ACT II. SCENE I. Paris. A Room in the King's Palace. Flourish. Enter King, with young Lords, taking leave for the Florentine war; BERTRAM, PARolles, and Attendants. King. Farewell, young lord, these warlike principles Do not throw from you :-and you, my lord, fare well : Share the advice betwixt you; if both gain all, And is enough for both. 1 Lord. It is our hope, sir, After well enter'd soldiers, to return And find your grace in health. King. No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart Will not confess he owes the malady Of the last monarchy,) see, that you come 7 and yet my heart, &c.] i. e. in the common phrase, I am still heart-whole; my spirits, by not sinking under my distemper, do not acknowledge its influence. 8 let higher Italy. (Those 'bated, that inherit but the fall Of the last monarchy,) see, &c.] The ancient geographers have divided Italy into the higher and the lower, the Apennine hills being a kind of natural line of partition; the side next the Adriatic was denominated the higher Italy, and the other side the lower; and the two seas followed the same terms of distinction, the Adriatic being called the upper Sea, and the Tyrrhene, or Tuscan, the lower. Now the Sennones, or Senois, with whom Not to woo honour, but to wed it; when 2 Lord. Health, at your bidding, serve your majesty! King. Those girls of Italy, take heed of them; They say, our French lack language to deny, Before you serve.9 Our hearts receive your warnings. King, Farewell.-Come hither to me. [The King retires to a couch. 1 Lord. O my sweet lord, that you will stay be- Par. "Tis not his fault; the spark- with; Too young, and the next year, and 'tis too early. Par. And thy mind stand to it, boy, steal away bravely. Ber. I shall stand here the forehorse to a smock, Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry, the Florentines are here supposed to be at war, inhabited the higher Italy, their chief town being Arminium, now called Rimini, upon the Adriatic. HANMER. Dr. Johnson says, that the sense may be this: Let upper Italy, where you are to exercise your valour, see that you come to gain honour, to the abatement that is, to the disgrace and depression of those that have now lost their ancient military fame, and inherit but the fall of the last monarchy. To abate is used by Shakspeare in the original sense of abatre, to depress, to sink, to deject, to subdue. beware of being captives, Before you serve.] The word serve is equivocal; the sense is, Be not captives before you serve in the war. But one to dance with!" By heaven, I'll steal away. 1 Lord. There's honour in the theft. Par. Commit it, Count. 2 Lord. I am your accessary; and so farewell. Ber. I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body. 1 Lord. Farewell, captain. 2 Lord. Sweet monsieur Parolles! Par. Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good sparks and lustrous, a word, good metals :You shall find in the regiment of the Spinii, one captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek; it was this very sword entrenched it: say to him, I live; and observe his reports for me. 2 Lord. We shall, noble captain. Par. Mars dote on you for his novices! [Exeunt Lords.] What will you do? Ber. Stay; the king [Seeing him rise. Par. Use a more spacious ceremony to the noble lords; you have restrained yourself within the list of too cold an adieu: be more expressive to them; for they wear themselves in the cap of the time, there, do muster true gait, eat, speak, and move under But one to dance with!] It should be remembered that, in Shakspeare's time, it was usual for gentlemen to dance with swords on. Our author gave to all countries the manners of his own. 3 they wear themselves in the cap of the time, there, do muster true gait, &c.] The obscurity of the passage arises from the fantastical language of a character like Parolles, whose affectation of wit urges his imagination from one allusion to another, without allowing time for his judgment to determine their congruity. The cap of time being the first image that occurs, true gait, manner of eating, speaking, &c. are the several ornaments which they muster, place, or arrange in time's cap. This is done under the influence of the most received star; that is, the person in the highest repute for setting the fashions:- and though the devil were the influence of the most received star; and though the devil lead the measure, such are to be followed : after them, and take a more dilated farewell. Ber. And I will do so. Par. Worthy fellows; and like to prove most sinewy sword-men. [Ereunt BERTRAM and PAROLLES. Enter LAFEU. Laf. Pardon, my lord, [Kneeling.] for me and for my tidings. King. I'll fee thee to stand up. Laf. Then here's a man Stands, that has brought his pardon. I would, you Had kneel'd, my lord, to ask me mercy; and That at my bidding, you could so stand up. King. I would I had; so I had broke thy pate, And ask'd thee mercy for't. Laf. Goodfaith, across : 4 But, my good lord, 'tis thus; Will you be cur'd Of your infirmity? King. Laf. No. O, will you eat No grapes, my royal fox ? yes, but you will, Could reach them: I have seen a medicine, That's able to breathe life into a stone; 5 to lead the measure or dance of fashion, such is their implicit submission, that even he must be followed. HENLEY. 3-lead the measure,] i. e. the dance. 4 - across :] This word is used when any pass of wit miscarries. While chivalry was in vogue, breaking spears against a quintain was a favourite exercise. He who shivered the greatest number was esteemed the most adroit; but then it was to be performed exactly with the point, for if achieved by a sidestroke, or across, it showed unskilfulness, and disgraced the prac tiser. smedicine,] is here put for a she-physician. Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary, King. What her is this? Laf. Why, doctor she; My lord, there's one arriv'd, If you will see her,-now, by my faith and honour, Now, good Lafeu, King. By wond'ring how thou took'st it. Laf. And not be all day neither. Nay, I'll fit you, [Exit LAFEU. King. Thus he his special nothing ever prologues. Re-enter LAFEU, with HELENA. Laf. Nay, come your ways. King. This haste hath wings indeed. Laf. Nay, come your ways; This is his majesty, say your mind to him: 6 7 dance canary, a kind of dance. her years, profession,] By profession is meant her de claration of the end and purpose of her coming. 8 Than I dare blame my weakness:] Lafeu's meaning appears to me to be this :- " That the amazement she excited in him was so great, that he could not impute it merely to his own weakness, but to the wonderful qualities of the object that occasioned it." M. MASON. |