AND OBSERVANCES OF SHAKSPEARE. 255 



ardice, and both with poor descent, that the latter unites with the 

 two former into a sort of tri-headed monster. It is as certain that 

 falsehood implies cowardice, as that poor descent means their here- 

 ditary pre-inclination. When virtue was the correlative of title, 

 then did poor descent mean something else. 



Applied to woman, this passage is beautifully true.—" One natu- 

 rally born to fears," sexually timid, tremblingly sensitive, the 

 dependence of woman is essential to love — a dependence which 

 arises out of her nature, not her weakness, which exacts sup- 

 port without solicitation, associates her happiness inevitably with 

 her protector, and constitutes through life a reciprocal bond. But 

 with "falsehood" there is no confidence, with '' cowardice" no pro- 

 tection, with " poor descent," or their pre-inclination, no hope ; and 

 these three are one, and form the first element of love. The for- 

 gotten Julia visits her lover in disguise, discovers his treachery, 

 and forgives it. 



There is something most redeemable in woman's love : however 

 base and depraved the object of her passion, he becomes interesting, 

 and we sympathize with her fondness ; we feel that there must be 

 a cause for that love — some better qualities and feelings which 

 elicited it. Proteus is a villain, but we almost forgive him for the 

 love of Julia. Sir Walter Scott, in that bold, masterly character, 

 Bothwell,* by describing the packet of letters found upon him 

 after his fearful death, gives at once a better mould to his history ; we 

 look back to days lang syne, when the ferocious soldier was suscep- 

 tible of softer feelings — we fancy him subdued with the sensibilities 

 of love, and weeping over some fond, forgiving, heart-stricken girl. 

 The love of youth is often a holy remembrance in age, and makes 

 man proud under every change and condition of life. Little minds 

 are incapable of passion ; they possess merely admiration : but where 

 love is one collected, exclusive, inordinate passion, it gives an 

 unapproachable elevation to the character, and a dignity of manner 

 superior to rule. 



The play advances. Valentine becomes prince of outlaws, and 

 saves his Silvia from the uncivil grasp of Proteus, " that friend of an 

 ill fashion," who, craven-like, acknowledges and repents when too 

 late to be a virtue, and is somewhat weakly pardoned by Valentine ; 

 but love and generosity are equally uncensurable. Julia, poor 

 Julia ! thine is the hardest lot ; for though love may blind the eye, 

 it cannot " raze out the written trouble of the brain." Thurio, 

 good night ! 



See Old Mortality, vol. ii., p. 225. 



