LE BEAU. The eldest of the three wrestled with Charles, the duke's wrestler; which Charles in a moment threw him, and broke three of his ribs, that there is little hope of life in him: so he served

as in this vein of jocularity, it is hard to catch, and therefore I know not well what to determine; but I cannot fee why Rofalind should suppose, that the competitors in a wrestling match carried bills on their fhoulders, and I believe the whole conceit is in the poor refemblance of prefence and prefents. JOHNSON.

With bills on their necks, fhould be the conclufion of Le Beau's fpeech. Mr. Edwards ridicules Dr. Warburton, “As if people carried fuch inftruments of war, as bills and guns on their necks, not on their shoulders!" But unluckily the ridicule falls upon himself. Laffels, in his Voyage of Italy, fays of tutors, Some perfuade their pupils, that it is fine carrying a gun upon their necks." But what is ftill more, the expreffion is taken immediately from Lodge, who furnished our author with his plot. "Ganimede on a day fitting with Aliena, (the affumed names, as in the play,) caft up her eye, and faw where Rofader came pacing towards them with his foreft-bill on his necke."

FARMER.

The quibble may be countenanced by the following paffage in Woman's a Weathercock, 1612:

"Good-morrow, taylor, I abhor bills in a morning"But thou may'ft watch at night with bill in hand." Again, in Sidney's Arcadia, Book I:

with a fword by his fide, a foreft-bille on his necke," &c.

Again, in Rowley's When you fee me you know me, 1621: "Enter King, and Compton, with bills on his back.”

Again, in The Pinner of Wakefield, 1599:

Again :

"And each of you a good bat on his neck.”

are you not big enough to bear

"Your bats upon your necks?" STEEVENS.

I don't think that by bill is meant either an inftrument of war, or one of law, but merely a label or advertisement—as we fay a play-bill, a hand-bill; unless Farmer's ingenious amend ment be admitted, and these words become part of Le Beau's speech; in which cafe the word bill would be used by him to denote a weapon, and by Rosalind perverted to mean a label. M. MASON.

the second, and fo the third: Yonder they lie; the poor old man, their father, making fuch pitiful dole over them, that all the beholders take his part with weeping.

Ros. Alas!

TOUCH. But what is the sport, monfieur, that the ladies have loft?

LE BEAU. Why, this that I speak of.

TOUCH. Thus men may grow wiser every day! it is the first time that ever I heard, breaking of ribs was fport for ladies.

CEL. Or I, I promise thee.

Ros. But is there any elfe longs to see this broken mufick in his fides?7 is there yet another dotes

7 is there any elfe longs to fee this broken mufick in his fides?] A ftupid error in the copies. They are talking here of fome who had their ribs broke in wrestling: and the pleasantry of Rofalind's repartee must confist in the allufion the makes to compofing in mufick. It neceffarily follows, therefore, that the poet wrote-SET this broken mufick in his fides.

WARBURTON.

If any change were neceffary, I fhould write, feel this broken mufick, for fee. But fee is the colloquial term for perception or experiment. So we fay every day; fee if the water be hot; I will fee which is the best time; fhe has tried, and fees that the cannot lift it. In this fenfe fee may be here used. The fufferer can, with no propriety, be faid to fet the mufick; neither is the allufion to the act of tuning an inftrument, or pricking a tune, one of which must be meant by setting mufick. Rofalind hints at a whimsical fimilitude between the series of ribs gradually fhortening, and some musical inftruments, and therefore calls broken ribs, broken mufick. JOHNSON.

This probably alludes to the pipe of Pan, which confifting of reeds of unequal length, and gradually leffening, bore fome refemblance to the ribs of a man. M. MASON.

Broken mufick either means the noise which the breaking of ribs would occafion, or the hollow found which proceeds from a perfon's receiving a violent fall. DOUCE.

upon rib-breaking ?-Shall we fee this wrestling, coufin?

- LE BEAU. You muft, if you stay here: for here is the place appointed for the wrestling, and they are ready to perform it.

CEL. Yonder, fure, they are coming: Let us now ftay and fee it.

Flourish. Enter Duke FREDERICK, Lords, ORLANDO, CHARLES, and Attendants.

DUKE F. Come on; fince the youth will not be entreated, his own peril on his forwardness,

Ros. Is yonder the man?

LE BEAU. Even he, madam.

CEL. Alas, he is too young: yet he looks fuccessfully.

DUKE F. How now, daughter, and coufin? are you crept hither to see the wrestling?

Ros. Ay, my liege? fo please you give us leave. DUKE F. You will take little delight in it, I can tell there is fuch odds in the men: In pity you, of the challenger's youth, I would fain diffuade him, but he will not be entreated: Speak to him, ladies; fee if you can move him.

CEL. Call him hither, good Monsieur Le Beau.

I can offer no legitimate explanation of this paffage, but may observe that another, fomewhat parallel, occurs in K. Henry V: "Come, your answer in broken mufick; for thy voice is mufick, and thy English broken." STEEVENS.

8

odds in the men:] Sir T. Hanmer. In the old edi tions, the man. JOHNSON,

DUKE F. Do fo; I'll not be by.

[Duke goes apart.

LE BEAU. Monfieur the challenger, the princeffes call for you.9

ORL. I attend them, with all respect and duty. Ros. Young man, have you challenged Charles the wrestler? I

ORL. No, fair princefs; he is the general challenger: I come but in, as others do, to try with him the strength of my youth.

CEL. Young gentleman, your spirits are too bold for your years: You have feen cruel proof of this man's strength: if you faw yourself with your eyes, or knew yourself with your judgment, the fear of your adventure would counfel you to a more equal enterprise. We pray you, for your own fake, to embrace your own fafety, and give over this attempt.

Ros. Do, young fir; your reputation fhall not

9 the princeffes call for you.] The old copy reads-the princeffe calls. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

I have you challenged Charles the wrestler?] This wrestling match is minutely described in Lodge's Rofalynde, 1592. MALone.

2

if you faw yourself with your eyes, or knew yourself with your judgment,] Abfurd! The fenfe requires that we fhould read,- our eyes, and our judgment. The argument is, Your Spirits are too bold, and therefore your judgment deceives you; but did you fee and know yourself with our more impartial judgment, you would forbear. WARBURTON.

I cannot find the abfurdity of the prefent reading. If you were not blinded and intoxicated, fays the princess, with the Spirit of enterprise, if you could use your own eyes to jee, or your own judgment to know yourself, the fear of your adventure would counfel you. JOHNSON.

therefore be mifprised: we will make it our fuit to the duke, that the wrestling might not go forward.

ORL. I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts; wherein I confefs me much guilty, to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes, and gentle wishes, go with me to my trial: wherein if I be foiled, there is but one fhamed that was never gracious; if killed, but one dead that is willing to be fo: I fhall do my friends no wrong, for I have none to lament me; the world no injury, for in it I have nothing; only in the world I fill up a place, which may be better fupplied when I have made it empty.

3 I befeech you, punish me not &c.] I fhould wish to read, I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts. Therein I confefs myself much guilty to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. JOHNSON.

As the word wherein muft always refer to fomething preceding, I have no doubt but there is an error in this paffage, and that we ought to read herein, inftead of wherein. The hard thoughts that he complains of are the apprehenfions expreffed by the ladies of his not being able to contend with the wrestler. He befeeches that they will not punish him with them; and then adds, "Herein I confefs me much guilty to deny fo fair and excellent ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my trial." M. MASON.

The meaning I think is, "punish me not with your unfavourable opinion (of my abilities); which, however, I confess, I deferve to incur, for denying fuch fair ladies any request.' The expreffion is licentious, but our author's plays furnish many fuch. MALONE.

✦ let your gentle wishes, go with me to my trial:] Addison might have had this paffage in his memory, when he put the following words into Juba's mouth :

66

Marcia, may I hope

"That thy kind wishes follow me to battle?"

STEEVENS.