I must produce my power. Here, take her hand,
Proud fcornful boy, unworthy this good gift;
That doft in vile mifprifion fhackle up

My love, and her desert; that canft not dream,
We, poizing us in her defective scale,

Shall weigh thee to the beam; that wilt not know,
It is in us to plant thine honour, where
We please to have it grow. Check thy contempt:
Obey our will, which travels in thy good:
Believe not thy difdain, but prefently

Do thine own fortunes that obedient right,
Which both thy duty owes, and our power claims;
Or I will throw thee from my care for ever
Into the staggers, and the careless lapfe

Of youth and ignorance; both my revenge, and hate
Loofing upon thee in the name of justice,
Without all terms of pity. Speak; thine answer.
Ber. Pardon, my gracious lord; for I fubmit
My fancy to your eyes. When I confider,
What great creation, and what dole of honour
Flies where you bid it; I find, that she, which late
Was in my nobler thoughts most base, is now
The praised of the King; who, fo enobled,
Is, as 'twere, born fo.

King. Take her by the hand,

And tell her, fhe is thine: to whom I promise
A counterpoize; if not in thy eftate,

A balance more repleat.

Ber. I take her hand.

King. Good fortune, and the favour of the King Smile upon this contract; whofe ceremony

9 Into the faggers,-] One fpecies of the faggers, or the borfes apoplexy, is a raging impatience which makes the animal dafh himself with deftructive violence againft pofts or walls. To this the allufion, I fuppofe, is made. JOHNSON.

Shall

Shall feem expedient on the now-born brief',
And be perform'd to-night; the folemn feaft
Shall more attend upon the coming space,
Expecting abfent friends. As thou lov'ft her,
Thy love's to me religious; elfe, does err.

[Exeunt all but Parolles and Lafen. Laf. Do you hear, monfieur, a word with you. Par. Your pleasure, fir?

Laf. Your lord and master did well to make his

recantation.

Par. Recantation ?—My lord? my mafter?
Laf. Ay; Is it not a language I speak?

Par. A moft harfh one; and not to be understood without bloody fucceeding. My mafter?

Laf. Are you companion to the count Roufillon? Per. To any count; to all counts; to what is

man.

Laf. To what is count's man; count's master is of another ftile.

Par. You are too old, fir; let it fatisfy you, you are too old.

Laf. I must tell thee, firrah, I write man; to which title age cannot bring thee.

Par. What I dare too well do, I dare not do.

whofe ceremony

Shall feem expedient on the now-born brief,
And be perform'd to-night;-]

This, if it be at all intelligible, is at least obfcure and inaccurate.
Perhaps it was written thus,

The brief is the contract of efpoufal, or the licence of the church. The King means, What ceremony is neceffary to make this conira a marriage, fhall be immediately performed; the rest may be delayed. JOHNSON.

Laf.

to

Laf. I did think thee, for two ordinaries, be a pretty wife fellow; thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel; it might pafs: yet the scarfs and the bannerets about thee did manifoldly diffuade me from believing thee a veffel of too great a burden. I have now found thee; when I lofe thee again, I care not: yet art thou good for nothing but taking up '; and that thou art scarce worth.

Par. Hadft thou not the privilege of antiquity upon thee,

Lef. Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, left thou haften thy trial, which if,--Lord have mercy on thee for a hen! So, my good window of lattice, fare thee well; thy cafement I need not open, I look through thee. Give me thy hand.

Par. My lord, you give me moft egregious indignity.

Laf. Ay, with all my heart; and thou art worthy of it.

Par. I have not, my lord, deferv'd it.

Laf. Yes, good faith, every dram of it; and I will not 'bate thee a scruple.

Par. Well, I fhall be wifer.

Laf. E'en as foon as thou can'ft, for thou haft to pull at a fmack o'the contrary. If ever thou be'ft bound in thy fcarf and beaten, thou shalt find what it is to be proud of thy bondage. I have a defire to hold my acquaintance with thee, or rather my knowledge, that I may say, in the default +, he is a man I know.

Par. My lord, you do me moft infupportable vexation.

for two ordinaries,] While I fat twice with thee at table. JOHNSON.

taking up.] To take up, is to contradic, to call to account, as well as to pick off the ground. JOHNSON.

in the default,] That is, at a need. JOHNSON.

Laf.

Laf. I would, it were hell-pains for thy fake, and my poor doing eternal: for doing, I am past; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me

leave '.

[Exit. Par. Well, thou hast a son shall take this disgrace off me'; fcurvy, old, filthy, fcurvy lord! Well, I must be patient; there is no fettering of authority. I'll beat him, by my life, if I can meet him with any convenience, an he were double and double a lord. I'll have no more pity of his age, than I would have of-I'll beat him, an if I could but meet him again.

Re-enter Lafeu.

Laf. Sirrah, your lord and master's married, there's news for you: you have a new mistress.

Par. I moft unfeignedly befeech your lordship to make fome refervation of your wrongs. He is my good lord; whom I ferve above, is my master..

Laf. Who? God?

Par. Ay, Sir.

Why doft

Laf. The devil it is, that's thy master. thou garter up thy arms o' this fashion? doft make hose of thy fleeves? do other fervants fo? Thou werc

- for doing I am paft: as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave.] Here is a line loft after past; fo that it should be diftinguished by a break with afterisks. The very words of the loft line it is impoffible to retrieve; but the fenfe is obvious enough. For doing lam past; age has deprived me of much of my force and vigour, yet I have still enough to fhew the world I can do myself right, as I will by thee, in what motion [or in the best manner age will give me leave. WARBURTON.

This fufpicion of charm is groundless. The conceit which is fo thin that it might well escape a hafty reader, is in the word paft, I am paft, as I will be past by thee. JOHNSON.

6

Well, thou hast a fon fhall take this difgrace off me ;] This the poet makes Parolles fpeak alone; and this is nature. A coward fhould try to hide his poltroonry even from himself. —An ordinary writer would have been glad of fuch an opportunity to bring him to confeffion. WARBURTON.

best

best set thy lower part where thy nofe ftands. By mine honour, if I were but two hours younger, I'd beat thee: methinks, thou art a general offence, and every man should beat thee. I think, thou waft created for men to breathe themselves upon thee.

Par. This is hard and undeferved measure, my lord.

Laf. Go to, fir; you were beaten in Italy for picking a kernel out of a pomegranate; you are a vagabond, and no true traveller: you are more faucy with lords and honourable perfonages, than the heraldry of your birth and virtue gives you commiffion. You are not worth another word, elfe I'd call you knave. I leave you. [Exit.

Enter Bertram.

Par. Good, very good; it is fo then.-Good, very good;. let it be conceal'd a while.

Ber. Undone, and forfeited to cares for ever!
Par. What is the matter, fweet heart?

Ber. Altho' before the folemn prieft I have fworn} I will not bed her.

: Par. What? what, fweet heart?

Ber. O my Parolles, they have married me :I'll to the Tufcan wars, and never bed her.

Par. France is a dog-hole, and it no more merits

The tread of a man's foot: to the wars!

Ber. There's letters from my mother; what the import is,

I know not yet.

Par. Ay, that would be known to the wars, my boy, to the wars!

He wears his honour in a box, unfeen,

7 In former copies :

than the commiffion of your birth and virtue gives you be raldry.] Sir Tho. Hanmer restored it. JOHNSON.

That