without thee, can sufficiently manage, must either stay to execute them thyself, or take away with thee the very services thou hast done: which if I have not enough considered, (as too much I cannot,) to be more thankful to thee, shall be my study; and my profit therein, the heaping friendships. Of that fatal country Sicilia, pr'ythee speak no more: whose very naming punishes me with the remembrance of that penitent, as thou call'st him, and reconciled king, my brother; whose loss of his most precious queen, and children, are even now to be afresh lamented. Say to me, when saw'st thou the prince Florizel my son? Kings are no less unhappy, their issue not being gracious, than they are in losing them, when they have approved their virtues.

Cam. Sir, it is three days, since I saw the prince: What his happier affairs may be, are to me unknown; but I have, missingly," noted, he is of late much retired from court; and is less frequent to his princely exercises, than formerly he hath appeared.

Pol. I have considered so much, Camillo; and with some care; so far, that I have eyes under my service, which look upon his removedness: from whom I have this intelligence; That he is seldom from the house of a most homely shepherd; a man, they say, that from very nothing, and beyond the imagination of his neighbours, is grown into an unspeakable estate.

Cam. I have heard, sir, of such a man, who hath a daughter of most rare note: the report of her is extended more, than can be thought to begin from such a cottage.

5

and my profit therein, the heaping friendships.] Friendships is, I believe, here used, with sufficient licence, merely for friendly offices. MALONE.

missingly,] Missingly, i. e. at intervals, not constantly.

Pol. That's likewise part of my intelligence. But, I fear the angle that plucks our son thither. Thou shalt accompany us to the place where we will, not appearing what we are, have some question' with the shepherd; from whose simplicity, I. think it not uneasy to get the cause of my son's resort thither. Pr'ythee, be my present partner in this business, and lay aside the thoughts of Sicilia.

Cam. I willingly obey your command. Pol. My best Camillo!-We must disguise our[Exeunt.

selves.

SCENE II.

The same. A Road near the Shepherds Cottage.

Enter AUTOLYCUs, singing.

When daffodils begin to peer,

With, heigh! the doxy over the dale,Why, then comes in the sweet o'the year; For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale?

Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,] "Two nonsensical songs, by the rogue Autolycus," says Dr. Burney: who subsequently observes, that "This Autolycus is the true ancient Minstrel, as described in the old Fabliaux." I believe, that many of our readers will push the comparison a little further, and concur with me in thinking that our modern minstrels of the opera, like their predecessor Autolycus, are pickpockets as well as singers of nonsensical ballads. STEEVENS.

"For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.] The meaning is the red, the spring blood now reigns o'er the parts lately under the dominion of winter. The English pale, the Irish pale, were frequent expressions in Shakspeare's time; and the words red and pale were chosen for the sake of the antithesis. FARMER.

The white sheet bleaching on the hedge,-
With, hey! the sweet birds, O, how they sing!-
Doth set my pugging tooth' on edge;

For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.

The lark, that tirra-lirra chants,

With, hey! with, hey! the thrush and the jay:Are summer songs for me and my aunts,1 While we lie tumbling in the hay.

I have served prince Florizel, and, in my time, wore three-pile; but now I am out of service:

But shall I go mourn for that, my dear?
The pale moon shines by night:
And when I wander here and there,
I then do most go right.

If tinkers may have leave to live,
And bear the sow-skin budget;
Then my account I well may give,
And in the stocks avouch it.

My traffick is sheets; when the kite builds, look to lesser linen. My father named me Autolycus; who, being, as I am, littered under Mercury, was likewise a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles: With die, and drab, I purchased this caparison; and my revenue is the silly cheat: Gallows, and knock, are too powerful on the highway: beating, and hanging, are terrors to me; for the life to come, I sleep out the thought of it.—A prize! a prize!

2

pugging tooth-] perhaps progging, i. e. thievish.

my aunts,] Aunt appears to have been at this time a cant word for a bawd.

3

4

5

wore three-pile ;] i. e. rich velvet.

With die, and drab,] i. e. with gaming and whoring. the silly cheat:] Cant term for picking pockets.

Enter Clown.

Clo. Let me see :-Every 'leven wether-tods;" every tod yields-pound and odd shilling: fifteen hundred shorn,-What comes the wool to?

Aut. If the springe hold, the cock's mine.

[Aside.

Clo. I cannot do't without counters.-Let me see; what am I to buy for our sheep-shearing feast? Three pound of sugar; five pound of currants ; rice What will this sister of mine do with rice? But my father hath made her mistress of the feast, and she lays it on. She hath made me four-andtwenty nosegays for the shearers: three-man songmen all,' and very good ones; but they are most of them means and bases: but one Puritan amongst them, and he sings psalms to hornpipes. I must have saffron, to colour the warden pies; mace,— dates,-none; that's out of my note: nutmegs, seven; a race, or two, of ginger; but that I may beg-four pound of prunes, and as many of raisins o'the sun.

Aut. O, that ever I was born!

[Grovelling on the ground. Clo. I'the name of me,

Aut. O, help me, help me! pluck but off these rags; and then, death, death!

Clo. Alack, poor soul! thou hast need of more rags to lay on thee, rather than have these off.

Aut. Ŏ, sir, the loathsomeness of them offends

6 tods:] Every eleven wether tods; i. e. will produce a tod, or twenty-eight pounds of wool: every tod yields a pound and some odd shillings; what then will the wool of fifteen hundred yield?"

7

parts.

8

"

three-man song-men all,] i. e. singers of catches in three

warden pies;] Wardens are a species of large pears.

me more than the stripes I have received; which are mighty ones, and millions.

Clo. Alas, poor man! a million of beating may come to a great matter.

Aut. I am robbed, sir, and beaten; my money and apparel ta'en from me, and these detestable things put upon me.

Clo. What, by a horse-man, or a foot-man?

Aut. A foot-man, sweet sir, a foot-man.

Clo. Indeed, he should be a foot-man, by the garments he hath left with thee; if this be a horseman's coat, it hath seen very hot service. Lend me thy hand, I'll help thee: come, lend me thy hand. [Helping him up. Aut. O good sir, tenderly, oh!

Clo. Alas, poor soul.

Aut. O, good sir, softly, good sir: I fear, sir, my shoulder-blade is out.

Clo. How now? canst stand?

Aut. Softly, dear sir; [Picks his pocket.] good sir, softly; you ha' done me a charitable office. Clo. Dost lack any money? I have a little money for thee.

Aut. No, good sweet sir; no, I beseech you, sir: I have a kinsman not past three quarters of a mile hence, unto whom I was going; I shall there have money, or any thing I want: Offer me no money, I pray you; that kills my heart.

Clo. What manner of fellow was he that robbed

you?

Aut. A fellow, sir, that I have known to go about with trol-my dames: I knew him once a servant of the prince; I cannot tell, good sir, for

with trol-my dames:] Trou-madame, French. The old English title of this game was pigeon-holes; as the arches in the machine through which the balls are rolled, resemble the cavities made for pigeons in a dove-house.