But know I think, and think I know most sure,
My Art is not paft power, nor you past Cure.

King. Art thou so confident? within what space
Hop’lt thou my Cure?

Hel. The Greatest Grace lending grace,
Ere twice the horses of the Sun shall bring
Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring ;
Ere twice in murk and occidental damp
Moist Hefperus hath quench'd his sleepy lamp;
Or four and twenty times the pilot's glass
Hath told the thievith minutes how they pafs;
What is infirm from your sound parts Mall fly,
Health shall live free, and fickness freely die.

King. Upon thy certainty and confidence,
What dar'it thou venture?

Hel. Tax of impudence,
A strumpet's boldness, a divulged shame
Traduc'd by odious ballads: my maiden's name
Sear'd otherwise, no worse of worst extended;
With vileft torture let my life be ended.

King. Methinks, in thee fome blessed Spirit doth speak
His powerful sound, within an organ weak;
And what impoffibility would slay
In common sense, sente faves another way.
Thy life is dear, for all that life can rate
Worth name of life, in thee hath estimate:
(13) Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, virtue, all
That happiness and prime can happy call;
Thou this to hazard, needs muft intimate
Skill infinite, or monstrous desperate.

(13) Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, all &c.] This Verse is too short by a Foot; and apparently fome Dillyllable is drop'd out by Mischance. Mr. Warburton concurr'd with me in Conjecture to supply the Verde

Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, virtue, fall &c.
Helena had laid a particular Stress on her maiden Reputation ; and the
King, afterwards, when he comes to speak of her to Bertram, says ;

---- If the be
All that is virtuous, (fave, What thou dislikA,
A poor Physician's Daughter ;) tbau dislik
of Virtue for her name :

thus:

Sweet

Sweet Practiser, thy physick I will try;
That ministers thine own death, if I die.

Hel. If I break time, or flinch in property
Of what I spoke, unpitied let me die,
And well deserv'd! Not helping, death's my fee;
But if I help, what do you promise me?

King. (14) Make thy Demand.
Hel. But will you make it even?
King. Ay, by my Scepter, and my hopes of Heav'n.

Hel. Then shalt thou give me, with thy kingly hand,
What Husband in thy power I will command.
Exempted be from me the arrogance
To chuse from forth the royal blood of France ;
My low and humble name to propagate
With any branch or image of thy ftate:
But such a one thy vassal, whom I know
Is free for me to ask, thee to bestow.

King. Here is my hand, the premises observ’d, Thy will by my performance shall be serv'd: So, make the choice of thine own time; for I, Thy refolv'd Patient, on thee still rely. More should I question thee, and more I must; (Tho' more to know, could not be more to trust:) From whence thou cam'ft, how tended on, - but rest Unquestion'd welcome, and undoubted bleft. Give me some help here, hoa! if thou proceed As high as word, my deed shall match thy deed.

[Exeunt. (14) King. Make thy Demand.

Hel. But will you make it even?

King. Ay, by my Scepter and my hopes of help.) The King could have but a very night Hope of Help from her, scarce enough to swear by: and therefore Helen might suspect, he meant equivocate with her. Besides, observe, the greatest Part of the Scene is strictly in Rhyme: and there is no Shadow of Reason why it should be interrupted here. I rather imagine, the Poet wrote ; Ay, by my Scepter, and my Hopes of Heav'n,

Dr. Thirlby.

to

Vol. II,

Сс

SCENE

Coche height

men.

SCENE changes to Rousillon.

Enter Countess, and Clown. I Count.

on, Sir; I shall now put you to

the height of your Breeding, Clown, I will shew my self highly fed, and lowly taught; I know, my business is but to the Court.

Count. But to the Court? why, what place make you special, when you put off that with such contempt? but to the Court!

Clo. Truly, Madam, if God have lent a man any manners, he may easily put it off at Court : he that cannot make a leg, put off's cap, kiss his hand, and fay nothing, has neither leg, hands, lip, nor cáp; and, indeed, such a fellow, to lay precisely, were not for the Court: but for me, I have an answer will serve all

Count. Marry, that's a bountiful answer that fits all questions.

Clo. It is like a barber's chair, that fits all buttocks; the pin-buttock, the quatch-buttock, the brawn-buttock, or any buttock.

Count. Will your answer serve fit to all questions?

Clo. As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an attorney, as your French crown for your taffaty punk, as Tib's rush for Tom's fore-finger, as a pancake for ShroveTuesday, a morris for May-day, as the nail to his hole, the cuckold to his horn, as a scolding quean to a wrangling knave, as the nun's lip to the friar's mouth; nay, as the pudding to his skin.

Count. Have you, I fay, an answer of such fitness for all questions?

clo. From below your Duke, to beneath your Constable, it will fit any question.

Count. It must be an answer of most monstrous size, that must fit all demands.

Clo. But a trifle neither, in good faith, if the Learned should speak truth of it: here it is, and all that be

Tongs

longs to’t. Ask me, if I am a Courtier ; it shall do you no harm to learn.

Count. To be young again, if we could: I will be a fool in a question, hoping to be the wiser by your answer. I pray you, Sir, are you a Courtier?

Glo. O lord, Sir there's a simple putting off: more, more, a hundred of them. Count. Sir, I am a poor

friend of

yours, that loves you. cClo. O lord, Sir thick, thick, spare not me.

Count. I think, Sir, you can eat none of this homely meat.

Clo. O lord, Sirnay, put me to’c, I warrant you.

Count. You were lately whip’d, Sir, as I think.
Clo. O lord, Sirfpare not me.

Count. Do you cry, o lord, Sir, at your whipping, and spare not me? indeed, your o lord, Sir, is very sequent to your whipping you would answer very well to a whipping, if you were but bound to’t. Clo. I ne'er had worse luck in my life, in my

O lord, Sir, I see, things may serve long, but not serve

ever.

Count. I play the noble huswife with the time, to entertain it so merrily with a fool. Clo. O lord, Sir why, there't serves well again.

Gount. An end, Sir ; to your business : give Helen
In wthis, ,
And urge her to a present Answer back.
Commend me to my kinsmen, and my son :
This is not much.

Clo. Not much commendation to them?
Count. Not much imployment for you, you und

underClo. Most fruitfully, I am there before my legs. Count. Hafte you again.

[Exeunt.

stand me.

SCENE changes to the Court of France.

Enter Bertram, Lafeu, and Parolles. Laf. (15) Thave our philosophical persons to make

, modern, and familiar, Things supernatural and causeless. Hence is it, that we make trifles of terrors; ensconsing our selves into seeming knowledge, when we should submit our selves to an unknown fear.

Par. Why, 'tis the rarest argument of wonder that hath shot our in our later times.

Ber. And fo 'tis.
Laf. To be relinquish'd of the Artists
Par. So I say, both of Galen and Paracelsus.
Laf. Of all the learned and authentick Fellows-
Par. Right, so I say.
Laf. That gave him out incurable, -
Par. Why, there 'tis, so say I too.
Laf. Not to be help'd,
Par. Right, as 'twere a man assur'd of an
Laf. Uncertain life, and sure death, --
Par. Juft, you say well: so would I have said.
Laf. I may truly say, it is a novelty to the world.

Par. It is, indeed, if you will have it in thewing, you shall read it in, what do you call there moto

Laf. A shewing of a heav'nly effect in an earthly actor.

Par. That's it, I would have said the very fame.

Laf. (16) Why, your dolphin is not luftier : for me, I speak in respect

Par. (15) They say Miracles are past, and we bave our Philosophical Persons to make modern and familiar things supernatural and causéless.] This, as it has hitherto been pointed, is directly opposite to our Poet's, and his Speaker's, Meaning. As I have stop'd it, the Sense quadrates with the Context: and, surely, it is one unalterable Property of Philosophy, to make seeming ftrange and preternatural Phænomena familiar, and reducible to Cause and Reason.

(16) Why, your Dolphin is not luftier :) I have thought it very probable, that, as 'tis a French Man speaks, and as 'tis the French King he is

speaking