But to your protestation; let me hear Do and be witness to't. Flo. Pol. And this my neighbour too? Flo. And he, and more Than he, and men; the earth, the heavens, and all: That, were I crown'd the most imperial monarch, Thereof most worthy; were I the fairest youth That ever made eye swerve; had force, and knowledge, More than was ever man's,-I would not prize them, Without her love: for her, employ them all; Commend them, and condemn them, to her service, Or to their own perdition. Pol. Fairly offer'd. Say you the like to him? Per. But, my daughter, I cannot speak So well, nothing so well; no, nor mean better; By the pattern of my own thoughts I cut out The purity of his. Shep Take hands, a bargain;——— And, friends unknown, you shall bear witness to't: I give my daughter to him, and will make Her portion equal his. Flo. O, that must be I' the virtue of your daughter: one being dead, I shall have more than you can dream of yet; Enough then for your wonder: But, come on, Contract us 'fore these witnesses. Shep. * And, daughter, yours. Pol. Come, your hand; Soft, swain, a while, 'beseech you; Have you a father? I have: But what of him? Pol. Knows he of this? He neither does, nor shall. Pol. Methinks, a father That best becomes the table. Pray you, once more; Ís not your father grown incapable Of reasonable affairs? is he not stupid With age, and altering rheums? Can he speak? hear? Flo. Pol. By my white beard, You offer him, if this be so, a wrong Something unfilial: Reason, my son Should choose himself a wife; but as good reason, But fair posterity) should hold some counsel Flo. I yield all this; But, for some other reasons, my gravè sir, Pol. Let him know't. Flo. He shall not. Pol. Pr'ythee, let him. Flo. No, he must not. Shep. Let him, my son; he shall not need to grieve At knowing of thy choice. Flo. Mark our contract. Come, come, he must not: Mark your divorce, young sir, Whom son I dare not call; thou art too base 49 i. e. 'converse about his own affairs. The phrase occurs again in Romeo and Juliet: 'Let me dispute with thee of thy estate," Of excellent witchcraft; who, of force, must know Shep. and made More homely than thy state. For thee, fond boy,If I may ever know, thou dost but sigh, That thou no more shalt never see this knack (as never I mean thou shalt), we'll bar thee from succession; [Exit. Per. Even here undone! I was not much afeard: for once, or twice, I was about to speak52; and tell him plainly, The selfsame sun, that shines upon his court, Hides not his visage from our cottage, but Looks on alike53-Will't please you, sir, be gone? [TO FLORIZEL. 50 Far, in the old spelling farre, i. e. farther. The ancient comparative of fer was ferrer. This in the time of Chaucer was softened into ferre. "Thus was it peinted, I can say no ferre.' 51 The old copy reads hope. 52 Warburton remarks that Perdita's character is here finely sustained. "To have made her quite astonished at the king's discovery of himself had not become her birth; and to have given her presence of mind to have made this reply to the king, had not become her education." To look on or look upon without any substantive annexed is a mode of expression, which, though now unusual, appears to have been legitimate in Shakspeare's time. So in Troilus and Cressida : "He is my prize: I will not look upon. I told you, what would come of this: 'Beseech you, Of your own state take care: this dream of mine, Being now awake, I'll queen it no inch further, But milk my ewes, and weep. Cam. Speak, ere thou diest. Why, how now, father, Shep. I cannot speak, nor think, Nor dare to know that which I know. 0, sir, [TO FLORIZEL. You have undone a man of fourscore three54, That thought to fill his grave in quiet: yea, To die upon the bed my father died, To lie close by his honest bones: but now Some hangman must put on my shroud, and lay me Where no priest shovels-in dust55.-0 wretch! Cursed [TO PERDITA. That knew'st this was the prince, and would'st ad venture To mingle faith with him.-Undone! undone! Exit. Flo. Why look you so upon me? Sir John Davies in his Nosce Teipsum, 1599, has a similar thought: "Thou like the sunne dost with indifferent ray Into the palace and the cottage shine.' and Habington in his Queen of Arragon has imitated it not inelegantly: The stars shoot An equal influence on the open cottage, Where the poor shepherd's child is rudely nursed, With care and whisper.' 54 This speech of the old clown is admirably characteristic; his selfishness is seen by his concealing the adventure of Perdita, and here supported by the little regard he shows for his son or her: he is entirely taken up with himself though fourscore and three. 55 Before the reform of the burial service by Edward VI. it was the custom for the priest to throw earth on the body in the form of a cross, and then sprinkle it with holy water. More straining on, for plucking back; not following My leash56 unwillingly. Cam. I think, Camillo. Cam. I not purpose it. Even he, my lord. Per. How often have I told you, 'twould be thus? How often said, my dignity would lasted But till 'twere known? Flo. It cannot fail, but by The violation of my faith; And then Let nature crush the sides o'the earth together, And mar the seeds within!-Lift up thy looks:From my succession wipe me, father! I Am heir to my affection. Cam. Be advis.d. Flo. I am; and by my fancy57: if my reason If not, my senses, better pleas'd with madness, Cam. This is desperate, sir. Flo. So call it: but it does fulfil my vow; I needs must think it honesty. Camillo, Not for Bohemia, nor the pomp that may Be thereat glean'd; for all the sun sees, or The close earth wombs, or the profound seas hide In unknown fathoms, will I break my oath To this my fair belov'd: Therefore, I pray you, As you have ever been my father s honour'd friend, When he shall miss me (as, in faith, I mean not out. 56 Leash, a leading-string., 57 Fancy here means love, as in other places already pointed |