Orla. Forbear, and eat no more. Jaq. Why, I have eat none yet. Orla. Nor fhalt thou, 'till neceffity be serv'd. Or elfe a rude defpifer of good manners, That in civility thou seem'st so empty? Orla. You touch'd my vein at first. The thorny point 6 Of bare diftrefs hath ta'en from me the fhew Of smooth civility; yet am I inland bred, 'Till I and my affairs are answered. Jaq. If you will not Be answered with reafon, I must die. Duke Sen. What would you have? your gentleness fhall force, More than your force move us to gentleness. Orla. I almoft die for food, and let me have it. Duke Sen. Sit down and feed; and welcome to our table. Orla. Speak you fo gently ?-Pardon me, I pray you; I thought, that all things had been favage here; Of stern commandment. But whate'er you are, 6 The thorny point Of fharp diftrefs has ta'en from me the fhew Of Smooth civility.] We might read torn with more elegance, but elegance alone will not juf tify alteration. That That in this defert inacceffible, Under the fhade of melancholy boughs, Lofe and neglect the creeping hours of time; If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church; If ever from your eyelids wip'd a tear, [Sheathing bis fword. Duke Sen. True is it, that we have feen better days; And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church; And fate at good men's feafts, and wip'd our eyes Of drops, that facred pity hath engender'd: And therefore fit you down in gentleness, And take upon command what help we have", That to your wanting may be miniftred. Orla. Then but forbear your food a little while, Whiles, like a doe, I go to find my fawn, And give it food. There is an old poor man, Who after me hath many a weary step Limp'd in pure love; 'till he be firft fuffic'd, Opprefs'd with two weak evils, age and hunger, I will not touch a bit. Duke Sen. Go find him out, And we will nothing wafte till your return. Orla. I thank ye; and be bless'd for your good comfort! [Exit, Duke Sen. Thou feeft, we are not all alone un happy : This wide and univerfal Theatre 7 Then take upon command what help que bave.] It feems neceffary to read, then take upon demand what help, &c. that is, ak for what we can fupply, and have it. Pre Prefents more woful pageants, than the scene faq. All the world's a Stage, And all the men and women meerly Players; And then, the whining school-boy with his fatchel, Even in the cannon's mouth. And then, the justice 8 Full of wife fas and mo dern inftances.] It is remark able that Shakespeare uses modern in the double fenfe that the Greeks ufed xavos, both for recens and abfurdus. I am in doubt whether modern is in this place used for abfurd: the meaning feems to be, that the juftice is full of old fayings and late examples. 9- The fixth age shifts Into the lean and flipper'd pan taloon.] There is a greater beauty than appears at first fight in this image. He is here comparing human life to a stage play of feven acts (which was no unufual divifion before our author's time). The fixth he calls the lean and flipper'd pantaloon, alluding to that general character in the Italian comedy called Il Pantalóne; who is a thin emaciated old man in flippers; and well defigned, in that epithet, because Pantalóne is the only character that acts in flippers.. WARBURTON. And And whistles in his found. Laft Scene of all, That ends this strange eventful History, Duke Sen. Welcome. Set down your venerable burden '; And let him feed. Orla. I thank you most for him. I scarce can speak to thank you for myself. Duke Sen. Welcome, fall to: I will not trouble you, As yet to question you about your fortunes. Give us fome mufick; and, good coufin, fing. Heigh bo! fing, beigh bo! unto the green bolly; Moft friendship is feigning; moft loving meer folly: Then beigh bo, the bolly! This life is moft jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, forgot to leave the reason, which is now wanting, Why the winter wind was to be preferred to man's ingratitude. WARBURTON. I am afraid that no reader is fatisfied with Dr. Warburton's emendation, however vigorously enforced; and it is indeed enforced with more art than truth. Sheen, i. e. fmiling, shining. That been fignifies fhining is eafily proved, but when or where did it fignify Smiling? yet Smiling gives the fenfe neceffary in this place. Sir T. Hanmer's change is lefs uncouth, but too remote from the prefent text. For my part, I question whether the original line is not loft, and this fubftituted merely to fill up the measures and the rhyme. Yet even out of this line, by ftrong agitation, may fenfe be elicited, and fenfe not unfuitable to the occafion. Thou winter wind, fays the Duke, thy rudeness gives the less pain, as thou art not feen, as thou art an enemy that doft not brave us with thy prejence, and whofe unkindness is therefore not aggravated by infult. Duke |