Mari. Break off thy fong, and hafte thee quick

away:

3 Take, ob, take, &c.] This is part of a little fong of Shakefpeare's own writing, confifting of two ftanzas, and fo extremely fweet, that the reader won't be displeased to have the other.

Hide, ob, hide thofe hills of fnow,
Which thy frozen bofom bears,
On whofe tops, the pinks that grow,
Are of thofe that April wears.
But my poor heart firft fet free,
Bound in thofe icy chains by thee.

WARBURTON.

This fong is entire in Beaumont's Bloody Brother, and in Shakefpeare's poems. The latter ftanza is omitted by Mariana, as not fuiting a female character. THEOBALD.

Tho' Sewell and Gildon have printed this among Shakespeare's poems, they have done the fame to fo many other pieces, of which the real authors are fince known, that their evidence is not to be depended on. It is not found in Jaggard's edition of his fonnets, which was printed during his life-time. STEEVENS.

Here

Here comes a man of comfort, whofe advice
Hath often ftill'd my brawling difcontent.-
I cry you mercy, fir; and well could wish,
You had not found me here fo mufical:
Let me excufe me, and believe me so,

My mirth it much difpleas'd, but pleas'd my woe.+ Duke. 'Tis good; tho' mufick oft hath fuch a charm

I

To make bad, good; and good provoke to harm. pray you, tell me, hath any body enquir'd for me here to day? much upon this time, have I promis'd

her to meet.

Mari. You have not been enquir'd after: I have fat here all day.

Duke. I do conftantly believe you:

Enter Ifabel.

the time is come, even now.

I fhall crave your

for

bearance a little; may be, I will call upon you anon for fome advantage to yourself.

Mari. I am always bound to you.
Duke. Very well met, and welcome.

What is the news from this good deputy?

[Exit.

Ifab. He hath a garden circummur'd with brick," Whose western fide is with a vineyard back'd; And to that vineyard is a planched gate,† That makes his opening with this bigger key: This other doth command a little door,

My mirth it much difpleas'd, but pleas'd my woe.] Though the mufick foothed my forrows, it had no tendency to produce light merriment. JOHNSON.

conftantly] Certainly; without fluctuation of

mind. JOHNSON.

-circummur'd with brick,] Circummured, walled round. He caufed the doors to be mured and cafed up.

Painter's Palace of Pleasure.

JOHNSON.

—a planched gate,] i. e. a gate made of boards. Planche, Fr.

STEEVENS.

Which from the vineyard to the garden leads;
There have I made my promife to call on him
Upon the heavy middle of the night."

Duke. But fhall you on your knowledge find this
way?

Ifab. I have ta'en a due and wary note upon't.
With whispering and moft guilty diligence,
In action all of precept, 7 he did fhew me
The way twice o'er.

Duke. Are there no other tokens

Between you 'greed, concerning her obfervance?
Ifab. No, none; but only a repair i' the dark;
And that I have poffefs'd him, my most stay
Can be but brief: for I have made him know,
I have a fervant comes with me along,
That stays upon me; whofe perfuafion is,
I come about my brother.

Duke. 'Tis well born up.

I have not yet made known to Mariana

A word of this. What, ho! within! come forth!

Re-enter Mariana.

I pray you, be acquainted with this maid;
She comes to do you good.

Ifab. I do defire the like.

Duke. Do you perfuade yourself that I refpect you?

"There have I, &c.] In the old copy the lines ftand thus, There have I made my promife, upon the

Heavy middle of the night, to call upon him. STEEVENS. In action all of precept,] i. e. fhewing the feveral turnings of the way with his hand; which action contained fo many precepts, being given for my direction. WARBURTON.

I rather think we should read,

In precept all of action,

that is, in direction given not by words, but by mute figns. JOHNSON. "I have poffefs'd bim,-] I have made him clearly and strongly comprehend. JOHNSON.

Mari.

4

Mari. Good friar, I know you do; and I have found it.

Duke. Take then this your companion by the hand, Who hath a story ready for your ear.

I fhall attend your leifure; but make haste;
The vaporous night approaches.

Mari. Will't please you to walk afide?

[Exeunt Mar. and Ifab. Duke. O place and greatness,' millions of falfe'

eyes

Are stuck upon thee! volumes of report
Run with thefe falfe and moft contrarious queftsz
Upon thy doings! thoufand 'fcapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams,
And rack thee in their fancies!

-] It plainly appears, that this

O place and greatness,fine fpeech belongs to that which concludes the preceding fcene, between the Duke and Lucio. For they are abfolutely foreign to the fubject of this, and are the natural reflections arifing from that. Befides, the very words,

Run with thefe false and most contrarious quefts,

evidently refer to Lucio's fcandals juft preceding: which the Oxford editor, in his ufual way, has emended, by altering these to their.But that fome time might be given to the two women to confer together, the players, I fuppofe, took part of the speech, beginning at No might nor greatness, &c. and put it here, without troubling them felves about its pertinency. However, we are obliged to them for not giving us their own impertinency, as they have frequently done in other places. WARBURTON.

I cannot agree that thefe lines are placed here by the players. The fentiments are common, and fuch as a prince, given to reBection, must have often prefent. There was a neceffity to fill up the time in which the ladies converfe apart, and they must have quick tongues and ready apprehenfions, if they understood each other while this fpeech was uttered. JOHNSON.

2

falf: eyes] That is, Eyes infidious and traiterous.

JOHNSON.

-contrarious quefts] Different reports, running counter to each other. JOHNSON.

Re-enter

Re-enter Mariana and Ifabel.

Welcome: how agreed?

Ifab. She'll take the enterprize upon her, father, If you advise it.

Duke. 'Tis not my confent, But my intreaty too.

Ifab. Little have you to say,

When you depart from him, but, foft and low, "Remember now my brother."

Mari. Fear me not.

Duke. Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all; He is your husband on a pre-contract : To bring you thus together, 'tis no fin; Sith that the juftice of your title to him Doth flourish the deceit.3 Come, let us go;

Our corn's to reap; for yet our tithe's to fow.4

SCENE II.

Changes to the Prifon.

Enter Provost and Clown.

[Exeunt.

Prov. Come hither, firrah: Can you cut off a man's head?

3 Doth flourish the deceit.

-] A metaphor taken from embroidery, where a coarse ground is filled up, and covered with figures of rich materials and elegant workmanship.

WARBURTON.

-for yet our tythe's to fow.] As before, the blundering editors have made a prince of the priestly Angelo, fo here they have made a priest of the prince. We fhould read tilth, i. e. our tillage is yet to make. The grain, from which we expect our harvest is not yet put into the ground. WARBURTON.

The reader is here attacked with a petty fophifm. We fhould read tilth, i. e. our tillage is to make. But in the text it is to Jow; and who has ever faid that his tillage was to forw? I believe tythe is right, and that the expreffion is proverbial, in which tithe is taken, by an eafy metonymy, for barveft. JOHNSON.

Clown.