The white heet bleaching on the hedge, mon With, bey the fweet birds, O how they finger Doth fet my pugging tooth on edges: tand For a quart of ale is a difh for a king. ༤༥་ fory! the thrush and the jay: Are fummer fongs for me and my aunts, I have ferved Prince Florizel, and in my time wore three pile, but now I am out of fervice. But fball I go mourn for that, my dear? Soll The pale moon fhines by night: If tinkers may have leave to live, 9 My traffick is fheets; when the kite builds, look to leffer linen. My father nam'd me Autolycus, being litter'd mer, and after him Dr. Warburton, read, progging tooth. It is certain that pugging is not now understood. But Dr. Thirlby obferves, that this is the cant of gypfies. My father nam'd me Autolycus, &c.] Mr. Theobald fays, the allufion is unqueflionably to Ovid. He is mistaken. Not only the allufion, but the whole fpeech is taken from Lucian; who appears to have been one of our Poet's favourite authors, as may be collected from several places of his works. It is from his difcourfe on judicial Aftrology, where Autolycus talks much in the fame manner; and 'tis only on this account that he is called the U 3 litter'd under Mercury, who, as I am, was likewife a fnapper-up of unconfider'd trifles: with die and drab, I purchas'd this caparifon; and my revenue is the filly cheat. Gallows, and knock, are too powerful on the high-way; beating and hanging are terrors to me for the life to come, I fleep out the thought of it.-A prize! a prize! Clo. Let me fee,-Every eleven weather tods, every tod yields pound and odd fhilling; fifteen hundred fhorn, what comes the wool too? Aut. If the fpringe hold, the cock's mine —————— [Afide. Clo. I cannot do't without compters. Let me fee, what am I to buy for our fheep-fhearing feaft, three pound of fugar, five pound of currants, rice what will this fifter of mine do with rice? but my father hath made her mistress of the feaft, and the lays it on. She hath made me four and twenty nofe-gays for the fhearers; three-man-fong-men all, and very good ones, but they are most of them means and bafes; but one Puritan among them, and he fings pfalms to horn-pipes. I must have saffron to colour the wardenpies, mace-dates none that's out of my note: nutmegs, feven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pound of prunes, and as many raifins o'th' fun. Aut. Oh, that ever I was born! Clo. I'th' name of me [Groveling on the ground. Aut. Oh, help me, help me: pluck but off thefe rags, and then death, death Clo. Alack, poor foul, thou haft need of more rags to lay on thee, rather than have these off. Aut. Oh, Sir, the loathfomeness of them offends me, more than the ftripes I have receiv'd, which are mighty ones, and millions. Clo. Alas, poor man! a million of beating may come to a great matter, Aut. I am robb'd, Sir, and beaten; my mony and apparel ta'en from me, and thefe deteftable things put upon me. Clo. What, by a horfe-man, or a foot-man. Aut. A foot-man, fweet Sir, a foot-man, Clo. Indeed, he fhould be a foot-man, by the garments he hath left with thee; if this be a horfe-man's coat, it hath feen very hot fervice. Lend me thy hand, I'll help thee. Come, lend me thy hand. [Helping him up. Aut. Oh! good Sir, tenderly, oh! Clo. Alas, poor foul. Aut. O good Sir, foftly, good Sir: I fear, Sir, my Thoulder-blade is out. Clo. How now? canft ftand? Aut. Softly, dear Sir; good Sir, foftly; you ha' done me a charitable office.. Clo. Doft lack any mony? I have a little mony for thee. Aut. No, good fweet Sir; no, I beseech you, Sir; Thaye a kinfman not paft three quarters of a mile hence, unto whom I was going; Ifhall there have mony, or I believe me fhould be blotted out. U 4 any any thing I want: offer me no mony, I pray you; that kills my heart. Clo, What manner of fellow was he, that robb'd you? Aut. A fellow Sir, that I have known to go about with trol-my-dames: I knew him once a fervant of the prince I cannot tell, good Sir, for which of his virtues it was, but he was certainly whipp'd out of the court. Clo. His vices, you would fay; there's no virtue whipp'd out of the court; they cherish it to make it ftay there, and yet it will no more but abide. Aut. Vices I would fay, Sir. I know this man well, he hath been fince an ape-bearer, then a procefs-ferver, a bailiff; then he compafs'd a motion of the prodigal fon3, and married a tinker's wife within a mile where my land and living lies; and, having flown over many knavifh profeffions, he fettled only in a rogue; some call him Autolycus. Clo. Out upon him, prig! for my life, prig;-he haunts wakes, fairs, and bear-baitings, Aut. Very true, Sir; he, Sir, he; that's the rogue, that put me into this apparel. Clo. Not a more cowardly rogue in all Bohemia; if you had but look'd big, and fpit at him, he'd have run. Aut. I must confefs to you, Sir, I am no fighter I am false at heart that way, and that he knew, I war rant him. Clo. How do you now? Aut. Sweet Sir, much better than I was; I can ftand, and walk, I will even take my leave of you, and pace foftly towards my kinfman's. Clo. Shall I bring thee on thy way? A pomly v Aut. No, good-fac'd Sir; no, fweet Sirged raz Clo. Then, farewel, I must go to buy spices for our fheep-fhearing. [Exit. Aut. Profper you, fweet Sir!-Your purfe is not hot enough to purchase your fpice, I'll be with you at your sheep-fhearing too: if I make not this cheat bring out another, and the fhearers prove theep, let me be unroll'd, and my name put into the book of virtue. sw SONG.. 5 Fog on, jog on, the footh-path way, And merrily hent the file-a.merry heart goes all the day, and Your fad tires in a mile-a. SCENE IV. The Profpect of a Shepherd's Cott: Enter Florizel and Perdita. [Exit. Flo HESE your unusual weeds to each part of you •TH Do give a life: no fhepherdefs, but Flora Peering in April's front. This your sheep-fhearing And you the Queen on't. Per. Sir, my gracious Lord, To chide at your extremes it not becomes me3: let me be unroll'd, and my name put into book of virtue!] Begging gipfies, in the time of our author, were in gangs and companies, that had fomething of the fhew of an incorporated Body. From this noble fociety he wishes he may be unrolled if he does not fo and fo. WARBURTON. 5 Your extremes.] That is, your exceffes, the extravagance of your praises. Oh |