Imatges de pàgina
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Long. You fwore to that, Biron, and to the rest. Biron. By yea and nay, Sir, then I fwore in jeft. What is the end of ftudy? let me know?

King. Why, that to know, which else we should not know.

Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common fenfe.

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study fo,
To know the thing I am forbid to know;
As thus; to study where I well may dine,
When I to feast exprefly am forbid2;
Or ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,
When miftreffes from common fenfe are hid:
Or, having fworn too hard-a-keeping oath,
Study to break it, and not break my troth.
If ftudy's gain be this, and this be fo,
Study knows that, which yet it doth not know:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er fay, no.

King. Thefe be the ftops, that hinder study quite; And train our Intellects to vain delight.

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Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that moft vain,
Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain;
As, painfully to pore upon a book,

To feek the light of truth; while truth the while
Doth falfly blind the eye-fight of his look:
Light, feeing light, doth light of light beguile;

The copies all have, When I to falt exprefly am forbid.] But if Biron ftudied where to get a good Dinner, at a time when he was forbid to faft, how was This #udying to know what he was forbid to know? Common Senfe, and the whole Tenour of the Context, requires us to read feaft, or to make a Change in the laft Word of the Verfe.

When I to falt exprefly am fore

bid; VOL. II.

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i. e. when I am enjoin'd beforehand to fast.

THEOBALD.

3- while truth the while

Doth falfly blind.] Fally is here, and in many other places, the fame as dishonestly or treacherously. The whole fenfe of this gingling declamation is only this, that a man by too close fludy may read himself blind, which might have been told with lefs obicurity in fewer words.

So

So, ere you find where light in darkness lies,
Your light grows dark by lofing of your eyes.
Study me how to please the eye, indeed,
By fixing it upon a fairer eye;

Who dazzling fo, that eye fhall be his heed *,
And give him light, that it was blinded by.
Study is like the Heaven's glorious Sun,

That will not be deep fearch'd with fawcy looks;
Shall have continual plodders ever won,
Save bafe authority from other's books.
Thefe earthly godfathers of heaven's lights,
That give a name to every fixed ftar,
Have no more profit of their fhining nights,

Than those that walk and wot not what they are. 'Too much to know, is to know nought: but fame; And every godfather can give a name."

Who dazzling fo, that eye
Shall be his heed,
And give him light, that it was

blinded by. This is another paffage unneceffarily obfcure: the meaning is, that when he dazzles, that is, has his eye made weak, by fixing his eye upon a fairer eye, that fairer eye hall be his beed, his direction or lodeftar, (fee Midsummer Night's Dream) and give him light that was blinded by it.

King.

ludes to Adam's Fall, which came from the inordinate paffion of knowing too much. The other way is to read, and point it thus,

Too much to know, is to know

nought: but FEIGN, i.e. to feign. As much as to say, the affecting to know too much is the way to know nothing. The fenfe, in both thefe readings, is equally good: But with this difference; If we read the firft way, the following line is impertinent; and to fave the correction, we must judge it spurious. If we read it the fecond way, then the following line compleats the fenfe. Confequently the correction of feign is to be preferred. To kno too much (fays the speaker) is to know nothing; it is only feigning to know what we do not giving nought but SHAME; names for things without knowThis makes a fine fenfe, and al- ing their natures; which is falle

5 Too much to know, is to know nought but FAME; And every Godfather can give a name.] The first line in this reading is abfurd and impertinent. There are two ways of fetting it right. The first is to read it thus,

Foo much to know, is to know

knowledge:

King, How well he's read, to reafon against reading!
Dum. Proceeded well, to ftop all good proceeding.
Long. He weeds the corn, and ftill let's grow the
weeding.

Biron. The fpring is near, when green geefe are a
breeding.

Dum. How follows that?

Biron. Fit in his place and time.
Dum. In reafon nothing.

Biron. Something then in rhime.

Long. Biron is like an envious fncaping froft,

That bites the firft-born infants of the fpring. Biron. Well; fay, I am; why should proud fummer boast,

Before the birds have any caufe to fing? Why fhould I joy in an abortive birth??

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6 Proceeded well, to flop all good proceeding.] To proceed is an academical term, meaning, to take a degree, as he proceeded ba chelor in phyfick. The fenfe is, he has taken his degrees on the art of hindering the degrees of others.

Why Jhould I joy in an abort-
ive Birth?

At Christmas I no more defire a
Rofe,
Thanwifh a Snow in May's new-
fangled Shows:

But like of each Thing, that in

Seafon grows.] As the greatest part of this Scene (both what precedes and follows) is ftri&tly in Rhimes, either fucceffive, alternate, or triple; I am perfuaded, the Copyifts have made a flip here. For by mak ing a Triplet of the three laft Lines quoted, Birth in the Clofe of the first Line is quite deftitute of any Rhyme to it. Befides,

what

At Christmas I no more defire a rose,

Than with a fnow in May's new-fangled fhows :
But like of each thing, that in feason grows.
So you, to study now it is too late,

That were to climb o'er th' houfe t'unlock the gate.
King. Well, fit you out-Go home, Biron: Adieu!
Biron. No, my good lord, I've fworn to ftay with

you

And though I have for barbarifm fpoke more,

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Than for that angel knowledge you can say; Yet confident I'll keep what I have fwore,

And 'bide the penance of each three years' day. Give me the paper, let me read the fame; And to the ftrict'ft decrees I'll write my name. King. How well this yielding refcues thee from fhame!

Biron. Item. That no woman shall come within

mile of my Court.

Hath this been proclaimed?

Long. Four days ago.

Biron. Let's fee the penalty.

On pain of lofing her tongue:

Who devis'd this penalty?

Long. Marry, that did I. ·

[reading

[reading

Biron. Sweet lord, and why?

Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty
Biron. A dangerous law against gentility!

what a difpleafing Identity of Sound recurs in the Middle and Clofe of this Verfe?

Than with a Snow in May's

newfangled Shows:
Again; new-fangled Shorus feems
to have very little Propriety.
The Flowers are not new fangled;
but the earth is new-fangled by
the Profufion and Variety of the
Flowers, that fpring on its Bo-
fom in May, I have therefore
ventured to fubftitute, Earth, in

Iten

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Item, [reading.] If any man be feen to talk with a woman within the term of three Years, he shall endure fuch publick fhame as the reft of the Court can poffibly decife.

This article, my liege, yourself must break;

For, well you know, here comes in embassy The French King's daughter with yourself to speak, A maid of grace and compleat majefty, About Surrender up of Aquitain

To her decrepit, fick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain,

Or vainly comes th' admired Princefs hither. King. What fay you, lords? why, this was quite forgot.

Biron. So ftudy evermore is overshot;

While it doth study to have what it would,
It doth forget to do the thing it fhould:
And when it hath the thing it hunteth moft,
'Tis won, as towns with Fire; fo won, fo loft.
King. We must, of force, difpenfe with this decree,
She muft lye here on mere neceffity.

Biron. Neceffity will make us all forfworn,

Three thoufand times within this three years fpace:

For every man with his affects is born:

Not by might mafter'd, but by fpecial grace.

Line, it being evident, for two Realons, that it, by fome Accident or other, flipt out of the printed Books. In the firft place, Longueville confeffes, he had devis'd the Penalty: and why he fould immediately arraign it as a dangerous Law, feems to be very inconfiftent. In the next place, it is much more natural ior Biron to make this Reflexion, who is cavilling at every thing; and then for him to purfue his reading over the remaining Artcles.As to the Word Gen

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tility, here, it does not fignify that Rank of People called, Gentry; but what the French exprefs by, gentileffe, i. e. elegantia urbanitas. And then the Meaning is this. Such a law for banishing Women from the Court, is dangerous, or injurious, to Politenefs, Urbanity, and the more refined Pleafures of Life. For Men without Women would turn brutal, and favage, in their Natures and Behaviour. THEOBALD. 9 Not by might mafter'd, but by Special grace.] Biron amidit

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