Inter. You are a merciful general. Our general bids you answer to what I fhall afk you out of a note. Par. And truly, as I hope to live. Inter. First demand of him, how many horse the Duke is ftrong. What fay you to that? Par. Five or fix thoufand; but very weak and unferviceable: the troops are all scatter'd, and the commanders very poor rogues; upon my reputation and credit, and as I hope to live. Inter. Shall I fet down your answer fo? Par. Do; I'll take the facrament on't, how and which way you will: all's one to him. Ber. What a paft-faving flave is this! 1 Lord. You are deceiv'd, my lord; this is monfieur Parolles, the gallant militarift, (that was his own phrase) that had the whole theory of war in the knot of his fcarf, and the practice in the chape of his dagger. 2 Lord. I will never trust a man again for keeping his sword clean; nor believe, he can have every thing in him, by wearing his apparel neatly. Inter. Well, that's fet down. Par. Five or fix thousand horfe I faid, (I will fay true,) or thereabouts, fet down; for I'll fpeak truth, 1 Lord. He's very near the truth in this. Ber. But I con him no thanks for't', in the nature he delivers it. 3 ———all's one to him.] Thus the old copy. The modern editors read" all's one to me," but without authority. I be. lieve these words fhould begin the next fpeech. They would then appear as a proper remark made by Bertram on the affertion of Parolles. STEEVENS. — I con him no thank for it.] i. e. I fhall not thank him in ftudied language. I meet with the fame expreffion in Pierce Penrileffe bis Supplication, &c. "I believe he will con thee little thanks for it.” To con thanks may, indeed, exactly answer the French scavoire gré. con is to know. STEEVENS. Το H 4 Par Par. Poor rogues, I pray you, fay. Inter. Well, that's fet down. Par. I humbly thank you, fir: a truth's a truth, the rogues are marvellous poor. Inter. Demand of him, of what ftrength they are a-foot. What fay you to that? Par. By my troth, fir, if I were to live this prefent hour, I will tell true. Let me fee: Spurio a hundred and fifty, Sebastian so many, Corambus fa many, Jaques fo many; Guiltian, Cofmo, Lodowick, and Gratii, two hundred fifty each; mine own company, Chitopher, Vaumond, Bentii, two hundred and fifty each: fo that the mufter file, rotten and found, upon my life amounts not to fifteen thousand poll; half of the which dare not shake the fnow from off their caflocks, left they shake themselves topieces 7. *—if I were to live this present hour, &c.] I do not understand this paffage. Perhaps (as an anonymous correspondent observes) we should read, 7. If I were to live but this prefent hour." STEEVENS. off their caflocks.] Caffock fignifies a horfeman's loofe coat, and is used in that fenfe by the writers of the age of Shakefpeare. So in Every Man in his Humour, Brainworm fays-" He will never come within the fight of a caflock or a mufquet-reft again." Something of the fame kind, likewife appears to have been part of the drefs of rufticks, in Mucedorus, an anonymous comedy 1598, attributed by fome writers to Shakespeare, Within my closet there does hang a caflock Tho' bafe the weed is, 'twas a shepherd's. Nafh, in Pierce Pennileffe his Supplication to the Devil 1595, fays, I lighted upon an old ftraddling ufurer, clad in a damask cafeck edged with fur, &c." So in Lingua, or a Combat of the Tongue, &c. 1607. "Enter Memory, an old decrepid man in a velvet caffock.” Again in Whetstone's Promos and Caffandra, 1578. "I will not ftick to wear "A blue caflock." On this occafion a woman is the fpeaker. So again Puttenham, in his Art of Poetry 1589" Who would not think it a ridiculous thing to fee a lady in her milk-house with a velvet gown, and at a bridai in her caflock of meccado?" STEEVENS. Ber Ber. What shall be done to him? I Lord. Nothing, but let him have thanks. Demand of him my conditions, and what credit I have with the Duke. Inter. Well, that's fet down. You shall demand of him, whether one captain Dumain be i'the camp, a Frenchman: what his reputation is with the Duke, what his valour, bonefty, and expertnefs in war; or whether he thinks, it were not poffible with well-weighing fums of gold to corrupt him to a revolt. What fay you to this? what do you know of it? Par, I beseech you, let me anfwer to the particular of the interrogatories. Demand them fingly. Inter. Do you know this captain Dumain? Par. I know him he was a botcher's 'prentice in Paris, from whence he was whip'd for getting the fheriff's fool with child; a dumb innocent, that could not say him, nay. [Dumain lifts up his band in anger; Ber. Nay, by your leave, hold your hands; tho' I know, his brains are forfeit to the next tile that falls. Inter. Well, is this captain in the Duke of Florence's camp? Par. Upon my knowledge, he is, and lowfy. 1 Lord. Nay, look not fo upon me; we shall hear of your lordship anon. Inter. What is his reputation with the Duke? Par. The Duke knows him for no other but a poor officer of mine; and writ to me the other day to turn him out o'the band. I think, I have his letter in my pocket. Inter. Marry, we'll search. Par. In good fadness, I do not know; either it is there, or it is upon the file, with the Duke's other letters, in my tent. Inter. Here 'tis; here's a paper, shall I read it to you? Par, I do not know, if it be it, or no. Ber. Ber. Our Interpreter does it well. Inter. Dian. the Count's a fool, and full of gold. Par. That is not the Duke's letter, fir; that is an advertisement to a proper maid in Florence, one Diana, to take heed of the allurement of one count Roufillon, a foolish idle boy, but, for all that, very ruttifh. I pray you, fir, put it up again. Inter. Nay, I'll read it first, by your favour. Par. My meaning in't, I proteft, was very honest in the behalf of the maid: for I knew the young count to be a dangerous and lafcivious boy, who is a whale to virginity, and devours up all the fry it finds. Ber. Damnable! both fides rogue. Interpreter reads the letter. When he fwears oaths, bid him drop gold, and take it, After he fcores, he never pays the Score: Half won, is match well made; match, and well make it? Dian. The Court's a fool, and full of gold.] After this line there is apparently a line loft, there being no rhime that corresponds to gold. JOHNSON. 9 Half wen, is match well made; match, and well make it.] This line has no meaning that I can find. I read, with a very flight alteration, Half won is match well made; watch, and well make it. That is, a match well made is half w:n; watch, and make it well. This is, in my opinion, not all the error. The lines are mifplaced, and fhould be read thus: Half wen is match well made; watch, and well make it ; He never pays after-debts, take it before, And fay That is, take his money and leave him to himself. When the players had lost the fecond line, they tried to make a connection out of the reft. Part is apparently in couplets, and the note was probably uniform. JOHNSON. He He ne'er pays after-debts, take it before; Thine, as he vow'd to thee in thine ear, PAROLLES. Ber. He shall be whip'd thro' the army with this rhime in his forehead. 2 Lord. This is your devoted friend, fir, the manifold linguift, and the armi-potent foldier. Ber, I could endure any thing before but a cat, and now he's a cat to me. Inter. I perceive, fir, by the general's looks, we fhall 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 ftocks, any where, fo I may live. Inter. We'll fay what may be done, so 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 he honestly? 1 Par. He will steal, fir, an egg out of a cloister; * Men are to mell with, boys are not to kiss.] for All the editors have obtruded a new maxim upon us here, that boys are not to kifs.Livia, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Tamer tam'd, is of a quite oppofite opinion. For boys were made for nothing but dry kisses. And our poet's thought, I am perfuaded, went to the fame tune. To mell, is derived from the French word, meler; to mingle. THEOBALD. an egg out of a cloifter.] I know not that cloifter, though it may etymologically fignify any thing but is ufed by our author, otherwife than for a monaftery, and therefore I cannot guess whence |