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Pif. 'Twas, "His queen, his queen!"
Imo. Then wav'd his handkerchief?
Pif. And kifs'd it, madam.

Imo. Senfelefs linen, happier therein than I!
And that was all?

Pif. No, madam; 2 for fo long

As he could make me with this eye, or ear,
Diftinguish him from others, he did keep
The deck, with glove, or hat, or handkerchief,
Still waving, as the fits and ftirs of his mind
Could beft exprefs how flow his foul fail'd on,
How fwift his fhip.

Imo. Thou fhouldft have made him

As little as a crow, or lefs, ere left

To after-eye him.

Pif. Madam, fó I did.

Imo. I would have broke mine eye-strings; crack'd 'em, but

To look upon him; 3 till the diminution

Of space had pointed him fharp as my needle:

・for fo long

As he could make me with his eye, or ear,

Diftinguish him from others,] But how could Pofthumus. make himself diftinguished by his ear to Pifanio? By his tongue he might to the other's ear: and this was certainly Shakespeare's intention. We must therefore read,

As he could make me with this eye, or ear,
Diftinguish him from others.-

The expreffion is dentins, as the Greeks term it: the party
speaking points to that part spoken of. WARBURTON.
Sir T. HANMER alters it thus:

for fo long

As he could mark me with his eye, or 1
Diftinguish-

The reafon of Hanmer's reading was, that Pifanio defcribes no addrefs made to the ear.

3

JOHNSON.

'till the diminution

OF SPACE bad pointed him sharp as my needle :] The diminution of space, is the diminution of which space is the caufe. Trees are killed by a blaft of lightning, that is, by blasting, not blafted lightning. JOHNSON:

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Nay, follow'd him, till he had melted from
The fallness of a gnat to air; and then

Have turn'd mine eye, and wept.-But, good Pifanio,
When fhall we hear from him?

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Imo. I did not take my leave of him, but had Moft pretty things to fay: ere I could tell him, How I would think on him at certain hours, Such thoughts, and fuch; or, I could make him fwear

The fhe's of Italy fhould not betray

Mine interest, and his honour; or have charg'd him,
At the fixth hour of morn, at noon, at midnight,
To encounter me with orifons, for then

I am in heaven for him; 5 or ere I could
Give him that parting kifs, which I had fet
Betwixt two charming words; comes in my father;
And, like the tyrannous breathing of the North,
6 Shakes all our buds from growing.

Enter a Lady.

Lady. The queen, madam,

De res your highness' company.

5

next vantage.] Next opportunity. JOHNSON.

or ere I could

Give him that parting kiss, which I had fet

Betwint two charming words; -] Dr. WARBURTON pronounces as abfolutely as if he had been prefent at their parting, that these two charming words were, ADIEU POSTHUMUS; but as Mr. EDWARDS has obferved," she must have understood "the language of love very little, if fhe could find no tenderer "expreflion of it, than the name by which every one called "her husband." STEEVENS.

Shakes all our buds from growing.] A bud, without any diftin&t idea, whether of flower or fruit, is a natural reprefentation of any thing incipient or immature; and the buds of flowers, if flowers are meant, grow to flowers, as the buds of fruits grow to fruits. JOHNSON.

Imo. Thofe things I bid you do, get them dif

patch'd.

I will attend the queen.

Pif. Madam, Ì fhall.

[Exeunt.

SCEN E V.

Changes to Rome.

'Enter Philario, Iachimo, and a Frenchman.

Iach. Believe it, Sir, I have feen him in Britain; he was then of a crefcent note; expected to prove fo worthy, as fince he has been allowed the name of. But I could then have look'd on him without the help of admiration; though the catalogue of his endowments had been tabled by his fide, and I to peruse him by items.

I

Phil. You fpeak of him when he was lefs furnish'd, than now he is, with that which makes him both without and within.

French. I have feen him in France: we had very many there could behold the fun with as firm eyes as he.

Iach. This matter of marrying his king's daughter, (wherein he must be weigh'd rather by her value, than his own) words him, I doubt not, a great deal from the matter.

French. And then his banishment.

Iach. Ay, and the approbations of thofe, that weep this lamentable divorce 3 under her colours, are wonderfully to extend her; be it but to fortify her judgment, which else an eafy battery might lay flat, for

makes him will make or mar you.

2

-

word's him

-] In the fenfe in which we fay, This JOHNSON.

-a great deal from the matter.] Makes the description of him very diftant from the truth. JOHNSON. under her colours,-] Under her banner; by her in

3

Auence. JOHNSON.

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taking a beggar 4 without more quality. But how comes it, he is to fojourn with you? How creeps acquaintance?

Phil. His father and I were foldiers together; to whom I have been often bound for no less than life.

Enter Pofthumus.

my

Here comes the Briton. Let him be fo entertained amongst you, as fuits with gentlemen of your knowing to a stranger of his quality. I befeech you all, be better known to this gentleman, whom I commend to you as a noble friend of mine. How worthy he is, I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing.

French. Sir, we have known together in Orleans.

Poft. Since when I have been debtor to you for curtefies, which I will be ever to pay, and yet pay ftill.

French. Sir, you o'er-rate my poor kindness. I was glad 5 I did atone my countryman and you; it had been pity you should have been put together with fo mortal a purpose, as then each bore, upon importance of fo flight and trivial a nature.

Poft. By your pardon, Sir, I was then a young traveller; rather fhunn'd to go even with what I heard, than in my every action to be guided by others' experiences: but upon my mended judgment (if I offend

without more quality. -] The folio reads lefs quality.

Mr. Rowe first made the alteration.

5

STEEVENS.

I did atone, &c.] To atone fignifies in this place to reconcile. So Jonfon, in The Silent Woman,

6

"There had been fome hope to attone you." STEEV.

rather bunn'd to go even with what I heard, &c.] This is expreffed with a kind of fantastical perplexity. He means, I was then willing to take for my direction the experience of others, more than fuch intelligence as I had gathered myself, JOHNSON,

not

:

not to fay it is mended) my quarrel was not altogether flight.

French. 'Faith, yes, to be put to the arbitrement of fwords; and by fuch two, that would by all likelihood have confounded one the other, or have fallen both.

Iach. Can we with manners afk, what was the difference?

French. Safely, I think. 'Twas a contention in publick, 7 which may, without contradiction, suffer the report. It was much like an argument that fell out last night, where each of us fell in praise of our country mistreffes: this gentleman at that time vouching (and upon warrant of bloody affirmation) his to be more fair, virtuous, wife, chafte, constant, qualified, and less attemptible, than any the rarest of our ladies in France.

Iach. That lady is not now living; or this gentleman's opinion, by this, worn out.

Poft. She holds her virtue ftill, and I my mind. Iach. You must not fo far prefer her, 'fore ours of Italy.

Poft. Being fo far provok'd, as I was in France, I would abate her nothing; tho' I profefs myself her adorer, not her friend.

Iach. As fair and as good (a kind of hand-in-hand comparison) had been fomething too fair and too good for any lady in Britain. 9 If fhe went before others I have feen, as that diamond of yours out-luftres many I have beheld, I could not believe the excelled many; but

7

which may, without contradiction,-] Which, undoubtedly, may be publickly told. JOHNSON.

8

tho' I profefs, &c.] Though I have not the common obligations of a lover to his miftrefs, and regard her not with the fondness of a friend, but the reverence of an adorer.

9

JOHNSON.

If he went before others I have feen, as that diamond of yours out-luftres many I have beheld, I could NOT believe he excelled many, -] What? if she did really excel others,

could

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