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thou art pil'd, for a French velvet. Do I fpeak feelingly now?

Lucio. I think thou doft; and, indeed, with most painful feeling of thy speech: I will, out of thine own confeffion, learn to begin thy health: but, whilft I live, forget to drink after thee.

1 Gent. I think, I have done myself wrong, have I

not?

2 Gent. Yes, that thou haft, whether thou art tainted, or free.

Lucio. Behold, behold, where madam Mitigation comes! I have purchas'd as many difeafes under her roof, as come to—

2

2 Gent. To what,

1 Gent. Judge.

pray ?

2 Gent. To three thousand dollars a year.'

I Gent. Ay, and more.

Lucio. A French crown more.

I Gent.

pil'd, as thou art pil'd, for a French velvet.] The jeft about the pile of a French velvet alludes to the lofs of hair in the French difeafe, a very frequent topick of our authour's jocularity. Lucio finding that the gentleman understands the diftemper fo well, and mentions it fo feelingly, promifes to remember to drink his health, but to forget to drink after him. It was the opinion of Shakespeare's time, that the cup of an infected perfon was contagious. JOHNSON.

The jeft lies between the fimilar found of the words pill'd and pil'd. This I have elsewhere explained, under a paffage in Henry VIII.

"Pill'd prieft thou lieft." STEEVENS.

3 To three thousand dollars a year.] A quibble intended between dollars and dolours. HANMER.

The fame jeft occured before in the Tempel. JOHNSON.

A French crown more. .] Lucio means here not the piece of money fb called, but that venereal fcab, which among the furgeons is filed corona Veneris. To this, I think, our author likewife makes Quince allude in Midfummer-Night's Dream.

Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-faced.

For

1 Gent. Thou art always figuring diseases in me : but thou art full of error; I am found.

Lucio. Nay, not as one would fay healthy; but fo found, as things that are hollow: thy bones are hollow; impiety hath ma le a feaft of thee.

Enter Bawd.

1 Gent. How now, which of your hips has the moft profound sciatica ?

Bawd. Well, well; there's one yonder arrested, and carry'd to prison, was worth five thousand of you all.

1 Gent. Who's that, I pr'ythee?

Bawd. Marry, fir, that's Claudio, fignior Claudio. 1 Gent. Claudio to prifon? 'tis not fo.

Bawd. Nay, but I know, 'tis fo. I faw him arrefted; faw him carry'd away; and, which is more, within these three days his head is to be chop'd off.

Lucio. But, after all this fooling, I would not have it fo. Art thou fure of this?

Bawd. I am too fure of it: and it is for getting madam Julietta with child.

Lucio. Believe me, this may be. He promised to meet me two hours fince, and he was ever precise in promife-keeping.

2 Gent. Befides, you know, it draws fomething near to the speech we had to fuch a purpose.

1 Gent. But most of all agreeing with the proclamation.

Lucio. Away; let's go learn the truth of it.

Manet Bawd.

[Exeunt.

Bawd. Thus, what with the war, what with the

For where these eruptions are, the skull is carious, and the party

becomes bald.

THEOBALD.

sweat,

fweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom fhrunk. How now, what's the news with you?

Enter Clown.

Clown. Yonder man is carry'd to prison.
Bawd. Well; what has he done?

Clown. A woman.

Bard. But what's his offence?

Clown. Groping for trouts in a peculiar river. Bawd. What? is there a maid with child by him? Clown. No; but there's a woman with maid by him. You have not heard of the proclamation, have you.

Bawd. What proclamation, man?

Clown. All houses in the fuburbs of Vienna must be pluck'd down.

Bawd. And what fhall become of thofe in the city? Clown. They fhall ftand for feed: they had gone down too, but that a wife burgher put in for them. Bawd. But fhall all our houses of refort in the suburbs be pull'd down?

Clown. To the ground, miftrefs.

Bawd. Why, here's a change, indeed, in the commonwealth. What fhall become of me?

Clown. Come, fear not you: good counfellors lack no clients though you change your place, you need not change your trade; I'll be your tapfter ftill. Courage; there will be pity taken on you: you that have worn your eyes almoft out in the fervice, you will be confidered.

Bawd. What's to do here, Thomas Tapfter? Let's withdraw.

5 what with the fweat,] This may allude to the fweating ficknefs, of which the memory was very fresh in the time of Shakefpeare: but more probably to the method of cure then used for the difeafes contracted in brothels. JOHNSON.

I

Clown

Clown. Here comes fignior Claudio, led by the provoft to prison: and there's madam Juliet.

[Exeunt Bawd and Clown

SCENE III.

Enter Provoft, Claudio, Juliet, and Officers; Lucio and two Gentlemen.

Claud. Fellow, why doft thou show me thus to the
world?

Bear me to prifon, where I am committed.
Prov. I do it not in evil difpofition,

But from lord Angelo by fpecial charge.

Claud. Thus can the demi-god, Authority, Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight.

• Thus can the demi-god, Authority,

Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight.-
The words of heaven ;—on whom it will, it will
On whom it will not, fo: yet ftill 'tis juft.]

;

The wrong pointing of the fecond line hath made the paffage unintelligible. There ought to be a full ftop at weight. And the fenfe of the whole is this: The demi-god, Authority, makes us pay the full penalty of our offence, and its decrees are as little to be questioned as the words of heaven, which pronounces its pleasure thus,-I punish and remit punishment according to my own uncontroulable will; and yet who can jay, what doft thou?-Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight, is a fine expreffion, to fignify paying the full penalty. The metaphor is taken from paying money by weight, which is always exact; not fo by tak, on account of the practice of diminishing the fpecies. WARBURTON.

I fufpect that a line is loft. JOHNSON.

It may be read, the fword of heaven.

Thus can the demi-god, Authority,

Make us pay down for our offence, by weight

The fword of heaven :—on whom, &c.

Authority is then poetically called the fword of heaven, which will fpare or punish as it is commanded. The alteration is flight, being made only by taking a fingle letter from the end of the word, and placing it at the beginning.

This very ingenious and elegant emendation was fuggested to me by the Rev. Mr. Roberts, of Eten. STEEVENS.

The

The words of heaven;-on whom it will, it will
On whom it will not, fo; yet ftill 'tis juft.

Lucio. Why, how now, Claudio? whence comes this reftraint?

Claud. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty: As furfeit is the father of much faft,

So every scope by the immoderate ufe
Turns to restraint: Our natures do purfue,
Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,
A thirsty evil; and, when we drink, we die.

Lucio. If I could fpeak fo wifely under an arreft, I would fend for certain of my creditors: And yet, to fay the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom, as the morality of imprisonment. What's thy offence, Claudio?

Claud. What, but to fpeak of, would offend again. Lucio. What is it, murder?

Claud. No.

Lucio. Letchery?

Claud. Call it fo.

Prov. Away, fir; you must go.

Claud. One word, good friend:-Lucio, a word with you.

Lucio. A hundred, if they'll do you any good.Is letchery fo look'd after?

זי

Claud. Thus ftands it with me: Upon a true contract,

got poffeffion of Julietta's bed;

You know the lady; fhe is faft my wife,

Save that we do the denunciation lack

71 got poffeffion of Julietta's bed, &c.] This fpeech is farely too indelicate to be fpoken concerning Juliet, before her face, for the appears to be brought in with the reit, tho' fhe has nothing to fay. The Clown points her out as they enter; and yet, from Claudio's telling Lucio, that he knows the lady, &c. one would think she was not meant to have made her perfonal appearance on the scene. STEEVENS.

VOL. II.

C

Of

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