That come before the swallow dares, and take FLORIZEL. What! like a corse? PERDITA. No, like a bank, for Love to lie and play on; This love of truth, this conscientiousness, which forms so distinct a feature in the character of Perdita, and mingles with its picturesque delicacy a certain firmness and dignity, is maintained consistently to the last. When the two lovers fly together from Bohemia, and take refuge in the court of Leontes, the real father of Perdita, Florizel presents himself before the King with a feigned tale, in which he has been artfully instructed by the old counsellor Camillo. During this scene, Perdita does not utter a word. In the strait in which they are placed, she cannot deny the story which Florizel relates-she will not confirm it. Her silence, in spite of all the compliments and greetings of Leontes, has a peculiar and characteristic grace; and, at the conclusion of the scene, when they are betrayed, the truth bursts from her as if instinctively, and she exclaims, with emotion, The heavens set spies upon us—will not have After this scene, Perdita says very little. The description of her grief, while listening to the relation of her mother's death, "One of the prettiest touches of all, was, when at the relation of the queen's death, with the manner how she came by it, how attentiveness wounded her daughter: till, from one sign of dolour to another, she did, with an alas! I would fain say, bleed tears: her deportment too as she stands gazing on the statue of Hermione, fixed in wonder, ad miration, and sorrow, as if she too were marble O royal piece! There's magic in thy majesty, which has are touches of character conveyed indirectly, and which serve to give a more finished effect to this beautiful picture. As the innate dignity of Perdita pierces through her rustic disguise, so the exquisite refinement of Viola triumphs over her masculine attire. Viola is, perhaps, in a degree less elevated and ideal than Perdita, but with a touch of sentiment more profound and heart-stirring; she is "deeplearned in the lore of love," at least, theoretically, and speaks as masterly on the subject as Perdita does of flowers. DUKE. How dost thou like this tune? VIOLA. It gives a very echo to the seat Where love is thron'd. And again, If I did love you in my master's flame, With such a suffering, such a deadly life- In I would not understand it. OLIVIA. Why, what would you do? VIOLA. Make me a willow cabin at your gate, OLIVIA. You might do much. The situation and the character of Viola have been censured for their want of consistency and probability; it is therefore worth while to examine how far this criticism is true. As for her situation in the 1 i. e., canzons, songs. drama (of which she is properly the heroine), it is shortly this. She is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria; she is alone and without protection in a strange country. She wishes to enter into the service of the Countess Olivia; but she is assured that this is impossible; "for the lady having recently lost an only and beloved brother, has abjured the sight of men, has shut herself up in her palace, and will admit no kind of suit." In this perplexity, Viola remembers to have heard her father speak with praise and admiration of Orsini, the Duke of the country; and having ascertained that he is not married, and that therefore his court is not a proper asylum for her in her feminine character, she attires herself in the disguise of a page, as the best protection against uncivil comments, till she can gain some tidings of her brother. If we carry our thoughts back to a romantic and chivalrous age, there is surely sufficient probability here for all the purposes of poetry. To pursue the thread of |