2 Watch. How, if the nurse be asleep, and will not hear us ?2

Dogb. Why then, depart in peace, and let the child wake her with crying: for the ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baes, will never answer a calf when he bleats. Verg. 'Tis very true.

Dogb. This is the end of the charge. You, constable, are to present the prince's own person; if you meet the prince in the night, you may stay him.

Verg. Nay, by'rlady, that, I think, he cannot.

Dogb. Five shillings to one on't, with any man that knows the statues, he may stay him: marry, not without the prince be willing: for, indeed, the watch ought to offend no man; and it is an offence to stay a man against his will.

Verg. By'rlady, I think, it be so.

Dogb. Ha, ha, ha! Well, masters, good night an there be any matter of weight chances, call up me: keep your fellows' counsels and your own, and good night.— Come, neighbour.

2 Watch. Well, masters, we hear our charge : let us go sit here upon the church-bench till two, and then all to bed.

Dogb. One word more, honest neighbours: I pray you, watch about signior Leonato's door; for the wedding being there to-morrow, there is a great coil tonight: Adieu, be vigitant, I beseech you.

[Exe. DoGB. and VERG.

Enter BORACHIO and CONRADE.

Bora. What! Conrade,

Watch. Peace, stir not.

Bora. Conrade, I say!

Conr. Here, man, I am at thy elbow.

[Aside.

Bora. Mass, and my elbow itched; I thought, there would a scab follow.

[2] It is not impossible but that part of this scene was intended as a burlesque on The Statutes of the Streets, 1595. Among these I find the following: 22. No man shall blowe any horne in the night, within this citie, or whistle after the houre of nyne of the clock in the night, under paine of impris onment."-"23. No man shall use to go with visoures, or disguised by night, under like paine of imprisonment."-"24. Made that night walkers, and evisdroppers, like punishment."-"25. No hammer-man, as a smith, pewterer, a founder, and all artificers making great sound, shall not worke after the houre of nyne at night, &c."-" 30. No man shall, after the houre of nyne at night, keepe any rule, whereby any such suddaine outcry be made in the still of the night, as making any affray, or beating his wyfe, or servant, or singing, or revyling in his house, to the disturbaunce of his neighbours, under payne of iiis. iiiid." &c. &c. STEEVENS.

Conr. I will owe thee an answer for that; and now forward with thy tale.

Bora. Stand thee close then under this pent-house, for it drizzles rain; and I will, like a true drunkard, utter all to thee.

Watch. [Asi.] Some treason, masters; yet stand close. Bora. Therefore know, I have earned of Don John a thousand ducats.

Conr. Is it possible that any villainy should be so dear? Bora. Thou shouldst rather ask, if it were possible any villainy should be so rich; for when rich villains have need of poor ones, poor ones may make what price they will. Conr. I wonder at it.

Bora. That shows, thou art unconfirmed:9 Thou knowest, that the fashion of a doublet, or a hat, or a cloak, is nothing to a man.

Conr. Yes, it is apparel.

Bora. I mean, the fashion.

Conr. Yes, the fashion is the fashion.

Bora. Tush! I may as well say, the fool's the fool. But see'st thou not what a deformed thief this fashion is? Watch. I know that Deformed; he has been a vile thief this seven year; he goes up and down like a gentleman: I remember his name.

Bora. Didst thou not hear some body?

Conr. No; 'twas the vane on the house.

Bora. Seest thou not, I say, what a deformed thief this fashion is? how giddily he turns about all the hot bloods, between fourteen and five and thirty? sometime, fashioning them like Pharaoh's soldiers in the reechy painting; sometime, like god Bel's priests in the old church window; 2 sometime, like the shaven Hercules 3 in the

[9] i.e. unpractised in the ways of the world.

WARBURTON.

[1] Reechy painting; Is painting discoloured by smoke. From Recan, Anglo-Saxon, to reek, fumare. STEEVENS.

[2] Alluding to some awkward representation of the story of Bel and the Dragon, as related in the Apocrypha. STEEVENS.

[3] By the shaven Hercules is meant Sampson, the usual subject of old tap estry. In this ridicule of the fashion, the poet has not unartfully given a stroke at the barbarous workmanship of the common tapestry hangings, then so much in use. The same kind of raillery Cervantes has employed on the like occasion, when he brings his knight and 'squire to an inn, where they found the story of Dido and Eneas represented in bad tapestry. On Sancho's seeing the tears fall from the eyes of the forsaken queen as big as walnuts, he hopes that when their achievements became the general subject for these sorts of works, that fortune will send them a better artist.-What authorised the poet to give this name to Sampson was the folly of certain VOL. H.

27

smirched worm-eaten tapestry, where his cod-piece seems as massy as his club?

Conr. All this I see; and see, that the fashion wears but more apparel than the man: But art not thou thyself giddy with the fashion too, that thou hast shifted out of thy tale into telling me of the fashion?

Bora. Not so neither: but know, that I have to-night wooed Margaret, the lady Hero's gentlewoman, by the name of Hero; she leans me out at her mistress' chamber-window, bids me a thousand times good-night,—I tell this tale vilely :—I should first tell thee, how the Prince, Claudio, and my master, planted, and placed, and possessed by my master Don John, saw afar off in the orchard this amiable encounter.

Conr. And thought they, Margaret was Hero?

Bora. Two of them did, the Prince and Claudio; but the devil my master knew she was Margaret; and partly by his oaths, which first possessed them, partly by the dark night, which did deceive them, but chiefly by my villainy, which did confirm any slander that Don John had made, away went Claudio enraged; swore he would meet her as he was appointed, next morning at the temple, and there, before the whole congregation, shame her with what he saw over-night, and send her home again without a husband.

1 Watch. We charge you in the Prince's name, stand. 2 Watch. Call up the right master constable: We have here recovered the most dangerous piece of lechery that ever was known in the commonwealth.

1 Watch. And one Deformed is one of them; I know him, he wears a lock.

Conr. Masters, masters,

2 Watch. You'll be made bring Deformed forth, I warrant you.

Christian mythologists. who pretended that the Grecian Hercules was the Jewish Sampson. The retenue of our author is to be commented: The sober audienc of that time would have been offended with the mention of a venerable name on so light an occasion. Shakspeare is indeed sometimes licentious in these matters: But to do him justice, he gen rally seems to have a sense of religion, and to be under its influence. What Pedro say of Benedick in this comedy, may be well enough applied to him: The man doth fear God, however it seems not to be in him by some large jests he will make WARB.

I believe that Shakspeare knew nothing of these Christian mythologists, and by the shaven Hercules meant only Hercules when shaved to make him look like a woman, while he remained in the service of Omphale, his Lydian mistress. Had the shaven Hercules been meant to represent Sampson, he would probably have been equipped with a jaw-bone instead of a club. STEEV.

Conr. Masters,

1 Watch. Never speak; we charge you, let us obey you to go with us.

Bora. We are like to prove a goodly commodity, being taken up of these men's bills.4

Conr. A commodity in question, I warrant you.5. Come, we'll obey you.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

A Room in LEONATO's House. Enter HERO, MARGARET, and

URSULA.

Hero. Good Ursula, wake my cousin Beatrice, and

desire her to rise,

Urs. I will, lady.

Hero. And bid her come hither.

Urs. Well.

[Exit URSULA. Marg. Troth, I think, your other rabato were better." Hero. No, pray thee, good Meg, I'll wear this.

Marg. By my troth, it's not so good; and I warrant, your cousin will say so.

Hero. My cousin's a fool, and thou art another; I'll wear none but this.

Marg. I like the new tire within excellently, if the hair were a thought browner: and your gown's a most rare fashion, i'faith. I saw the duchess of Milan's gown, that they praise so.

Hero. O, that exceeds, they say.

Marg. By my troth, it's but a night-gown in respect of yours Cloth of gold, and cuts, and laced with silver; set with pearls, down sleeves, side-sleeves,” and skirts

[4] Here is a cluster of conceits. Commodity was formerly as now, the usual term for an article of merchandise. To take up, besides its common meaning, (to apprehend,) was the phrase for obtaining goods on credit. "If a man is thorough with them in honest taking up, (says Falstaff,) then they must stand upon security." Bill was the term both for a single bond, and a halberd. MALONE.

[5] i. e. a commodity subject to judicial trial or examination.

STEEV

[6] Rabato-An ornament for the neck, a collar-band or kind of ruff. F Rabat. Menage saith it comes from rabattre, to put back, because it was a first nothing but the collar of the shirt or shift turn'd back towards the shoulders. T. HAWKINS.

[7] Side or syde in the North of England, and in Scotland, is used for long when applied to the garment, and the word has the same signification in the Anglo-Saxon and Danish. Vide Glossary to Gawine Douglas's Virgil. STEE. Side-sleeves were certainly long-sleeves, as appears from Stowe's Chronicle, P.327, tempore Hen. IV. "This time was used exceeding pride in garments gownes with deepe and broad sleeves commonly called poke sleeves, the sef

round, underborne with a blueish tinsel: but for a fine, quaint, graceful, and excellent fashion, yours is worth

ten on't.

Hero. God give me joy to wear it, for my heart is exceeding heavy!

Marg. Twill be heavier soon, by the weight of a man. Hero. Fie upon thee! art not ashamed?

Marg. Of what, lady? of speaking honourably? Is not marriage honourable in a beggar? Is not your lord honourable without marriage? I think, you would have me say, saving your reverence,-a husband: an bad thinking do not wrest true speaking, I'll offend no body: Is there any harm in-the heavier for a husband? None, I think, an it be the right husband, and the right wife; otherwise 'tis light, and not heavy: Ask my lady Beatrice else, here she comes.

Enter BEATRICE.

Hero. Good-morrow, coz.

Beat. Good-morrow, sweet Hero.

Hero. Why, how now! do you speak in the sick tune ? Beat. am out of all other tune, methinks.

Marg. Clap us into-Light o'love; that goes without a burden; do you sing it, and I'll dance it.

Beat. Yea, Light o'love, with your heels!-then if your husband have stables enough, you'll see he shall Jack no barns. 8

Marg. O illegitimate construction! I scorn that with my heels.

Beat. "Tis almost five o'clock, cousin ; 'tis time you were ready. By my troth, I am exceeding ill: hey ho! Marg. For a hawk, a horse, or a husband?

Beat. For the letter that begins them all, H.

Marg. Well, an you be not turned Turk, there's no more sailing by the star.9

Beat. What means the fool, trow ?*

vants ware them as well as their masters, which might well have been called the receptacles of the devil, for what they stole they hid in their sleeves, whereof some hung downe to the feete, and at least to the knees, full of cuts and jagges." REED.

[8] A quibble between barns, repositories of corn, and bairns, the old word for children. JOHNSON.

[9] Hamlet uses the same expression, and talks of his fortune's turning Turk. To turn Turk was a common phrase for a change of opinion. STEE

[1] To trow is to imagine, to conceive. So, in Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse Says: "Twas no need, I trow, to bid me trudge." STEEVENS.