By holy croffes, where fhe kneels, and

For happy wedlock hours.

Lor. Who comes with her?

prays, '

Serv. None, but a holy hermit, and her maid.

-I pray you, is my mafter yet return'd ?

Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him.--

But go we in, I pray thee, Jeffica,

And ceremoniously let us prepare

Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

Enter Launcelot.

Laun. Sola, fola, wo ha, ho, fola, fola!

Lor. Who calls?

Laun. Sola! did you fee mafter Lorenzo and mistress Lorenza? fola, fola !

Lor. Leave hollowing, man: here.

Laun. Sola! where? where?

Lor. Here.

Laun. Tell him, there's a poft come from my mafter with his horn full of good news. My master will be here ere morning, fweet foul.

[Exit. Lor. Let's in, and there expect their coming. And yet no matter;-Why fhould we go in? My friend Stephano, fignify, I pray you, Within the houfe, your miftrefs is at hand; And bring your mufick forth into the air.

[Exit fervant. How sweet the moon-light fleeps upon this bank!

So in the Merry Devil of Edmonton :

"But there are Croffes, wife; here's one in Waltham,

"Another at the Abbey, and the third
"At Cefton, and 'tis ominous to pafs
Any of these without a Pater-nofter."

and this is a reafon affigned for the delay of a wedding.

STEEVENS.

Here

Here will we fit, and let the founds of mufick
Creep in our ears; foft ftillness, and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jeffica: Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlay'd with pattens of bright gold;
There's not the smallest orb, which thou behold'st,
But in his motion like an angel fings,

Still quiring to the young-ey'd cherubims:
Such harmony is in immortal fouls! 3

2

2

But

with PATTERNS of bright gold;] We fhould read PATENS: a round broad plate of gold borne in heraldry.

WARBURTON. Pattens is the reading of the first folio, and pattents of the quarto. Patterns is printed first in the folio, 1632. JOHNSON.

3 Such barmony is in immortal fouls;] But the harmony here defcribed is that of the fpheres, fo much celebrated by the antients. He fays, the fralleft orb fings like an angel; and then subjoins, fuch harmony is in immortal fouls: but the harmony of angels is not here meant, but of the orbs. Nor are we to think, that here the poet alludes to the notion, that each orb has its intelligence or angel to direct it; for then with no propriety could he fay, the orb jung like an angel: he should rather have faid, the angel in the orb jung. We must therefore correct the lines thus ;

Such harmony is in immortal founds:

i e. in the mufick of the fpheres. WARBURTON.

This paffage is obfcure. Immortal founds is a harsh combination of words, yet Milton ufes a parallel expreffion :

Spiritus & rapidos qui circinat igneus orbes,
I unc quoque fiderets in'ercinit ipfe choreis
Immortale melos, & inenarrabile carmen.

It is proper to exhibit the lines as they ftand in the copies of the firft, fecond, third, and fourth editions, without any variation, for a change has been filently made, by Rowe, and adopted by all the fucceeding editors.

Such harmony is in immortal foul:,

But while this muddy v fiure of decoy

Doth grofly clefe in it, we cannot hear it.

That the third is corrupt must be allowed, but it gives reason to fufpect that the original was,

Doth grofy clfe it in.

Yet

But whilft this muddy vefture of decay

Doth grofly close it in, we cannot hear it.
Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn; 4
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,
And draw her home with mufick.

Jef. I am never merry, when I hear fweet mufick.

[Mufick. Lor. The reason is, your spirits are attentive: For do but note a wild and wanton herd, Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds, bellowing, and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;

If they perchance but hear a trumpet found,
Or any air of musick touch their ears,

You fhall perceive them make a mutual ftand,
Their favage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze,

By the fweet power of mufick. Therefore, the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, ftones, and floods;
Since nought fo stockish, hard, and full of rage,
But mufick for the time doth change his nature.
The man that hath no mufick in himself, "

5

Nor

Yet I know not whether from this any thing better can be produced than the received reading. Perhaps harmony is the power of perceiving harmony, as afterwards, Mufick in the joul is the quality of being moved with concord of weet Jounds. This will fomewhat explain the old copies, but the fentence is ftill imperfect; which might be completed by reading,

Such harmony is in th' immortal foul,
But while this muddy vesture of decay

Duch grefly close it in, we cannot hear it.

clofe it in-] is the reading of the quarto.

JOHNSON.

STEEVENS.

-wake Diana with a hymn ;] Diana is the moon, who

is in the next fcene reprefented as fleeping. JOHNSON.

5 The man that hath no mufick in himself,

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet founds,]

The thought here is extremely fine: as if the being affected with mufick was only the harmony between the internal [mufick in himfelf] and the external mufick [concord of feet founds;] which

were

Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet founds,
Is fit for treasons, ftratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his fpirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:

Let no fuch man be trusted.-Mark the mufick.

Enter Portia and Nerissa at a distance.

Por. That light we fee, is burning in my hall: -How far that little candle throws his beams! So fhines a good deed in a naughty world.

Ner. When the moon fhone, we did not fee the candle.

Por. So doth the greater glory dim the lefs:
A fubftitute shines brightly as a king,
Until a king be by; and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook

Into the main of waters.-Mufick, hark! [Mufick.
Ner. It is your musick, madam, of the house.

were mutually affected like unifon ftrings. This whole speech could not chufe but please an English audience. whofe great paffion, as well then as now, was love of mufick. Jam verò video naturam (fays Erafmus in praise of folly) ut fingulis nationibus, ac pene civitatibus, communem quandam infeviffe Philautiam : atque bine fieri, ut BRITANNI præter alia Formam, MUSICAM, & lautas Menfas propriè fibi vindicent. WARBURTON.

This paffage, which is neither pregnant with phyfical or moral truth, nor poetically beautiful, in an eminent degree, has conftantly enjoyed the good fortune to be repeated by those whofe inhofpitable memories would have refused to admit or retain any other fentiment or defcription of the fame author, however exalted or juft. The truth is, that it furnishes the vacant fidler with fomething to fay in defence of his profeffion, and fupplies the coxcomb in mufic, with an invective against such as do not pretend to dif cover all the various powers of language in inarticulate founds. It is no uncommon thing to fee thofe who would think half a day well spent in reconciling a couple of jarring ftrings to unifon, and yet would make no fcruple to employ the other half in setting two of the moft intimate friends at variance. So much for the certitude of being taught morality in the school of mufic.

ite

Ferte citi flammas, date la

STLEVENS.

Por. Nothing is good, I fee, without respect:
Methinks, it founds much sweeter than by day.
Ner. Silence beftows that virtue on it, madam.
Por. The crow doth fing as fweetly as the lark,
When neither is attended; and, I think,
The nightingale, if she should fing by day,
When every goofe is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the wren.

How many things by feafon feafon'd are
To their right praife, and true perfection?
-Peace! how the moon fleeps with Endymion,
And would not be awak'd!

Lor. That is the voice,

Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia.

[Mufick ceafes.

Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckow,

By the bad voice.

Lor. Dear lady, welcome home.

Por. We have been praying for our husbands' healths,

Which speed, we hope, the better for our words.
Are they return'd?

Lor. Madam, they are not yet;

But there is come a meffenger before,
To fignify their coming.

Por. Go, Neriffa,

Give order to my fervants, that they take
No note at all of our being absent hence.
-Nor you, Lorenzo; Jeffica, nor you.

A tucket founds.

Lor. Your husband is at hand, I hear his trumpet: -We are no tell-tales, madam, fear you not. Por. This night, methinks, is but the day-lightfick,

without refpe&t.] Not abfolutely good, but relatively, good as it is modified by circumftances. JOHNSON.