Bora. Sir, I fay to you, we are none.

To. Cl. Well, ftand afide; 'fore God, they are both in a tale; have you writ down, that they are none? Sexton. Mafter town-clerk, you go not the way to examine, you must call the watch that are their accufers. (20) To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the deftest let way, the Watch come forth; masters, I charge you in the Prince's name accufe these men.

Enter Watchmen.

1 Watch. This man faid, Sir, that Don John the Prince's brother was a villain.

To. Cl. Write down, Prince John a villain; why this is flat perjury, to call a Prince's brother villain. Bora. Mafter town-clerk,

To. Cl. Pray thee, fellow, peace; I do not like thy look, I promise thee.

Sexton. What heard you him fay else?

2 Watch. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John, for accufing the lady Hero wrong. fully.

6. Cl. Flat burglary, as ever was committed. Dogb. Yea, by th' mafs, that it is.

Sexton. What elfe, fellow?

I Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to difgrace bero before the whole affembly, and not marry her.

(20) To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the eafieft way, let the Watch come forth. This, eafieft, is a fophiftication of our modern editors, who were at a lofs to make out the corrupted reading of the old copies. The Quarto, in 1600, and the first and second editions in Folio all concur in reading;

Yea, marry, that's the efteft way, &c.

A letter happened to flip out at prefs in the first edition; and 'twas too hard a task for the fubfequent editors to put it in, or guefs at the word under this accidental deprivation. There is no doubt, but the author wrote, as I have reftor'd the text;

Yea, marry, that's the deftest way, &c. ie. the readieft, most commodious way. The word is pure Saxon. Deaplice, debite, congrue, duely, fitly. Fredæftlice, opportune, commode, fitly, conveniently, seasonably, in good time, commodiously. Vid. Spelman's Saxon Glofs. To. Cl.

To. Cl. O villain! thou wilt be condemn'd into everlafting redemption for this.

Sexton. What else?

2 Watch. This is all.

Sexton. And this is more, mafters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning fecretly ftol'n away: Hero was in this manner accus'd, and in this very manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this fuddenly dy'd. Mafter Conftable, let these men be bound and brought to Leonato; I will go before, and shew him their examination. [Exit. Dogb. Come, let them be opinion'd.

(21) Conr. Let them be in the hands of Coxcomb! Dogb. God's my life, where's the Sexton ? let him write down the Prince's officer Coxcomb: come, bind them, thou naughty varlet.

Conr. Away! you are an afs, you are an afs.

;

Dogb. Doft thou not fufpect my place? doft thou not fufpect my years? O that he were here to write me down an afs! but, mafters, remember, that I am an afs; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass no, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be prov'd upon thee by good witness; I am a wife fellow, and which is more, an officer; and which is more, an houfholder; and which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any in Melfina, and one that knows the law; go to, and a rich fellow enough; go to, and a fellow that hath had loffes; and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handsome about him! bring him away; O that I had been writ down an afs! [Exeunt.

(21) Sexton. Let them be in the hands of Coxcomb.] The generality of the editions place this line to the Sexton. But, why he fhould be pert upon his brother-officers, there feems no reason from any fuperior qualifications in him; or any fufpicion he fhews of knowing their ignorance. The old Quarto gave me the firft umbrage for placing it to Conrade; and common fenfe vouches that it ought to come from one of the prisoners, in contempt of the defpicable wretches who had them in custody.

ACT

I

ACT V.

SCENE, before Leonato's House.

Enter Leonato and Antonio.

ΑΝΤΟΝΙΟ.

F you go on thus, you will kill yourself;
And 'tis not wisdom thus to fecond grief
Against yourself.

Leon. I pray thee, ceafe thy counfel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a fieve; give not me counsel,
Nor let no Comforter delight mine ear,
But fuch a one whose wrongs do fuit with mine.
Bring me a father, that fo lov'd his child,
Whofe joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him fpeak of patience;

Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine,
And let it aniwer every itrain for train :

As thus for thus, and fuch a grief for fuch,
In every lineament, branch, fhape and form;
If fuch a one will smile and stroke his beard, (22)

(22) If fuch a one will fmile, and firoke his beard,

And

And hallow, wag, cry bem, when be should groan.] Mr. Rowe is the first authority that I can find for this reading. But what is the intention, or how are we to expound it? "If a man will balloo, and "whoop, and fidget, and wriggle about, to fhew a pleasure when he "fhould groan," &c. This does not give much decorum to the fentiThe old Quarto, and the 1st and 2d Folio editions all read, And forrow, wagge, cry bem, &c.

ment.

We don't, indeed, get much by this reading; tho', I flatter myself, by a flight alteration it has led me to the true one,

And forrow wage; cry, bem! when he should groan;

i. e. If fuch a one will combat with, ftrive against forrow, &c. Nor is this word infrequent with our author in thefe fignifications.

So, in his Lear;

To wage; against the enmity o'th' air,
Neceffity's frong pinch.

And Sorrow wage; cry, hem! when he should groan;
Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk
With candle-waifters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience,

But there is no fuch man; for, brother, men
Can counfel, and give comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but tafting it,
Their counfel turns to paflion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage;
Fetter ftrong madness in a filken thread,
Charm ach with air, and agony with words.
No, no; 'tis all mens office to speak patience (23)
To thofe, that wring under the load of forrow;
But no man's virtue, nor fuffiiciency,
To be fo moral, when he fhall endure

So, in Othello;

Neglecting an attempt of eafe and gain,
To wake and wage a danger profitless.
And in the 1ft i enr. IV.

I fear the pow'r of Percy is too weak
Το wage an inftant tryal with the king.

(23) No, no, tis all men's office to fpeak patience
To thofe, that wring under the load of forrow;
But no man's virtue, nor Sufficiency,

To be fo moral, when be fball endure

The like himfelf.] Patience under misfortunes eafier advis'd, than maintain'd, is one of the topics of Shakespeare, for which Mr. Gildon told us, he had met with no parallels among the ancients: And this obfervation is particularly directed to the paffage now before us. A man of so much reading muft certainly be betray'd by his memory in this point: For I have long ago obferv'd no less than five paffages, all which seem to be a very reasonable foundation for our author's fentiments on this fubject.

Facile omnes, quum valemus, recta Confilia ægrotis damus;
Tu fi bic fis, aliter fentias.

Ελαφρὸν ὅτις σημάτων έξω πόδα

Έχει, παραινεῖν, νεθετεῖν τε τοὺς κακῶς

Πράσσονας.

*Αλλῳ σενεντι ράδιον παραινέσαι

Ἔσιν, ποιῆται δ ̓ αὐτὸν εχὶ ῥᾴδιον.
*Απαντες ἐσμὲν εἰς τὸ νεθετεῖν σοφοί,
Αυτοὶ δ ̓ ἁμαρτάνοντες & γινώσκομεν.
'Ρᾷιν παραινεῖν ἢ παθόντα καρτερεῖν.

Terent.

Æfcbyl.

Philem.

Eurip.
Idem.

The

The like himself; therefore give me no counsel;
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood; For there was never yet philofopher,

That could endure the tooth-ach patiently;
However they have writ the ftyle of Gods,
And made a pish at chance and fufferance.

Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself:
Make those, that do offend you, suffer too.

Leon. There thou speak'ft reafon; nay, I will do fe.

My foul doth tell me, Hero is bely'd;

And that shall Claudio know, fo fhall the Prince;
And all of them, that thus difhonour her.

Enter Don Pedro, nnd Claudio.

Ant. Here comes the Prince and Claudio hastily.

Pedro. Good den, good den.

Claud. Good-day to both of you.

Leon. Hear you, my lords?

Pedro. We have fome hafte, Leonato.

Leon. Some hafte, my lord! well, fare you well, my lord.

Are you io hafty now? well, all is one.

Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man. Ant. If he could right himself with quarrelling, Some of us would lye low.

Claud. Who wrongs him?

Leon. Marry, thou doft wrong me, thou diffembler, thou! Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy fword,

I fear thee not.

Claud. Marry, befhrew my hand,

If it should give your age fuch cause of fear;
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my fword.
Leon. Tufh, tufh, man, never fleer and jeft at me;

I fpeak not like a dotard nor a fool;

As, under privilege of age, to brag

What I have done being young, or what would do,
Were I not old: know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou haft fo wrong'd my innocent child and me,
That I-am forc'd to lay my reverence by ;

And,