And fay, a foldier, Dian, told thee this, Thine, as he vow'd to thee in thine ear, PAROLLES he admonishes her not to yield up her virtue to his oaths, but his gold; and having enforced this advice by an adage, recommends her to comply with his importunity, provided half the fum for which she shall ftipulate be previously paid her:-Half won is match well made; match, and well make it. HENLEY. Gain half of what he offers, and you are well off; if you yield to him, make your bargain fecure. MALONE. 4 Men are to mell with, boys are not to kifs:] The meaning of the word mell, from meler, French, is obvious. So, in Ane very Excellent and Dele&tabill Treatife, intitulit PHILOTUS, &c. 1603. "But he na hufband is to mee; "Then how could we twa difagree "Na melling, miftrefs? will you then Again in The Corpus Chrifti Play, acted at Coventry. MSS. Cott. Vefp. VIII. p. 122: The "A fayr yonge qwene herby doth dwelle, "Both frech and gay upon to loke, "And a tall man with her doth melle, "The way into hyr chawmer ryght evyn he toke." argument of this piece is The Woman taken in Adultery. STEEVENS. Men are to mell with, boys are not to kifs:] Mr. Theobald and the fubfequent editors read-boys are but to kifs. I do not fee any need of change, nor do I believe that any oppofition was intended between the words mell and kifs. Parolles wishes to recommend himself to Diana, and for that purpose advifes her to grant her favours to men, and not to boys. He himself calls his letter " An advertisement to Diana to take heed of the allurement of one count Roufillon, a foolish idle boy." To mell is ufed by our author's contemporaries in the fenfe of meddling, without the indecent idea which Mr. Theobald supposed BER. He fhall be whipp'd through the army, with this rhyme in his forehead. 2 LORD. This is your devoted friend, fir, the manifold linguist, and the armipotent foldier. BER. I could endure any thing before but a cat, and now he's a cat to me. I SOLD. I perceive, fir, by the general's looks,' we shall be fain to hang you. PAR. My life, fir, in any cafe: not that I am afraid to die; but that, my offences being many, I would repent out the remainder of nature: let me live, fir, in a dungeon, i'the stocks, or any where, fo I may live." I SOLD. We'll fee what may be done, fo you confefs freely; therefore, once more to this captain Dumain: You have answer'd to his reputation with the duke, and to his valour: What is his honesty? PAR. He will steal, fir, an egg out of a cloister;" to be couched under the word in this place. So, in Hall's Satires, 1597: Hence, ye profane; mell not with holy things." Again, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. IV. c. 1: "With holy father fits not with such things to mell." MALONE. 5 by the general's looks,] The old copy has-by your. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond folio, and the mifprint probably arofe from ye in the MS. being taken for yr. MALONE. 6 let me live, fir, in a dungeon, i'the stocks, or any where, fo I may live.] Smith might have had this abject fentiment of Parolles in his memory, when he put the following words into the mouth of Lycon, in Phedra and Hippolytus: Ó, chain me, whip me, let me be the scorn "Of fordid rabbles, and infulting crowds; "Give me but life, and make that life moft wretched!" STEEVENS. 7 —an egg out of a cloifter;] I know not that cloifter, though it may etymologically fignify any thing hut, is used by our author for rapes and ravishments he parallels Neffus. He profeffes not keeping of oaths; in breaking them, he is stronger than Hercules. He will lie, fir, with fuch volubility, that you would think truth were a fool: drunkenness is his best virtue; for he will be fwine-drunk; and in his fleep he does little harm, fave to his bed-clothes about him; but they know his conditions, and lay him in ftraw. I have but little more to say, fir, of his honefty: he has every thing that an honeft man should not have; what an honest man should have, he has nothing. I LORD. I begin to love him for this. BER. For this description of thine honesty? A pox upon him for me, he is more and more a cat. 1 SOLD. What fay you to his expertness in war? PAR. Faith, fir, he has led the drum before the English tragedians,-to belie him, I will not,-and more of his foldierfhip I know not; except, in that country, he had the honour to be the officer at a place there call'd Mile-end,' to inftruct for the doubling of files: I would do the man what honour I can, but of this I am not certain. I LORD. He hath out-villain'd villainy fo far, that the rarity redeems him. BER. A pox on him! he's a cat ftill," otherwise than for a monaftery, and therefore I cannot guess whence this hyperbole could take its original: perhaps it means only this: He will feal any thing, however trifling, from any place, however holy. JOHNSON. Robbing the fpital, is a common phrase, of the like import. 7 at a place there call'd Mile-end,] See a note on King Henry IV. P. II. A&t III. fc. ii. MALONE. 8 he's a cat fill.] That is, throw him how you will, he lights upon his legs. JOHNSON, I SOLD. His qualities being at this poor price, I need not ask you, if gold will corrupt him to revolt. PAR. Sir, for a quart d'ecu' he will fell the feefimple of his falvation, the inheritance of it; and cut the entail from all remainders, and a perpetual fucceffion for it perpetually. I SOLD. What's his brother, the other captain Dumain? 2 LORD. Why does he afk him of me?' I SOLD. What's he? PAR. E'en a crow of the fame neft; not altogether Bertram has no fuch meaning. In a fpeech or two before, he declares his averfion to a cat, and now only continues in the fame opinion, and fays he hates Parolles as much as he hates a cat. The other explanation will not do, as Parolles could not be meant by the cat, which always lights on its legs, for Parolles is now in a fair way to be totally difconcerted. STEEVENS. I am still of my former opinion. The fpeech was applied by King James to Coke, with refpect to his fubtilties of law, that throw him which way we would, he could ftill, like a cat, light upon his legs. JOHNSON. The count had faid, that formerly a cat was the only thing in the world which he could not endure; but that now Parolles was as much the object of his averfion as that animal. After Parolles has gone through his next lift of falfhoods, the count adds, "he's more and more a cat,"-ftill more and more the object of my averfion than he was. As Parolles proceeds ftill further, one of the Frenchmen obferves, that the fingularity of his impudence and villainy redeems his character.-Not at all, replies the count; "he's a cat ftill;" he is as hateful to me as ever. There cannot therefore, I think, be any doubt that Dr. Johnson's interpretation, "throw him how you will, he lights upon his legs,"—is founded on a mifapprehenfion. MALONE. 9 -for a quart d'ecu-] The fourth part of the fmaller French crown; about eight-pence of our money. MALONE. 2 Why does he ask him of me?] This is nature. Every man is on fuch occafions more willing to hear his neighbour's character than his own. JOHNSON. fo great as the first in goodness, but greater a great deal in evil. He excels his brother for a coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the best that is: In a retreat he out-runs any lackey; marry, in coming on he has the cramp. I SOLD. If your life be faved, will you undertake to betray the Florentine? PAR. Ay, and the captain of his horse, count Roufillon. I SOLD. I'll whisper with the general, and know his pleasure. PAR. I'll no more drumming; a plague of all drums! Only to seem to deserve well, and to beguile the fuppofition' of that lafcivious young boy the count, have I run into this danger: Yet, who would have fufpected an ambush where I was taken? [Afide. I SOLD. There is no remedy, fir, but you must die: the general fays, you, that have so traiterously difcovered the fecrets of your army, and made fuch peftiferous reports of men very nobly held, can ferve the world for no honeft ufe; therefore you muft die. Come, headfman, off with his head. PAR. O Lord, fir; let me live, or let me see my death! I SOLD. That fhall you, and take your leave of all your friends. [Unmuffling bim. So, look about you; Know you any here? BER. Good morrow, noble captain. 2 LORD. God bless you, captain Parolles. 3to beguile the fuppofition-] That is, to deceive the opinion, to make the count think me a man that deferves well. JOHNSON. |