In most rich choice; yet, in his idle fire, WID. Now I fee HEL. You fee it lawful then: It is no more, WID. HEL. 8 [Exeunt. -after this,] The latter word was added to complete the metre, by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. 9 Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed, And lawful meaning in a lawful a&;] To make this gingling riddle complete in all its parts, we should read the second line thus: And lawful meaning in a wicked a&; The fenfe of the two lines is this: It is a wicked meaning because the woman's intent is to deceive; but a lawful deed, because the VOL. VI. X 3 ACT IV. SCENE I. Without the Florentine Camp. Enter first Lord, with five or fix Soldiers in ambush. I LORD. He can come no other way but by this hedge' corner: When you fally upon him, fpeak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not yourselves, no matter: for we must not feem to understand him; unlefs fome one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter. I SOLD. Good captain, let me be the interpreter. I LORD. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice? man enjoys his own wife. Again, it is a lawful meaning because done by her to gain her hufband's estranged affection, but it is a wicked at becaufe he goes intentionally to commit adultery. The riddle cconludes thus: Where both not fin, and yet a finful fact, i. e. Where neither of them fin, and yet it is a finful fact on both fides; which conclufion, we fee, requires the emendation here made. WARBURTON. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads in the fame fenfe: Unlawful meaning in a lawful act. JOHNSON. Bertram's meaning is wicked in a lawful deed, and Helen's meaning is lawful in a lawful act; and neither of them fin: yet on his part it was a finful uct, for his meaning was to commit adultery, of which he was innocent, as the lady was his wife. TOLLET. The first line relates to Bertram. The deed was lawful, as being the duty of marriage, owed by the hufband to the wife; but his meaning was wicked, because he intended to commit adultery. The fecond line relates to Helena; whofe meaning was lawful, in as much as the intended to reclaim her husband, and demanded only the rights of a wife. The act or deed was lawful for the reafon already given. The fubfequent line relates to them both. The fact was finful, as far as Bertram was concerned, because he intended to commit adultery; yet neither he nor Helena actually finned: not the wife, because both her intention and action were innocent; not the hufband, because he did not accomplish his intention; he did not commit adultery.-This note is partly Mr. Heath's. MALONE. I SOLD. No, fir, I warrant you. I LORD. But what linfy-woolfy haft thou to speak to us again? I SOL. Even fuch as you speak to me. I LORD. He muft think us fome band of ftrangers i'the adverfary's entertainment. Now he hath a fmack of all neighbouring languages; therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we fpeak one to another; fo we feem to know, is to know ftraight our purpose: chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politick. But couch, ho! here he comes; to beguile two hours in a fleep, and then to return and fwear the lies he forges. Enter PAROLLES. PAR. Ten o'clock: within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plaufive invention that carries it: They begin to fmoke me; and difgraces have of late knock'd too often at my door. 2 -fome band of ftrangers i'the adversary's entertainment.] That is, foreign troops in the enemy's pay. JOHNSON. 3 -fo we feem to know, is to know, &c.] I think the meaning is, Our feeming to know what we fpeak one to another, is to make him to know our purpofe immediately; to difcover our design to him. To know, in the laft inftance, fignifies to make known. Sir Thomas Hanmer very plaufibly reads to how ftraight our purpose. MALONE. The fenfe of this paffage with the context I take to be this,We muft each fancy a jargon for himself, without aiming to be understood by one another, for provided we appear to understand, that will be fufficient for the fuccefs of our project. HENLEY. chough's language,] So, in The Tempeft: 4 -I myfelf could make "A chough of as deep chat." STEEVENS. I find, my tongue is too fool-hardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue. I LORD. This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of. [Afide. PAR. What the devil fhould move me to undertake the recovery of this drum; being not ignorant of the impoffibility, and knowing I had no fuch purpose? I must give myself fome hurts, and fay, got them in exploit: Yet flight ones will not carry it: They will fay, Came you off with fo little? and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? what's the inftance? Tongue, I muft put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy another of Bajazet's mule,' if you prattle me into these perils. I LORD. Is it poffible, he should know what he is, and be that he is? [Afide. PAR. I would the cutting of my garments would ferve the turn; or the breaking of my Spanish fword. I LORD. We cannot afford you fo. ✦ the inftance?] The proof. JOHNSON. [Afide. of Bajazet's mule,] Dr. Warburton would read-mute. MALONE. As a mule is as dumb by nature, as the mute is by art, the reading may ftand. In one of our old Turkish hiftories, there is a pompous defcription of Bajazet riding on a mule to the Divan. STEEVENS. Perhaps there may be here a reference to the following apologue mentioned by Maitland, in one of his defpatches to Secretary Cecil: "I think yow have hard the apologue off the Philofopher who for th' emperor's plefure tooke upon him to make a Moyle fpeak: In many yeares the lyke may yet be, eyther that the Moyle, the Philofopher, or Eamperor may dye before the tyme be fully ronne out." Haynes's Collection, 369. Parolles probably means, he must buy a tongue which has ftill to learn the use of speech, that he may run himself into no more difficulties by his loquacity. REED. PAR. Or the baring of my beard; and to fay, it was in ftratagem. I LORD. 'Twould not do. [Afide. PAR. Or to drown my clothes, and fay, I was stripp'd. I LORD. Hardly ferve. [Afide. PAR. Though I fwore I leap'd from the window of the citadel. I LORD. How deep? [Afide. I LORD. Three great oaths would fcarce make that be believed. [Afide. PAR. I would, I had any drum of the enemy's; I would fwear, I recover'd it. I LORD. You fhall hear one anon. [Afide. PAR. A drum now of the enemy's! [ Alarum within. I SOLD. Bofkos thromuldo bofkos. PAR. I know you are the Muskos' regiment. And I fhall lofe my life for want of language: If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch, Italian, or French, let him speak to me, I will discover that which fhall undo The Florentine. I SOLD. Bofkos vauvado: I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue: Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards |