I thought that all things had been savage here;

And therefore put I on the countenance

Of stern commandment.

But whate'er you are

That in this desert inaccessible,

Under the shade of melancholy boughs,

Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time:
If ever you have look'd on better days,

If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church,
If ever sat at any good man's feast,

If ever from your eyelids wip'd a tear,
And know what 'tis to pity and be pitied,
Let gentleness my strong enforcement be:
In the which hope I blush, and hide my sword.
Duke S. True is it that we have seen better days,

Orl.

And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church,
And sat at good men's feasts, and wip'd our eyes
Of drops that sacred pity hath engender'd:
And therefore sit you down in gentleness
And take upon command what help we have
That to your wanting may be minister'd.
Then but forbear your food a little while,
Whiles, like a dog, I go to find my fawn
And give it food. There is an old poor man,
Who after me hath many a weary step
Limp'd in pure love: till he be first suffic'd,
Oppress'd with two weak evils, age and hunger,

19. The countenance. -The look; the appearance.

21. Inaccessible.-Strictly this means "not to be approached;" here, however, it signifies "a place not often visited."

25. Knoll'd.-Chimed; tolled.

37. Minister'd.-Supplied; given.

39. Whiles. An adverb not used now; equivalent to whilst.

39. Fawn.-Literally a young deer.

Orlando, by speaking of old Adam

as his fawn, implies that the affection he has for his faithful servant is like that of a deer for its young.

43. Two weak evils.-This phrase does not assert that the two evils, age and hunger, are weak; for Orlando says that Adam is oppressed by them; the meaning is, that these evils are weakening in their effects.

I will not touch a bit.

Duke S.

Orl.

Go, find him out,

And we will nothing waste till your return.
I thank ye; and be blest for your good comfort!

Duke S. Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy :
This wide and universal theatre

Jaq.

Presents more woful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad

45

[Exit.

50

55

60

49. Theatre.-A place where plays are acted. The duke compares the world to a theatre, and Jaques the

idea in the speech which follows.

66

moralizer" takes up the

50. Pageants.-Shows; processions; in this case, scenes of a sad character.

51. We play in.—The final in is not necessary, as the compound word wherein contains it. Shakespeare, as well as other writers of the

time, often used similar constructions; such unnecessary words are called redundant.

52. A stage. The platform upon which plays are acted is called "the

stage."

54. Exits.-Goings out; see note 107, § I.

54. Entrances.-Comings in; at the head of this scene we see the direction "enter Orlando;" such directions are to be found throughout all stage-plays.

56. Acts.-Divisions of a play; the usual number of acts in a play is five. 57. Mewling.-Crying.

57. Puking.-Slabbering, as a child.

58. Satchel.-The bag in which a schoolboy carries his books.

61. Like furnace.-Shakespeare is comparing a lover's sighs to the noise heard when a blacksmith blows his fire.

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin❜d,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances:

65

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

70

75

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

62. To his mistress' eyebrow.—That is, his sweetheart's eyebrow is the subject of the lover's ballad.

63. The pard.-The leopard.

65. The bubble reputation.—The honour of being talked about, which, not being generally a lasting honour, Shakespeare compares to a bubble. 67. Capon.-A fowl.

69. Wise saws.-Short sayings having much meaning; proverbs. 71. Pantaloon.-A silly old man.

72. Pouch.-A small bag.

73. Hose.-Stockings.

74. Shrunk shank.-The shank is the leg; when persons grow old, their limbs shrink or become thinner; their "youthful hose" are then 66 a world too wide."

75. Childish treble.—The voice of a child is called "treble;” old people sometimes lose their deep voices, and speak very much as they did when children.

76. His sound.-The pronoun his, referring to the neuter noun voice, would now be altered to its. See note 53, § IV.

78. Second childishness.-The habits and conversation of very aged people are sometimes childish; the last age may therefore fitly

be called "second childishness."

78. Oblivion.-Forgetfulness.

79. Sans.-A French word meaning without.

Re-enter ORLANDO with ADAM.

Duke S. Welcome. Set down your venerable burthen,

And let him feed.

Orl. I thank you most for him.
Adam.

So had you need;
I scarce can speak to thank you for myself.
Duke S. Welcome; fall to; I will not trouble you

As yet, to question you about your fortunes. Give us some music; and, good cousin, sing. Ami. (Song.) Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude;

Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly!
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly;
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!

This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

That dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot;

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remember'd not.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! &c.

"cousins."

87. Good cousin.-Referring to Amiens; even now the sovereign of England, in state papers, addresses the nobility as 101. Warp.-In freezing, water expands, or swells; frost may therefore be said to warp the water, that is, push it out of shape.

103. Remember'd.-Remembering; past part. used for the pres.

VI.

KING JOHN.

ACT iii. SCENE 3.-PRINCE ARTHUR'S DEATH PLANNED.

[In the play entitled "King John," Shakespeare frames his plot not so much upon the actual historical events of this king's reign, as upon the facts connected with the imprisonment and death of Prince Arthur. This young prince was the son of John's elder brother Geoffrey; and John is represented, both by Shakespeare and in English history, as eagerly desirous of ridding himself of his young nephew, whom he looks upon as dangerous to the safety of his throne. In a war between England and France, stirred up by the agent of the pope of Rome, King John takes Arthur prisoner. Having got his nephew in his power, the cruel king next looks about him for some means of putting him to death; and in this scene we have the king broadly suggesting the prince's murder; the person fixed upon for the wicked deed being Hubert de Burgh, who had charge of the unfortunate prince.]

SCENE: Plains near Algiers; after the battle; the English victorious;
Arthur a prisoner.

K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
We owe thee much! within this wall of flesh
There is a soul counts thee her creditor
And with advantage means to pay thy love;
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,

But I will fit it with some better time.
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost ashamed
To say what good respect I have of thee.

5

10

2. We.-John means himself only. Monarchs use the plural number in speaking of themselves.

2. This wall of flesh.-This body.

3. Creditor.-One to whom something is owing.

4. With advantage.-With interest; with more than you have any claim for.

5. Thy voluntary oath.-Thy promise given willingly, without asking

for.

10. What good respect, &c.-"How much I respect thee," using respect as a verb; or, "What respect I have for thee," using respect as a noun, followed by the preposition for-would be the modern construction.