Love hath chac'd sleep from my enthralled eyes, Pro. Enough: I read your fortune in your eye: Val. Even fhe: and is the not a heavenly faint? Pro. I will not flatter her. Val. O flatter me; for love delights in praise. Pro. When I was fick, you gave me bitter pills; And I muft minifter the like to you. Val. Then fpeak the truth by her, if not divine, Yet let her be a principality, Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth, Val. Sweet, except not any; Except thou wilt except against my love. 5 no woe to bis correction ;] No mifery that can be com pared to the punishment inflicted by love. Herbert called for the prayers of the liturgy a little before his death, faying, None to them, none to them. JOHNSON. 6 a principality,] The first or principal of women. So the old writers ufe ftate. She is a lady, a great ftate. Latymer. This look is called in states warlie, in others otherwife. Sir T. More. JOHNSON. Difdain Difdain to root the 7 fummer-fwelling flower; Pro. Why, Valentine, what braggardifm is this? Val. Pardon me, Protheus: all I can, is nothing To her, whofe worth makes other worthies nothing; 8 She is alone. Pro. Then let her alone. Val. Not for the world: why, man, fhe is mine own; And I as rich in having fuch a jewel, Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd; nay, more, our With all the cunning manner of our flight, Pro. Go on before; I fhall enquire you forth. And then I'll presently attend you, Val. Will you make hafte ? Pro. I will. Even as one heat another heat expels, [Exit l'al. 7 fummer-fwelling flower;] I cannot help fufpecting that the poet wrote fummer-fmelling. An m reverfed might occafion the mistake. STEEVENS. $ She is alone.] She ftands by herfelf. There is none to be compared to her. JOHNSON. 3 Or Or as one nail by strength drives out another; Is it mine THEN, or Valentino's praife,] Here Protheus queftions with himself, whether it is his own praife, or Valentine's, that makes him fall in love with Valentine's miftrefs. But not to infift on the abfurdity of falling in love through his own praises, he had not indeed praised her any farther than giving his opinion of her in three words, when his friend asked it of him. In all the old editions we find the line printed thus: Is it mine, or Valentino's praise ? A word is wanting. The line was originally thus: Is it mine EYE, or Valentino's praife? Protheus had juft feen Valentine's miftrefs, whom her lover had been lavishly praifing. His encomiums therefore heightening Protheus's idea of her at the interview, it was the lefs wonder he should be uncertain which had made the ftrongest impreffion, Valentine's praifes, or his own view of her. WARBURTON. with more advice,] With more prudence, with more difcretion. JOHNSON. 14 2 'Tis but her picture] This is evidently a flip of attention, for he had feen her in the last fcene, and in high terms offered her his fervice. JOHNSON. I believe Protheus means, that, as yet, he had feen only her outward form, without having known her long enough to have any acquaintance with her mind. STEEVENS. There There is no reason, but I fhall be blind. [Exit. Speed. Launce! by mine honefty, welcome to 3 Milan. Laun. Forfwear not thyfelf, fweet youth; for I 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 presently; where, for one shot of fivepence, thou fhalt have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy master part with madam Julia ? Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earnest, they parted very fairly in jeft. Speed. But fhall the marry him? Laun. No. Speed. How then? fhall 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 stands the matter with them? Laun. Marry, thus: when it ftands well with him, it ftands well with her. Speed. What an afs art thou? I understand thee not. Laun. What a block art thou, that thou canst not? My staff understands me. 3 It is Padua in the former editions. See the note on A&t iii. POPE. My ftaff understands me.] This equivocation, miferable as it is, has been admitted by Milton in his great poem. B. VI. -The Speed. What thou say'st? Laun. Ay, and what I do too: look thee, I'll but lean, and my staff understands me. Speed. It ftands under thee indeed. Laun. Why, ftand-under, and under-stand, is all ore. 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'st thou that my mafter 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 whorson ass, thou mistakest me. Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. Speed. I tell thee, my master is become a hot lover, Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himfelf in love. If thou wilt go with me to the alehouse, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Chriftian. Speed. Why? Laun. Because thou haft not fo much charity in thee, as to go the ale-house with a Chriftian: wilt thou go? Speed. At thy fervice. 66 -The terms we fent were terms of weight, "Such as we may perceive, amaz'd them all, [Exeunt. "And ftagger'd many; who receives them right, "To fhew us when our foes ftand not upright." JoHNS. * SCENE |