A guide.]—As a guide, she will lead him in the paths of virtue.

A goddess.]-As a goddess, she will preside over his happiness.

A sovereign.]-She will reign the sovereign mistress of his affections.

A counsellor.]-If he requires advice, she will counsel him for the best.

A traitress, and a dear.]-She will inflame his love, then rebel against his desires; but, called to a sense of duty, will prove his dear.

His humble ambition, proud humility.]-Her ambition will be to humble herself to his wishes, and be proud in that humility which corresponds with her duty.

His jarring concord.]—She will dispute with him, for the sake of concording afterwards in his opinion.

His discord dulcet.]—As lovers' quariels only tend to harmonize and strengthen passion, so shall their disagreements be sweetened by love.

His faith.]-His faith shall be great in her virtue.

His sweet disaster.]—Though the disasters of mankind originated in woman; from which some illiberal minds say,-Where there is a wife there is a disaster; yet, she will prove a sweet disaster; that is, a good wife to her

husband.

With a world of pretty, fond, adoptious christendoms.]— An infinity of other pretty endearing names, which she

G

will adopt and christen to her own fancy.-Christendom, means the collective body of christianity, and of which the ceremony of christening forms a part. But the word in the text, and which seems expressly plural, does not perfectly correspond with those adoptions of her imagination: probably, christendoms had, formerly, the same meaning as christenings.

I know not what he shall:-God send him well!-
The court's a learning place:—and he is one-

Flights of fancy having nearly thrown Helena off her guard, she breaks her sentences; nor can she recover herself, until Parolles, astonished at her unconnected expressions, relieves her, by demanding-"What one, i' faith?" which is a conclusive evidence, that he is ignorant of the person to whom she alludes.

SCENE I.-page 222.

HELENA. So is running away, when fear proposes the safety: But the composition, that your valour and foar makes in

you, is a virtue of a good wing, and I like the wear well.

No woman loves a coward: Can we then believe that our Author wrote-I like the wear well? I think not: and am certain we should read—and like to wear well.

Old age gives to many the virtue of prudence; so cowardice gives Parolles the virtue of personal safety; and by running away from the dangers of battle, he may run a long career of life.

SCENE I.-page 224.

HELENA. The mightiest space in fortune, nature brings
To join like likes, and kiss like native things.
Impossible be strange attempts to those

That weigh their pains in sense; and do suppose,
What hath been cannot be :

However elevated the one, and humble and obscure the other, yet, the powerful influence of nature overcomes that mighty space by which fortune had divided them, and unites them, as though originally of equal birth and distinction. But, bold attempts are unequal to those who feel too acutely, and view obstacles as insurmountable; for, notwithstanding they allow extraordinary events to have taken place, yet they will not believe, that the nature of things, or circumstances, will produce the like again.

KING.

SCENE II.-page 228.

who were below him

He us'd as creatures of another place;
And bow'd his eminent top to their low ranks,
Making them proud of his humility,

In their poor praisc he humbled:

He maintained his dignity with becoming pride; making all his inferiors know their distance; yet, his lofty demeanour, which struck awe, was softened by occasional condescension: thus, in bowing his eminent top to their low ranks; he made his inferiors more submissive to his will, by the small portion of praise which he bestowed upon them.

Weak, indeed, must those inferiors have imagined the father of Bertram, had they approached him with the fawning servility of their poor praise; and very far must he have been from the dignified character portrayed by

the King, had he listened to their insinuative adulation. The antithesis formed by proud and humbled, reflect on those inferiors, whom his humility rendered at once both proud and humble.

Bishop Warburton makes the humility of Bertram's father stoop so low, as to humble his humility!

CLOWN.

SCENE III.-page 241.

an we might have a good woman born, but every blazing star.

How can a woman be born? A female, when introduced into life, is an infant:—the reading is highly injudious; and the correction seems to have been made, without reflecting on the incongruity which it produced. The old copy reads :-" but o'er every blazing star." In my opinion, from the word on being badly formed, the compositor mistook it for ore. I read:

an we might have a good woman, but on every blazing star, or at an earthquake, &c.

Meaning: If on the appearance of a blazing star, or at the calamitous event of an earthquake, a good woman were in existence, it would prove a matter of equal astonishment.

SCENE II.-page 241.

CLOWN. Though honesty be no puritan, yet it will do no hurt; it will wear the surplice of humility over the black gown of a big heart.

This passage has occasioned much discussion; and all for want of paying attention to the Clown's dress. Fools and clowns, retained in noble families, were accustomed to wear a loose fantastical dress with long sleeves, over which was thrown a circular cape, made of white linen, which covered the breast and shoulders. Now, be it remembered, that the family and servants of the Countess

appear in mourning; and of course, the Clown's habit, though of black colour, lost nothing of its fashion; add to this, the circular cape, which in his fancy, bears conformity with that part of the ecclesiastical appendage, called a surplice, and you find in his dress, the surplice of humility over the black gown, which covers a big heart. This light thrown on the passage, makes the Clown's meaning obvious.-Though honesty be no puritan, &c. meaning: Though my honesty has not that conspicuous appearance which puritanical principles display; yet I will do no hurt: I will wear the surplice of humility, (his fool's cape) which policy, not principle, compels me to do, over the black gown, (his loose gown of black colour) which covers a big heart: i. e. a proud heart; but which is obliged to humble itself, or want support.

It is, however, very clear, that he satirizes the pretended humility of the puritans, who reprobated the ecclesiastical garments. The Author's text is evidently correct, and requires not the emendation proposed by Mr. Tyrwhitt.

In the representation of this play, the Clown's dress should be regarded. For want of due attention to the dress of Issabella, in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Act II. sc. iv. The passage has been equally misunderstood. See my notes on that play, p. 42.

SCENE III.-page 249.

HELENA. I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet, in this captious and intenible sieve,

I still pour in the waters of my love,

And lack not to lose still.

This unintelligible passage, and which has been almost despairingly relinquished by my predecessors, may, I think, be made to recover its pristine beauty.