1

There's the moral, now the l'envoy.

Moth. I will add the l'envoy; fay the moral again. Arm. The fox, the ape, and the humble-bee, Were ftill at odds, being but three.

Moth. Until the goofe came out of door, And stay'd the odds by adding four.

A good l'envoy, ending in the goofe; would you defire

more?

Coft. The boy hath fold him a bargain; a goose, that's flat;

Sir, your penny-worth is good, an' your goose be fat.
To fell a bargain well is as cunning as faft and loose.
Let me fee a fat l'envoy; I, that's a fat goofe.
Arm. Come hither, come hither;

How did this argument begin?

Moth. By faying, that a Coftard was broken in a shin, Then call'd you for a l'envoy.

Coft. True, and I for a plantan ;

Thus came the argument in ;
Then the boy's fat l'envoy, the goofe that you bought,
And he ended the market.

Arm. But tell me; how was there a Coftard broken in a fhin?

Moth. I will tell you fenfibly.

Coft. Thou haft no feeling of it, Moth,

I will fpeak that l'envoy.

I Coflard running out, that was fafely within,
Fell over the threshold, and broke my fhin.

Arm. We will talk no more of this matter.
Coft. "Till there be more matter in the fhin.
Arm. Sirrah, Coftard, I will infranchise thee.
Coft. O, marry me to one Francis; I fmell fome
Penvoy, fome goofe in this.

Arm. By my fweet foul, I mean, setting thee at liberty; enfreedoming thy perfon; thou wert immur'd, reftrained, captivated, bound.

Coft. True, true, and now you will be my purgation, and let me loofe.

Arm. I give thee thy liberty, fet thee from durance, and, in lieu thereof, impofe on thee nothing but this ;

bear

bear this fignificant to the country-maid Jaquenetta ; there is remuneration; for the best ward of mine honours is rewarding my dependants. Moth, follow.

[Exit. Moth. Like the fequel, I. Signior Coftard, adieu. (Exit.

Coft. My fweet ounce of man's flesh, my in-cony few! Now will I look to his remuneration. Remuneration! O, that's the Latin word for three farthings: three farthings remuneration: What's the price of this incle? a penny. No, I'll give you a remuneration : why, it carries it. Remuneration!-why, it is a fairer name than a French crown (12). I will never buy and fell out of this word.

Enter Biron.

Biron. O my good knave Coftard, exceedingly well

met.

Coft. Pray you, Sir, how much carnation ribbon may a man buy for a remuneration ?

Biron. What is a remuneration ?

Coft. Marry, Sir, half-penny farthing.
Biron. O, why then three farthings worth of filk.'
Coft. I thank your worship, God be with you.
Biron. O ftay, flave, I muft employ thee:
As thou wilt win my favour, my good knave,
Do one thing for me that I fhall intreat.

Coft. When would you have it done, Sir?
Biron. O, this afternoon.

Coft. Well, I will do it, Sir: fare you well.
Biron. O, thou knoweft not what it is.
Coft. I fhall know, Sir, when I have done it.'
Biron. Why, villain, thou must know first.

(12) No, I'll give you a Remuneration: Why? It carries its Remuneration. Why? It is a fairer Name than a French Crown.] Thus this Paffage has hitherto been writ, and pointed, without any Regard to Common Senfe, or Meaning. The Reform, that I have made, flight as it is, makes it both intelligible and humourous.

I 4

Coft.

Coft. I will come to your worship to-morrow morn

ing.

Biron. It must be done this afternoon.

Hark, flave, it is but this:

The Princess comes to hunt here in the park:
And in her train there is a gentle lady;
When tongues speak fweetly, then they name her name,
And Rofaline they call her; ask for her,

And to her fweet hand fee thou do commend
This feal'd-up counfel. There's thy guerdon; go.

Coft. Guerdon,- -O sweet guerdon! better than remuneration, eleven pence farthing better: most sweet guerdon! I will do it, Sir, in print. Guerdon, remu[Exit.

neration.

Biron. O! and I, forfooth, in love!
I, that have been love's whip;
A very beadle to a humorous figh:
A critick; nay, a night-watch conftable;
A domineering pedant o'er the boy,
Than whom no mortal more magnificent.
This whimpled, whining, purblind, wayward boy,
This Signior Junio's giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid, (13)

Regent

(13) This Signior Junio's giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid.] It was fome time ago ingeniously hinted to me, (and I readily came into the Opinion;) that as there was a Contraft of Terms in gian-dwarf, lo, probably, there should be in the Words immediately preceding them; and therefore that we should reftore,

This Senior-junior, giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid.

i. e. this old, young Man. And there is, indeed, afterwards in this Play, a Description of Cupid, which forts very aptly with fuch an Emendation.

That was the way to make his Godhead wax,
For he hath been five thousand years a Boy.

The Conjecture is exquifitely well imagin'd, and ought by all means to be embrac'd, unless there is reason to think, that, in the former Reading, there is an Allufion to fome. Tale, or Character in an old Play. I have not, on this Account, ventur'd to disturb the Text, because there feems to me fome rea

fon

Regent of love-rhimes, lord of folded arms,
Thanointed Sovereign of fighs and groans:
Leige of all loyterers and malecontents:
Dread Prince of plackets, King of codpieces :
Sole Imperator, and great General
Of trotting parators: (O my little heart!)
And I to be a corporal of his File, (14)
And wear his colours! like a tumbler, stoop!
What I love! I fue! I feek a wife!
A Woman, that is like a German clock,
Still a repairing; ever out of frame,
And never going aright, being a watch,
But being watch'd, that it may ftill go right?
Nay, to be perjur'd, which is worst of all:
And, among three, to love the worst of all;
A whitely wanton with a velvet brow,
With two pitch balls ftuck in her face for
eyes;
Ay, and by heav'n, one that will do the deed,
Tho' Argus were her eunuch and her guard ;

fon to fufpect, that our Author is here alluding to Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca. In that Tragedy there is the Character of one Junius, a Roman Captain, who falls in Love to Diftraction with one of Bonduca's Daughters; and becomes an arrant whining Slave to this Paffion. He is afterwards cur'd of his Infirmity, and is as abfolute a Tyrant against the Sex. Now, with regard to these two Extremes, Cupid might very properly be filed Junius's giant-dwarf: a Giant in his Eye, while the Dotage was upon him; but shrunk into a Dwarf, fo foon as he had got the better of it:

(14) And I to be a Corporal of his Field,

And wear his Colours like a Tumbler's hoop!]

A Corporal of a Field is quite a new Term: neither did the Tumblers ever adorn their Hoops with Ribbands, that I can learn: for Thofe were not carried in Parade about with them, as the Fencer carries his Sword: Nor, if they were, is the Similitude at all pertinent to the Cafe in hand. But to ftoop like a Tumbler agrees not only with that Profeffion, and the fervile Condefcenfions of a Lover, but with what follows in the Context. What milled the wife Tranfcribers at firft, feems This When once the Tumbler appear'd, they thought, his Hoop must not be far behind. Mr. Warburton.

I 5

And

And I to figh for her! to watch for her!
To pray for her! go to: It is a plague,
That Cupid will impofe for my neglect
Of his almighty, dreadful, little, Might.
Well, I will love, write, figh, pray, fue and groan:
Some men must love my lady, and fome Joan. [Exit.

BACKARD FELEI OLL

A C. T III.

SCENE, a Pavilion in the Park near the Palace.

Enter the Princess, Rofaline, Maria, Catharine,
Lords, Attendants, and a Forefter.

PRINCESS.

AS that the King, that spurr'd his horse so

hard

W

Against the fteep uprifing of the hill? Boyet. I know not; but, I think, it was not he. Prin. Who e'er he was, he fhew'd a mounting mind. Well, lords, to day we shall have our dispatch; On Saturday we will return to France. Then Forefter, my friend, where is the bush, That we must ftand and play the murtherer in ?

For. Here by, upon the edge of yonder coppice; A ftand, where you may make the fairest fhoot.

Prin. I thank my beauty, I am fair, that shoot: And thereupon thou speak'st the fairest shoot.

For. Pardon me, madam: for I meant not fo. Prin. What, what? firft praise me, then again fay, no?

O fhort-liv'd pride! not fair? alack, for wo!

For. Yes, madam, fair.

Prin. Nay, never paint me now;

Where fair is not, praife cannot mend the brow.

Here,