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FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES 65
1st es nicht hart, Nerissa, dass ich
nicht wahlen einen darf,
und auch verneinen
keinen darf.
The same is the case with the concluding words of
that scene, which Portia addresses to Nerissa and the
servant. In the Folio Edition of the year 1623
upon which, from now on, we base our researches
altogether the passage is printed
as prose
:
in continuous lines
Come, Nerissa, sirra go before ;
whiles wee shut the gate
upon one wooer, another knocks at the doore.
In reality, however, we have three concealed verses
that rhyme :
Come Nerissa, sirra go before ;
whiles wee shut the gate upon one wooer,
another knocks at the doore.
" Wooer " rhymes perfectly to " before" and " doore."
We must give Schlegel the credit of having repro
duced two of the rhymed words :
Komm, Nerissa. Geht voran, Bursch !
Geht der alte Freiersw###,
Klopft bereits ein zweiter an ;
but he missed the third.
And we would now draw attention to a few similar
instances in King Henry the Fourth, First Part.
When in Act ii. 4 Prince Henry says :
Prithee, let him alone, we shall have more anon,
we have a couplet printed in prose-form in the prosetext
:
Prithee, let him a/one,
we shall have more anon.
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