Orla. Forbear, and eat no more.

Jaq. Why, I have eat none yet.

Orla. Nor fhalt thou, 'till neceffity be serv'd.
Jaq. What kind fhould this Cock come of?
Duke Sen. Art thou thus bolden'd, man, by thy
distress ;

Or elfe a rude defpifer of good manners,

That in civility thou seem'st so empty?

Orla. You touch'd my vein at first. The thorny point

6

Of bare diftrefs hath ta'en from me the fhew

Of smooth civility; yet am I inland bred,
And know fome nurture. But forbear, I say:
He dies, that touches any of this fruit,

'Till I and my affairs are answered.

Jaq. If you will not

Be answered with reafon, I must die.

Duke Sen. What would you have? your gentleness fhall force,

More than your force move us to gentleness.

Orla. I almoft die for food, and let me have it. Duke Sen. Sit down and feed; and welcome to our table.

Orla. Speak you fo gently ?-Pardon me, I pray

you;

I thought, that all things had been favage here;
And therefore put I on the countenance

Of stern commandment. But whate'er you are,

6 The thorny point Of fharp diftrefs has ta'en from me the fhew Of Smooth civility.] We might

read torn with more elegance, but elegance alone will not juf tify alteration.

That

That in this defert inacceffible,

Under the fhade of melancholy boughs,

Lofe and neglect the creeping hours of time;
If ever you have look'd on better days;

If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church;
If ever fate at any good man's feast;

If ever from your eyelids wip'd a tear,
And know what 'tis to pity and be pitied;
Let gentleness my ftrong enforcement be.
In the which hope I blush, and hide my fword.

[Sheathing bis fword. Duke Sen. True is it, that we have feen better days; And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church; And fate at good men's feafts, and wip'd our eyes Of drops, that facred pity hath engender'd: And therefore fit you down in gentleness, And take upon command what help we have", That to your wanting may be miniftred.

Orla. Then but forbear your food a little while, Whiles, like a doe, I go to find my fawn, And give it food. There is an old poor man, Who after me hath many a weary step Limp'd in pure love; 'till he be firft fuffic'd, Opprefs'd with two weak evils, age and hunger, I will not touch a bit.

Duke Sen. Go find him out,

And we will nothing wafte till your return.

Orla. I thank ye; and be bless'd for your good

comfort!

[Exit,

Duke Sen. Thou feeft, we are not all alone un

happy :

This wide and univerfal Theatre

7 Then take upon command what help que bave.] It feems neceffary to read, then take upon

demand what help, &c. that is, ak for what we can fupply, and have it.

Pre

Prefents more woful pageants, than the scene
Wherein we play.

faq. All the world's a Stage,

And all the men and women meerly Players;
They have their Exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts:
His acts being feven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then, the whining school-boy with his fatchel,
And fhining morning face, creeping like fnail-
Unwillingly to fchool. And then, the lover;
Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad
Made to his miftrefs' eye-brow. Then a foldier:
Full of ftrange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, fudden, and quick in quarrel;
Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then, the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin❜d,
With eyes fevere, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wife faws and modern inftances,
And so he plays his part. The fixth age fhifts
Into the lean and flipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nofe, and pouch on fide;
His youthful hofe well fav'd, a world too wide
For his fhrunk fhank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish tremble, pipes

8 Full of wife fas and mo

dern inftances.] It is remark able that Shakespeare uses modern in the double fenfe that the Greeks ufed xavos, both for recens and abfurdus.

I am in doubt whether modern is in this place used for abfurd: the meaning feems to be, that the juftice is full of old fayings and late examples.

9-

The fixth age shifts Into the lean and flipper'd pan

taloon.] There is a greater beauty than appears at first fight

in this image. He is here comparing human life to a stage play of feven acts (which was no unufual divifion before our author's time). The fixth he calls the lean and flipper'd pantaloon, alluding to that general character in the Italian comedy called Il Pantalóne; who is a thin emaciated old man in flippers; and well defigned, in that epithet, because Pantalóne is the only character that acts in flippers..

WARBURTON.

And

And whistles in his found.

Laft Scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful History,
Is fecond childishnets, and meer oblivion,
Sans teeth, fans eyes, fans tafte, fans every thing.

Duke Sen. Welcome. Set down your venerable burden ';

And let him feed.

Orla. I thank you most for him.
Adam. So had you need.

I scarce can speak to thank you for myself.

Duke Sen. Welcome, fall to: I will not trouble you, As yet to question you about your fortunes. Give us fome mufick; and, good coufin, fing.

Heigh bo! fing, beigh bo! unto the green bolly; Moft friendship is feigning; moft loving meer folly: Then beigh bo, the bolly!

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That doft not bite fo nigh,
As benefits forgot:
Tho' thou the waters warp,
Thy fting is not so sharp
As friend remembred not.
Heigh bo! fing, &c.