PERSONS REPRESENTED. Sir John Falstaff. Fenton. Shallow, a country Justice. Mr. Ford, Mr. Page, two gentlemen dwelling at Windsor. William Page, a boy, son to Mr. Page. Pistol, followers of Falstaff. Robin, page to Falstaff. Simple, servant to Slender. Rugby, servant to Dr. Caius. Mrs. Ford. Mrs. Page. Mrs. Anne Page, her daughter, in love with Fenton. Mrs. Quickly, servant to Dr. Caius. Servants to Page, Ford, &c. SCENE, Windsor; and the parts adjacent. Jul. O me, unhappy! Pro. Look to the boy. [Faints. Val. Why, boy! why, wag! how now? what is the matter? Look up; speak. Jul. O good sir, my master charg'd me To deliver a ring to madam Silvia ;9 Which, out of my neglect, was never done. Jul. Pro. How! let me see: Here 'tis: this is it. [Gives a ring. Why this is the ring I gave to Julia. Jul. O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook; This is the ring you sent to Silvia. [Shows another ring. Pro. But, how cam'st thou by this ring? at my depart, gave this unto Julia. Jul. And Julia herself did give it me; And Julia herself hath brought it hither. Pro. How! Julia! Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths,' And entertain❜d them deeply in her heart: How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root?2 rio's speech in page 197; and all is right. Why then should Julia faint? It is only an artifice, seeing Silvia given up to Valentine, to discover herself to Proteus, by a pretended mistake of the rings. One great fault of this play is the hastening too abruptly, and without due preparation to the denouement, which shews that, if it be Shakspeare's, (which I cannot doubt,) it was one of his very early performances. BLACKSTONE. 9 To deliver a ring to madam Silvia ;] Surely our author wrote"Deliver a ring," &c. A verse so rugged as that in the text must be corrupted by the players, or transcriber. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths,] Gave encou ragement, a phrase in archery. How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root?] i. e. of her heart. An allusion to cleaving the pin in archery. O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush! It is the lesser blot, modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds! 'tis true; O heaven! were man But constant, he were perfect: that one error Fills him with faults; makes him run through all sins: Inconstancy falls off, ere it begins : What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy Val. Come, come, a hand from either: ever. Jul. And I have mine. Enter Out-laws, with DUKE and THURIO. Out. A prize, a prize, a prize! Val. Forbear, I say; it is my lord the duke. Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd, Banished Valentine. Duke. Sir Valentine! Thu. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine. Val. Thurio give back, or else embrace thy death; Come not within the measure of my wrath : 3 if shame live-] That is, if it be any shame to wear a disguise for the purposes of love. the measure-] The reach of my anger. 5 Milan shall not behold thee. Here she stands, Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou, I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine, And think thee worthy of an empress' love. I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be. 5 Milan shall not behold thee.] All the editions-Verona shall not behold thee. But from every circumstance, the poet must have intended; i. e. Milan, thy country, skall never see thee again: thou shalt never live to go back thither. THEOBALD. To make such means for her as thou hast done,] i. e. to make such interest for, to take such disingenuous pains about her. 7 — all former griefs,] Griefs in old language frequently signified grievances, wrongs. MALONE. And fit for great employment, worthy lord. Duke. Thou hast prevail'd; I pardon them, and thee; 8 Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him; he Val. I warrant you, my lord; more grace than boy. Duke. What mean you by that saying? Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along, That done, our day of marriage shall be yours; 8 [Exeunt. include all jars-] i. e. shut up, or conclude. With triumphs,] Triumphs in this and many other passages of Shakspeare, signify Masques and Revels, &c. In this play there is a strange mixture of knowledge and ignorance, of care and negligence. The versification is often excellent, the allusions are learned and just; but the author conveys his heroes by sea from one inland town to another in the same country; he places the Emperor at Milan, and sends his young men to attend him, but never mentions him more; he makes Proteus, after an interview with Silvia, say he has only seen her picture; and, if we may credit the old copies, he has, by mistaking places, left his scenery inextricable. The reason of all this confusion seems to be, that he took his story from a novel, which he sometimes followed, and sometimes forsook, sometimes remembered, and sometimes forgot. That this play is rightly attributed to Shakspeare, I have little doubt. If it be taken from him, to whom shall it be given? This question may be asked of all the disputed plays, except Titus Andronicus; and it will be found more credible, that Shakspeare 1 |