Par. 'Faith, sir, he did love her; but how?

King. How, I pray you?

Par. He did love her, sir, as a gentleman loves a woman.

King. How is that?

Par. He loved her, sir, and loved her not.

King. As thou art a knave, and no knave.

What an equivocal companion is this!

Par. I am a poor man, and at your majesty's command. Laf. He's a good drum, my lord, but a naughty orator'. Dia. Do you know, he promised me marriage?

Par. 'Faith, I know more than I'll speak.

King. But wilt thou not speak all thou know'st?

Par. Yes, so please your majesty. I did go between them, as I said; but more than that, he loved her,-for, indeed, he was mad for her, and talked of Satan, and of limbo, and of furies, and I know not what: yet I was in that credit with them at that time, that I knew of their going to bed, and of other motions, as promising her marriage, and things that would derive me ill will to speak of: therefore, I will not speak what I know.

King. Thou hast spoken all already, unless thou canst Say they are married. But thou art too fine

In thy evidence; therefore, stand aside.

This ring, you say, was your's'?

Dia.

Ay, my good lord. King. Where did you buy it? or who gave it you? Dia. It was not given me, nor I did not buy it. King. Who lent it you?

Dia.

It was not lent me neither.

I found it not.

King. Where did you find it then?
Dia.

King. If it were your's by none of all these ways,
How could you give it him?

Dia.

I never gave it him.

Laf. This woman's an easy glove, my lord: she goes off

and on at pleasure.

7

King. This ring was mine: I gave it his first wife.

but a NAUGHTY orator.] i. e. Worth naught as an orator, a bad orator.

8 But thou art TOO FINE in thy evidence ;] i. e. Too full of finesse; too artful.

Malone needlessly cites several instances.

This ring, you say, was your's?] This speech is clearly intended to be metrical, though greatly marred, and printed as prose in all editions. The King invariably uses blank-verse.

VOL. II.

SS

Dia. It might be your's, or her's, for aught I know.
King. Take her away: I do not like her now.
To prison with her; and away with him!-
Unless thou tell'st me where thou had'st this ring,
Thou diest within this hour.

Dia.

King. Take her away.

Dia.

I'll never tell you.

I'll put in bail, my liege.

King. I think thee now some common customer.
Dia. By Jove, if ever I knew man, 'twas you.

King. Wherefore hast thou accus'd him all this while?
Dia. Because he's guilty, and he is not guilty.

He knows I am no maid, and he'll swear to't:
I'll swear I am a maid, and he knows not.
Great king, I am no strumpet, by my life!
I am either maid, or else this old man's wife.

[Pointing to LAfeu. King. She does abuse our ears.-To prison with her!

Dia. Good mother, fetch my bail.-[Exit Widow.] Stay,

royal sir:

The jeweller that owes the ring is sent for,
And he shall surety me. But for this lord,
Who hath abus'd me, as he knows himself,
Though yet he never harm'd me, here I 'quit him.
He knows himself my bed he hath defil'd,
And at that time he got his wife with child:
Dead though she be, she feels her young one kick.
So there's my riddle, one that's dead is quick;
And now behold the meaning.

Hel. O! my good lord, when I was like this maid, I found you wondrous kind. There is your ring; And, look you, here's your letter: this it says:

"When from my finger you can get this ring, And are by me with child'," &c.—This is done : Will you be mine, now you are doubly won ?

Ber. If she, my liege, can make me know this clearly, I'll love her dearly, ever, ever dearly.

Hel. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue', Deadly divorce step between me and you!—

O! my dear mother, do I see you living?

Laf. Mine eyes smell onions, I shall weep anon.-Good Tom Drum, [To PAROLLES.] lend me a handkerchief: so, I thank thee. Wait on me home, I'll make sport with thee: let thy courtesies alone, they are scurvy ones.

King. Let us from point to point this story know,

To make the even truth in pleasure flow.—

[To DIANA.] If thou be'st yet a fresh uncropped flower,
Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower;
For I can guess, that by thy honest aid

Thou kept'st a wife herself, thyself a maid.-
Of that, and all the progress, more and less,
Resolvedly more leisure shall express:
All yet seems well; and if it end so meet,
The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet.

EPILOGUE by the KING 3.

The king's a beggar, now the play is done. All is well ended, if this suit be won,

[Flourish.

1 "And ARE by me with child,"] Is for "are," a grammatical error running through all the old copies. Helena only gives the import of the words of the letter, and not the exact words: for them, see p. 579.

2 If it appear not plain, and prove untrue,] In Painter, and in his original, Boccaccio, Helen comes before Count Bertram at Rousillon with twins in her arms, "Io ti richieggio per Dio, che le conditioni postemi per li due cavalieri, che io ti mandai, tu le mi osservi ed ecco nelle mie braccia non un solo figliuolo di te, ma due; ed ecco qui il tuo anello:" which Painter thus renders :-"Therefore I now beseche thee, for the honoure of God, that thou wilt observe the conditions which the twoo Knightes that I sent unto thee did commande me to doe for beholde here, in my armes, not onely one sonne begotten by thee, but twayne, and likewyse thy ryng." Palace of Pleasure, i. fo. 92. Edit. 1567. It is to be remarked, as stated in the Introduction, p. 531, that in the original story the King is not present at the reconcilement of Bertram and Helena.

3 Epilogue by the King.] This heading is given in the corr. fo. 1632 to these six concluding lines, which are printed in Italic type in the first and other folios. There can be no doubt that they are properly called an Epilogue, and that they were spoken by the King.

That you express content; which we will pay,
With strife to please you, day exceeding day*:
Our's be your patience then, and your's our parts;
Your gentle hands lend us, and take our hearts.

[Exeunt omnes.

With strife to please you, day exceeding day :] i. e. One day exceeding the other in our endeavours to satisfy. We need hardly say that the change of “exceeding" to succeeding is worse than unauthorised.

5 Exeunt omnes.] So the old editions, showing probably that all the performers remained before the audience until the King had concluded the Epilogue. Modern editors carelessly omit omnes.

TWELFTH-NIGHT:

OR,

WHAT YOU WILL.