3 Fifh. But, mafter, if I had been the fexton, I would have been that day in the belfry. 2 Fish. Why, man? 3 Fifh. Because he should have swallow'd me too : and when I had been in his belly, I would have kept fuch a jangling of the bells, that he should never have left, till he caft bells, fteeple, church, and parish, up again. But if the good king Simonides were of my mind— Per. Simonides? 3 Fish. We would purge the land of thefe drones, that rob the bee of her honey. Per. How from the finny fubject of the feas All that may men approve, or men detect! 2 Fish. Honeft, good fellow, what's that, if it be a day fits you, fearch out of the kalendar, and no body look after it. S Per. -the fenny fubject of the fea) Read-finny. This thought is not much unlike another in As You Like It : this our life, exempt from publick haunt, "Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, "Sermons in ftones, and good in every thing." STEEVENS. • Honeft, good fellow, what's that, if it be a day fits you, fearch out of the kalendar, and no body look after it?] The preceding speech of Pericles affords no apt introduction to the reply of the fisherman. Either fomewhat is omitted that cannot now be supplied, or the whole paffage is obfcured by more than common "depra vation. It should seem that the prince had made fome remark on the badness of the day. Perhaps the dialogue originally ran thus: Per. Peace be at your labour, honest fishermen ; The day is rough and thwarts your occupation. 2. Honeft! good fellow, what's that? If it be not a day fits you, feratch it out of the kalendar, and nobody will look after it. The following speech of Pericles is equally abrupt and incon. fequent: May see the sea hath cast upon your coast. The Per. You may fee, the fea hath caft me on your coaft. 2 Fish. What a drunken knave was the fea, to caft thee in our way 7! Per. A man whom both the waters and the wind, In that vaft tennis-court, hath made the ball For them to play upon, intreats you pity him; He asks of you, that never us'd to beg, 1 Fish. No, friend, cannot you beg? here's them in our country of Greece, gets more with begging, than we can do with working. 2 Fish. Can't thou catch any fishes then? Per.. I never practis'd it. 2 Fish. Nay, then thou wilt farve fure; for here's nothing to be got now-a-days, unless thou can'ft fish for't. Per. What I have been, I have forgot to know; But what I am, want teaches me to think on; A man throng'd up with cold; my veins are chill, The folio reads, I'may fee the fea hath caft me upon your coaft. I would rather suppose the poet wrote, Nay, fee the fea hath caft upon your coast Here the fiberman interpofes. The prince then goes on. 7 to cast thee in our way!] He is playing on the word caft; which anciently was used both in the fenfe of to throw, and to vomit. So in Macbeth, vol. iv. P. 509, "Yet I made a shift to cat him.' It is ufed in the latter fenfe above till he caft bells, &c. up. again MALONE. A man throng'd up with cold;] I fufpect that this, which is the reading of all the copies, is corrupt. We might read, A man forunk up with cold; (It might have been anciently written bronk.). So in Cymbeline: "The Shrinking flaves of winter———' "MALONE. Throng'd up with cold may mean only molested by it, as by the preffure of a crowd. With this fituation Apemantus threatens Timon: I'll fay thou haft gold: Thou wilt be throng'd too, fhortly. Throng'd might also be used by Pericles to fignify fhrunk into a heap, fo as to have one part crowded into another, STEEVENS. And And have no more of life, than may fuffice 1 Fish. Die quoth-a? Now gods forbid! I have a gown here; come put it on, keep thee warm. Now, afore me, a handfome fellow! Come, thou fhalt go home, and we'll have flesh for holydays', fifh for fasting days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks '; and thou shalt be welcome. Per. I thank you, fir. 2 Fish. Hark you, my friend, you faid you could not beg. Per. I did but crave. 2 Fish. But crave? then I'll turn craver too, and fo I fhall fcape whipping. Per. Why, are all your beggars whip'd then? 2 Fish. O not at all, my friend, not at all; for if all your beggars were whip'd, I would wish no better office, than to be a beadle. But, mafter, I'll go draw up the net. [Exeunt two of the Fishermen. Per. How well this honeft mirth becomes their la bour! 1 Fish. Hark you, fir, do you know where you are? Per. Not well. 1 Fish. Why I'll tell you; this is called Pentapolis, and our king, the good Simonides. Per. The good king Simonides, do you call him? 1 Fish. Ay, fir, and he deferves fo to be call'd, for his peaceable reign, and good government. I have a gown here, &c.] In the profe hiftory of Kynge Appolyn of Thyre, already quoted, the fisherman gives him "one halfe of his blacke mantelle for to cover his body with." STEEVENS. - flesh for all day, fish for fafting days, and more, or puddings, &c.] The poet without doubt wrote, fleth for holydays." MALONE. and more, or puddings and flapjacks,"-read-"and moreo'er puddings and flapjacks." FARMER. For "" 2 -Rapjacks;] In fome counties a flapjack fignifies an applepuff: but anciently it seems to have meant a pancake. STEEVENS. VOL. II. Per. Per. He is a happy king, fince he gains from his fubjects, the name of good, by his government. How far is his court distant from this fhore? 1 Fish. Marry, fir, half a day's journey; and I'll tell you, he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her birth-day; and there are princes and knights come from all parts of the world, to juft and turney for her love. Per. Were my fortunes equal to my defires, I could wish to make one there. 1 Fish. O fir, things must be as they may; and what a man cannot get, he may lawfully deal forhis wife's foul 3. Re-enter the two Fishermen drawing up a net. 2 Fish. Help, master, help; here's a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man's right in the law; 'twill 3 and what a man cannot get,-] This paffage, in its present ftate, is to me unintelligible. We might read," O fir, things must be as they may; and what a man cannot get, he may not lawfully deal for ;-his wife's foul." Be content; things must be as Providence has appointed ;-and what bis fituation in life does not entitle him to afpire to, he ought not to attempt;-the affections of a woman in a higher sphere than his own. Soul is in other places used by our author for love. Meafure for Measure: 66 we have with special foul -Thus in "Elected him, our abfence to fupply." MALONE. Things must be (fays the speaker) as they are appointed to be; and what a man is not fure to compafs, he has yet a juft right to attempt. Thus far the paffage is clear.-The fifherman may then be fuppofed to begin a new fentence -His wife's foul-but here he is interrupted by his comrades. He might otherwife have proceeded to fay The good will of a wife indeed is one of the things which is difficult of attainment. A bufband is in the right to ftrive for it, but after all his pains may fail to fecure it. I wish his brother fishermen had called off his attention before he had had time to utter his laft three words. STEEVENS. The fisherman means, I think, to fay, "What a man cannot get, there is no law against giving, to fave his wife's foul from purgatory." FARMER. hardly ! hardly come out. Ha! bots on't, 'tis come at last, and 'tis turn'd to a rufty armour. Per. An armour, friends! I pray you, let me fee it. Thanks, Fortune, yet, that after all my croffes, Thou giv❜ft me somewhat to repair myself; And, though it was mine own, part of mine heritage, Which my dead father did bequeath to me, With this strict charge, (even as he left his life) Keep it, my Pericles, it hath been a fhield 'Twixt me and death; (and pointed to this brace") fend thee 7." It kept where I kept, I fo dearly lov'd it ; I thank thee for it; my fhipwreck now's no ill, Per. To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of For it was fome time target to a king; I know it by this mark; he lov'd me dearly, bots on't,] The bots are the worms that breed in horfes. This comick execration was formerly used in the room of one lefs decent. It occurs in King Henry IV. and in many other old plays. MALONE. And, though it was mine own, though it was my own. 6 MALONE. -] i. e. And I thank you, this brace,] The brace is the armour for the arm. So in Troilus and Creffida: "I'll hide my filver beard in a gold beaver, "And in my vant-brace put this wither'd brawn," Avant bras. Fr. STEEVENS. The which the gods protect thee from! read, unintelligibly, -] All the old copies The which the gods protect thee, fame may defend thee. MALONE. And |