Duke. But he did fcorn a prefent that I fent her. Val. A woman fometime fcorns what best contents her: Send her another; never give her o'er; For fcorn at firft makes after-love the more. And kept severely from refort of men, That no man hath access by day to her. Val. Why then I would refort to her by night. That no man hath recourse to her by night. Val. What lets 2, but one may enter at her window? Duke. Her chamber is aloft, far from the ground; And built fo fhelving, that one cannot climb it Without apparent hazard of his life. Val. Why then, a ladder, quaintly made of cords, To caft up, with a pair of anchoring hooks, Would ferve to fcale another Hero's tower, So bold Leander would adventure it. Duke. Now, as thou art a gentleman of blood, Advise me where I may have fuch a ladder. Val. When would you use it? pray, fir, tell me that. Duke. This very night; for love is like a child, That longs for every thing that he can come by. Val. By feven o'clock I'll get you fuch a ladder. Duke. But hark thee; I will go to her alone; How fhall I best convey the ladder thither ? Val. It will be light, my lord, that you may bear it Under a cloak, that is of any length. 2 What lets,] i. e. what hinders. STEEVENS. L 2 Duke. Duke. A cloak as long as thine will serve the turn ? Duke. Then let me fee thy cloak; I'll get me one of fuch another length. 1 Val. Why, any cloak will ferve the turn, my lord. pray thee, let me feel thy cloak upon me. [reads What letter is this fame? What's here To Silvia? Himfelf would lodge, where fenfeless they are lying. I curfe myself, for they are fent by me^, That they should harbour where their lord fhould be. Silvia, this night I will enfranchise thee 'Tis fo; and here's the ladder for the purpose. 3 My herald thoughts in thy pure bosom &c.] i. e. the thoughts contained in my letter. See p. 151, n. 9. MALONE. 4 for they are fent] For is the fame as for that, fince. JOHNSON. 5 — Merops' fon,)] Thou art Phaeton in thy rashness, but without his pretenfions; thou art not the fon of a divinity, but a terræ filius, a low-born wretch; Merops is thy true father, with whom Phaeton was falfely reproached. JOHNSON. This fcrap of mythology Shakspeare might have found in the fpurius play of K. Jobn, 1591: 66 -as fometime Phaeton, "Mitrufting filly Merops for his fire." STEEVENS. Is privilege for thy departure hence: Thank me for this, more than for all the favours, Longer than fwifteft expedition Will give thee time to leave our royal court, Be gone, I will not hear thy vain excufe, But, as thou lov't thy life, make speed from hence. [Exit Duke. Val. And why not death, rather than living torment? To die, is to be banish'd from myself; And Silvia is myself: banish'd from her, Is felf from felf; a deadly banishment! What light is light, if Silvia be not feen? What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by ? Unless it be, to think that she is by, And feed upon the fhadow of perfection". Except I be by Silvia in the night, There is no mufick in the nightingale ; Unless I look on Silvia in the day, There is no day for me to look upon : She is my effence; and I leave to be, If I be not by her fair influence Fofter'd, illumin'd, cherish'd, kept alive. I fly not death, to fly his deadly doom": Tarry I here, I but attend on death; But, fly I hence, I fly away from life. Enter PROTHEUS and LAUNCE. Pro. Run, boy, run, run, and feek him out. Pro. What fee'st thou ? And feed upon the shadow of perfection.] Animum pictura pafcit inani. Virg. HENLEY. I fly not death, to fly bis deadly doom:] To fly his doom, used for by flying, or in flying, is a gallicism. The fenfe is, By avoiding the execution of his fentence fhall not escape death. If I ftay here, I fuffer myself to be deftroyed; if I go away, I deftroy myself. JOHNSON. Launce. Him we go to find: there's not a hair * on's head, but 'tis a Valentine. Pro. Valentine? Val. No. Pro. Who then? his fpirit? Val. Neither. Pro. What then? Val. Nothing. Launce. Can nothing fpeak? mafter, fhall I ftrike ? Pro. Whom & would't thou strike? 8 Launce. Nothing. Pro. Villain, forbear. Launce. Why, fir, I'll frike nothing: I pray you,— Pro. Sirrah, I fay, forbear: Friend Valentine, a word. Val. My ears are ftopp'd, and cannot hear good news, So much of bad already hath poffefs'd them. Pro. Then in dumb filence will I bury mine, For they are harfh, untuneable, and bad. Val. Is Silvia dead? Pro. No, Valentine. Val. No Valentine, indeed, for facred Silvia!Hath fhe forsworn me? Pro. No, Valentine. Val. No Valentine, if Silvia have forfworn me !What is your news? Launce. Sir, there's a proclamation that you are vanish'd. And now excefs of it will make me furfeit. Pro. Ay, ay; and the hath offer'd to the doom, There's not a bair-] Launce is ftill quibbling. He is now running down the bare that he started when he entered. MALONE. Whom Old Copy-Wbs. Corrected in the fecond folio, MALONE. As As if but now they waxed pale for woe: But neither bended knees, pure hands held up, Val. No more; unless the next word, that thou speak'st, Have fome malignant power upon my life: If fo, I pray thee, breathe it in mine ear, As ending anthem of my endlefs dolour. Pro. Ceafe to lament for that thou canst not help, Val. I pray thee, Launce, an if thou feeft my boy, 9 Even in the milk-white bofom of thy love.] So, in Hamlet : "Thefe to ber excellent white bofom, &c." Trifling as the remark may appear, before the meaning of this addrefs of letters to the bofom of a mistress can be understood, it should be known that women anciently had a pocket in the fore part of their stays, in which they not only carried love-letters and love tokens, but even their money and materials for neeute-work. In many parts of England the ruftic damfels ftill obferve the fame practice; and a very old lady informs me that the remembers when it was the fashion to wear very prominent stays, it was no lefs the custom for ftratagem or gallantry to drop its literary favours within the front of them. STEEVENS. |