IACH. As fair, and as good, ( a kind of hand-inhand comparison,) had been fomething too fair, and too good, for any lady in Britany. If fhe went before others I have feen, as that diamond of yours outluftres many I have beheld, I could not but be

jedure, we find that in the next page he acknowledges her to be his wife. Iachimo afterwards fays in the fame sense:

"You are a friend, and therein the wifer." Which would alfo ferve to confirm my amendment, if it were the right reading; but I do not think it is. M. MASON.

I am not certain that the foregoing paffages have been completely understood by either commentator, for want of acquaintance with the peculiar fenfe in which the word friend may have been em ployed.

A friend, in ancient colloquial language, is occafionally fynony mous to a paramour or inamorato of either fex, in both the favourable and unfavourable fenfe of that word. "Save you friend Caffio!" fays Bianca in Othello; and Lucio, in Meafure for Measure, informs Ifabella that her brother Claudio"hath got his friend [Julietta ] with child." Friend, in fhort, is one of thofe ་ fond adoptious chriftendoms that blinking Cupid goffips," many of which are catalogued by Helen in All's well that ends well, and friend is one of the number:

A mother, and a miftrefs, and a friend, "A phoenix, captain, and an enemy."

This word, though with fome degradation, is ftill current among the harlotry of London, (who like Macheath's doxies) as often as they have occafion to talk about their abfent keepers, invariably call them their friends. In this fanse the word is also used by Iago, in Othello, A& IV. fc. i:

"Of to be naked with her friend abed."

Pofthumus means to beftow the moft exalted praife on Imogen, a praife the more valuable as it was the refult of reafon, not of amorous dotage. I make my avowal, fays he, in the character of her adorer, not of her poffeffor.-I fpeak of her as a being I reverence, not as a beauty whom I enjoy.-I rather profess to deferibe her with the devotion of a worlhipper, than the raptures of a lover. This fenfe of the word alfo appears to be confirmed by a fubfequent remark of lachimo:

"You are a friend, and therein the wifer."

i. e. you are a lover, and therefore show your wisdom in oppofing all experiments that may bring your lady's chastity into question.

STEEVENS

lieve the excell'd many: but I have not feen the moft precious diamond that is, nor you the lady.*

POST. I prais'd her, as I rated her: fo do I my ftone.

IACH. What do you efteem it at?

POST. More than the world enjoys.

IACH. Either your unparagon'd miftrefs is dead, or fhe's outprized by a trifle.

3

POST. You are mistaken: the one may be fold, or given; if there were wealth enough for the purchafe, or merit for the gift: the other is not a thing for fale, and only the gift of the gods..

IACH. Which the gods have given you?
POST. Which, by their graces, I will keep.

IACH. You may wear her in title yours: but, you know, ftrange fowl light upon neighbouring ponds. Your ring may be ftolen too: fo, of your brace of unprizeable estimations, the one is but frail, and

2

If She went before others I have seen, as that diamond of yours but-luftres many I have beheld, I could not but believe the excell'd many; but I have not feen the most precious diamond that is, nor you the lady.] The old copy reads-I could not believe he excell'd many; but it is on all hands allowed that the reafoning of lachimo, as it ftands there, is inconclufive.

On this account, Dr. Warburton reads, omitting the word— hot," I could believe the excelled many."

Mr. Heath proposes to read, "I could but believe" &c.

Mr. Malone, whom I have followed, exhibits the paffage as it appears in the present text.

The reader who wishes to know more on this fubje&t, may consult a note in Mr. Malone's edit. Vol. VIII. p. 327, 328, aud 329. STEEVENS.

3 if there were] Old copy- —or if—for the purchases, &c. the compofitor having inadvertently repeated the word-or, which has juft occurred. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe.

MALONE.

the other cafual; a cunning thief, or a that-wayaccomplish'd courtier, would hazard the winning both of firft and laft.

POST. Your Italy contains none fo accomplish'd a courtier, to convince the honour of my miftrefs; 4 if, in the holding or lofs of that, you term her frail. I do nothing doubt, you have flore of thieves; notwith flanding, I fear not my ring.

PHI. Let us leave here, gentlemen.

POST. Sir, with all my heart. This worthy fignior, I thank him, makes no ftranger of me; we are familiar at firft.

IACH. With five times fo much converfation, I fhould get ground of your fair mistress: make her go back, even to the yielding; had I admittance, and opportunity to friend.

POST. No, no.

JACH. I dare, thereupon, pawn the moiety of my eftate to your ring; which, in my opinion, o'ervalues it fomething: But I make my wager rather against your confidence, than her reputation: and, to bar your offence herein too, I durft attempt it against any lady in the world.

5

POST You are a great deal abused in too bold a perfuafion; and I doubt not you fuftain what you're worthy of, by your attempt.

4 to convince the honour of my mifirefs;] Convince for over WARBURTON.

come.

The Moor's alus'd by fome moft villainous knave."

STEEVENS

IACH. What's that?

POST. A repulfe: Though your attempt, as you call it, deferve more; a punishment too.

PHI. Gentlemen, enough of this: it came in too fuddenly; let it die as it was born, and, I pray you, be better acquainted.

6

IACH. 'Would I had put my eflate, and my neighbour's on the approbation of what I have spoke.

Post. What lady would you choose to affail? IACH. Yours; whom in conftancy, you think, ftands fo fafe. I will lay you ten thousand ducats to your ring, that, commend me to the court where your lady is, with no more advantage than the op portunity of a fecond conference, and I will bring from thence that honour of hers, which you imagine fo referved.

POST. I will wage against your gold, gold to it: my ring I hold dear as my finger; 'tis part of it. IACH. You are a friend, and therein the wiser, *

approbation Proof. JOHNSON.

So, in King Henry V:

bow many, now in health,

"Shall drop their blood in approbation

"Of what your reverence fhall incite us to." STEEVENT

1 You are a friend, and therein the wifer.] I corted it :

You are afraid, and therein the wifer.

What lachimo fays, in the clofe of his fpeech, determines this to have been our poet's reading:

But, I fee, you have fome religion in you, that you fear.
WARBURTON.

You are a friend to the lady, and therein the wifer, as you will dot expose her to hazard; and that you fear, is a proof of your religious fidelity. JOHNSON.

Though Dr. Warburton affixed his name to the preceding note,

If you buy ladies' flesh at a million a dram, you cannot preferve it from tainting: But, I fee, you have fome religion in you, that you fear.

POST. This is but a cuftom in your tongue; you bear a graver purpose, I hope.

JACH. I am the mafter of my fpeeches; and would undergo what's fpoken, I fwear.

POST. Will you ?-I fhall but lend my diamond till your return :-Let there be covenants drawn between us My miftrefs exceeds in goodness the

it is verbatim taken from one written by Mr. Theobald on this paflage.

[But let it be remembered, that Dr. Warburton communicated many notes to Theobald before he published his own edition, and complains that he was not fairly dealt with concerning them.

REED.]

A friend in our author's time often fignified a lover. Iachimo therefore might mean that Pofthumus was wife in being only the lover of Imogen, and not having bound himself to her by the indiffoluble ties of marriage. But unluckily Pofthumus has already faid he is not her friend, but her adorer: this therefore could hardly love been lachimo's meaning.

1 cannot fay that I am entirely fatisfied with Dr. Johnson's interpretation; yet I have nothing better to propose.

You are

a friend to the lady, and therefore will not expofe her to hazard.” This furely is not warranted by what Pofthumus haft juft said. He is ready enough to expose her to hazard. He has a&ually expofed her to bazard by accepting the wager. He will not indeed risk his diamond, but has offered to lay a sum of money, that lachimo, with all appliances and means to boot," will not be able to corrupt her. I do not therefore fee the force of lachimo's obfervation. It would have been more german to the matter" to have faid in allufion to the former words of Pofthumus-You are not a friend, i, e. a lover, aud therein the wifer: for all women are cor ruptible. MALONE.

See p. 31, and 32, n. 2. Though the reply of lachimo may not have been warranted by the preceding words of Pofthumus, it was certainly meant by the fpeaker as a provoking circumftance, a circumftance of incitation to the wager. STEEVENS.

7 I am the mafter of my speeches;} i, e. I know what I have faid; I faid no more than I meant. STEEVENS