I'll haunt thee, like a wicked confcience ftill,
That mouldeth goblins fwift as frenzy thoughts.-
Strike a free march to Troy !-with comfort go;
Hope of revenge fhall hide our inward woe.

[Exeunt ÆNEAS, and Trojans. As TROILUS is going out, enter, from the other fide, PANDARUS.

Pan. But hear you, hear you!

Tro. Hence, broker lacquey! ignomy and fhame
Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name! [Exit Tro.
Pan. A goodly med'cine for my aching bones!-
O world! world! world! thus is the poor agent defpis'd!
O traitors and bawds, how earneftly are you fet a' work,
and how ill requited! Why fhould our endeavour be fo
loved, and the performance fo loath'd? what verse for
it? what inftance for it ?-Let me fee :-
:-

Full merrily the humble-bee doth fing,
Till he hath loft his honey, and his sting:
And being once fubdu'd in armed tail,
Sweet honey and fweet notes together fail.
Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths.

As many as be here of pander's hall,

Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall:
Or, if you cannot weep, yet give fome groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aching bones.
Brethren, and fifters, of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will fhall here be made:
It should be now, but that my fear is this,-
Some galled goofe of Winchefter would hifs:
Till then, I'll fweat, and feek about for eases
And, at that time, bequeath you my difeafes.

8

[Exit.

8 The publick ftews were anciently under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester.

Some galled Winchester goofe may mean, either a ftrumpet that had the venereal difeafe, or one that felt herfelf hurt by what Pandarus had faid. It is probable that the word was purpofely ufed to exprefs both thefe fenfes. MASON.

9 This play is more correctly written than most of Shakspeare's compofitions, but it is not one of those in which either the extent of

his

his views or elevation of his Fancy is fully displayed. As the ftory abounded with materials, he has exerted little invention; but he has diverfified his characters with great variety, and preferved them with great exactness. His vicious characters fometimes difguft, but cannot corrupt, for both Creffida and Pandarus are detefted and contemned. The comick characters feem to have been the favourites of the writer; they are of the fuperficial kind, and exhibit more of manners than nature; but they are copiously filled and powerfully impreffed. Shakfpeare has in his story followed, for the greater part, the old book of Caxton, which was then very popular; but the character of Therfite:, of which it makes no mention, is a proof that this play was written after Chapman had publifhed his verfion of Homer. JOHNSON.

The first feven books of Chapman's Homer were published in the year 1596, and again in 1598.

There are more hard, bombaftical phrases in the ferious part of this play, than, I believe, can be picked out of any other fix Plays of ShakSpeare. Take the following fpecimens: Tortive, perfiftive,—protractive, importless, infifture,deracinate, dividable. And in the next Act,—past proportion,—unrespective,—propugnation,—f·lf-assumption, felf-admiffion—affubjugate, kingdom'd, &c. TYRWHITT

* ON what principle the editors of the firft complete edition of our poet's plays admitted this into their volume, cannot now be afcertained. The most probable reason that can be affigned, 'is, that he wrote a few lines in it, or gave fome affiftance to the authour, in revifing it, or in fome other way aided him in bringing it forward on the stage.

To enter into a long difquifition to prove this piece not to have been written by Shakspeare, would be an idle waste of time. To those who are not converfant with his writings, if particular paffages were examined, more words would be neceffary than the fubject is worth; thofe who are well acquainted with his works, cannot entertain a doubt on the question.I once intended not to have admitted it into the prefent edition; but that every reader may be enabled to judge for himself, I have inferted it. MALONE.

It is obfervable, that this play is printed in the quarto of 1611, with exactness equal to that of the other books of thofe times. The first edition was probably corrected by the authour, fo that here is very little room for conjecture or emendation; and accordingly none of the editors have much molefted this piece with officious criticifm. JOHNSON