CLO. O Lord, sir,-Spare not me.

COUNT. Do you cry, O Lord, sir, at your whipping, and spare not me? Indeed, your O Lord, sir, is very sequent to your whipping; you would answer very well to a whipping, if you were but bound to't.

CLO. I ne'er had worse luck in my life, in myO Lord, sir: I see, things may serve long, but

not serve ever.

COUNT. I play the noble housewife with the time, to entertain it so merrily with a fool.

CLO. O Lord, sir,-Why, there't serves well again.

COUNT. An end, sir, to your business: Give
Helen this,

And urge her to a present answer back:
Commend me to my kinsmen, and my son;

This is not much.

CLO. Not much commendation to them.

COUNT. Not much employment for understand me?

you: You

CLO. Most fruitfully; I am there before my legs. COUNT. Haste you again.

[Exeunt severally.

SCENE III.

Paris. A Room in the King's Palace.

Enter BERTRAM, LAFEU, and PAROLLES.

5

LAF. They say, miracles are past; and we have our philosophical persons, to make modern and familiar things, supernatural and causeless. Hence is it, that we make trifles of terrors; ensconcing ourselves into seeming knowledge," when we should submit ourselves to an unknown fear."

PAR. Why, 'tis the rarest argument of wonder, that hath shot out in our latter times.

BER. And so 'tis.

LAF. To be relinquished of the artists,

PAR. So I say; both of Galen and Paracelsus. LAF. Of all the learned and authentick fellows,8

like it:

modern i. e. common, ordinary. So, in As you

"Full of wise saws, and modern instances." Again, in another play: [All's well that ends well, Act V. sc. iii.] "with her modern grace-." MALONE.

6

To

-ensconcing ourselves into seeming knowledge,] ensconce literally signifies to secure as in a fort. So, in The Merry Wives of Windsor: "I will ensconce me behind the Into (a frequent practice with old writers) is used STEEVENS.

arras." for in.

7

unknown fear.] Fear is here an object of fear.

JOHNSON.

Par. So I say; both of Galen and Paracelsus. Laf. Of all the learned and authentick fellows,] Shakspeare, as I have often observed, never throws out his words at random. Paracelsus, though no better than an ignorant and knavish enthusiast, was at this time in such vogue, even amongst

LAF. That gave him out incurable,—

PAR. Why, there 'tis; so say I too.
LAF. Not to be helped,-

PAR. Right: as 'twere, a man assured of an

the learned, that he had almost justled Galen and the ancients out of credit. On this account learned is applied to Galen, and authentick or fashionable to Paracelsus. Sancy, in his Confession Catholique, p. 301, Ed. Col. 1720, is made to say: "Je trouve la Riviere premier medecin, de meilleure humeur que ces gens-la. Il est bon Galeniste, & tres bon Paracelsiste. Il dit que la doctrine de Galien est honorable, & non mesprisable pour la pathologie, & profitable pour les boutiques. L'autre, pourveu que ce soit de vrais preceptes de Paracelse, est bonne à suivre pour la verité, pour la subtilité, pour l'espargne; en somme pour la Therapeutique." WARBURTON.

As the whole merriment of this scene consists in the pretensions of Parolles to knowledge and sentiments which he has not, I believe here are two passages in which the words and sense are bestowed upon him by the copies, which the author gave to Lafeu. I read this passage thus:

Laf. To be relinquished of the artists

Par. So I say.

-Laf. Both of Galen and Paracelsus, of all the learned and authentick fellows

Par. Right, so I say. JOHNSON.

authentick fellows,] The phrase of the diploma is, authenticè licentiatus. Musgrave.

The epithet authentick was in our author's time particularly applied to the learned. So, in Drayton's Owle, 4to. 1604:

"For which those grave and still authentick sages,
"Which sought for knowledge in those golden ages,
"From whom we hold the science that we have," &c.

Again, in Troilus and Cressida:

"As truth's authentick author to be cited." Again, in Chapman's version of the eighth Iliad:

66

Nestor cut the yeres

"With his new drawne authentique sword ;-.'

MALONE.

STEEVENS.

LAF. Uncertain life, and sure death.

PAR. Just, you say well; so would I have said. LAF. I may truly say, it is a novelty to the world. PAR. It is, indeed: if you will have it in showing, you shall read it in, What do you call

there?

LAF. A showing of a heavenly effect in an earthly actor.'

PAR. That's it I would have said; the very same. LAF. Why, your dolphin is not lustier: 2 'fore me I speak in respect

Par. It is, indeed: if you will have it in showing, &c.] We should read, I think: It is, indeed, if you will have it a showing-you shall read it in what do you call there.

TYRWHITT. Does not, if you will have it IN showing, signify IN a demonstration or statement of the case? HENLEY.

A showing of a heavenly effect &c.] The title of some pamphlet here ridiculed. WARBURTON.

Why, your dolphin is not lustier:] By dolphin is meant the dauphin, the heir apparent, and the hope of the crown of France. His title is so translated in all the old books.

STEEVENS.

What Mr. Steevens observes is certainly true; and yet the additional word your induces me to think that by dolphin in the passage before us the fish so called was meant. Thus, in Antony and Cleopatra:

His delights

"Were dolphin-like; they show'd his back above
"The element he liv'd in."

Lafeu, who is an old courtier, if he had meant the king's son, would surely have said-" the dolphin." I use the old spelling.

MALONE.

In the colloquial language of Shakspeare's time your was frequently employed as it is in this passage. So, in Hamlet, the Grave-digger observes, that "your water is a sore decayer of your whorson dead body." Again, in As you like it: "Your if is the only peace-maker." STEEVENS.

PAR. Nay, 'tis strange, 'tis very strange, that is the brief and the tedious of it; and he is of a most facinorous spirit,3 that will not acknowledge it to be the

LAF. Very hand of heaven.

PAR. Ay, so I

say.

LAF. In a most weak-

PAR. And debile minister, great power, great transcendence: which should, indeed, give us a further use to be made, than alone the recovery of the king, as to be▬▬

LAF. Generally thankful.

facinorous spirit,] This word is used in Heywood's English Traveller, 1633:

"And magnified for high facinorous deeds."

Facinorous is wicked. The old copy spells the word facinerious; but as Parolles is not designed for a verbal blunderer, I have adhered to the common spelling. STEEVENS.

which should, indeed, give us a further use to be made, &c.] I believe Parolles has again usurped words and sense to which he has no right; and I read this passage thus:

Laf. In a most weak and debile minister, great power, great transcendence; which should, indeed, give us a further use to be made than the mere recovery of the king.

Par. As to be

Laf. Generally thankful. JOHNSON.

When the parts are written out for players, the names of the characters which they are to represent are never set down; but only the last words of the preceding speech which belongs to their partner in the scene. If the plays of Shakspeare were printed (as there is reason to suspect) from these piece-meal transcripts, how easily may the mistake be accounted for, which Dr. Johnson has judiciously strove to remedy? STEEVENS.