Pro. Oh! ay; and pities them. Thu. Wherefore ? Jul. [Aside.] That such an ass should owe them. Jul. Here comes the duke. Enter DUKE, angrily. Duke. How now, sir Proteus! how now, Thurio! Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late '? Thu. Not I. Pro. Nor I. Duke. Saw you my daughter? Pro. Neither. Duke. Why, then She's fled unto that peasant Valentine, And Eglamour is in her company. 'Tis true; for friar Laurence met them both, As he in penance wander'd through the forest: At Patrick's cell this even, and there she was not. That leads towards Mantua, whither they are fled. [Exit in haste. That they are out by lease.] Lord Hailes was of opinion that Thurio and Proteus meant different things by the word "possessions;" Thurio referring to his lands, and Proteus to his mental endowments. If so, the point of the answer of Proteus seems to be, that as Thurio's mental endowments were "out by lease," he had none of them in his own keeping. This interpretation seems rather overstrained, and the meaning of Proteus may be only, that Thurio's possessions were let (as Steevens says) on disadvantageous terms. Neither explanation satisfies us, for no reason is assigned for pitying Thurio's possessions: he was rather to be pitied than they, which would, in some degree, support Lord Hailes' view of the subject. › Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late?] The second folio reads, "Which of you, say, saw sir Eglamour of late?" an attempt to mend the line of the folio, 1623, which only makes bad worse. The correct reading doubtless was, "Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late?" 6 he was not sure of IT:] "Sure of her " says the corr. fo. 1632, but there seems no reason for the change. Above, on the entrance of the Duke, "angrily " (spelt angerly) is from the same authority. Lower down, "in haste," when the Duke makes his exit, was likewise added by the old annotator. Thu. Why, this it is to be a peevish girl', [Exit. Pro. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love, Than hate of Eglamour, that goes with her. [Exit. Jul. And I will follow, more to cross that love, Than hate for Silvia, that is gone for love. [Exit. SCENE III. The Forest. Enter SILVIA, and Outlaws. 1 Out. Come, come; be patient, we must bring you to our captain. [Dragging her in. Sil. A thousand more mischances than this one Have learn'd me how to brook this patiently. 2 Out. Come, bring her away. 1 Out. Where is the gentleman that was with her? 3 Out. Being nimble-footed, he hath outrun us; But Moyses and Valerius follow him. Go thou with her to the west end of the wood; There is our captain. We'll follow him that's fled: The thicket is beset; he cannot 'scape. 1 Out. Come, I must bring you to our captain's cave". Fear not; he bears an honourable mind, And will not use a woman lawlessly. Sil. Oh Valentine! this I endure for thee. [Exeunt. 7 — & PEEVISH girl,] "Peevish" is equivalent to silly, or foolish: see also Vol. ii. p. 660; Vol. iii. pp. 375. 595. 729; Vol. iv. pp. 208. 330. 581; Vol. v. p. 178, &c. Stephen Gosson, in his "School of Abuse," 1579, reprinted for the Shakespeare Society in 1841, says, "We have infant poets and pipers, and such peevishe cattell among us in Englande." Come, I must bring you to our captain's CAVE.] This line shows, that "cave" in the third Outlaw's speech, p. 139, ought, as here, to be in the singular; unless we suppose Valentine to have occupied one cave, and his followers another, which seems not very likely. SCENE IV. Another Part of the Forest. Enter VALENTINE. Val. How use doth breed a habit in a man! Thou gentle nymph, cherish thy forlorn swain !— [Shouts. These my rude mates', that make their wills their law, Have some unhappy passenger in chase. They love me well; yet I have much to do, To keep them from uncivil outrages. Withdraw thee, Valentine: who's this comes here ? Enter PROTEUS, SILVIA, and JULIA. [Stands apart. Pro. Madam, this service I have done for you', THESE shadowy, desert, unfrequented woods,] This is the line in the corr. fo. 1632, and much preferable to "This shadowy desert, unfrequented woods" of the old copies. Mr. Singer adopts, and what is more, openly acknowledges, this emendation, and he would be heartily welcome to all on the same fair terms. 10 and RECORD my woes.] To "record" is to sing. In the novel of Apollonius of Tyre" (on which Shakespeare founded "Pericles") it is said of Tharsia, when she comes to sing before her father, "Then began she to record in verses, and therewithal to sing so sweetly," &c. Shakespeare's Library," Vol. i. p. 233. To "record was usually applied to the singing of birds. 66 1 These my RUDE mates,] "These are my mates" in the folios, but amended to our text in the corr. fo. 1632. Valentine might well call them "rude," when he added that "they made their wills their law." 2 Madam, this service I HAVE done for you,] A change is here proposed in the corr. fo. 1632: viz. "Madam, this service having done for you;" (Though you respect not aught your servant doth) To hazard life, and rescue you from him me, for That would have forc'd your honour and your love. Sil. Oh, miserable! unhappy that I am! But by my coming I have made you happy. [Aside. Sil. By thy approach thou mak'st me most unhappy. Jul. [Aside.] And me, when he approaches to your presence. Sil. Had I been seized by a hungry lion, I would have been a breakfast to the beast, Pro. What dangerous action, stood it next to death, Oh! 'tis the curse in love, and still approv'd', Sil. When Proteus cannot love, where he's belov'd. Thou hast no faith left now', unless thou'dst two, Pro. Who respects friend ? In love but, as we make as few alterations as possible in the original text, and as the meaning of the poet is there quite evident, we leave it untouched. 3 — and still APPROV'D,] i. e. still called "an approver." Thou hast no faith left Now,] Proved: a witness in Scottish courts of law is " Mr. Singer states that " now has been here "supplied in the folio of 1632." This is surely an error: we have examined four copies of the folio, 1623, and find "now " in all of them. Sil. All men but Proteus. Pro. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words Can no way change you to a milder form, I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end, And love you 'gainst the nature of love: force you. Pro. I'll force thee yield to my desire. Val. [Coming forward.] Ruffian, let go that rude uncivil touch; Thou friend of an ill fashion! Pro. Valentine! Val. Thou common friend, that's without faith or love; (For such is a friend now) treacherous man! Thou hast beguil'd my hopes: nought but mine eye I am sorry I must never trust thee more, But count the world a stranger for thy sake. The private wound is deep'st. Oh time accurst! 'Mongst all my foes, a friend should be the worst! Pro. My shame and desperate guilt at once confound me.-Forgive me, Valentine. If hearty sorrow Be a sufficient ransom for offence, I tender 't here: I do as truly suffer, As e'er I did commit. And once again I do receive thee honest. Who by repentance is not satisfied Is nor of heaven, nor earth, for these are pleas'd; • Who should be trusted Now, when one's right hand] This is the reading of the folio of 1632: the folio of 1623 omits "now," and probably Mr. Singer alludes to this place. "Now" seems the proper word (for Valentine is speaking of the degeneracy of friendship at that time) and not own, which was inserted by Sir T. Hanmer, without authority, and adopted by Malone. Oh time accurst! 'Mongst all My foes, a friend should be the worst!] This is the reading of the corr. fo. 1632, and we can readily believe that the old text is corrupt, for it thus injures both meaning and metre: "The private wound is deepest. Oh time most accurst! In the next line "desperate" and "at once (not indeed necessary to the sense, but to the measure) are also from the corr. fo. 1632. The whole of this part of the scene is thus made sufficiently regular. |