Pro. What, said she nothing? Speed. No, not so much as-take this for thy pains. To testify your bounty, I thank you, you have testern'd me:7 in requital whereof, henceforth carry your letters yourself: and so, sir, I'll commend you to my master. · Pro. Go, go, be gone, to save your ship from wreck; Which cannot perish, having thee aboard, 8 Being destined to a drier death on shore:- [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. Garden of Julia's house. Enter JULIA and LUCETTA. Jul. But say, Lucetta, now we are alone, That every day with parle encounter me, Luc. Please you, repeat their names, I'll shew my mind, According to my shallow simple skill. Jul. What think'st thou of the fair Sir Eglamour?9 no less so to you, when you address her in person. The opposition is between brought and telling. Malone. 7 you have testern'd me;] You have gratified me with a tester, testern, or testen, that is, with a sixpence. Johnson. By the succeeding quotation from the Fruitful Sermons, preached by Hugh Latimer, 1584, fol. 94, it appears, that a tester was of greater value, than our sixpence: "They brought him a denari, a piece of their current coyne, that was worth ten of our usual pence, such another piece as our testerne." Holt White. The old reading is cestern'd. This typographical error was corrected, by the editor of the second folio. Malone. 8 Which cannot perish, &c.] The same proverb has already been alluded to, in the first and last scenes of The Tempest. Reed. 9 What think'st thou of the fair Sir Eglamour?] This Sir Eglamour must not be confounded with the persona dramatis of the same name. The latter lived at Milan, and had vowed "pure chastity" upon the death of his "true love." Ritson. Luc. As of a knight well-spoken, neat and fine; But, were I you, he never should be mine.1 Jul. What think'st thou of the rich Mercatio? Luc. Well of his wealth; but of himself, so, so. Jul. What think'st thou of the gentle Proteus? Luc. Lord, lord! to see what folly reigns in us! Jul. How now! what means this passion at his name? Luc. Pardon, dear madam: 'tis a passing shame, That I, unworthy body, as I am, Should censure thus on lovely gentlemen.2 Jul. Why not on Proteus, as of all the rest? Luc. I have no other, but a woman's reason; I think him so, because I think him so. Jul. And would'st thou have me cast my love on him? Luc. Peruse this paper, madam. Jul. To Julia,-Say, from whom? That the contents will shew. Jul. Say, say; who gave it thee? 1 he [Sir Eglamour] never should be mine.] Perhaps Sir Eglamour was once the common cant term for an insignificant inamorato. So, in Decker's Satiromastix: "Adieu, sir Eglamour; adieu lute-string, curtain-rod, goosequill," &c. Sir Eglamour of Artoys, indeed, is the hero of an ancient metrical romance, “ Imprinted at London, in Foster Lane, at the sygne of the Harteshorne, by John Walley," bl. 1. no date. Steevens. 2 Should censure thus, &c.] To censure means, in this place, to pass sentence. So, in Hinde's Eliosto Libidinoso, 1606: “Éliosto and Cleodora were astonished at such a hard censure, and went to limbo most willingly." Steevens. To censure, in our author's time, generally signified to give one's judgment, or opinion. Malone. He would have given it you, but I, being in the way, Luc. To plead for love deserves more fee, than hate. Luc. That you may ruminate. [Exit. Jul. And yet, I would I had o'erlook'd the letter. It were a shame to call her back again, And pray her to a fault for which I chid her. And would not force the letter to my view? Fie, fie! how wayward is this foolish love, How churlishly I chid Lucetta hence, And ask remission for my folly past:- That you might kill your stomach on your meat,5 3 a goodly broker!] A broker was used for matchmaker, sometimes for a procuress. Johnson. So, in Daniel's Complaint of Rosamond, 1599: 4 "And flie (o flie) these bed-brokers unclean, "The monsters of our sex," &c. Steevens. say No, to that, &c.] A paraphrase on the old proverb, "Maids say nay, and take it." Steevens. 5 stomach on your meat,] Stomach was used for passion, or obstinacy. Johnson. Nothing concerning me. Luc. To take a paper up, that I let fall. Luc. Jul. Then let it lie for those that it concerns. Luc. Madam, it will not lie where it concerns, Unless it have a false interpreter. Jul. Some love of yours hath writ to you, in rhyme. Luc. That I might sing it, madam, to a tune: Give me a note: your ladyship can set. Jul. As little by such toys as may be possible: Best sing it to the tune of Light o' love. Luc. It is too heavy for so light a tune. Jul. Heavy? belike, it hath some burden then. Luc. I cannot reach so high. Jul. Let's see your song:-How now, minion? Luc. Keep tune there still, so you will sing it out: And yet, methinks, I do not like this tune. Jul. You do not? Luc. No, madam; it is too sharp. Luc. Nay, now you are too flat, And mar the concord, with too harsh a descant:7 6 Light o' love.] This tune is given in a note on Much Ado About Nothing, Act III. sc. iv. Steevens. 7 ·too harsh a descant:] Descant is a term in music. See Sir John Hawkins's note, on the first speech in K. Richard III. 8 Steevens. but a mean, &c.] The mean is the tenor in music. So, in the interlude of Mary Magdalen's Repentance, 1569: 66 Utilitie can sing the base full cleane, "And noble honour shall sing the meane." Steevens. 9 Indeed, I bid the base for Proteus.] The speaker here turns the allusion (which her mistress employed) from the base in mu Jul. This babble shall not henceforth trouble me. Here is a coil with protestation!— [Tears the letter. Go, get you gone; and let the papers lie: You would be fingering them, to anger me. Luc. She makes it strange; but she would be best pleas'd To be so anger'd with another letter. [Exit. Jul. Nay, would I were so anger'd with the same! O hateful hands, to tear such loving words! And, here is writ-kind Julia;-unkind Julia! I throw thy name against the bruising stones, But twice, or thrice, was Proteus written down?1 Except mine own name; that some whirlwind bear sick to a country exercise, Bid the base: in which some pursue, and others are made prisoners. So that Lucetta would intend, by this, to say, Indeed I take pains to make you a captive to Proteus's passion. He uses the same allusion, in his Venus and Adonis: "To bid the winds a base he now prepares." And, in his Cymbeline, he mentions the game: 66 -Lads more like "To run the country base." Warburton. Dr. Warburton is not quite accurate. The game was not called Bid the Base, but the Base. To bid the base means here, I believe, to challenge to a contest. So, in our author's Venus and Adonis: "To bid the wind a base he now prepares, "And wh'er he run, or fly, they knew not whether." Again, in Hall's Chronicle, fol. 98. b: "The queen marched from York to Wakefield, and bade base to the duke, even before his castle." Malone. Mr. Malone's explanation of the verb-bid, is unquestionably just. So, in one of the parts of K. Henry VI: "Of force enough to bid his brother battle." Steevens. 1 -written down?] To write down, is still a provincial expression, for to write. Henley. |