SONG. Will you buy any tape, Of the new'ft, and fin'ft, fin'ft wear-a? That doth utter all men's ware-a. 6 [Ex. Clown, Autolycus, Dorcas, and Mopfa. SCENE VII. Enter a Servant. Ser. Mafter, there are three carters, three fhepherds, three neat-herds, and three fwine herds, that have made themselves all men of hair7; they call themfelves Mafter, there are three Carters, three Shepherds, three Neatherds, and three Swine herds,-] Thus all the printed Copies hitherto. Now, in two Speeches after this, these are called four three's of Herdsmen. But could the Carters properly be called Herd/men? At least, they have not the final Syllable, Herd, in their Names; which, I believe, Shakespeare intended, all the four three's fhould have. I therefore guefs that he wrote; -Mafter, there are three Goat herds, &c. And fo, I think, we take in the four Species of Cattle ufually tended by Herdmen. all men of hair,] i. e. nimble, that leap as if they rebounded: The phrase is taken from tennis balls, which were ftuffed with hair. So in Henry V. it is faid of a courfer, He bounds as if his entrails were bairs. WARBURTON. This is a ftrange interpretation. Errors, fays Dryden, flow upon the furface, but there are men who will fetch them from the bottom. Men of hair are hairy men, or fatyrs. A dance of fatyrs was no unufual entertainment in the middle ages At a great feftival celebrated in France, the king and fome of THEOBALD. the nobles perfonated fatyrs X 3 dreffed felves Saltiers: and they have a dance, which the wenches fay is a gallymaufry of gambols, because they are not in't: but they themselves are o'th' mind, if it be not too rough for fome, that know little but bowling, it will pleafe plentifully. Shep. Away, we'll none on't; here has been too much homely foolery already. I know, Sir, we weary you. Pol. You weary thofe, that refresh us. Pray, let's fee these four-threes of herdsmen. Ser. One three of them, by their own report, Sir, hath danc'd before the King; and not the worst of the three but jumps twelve foot and a half by the fquare. Shep. Leave your prating; fince these good men are pleas'd, let them come in; but quickly now. Here a Dance of twelve Satyrs. Pol. [afide.] O, father, you'll know more of that hereafter 8. Is it not too far gone? 'tis time to part them. Your heart is full of fomething, that doth take dreffed in close habits, tufted or fhagged all over, to imitate hair. They began a wild dance, and in the tumult of their merriment one of them went too near a candle, and fet fire to his fatyr's garb; the flame ran inftantly over the loose tufts, and spread itself to the drefs of thofe that were next him; a great number of the dancers were cruelly fcorched, being neither able to throw off their coats nor extinguish them. The king had fet himself in the lap of the duchefs And handed love, as you do, I was wont To load my fhe with knacks; I would have ranfack'd Flo. Old Sir, I know, She prizes not fuch trifles as these are; The gifts, the looks from me, are packt and lockt That's bolted by the northern blaft twice o'er. How prettily the young fwain feems to wash What you profefs. Flo. Do, and be witness to't. Pol. And this my neighbour too? Flo. And he, and more Than he, and men; the earth, and heav'ns, and all; Pol. Fairly offer'd. Cam. This fhews a found affection. Shep. But, my daughter, ; X 4 Say So well, nothing fo well, no, nor mean better. Shep. Take hands, a bargain; And, friends unknown, you shall bear witness to't: Flo. O, that must be I'th' virtue of your daughter; one being dead, Shep. Come, your hand, And, daughter, yours. Pol. Soft, fwain, a while; 'befeech you, Have you a father? Flo. I have, but what of him? Pol. Knows he of this? Flo. He neither does, nor fhall. Pol. Methinks, a father Is, at the nuptial of his fon, a guest That beft becomes the table: 'pray you once more, Is not your father grown incapable Of reasonable affairs? is he not stupid With age, and alt'ring rheums? can he speak? hear? Flo. No, good Sir; He has his health, and ampler ftrength, indeed, Pol. By my white beard, You offer him, if this be so, a wrong. 9 difpute his own eftate ?] Perhaps for difpute we might read compute; but difpute his ef tate may be the fame with talk over his affairs. Something Something unfilial: Reason, my fon, Should chufe himself a wife; but as good reafon, But fair pofterity) fhould hold fome counfel Flo. I yield all this; But for fome other reasons, my grave Sir, Pol. Let him know't. Pol. Pr'ythee, let him. Flo. No: he must not: Shep. Let him, my fon; he shall not need to grieve At knowing of thy choice. Fio. Come, come, he must not: Mark our contract. Pol. Mark your divorce, young Sir, [Difcovering himself Whom fon I dare not call: thou art too base To be acknowledg'd. Thou a fcepter's heir, Shorten thy life one week. And thou fresh piece Shep. O my heart! Pol. I'll have thy beautyfcratch'd with briars,and made That thou no more fhalt fee this knack, as never Far than Deucalion off. Follow us to the court. Far than.] I think for far than we should read far as. We will not hold thee of our kin Mark thou my words; Thou churl, for this time, even fo far off as Deucalion the common ancestor of all. Tho' |