That in this defert inacceffible, Under the fhade of melancholy boughs, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time; If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church; [Sheathing his fword. Orla. Then but forbear your food a little while, Duke Sen. Go find him out, And we will nothing wafte till your return. Orla. I thank ye; and be blefs'd for your good com fort! SCENE IX. [Exit. Duke Sen. Thou feeft, we are not all alone un happy: This wide and univerfal Theatre ? Then take upon command what belp we have.] It seems neLeffary to read, then take upon demand what help, &c. that is, ask for what we can fupply, and have it. Pre Prefents more woful pageants, than the scene Jaq. All the world's a Stage, And all the men and women meerly Players; And then, the whining fchool-boy with his fatchel, Made to his mistrefs' eye-brow. Then a foldier: Even in the cannon's mouth. And then, the justice Full of wife faws and modern inftances.] It is remarkable that Shakespear uíes modern in the double fenfe that the Greeks ufed xao, both for recens and abfurdus. WARBURTON. I am in doubt whether modern is in this place ufed for abfurd: the meaning feems to be, that the juftice is full of old fayings and late examples. 9 The fixth age shifts beauty than appears at first fight in this image. He is here comparing human life to a flage play, of feven acts, (which was no unusual divifion before our author's time.) The fixth he calls the lean and flipper'd pantaloon, alluding to that general charac ter in the Italian comedy, called Il Pantalóne; who is a thin ema ciated old man in flippers; and well defigned, in that epithet, because Pantalóne is the only character that acts in flippers. WARE And And whistles in his found. Laft Scene of all, That ends this ftrange eventful History, Is fecond childishness, and meer oblivion, Sans teeth, fans eyes, fans tafte, fans every thing. SCENE X. Enter Orlando, with Adam. Duke Sen. Welcome. Set down your venerable burden '; And let him feed. Orla. I thank you most for him. Adam. So had you need. 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 Duke's exiled condition, who had been ruined by ungrateful flatterers. Now the winter wind, the fong fays, is to be prefer'd to man's ingratitude. But why? Because it is not SEEN. But this was not only an aggravation of the injury, as it was done in fecret, not seen, but was the very circumftance that made the keennefs of the ingratitude of his Heigh ho! fing, beigh bo! unto the green bolly; This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, faithlefs courtiers. Without Because thou art not SHEEN, i. e. fmiling, fhining, like an ungrateful court-fervant, who flatters while he wounds, which was a very good reafon for giving the winter wind the prefeSo in the Midfummer's rence. Night's Dream, cer ufes it in this fenfe, Chau forgot to leave the reafon, 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 forced with more art than truth. enforced; and it is indeed enSheen, i. e. fmiling, shining. That been fignifies Joining is easily proved, but when or where did it fignify fmiling? yet smiling gives the fenfe neceffary in this place. Sir T. Hanmer's change is lefs uncouth, but too remote For my You blissful fufter Lucina the from the present text SHENE. And Fairfax, get SHENE, And by the Chriflian Champion fiood unfeen. The Oxford editor, who had this emendation communicated to him, takes occafion from thence to alter the whole line thus, 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 strong agitation, may fenfe be elicited, and fenfe not unfuitable to the occafion. Thou winter wind, Thou caufeft not that teen. Duke Duke Sen. If that you were the good Sir Rowland's As you have whisper'd faithfully you were, [Exeunt. ACT III. SCENE I. The PALACE. Enter Duke, Lords, and Oliver. DUKE. WOT fee him fince?-Sir, Sir, that cannot be NOT But were I not the better part made mercy, Of my revenge, the prefent: but look to it; Seek him with candle; bring him dead or living, Thy lands and all things that thou doft call thine, An abfent argument.] An argument is afed for the contents of a book, thence Shakespeare con fidered it as meaning the fabje, and then used it for subject in yet another sense. |