To 'cide this title is impannelled '

A queft of thoughts, all tenants to the heart;
And by their verdict is determined.

The clear eye's moiety, and the dear heart's part:
As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part,
And my heart's right thy inward love of heart.

XLVII.

Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other:
When that mine eye is famish'd for a look,
Or heart in love with fighs himself doth fmother,
With my love's picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart:
Another time mine eye is my heart's guest,
And in his thoughts of love doth share a part :
So, either by thy picture or my love+,
Thyfelf away art prefent ftill with me;
For thou not farther than my thoughts canft move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;
Or if they fleep, thy picture in my fight
Awakes my heart to heart's and eye's delight.

▪ To 'cide this title is impannelled] To 'cide, for to decide. The old copy reads-fide. MALONE.

A quest of thoughts,] An inqueft or jury. So, in K.
Richard III:

"What lawful queft have given their verdict up
"Unto the frowning judge?" MALONE.

3 The clear eye's moiety,] Moiety in ancient language fignifies any portion of a thing, though the whole may not be equally divided. So, in K. Henry IV. P. I:

"Methinks my moiety, north from Burton here,

"In quantity equals not one of yours."

Here the divifion was into three parts. MALONE.

4 So either by thy picture or my love,] The modern editions read unintelligibly:

So either by the picture of my love. MALONE.

619

XLVIII.

XLVIII.

How careful was I when I took my way,
Each trifle under trueft bars to thrust,
That, to my ufe, it might unused stay
From hands of falfhood, in fure wards of truft!
But thou, to whom my jewels trifles are,
Moft worthy comfort, now my greatest grief,
Thou, best of dearest, and mine only care,
Art left the prey of every vulgar thief.
Thee have I not lock'd up in any cheft,
Save where thou art not, though I feel thou art,
Within the gentle closure of my breast,
From whence at pleasure thou may'ft come and part;
And even thence thou wilt be stolen I fear,
For truth proves thievish for a prize fo dear.

XLIX.

Against that time, if ever that time come,
When I fhall fee thee frown on my defects,
Whenas thy love hath caft his utmost fum 7,
Call'd to that audit by advis'd respects,
Against that time, when thou fhalt strangely país,
And scarcely greet me with that fun, thine eye,
When love, converted from the thing it was,
Shall reasons find of fettled gravity,

5 Within the gentle clofure of my breaft,] So, in K. Rich. Ill: "Within the guilty closure of thy walls." STEEVENS. • For truth proves thievifh for a prize fo dear.] So, in Venus

and Adonis:

"Rich preys make rich men thieves."

C.

7 Whenas thy love has caft his utmost fum,] Whenas, in an, cient language, was fynonymous to when. MALONE, When love, converted from the thing it was,

Shall reafons find of fettled gravity,] A fentiment fome

what fimilar, occurs in Julius Cæfar:

When love begins to ficken and decay,

"It ufeth an enforced ceremony," STEEVENS.

Againft

Againft that time do I enfèonce me here?
Within the knowledge of mine own defert,
And this my hand against myself uprear,
To guard the lawful reafons on thy part:

To leave poor me thou haft the ftrength of laws,
Since, why to love, I can allege no cause.

L.

How heavy do I journey on the way,

When what I feek,-my weary travel's end,-
Doth teach that eafe and that repofe to say,
"Thus far the miles are measur'd from thy friend *!”
The beaft that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by fome inftinct the wretch did know
His rider lov'd not speed, being made from thee;
The bloody fpur cannot provoke him on
That fometimes anger thrufts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than fpurring to his fide;

For that fame groan doth put this in my mind,
My grief lies onward, and my joy behind.

9-do I enfconce me here] I fortify myfelf. A fconce was a fpecies of fortification. MALONE.

Thus far the miles are measur'd from thy friend!] So, in one of our author's plays:

Meafuring our steps from a departed friend.”
STEEVENS.

Again, in K. Richard 11:

Every tedious ftride I make,

"Will but remember me what a deal of world

"I wander from the jewels that I love." MALONE. Plods dully on,] The quarto reads-Plods duly on. The context fupports the reading that I have chofen. So, in the next Sonnet :

"Thus can my love excufe the flow offence
"Of my dull bearer." MALONE.

LI.

Thus can my love excufe the flow offence

Of my

dull bearer, when from thee I speed: From where thou art why should I hafte me thence? Till I return, of posting is no need.

O, what excuse will my poor beast then find,
When swift extremity can feem but flow 3?

Then should I fpur, though mounted on the wind *;
In winged speed no motion fhall I know:
Then can no horfe with my defire keep pace;
Therefore defire, of perfect love being made,
Shall neigh (no dull flesh) in his firy race';
But love, for love, thus fhall excuse my jade;
Since from thee going he went wilful flow,
Towards thee I'll run, and give him leave to go.

When fwift extremity can feem but flow ?] So, in Macbeth:
The favifteft wing of recompence is flow."

STEEVENS. 4 Then fhould I fpur, though mounted on the wind;] So, in Macbeth:

"And Pity, like a naked new-born babe,

"Striding the blaft, or Heaven's cherubin, bors'd
"Upon the fightless couriers of the air,

"Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye."

It is likewife one of the employments of Ariel,
"To run upon the fharp vind of the north."

MALONE.

5 Shall neigh (no dull flefb) in his firy race;] The expreffion is here fo uncouth, that I ftrongly fufpect this line to be corrupt. Perhaps we fhould read:

Shall neigh to dull flefh, in his firy race. Defire, in the ardour of impatience, fhall call to the fluggish animal (the borse) to proceed with fwifter motion. MALONE.

Perhaps this paffage is only obfcured by the aukward situation of the words no dull flesh. The fenfe may be this: "Therefore defire, being no dull piece of horse-flesh, but compofed of the most perfect love, fhall neigh as he proceeds in his hot career." "A good piece of horse-feh," is a term ftill current in the stable. Such a profufion of words, and only to tell us that our author's paffion was impetuous, though his horfe was flow! STEEVENS.

LII.

So am I as the rich, whose bleffed key
Can bring him to his sweet up-locked treasure,
The which he will not every hour survey,
For blunting the fine point of feldom pleasure.
Therefore are feafts fo folemn and fo rare,
Since feldom coming, in the long year fet,
Like ftones of worth they thinly placed are",
Or captain jewels in the carcanet.

So is the time that keeps you, as my cheft,
Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide,
To make some special inftant fpecial-bleft",
By new unfolding his imprifon'd pride.

Bleffed are you, whofe worthinefs gives scope,
Being had, to triumph, being lack'd, to hope.

For blunting the fine point of feldom pleasure.] That is, for fear af blunting &c.

7

Voluptates commendat rarior ufus. Hor. MALONE.
aciefque hebetatur amori

Mutato toties.

Alicubi. STEEVENS.

Therefore are feafts fo folemn and fo rare,
Since feldom coming, in the long year fet,

Like ftones of avorth &c.] So, in K. Henry IV. P. I:
"If all the year were playing holidays,

"To fport would be as tedious as to work;

"But when they feldom come, they wish'd-for come; "And nothing pleafeth but rare accidents." MALONE. feafts fo folemn and fo rare,] He means the four feftivals of the year. STEEVENS.

Or captain jewels in the carcanet.] Jewels of fuperior worth. So, in Timon of Athens:

"The als more captain than the lion, and the felon
"Loaden with irons wifer than the judge."

Again, in the 66th Sonnet:

"And captive Good attending captain III.”

The carcanet was an ornament worn round the neck. MALONE. 9 Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide,

To make fome Special inftant fecial-bleft,] So, in King Henry IV. P. I

"Then did I keep my perfon fresh and new;
"My prefence, like a robe pontifical,

"Ne'er feen but wonder'd at." STEEVENS.