Enter Parolles.

Par. Ten o'clock; within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What fhall I fay, I have done? it must be a very plaufive invention that carries it. They begin to fmoak me, and difgraces have of late knock'd too often at my door ; 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.

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 purpofe? I muft give myfelf fome hurts, and fay, I 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 (7) inftance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy another of (8) Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into thefe perils.

Lord. Is it poffible, he should know what he is, a nd be that he is?

Par. I would, the cutting of my garments would ferve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish fword. Lord. We cannot afford you fo.

[Afide.

Par. Or the baring of my beard, and to fay, it was

in ftratagem.

Lord. Twould not do.

Par. Or to drown my cloaths, and fay, I was ftript.

Lord. Hardly ferve.

(7) The Inftance?] The proof.

[Afide.

[Afide

(8) And buy myself another of Bajazet's MULE,] We should

read, Bajazet's MUTE, i, e. a Turkish mute. So in Henry V.

Either our biftory fhall with full mouth

Speak freely of our acts; or else our grave,

Like Turkish mute, shall base a tongueless mouth.

WARBURTON.

Par.

Par. Though I fwore, I leap'd from the window of

the citadel-

Lord. How deep?

Par. Thirty fathom.

[Afide.

Lord. Three great oaths would fcarce make that be

Par. I would, I had any drum of the enemies;

believed.

[Afide.

would fwear, I recover' it.

Lord. You fhall hear one anon.

[Afide

Alarum within.

Par. A drum now of the enemies!

Lord. Throco movoufus, cargo, cargo, cargo.

All. Cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.

Par. Oh! ranfom, ranfem: - do not hide mine

eyes.

[They feize him and blindfold him.

Inter. Bofkos thromuldo bofkos.

Par. Iknow, you are the Musko 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 fpeak to me,

I'll difcover That which fhall undo the Florentine. Inter. Bofkos vauvado; I understand thee, and can fpeak thy tongue; Kerelyb into,- -Sir, betake thee to thy faith, for feventeen poniards are at thy bofom.

Par. Oh!

Inter. Oh, pray, pray, pray. Mancha ravancha dulche,

Lord. Ofceoribi dulchos volivorce.

Inter. The General is content to fpare thee yet, And, hood-winkt as thou art, will lead thee on

To gather from thee. Haply thou may'ft inform

Something to fave thy life..

Par. Oh let me live,

And all the fecrets of our Camp I'll fhew;

Their force, their purpofes: nay, I'll fpeak that

Which you will wonder at.

Inter. But wilt thou faithfully?

Par. If I do not, damn me.

Inter. Acordo linta.

Come on, thou art granted fpace.

[Exit.

[A Short alarum within. Lord.

Lord. Go, tell the Count Roufillon and my brother, We've caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled 'Till we do hear from them.

Sol. Captain, I will.

Lord. He will betray us all unto ourselves. Informem That.

Sol. So I will, Sir. "}

Lord. 'Till then I'll keep him dark and fafely lockt.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Widow's Houfe.

Enter Bertram, and Diana.

[Exeunt.

Ber. They told me, that your name was Fontibel.
Dia. No, my good Lord, Diana.

Ber. Titled Goddess,

And worth it with addition! but, fair foul,

In

your fine frame hath love no quality?

If the quick fire of youth light not your mind
You are no Maiden, but a Monument:
When you are dead, you fhould be fuch a one
As you are now, for you are cold and stern;
And now you fhould be as your Mother was,
When your fweet felf was got.

Dia. She then was honest.

Ber. So fhould you be.

Dian. No.

My Mother did but duty: fuch, my Lord,

As you owe to your Wife.

Ber. (9) No more o' that!

(9) No more o'that!

I pr'ythee do not frive against my vows:

I pr'ythee

I was compell d to be,] I know not well what Bertram can mean by entreating Diana not to frive against bis Vews. Diana has just mentioned his wife, fo that the vows feem to relate to his marriage. In this fenfe, not Diana, but Himself, firives against bis Vows. His vows indeed may mean wows made to Diana; but, in that cafe, to five against is not properly used for to reject, nor does this fente cohere well with his firft exclamation of impatience at the mention of his wife. No more of that! Perhaps we might read,

I prytbee do not drive against my Vers.

Do

I pr'ythee do not strive against my vows:
I was compell'd to her, but I love thee
By love's own fweet conftraint, and will for ever
Do thee all rights of service.

ferve us,

you have our rofes,
prick ourselves,n

Dia. Ay, fo you
"Till we ferve you: but when
You barely leave our thorns to
And mock us with our bareness.
Ber. How have I fworn!

Dia. 'Tis not the many oaths that make the truth,
But the plain, fingle vow, that is vow'd true;
(1) What is not holy, that we swear, not 'bides,

But

Do not run upon that topick; talk of any thing else that I can bear to bear.

I have another conceit upon this paffage, which I would be thought to offer without much confidence.

No more of that!

I pr'ytbee do not thrive

I was compell'd to her.

against my voice

Diane tells him unexpectedly of his wife. He answers with perturbation, No more of that! I pr'ytbee do not play the confeffor -against my own confent I was compelled to ber.

When a young profligate finds his courtship fo gravely repreffed by an admonition of his duty, he very naturally defires the girl not to take upon her the office of a confeffor.

(1) What is not holy that we fwear not BY,] Yes, nothing is more common than fuch kind of oaths. But Diana is not here accufing Bertram for fwearing by a Being not holy, but for fwearing to an unholy purpofe; as is evident from the preceding lines. 'Tis not the many oaths, that make the Truth:

But the plain, fimple vow, that is vow'd true.

The line in queftion, therefore, is evidently corrupt, and should be read thus,

What is not boly, that we fear, not 'BIDES,

i. e. If we fwear to an unholy purpose the oath abides not, but is diffolved in the making. This is an answer to the purpose. She fubjoins the reafon two or three lines after,

this has no holding,

To fwear by bim, whom I proteft to love,
That I will work against him.

i. e. That oath can never hold whofe fubject is to offend and difpleafe that Being, whom, I profefs, in the act of fwearing by him, to love and reverence. What may have misled the editors into the common reading was, perhaps, mistaking Bertram's words above. By love's own fweet constraint, to be an oath; whereas it only fignifies, being constrained by love.

WARBURTON.

This is an acute and excellent conjecture, and I have done it the

due

But take the High'ft to witnefs: then, pray tell me,
* If I fhould fwear by Jove's great attributes
I lov'd you dearly, would you believe my oaths,
When I did love you ill? This has no holding,
To fwear by him whom I proteft to love,

That I will work against him. Therefore your oaths
Are words, and poor conditions but unfeal'd;
At least in my opinion.

Ber. Change it, change it:

Be not fo holy-cruel. Love is holy,

And my integrity ne'er knew the crafts

That you do charge men with: ftand no more off,
But give thyfelf unto my fick defires,

Which then recover. Say, thou art mine; and ever
My love, as it begins, fhall fo perfever.

Dia. I fee, that men make hopes in fuch affairs
That we'll forfake ourselves. Give me that ring.

Ber. I'll lend it thee, my Dear, but have no power To give it from me.

due honour of exalting it to the text; yet, methinks, there is something yet wanting. The following words, but take the High'ft to witness, even though they be understood as an anticipation or alfumption in this fenfe,hut now suppose that you take the Highest to witness, have not fufficient relation to the antecedent fentence. I will propofe a reading nearer to the furface, and let it take its chance.

Bert. How barie I fworn!

Diana. 'Tis not the many oaths, that make the truth;

But the plain fingle Vor, that is vow'd true.

Bert. What is not boly, that we fwear not

But take the Higb'ft to witness.

not by,

Diana. Then, pray tell me,

If I fhould favear, &c.)

Bertram means to enforce his fuit, by telling her, that he has bound himself to her, not by the petty proteftations usual among lovers, but by vows of greater folemnity. She then makes a proper and rational reply.

*If I should fwear by Jove's great attributes-] In the print of the old folio, it is doubtful whether it is Jove's or Love's, the characters being not diftinguishable. If it is read Love's, perhaps it may be fomething lefs dificult. I am ftill at a lofs.

To fwear by bim whom I proteft to love,

That I will work against him.]

This paffage likewife appears to me corrupt. She fwears not by him whom the loves, but by Jupiter, I believe we may read, to fwear to bim. There is, fays fhe, no bolding, no confiftency, in fwearing to one that I love bim, when I fwear it only to injure him.