Poft. Make not, Sir,

Your lofs your fport; I hope, you know, that we
Muft not continue friends.

Iach. Good Sir, we must,

If you keep covenant; had I not brought
The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant,
We were to question farther; but I now
Profefs my felf the winner of her honour,
Together with your ring; and not the wronger
Of her, or you, having proceeded but
By both your wills.

Poft. If you can make't apparent

That you have tafted her in bed; my hand,
And ring is yours.
If not, the foul opinion,
You had of her pure honour, gains, or lofes
Your fword or mine; or masterless leaves both
To who fhall find them.

lach. Sir, my circumstances

Being fo near the truth, as I will make them,
Muft first induce you to believe; whofe ftrength
I will confirm with oath, which, I doubt not,
You'll give me leave to fpare, when you shall find
You need it not.

Poft. Proceed.

Iach. Firft, her bedchamber,

(Where, I confess, I flept not; but profefs,
Had That was well worth watching) it was hang'd
With tapestry of filk and filver; the story
Proud Cleopatra, when she met her Roman,
And Cydnus fwell'd above the banks, or for
The prefs of boats, or pride:A piece of work
So bravely done, fo rich, that it did ftrive

In workmanship, and value; which, I wonder'd,
Could be fo rarely and exactly wrought,

Since the true life on't was

Poft. This is true;

And this you might have heard of here, by me,
Or by fome other.

Iach. More Particulars

Must juftifie my knowledge.

Poft.

Poft. So they muft,

Or do your honour injury.
Iach. The chimney

Is fouth the chamber; and the chimney-piece,
Chaft Dian, bathing; never faw I figures
So likely to report themselves; the cutter
Was as another nature, dumb, out-went her;
Motion and breath left out.

Poft. This is a thing,

Which you might from relation likewise reap ;
Being, as it is, much spoke of.

lach. The roof o'th' chamber

With golden cherubims is fretted: Th' andirons,
(I had forgot them) were two winking Cupids
Of filver, each on one foot standing, nicely
Depending on their brands.

Poft. What's this t' her honour? (10)
Let it be granted you have feen all this,
Praise be to your remembrance, the description
Of what is in her chamber nothing faves

The wager you have laid.

lach. Then if you can

[Pulling out the Bracelet.

Be pale, I beg but leave to air this jewel; fee!

(10)

-This is ber bonour:

Let it be granted you bave feen all this, &c.]

Iachimo impudently pretends to have carried his Point; and, in Confirmation, is very minute in defcribing to the Husband all the Furniture and Adornments of his Wife's Bed-chamber. But how is fine Furniture any ways a Princefs's Honour? It is an Apparatus fuitable to her Dignity, but certainly makes no part of her Character. It might have been call'd her Father's Honour, that her Allotments were proportion'd to her Rank and Quality. I am perfuaded, the Poet intended Pofibumus should fay; "This particular Description, which you make, "can't convince me that I have loft my Wager: Your Me"mory is good; and some of these Things you may have learned "from a Third Hand, or feen yourfelf; yet I expect Proofs

more direct and authentick." I think, there is little Queftion but we ought to restore the place as I have done.

-What's This t' ber Honour ?

And

And now 'tis up again; it must be married
To that your diamond. I'll keep them.
Poft. Jove!

Once more let me behold it: Is it That,
Which I left with her?

lach. Sir, I thank her, That:

She strip'd it from her arm. I fee her yet,
Her pretty action did out-fell her gift,
And yet enrich'd it too; fhe gave it me,
And faid, the priz'd it once.

Poft. May be, the pluck'd it off

To fend it me.

Iach. She writes fo to you? doth fhe?

Poft. O, no, no, no; 'tis true. Here, take this too; It is a bafilisk unto mine eye,

Kills me to look on't; let there be no honour,

Where there is beauty; truth, where femblance; love,
Where there's another man. The vows of women

Of no more bondage be, to where they're made,
Than they are to their virtues, which is nothing;
O, above measure falfe!

Phi. Have patience, Sir,

And take your ring again: 'tis not yet won ;
It may be probable, fhe loft it; or,

Who knows, one of her women, being corrupted,
Hath ftolen it from her.

Poft. Very true,

And fo, I hope, he came by't?

-back my ring ;

Render to me fome corporal fign about her,
More evident than this; for this was ftole.
Iach. By Jupiter, I had it from her arm.
Poft. Hark you, he fwears; by Jupiter he fwears.

"Tis true- -nay, keep the ring

'tis true; I'm fure,

She could not lofe it; her attendants àre

All honourable; they induc'd to steal it!

And, by a ftranger!no, he hath enjoy'd her.

The cognizance of her incontinency

Is this ; fhe hath bought the name of Whore thus

dearly;

There, take thy hire, and all the fiends of hell

Divide themselve between you!

Phil.

Phil. Sir, be patient;

This is not ftrong enough to be believ'd,
Of one perfuaded well of..

Poft. Never talk on't;

She hath been colted by him.
Iach. If you feek

For further fatisfying, under her breast,
Worthy the preffing, lyes a mole, right proud
Of that most delicate lodging. By my life,
I kift it; and it gave me present hunger

To feed again, though full. You do remember
This ftain upon her?

Poft. Ay, and it doth confirm

Another ftain, as big as hell can hold,

Were there no more but it.

Iach. Will you hear more?

Poft. Spare your arithmetick.

Count not the Turns: once, and a million!
Iach. I'll be fworn

If

Poft. No fwearing:

you will fwear you have not done't, you lie.

And I will kill thee, if thou doft deny

Thou'ft made me cuckold.

lach. I'll deny nothing.

Poft. O, that I had her here, to tear her limb-meal!

I will go there, and do't i'th' Court, before

Her father

I'll do fomething

Phil. Quite befides

The government of patience! you have won;
Let's follow him, and pervert the present wrath

He hath against himself.

Iach. With all my heart.

Re-enter Pofthumus.

[Exit.

[Exeunt.

Poft. Is there no way for men to be, but women
Must be half workers? we are baftards all;

And that most venerable man, which I
Did call my father, was I know not where,
When I was ftampt. Some coyner with his tools
Made me a counterfeit; yet my mother feem'd

The

The Dian of that time; fo doth my wife
The non-pareil of this-Oh vengeance, vengeance!
Me of my lawful pleasure fhe restrain'd,

And pray'd me, oft, forbearance; did it with
A pudency fo rofie, that the sweet view on't
Might well have warm'd old Saturn-that I thought

her

As chaste, as unfunn'd fnow. Oh, all the Devils!
This yellow Iachimo in an hour-

:

-was't not?.
Or less at first? perchance, he spoke not, but
Like a full-acorn'à Boar, a German one, (11)
Cry'd, oh! and mounted; found no oppofition-
But what he look'd for fhould oppose, and she
Should from encounter guard. Could I find out
The woman's part in me-for there's no motion
That tends to vice in man, but, I affirm,
It is the woman's part; be't lying, note it,
The woman's; flattering, hers; deceiving, hers;
Luft, and rank thoughts, hers, hers; revenges, hers;
Ambitions, covetings, change of prides, disdain,
Nice longings, flanders, mutability:

All faults that may be nam'd, nay, that hell knows,
Why, hers, in part, or all; but rather all

to vice

For even

They are not conftant, but are changing ftill;
One vice, but of a minute old, for one
Not half fo old as that. I'll write against them,
Deteft them, curfe them yet 'tis greater skill,
In a true hate, to pray, they have their Will;
The very Devils cannot plague them better.

[Exit.

(11) Like a full-acorn'd Boar, a churning on,] This is Mr. Pope's Reading, without any Authority. A Jermen one, in the firft Editions; (fays He,) fince alter'd to a Ger-And why not, pray? Is not Weftphalia a Part of Germany? And where are Boars more delicately fed, or more likely to be rank and hot after the Female, than German ones ?

man one.

VOL. VII.

L

ACT