CEL. Or I, I promise thee. וסי Ros. But is there any elfe longs to fee this broken mufick in his fides? is there yet another dotes upon rib-breaking?-Shall we fee this wreftling, coufin? LE BEAU. You muft, if you stay here; for here is the place appointed for the wrestling, and they are ready to perform it. CEL. Yonder, fure, they are coming: Let us now ftay and fee it. Flourish. Enter Duke FREDERICK, Lords, ORLANDO, CHARLES, and Attendants. DUKE F. Come on; fince the youth will not be entreated, his own peril on his forwardness. Ros. Is yonder the man? 7 is there any elfe longs to fee this broken mufick in his fides?] A ftupid error in the copies. They are talking here of fome who had their ribs broke in wrestling: and the pleafantry of Rosalind's repartee muft confift in the allufion fhe makes to compofing in mufick. It neceffarily follows therefore, that the poet wrote-SET this broken mufick in his fides. WARBURTON. If any change were neceffary, I fhould write, feel this broken mufick, for fee. But fee is the colloquial term for perception or experiment. So we fay every day, fee if the water be hot; I will fee which is the beft time; fhe has tried, and fees that she cannot lift it. In this fenfe fee may be here ufed. The fufferer can, with no propriety, be faid to fet the mufick; neither is the allufion to the act of tuning an inftrument, or pricking a tune, one of which must be meant by fetting mufick. Rofalind hints at a whimfical fimilitude between the series of ribs gradually fhortening, and fome mufical inftruments, and therefore calls broken ribs, broken musick. JOHNSON. This probably alludes to the pipe of Pan, which confifting of reeds of unequal length, and gradually leffening, bore fome refemblance to the ribs of a man. M. MASON. Broken mufick either means the noise which the breaking of ribs would occafion, or the hollow found which proceeds from a perfon's receiving a violent fall. DOUCE. LE BEAU. Even he, madam. CEL. Alas, he is too young: yet he looks fuccessfully. DUKE F. How now, daughter, and coufin? are you crept hither to see the wrestling? Ros. Ay, my liege; fo please you give us leave. DUKE F. You will take little delight in it, I can, tell you, there is fuch odds in the men: In pity of the challenger's youth, I would fain diffuade him, but he will not be entreated: Speak to him, ladies; fee if you can move him. CEL. Call him hither, good Monfieur Le Beau. DUKE F. Do fo; I'll not be by. [DUKE goes apart. LE BEAU. Monfieur the challenger, the princeffes call for you." ORL. I attend them, with all respect and duty, Ros. Young man, have you challenged Charles the wrestler? 2 ORL. No, fair princefs; he is the general challenger: I come but in, as others do, to try with him the strength of my youth. CEL. Young gentleman, your fpirits are too bold for your years: You have feen cruel proof of this man's ftrength: if you faw yourself with your eyes, or knew yourfelf with your judgment,' the 8 the man. 9 -odds in the men:] Sir T, Hanmer, In the old editions, JOHNSON. the princeffes call for you.] The old copy reads—the princeffe calls, Corrected by Mr. Theobald, MALONE. have you challenged Charles the wreftler?] This wreftling match is minutely defcribed in Lodge's Rofalynde, 1592. 3 MALONE, if you faw yourself with your eyes, or knew yourself with your judgment,] Abfurd! The fenfe requires that we should read, 3 fear of your adventure would counsel you to a more equal enterprise. We pray you, for your own fake, to embrace your own fafety, and give over this attempt. Ros. Do, young fir; your reputation fhall not therefore be mifprised: we will make it our fuit to the duke, that the wrestling might not go forward. ORL. I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts; wherein I confefs me much guilty, to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes, and gentle wifhes, go with me -our eyes, and-our judgment. The argument is, Your Spirits are too bold, and therefore your judgment deceives you; but did you fee and know yourself with our more impartial judgment, you would forbear. WARBURTON. I cannot find the abfurdity of the prefent reading. If you were not blinded and intoxicated, fays the princefs, with the Spirit of enterprife, if you could ufe your own eyes to fee, or your own judgment to know yourself, the fear of your adventure would counfel you. JOHNSON. 4 I beseech you, punish me not, &c.] I fhould wish to read, I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts. Therein I confefs myfelf much guilty to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. JOHNSON. As the word wherein muft always refer to fomething preceding, I have no doubt but there is an error in this paffage, and that we ought to read herein, inftead of wherein. The hard thoughts that he complains of are the apprehenfions expreffed by the ladies of his not being able to contend with the wreftler. He befeeches that they will not punish him with them; and then adds, " Herein I confefs me much guilty to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my trial." M. MASON. The meaning I think is, "punish me not with your unfavourable opinion (of my abilities); which, however, I confefs, I deferve to incur, for denying fuch fair ladies any request." The expreffion is licentious, but our author's plays furnifh many fuch. MALONE. to my trial: wherein if I be foiled, there is but one fhamed that was never gracious; if killed, but one dead that is willing to be fo: I fhall do my friends no wrong, for I have none to lament me; the world no injury, for in it I have nothing; only in the world I fill up a place, which may be better fupplied when I have made it empty. Ros. The little strength that I have, I would it were with you. CEL. And mine, to eke out hers. Ros. Fare you well. Pray heaven, I be deceived in you! CEL. Your heart's defires be with you! CHA. Come, where is this young gallant, that is fo defirous to lie with his mother earth? ORL. Ready, fir; but his will hath in it a more modest working. DUKE F. You fhall try but one fall. CHA. No, I warrant your grace; you fhall not entreat him to a fecond, that have fo mightily perfuaded him from a first. ORL. You mean to mock me after; you should not have mocked me before: but come your ways. Ros. Now, Hercules be thy fpeed, young man! CEL. I would I were invisible, to catch the strong fellow by the leg. [CHARLES and ORLANDO wrestle. Ros. O excellent young man! 5 let your gentle wishes, go with me to my trial:] Addifon might have had this paffage in his memory, when he put the following words into Juba's mouth : Marcia, may I hope "That thy kind wishes follow me to battle?" STEEVENS. CEL. If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye, I can. tell who fhould down. [CHARLES is thrawn. Shout. DUKE FI No more, no more. ORL. Yes, I beseech your grace; I am not yet well breathed. DUKE F. How doft thou, Charles? LE BEAU. He cannot fpeak, my lord. DUKE F. Bear him away. [CHARLES is borne out.] What is thy name, young man? ORL. Orlando, my liege; the youngest son of fir Rowland de Bois. DUKE F. I would, thou hadft been fon to fome man elfe. The world efteem'd thy father honourable, Thou shouldft have better pleas'd me with this deed, To be adopted heir to Frederick. Ros. My father loy'd fir Rowland as his foul, And all the world was of my father's mind, Had I before known this young man his fon, 3 His youngest fon;] The words "than to be defcended from any other house, however high," must be understood. Orlando is replying to the duke, who is juft gone out, and had faid, "Thou should'ft have better pleas'd me with this deed, that calling,] i. e. appellation; a very unusual, if not unprecedented fenfe of the word. STEEVENS. |