KING of France. Duke of Florence. Bertram, Count of Roufillon." Lafeu, an old Lord. Parolles, a parafitical follower of Bertram; a coward, but vain, and a great pretender to valour.`. Several young French Lords, that ferve with Bertram in the Florentine war. Steward, Clown, } Servants to the Countess of Roufillon. Countess of Roufillon, mother to Bertram. Helena, daughter to Gerard de Narbon, a famous phyfician, fome time fince dead. An old Widow of Florence. Diana, daughter to the widow. Violenta, Mariana, } Neighbours, and friends to the widow. Lords, attending on the King; Officers, Soldiers, &c. SCENE lies partly in France, and partly in Tuscany. *The Perfons were firft enumerated by Rowe. The first Edition of this Play is in the Folio of 1623. ALL' ALL'S WELL, that ENDS WELL. ACTI. SCENE I. The Countess of Roufillon's Houfe in France. Enter Bertram, the Countess of Roufillon, Helena, and Lafeu, all in black. COUNTESS. N delivering my fon from me, I bury a fecond hufband. T Ber. And I in going, Madam, weep o'er my father's death anew; but I must attend his Majesty's command, to whom I am now in ward, evermore in fubjection. 1 IN DELIVERING my fon from me -] To deliver from, in the fenfe of giving up, is not English Shakespeare wrote, in DISSEVERING my fon from me The following Words, too, 1 bury a fecond husband· mand this reading. For to diffeier implies a violent divorce; and therefore might be compared to the burying a husband; which delivering does not. WARB. Of this change I fee no need: the prefent reading is clear, and, perhaps, as proper as that which the great commentator would fubftitute; for the King diffevers her fon from her, fhe only deli-\ vers him. 2 In ward.] Under his particular care, as my guardian 'till de-- I come to age. It is now almost forgotten in England that the heirs of great fortunes were the king's wards. Whether the fame practice prevailed in France, it is of no great ufe to enquire, for Shakespeare gives to all nations the manners of England. T 3. Laf. Laf. You fhall find of the King a husband, Madam; you, Sir, a father. He, that fo generally is at all times good, muft of neceffity hold his virtue to you; whofe worthinefs would ftir it up where it wanted, rather than flack it where there is fuch abundance. Count. What hope is there of his Majesty's amendment? Laf. He hath abandon'd his physicians, Madam, under whose practices he hath perfecuted time with hope; and finds no other advantage in the process, but only the lofing of hope by time. 4 Count. This young gentlewoman had a father, (O, that bad! how fad a paffage 'tis !) whofe skill was almost as great as his honefty; had it ftretch'd fo far, it would have made nature immortal, and death fhould have play'd for lack of work. 'Would, for 3 whofe worthiness would ftir it up where it wanted, rather than lack it where there is juch abundance.] An Oppofition of Terms is vifibly defign'd in this fentence; tho' the Oppofition is not fo visible, as the Terms now ftand. Wanted and Abundance are the Oppofites to one another; but how is lack a Contraft to fir up? The Addition of a fingle Letter gives it, and the very Senfe requires it. Read flack it. WARBURTON, 4 This young gentlewoman had a father (O, that had! how fad a PASSAGE tis!] Lafeu was fpeaking of the King's defperate Condition: which makes the Countess recall to mind the deceased Gerard de Narbon, who, the thinks, could have cured him. But in ufing the word bad, which implied his death, the ftops in the middle of her fentence, and makes a reflection upon it, which, according to the prefent reading, is unintelligible. We must therefore believe Shakespeare wrote (0 that had! how fad a PRESAGE 'tis !) i. e. a Prefage that the King must now expect no cure, fince fo fkilful a Perfon was himself forced to fubmit to a malignant diftemper. WARBURTON. This emendation is ingenious, perhaps preferable to the present reading; yet, fince paffage may be fairly enough explained, I have left it in the text. Paffage is any thing that passes; so we now fay, a paffage of an authour, and we faid about a century ago, the passages of a reign. When the Countess mentions Helena's lofs of a father, fhe recollects her own lofs of a husband, and ftops to obferve how heavily that word had paffes through her mind.. the the King's fake, he were living! I think, it would be the death of the King's disease. Laf. How call'd you the man you speak of, Madam? Count. He was famous, Sir, in his profeffion, and it was his great right to do fo: Gerard de Narbon. Laf. He was excellent, indeed, Madam; the King very lately spoke of him admiringly, and mourningly: he was fkilful enough to have liv'd ftill, if knowledge could have been fet up against mortality. Ber. What is it, my good lord, the King languishes of? Laf. A fiftula, my lord. Ber. I heard not of it before. Laf. I would it were not notorious. Was this gentlewoman the daughter of Gerard de Narbon? Count. His fole child, my lord, and bequeathed to my overlooking. I have thofe hopes of her good, that her education promifes her; difpofition the inherits, which makes fair gifts fairer; for's where an unclean 5 where an unclean mind carries virtuous qualities, there, commendations go with pity; they are Virtues and Traitors too: in her they are the better for THEIR fimpleness; he derives her honesty, and atchieves her goodness.] This obfcure encomium is made ftill more obfcure by a flight corruption of the text. Let us explain the paffage as it lies. By virtuous qualities are meant qualities of good breeding and erudition; in the fame fenfe that the Italians fay, qualità virtucfa; and not moral ones. On this account it is, fhe fays, that, in an ill mind thefe virtuous qualities are virtues and traitors too: i. e. the advantages of education enable an ill mind to go further in wickedness HER fimplerefs, T 4 words, |