Did ever in fo true a flame of liking

Wish chaftly, and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and Love; O then, give pity
To her, whofe ftate is fuch, that cannot chufe
But lend, and give, where the is fure to lofe;
That feeks not to find that, which fearch implies;
But riddle-like, lives fweetly where the dies.

Count. Had you not lately an intent, speak truly,
To go to Paris?

Hel. Madam, I had.

Count. Wherefore? tell true.

Hel. I will tell truth; by Grace itself, I fwear.
You know, my father left me fome prescriptions
Of rare and prov'd effects; fuch as his reading
And manifeft experience had collected

For general fov'reignty; and that he will'd me,
In heedfull'ft reservation to bestow them.
As (9) notes, whofe faculties inclufive were,
More than they were in note: amongst the reft,
There is a remedy, approv'd, fet down,
To cure the defperate languishings, whereof
The King is render'd loft.

Count. This was your motive for Paris, was it? fpeak. Hel. My lord your fon made me to think of this; Elfe Paris, and the medicine, and the King,

Had from the converfation of my thoughts,

Haply, been absent then.

Count. But think you, Helen,

If you should tender your fuppofed aid,

He would receive it? he and his phyficians

Are of a mind; he that they cannot help him:

They, that they cannot help. How fhall they credit
A poor unlearned virgin, when the schools,
Embowell'd of their doctrine, have left off
The danger to itself?

Hel. (1) There's fomething hints

(9) Notes, whofe faculties inclufive.

More

] Receipts in which

greater virtues were inclofed than appeared to obfervation. (1) There's fomething IN'T

More than my father's fkill

that his good receipt, &c.] Here is an inference [that]

without

More than my father's fkill (which was the great'ft
Of his Profeffion) that his good receipt

Shall for my legacy be fanctified

By th' luckieft ftars in heav'n; and, would your honour But give me leave to try fuccefs, I'd venture

The well-loft life of mine on his Grace's Cure,

By fuch a day and hour.

Count. Doft thou believ't?

Hel. Ay, Madam, knowingly..

Count. Why, Helen, thou shalt have my leave and love:

Means and attendants; and my loving greetings
To thofe of mine in Court. I'll ftay at home,
And pray God's bleffing into thy attempt:
Begone, to-morrow; and be fure of this,

What I can help thee to, thou shalt not mifs. [Exeunt.

ACT II,

SCENE I.

The Court of France:

Enter the King, with divers young Lords taking leave for the Florentine war. Bertram and Parolles.

(2)

Flourish Cornets,

KING.

Arewel, young Lords. Thefe warlike principles Do not throw from you. You, my Lords, farewel;

Share

without any thing preceding, to which it refers, which makes the fentence vicious, and thews that we should read,

There's fomething HINTS.

More than my father's skill,

that his good receipt

i. e. I have a fecret premonition or prefage.

WARBURTON.

(2) In all the latter copies thefe lines flood thus:
Farewel, young Lords; thefe warlike principles.

Do not throw from you. You, my Lords, farewel;
Share the advice betwixt you; if both again,

The gift doth fretch itself as 'tis receiv'd.] The third line in that ate was unintelligible. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads thus:

Farewel

gain,

Share the advice betwixt you; if both
The gift doth ftretch itself as 'tis receiv'd,
And is enough for both.

I Lord, "Tis our hope, Sir,

C

After well-enter'd foldiers, to return
And find your Grace in health..

doow of to

King. No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart
Will not confefs, it owns the malady

That doth my life befiege; farewel, young Lords:
Whether I live or die, be you the fons

Of worthy Frenchmen (3); let higher Italy

Farvel, young Lord, thefe warlike principles
Do not throw from you; you, my Lord, farewel
Share the advice betwixt you, if both gain all,
The gift doth ftretch itself as 'tis receiv'd,
And is enough for both.

Thofe

The first edition, from which the paffage is reftored, was fuffi ciently clear, yet it is plain, that the latter Editors preferred s reading they did not understand. (3) 5 which

let bigber Italy

(bofe 'bated, that inberit but the fall

Of the laft Monarchy :) fee, &c.] This is obfcure. Italy, at the time of this fcene, was under three very different tenures. The emperor, as fucceffor of the Roman emperors, had one part; the pope, by a pretended donation from Conftantine, another; and the third was compofed of free ftates. Now by the laft monarchy is meant the Roman, the laft of the four general monarchies. Upon the fall of this monarchy, in the fcramble, feveral cities fet up for themselves, and became free ftates: now these might be faid pro perly to inherit the fall of the monarchy. This being premised, let us now confider fenfe. The king fays, bigber Italy; giving it the rank of preference to France; but he corrects himself and fays, I except thofe from that precedency, who only inherit the fall of the laft monarchy; as all the little petty tates; for inftance, Florence to whom thefe voluntiers were going. As if he had faid, I give the place of honour to the emperor and the pope, WARB ARBURTON.

but not to the free ftates.

The ancient geographers have divided Italy into the higher and the lower, the Appenine Hills being a kind of natural line of partition; the fide next the Adriatick was denominated the higher Italy, and the other fide the lower: and the two Seas followed the fame terms of diftinction, the Adriatick being called the upSea, and the Tyrrbene or Tufcan the lower. Now the Senones

per

war, inhabited the higher their chief town being Ariminum, now called Rimini, upon the Adriatick.

Sir T. Hanmer reads,

HANMER.

Thofe

Thofe 'bated, that inherit but the Fall of stede Of the laft Monarchy; fee, that you comes o Not to woo honour, but to wed it; whenom zikia. The brave St. Queftant fhrinks, find what you feek, That Fame may cry you loud: I fay, farewel.

2 Lord. Health at your bidding ferve your Majefty! King. Thofe girls of Italy, take heed of them; They fay, our French lack language to deny, If they demand (4).

Beware of being captives, A

Before you ferve.

Both. Our hearts
King. Farewel.

[Exit.

1 Lord. Oh, my fweet Lord, that you will stay behind us!

Par. 'Tis not his fault; the spark

2 Lord. Oh, 'tis brave wars.

Par. Most admirable; I have seen those wars.
Ber. I am commanded here, and kept a coil with,
Too young, and the next year, and 'tis too early.

Thofe baftards that inherit, &c. with this note.

Reflecting upon the abject and degenerate condition of the Cities and States which arofe out of the ruins of the Roman Empire, the last of the four great Monarchies of the World. HANMER.

Dr. Warburton's obfervation is learned, but rather too fubtle; Sir Thomas Hanmer's alteration is merely arbitrary. The paffage is confeffedly obfcure, and therefore I may offer another explanation. I am of opinion that the epithet bigber is to be understood of fituation rather than of dignity. The fenfe may then be this, Let upper Italy, where you are to exercise your valour, see that you come to gain bonour, to the abatement, that is, to the difgrace and depreffion of thofe that have now loft their ancient military fame, and inberit but the fall of the last monarchy. To abate is ufed by Shakespeare in the original fenfe of abatre, to deprefs, to fink, to deje, to fubdue. So in Coriolanus,

'till ignorance deliver you,

As most abated captives to fome nation
That won you without blows.

And bated is used in a kindred fenfe in the Jew of Venice,

in a bondman's key

With bated breath and avbifp'ring bumbleness.

T

The word has still the fame meaning in the language of the law, (4) Beware of being captives,

Before you ferve. The word ferve is equivocal; the fenfe is, Be not captives before you ferve in the war. Be not captives before you are foldiers.

Par.

Par. An' thy mind ftand to it, boy, fteal away

bravely.

Ber. Shall I ftay here a fore horse to a smock, Creeking my fhoes on the plain mafonry,

"Till Honour be bought up, and no fword worn But one to dance with? by heav'n, I'll steal away. 1 Lord. There's honour in the theft.

Par. Commit it, Count.

2 Lord. I am your acceffary, and so farewel.
Ber. (5) I grow to you, and our parting is a tortur'd
body.

1 Lord. Farewel, Captain.

2 Lord. Sweet Monfieur Parolles!

Par. Noble heroes, my fword and yours are kin good sparks and luftrous. A word, good metals. You (6) fhall find in the regiment of the Spinii, one captain Spurio with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on

his finifter cheek; it was this fword entrench'd it;

very

fay to him, I live, and obferve his reports of me.

2 Lord. We fhall, noble captain.

Par. Mars doat on you for his novices! what will ye

do?

Ber. Stay; the King

[Exeunt Lords.

Par. Ufe a more fpacious ceremony to the noble Lords, you have reftrain'd yourself within the lift of too cold an adieu; be more expreffive to them, for they wear themselves in the cap of the time (7), there, do ad muster

(5) I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body. I read thus, Our parting is the parting of a tortured body. Our parting is as the difruption of limbs torn from each other. Repetition of a word is often the cause of miftakes; the eye glances on the wrong word, and the intermediate part of the fentence is omitted. (6) You fhall find in the Regiment of the Spinii, one ne Captain Spurio, bis Cicatrice, with an Emblem of War bere on bis finifter Cheek :] It is furprifing, none of the Editors could fee that a flight Tranf pofition was abfolutely neceffary here, when there is not common Senfe in the as it ftands without fuch Tranfpofition. Parolles only means, You fhall find one Captain Spurio in the Paffage, "Camp with a Scar on his left Cheek, a Mark of War that my Sword gave him."

(7) they wear themselves in the cap of the time, there, Do true gait, &c.] The main obfcurity of this paffage arifes from the miftake of a fingle letter. We fhould read, instead of, do mußter,

то