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Aluft in your child be thought on. If neglection
Should therein make me vile, the common body,
By you reliev'd, would force me to my duty :
But if to that my nature need a fpur",

The gods revenge it upon me and mine,
To the end of generation!

Per. I believe you;

Your honour and your goodness teach me to it,
Without your vows. Till the be married, madam,
By bright Diana, whom we honour all,
Unfifter'd fhall this heir of mine remain,
Though I fhew will in't. So I take my leave:
Good madam, make me bleffed in your care
In bringing up my child.

if neglection

Should therein make me vile,

-] The modern editions

have neglect. But the reading of the old copy is right. The word is again ufed by Shakspeare in Troilus and Creida:

7

"And this neglection of degree it is

"That by a pace goes backward." MALONE.
my nature need a spur,] So in Macbeth:
I have no fpur

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"To prick the fides of my intent".

STEEVENS.

Your honour and your goodnef's teach me to it,] Perhaps our au
witch me to't. So in K. Hen. VI. Part II:
"To fit and witch me as Afcanius did."

thor wrote

Again, in another play:

"I'll witch fweet ladies with my words and look.” Again, more appofitely in Spenfer's Faerie Queen :

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pleafing charms

"With which weak men thou witcheft to attend."

STEEVENS.

Though I fhew will in it:] The meaning may he-Though I appear swilfull and perverfe by fuch conduct.-We might read Though I fhew ill'in't.

MALONE.

Unfifler'd fhall this babe of mine remain,
Though I fhew will in't:--

] i. e. till fhe be married, I fwear by Diana, (though I may fhew [will, i e.] obftinacy in keeping fuch an oath) this heir of mine fhall have none who can call her fifter; i. e. I will not marry and fo have a chance of other children before the is difpofed of.-Obftinacy was anciently called wilfullness. STEEVENS,

Dion.

Dion. I have one myself,

Who fhall not be more dear to my refpect,
Than yours, my lord.

Per. Madam, my thanks and prayers.

Cle. We'll bring your grace even to the edge o2 the fhore;

Then give you up to the mafk'd Neptune', and
The gentleft winds of heaven.

Per. 1 will embrace.

Your offer. Come, dearest madam.-O, no tears,
Lychorida, no tears:

Look to your little miftrefs, on whose grace
You may depend hereafter.-Come, my lord.

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[Exeunt.

Ephefts. A room in Cerimon's houfe.

Enter Cerimon and Thaifa.

Cer. Madam, this letter, and fome certain jewels, Lay with you in your coffer; which are now At your command. Know you the character? Thai. It is my lord's. That I was ship'd at fea, I well remember, even on my yearning time *;

1 ———mask'd Neptune, a treacherous fmile:

2

-] i. e. infidious waves that wear

"Subdola fallacis ridet clementia ponti. Lucretius.

STEEVENS.

I well remember, ev'n on my learning time ;] Read - yearning time. So in K. Hen. V:

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for Falstaff he is dead,

"And we must yearn therefore."

Rowe would read-eaning, a term applicable only to sheep when they produce their young. STEEVENS,

The quarto 1619, and the folio 1664, which was printed from it, both read eaning. The first quarto reads learning. The editor of the fecond quarto feems to have corrected many of the faults in the old copy, without any confideration of the original corrupted reading. MALONE,

But

But whether there delivered or no,
By the holy gods, I cannot rightly say ;
But fince king Pericles, my wedded lord,
I ne'er fhall fee again, a veftal livery

Will I take me to, and never more have joy.

Cer. Madam, if this you purpofe as you speak,
Diana's temple is not diftant far,

Where you may 'bide until your date expire 3:
Moreover, if you please, a niece of mine
Shall there attend you.

Thai. My recompence is thanks, that's all;
Yet my good will is great, though the gift small.

[Exeunt.

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Gow. Imagine Pericles arriv'd at Tyre,
Welcom'd and fettled to his own defire.
His woeful queen we leave at Ephefus,
Unto Diana there a votarefs ".

Now

3 Where you may 'bide until your date expire:] Until you die,So in Romeo and Juliet:

The date is out of fuch prolixity." MALONE.

4 Enter Gower.] This chorus, and the two following scenes, have hitherto been printed as part of the third act. In the original edition of this play, the whole appears in an unbroken feries. The editor of the folio in 1664, firit made the divifion of acts and scenes (which has been fince followed), without much propriety. The poet feems to have intended that each act fhould begin with a chorus. On this principle the prefent divifion is made. Gower, however, interpofing eight times, a chorus is neceffarily intro duced in the middle of this and the enfuing act. MALONE.

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His woeful queen we leave at Ephefus,

Unto Digna there a votarefs.] Ephefus is a rhime fo ill correfponding with votares, that I fufpect our author wrote Ephefe

of

Now to Marina bend your mind,

Whom our faft-growing fcene must find
At Tharfus, and by Cleon train'd

In mufick, letters 7; who hath gain'd
Of education all the grace,

Which makes her both the heart and place
Of general wonder. But alack!

That monster Envy, oft the wreck

Of

or Ephefs; as he often contracts his proper names to fuit his metre. Thus Pont for Pontus, Mede for Media, Comagene for Comagena, Sicils for Sicilies, &c, Gower, in the story on which this play is founded, has Dionyze for Dionyza, and Tharfe for Tharfus. STEEVENS.

Whom our fast-growing fcene must find] The fame expreffion occurs in the chorus to the Winter's Tale:

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your patience this allowing,

"I turn my glass, and give my fcene fuch growing,
"As you had flept between." MALONE.

7 In mufick, letters ;

ruptly.

] The old copy reads, I think cor. In muficks letters.- -The correfponding paffage in Gower's Conf. Amant. confirms the emendation now made: "My doughter Thaife by your leve "I thynke fhall with you be leve "As for a tyme: and thus I praie, "That she be kepte by all waie, "And whan fhe hath of age more "That she be fet to bokes lore, &c."

Again,

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"In Tharfe, as the cronike telleth ;
"She was well kept, fhe was well loked,
"She was well taught, he was well boked,
"So well the fped hir in hir youth,

"That the of every wyfedome couth-"

The remaining thoughts of this chorus are taken, for the mof part, from the Confeffio Amantis. MALONE.

read,

Which makes high both the art and place

Of general wonder: -] Thus all the copies. I would

Which makes her both the heart and place

Of general wonder.

Such an education has render'd her the center and fituation of general wonder. We still use the heart of oak for the central part of it, and the heart of the land in much fuch another fenfe, Shak

speare

Vail to her miftrefs Dian"; ftill
This Philoten contends in fkill
With abfolute Marina: fo

The dove of Paphos might with the crow
Vie feathers white. Marina gets
All praises, which are paid as debts,
And not as given. This fo darks
In Philoten all graceful marks,
That Cleon's wife, with envy rare,
A prefent murderer does prepare

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"Were flunk; all but the wakeful nightingale,
"She all night long her amorous defcant fung."

To record anciently fignified to fing. So in fir Philip Sydney's Qurania, by N. B. 1606:

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Recording fongs unto the Deitie-"

Again, in the Pilgrim, by B. and Fletcher :

"Ofweet, fweet, how the birds record too!" MALONE. with rich and conftant pen

Vail to her miftrefs Dian,—] To vail is to bow, to do homage. The author feems to mean-When he would compofe fupplicatory hymns to Diana, or verfes expreffive of her gratitude to Dionyfia.

We might indeed read-Hail to her mistress Dian-i. e. falute her in verfe. STEEVENS.

I strongly fufpc&t that vail is a mif-print. We might read: Wail to her miftrefs Dian.

i. e. compofe elegies on the death of her mother, of which the had been apprized by her nurfe, Lychorida. MALONE.

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with abfolute Marina,

in Antony and Cleopatra:

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at fea

] i. e. accomplished. So

"He is an abfolute mafter." STEEVENS.

Again, in the Two Noble Kinfmen, by Shakspeare and Fletcher: "They are fam'd to be a pair of abfolute men.

Again, in Green's Tu Quoque, 1599 :

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from an abfolute and mott complete gentleman, to a moft abfurd, ridiculous, and fond lover." MALONE.

s Vie feathers white.] See note on the Taming of a Shrew, last edit. vol. iii. p. 461. STEEVENS.

9

with envy rare,] Envy is frequently used by our ancient writers, in the fenfe of malice. It is, however, I believe, here ufed in its common acceptation. MALONE.

For

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