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That he did in the general bosom reign

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Of young, of old; and sexes both enchanted",
To dwell with him in thoughts, or to remain
In personal duty, following where he haunted":
Consents bewitch'd, ere he desire, have granted;
And dialogu'd for him what he would say,
Ask'd their own wills, and made their wills obey.

Many there were that did his picture get,
To serve their eyes, and in it put their mind;
Like fools that in the imagination set

The goodly objects which abroad they find

Of lands and mansions, their's in thought assign'd; And labouring in more pleasures to bestow them, Than the true gouty landlord which doth owe them":

So many have, that never touch'd his hand,
Sweetly suppos'd them mistress of his heart.
My woeful self, that did in freedom stand,
And was my own fee-simple', (not in part,)

3 That he did in the GENERAL BOSOM reign-] So, in Hamlet: "And cleave the general ear with horrid speech." STEEVENS.

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he did in the general bosom reign

Of young, of old; and sexes both ENCHANTED,-
Consents BEWITCH'D, &c.] So, in Cymbeline:
Such a holy witch,

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"That he enchants societies to him,"

A similar panegyrick is bestowed by our author upon Timon: his large fortune

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Upon his good and gracious nature hanging,

"Subdues and properties to his love and tendance
"All sorts of hearts." MALONE.

following where he HAUNTED:] Where he frequented. So, in Romeo and Juliet:

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here in the publick haunt of men." MALONE. the true GOUTY LANDLORD which doth owe them:] So, Timon, addressing himself to the gold he had found:

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Thou'lt go, strong thief,

When gouty keepers of thee cannot stand."

STEEVENS.

What with his art in youth, and youth in art, Threw my affections in his charmed power, Reserv'd the stalk, and gave him all my flower.

Yet did I not, as some my equals did,
Demand of him, nor being desired, yielded;
Finding myself in honour so forbid,

With safest distance I mine honour shielded:
Experience for me many bulwarks builded
Of proofs new-bleeding, which remain'd the foil
Of this false jewel ", and his amorous spoil.

But ah! who ever shunn'd by precedent
The destin'd ill she must herself assay?
Or forc'd examples, 'gainst her own content,
To put the by-pass'd perils in her way?
Counsel may stop a while what will not stay;
For when we rage, advice is often seen
By blunting us to make our wits more keen.

Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood",
That we must curb it upon others' proof;
To be forbid the sweets that seem so good,
For fear of harms that preach in our behoof.
O appetite, from judgment stand aloof!
The one a palate hath that needs will taste,
Though reason weep, and cry-it is thy last.

7 And was my own FEE-SIMPLE-] Had an absolute power over myself; as large as a tenant in fee has over his estate. MALONE.

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n. 1.

the FOIL

Of this false JEWEL,-] So, in King Richard II. :

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"Esteem a foil, in which thou art to set

"The precious jewel of thy home return." STEEVENS.
to our BLOOD,-] i. e. to our passions. See vol. vii. p. 41,
MALONE.

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For further I could say, this man's untrue,
And knew the patterns of his foul beguiling';
Heard where his plants in others' orchards grew',
Saw how deceits were gilded in his smiling;
Knew vows were ever brokers to defiling2;
Thought, characters, and words, merely but
art 3,

And bastards of his foul adulterate heart.

And long upon these terms I held my city*,
Till thus he 'gan besiege me: "Gentle maid,
Have of my suffering youth some feeling pity,
And be not of my holy vows afraid :

That's to you sworn, to none was ever said;
For feasts of love I have been call'd unto,
Till now did ne'er invite, nor never vow.

the PATTERNS of his foul beguiling ;] The examples of his seduction. MALONE.

1-in others' ORCHARDS grew,] Orchard and garden were, in ancient language, synonymous. Our author has a similar allusion in his 16th Sonnet:

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many maiden gardens yet unset,

"With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers,

"Much liker than your painted counterfeit." MALONE.

2 Knew vows were ever BROKERS TO DEFILING ;] So, in Hamlet:

"Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers,

"Meer implorators of unholy suits." STEEVENS.

A broker formerly signified a pandar. MALONE.

3 THOUGHT, characters, and words, merely but art,] Thought is here, I believe, a substantive. MALONE.

4 And long upon these terms I held MY CITY,] Thus, in The Rape of Lucrece:

"So did I, Tarquin; so my Troy did perish."

Again, ibidem:

"This moves in him more rage, and lesser pity,
"To make the breach, and enter this sweet city."

Again, in All's Well That Ends Well:

Virginity being blown down, man will quickly be blown up; marry, in blowing him down again, with the breach yourselves made, you lose your city." MALONE.

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All my offences that abroad you see,

Are errors of the blood, none of the mind;
Love made them not: with acture they may be,
Where neither party is nor true nor kind":

They sought their shame that so their shame did find;

And so much less of shame in me remains,
By how much of me their reproach contains.

Among the many that mine eyes have seen ",
Not one whose flame my heart so much as warm'd,
Or my affection put to the smallest teen 7,

Or any of my leisures ever charm'd:

Harm have I done to them, but ne'er was harm'd; Kept hearts in liveries, but mine own was free, And reign'd, commanding in his monarchy.

Look here, what tributes wounded fancies sent me,
Of paled pearls, and rubies red as blood;
Figuring that they their passions likewise lent me

5 Love made them not: with ACTURE they may be,

Where neither party is nor true nor kind:] Thus the old copy. I have not found the word acture in any other place, but suppose it to have been used as synonymous with action. We have, I think, enactures in Hamlet. His offences that might be seen abroad in the world, were the plants before mentioned, that he had set in others' gardens. The meaning of the passage then should seem to be-My illicit amours were merely the effect of constitution, and not approved by my reason: Pure and genuine love had no share in them or in their consequences; for the mere congress of the sexes may produce such fruits, without the affections of the parties being at all engaged. MALONE.

6 Among the many that mine eyes have seen, &c.] So, in The Tempest :

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Full many a lady

"I have ey'd with best regard,-but never any
"With so full soul-." STEEvens.

7 Or my affection PUT TO the smallest TEEN,]

So, in The Tempest :

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O, my heart bleeds,

"To think of the teen I have turn'd

Teen is trouble.

you to." MALONE.

Of grief and blushes, aptly understood
In bloodless white and the encrimson'd mood;
Effects of terror and dear modesty,

Encamp'd in hearts, but fighting outwardly 9.

And lo! behold these talents of their hair
With twisted metal amorously impleach'd 2,
I have receiv'd from many a several fair,
(Their kind acceptance weepingly beseech'd,)
With the annexions of fair gems enrich'd,
And deep-brain'd sonnets, that did amplify
Each stone's dear nature, worth, and quality 3.

The diamond; why 'twas beautiful and hard,
Whereto his invis'd properties did tend';
The deep-green emerald, in whose fresh regard
Weak sights their sickly radiance do amend;
The heaven-hued saphire and the opal blend

8 Look here, what tributes wounded FANCIES sent me,] Fancy is here used for love or affection. So, in The Rape of Lucrece : "A martial man to be soft fancy's slave." MALOne. 9 Encamp'd in HEARTS, but FIGHTING outwardly.] So, in Hamlet:

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Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting." STEEVENS. And lo! behold these TALENTS of their hair, &c.] lockets, consisting of hair platted and set in gold. MALONE. 2-amorously IMPLEACH'D,] Impleach'd is interwoven; the same as pleached, a word which our author uses in Much Ado About Nothing, and in Antony and Cleopatra:

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Steal into the pleached bower,

"Where honey-suckles ripen'd by the sun
"Forbid the sun to enter-."

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with pleach'd arms bending down

"His corrigible neck." MALONE

3 Each stone's dear nature, worth, and quality.] In the age of Shakspeare, peculiar virtues were imputed to every species of precious stones. STEEVENS.

4 Whereto his INVIS'D properties did tend;] Invis'd for invisible. This is, I believe, a word of Shakspeare's coining. His invised properties are the invisible qualities of his mind. So, in our author's Venus and Adonis :

"Had I no eyes, but ears, my ears would love
"Thy inward beauty and invisible." MALONE.

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