Page images
PDF
EPUB

<< her young ones, fhe is the louder, or perhaps, all tongue. Mr. Smith.

Shakespeare has an expreffion of the like kind, Comedy of Errors, act iv. sc. iii.

Adr. "Far from her neft, the lapwing cries away,

My heart prays for him, tho' my tongue do curfe." We meet with the fame thought in John Lilly's comedy, intitled, Campafpe, (first published in 1591, act ii. sc. ii.) from whence Shakespeare might borrow it.

Alexander to Hephestion.

Alex. "Not with Timoleon you mean, wherein you refemble the lapwing, who crieth moft where her neft is not, and to lead me from espying your love for Campaspe, you cry Timoclea." GRAY.*

L. 26.

as bloffeming time

That from the feedness the bare fallow brings To teeming foifon ;] An old word for feed-time. So the lawyers tranflate femen hyemale & quadragefimale, by winter fecdnefs, and lent feednefs.

foifon ;] Harveft.

WARB.*

POPE.*

Ibid] As the fentence now ftands it is apparently ungram-matical, I read,

"At bloffoming time," &c.

That is, "As they that feed grow full, fo her womb now
at bloffoming time, at that time through which the feed time
proceeds to the harveft," her womb fhews what has been
doing. Lucio ludicroufly calls pregnancy blooming time, the
time when fruit is promifed, though not yet ripe. JOHNS.
Ibid] Read.
as bloffoming time

Doth from the feednefs the bare fallow bring
To teeming foyfon, even fo, &c. CAPELL.*

P. 252. L. 7. Bore many gentlemen ·

In band and hope of action;

-] To bear in

hand is a common phrafe for to keep in expectation and defen

dance, but we should read,

With hope of action.

JOHNS.

L. 12.

with full line.] With full extent, with the

whole length. L. 18.

JOHNS.

give fear to ufe.] To intimidate ufe, that is,

practices long countenanced by cuftom.

JOHNS.

L. 25. Unless you have the grace] That is, the acceptableness, the power of gaining favour.

L. 26.

my meflage.

pith of business] The inmoft part, the main of

P. 253. L. 15.

JOHNS.

JOHNS.

the mother] The abbefs, or priorefs.

JOHNS.

WARB.

L. 27. Than FALL and bruife to death] I fhould rather read FELL, i. e. ftrike down, So in Timon of Athens, All fave thee, I FELL with curses. P. 254. L. 2. Let your bonour know] To know is here to examine, to take cognizance. So in Midfummer-Night's

Dream,

Therefore, fair Hermia, queftion your defires,

Know of your youth, examine well your blood. JOHNS. L. 17. 'tis very pregnant] 'Tis plain that we must not act with bad as with good; we punish the faults, as we take the advantages, that lie in our way, and what we do not fee

we cannot note.

JOHNS.

L. 22. For I have had] That is, because, by reafon that I

JOHNS.

have had faults. P. 255. L. 4. Some rife, &c.] This line is in the first folio printed in Italicks as a quotation. All the folios read in the next line.

Some ran from brakes of ice, and answer none. JOHNS. Ibid] Read, Some run from brakes of juftice, anfwer none; CAPELL.

L. 22. This comes off well.] This is nimbly spoken; this is volubly uttered.

JOHNS. P. 256. L. 1. — she professes a bot-bouse] A hot-boufe is the English name for a bagnio.

"Where lately harbour'd many a famous whore,
"A purging bill now fix'd upon the door.
"Tells you it is a bot-boufe, fo it may,

"And ftill may be a whore-houfe." Jonson

JOHNS.

L. 19. Here feems to have been fome mention made of Froth, who was to be accufed, and fome words therefore may have been loft, unless the irregularity of the narrative may be better imputed to the ignorance of the constable.

JOHNS.

[ocr errors]

P. 259. L. 8. Juftice or iniquity] Thefe were, I fuppofe, two perfonages well known to the audience ty their frequent appearance in the old moralities. The words therefore at that time produced a combination of ideas, which they have now loft.

JOHNS.

L. 10. Hannibal] Miftaken by the conftable for Cannibal.

[ocr errors]

JOHNS. P. 260. L. 6. they will draw you] Draw has here a clufter of fenfes. As it refers to the tapfter, it fignifies to drain, to empty; as it is related to hang, it means to embowel or extenterate. In Froth's answer it is the fame as to bring along by fome motive or power. JOHNS.

P. 261. L. 9. I'll rent the fairest boufe in it, after three pence a day] This reading firft got place in Mr. Pope's impreffion, who, prefume, did not know how to account for, bay, the reading of the old copies; and which I have reftor'd to the text. The fashion of buildings, in our Author's time, was to have two or three femi-circular juttings out in front, where the windows were placed, and thefe projections were called bays; as the windows were, from them, called baywindows.

Minshew tells us, the reafon of the name being given was, because this form of building resembled a bay, or road for fhips, which is always round, and bow-ing. - - I had almoft forgot to obferve, that CHAUCER mentions a bay-indow in his Court of Love.

And there befide, within a bay-windowe,

Stod one in grene, full large of bredth and length, &c.

THEOB.*

Ibid] Mr. Theobald knew nothing of the meaning of the word he restored. He fuppofes Bay to be that projection called a Bay-window; as if the way of rating houfes was by the number of their Bay-windows. But it is quite another thing, and fignifies the fquared frame of a timber house; each of which divifions or fquares is called a Bay. Hence a building of fo many bays. WARB.

Ibid] A Bay of building is in many parts of England a common term, of which the best conception that I could ever attain, is, that it is the space between the main beams of the

roof; fo that a barn crossed twice with beams is a barn of

three bays.

JOHNS. P. 264. L. 1. It is not clear why the provoft is bidden to ftay, nor when he goes out.

L. 9. For which I must not plead, but that I am

JOHNS.

At war, twixt will, and will not.] This is obfcure, perhaps it may be mended by reading,

For which I must now plead, but yet I am

At war, 'twixt will, and will not.

Yet and yt are almost undistinguishable in a manuscript.

JOHNS.

P. 265. L. 10. Well, believe this] This manner of pointing, gives an air of addrefs too familiar for an inferior to use to a perfon of diftinction. But taking away the comma after, well, removes the objection, and restores a mode of expreffion, which our author delights to ufe. Well believe this; i. e. Be convinced, be thoroughly affur'd of this.

THEOB.* L. 27. -all the fouls that WERE] This is false divinity. We fhould read ARE.

And mercy then will breathe within your lips,

WARE.

Like man new made] This is a fine thought, and finely expreffed: The meaning is, that "mercy will add fuch grace to your perfon, that you will appear as amiable as man come fresh out of the hands of his creator."

"

WARE.

Ibid] Mr. Warburton rightly obferves, that this is a fine thought and finely expreffed;' yet he seems not rightly to have understood, either the thought, or the expreflion. I take our poet's meaning to be this; if you allow this confideration its due weight, you will find mercy breathing within your lips, as if a new man were formed within you, fo totally different will your fentiments be from thofe which have the afcendant over you at present. REVISAL.*

P. 266. L. 19. - like a prophet,

Looks in a glafs.] This alludes to the fopperies of the Berril, much ufed at that time by cheats and fortune-tellers to predict by.

WARB.

L. 24. But ere they love to end.] This is very fagacioufly fubftituted by Sir Thomas Hanmer for, but here they live.

JOHNS.

L. 25.

-fbew fome pity.

Ang. I fhew it most of all, when I fhew justice;

For then I pity thofe I do not know:] This was one of Hale's memorials, "When I find myself swayed to mercy, let me remember, that there is a mercy likewife due WARB.

to the country.

P. 267. L. 17. As makes the angels weep; who, with our

fpleens,

Would all themselves laugh mortal] Men play fuch fantastick tricks, and appear fo ridiculous, as to make the angels weep in compaffion of our extravagance: who, if they were endued with our fpleens and perishable organs, would laugh themselves out of immortality; or, as we fay in common life, laugh themselves dead. This no

tion of the angels weeping for the fins of men is purely rabbinical. Ob peccatum flentes angelos inducunt Hebræorum Magiftri. Grotius ad S. Lucam, c. 15. v. 7.

[ocr errors]

THEOB.

Ibid] Mr. Theobald's interpretation amounts to this, that if the angels were mortal they would not be immortal. Shakespeare meant no fuch nonfenfe. By spleens, he meant that peculiar turn of the human mind, that always inclines it to a fpiteful, unfeasonable mirth. Had the angels that, fays Shakespeare, they would laugh themselves out of their immortality, by indulging a paffion which does not deferve that prerogative. The ancients thought, that immoderate laughter was caused by the bigness of the spleen. WARB. In former Editions:

L. 22. We cannot weigh our brother with ourself] Why not? Tho' this should be the reading of all the copies, 'tis as plain as light, it is not the author's meaning. Ifabella would fay, there is fo great a difproportion in quality betwixt lord Angelo and her brother, that their actions can bear no comparifon, or equality, together: but her brother's crimes would be aggravated, Angelo's frailties extenuated, from the diffe rence of their degrees and State of life. WARB.

P. 268. L. 7. That my fenfe bleeds with it] The first folio reads breeds, which tho' it have no meaning, yet Mr. Theobald adopts, and discards a very fenfible word, to make room for it. WARB.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »