IV. 2d p. 1619."Jockey is led whipping over the stage, speaking fome words, "but of no importance." STEEVENS. + a French brawl.] A brawl is a kind of dance. Ben Jonfon mentions it in one of his mafques. And thence did Venus learn to lead Th' Idalian brawls, &c. In the Malcontent of Marston, I met with the following account "The brawl, why 'tis but two fingles to the left, two on of it. "the Arm. How mean'ft thou? brawling in French? Moth. No, my compleat master: but to jig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet,3 humour it with turning up your eye-lids; figh a note, and fing a note; fometime through the throat, as if you swallow'd love with finging love; fometime through the nofe, as if you fnuff'd up love by fmelling love; with your hat penthoufe-like, o'er the fhop of your eyes; with your arms crofs'd on your thinbelly doublet, like a rabbit on a fpit; or your hands in your pocket like a man after the old painting; + and keep not too long in one tune, but a fnip and away: These are complements,' these are humours: thefe betray nice wenches that would be betray'd without thefe, and make the men of note, (do you note men?) that are most affected to these? "the right, three doubles forwards, a traverse of fix rounds; do "this twice three fingles fide, galliard trick of twenty coranto "pace: a figure of eight, three fingles broken down, come up, "meet two doubles, fall back, and then honour." Again, in B. Jonfon's mafque of Time Vindicated. "The Graces did them footing teach; "And, at the old Idalian brawls, "They danc'd your mother down." STEEVENS. 3 canary to it with your feet,] Canary was the name of a spritely nimble dance. THEOBALD. a common trick, 4 like a man after the old painting ;] It was among fome of the most indolent of the ancient mafters, to place the hands in the bofom or the pockets, or conceal them in fome other part of the drapery, to avoid the labour of reprefenting them, or to difguife their own inability. STEEVENS. 5 Thefe are complements,] Dr. Warburton has here changed complements to 'complishments, for accomplishments, but unneceffarily. JOHNSON. thefe betray nice 6 thefe betray, &c.] The former editors: wenches, that would be betray'd without thefe, and make them men of note. But who will ever believe, that the odd attitudes and affectations of lovers, by which they betray young wenches, fhould have power to make these young wenches men of note? His meaning is, that they not only inveigle the young guls, but make the men taken notice of too, who affect them. THEOBALD. Bb3 Arm. Arm. How haft thou purchas'd this experience? Moth. By my pen of obfervation. Arm. But O,—but O Meth. The hobby-horfe is forgot.7 Arm. Call'st thou my love, hobby-horse ? Moth. No, mafter; the hobby-horse is but a colt,* and your love, perhaps, a hackney. But have forgot your love? Arm. Almoft I had. Moth. Negligent ftudent! learn her by heart. you Moth. And out of heart, mafter: all those three I will prove. Arm What wilt thou prove ? Moth. A man, if I live: And this by, in, and out of, upon the inftant: By heart you love her, because your heart cannot come by her: in heart you love her, because your heart is in love with her; and cut of heart you love her, being out of heart that you cannot enjoy her. 7 Arm. But O, but O Moth. The hobby-horse is forgot.] In the celebration of May-day, befides the fports now used of hanging a pole with garlands, and dancing round it, formerly a boy was dreffed up reprefenting Maid Marian; another like a fryar; and another rode on a hobby horfe, with bells jingling, and painted ftreamers. After the Reformation took place, and precifians multiplied, thefe latter rites were looked upon to favour of paganifm; and then maid Marian, the friar, and the poor hobby-horfe, were turned out of the games. Some who were not fo wifely precife, but regretted the difufe of the hobby-horse, no doubt, fatirized this fufpicion of idolatry, and archly wrote the epitaph above alluded to. Now Moth, hearing Armado groan ridiculously, and cry out, But oh! but ob!humourously pieces out his exclamation with the fequel of this epitaph. THEOBALD. The fame line is repeated in Hamlet. STEEVENS. 8 but a colt, Co't is a hot, mad-brained, unbroken young low; or fometimes an old fellow with youthful defires. fel JOHNSON. Am. Arm. I am all these three. Moth. And three times as much more, and yet nothing at all. Arm. Fetch hither the fwain; he must carry me a letter. Moth. A meffage well fympathis'd; a horfe to be embaffador for an afs! Arm. Ha, ha; what fay'ft thou ? Moth. Marry, Sir, you must fend the afs upon the horfe, for he is very flow-gated: But I go. Arm. The way is but fhort; away. Moth. As fwift as lead, Sir. Arm. Thy meaning, pretty ingenious? Is not lead a metal heavy, dull and flow? Moth. Minimè, honeft mafter; or rather, mafter, no. Arm. I fay, lead is flow. Moth. You are too fwift, Sir, to say so." Is that lead flow, Sir, which is fir'd from a gun? He reputes me a cannon; and the bullet, that's he: Moth. Thump then, and I flee. [Exit. Arm. A moft acute Juvenal, voluble and free of grace; 'By thy favour, fweet welkin, I muft figh in thy face: You are too fwift, fir, to fay fo.] How is he too fwift for saying that lead is flow? I fancy we fhould read, as well to fupply the rhyme as the sense, You are too fwift, fir, to say so, so soon Is that lead flow, fir, which is fir'd from a gun ? JOHNSON. The meaning, I believe, is, You do not give yourself time to think, if you fay fo. STEEVENS. I By thy favour, fweet welkin, -] Weikin is the sky, to which Armado, with the false dignity of a Spaniard, makes an apology for fighing in its face. JOHNSON. Bb4 Moft |