1 U I cannot discover the nonsense which Theobald imputes to this passage. Cowsy is ridiculing scholars; and says, that if their horse tires or stumbles, they cry absurd; as if the beast could understand them. A similar expression occurs in Massinger's Emperor of the East; where Theodosius, speaking of a learned lady, says-- And when I court her, It must be in tropes, and figures, Or she will cry absurd. Page 135. Cook........ And how does my master? As these words are addressed to Andrew, we should read-- And how does thy mafter? Charles was not the cook's master.1 Page 135. ANDREW...Is at's book row on T The second folio reads more naturally g MyzoEljom. He's at his book. 25 ulo of Page 141. ANGELLINA......... And some few flashes I have heard come from him, A There is no sense in this passage as it stands; it should be pointed thus-- And some few flashes I have heard come from him. Angellina means to say, I have heard some few flashes from him; which, however, I did not much admire: as to his other qualities, he's young, &c. Page 146. ANDREW........Potargo. This should be botargo; a savoury composi tion, made of the roes of mullets. Page 147. CHARLES........ 1 She has a face looks like a story; The story of the heavens looks very like her. So Pericles, Prince of Tyre, says of the daughter of Antiochus-- See, where she comes! Her face the book of praises, where is read Nothing but curious pleasures. Page 149. LEWIS........ Come, let's seal the book first, For my daughter's jointure. The word book means here a deed, as it frequently does in all the old plays. So Glendour says, in the First Part of Henry IV. Act 3d, Scene Ist-- By this our book is drawn, we will but seal, And then to horse immediately.hu di Meaning, by the book, the articles between Percy, Mortimer, and him. Page 152. MIRAMONT............ Would I were thine uncle to thine own content, Ato demake thy husband's state a thousand better. This sense requires that we should read Thine uncle to mine own content-- Instead of thine. Page 153. CHARLES..... I am your oldest, and I'll keep my birthright, For, Heaven forbid! I should become example. That is, be quoted as an example of folly. Page 154. CHARLES......... Where the violet and the rose Their blue veins in blush disclose. We must surely amend this passage, and read→→ Their blue veins and blush disclose. The blue veins referring to the violet, and the blush to the rose. Blue veins disclosing themselves in a blush, is nonsense, such as I have never heard of, except in the vulgar phrase of blushing like a blue dog. Page 158. ANGELLINA........ Nor your black patches, you wear variously, Some cut like stars, some in half-moons, some lozenges, All which but shew you still a younger brother. Theobald justly remarks, that stars and halfmoons are inserted in coats of arms, in order to denote the younger branches of a family; and without this explanation, which the late Editors. have omitted, the last line would not be intelligible. But Seward is, I believe, mistaken in supposing that the use of patches arose from a foppish imi tation of the officers of the army, who came home with scars; as the fashion of wearing them was more prevalent among the women than the men; and they surely did not affect to have been wounded in the wars. He follows still; yet with a sober face. Would I might know the worst, and then I were satisfied. SYLVIA........ You may both; let him but go with you. That is, if you let him go with you, you may both be satisfied and know the worst. Both does not mean, as the Editors suppose, both 1 you and Charles, but both the circumstances Angellina spake of. Page 167. CHARLES........ And those true tears falling on your pure crystals, Some of the old Editions read-- For great queens to adore. And had the reading of to wear rested solely on the authority of Theobald, I should have thought it improper to adopt it; as to adore, means to admire exceedingly; and is also used by Spencer, in the sense of to adorn. Page 174. ANDREW........ I shall have some music yet, At my making free of the company of horners. Horners, mean dealers in horn; no amendment, therefore, appears to be necessary. Theobald, however, objects to the present text, and reads, borned ones, instead of borners; but if this objec tion were well founded, the reading of borned, instead of borners, would answer the purpose, without the introduction of the word ones. Page 176. LILLY........ As for the rest, it requires youth and strength, The old reading, it seems, was agues, sciaticas, and cramps, and should not have been changed for a word so entirely synonymous with those that follow. The labour Lilly alludes to, is more likely to breed agues than aches in an old man ; as every thing that exhausts the constitution, is apt to bring on that disorder. Page 181. EUSTACE........Piety, then, And valour, nor to do, nor suffer wrong, Are there no virtues. There, means in the court; referring to his for mer speech-- And does the court, that should be the example, No other lectures? Page 186. EUSTACE........My rest is up, Nor will I give less. |