Wer't not, affection chains thy tender days I rather There is no earlier tranflation of the Diana entered on the books of the Stationers' Company, than that of B. Younge, September 1598. Many tranflations, however, after they were licenfed, were capricioufly fuppreffed, Among others, "The Decameron of Mr. John Boccace Florentine," was "recalled by my lord of Canterbury's commands." I much lament having never met with a work entitled, "A Catalogue for Englishe printed Bookes," entered at Stationers' Hall, May 8, 1595. STEEVENS. 2 It is obfervable (I know not for what cause), that the style of this comedy is lefs figurative, and more natural and unaffected than the greater part of this author's, though supposed to be one of the firft he wrote. POPE. It may very well be doubted, whether Shakespeare had any other hand in this play than the enlivening it with fome fpeeches and lines thrown in here and there, which are eafily distinguished, as being of a different stamp from the reft. HANMER. To this obfervation of Mr. Pope, which is very juft, Mr. Theobald has added, that this is one of Shakespeare's vorft plays, and is lefs corrupted than any other. Mr. Upton peremptorily deter mines, that if any proof can be drawn from manner and fyle, this play must be fent packing, and feek for its parent elsewhere. How otherwife, fays he, do painters diftinguish copies from originals, and have not authors their peculiar ftyle and manner from which a true critic can form as unerring judgment as a painter? I am afraid this illuftration of a critic's fcience will not prove what is defired. A painter knows a copy from an original by rules fomewhat refembling thefe by which critics know a tranflation, which if it be literal, and literal it must be to refemble the copy of a of a picture, will be eafily diftinguished. Copies are known from originals, even when the painter copies his own picture; fo if an author fhould literally tranflate his work, he would lose the manner of an original. Mr. Upton confounds the copy of a picture with the imitation of a painter's manner. Copies are easily known, but good imitations are not detected with equal certainty, and are, by the best judges, often mistaken. Nor is it true that the writer has always peculiarities equally diftinguishable with thofe of the painter. The peculiar manner of each arifes from the defire, natural to every performer, of facilitating his fubfequent works by recurrence to his former ideas; this recurrence produces that repetition which is called habit. The painter, whofe work is partly intellectual and partly manual, has habits of the mind, the eye and the hand, I rather would entreat thy company, Pro. Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu! When thou doft meet good hap; and, in thy danger, Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers, Val. And on a love-book pray for my fuccefs. hand, the writer has only habits of the mind. Yet, fome painters have differed as much from themselves as from any other ; and I have been told, that there is little resemblance between the first works of Raphael and the laft. The fame variation may be expected in writers; and if it be true, as it feems, that they are lefs fubject to habit, the difference between their works may be yet greater. But by the internal marks of a compofition we may discover the author with probability, though feldom with certainty. When I read this play, I cannot but think that I find, both in the ferious and ludicrous fcenes, the language and fentiments of Shakespeare. It is not indeed one of his most powerful effufions, it has neither many diverfities of character, nor ftriking delineations of life, but it abounds in yvaal beyond most of his plays, and few have more lines or paffages, which, fingly confidered, are eminently beautiful, I am yet inclined to believe that it was not very fuccefsful, and fufpect that it has efcaped corruption, only because being feldom played, it was lefs expofed to the hazards of transcription. JOHNSON. 3 Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits:] Milton has the Tame play on words: "It is for homely features to keep home, "They had their name thence." STEEVENS. 4fhapeless idleness.] The expreffion is fine, as implying that idleness prevents the giving any form or character to the manners. WARBURTON. Val. That's on some shallow ftory of deep love, How young Leander cross'd the Hellefpont. Pro. That's a deep ftory of a deeper love; For he was more than over fhoes in love. Val, Tis true; for you are over boots in love, And yet you never fwom the Hellefpont. Pro. Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots. Val. No, I will not; for it boots thee not. Pro. What?vda Val. To be in love, where fcorn is bought with groans; Coy looks, with heart-fore fighs; one fading moment's mirth, With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights 6 However, but a folly bought with wit, Or elfe a wit by folly vanquifhed. nay, give me not the boots.] A proverbial expreffion, though now difufed, fignifying, don't make a laughing stock of me; don't play upon me. The French have a phrafe, Bailler foin en corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, To give one the boots; to fell him a bargain. THEOBALD Perhaps this expreffion took its origin from a fport the country people in Warwickshire ufe at their harveft-home, where one fits as judge to try misdemeanors committed in harvest, and the punishment for the men is to be laid on a bench, and flapped on the breech with a pair of boots. This they call giving them the boots. I meet with the fame expreffion in the old comedy called Mother Bombie, by Lylly: What do you give me the boots ?" Again, in The Weakest goes to the Wall, a comedy, 1618: "-Nor your fat bacon can carry it away, if you offer us the boots.eu The boots, however, were an ancient engine of torture. In MS. Harl. 6999-48, Mr. T. Randolph writes to lord Hunfdon, &c. and mentions, in the P. S. to his letter, that Geo. Flecke had yesterday night the boots, and is faid to have confeffed that the E. of Morton was privy to the poifoning the E. of Athol, 16 March, 1580 and in another letter, March 18, 1580, "that the laird of Whittingham had the boots, but without torment confefs'd, &c." STEEVENS. Pro you; Pro. So, by your circumftance, you call me fool. Val. So, by your circumftance, I fear, you'll prove. Pro. 'Tis love you cavil a; I am not love. Val. Love is your mafter, for he masters And he that is fo yoked by a fool, Methinks fhould not be chronicled for wife. Pro. Yet writers fay, As in the sweetest bud The eating canker dwells, fo eating love Inhabits in the finest wits of all. Val. And writers fay, As the most forward bud Is eaten by the canker ere it blow, Even fo by love the young and tender wit Once more adieu: my father at the road Pro. And thither will I bring thee, Valentine. Val. Sweet Protheus, no; now let us take our leave. At Milan, let me hear from thee by letters, Pro. All happiness bechance to thee in Milan ! Pro. He after honour hunts, I after love: He leaves his friends, to dignify them more; I leave myself, my friends, and all for love. Thou, Julia, thou haft metamorphos'd me; Made me neglect my ftudies, lofe my time, [Exit. 6 However, but a folly-] This love will end in a foolish action, to produce which you are long to fpend your wit, or it will end in the lofs of your wit, which will be overpowered by the folly of love. JOHNSON. War War with good counsel, fet the world at nought; ? Made wit with mufing weak, heart fick with thought. 8 Enter Speed Speed. Sir Protheus, fave you: Saw you my you my mafter? Pro. But now he parted hence to imbark for Milan. Speed. Twenty to one then, he is fhipp'd already; And I have play'd the fheep, in lofing him. Pro. Indeed, a fheep doth very often stray, An if the fhepherd be awhile away. Speed. You conclude, that my mafter is a fhepherd then, and I a sheep? Pro. I do. Speed. Why then my horns are his horns, whether I wake or fleep. Pro. A filly answer, and fitting well a fheep. Speed. Nay, that I can deny by a circumftance. Pro. It fhall go hard, but I'll prove it by another. Speed. The fhepherd feeks the fheep, and not the fheep the fhepherd; but I feek my mafter, and my mafter feeks not me: therefore I am no fheep. 7 Made wit with mufing weak,-] For made read make. Thot, Julia, haft made me war with good counsel, and make wit weak with mufing. JOHNSON. Surely there is no need of emendation. It is Julia, who has already made wit weak with mufing, &c. STEEVENS. This whole feene, like many others in these plays (fome of which I believe were written by Shakefpeare, and others interpolated by the players) is compofed of the lowest and most trifling conceits, to be accounted for only from the grofs tafte of the age he lived in; Populo ut placerent. I wish I had authority to leave them out; but I have done all I could, fet a mark of reprobation upon them throughout this edition. POPE. That this, like many other fcenes, is mean and vulgar, will be univerfally allowed; but that it was interpolated by the players feems advanced without any proof, only to give a greater licence so criticifm. JOHNSON. Pro. |