Hel. You see it lawful then: It is no more, Herself most chastly absent: after this," Wid. Hel. Let us assay our plot; Why then, to-night which, if it speed, Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed, And lawful meaning in a lawful act;1 [Exeunt. 9 after this,] The latter word was added to complete the metre, by the editor of the second folio. Malone. 1 Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed, And lawful meaning in a lawful act;] To make this gingling riddle complete in all its parts, we should read the second line thus: And lawful meaning in a wicked act; The sense of the two lines is this: It is a wicked meaning because the woman's intent is to deceive; but a lawful deed, because the man enjoys his own wife. Again, it is a lawful meaning because done by her to gain her husband's estranged affection, but it is a wicked act because he goes intentionally to commit adultery. The riddle concludes thus: Where both not sin, and yet a sinful fact, i. e. Where neither of them sin, and yet it is a sinful fact on both sides; which conclusion, we see, requires the emendation here made. Warburton. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads in the same sense: Unlawful meaning in a lawful act. Johnson. Bertram's meaning is wicked in a lawful deed, and Helen's meaning is lawful in a lawful act; and neither of them sin: yet on his part it was a sinful act, for his meaning was to commit adultery, of which he was innocent, as the lady was his wife. Tollet. ACT IV..... SCENE I. Without the Florentine Camp. Enter first Lord, with five or six Soldiers in ambush. 1 Lord. He can come no other way but by this hedge' corner: When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not yourselves, no matter: for we must not seem to understand him; unless some one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter. 1 Sold. Good captain, let me be the interpreter. 1 Lord. Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy voice? 1 Sold. No, sir, I warrant you. 1 Lord. But what linsy-woolsy hast thou to speak to us again? 1 Sold. Even such as you speak to me. 1 Lord. He must think us some band of strangers i' the adversary's entertainment.2 Now he hath a smack of all neighbouring languages; therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we speak one to another; so we seem to know, is to know straight our purpose:3 chough's language, gabble The first line relates to Bertram. The deed was lawful, as be. ing the duty of marriage, owed by the husband to the wife; but his meaning was wicked, because he intended to commit adultery. The second line relates to Helena; whose meaning was lawful, in as much as she intended to reclaim her husband, and demanded only the rights of a wife. The act or deed was lawful for the reason already given. The subsequent line relates to them both. The fact was sinful, as far as Bertram was concerned, because he intended to commit adultery; yet neither he nor Helena actually sinned: not the wife, because both her intention and action were innocent; not the husband, because he did not accomplish his intention; he did not commit adultery.-This note is partly Mr. Heath's. Malone. 2 some band of strangers i'the adversary's entertainment.] That is, foreign troops in the enemy's pay. Johnson. 3 — so we seem to know, is to know &c.] I think the meaning is,-Our seeming to know what we speak one to another, is to make him to know our purpose immediately; to discover our design to him. To know, in the last instance, signifies to make enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politick. But couch, ho! here he comes; to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges. Enter PAROlles. Par. Ten o'clock: within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it: They begin to smoke me; and disgraces of late knocked too often at my door. I find, my tongue is too fool-hardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue. 1 Lord. This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of. [Aside. Par. What the devil should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum; being not ignorant of the impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts, and say, I got them in exploit: Yet slight ones will not carry it: They will say, Came you off with so little? and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? what's the instance?5 Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils. 6 known. Sir T. Hanmer very plausibly reads-to show straight our purpose. Malone. The sense of this passage with the context I take to be thisWe must each fancy a jargon for himself, without aiming to be understood by one another, for provided we appear to understand, that will be sufficient for the success of our project. Henley. 6 chough's language,] So, in The Tempest: "A chough of as deep chat." the instance?] The proof. Steevens. Johnson. of Bajazet's mule,] Dr. Warburton would read-mute. Malone. As a mule is as dumb by nature, as the mute is by art, the reading may stand. In one of our old Turkish histories, there is a pompous description of Bajazet riding on a mule to the Divan. Steevens. Perhaps there may be here a reference to the following apologue mentioned by Maitland, in one of his despatches to Secretary Cecil: "I think yow have hard the apologue off the Philosopher who for th' emperor's plesure tooke upon him to make a 1 Lord. Is it possible, he should know what he is, and be that he is? [Aside. Par. I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn; or the breaking of my Spanish sword. 1 Lord. We cannot afford you so. [Aside. Par. Or the baring of my beard; and to say, it was in stratagem. 1 Lord. 'Twould not do. [Aside. Par. Or to drown my clothes, and say, I was stripped. 1 Lord. Hardly serve. [Aside. Par. Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel 1 Lord. How deep? Par. Thirty fathom. [Aside. 1 Lord. Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed. Par. I would, I had any drum of the enemy's; I would swear, I recovered it. 1 Lord. You shall hear one anon. Par. A drum now of the enemy's! [Aside. [Aside. [Alarum within. 1 Lord. Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo. All. Cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo. Par. O! ransome, ransome:-Do not hide mine eyes. [They seize him and blindfold him. 1 Sold. Boskos thromuldo boskos. Par. I know you are the Muskos' regiment. And I shall lose my life for want of language: If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch, Italian, or French, let him speak to me, I will discover that which shall undo I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue: Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards Moyle speak: In many yeares the lyke may yet be, eyther that the Moyle, the Philosopher, or Eamperor may dye before the tyme be fully ronne out." Haynes's Collection, 369. Parolles probably means, he must buy a tongue which has still to learn the use of speech, that he may run himself into no more difficulties by his loquacity. Reed. 1 Sold. The general is content to spare thee yet; Par. O, let me live, 1 Sold. But wilt thou faithfully? Par. If I do not, damn me. 1 Sold. Come on, thou art granted space. Acordo linta. [Exit, with PAR. guarded. 1 Lord. Go, tell the count Rousillon, and my brother, We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled, Till we do hear from them. 2 Sold. Captain, I will. 1 Lord. He will betray us all unto ourselves;— Inform 'em that. 1 Lord. Till then, I'll keep him dark, and safely lock'd. SCENE II, [Exeunt. Florence. A Room in the Widow's House. Enter BERTRAM and DIANA. Ber. They told me, that your name was Fontibell. Ber. When you are dead, you should be such a one 6 Inform 'em -] Old copy-Inform on. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. Malone. |