and, in lofing the flood, lofe thy voyage; and, in lofing the voyage, lose thy mafter; and, in lofing thy master, lose thy fervice; and, in lofing thy fervice, Why doft thou stop my mouth?

LAUN. For fear thou should'st lose thy tongue.
PAN. Where fhould 1 lofe my tongue?
LAUN. In thy tale.

PAN. In thy tail?

2

LAUN. Lofe the tide. and the voyage, and the mafter, and the fervice? The tide!' Why, man, if the river were dry, I am able to fill it with my tears; if the wind were down, I could drive the boat with my fighs.

PAN. Come, come away, man; I was fent to call thee.

LAUN. Sir, call me what thou dareft.

PAN. Wilt thou go?

LAUN. Well, I will go.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

Milan. An apartment in the Duke's Palace.

Enter VALENTINE, SILVIA, THURIO, and SPEED.

SIL. Servant

VAL. Miftrefs?

SPEED. Mafter, fir Thurio frowns on you.

2 Lofe the tide, ] Thus the old copy. Some of the modern editors read-the flood. STEEVENS.

3 The tide! The old copy reads " and the tide." I once fuppofed these three words to have been repeated, through fome error of the tranfcriber or printer; but, pointed as the paffage now is, with the omiffion af and) it seems to have fufficient meaning.

STEEVENS.

VAL. Ay, boy, it's for love,

SPEED. Not of you.

VAL. Of my miftrefs then.

SPEED. 'Twere good, you knock'd him.

SIL. Servant, you are fad.

VAL. Indeed, madam, I fecm fo.

THU. Seem you that you are not?

VAL. Haply, I do.

THU. So do counterfeits.

VAL. So do you.

THU. What feem I, that I am not?

VAL. Wife.

THU. What infiance of the contrary?

VAL. Your folly.

THU. And how quote you my folly ?*

VAL. I quote it in your jerkin.

THU. My jerkin is a doublet.

VAL. Well, then, I'll double your folly.
THU. How?

SIL. What, angry, fir Thurio? do you change colour?

VAL. Give him leave, madam; he is a kind of cameleon.

Hamlet:

how quote you my folly?] To quote is to obferve. "I am forry that with better heed and judgement "I had not quoted him." STEEVENS.

So, in

Valentine in his anfwer plays upon the word, which was pro nounced as if written coat. So, in The Rape of Lucrece, 1594: the illiterate, that know not how

"To cipher what is writ in learned books,

Will cote my loathfome trefpafs in my looks."

In our poet's time words were thus frequently fpelt by the ear.

MALONE,

THU. That hath more mind to feed on your blood,

than live in your air.

VAL. You have faid, fir.

THU. Ay, fir, and done too, for this time.

VAL. I know it well, fir; you always end ere you begin.

SIL. A fine volley of words, gentlemen, and quickly fhot off.

VAL. 'Tis indeed, madam; we thank the giver. SIL. Who is that, fervant?

VAL. Yourself, fweet lady; for you gave the fire: fir Thurio borrow's his wit from your ladyship's looks, and spends what he borrows, kindly in your

company.

THU. Sir, if you spend word for word with mè, I fhall make your wit bankrupt.

VAL. I know it well, fir: you have an exchequer of words, and, I think, no other treasure to give your followers; for it appears by their bare liveries, that they live by your bare words.

SIL. No more, gentlemen, no more; here comes my father.

Enter DUKE.

DUKE. Now, daughter Silvia, you are hard befet. Sir Valentine, your father's in good health:

What fay you to a letter from your friends

Of much good news?

VAL.

My lord, I will be thankful To any happy meffenger from thence.

DUKE. Know you Don Antonio, your countryman?5

Know you Don Antonio, your Countryman?] The word Don fhould be omitted; as befides the injury it does to the metre, the

VAL. Ay, my good lord, I know the gentleman To be of worth, and worthy eflimation,

And not without defert" fo well reputed.

DUKE. Hath he not a fon?

VAL. Ay, my good lord; a fon, that well deferves The honour and regard of such a father.

DUKE. You know him well?

VAL. I knew him, as myfelf; for from our infancy We have convers'd, and fpent our hours together: And though myself have been an idle truant, Omitting the fweet benefit of time,

To clothe mine age with angel-like perfection;
Yet hath fir Proteus, for that's his name,
Made ufe and fair advantage of his days;
His years but young, but his experience old;
His head unmellow'd, but his judgment ripe;
And, in a word, (for far behind his worth
Come all the praifes that I now beftow,)
He is complete in feature, and in mind,
With all good grace to grace a gentleman.

DUKE. Befhrew me, fir, but, if he makes this good,

He is as worthy for an emprefs' love,

As meet to be an emperor's counsellor.
Well, fir; this gentleman is come to me,
With commendations from great potentates;
And here he means to spend his time a-while:
I think, 'tis no unwelcome news to you.

VAL. Should I have wifh'd a thing, it had been he.

characters are Italians, not Spaniards. Had the measure admitted it, Shakspeare would have written Signor. And yet, after making this remark, I noticed Don Alphonfo in a preceding fcene. But for all that, the remark may be juft. RITSON.

6

not without defert And not dignified with so much reputation without proportionate merit. JOHNSON.

7

DUKE. Welcome him then according to his worth; Silvia, I speak to you; and you, fir Thurio:For Valentine, I need not 'cite him to it: I'll fend him hither to you prefently. [Exit Duke. VAL, This is the gentleman, I told your ladyship, Had come along with me, but that his mifirels Did hold his eyes lock'd in her crystal looks.

SIL. Belike, that now fhe hath enfranchis'd them Upon fome other pawn for fealty.

VAL. Nay, fure, I think, fhe holds them prisoners

ftill..

SIL. Nay, then he should be blind; and, being

blind,

How could he fee his way to feek out you?
VAL. Why, lady, love hath twenty pair of eyes.
THU. They say, that love hath not an eye at all.
VAL. To fee fuch lovers, Thurio, as yourfelf;
Upon a homely object love can wink.

Enter PROTEUS.

SIL. Have done, have done; here comes the gen

tleman:

VAL. Welcome, dear Proteus!-Mistress, I befeech you,

Confirm his welcome with fome fpecial favour.
SIL. His worth is warrant for his welcome hither,
If this be he you oft have wifh'd to hear from.
VAL. Mistress, it is: fweet lady, entertain him
To be my fellow-fervant to your ladyfhip.

SIL. Too low a mistress for fo high a fervant.

I need not, 'cite him to it:] i. e. incite him to it. MALONE. VOL. IV. P