But the, found fleeping, fearing no fuch thing,
Lies at the mercy of his mortal fting.

Into the chamber wickedly he ftalks ',
And gazeth on her yet unftained bed.
The curtains being clofe, about he walks,
Rolling his greedy eye-balls in his head:
By their high treafon is his heart mifled;
Which gives the watch-word to his hand full
foon*,

To draw the cloud that hides the filver moon.

Look as the fair and firy-pointed fun,
Rufhing from forth a cloud, bereaves our fight;
Even fo, the curtain drawn, his eyes begun
To wink, being blinded with a greater light:
Whether it is, that the reflects fo bright,

3 Into the chamber wickedly be ftalks,] This line ftrongly confirms the correction that has been made in a paffage in Macbeth: "With Tarquin's ravishing frides, towards his defign "Moves like a ghost."

where the old copy reads-fides. So, in a fubfequent paf fage, when Lucretia is defcribing Tarquin's entrance into her chamber, the fays:

For in the dreadful dark of deep midnight, "With fhining falchion in my chamber came "A creeping creature, with a flaming light, "And foftly cry'd

Thus alfo, in a preceding stanza :

"Which drives the creeping thief to fome regard."

MALONE. Which gives the watch-word to his hand full soon,] The duodecimo, 1616, reads-too foon. MALONE.

sfiry-pointed fun,] I would read:-fire-ypointed. So,

Milton :

"Under a far-ypointing pyramid." STEEVENS.

I have not obferved that our author has any where, except in the antiquated chorufes of Pericles, (if they were his compofition) imitated the elder poets in prefixing y to any word, and therefore fuppofe the old reading to be right. In Shakspeare's edi tion the word is fpeis fierie-pointed. MALONE.

That

That dazzleth them, or else fome fhame fupposed;

But blind they are, and keep themselves enclosed.

6

O, had they in that darksome prifon died,
Then had they seen the period of their ill!
Then Collatine again by Lucrece' fide,
In his clear bed might have repofed still:
But they must ope, this bleffed league to kill;
And holy-thoughted Lucrece to their fight
Muft fell her joy, her life, her world's delight.

Her lily hand her rofy cheek lies under 7,
Cozening the pillow of a lawful kifs ;
Who therefore angry, feems to part in funder,

Swelling * In his clear bed] Clear is pure, fpotless. So, in Macbeth: -This Duncan

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"Hath been so clear in his great office" MALONE. -her rofy cheek lies under,] Thus the first copy. The edition of 1600, and the subsequent impreffions have cheeks. MALONE.

Her lily hand her rofy cheek lies under,

Cozening the pillow of a lawful kifs;] Among the poems of Sir John Suckling, (who is faid to have been a great admirer of our author) is one entitled A Supplement of an imperfect Copy of Verfes of Mr. William Shakspeare's; which begins with thefe lines, fomewhat varied. We can hardly fuppofe that Suckling would have called a paffage extracted from a regular poem an imperfect copy of verfes. Perhaps Shakspeare had written the lines quoted below (of which Sir John might have had a manufcript copy) on fome occafion previous to the publication of his Lucrece, and afterwards used them in this poem, with fome variation. In a fubfequent page the reader will find fome verfes that appear to have been written before Venus and Adonis was compofed, of which, in like manner, the leading thoughts were afterwards employed in that poem. This fuppofed fragment is thus fupplied by Suckling. The variations are diftinguished by Italick characters.

I.

"One of ber bands one of her cheeks lay under,
"Cozening the pillow of a lawful kifs;

"Which therefore fwell'd and feem'd to part asunder,
S5 As angry to be robb'd of fuch a bliss:

"The

Swelling on either fide to want his blifs;
Between whofe hills her head intombed is:
Where, like a virtuous monument, the lies
To be admir'd of lewd unhallow'd eyes.

Without the bed her other fair hand was,
On the green coverlet; whose perfect white
Show'd like an April daify on the grafs,

"The one look'd pale, and for revenge did long,
"While t'other blush'd'cause it had done the wrong.

îl.

"Out of the bed the other fair hand was,
"On a green fattin quilt; whofe perfect white
"Look'd like a daify in a field of grafs

*

And fhew'd like unmelt fnow unto the fight:
"There lay this pretty perdue, fafe to keep
"The rest o' the body that lay fast asleep.

III.

Her eyes (and therefore it was night) close laid,
"Strove to imprison beauty till the morn;
"But yet the doors were of fuch fine stuff made,
"That it broke through and thew'd itself in fcorn;
"Throwing a kind of light about the place,

"Which turn'd to fmiles, ftill as't came near her face.
IV.

"Her beams, which fome dull men call'd hair, divided
"Part with her cheeks, part with her lips did fport;
"But these, as rude, her breath put by ftill: fome †
"Wifelier downward fought; but falling fhort,
"Curl'd back in rings, and feem'd to turn again
"To bite the part fo unkindly held them in."

MALONE.

Where, like a virtuous monument, he lies,] On our ancient monuments the heads of the perfons reprefented are commonly repofed on pillows. Our author has nearly the fame image in Cym beline:

"And be her fenfe but as a monument,

"Thus in a chapel lying." STEEVENS.

Thus far (lays Suckling) Shakspeare.

From the want of rhime here, I fufpect this line to be corrupt.

With pearly fweat, refembling dew of night'.
Her eyes, like marigolds, had fheath'd their light,
And, canopied in darkness, fweetly lay,

Till they might open to adorn the day.

Her hair, like golden threads, play'd with her breath; O modeft wantons! wanton modesty !

3

Showing life's triumph in the map of death,
And death's dim look in life's mortality.
Each in her fleep themselves fo beautify,

As if between them twain there were no ftrife",
But that life liv'd in death, and death in life.

Her breafts, like ivory globes circled with blue,
A pair of maiden worlds unconquered,
Save of their lord no bearing yoke they knew ',

'With pearly fweat, resembling dew of night.] So, Dryden : "And fleeping flow'rs beneath the night-dew feat."

2

beline:

STEEVENS.

Her eyes, like marigolds, had sheath'd their light,
And canopied in darkness, fectly lay, &c.] So, in Cyma

-The flame o' the taper

"Bends towards her, and would underpeep her lids,
"To fee the enclosed lights, now canopied
"Under these windows." MALONE.

Showing life's triumph-] The duodecimo, 1616, reads

Showring. MALONE.

in the map of death,] So, in King Richard II: "Thou map of honour." STEEVENS.

As if between them twain there was no strife,

But that life liv'd in death, and death in life.] So, in

Macbeth:

"That death and nature do contend about them,

"Whether they live or die." STEEVENS.

A pair of maiden worlds unconquered,] Maiden worlds! How happeneth this, friend Collatine, when Lucretia hath fo long lain by thy fide? Verily, it infinuateth thee of coldness. AMNER. Save of their lord no bearing yoke they knew,] So, Ovid, de fcribing Lucretia in the fame fituation:

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Effugiet? pofitis urgetur pectora palmis, "Nunc primum externá pectora tačła manu.' MALONE. VOL. I.

K k

And

And him by oath they truly honoured 3.
Thefe worlds in Tarquin new ambition bred;
Who, like a foul ufurper, went about

From this fair throne to heave the owner out".

What could he fee, but mightily he noted?
What did he note, but ftrongly he defired?
What he beheld, on that he firmly doted,
And in his will his wilful eye he tired *.
With more than admiration he admired
Her azure veins, her alabafter skin,
Her coral lips, her fnow-white dimpled chin.

As the grim lion fawneth o'er his prey,
Sharp hunger by the conqueft fatisfied,
So o'er this fleeping foul doth Tarquin stay,
His rage of luft by gazing qualified';
Slack'd, not fupprefs'd; for ftanding by her fide,

And him by oath they truly honoured.] Alluding to the ancient practice of fwearing domefticks into fervice. So, in Cymbeline: "Her fervants are all forn and honourable." STEEVENS. The matrimonial oath was, I believe, alone in our author's thoughts. MALONE.

9

to heave the owner out.] So, in a fubfequent flanza: "My fighs like whirlwinds labour hence to beave thee:” The duodecimo, 1616, and the modern editions, read: to have the owner out. MALONE. *And in his will his wilful eye be tired.] This may mean-He glutted his luftful eye in the imagination of what he had refolved to de. To tire is a term in falconry. So, in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece: "Muft with keen fang tire upon thy flesh." Perhaps we fhould read-And on his will &c. STEEVENS.

-by gazing qualified,] i. e. foftened, abated, diminished. So, in The Merchant of Venice:

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I have heard

"Your grace hath ta'en great pains to qualify

"His rigorous courfes." STEEVENS.

Again, in Othello: "I have drank but one cup to-night, and that was craftily qualified too." MALONE.