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Your lordship's privacy.

Aub. Captain, your love

Is ever welcome. I entreat your patience
While I peruse these.

Ham. I attend your pleasure.
Aub. How's this? a plot on me?
Ham. What is contain'd

I' th' letters that I brought, that thus transports him?

Aub. To be wrought on by rogues, and have my head [bread? Brought to the axe by knaves that cheat for The creatures of a parasite, a slave?

I find you here, Latorch, nor wonder at it; But that this honest captain should be made His instrument, afflicts me: I'll make trial Whether his will or weakness made him do it.

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I should do what these letters did direct me;
And I presume you think I'll not neglect,
For fear or favour, to remove all dangers,
How near soe'er that man can be to me
From whom they should have birth.
Ham. It is confirm'd.

[refuse,

Aub. Nor would you, captain, I believe, Or for respect of thankfulness, or hopes, To use your sword with fullest confidence Where he shall bid you strike. Ham. I never have done. Aub. Nor will, I think.

Ham. I hope it is not question'd.

Aub. The means to have it so is now propos'd you. fhead! Draw; so, 'tis well; and next, cut off my Hom. What means your lordship?

Aub. Tis, sir, the duke's pleasure;
My innocence hath made me dangerous,
And I must be remov'd, and you the man
Must act his will.

Ham. I'll be a traitor first,
Before I serve it thus!

Aub. It must be done;

[warrant. And that you may not doubt it, there's your But as you read, remember, Hamond, that I never wrong'd one of your brave profession; And, tho' it be not manly, I must grieve That man of whose love I was most ambitious Could find no object for his hate but me.

Ham. It is no time to talk now. Honour'd
sir,

Be pleas'd to hear thy servant: I am wrong'd,
And cannot, being now to serve the duke,
Stay to express the manner how; but if
I do not suddenly give you strong proofs
Your life is dearer to me than my own,
May I live base, and die so! Sir, your pardon.
[Exit.

Aub. I'm both ways ruin'd, both ways
mark'd for slaughter!

On every side, about, behind, before me,
My certain fate is fix'd! Were I aknave now,
I could avoid this; had my actions
But mere relations to their own ends, I could
'scape now.

Oh, Honesty! thou elder child of Virtue,
Thou seed of Heav'n, why, to acquire thy
goodness,
(us,

Should malice and distrust stick thorns before And make us swim unto thee, hung with hazards?

But Heav'n is got by suffering, not disputing!

Against the torrent of his own opinion.] The old quarto for was reads runs, a word much preferable to the other. But what during is there to talk only against his own opinion? To talk against such a man as Rollo's was daring indeed in an inferior. The words his own are probably a mere interpolation. Opinion, according to the constant usage of all the old poets, is four syllables, or two, at will; and to call it opinion in general, rather than Rollo's in particular, is more elegant. Seward.

Mr. Seward, therefore, treating opinion as 'four syllables,' omits the words his own. The small change of talk into balk, gives good verse, and sound sense.

Say he knew this before-hand, where am I
then?

Or say he do not know it, where's my loyalty?
I know his nature, troubled as the sea,

And as the sea devouring where he's vex'd,
And I know princes are their own expounders.
Am I afraid of death? of dying nobly?
Of dying in mine innocence uprightly?
Have I met death in all his forms, and fears,
Now on the points of swords, now pitch'd on
lances,

In fires, in storms of arrows, battles,breaches,
And shall I now shrink from him, when he

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Enter Edith and a boy; a banquet set out.
Edith. Now for a father's murder, and
the ruin

All chastity shall suffer if he reign!
Thou blessed soul, look down, and steel thy
daughter,

Look on the sacrifice she comes to send thee,
And thro' that bloody cloud behold my piety!
Take from my cold heart fear, from my sex
pity,

And as I wipe these tears off, shed for thee,
So all remembrance may I lose of mercy!
Give me a woman's anger bent to blood,
The wildness of the winds to drown his
prayers!

Storm-like may my destruction fall upon him,

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Take, oh, take those lips away,

That so sweetly were forsworn,
And those eyes, like break of day,

Lights that do mislead the morn;
But my kisses bring again,
Seals of love, tho' seal'd in vain.
Hide, oh, hide those hills of snow,
Which thy frozen bosom bears,
On whose tops the pinks that grow

Are yet of those that April wears;
But first set my poor heart free,
Bound in those icy chains by thee.
Enter Rollo.

Rollo. What bright star, taking Beauty's form upon her,

In all the happy lustre of Heav'n's glory,
Has dropp'd down from the sky to comfort
me?

Wonder of nature, let it not prophane thee
My rude hand touch thy beauty; nor this kiss
The gentle sacritice of love and service,
Be offer'd to the honour of thy sweetness.

Edith. My gracious lord, no deity dwells
here,

Nor nothing of that virtue, but obedience;
The servant to your will affects no flattery.

Rollo. Can it be flattery to swear those eyes Are Love's eternal lamps he fires all hearts with?

That tongue the smart string to his bow? those sighs

64 I hear him come] The following scene is evidently writ in emulation of the famous courtship of Richard the Third to Lady Ann; and though it may fall somewhat short, every reader of taste will be charmed with so noble a resemblance of that consummate master of dramatic poetry. Rollo is certainly an inferior character to Richard, but Edith much excels Lady Anu, and indeed almost any female character that Shakespeare has drawn. So does Juliana in The Double Marriage, and Lucina in Valentinian. I forgot to mention in the former scenes of this play what were taken from Seneca's Thebais; but it is chiefly Sophia's speeches in the first act, which are almost literal translations. Seward.

"The famous courtship of Richard to Lady Ann' is not one of the happiest scenes of Shakespeare; and if we should allow that Edith much excels Lady Ann,' we could not by any means add, with Mr. Seward, that she also excels almost any female character that Shakespeare has drawn.' Editors are not bound to be partial,

*

Song. The first stanza of this Song is to be found in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure; and the whole of it is printed, as the production of that Author, in the edition of his Poems published by Swel and Gildon. But Dr. Percy observes, these Gentlemen have inserted therein many pieces not written by our great Bard, and the present is not in Jaggard's old edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets: We cannot, therefore, with certainty ascribe it to him. R.

The deadly shafts he sends into our souls?
Oh, look upon me with thy spring of beauty!
Edith. Your Grace is full of game.
Rollo. By Heav'n, my Edith,
Thy mother fed on roses when she bred thee.
Edith. And thine on brambles, that have
prick'd her heart out!

Rollo. The sweetness of th’Arabian wind, still blowing

Upon the treasures of perfumes and spices, In all their pride and pleasures, calls thee mistress!

Edith. Will't please you sit, sir? Rollo. So you please sit by me. Fair gentle maid, there is no speaking to thee; The excellency that appears upon thee Ties up my tongue! 'Pray speak to me. Edith. Of what, sir?

Will

cellent.

Rollo. Of any thing, and any thing is exthen; you take my direction? Speak of love Speak of thy fair self, Edith; and while thou speak'st, [wench. Let me, thus languishing, give up myself, Edith. I'has a strange cunning tongue.— Why do you sigh, sir?

How masterly he turns himself to catch me! Rollo. The way to Paradise, my gentle maid, [ing,

Is hard and crooked, scarce repentance findWith all her holy helps, the door to enter. Give me thy hand: What dost thou feel? Edith. Your tears, sir;

You weep extremely.-Strengthen me now, justice!

Why are these sorrows, sir?

Rollo. Thou'lt never love me

[left

If I should tell thee; and yet there's no way
Ever to purchase this blest Paradise,
But swimming thither in these tears.
Edith. I stagger!

Rollo. Are they not drops of blood?
Edith. No.

Rollo. They're for blood then,

For guiltless blood! and they must drop, my
Edith,
[mischiefs.
They must thus drop, 'till I have drown'd my
Edith. If this be true, I have no strength

to touch him.

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(As I deserve it, lady) for my true love, When thou hast loaden me with earth for

ever,

Take heed my sorrows, and the stings I suffer,

Take heed my nightly dreams of death and horror, [then, Pursue thee not; no time shall tell thy grief's Nor shall an hour of joy add to thy beauties. Look not upon me as I kill'd thy father; As I was smear'd in blood, do thou not hate me; fance, But thus, in whiteness of my wash'd repentIn my heart's tears and truth of love to Edith, In my fair life hereafter

Edith. He will fool me !

Rollo. Oh, with thine angel-eyes behold and bless me !

Of Heav'n we call for mercy, and obtain it; To Justice for our right on earth, and have it; Of thee I beg for love; save me, and give it! Edith. Now, Heav'n, thy help, or I am gone for ever;

His tongue has turn'd me into melting pity! Enter Hamond and Guard.

Ham. Keep the doors safe; and, upon
pain of death,

Let no man enter 'till I give the word.
Guard. We shall, sir.

[Exeunt. Ham. Here he is, in all his pleasure: I have my wish.

Rollo. How now? why dost thou stare so?
Edith. A help, I hope!

Rollo. What dost thou here? who sent

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Edith. Fear not; Kill him, good captain! any way dispatch My body's honour'd with that sword that thro' me

[hand!

Sends his black soul to hell! Oh, but for one
Ham. Shake him off bravely.
Edith. He is too strong. Strike him!
Ham. Oh, am I with you, sir? Now keep
you from him!

What, has he got a knife 65?

Edith. Look to him, captain; For now he will be mischievous.

Ham. Do you smile, sir?

Does it so tickle you? Have at you once more! Edith. Oh, bravely thrust. Take heed he come not in, sir.

To him again; you give him too much respite. Rollo. Yet wilt thou save my life? and I'll forgive thee, [ments,

And give thee all, all honours, all advanceCall thee my friend!

Edith. Strike, strike, and hear him not! His tongue will tempt a saint. Rollo. Oh, for my soul sake! Edith. Save nothing of him! Ham. Now for your farewell! Are you so wary? take you that! Rollo. Thou that too!

Oh, thou hast kill'd me basely, basely, basely!

[Dies.

Edith. The just reward of murder falls
upon thee!

How do you, sir? has he not hurt you?
Ham. No;

I feel not any thing.

Aub. [within. I charge you let us pass! Guard [within]. You cannot yet, sir. Aub. I'll make way then.

Guard. We are sworn to our captain; And, 'till he give the word

Ham. Now let them in there.

Enter Sophia, Matilda, Aubrey, Lords and Attendants.

Soph. Oh, there he lies! Sorrow on sorrow seeks me!

Oh, in his blood he lies!

Aub. Had you spoke sooner,

This might have been prevented. Take the duchess,

And lead her off; this is no sight for her eyes.
Mat. Oh, bravely done, wench!
Edith. There stands the noble doer.

Mat. May honour ever seek thee for thy
justice!

Oh, 'twas a deed of high and brave adventure,

65 A knife.] i. e. A dagger.

6

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whom I bore it;

And, as they grappled

Aub. Justice is ever equal!

[honest.

Had it not been on him, th' hadst died too Did you know of his death?

Edith. Yes, and rejoice in't.

Aub. I'm sorry for your youth then, for tho' the strictness

Of law shall not fall on you, that of life Must presently. Go, to a cloyster carry her; And there for ever lead your life in penitence.

Edith. Best father to my soul, I give you thanks, sir!

And now my fair revenges have their ends;
My vows shall be my kin, my prayers my
friends!
[Exit.

Enter Latorch and Jugglers.
Lat. Stay there; I'll step in, and prepare

the duke.

Norb. We shall have brave rewards!
Fiske. That's without question.

Lat. By this time, where's my huffing
friend, lord Aubrey?

Where's that good gentleman? Oh, I could laugh now,

And burst myself with mere imagination:
A wise man, and a valiant man, a just man,
Should suffer himself to be juggled out o' th'
world,

By a number of poor gipsies! Farewell,
swash-buckler;
[time.
For I know thy mouth is cold enough by this
A hundred of ye I can shave as neatly,
And ne'er draw blood in show. Now shall
my honour,

[sure

My power, and virtue, walk alone; my pleaObserv'd by all; all knees bend to my wor

ship;

All suits to me, as saint of all their fortunes,

Quarried.] This is an allusion to falconry. Latham, who wrote in the time of James I., explains the word quarrie to be taken for the fowle which is flowne at and slaine at any time, especially when young hawks are flowne thereunto.'. R.

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Now what are you?

Norb. Mathematicians, An't like your lordship.

Aub. And ye drew à figure?
Fiske, We have drawn many.
Aub. For the duke, I mean, sir.
Latorch's knaves you are!

Norb. We know the gentleman.
Aub. What did he promise you?
Norb. We're paid already.

what full place of credit,

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This, as he was a prince, so princely funeral Shall wait upon him; on this honest captain, The decency of arms; a tear for him too. So, sadly on, and, as we view his blood, May his example in our rule raise good!

And what place now?] The second place seems to have been accidentally repeated, instead of some word that implies title, honour, or dignity. Stile seems to bid fairest of any monosyllable that occurs.

Seward.

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