For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
Is but the feemly raiment of my heart,

Which in thy breaft doth live, as thine in me;
How can I then be elder than thou art ?
O therefore, love, be of thyself so wary,
As I not for myself but for thee will;
Bearing thy heart, which I will keep fo chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.

Prefume not on thy heart when mine is flain;
Thou gav'ft me thine, not to give back again.
XXIII.

As an unperfect actor on the stage,
Who with his fear is put befide his part,

Or

I am fure I have met with the verb I would fupply, though I have no example of it to offer in fupport of my conjecture. Shakfpeare, however, delights to introduce words with this termination. Thus we meet with feftinate and confpirate, in K. Lear; combinate in Measure for Measure; and ruinate, in K. Henry VI. STEEVENS.

The old reading is, I believe, right. Then do l' expect, fays Shakspeare, that death should fill up the measure of my days. The word expiate is ufed nearly in the fame fenfe in the tragedy of Locrine, 1595:

"Lives Sabren yet to expiate my wrath ?" i. e. fully to fatisfy my wrath. MALONE.

As an unperfect actor on the ftage,] From the introductory lines of this Sonnet, it may be conjectured that these poems were not compofed till after our author had arrived in London, and became converfant with the ftage. He had perhaps himself experienced what he here describes. MALONE.

It is highly probable that our author had feen plays reprefented, before he left his own county, by the fervants of Lord Warwick. Most of our ancient noblemen had fome company of comedians who enrolled themselves among their vaffals, and fheltered themselves under their protection. See notes on The Taming of the Shrewv, edit. 1778, Vol. III. p. 403, and 104.

STEEVENS. The feeing a few plays exhibited by a company of ftrollers in a barn at Stratford, or in Warwick caftle, would not however have made Shakspeare acquainted with the feelings of a timid actor on

Q94

the

Or fome fierce thing replete with too much rage, Whofe ftrength's abundance weakens his own heart; So I, for fear of trust, forget to say

The perfect ceremony of love's rite,

And in mine own love's ftrength seem to decay,
O'er-charg'd with burthen of mine own love's might.
O let my books be then the eloquence'

And dumb prefagers of my speaking breast';
Who plead for love, and look for recompence,
More than that tongue that more hath more ex-
prefs'd.

O learn to read what filent love hath writ:
To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit.

XXIV.

Mine eye hath play'd the painter, and hath fteel'd
Thy beauty's form in table of my heart;
My body is the frame wherein 'tis held,
And perfpective it is beft painter's art.
For through the painter must you see his skill,
To find where your true image pictur'd lies,

the stage. It has never been supposed that our author was himself a player before he came to London. Whether the lines before us were founded on experience, or obfervation, cannot now be afcertained. What I have advanced is merely conjectural.

2

MALONE.

O let my books be then the eloquence,] A gentleman to whom I am indebted for the observations which are marked with the let ter C, would read:

O let my looks &c.

But the context, I think, fhows that the old copy is right. The poet finding that he could not fufficiently collect his thoughts to exprefs his esteem by speech, requests that his writings may fpeak for him. So afterwards:

"O learn to read what filent love hath writ.” Had looks been the author's word, he hardly would have used it again in the next line but one. MALONE.

And dumb prefagers of my speaking breaft ;] So, in K. Joba: "And fullen prefage of your own decay." MALONE.

Which in my bofom's fhop is hanging ftill,
That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes.
Now fee what good turns eyes for eyes have done;
Mine eyes have drawn thy fhape, and thine for me
Are windows to my breast, where-through the fun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee;

Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art,
They draw but what they fee, know not the heart.
XXV.

Let thofe who are in favour with their stars,
Of publick honour and proud titles boast,
Whilft I, whom fortune of fuch triumph bars,
Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.

Great princes' favourites their fair leaves fpread *,
But as the marigold at the fun's eye;
And in themselves their pride lies buried,
For at a frown they in their glory die.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foil'd,
Is from the book of honour razed quite 3,
And all the reft forgot for which he toil'd:

Then

* Great princes' favourites their fair leaves fpread, &c.] Compare Woifey's fpeech in K. Henry VIII. Vol. VII. p. 272. edit. 1778:

"This is the ftate of man: To-day he puts forth
"The tender leaves of hope &c MALONE.

The painful warrior famoused for worth,

After a thousand victories once foil'd,

Is from the book of honour razed quite,] In all the preceding verfes of this little poem the alternate rhime is regularly preferved; here in the first and third lines it is interrupted. There are two ways of restoring the text. We must either read in the third line--razed forth, or in the firft-famoufed for fight. Perhaps this laft emendation is to be preferred. THEOBALD. This ftanza is not worth the labour that has been bestowed on it. By tranfpofition, however, the rhime may be recovered, without further change:

The painful warrior for worth famoused,
After a thousand victories once foil'd,
Is from the book of honour quite rafed—

"My

Then happy I, that love and am beloved,
Where I may not remove, nor be removed.

XXVI.

Lord of my love, to whom in vaffalage
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit*,
To thee I fend this written embaffage,
To witness duty, not to fhow my wits.
Duty fo great, which wit fo poor as mine
May make seem bare, in wanting words to fhow it
But that I hope fome good conceit of thine
In thy foul's thought, all naked, will bestow it:
Till whatsoever ftar that guides my moving,
Points on me graciously with fair afpèct",

"My name be blotted from the book of life,"

is a line in K. Richard II. STEEVENS.

Is from the book of honour rafed quite,] So, in K. Rich. II: 'tis not my meaning

66

"To raze one title of your honour out."

Mr. Theobald's emendation is, I think, right. MALONE. • Thy merit hath my duty ftrongly knit;] So, in Macbeth: -Lay your highness'

"Command upon me; to the which my duties
"Are with a most indiffoluble tye

*For ever knit." STEEVENS.

$ Lord of my love, to whom in vaffalage Thy merit hath my duty frongly knit,

To thee I fend this written embassage,

To witnefs duty, not to fhow my wit.] So, in the Dedication of The Rape of Lucrece: The warrant I have of your ho nourable difpofition, not the worth of my untutor'd lines, makes it affured of acceptance. What I have done is yours; what I

have to do is yours; being part in all I have devoted yours. Were my worth greater, my duty fhould fhow greater; meantime, as it is, it is bound to your lordship." C.

Till whatsoever ftar that guides my moving,

Points on me gracioufly with fair afpèct,] So, in Curiolarus :

"As if that whatfoever God who leads him,

"Were flily crept into his human powers,

66

And gave him graceful pofure." C.

And

And puts apparel on my tattered loving,
To fhow me worthy of thy fweet refpect?:

Then may I dare to boast how I do love thee,
Till then, not fhow my head where thou may'st
prove me.

XXVII.

Weary with toil, I hafte me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body's work's expired
For then my thoughts (from far where I abide)'
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,

And keep my drooping eye-lids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do fee.
Save that my foul's imaginary fight

Prefents thy fhadow to my fightless view",
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new'.
Lo thus by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find.

7 To flew me worthy of thy fweet refpect:] The old copy has of their sweet refpect.

It was evidently a mifprint. The fame mistake has feveral times happened in these Sonnets, owing probably to abbreviations having been formerly used for the words their and thy, fo nearly refembling each other as not to be easily distinguished. I have obferved the fame error in fome of the old English plays.

MALONE. For then my thoughts (from far where I abide)] We might better read:

(far from where I abide) MALONE.

Prefents thy fhadow to my fightless view,] The quarto reads corruptly:

Prefents their fhadow

MALONE.

Which, like a jewel hung in ghaftly night,

Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new.] So, in

Romeo and Juliet:

"Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night,
"Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear."

MALONE.

XXVIII.