King. A blifter on his fweet tongue,

heart,

That put Armado's page out of his part!

with my

Enter the Princefs, Rofaline, Maria, Catharine, Boyet, and attendants.

Biron. See, where it comes! behaviour, what wert thou, 4

'Till this mad man fhew'd thee? and what art thou

now?

King. All hail, fweet madam, and fair time of day!

Prin. Fair, in all hail, is foul, as I conceive.
King Conftrue my speeches better, if you may.
Prin. Then with me better, I will give you leave.
King. We come to vifit you; and purpose now

To lead you to our court: vouchfafe it then.
Prin. This field fhall hold me, and fo hold your

Nor God, nor I, delight in perjur❜d men.

Skelton joins the whales bone with the brighteft precious stones, in defcribing the pofition of Pallas.

"A hundred steppes mounting to the halle,
"One of jafper, another of whales bone;
Of diamantes, pointed by the rokky walle."
Crowne of Lawrell, p. 24.

-behaviour, what wert thou,

edit. 1736.

WARTON.

'Till this man fhew'd thee? and what art thou now?

These are two wonderfully fine lines, intimating that what courts call manners, and value themselves fo much upon teaching, as a thing no where else to be learnt, is a modest filent accomplishment under the direction of nature and common fenfe, which does its office in promoting focial life without being taken notice of. But that when it degenerates into fhew and parade, it becomes an unmanly contemptible quality. WARBURTON.

What is told in this note is undoubtedly true, but is not comprifed in the quotation. JOHNSON.

King. Rebuke me not for that, which you pro

voke:

The virtue of your eye must break my oath.' Prin. You nick-name virtue; vice you fhould have spoke :

For virtue's office never breaks men's troth.
Now, by my maiden honour, yet as pure
As the unfully'd lilly, I proteft,

A world of torments though I fhould endure,
I would not yield to be your house's guest:
So much I hate a breaking caufe to be
Of heavenly oaths, vow'd with integrity.
King. O, you have liv'd in defolation here,
Unfeen, unvifited, much to our shame.
Prin. Not fo, my lord; it is not fo, I swear;
We have had paftimes here, and pleasant game.
A mefs of Ruffians left us but of late.

King. How, madam ? Ruffians ?
Prin. Ay, in truth, my lord;

Trim gallants, full of courtship, and of state.
Rof. Madam, fpeak true. It is not fo, my
My lady, to the manner of these days,
In courtefy gives undeferving praise.
We four, indeed, confronted were with four
In Ruffian habit: here they ftay'd an hour,
And talk'd apace; and in that hour, my lord,
They did not blefs us with one happy word.

lord:

The virtue of your eye must break my cath.] Common fense requires us to read,

-made break my oath.

i. e. made me. And then the reply is pertinent. It was the force of your beauty that made me break my oath, therefore you ought not to upbraid me with a crime which you yourfelf was the caufe of. WARBURTON.

I believe the author means that the virtue, in which word good nefs and power are both comprifed, must diffolve the obligation of the oath. The Princess, in her anfwer, takes the most invidious part of the ambiguity. JOHNSON.

I dare

I dare not call them fools; but this I think,
When they are thirsty, fools would fain have drink.
Biron. This jeft is dry to me.-Fair, gentle, fweet,
Your wit makes wife things foolish: when we greet
With eyes beft feeing, heaven's fiery eye,

By light we lofe light: your capacity

Is of that nature, as to your huge store

Wife things feem foolish, and rich things but poor. Rof. This proves you wife and rich; for in my eyeBiron. I am a fool, and full of poverty.

Rof. But that you take what doth to you belong, It were a fault to fnatch words from my tongue. Biron. O, I am yours, and all that I poffefs. Rof. All the fool mine?

Biron. I cannot give you lefs.

Rof. Which of the vizors was it, that you wore? Biron. Where? when? what vizor? why demand you this?

Rof. There, then, that vizor; that fuperfluous cafe, That hid the worse, and fhew'd the better face. King. We are defcry'd; they'll mock us now downright.

Dum. Let us confefs, and turn it to a jeft.

Prin. Amaz'd, my lord? why looks your highnefs fad ?

Rof. Help, hold his brows! he'll fwoon: Why look you pale ?

Sea-fick, I think, coming from Mufcovy.

Biron. Thus pour the ftars down plagues for perjury.
Can any face of brafs hold longer out?

Here ftand I, lady; dart thy fkill at me;

Bruife me with fcorn, confound me with a flout; Thruft thy fharp wit quite through my ignorance; Cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit;

when we greet, &c.] This is a very lofty and elegant compliment. JOHNSON.

VOL. II.

G g

And

And I will with thee never more to dance,

Nor never more in Ruffian habit wait. O! never will I trust to speeches penn'd,

Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue; Nor never come in vizor to my friend,

Nor woo in rhime, like a blind harper's fong. Taffata phrafes, filken terms precife,

Three pil'd hyperboles, fpruce affectation. Figures pedantical; thefe fummer-flies,

Have blown me full of maggot oftentation: I do forfwear them: and I here proteft,

By this white glove, (how white the hand, God
knows!)

Henceforth my wooing mind fhall be exprefs'd
In ruffet yeas, and honest kersey noes :
And to begin, wench, (fo God help me, la !)
My love to thee is found, fans crack or flaw.
Rof. Sans, fans, I pray you.

Biron. Yet I have a trick

Of the old rage: bear with me, I am fick.
I'll leave it by degrees. Soft, let us see;
Write, Lord have mercy on us, on those three;
They are infected, in their hearts it lies;
They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes:
Thefe lords are vifited, you are not free;
For the lord's tokens on you both, I fee.

Prin. No, they are free, that gave these tokens to

us.

Biron. Our ftates are forfeit, feek not to undo

us.

7 Write, &c.] This was the infcription put upon the door of the houfes infected with the plague, to which Biron compares the love of himself and his companions; and purfuing the metaphor finds the tokens likewife on the ladies. The tokens of the plague are the firft fpots or difcolorations, by which the infection is known to be received. JoHNson.

Ref.

Rof. It is not fo; for how can this be true, That you stand forfeit, being those that fue? Biron. Peace; for I will not have to do with you. Rof. Nor fhall not, if I do as I intend.

Biron. Speak for yourselves, my wit is at an end. King. Teach us, fweet madam, for our rude tranf greffion

Some fair excufe.

Prin. The fairest is confeffion.

Were you not here, but even now, difguis'd?
King. Madam, I was.

Prin. And were you well advis'd? ·

King. I was, fair madam.

Prin. When you then were here,

What did you whisper in your lady's ear?

King. That more than all the world I did refpect hers Prin. When the fhall challenge this, you will reject

her.

King. Upon mine honour, no.

Prin. Peace, peace, forbear:

Your oath broke once, you force not to forfwear. 9 King. Defpife me, when I've broke this oath of mine. Prin. I will; and therefore keep it.-Rofaline, What did the Ruffian whisper in your ear?

Rof. Madam, he fwore, that he did hold me dear As precious eye-fight; and did value me Above this world: adding thereto, moreover, That he would wed me, or elfe die my lover.

That you should forfeit, being those that fue.]

That is, how can those be liable to forfeiture that begin the procefs. The jeft lies in the ambiguity of fur, which fignifies to profecute by law, or to offer a petition. JOHNSON.

9 ~ you force not to forfwear.] You force not is the fame with you make no difficulty. This is a very juft obfervation. The crime which has been once committed, is committed again with lefs reluctance. JOHNSON.