Thou know'st not what; but take it for thy labour: It is a thing I made, which hath the king Five times redeem'd from death: I do not know What is more cordial :-Nay, I pry'thee, take it; It is an earnest of a further good 8 That I mean to thee. Tell thy mistress how As thou'lt defire; and then myself, I chiefly, Not to be fhak'd: the agent for his mafter; The hand fast to her lord.I have given him that, 8 Think what a chance thon changeft on;] Such is the reading of the old copy, which by fucceeding editors has been altered into, Think what a chance thou chanceft on; Aud Think what a change thou chanceft an; but unneceffarily. The meaning is: "Think with what a fair profpect of mending your fortunes you now change your prefent fervice. STEEVENS. A line in our author's Rape of Lucrece adds fame fupport to the reading-thou chanceft on, which is much in Shakspeare's manner: "Let there bechance him pitiful_mil-chances," MALONE. Of leigers for her sweet;] A leiger ambaffador is one that refides in a foreign court to promote his mafter's intereft. JOHNSON. So, in Measure for Measure: "Lord Angelo, having affairs to heaven, "Intends you for his swift embaffador, Where you fhall be an everlafting leiger." STEEVÉNS. Re-enter PISANIO, and Ladies. To tafte of too. So, fo;-well done, well done: The violets, cowflips, and the primroses, Bear to my closet:-Fare thee well, Pifanio; Think on my words. [Exeunt Queen, and Ladies. And fhall do:" 2 PIS. [Exit. SCENE VII. Another Room in the fame. Enter IMOGEN. IMO. A father cruel, and a flep-dame false; A foolish fuitor to a wedded lady, That hath her husband banifh'd ;-O, that husband! My fupreme crown of grief!" and those repeated And fhall do: Some words, which rendered this fentence less abrupt, and perfected the metre of it, appear to have been omitted in the old copies. STEEVENS. 3 O, that husband! My fupreme crown of grief!] Imogen means to fay, that her feparation from her husband is the completion of her diftrefs. So, ja King Lear: This would have feem'd a period "To fuch as love not forrow; but another, "To amplify too much, would make much more, Again, in Coriolanus : the spire and top of praise." Again, more appofitely, in Troilus and Creffida: "Make Creffid's name the very crown of falsehood," Vexations of it! Had I been thief-flolen, As my two brothers, happy! but moft miferable Again, in The Winter's Tale: 3 The crown and comfort of my life, your favour, "I do give loft." but most miferable MALONE. Is the defire that's glorious:] Her husband, she says, proves her fupreme grief. She had been happy had he been ftolen as her brothers were, but now he is miferable, as all thofe are who have a fenfe of worth and honour fuperior to the vulgar, which oc cafions them infinite vexations from the envious and worthless part of mankind. Had the not so refined a taste as to be content only with the fuperior merit of Pofthumus, but could have taken up with Cloten, fhe might have efcaped thefe perfecutions. Tis elegance of tafte, which always difcovers an excellence and chooses it, he calls with great fublimity of expreffion, The defire that's glorious; which the Oxford editor not understanding, alters to-The degree that's glorious. WARBURTON. 4 Bleffed be thofe, How mean foe'er, that have their honeft wills, Which feafons comfort.] The laft words are equivocal; but the meaning is this: Who are beholden only to the seasons for their fupport and nourishment; fo that, if those be kindly, fuch have no more to care for, or defire. WARBURTON.) I am willing to comply with any meaning that can be extorted from the prefent text, rather than change it, yet will propofe, but with great diffidence, a flight alteration: Bless'd be those, How mean foeer, that have their honeft wills, Who gratify their innocent wifhes with reasonable enjoyments. JOHNSON I fhall venture at another explanation, which, as the laft words are admitted to be equivocal, may be propofed. "To be able to refine on calamity (fays fhe) is the miferable privilege of those who are educated with afpiring thoughts and elegant defires. Bleffed are they, however mean their condition, who have the power of gratifying their honeft inclination, which circumftance beftows an additional relish on comfort itself." You lack the feafon of all natures, fleep." Machet Enter PISANIO and IACHIMO. PIs. Madam, a noble gentleman of Rome; Comes from my lord with letters. IACH. Change you, madam? Again, in Albumazar, 1615: the memory of misfortunes paft "Seafons the welcome." STEEVENS. I agree with Steevens that the word feasons, in this place is used as a verb, but not in his interpretation of the former part of this paffage. Imogen's reflection is merely this: That thofe are ; happy who have their honeft wills, which gives a relish to comfort but that those are miferable who set their affections on objects of fuperior excellence, which are of course, difficult to obtain." The word honeft means plain or humble, and is opposed to glorious. M. MASON. In my apprehenfion, Imogen's fentiment, is fimply this: Had İ been folen by thieves in my infancy, (or, as the fays in another place, born a neat-herd's daughter,) I had been happy. But instead of that, I am in a high, and, what is called, a glorious ftation; and moft miferable in fuch a fituation! Pregnant with calamity are thofe defires, which afpire to glory; to fplendid titles, or elevation of rank! Happier far are those, how low foever their rank in life, who have it in their power to gratify their virtuous inclinations: a circumftance that gives an additional zest to comfort itself, and renders it something more; or, (to borrow our author's words in another place) which keeps comfort always fresh and lafting. A line in Timon of Athens may perhaps prove the best comment on the former part of this paffage : "O the fierce wretchedness that glory brings!"' In King Henry VIII. alfo, Anna Bullen utters a fentiment that bears a frong resemblance to that before us: I fwear 'tis better "To dwell with humble livers in content, Of the verb to feajon, (of which the true explanation was originally given by Mr. Steevens,) fo many inftances occur as fully to justify this interpretation. It is used in the fame metaphorical fenfe in Daniel's Cleopatra, a tragedy, 1594: * This that did feafon all my four of life..", The worthy Leonatus is in fafety, And greets your highness dearly. [Prefents a letter. You are kindly welcome. IACH. All of her, that is out of door, moft rich! If fhe be furnish'd with a mind fo rare, She is alone the Arabian bird; and I Have loft the wager. Boldnefs be my friend! [Afide. IMO. [Reads.]-He is one of the nobleft note, to who fe kindneffes I am most infinitely tied. Reflect upon him accordingly, as you value your trueft Again, in our author's Romeo and Juliet: LEONATUS.5 "How much falt water thrown away in hafte, Again, in Twelfth Night: All this to feafon "A brother's dead love, which he would keep fresh MALONE. Refled upon him accordingly, as you value your trueft LEONATUS.] [Old copy your trust. LEONATUS.] Were Leonatus writing to his fteward, this ftyle might be proper; but it is fo flrange a conclufion of a letter to a princess, and a beloved wife, that it cannot be right. I have no doubt therefore that we ought to read: - as you value your trueft LEONATUS. M. MASON. This emendation is at once fo neat and elegant, that I cannot refuse it a place in the text; and especially as it returns an echo to the words of Pofthumus when he parted from Imogen, and dwelt fo much on his own conjugal fidelity: I will remain The loyal'ft husband that did e'er plight troth." SFERVENS |