there is no believing old signs: he brushes his hat o'mornings; What should that bode?

D. PEDRO. Hath any man seen him at the barber's?

CLAUD. No, but the barber's man hath been seen with him; and the old ornament of his cheek hath already stuffed tennis-balls.^

LEON. Indeed, he looks younger than he did, by the loss of a beard,

D. PEDRO. Nay, he rubs himself with civet: Can you smell him out by that?

CLAUD. That's as much as to say, The sweet youth's in love.

D. PEDRO. The greatest note of it is his melan

choly.

CLAUD. And when was he wont to wash his face? D. PEDRO. Yea, or to paint himself? for the which, I hear what they say of him.

CLAUD. Nay, but his jesting spirit; which is now crept into a lutestring, and now governed by stops.

- and the old ornament of his cheek hath already stuffed tennis-balls.] So, in A wonderful, strange, and miraculous astrological Prognostication for this Year of our Lord, 1591, written by Nashe, in ridicule of Richard Harvey: " they may sell their haire by the pound, to stuffe tennice balles." STEEVENS,

Again, in Ram-Alley, or Merry Tricks, 1611:

Thy beard shall serve to stuff those balls by which I get me heat at tenice."

Again, in The Gentle Craft, 1600:

"He'll shave it off, and stuffe tenice balls with it."

HENDERSON,

crept into a lutestring,] Love-songs in our author's time were generally sung to the musick of the lute. So, in King Henry IV. P. I:

66

―as melancholy as an old lion, or a lover's lute."

MALONE.

D. PEDRO. Indeed, that tells a heavy tale for him: Conclude, conclude, he is in love.

CLAUD. Nay, but I know who loves him.

D. PEDRO. That would I know too; I warrant, one that knows him not.

CLAUD. Yes, and his ill conditions; and, in despite of all, dies for him.

D. PEDRO. She shall be buried with her face upwards.

6

• She shall be buried with her face upwards.] Thus the whole set of editions: but what is there any way particular in this? Are not all men and women buried so? Sure, the poet means, in opposition to the general rule, and by way of distinction, with her heels upwards, or face downwards. I have chosen the first reading, because I find it the expression in vogue in our author's time. THEOBALD.

This emendation, which appears to me very specious, is rejected by Dr. Warburton. The meaning seems to be, that she who acted upon principles contrary to others, should be buried with the same contrariety. JOHNSON.

Mr. Theobald quite mistakes the scope of the poet, who prepares the reader to expect somewhat uncommon or extraordinary; and the humour consists in the disappointment of that expectation, as at the end of Iago's poetry in Othello:

"She was a wight, (if ever such wight were)"To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer." HEATH. Theobald's conjecture may, however, be supported by a passage in The Wild Goose Chase of Beaumont and Fletcher: 66 - love cannot starve me;

"For if I die o' th' first fit, I am unhappy,

"And worthy to be buried with my heels upwards." Dr. Johnson's explanation may likewise be countenanced by a passage in an old black letter book, without date, intitled, A merye Jest of a Man that was called HoWLEGLAS, &C. "How Howleglas was buried."-" Thus as Howleglas was deade, then they brought him to be buryed. And as they I would have put the coffyn into the pytte with 11 cordes, the corde at the fete brake, so that the fote of the coffyn fell into the botome of the pyt, and the coffyn stood bolt upryght in the middes of the grave. Then desired the people that stode

BENE. Yet is this no charm for the tooth-ach.— Old signior, walk aside with me; I have studied eight or nine wise words to speak to you, which these hobby-horses must not hear.

[Exeunt BENEDICK and LEONATO,

about the grave that tyme, to let the coffyn to stand bolt upryght. For in his lyfe tyme he was a very marvelous man, &c. and shall be buryed as marvailously; and in this maner they left Howleglass," &c.

That this book was once popular, may be inferred from Ben Jonson's frequent allusions to it in his Poetaster :

"What do you laugh, Owleglas?"

Again, in The Fortunate Isles, a masque:

"What do you think of Owlglas,

"Instead of him?"

And again, in The Sad Shepherd. This history was originally written in Dutch. The hero is there called Uyle-spegel. Under this title he is likewise introduced by Ben Jonson in his Alchymist, and the masque and pastoral already quoted. Menage speaks of Ulespeigle as a man famous for tromperies ingenieuses; adds that his Life was translated into French, and quotes the title-page of it. I have another copy published A Troyes, in 1714, the title of which differs from that set down by Menage. The passage indeed may mean only-She shall be buried in her lover's arms. So, in The Winter's Tale:

"Flo. What? like a corse?

"Per. No, like a bank for love to lie and play on;

"Not like a corse :

—or if,—not to be buried,

"But quick and in my arms."

On the whole, however, I prefer Mr. Theobald's conjecture to my own explanation. STEEVENS.

This last is, I believe, the true interpretation. Our author often quotes Lilly's Grammar; and here perhaps he remembered a phrase that occurs in that book, p. 59, and is thus interpreted: "Tu cubas supinus, thou liest in bed with thy face upwards." Heels and face never could have been confounded by either the eye or the ear.

Besides; Don Pedro is evidently playing on the word dies in Claudio's speech, which Claudio uses metaphorically, and of which Don Pedro avails himself to introduce an allusion to that consummation which he supposes Beatrice was dying for.

MALONE,

D. PEDRO. For my life, to break with him about Beatrice.

CLAUD. 'Tis even so: Hero and Margaret have by this played their parts with Beatrice; and then the two bears will not bite one another, when they

meet.

Enter Don JOHN.

D. JOHN. My lord and brother, God save you. D. PEDRO. Good den, brother.

D. JOHN. If your leisure served, I would speak with you.

D. PEDRO. In private?

D. JOHN. If it please you ;-yet count Claudio may hear; for what I would speak of, concerns

him.

D. PEDRO. What's the matter?

D. JOHN. Means your lordship to be married

to-morrow?

D. PEDRO. You know, he does.

[TO CLAUDIO.

D. JOHN. I know not that, when he knows what I know.

CLAUD. If there be any impediment, I pray you,

discover it.

D. JOHN. You may think, I love you not; let that appear hereafter, and aim better at me by that I now will manifest : For my brother, I think, he holds you well; and in dearness of heart hath holp to effect your ensuing marriage: surely, suit ill spent, and labour ill bestowed!

D. PEDRO. Why, what's the matter?

D. JOHN. I came hither to tell you; and, cir

cumstances shortened, (for she hath been too long a talking of,) the lady is disloyal.

CLAUD. Who? Hero?

D. JOHN. Even she; Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero."

CLAUD. Disloyal?

D. JOHN. The word is too good to paint out her wickedness; I could say, she were worse; think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till further warrant: go but with me tonight, you shall see her chamber-window entered; even the night before her wedding-day: if you love her then, to-morrow wed her; but it would better fit your honour to change your mind, CLAUD. May this be so?

D. PEDRO. I will not think it.

D. JOHN. If you dare not trust that you see, confess not that you know: if you will follow me, I will show you enough; and when you have seen more, and heard more, proceed accordingly.

CLAUD. If I see any thing to-night why I should not marry her to-morrow; in the congregation, where I should wed, there will I shame her.

D. PEDRO. And, as I wooed for thee to obtain her, I will join with thee to disgrace her.

D. JOHN. I will disparage her no farther, till you are my witnesses: bear it coldly but till midnight, and let the issue show itself.

D. PEDRO. Q day untowardly turned!

7-Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero.] Dryden has transplanted this sarcasm into his All for Love:

"Your Cleopatra; Dolabella's Cleopatra; every man's Cleopatra." STEEVENS.