Thou know'st not what; but take it for thy labour: 8 That I mean to thee. Tell thy mistress how As thou'lt defire; and then myself, I chiefly, Not to be shak'd: the agent for his master; The hand faft to her lord.-I have given him that, 8 Think what a chance thou changeft on;] Such is the reading of the old copy, which by fucceeding editors has been altered into, Think what a chance thou chanceft on ; And Think what a change thou chanceft on; but unneceffarily. The meaning is: "Think with what a fair profpect of mending your fortunes you now change your present fervice." STEEVENS. A line in our author's Rape of Lucrece adds fome fupport to the reading-thou chanceft on, which is much in Shakspeare's manner: "Let there bechance him pitiful mif-chances." MALONE. 9 Of leigers for her fweet;] A leiger ambaffador is one that refides in a foreign court to promote his master's intereft. JOHNSON. So, in Measure for Meafure: "Lord Angelo, having affairs to heaven, "Intends you for his fwift embassador, "Where you shall be an everlafting leiger." STEEVEKS. Re-enter PISANIO, and Ladies. To taste of too. So, fo;-well done, well done: PIs. But when to my good lord I prove untrue, [Exit. Another Room in the fame. Enter IMOGEN. IMO. A father cruel, and a step-dame false; A foolish fuitor to a wedded lady, That hath her husband banish'd;-O, that hufband! My fupreme crown of grief!' and those repeated And fhall do:] Some words, which rendered this fentence lefs abrupt, and perfected the metre of it, appear to have been omitted in the old copies. STEEVENS. 3 -O, that husband! My fupreme crown of grief!] Imogen means to fay, that her feparation from her husband is the completion of her diftrefs. So, in King Lear: "This would have feem'd a period "To fuch as love not forrow; but another, "To amplify too much, would make much more, Again, in Coriolanus: the fpire and top of praise." Again, more appofitely, in Troilus and Creffida: Vexations of it! Had I been thief-stolen, As my two brothers, happy! but most miferable Again, in The Winter's Tale: "The crown and comfort of my life, your favour, but moft miferable Is the defire that's glorious:] Her husband, fhe fays, proves her fupreme grief. She had been happy had the been ftolen as her brothers were, but now she is miferable, as all those are who have a fenfe of worth and honour fuperior to the vulgar, which occafions them infinite vexations from the envious and worthless part of mankind. Had.fhe not fo refined a taste as to be content only with the fuperior merit of Pofthumus, but could have taken up with Cloten, fhe might have efcaped thefe perfecutions. This elegance of tafte, which always difcovers an excellence and chooses it, the calls with great fublimity of expreffion, The defire that's glorious; which the Oxford editor not understanding, alters to—The degree that's glorious. WARBURTON. 4-Blessed be thofe, How mean foe'er, that have their honeft wills, Which feafons comfort.] The laft words are equivocal; but the meaning is this: Who are beholden only to the feafons for their fupport and nourishment; fo that, if those be kindly, fuch have no more to care for, or defire. WARBURton. I am willing to comply with any meaning that can be extorted from the prefent text, rather than change it, yet will propose, but with great diffidence, a flight alteration: Bless'd be those, How mean foe'er, that have their honeft wills, With reafon's comfort. Who gratify their innocent wishes with reasonable enjoyments. JOHNSON. I fhall venture at another explanation, which, as the laft words are admitted to be equivocal, may be propofed. "To be able to refine on calamity (fays the) is the miferable privilege of thofe who are educated with afpiring thoughts and elegant defires. Bleffed are they, however mean their condition, who have the power of gratifying their honeft inclination, which circumftance beftows an additional relish on comfort itself." 66 You lack the feafon of all natures, sleep." Macbeth. Enter PISANIO and IACHIMO. PIs. Madam, a noble gentleman of Rome; Comes from my lord with letters. IACH. Change you, madam? Again, in Albumazar, 1615: 66 the memory of misfortunes paft Seafons the welcome." STEEVENS. I agree with Steevens that the word feasons, in this place is ufed as a verb, but not in his interpretation of the former part of this paffage. Imogen's reflection is merely this: "That those are happy who have their honeft wills, which gives a relish to comfort; but that thofe are miserable who fet their affections on objects of fuperior excellence, which are of courfe, difficult to obtain." The word honeft means plain or humble, and is opposed to glorious. M. MASON. In my apprehenfion, Imogen's fentiment, is fimply thus: Had I been ftolen by thieves in my infancy, (or, as fhe fays in another place, born a neat-herd's daughter,) I had been happy. But inftead of that, I am in a high, and, what is called, a glorious ftation; and most miferable in fuch a fituation! Pregnant with calamity are thofe defires, which afpire to glory; to fplendid titles, or elevation of rank! Happier far are those, how low foever their rank in life, who have is in their power to gratify their virtuous inclinations: a circumftance that gives an additional zest to comfort itself, and renders it fomething more; or, (to borrow our author's words in another place) which keeps comfort always fresh and lafting. A line in Timon of Athens may perhaps prove the best comment on the former part of this paffage: "O the fierce wretchedness that glory brings!" In King Henry VIII. alfo, Anna Bullen utters a fentiment that bears a strong refemblance to that before us: I fwear 'tis better "To dwell with humble livers in content, " Of the verb to feafon, (of which the true explanation was originally given by Mr. Steevens,) fo many inftances occur as fully to juftify this interpretation. It is used in the fame metaphorical fenfe in Daniel's Cleopatra, a tragedy, 1594: The worthy Leonatus is in fafety, And greets your highness dearly. [Prefents a letter. Thanks, good fir; IMO. You are kindly welcome. IACH. All of her, that is out of door, most rich! If the be furnish'd with a mind fo rare, She is alone the Arabian bird; and I [Afide. Have loft the wager. Boldness be my friend! Or, like the Parthian, I fhall flying fight; IMO. [Reads.]-He is one of the noblest note, to whofe kindneffes I am most infinitely tied. Reflect upon bim accordingly, as you value your trueft Again, in our author's Romeo and Juliet: LEONATUS.5 "How much falt water thrown away in hafte, Again, in Twelfth Night: 66 All this to feafon "A brother's dead love, which she would keep fresh "And lafting in her fad remembrance." MALONE. 5 Reflect upon him accordingly, as you value your trueft LEONATUS.] [Old copy-your truft. LEONATUS.] Were Leonatus writing to his fteward, this ftyle might be proper; but it is fo ftrange a conclufion of a letter to a princefs, and a beloved wife, that it cannot be right. I have no doubt therefore that we ought to read : value your trueft as you LEONATUS. M. MASON. This emendation is at once fo neat and elegant, that I cannot refufe it a place in the text; and efpecially as it returns an echo to the words of Pofthumus when he parted from Imogen, and dwelt fo much on his own conjugal fidelity: I will remain "The loyal'ft husband that did e'er plight troth." STEEVENS. |