Speed. Launce! by mine honefty, welcome to

'Milan.

Laun. Forfwear not thyfelf, fweet youth; for am not welcome. I reckon this always-that a man is never undone, till he be hang'd; nor never welcome to a place, till fome certain fhot be paid, and the hoftefs fay, welcome.

Speed. Come on, you mad-cap, I'll to the alehouse with you prefently; where, for one fhot of five pence, thou fhalt have five thoufand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy mafter part with madam Julia ?

Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earnest, they parted very fairly in jeft.

Speed. But fhall fhe marry him?

Laun. No.

Speed. How then? shall he marry her ?

Laun. No, neither.

Speed. What, are they broken?

Laun. No, they are both as whole as a fish. Speed. Why then how ftands the matter with them? Laun. Marry, thus; when it stands well with him, it ftands well with her.

Speed. What an afs art thou? I understand thee

hot.

Laun. What a block art thou, that thou canst not? My staff understands me.

Speed

It is Padua in the former editions. See the note on act III.

POPE.

My ftaff underflands me.] This equivocation, miferable as it is, has been admitted by Milton in his great poem. B. vi :

Speed. What thou say'st?

Laun. Ay, and what I do too : look thee, I'll but lean, and my ftaff understands me.

Speed. It stands under thee, indeed.

Laun. Why, ftand-under and understand is all one.
Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match?

Laun. Afk my dog: if he fay, ay, it will; if he fay, no, it will; if he shake his tail, and fay nothing, it will.

Speed. The conclufion is then, that it will.

Laun. Thou shalt never get fuch a fecret from me, but by a parable.

Speed. Tis well that I get it fo. But, Launce, how fay'ft thou, that my master is become a notable lover?

Laun. I never knew him otherwise.

Speed. Than how?

Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reporteft him to be.

Speed. Why, thou whorfon ass, thou mistakest me. Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master.

Speed. I tell thee, my mafter is become a hot lover.

Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself in love. If thou wilt go with me to the ale-house, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Christian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou haft not fo much charity in thee, as to go to the ale-house with a Chriftian:

wilt thou go

?

Speed. At thy fervice.

66

[Exeunt. SCENE

The terms we fent were terms of weight,
"Such as we may perceive, amaz'd them all,
"And stagger'd many; who receives them right,
"Had need from head to foot well underfland;
"Not underflood, this gift they have besides,
"To fhew us when our foes ftand not upright."

JOHNSON.

-the ale-houfe] The old copy reads only-the ale; and VOL. I.

M

Ales

Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn; To love fair Silvia, fhall I be forfworn;

To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn; And even that power, which gave me first my oath, Provokes me to this threefold perjury.

Love bad me fwear, and love bids me forfwear:

2

O fweet-fuggefting love, if thou haft finn'd,
Teach me, thy tempted fubject, to excufe it!
At first I did adore a twinkling ftar,
But now I worship a celeftial fun.

Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants wit, that wants refolved will
To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.-
Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Whose fovereignty so oft thou haft preferr'd
With twenty thousand foul-confirming oaths.
I cannot leave to love, and yet I do;

Ales were merry-meetings inftituted in country places. Thus Ben
Jonfon :

"And all the neighbourhood, from old records

"Of antique proverbs drawn from Whitfon lords,
"And their authorities at wakes and ales,

"With country precedents and old wives' tales,
"We bring you now." STEEVENS.

It is to be observed, that in the first folio edition, the only edition of authority, there are no directions concerning the fcenes; they have been added by the later editors, and may therefore be changed by any reader that can give more consistency or regularity to the drama by fuch alterations. I make this remark in this place, because I know not whether the following foliloquy of Protheus is fo proper in the ftreet. JOHNSON.

20 Sweet-fuggefting love,] To fuggeft is to tempt in our author's language. So again:

"Knowing that tender youth is foon fuggefted." The fenfe is. O tempting love, if thou haft influenced me to fin, teach me to excufe it. Dr.Warburton reads, if I bave finn'd; but, I think, not only without neceffity, but with lefs elegance.

JOHNSON

But

But there I leave to love, where I should love.
Julia I lofe, and Valentine I lofe:

If I keep them, I needs muft lofe myself;
If I lose them, this find I by their lofs,
For Valentine, myfelf; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is ftill more precious in itself:
And Silvia, witness heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a fwarthy Ethiope.

I will forget that Julia is alive,

Remembring that my love to her is dead;
And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
Aiming at Silvia as a fweeter friend.
I cannot now prove conftant to myself,
Without fome treachery us'd to Valentine:-
This night, he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celeftial Silvia's chamber-window;
3 Myfelf in counfel, his competitor:
Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their difguifing, and pretended flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio, he intends, fhall wed his daughter:
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly crofs,
By fome fly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpofe fwift,
As thou haft lent me wit to plot this drift! [Exit.

3 Myfelf, who am his competitor or rival, being admitted to his counsel. JOHNSON.

Competitor is confederate, affifiant, partner.

So in Antony and Cleopatra:

"It is not Cæfar's natural vice, to hate
"One great competitor."

66

and he is speaking of Lepidus, one of the triumvirate. STEEVENS. -pretended flight ;] We may read intended flight. JOHNSON. Pretended flight is propofed or intended flight. So in Macbeth : What good could they pretend?" STEEVENS. "I fufpect that the author concluded the act with this couplet, and that the next fcene fhould begin the third act; but the change, as it will add nothing to the probability of the action, is of no great importance. JOHNSON.

Jul. Counfel, Lucetta; gentle girl, affist me!
And, even in kind love, I do conjure thee,-
Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
Are vifibly character'd and engrav'd,-
To leffon me; and tell me fome good mean,
How, with my honour, I may undertake
A journey to my loving Protheus.

Luc. Alas! the way is wearifome and long.
Jul. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
Much less shall fhe, that hath love's wings to fly;
And when the flight is made to one so dear,
Of fuch divine perfection, as fir Protheus.

Luc. Better forbear, till Protheus make return. ful. Oh, know'st thou not, his looks are my foul's food?

Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food fo long a time.
Didft thou but know the inly touch of love,
Thou would'ft as foon go kindle fire with fnow,
As feek to quench the fire of love with words.

Luc. I do not feek to quench your love's hot fire; But qualify the fire's extreme rage,

Left it should burn above the bounds of reafon.

Jul. The more thou damm'ft it up, the more it burns:

The current, that with gentle murmur glides,
Thou know'ft, being stopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
But, when his fair courfe is not hindered,

He makes fweet mufick with the enamel'd stones,
Giving a gentle kiss to every fedge

He